Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
DEVELOPMENT AND BUILDING

 

Date: August 30, 1999

 

Author/Local: M D'Agostini/7727

 

LU&D No. 99022.

 

RTS No. 00955

 

CC File No. 5304-1

 

Council: September 21, 1999

TO: Vancouver City Council

FROM: Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT: CD-1 Text Amendment - 3624 Fraser Street

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

On September 2, 1993, Council enacted CD-1 By-law No. 7157 permitting a seniors multiple dwelling (including eight rental units) and a club in a three-storey building on this site. The by-law was amended by Council on April 22, 1997 to delete the seniors and rental requirements.

On March 5, 1992, Council adopted Church Guidelines to provide location and design criteria for development applications involving church use or expansion of existing churches and rezoning applications that involve churches.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report assesses an application to add Church, Public Authority Use, Community Centre, and Library in conjunction with Community Centre as permitted uses. Staff support the application, with a no rental clause in relation to the church, and recommend that it be referred to Public Hearing and approved.

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DISCUSSION

Use: The applicant proposes to use a portion of the ground floor of this mixed use residential/club building as a Church. The Gospel Church in Christ has been meeting at various locations in the area for over ten years. The congregation is now seeking a permanent home and this location would be central for current and future members of the congregation. Sale of the strata lot will also assist this Legion Branch in overcoming financial difficulties and ease the financial burden to other strata owners in completing required building envelope repairs.

The proposed church use complies with the church guidelines with the exception of its proximity to other churches. Typically churches are located several bocks apart. However, there are five other churches located within a three-block radius from this site. The impact of a new church should be no more than for an active Club that the zoning presently permits and the building/parking is already designed to permit. Furthermore the size of the assembly area (approximately 189 m2 [2,034 sq. ft.]) is small, relative to other churches, and there is no possibility of expansion on this site.

Staff are also recommending the church use have a "no rental" limitation which is consistent with the restriction on the previously approved club use. This will prevent potential noise and traffic problems that could be caused by rental users.

As per the church guidelines, an acoustical consultant's report will be required at the development permit stage to assess potential noise impacts on the residential units in the building and the neighbourhood and propose mitigation measures as required.

Planning staff suggested a number of other institutional uses consistent with the RT-2 District Schedule also be included as part of this application so a wider range of uses would be permitted should the strata lot become vacant again in the future. These other proposed uses are Public Authority Use, Community Centre, and Library in conjunction with Community Centre. All of the proposed uses are of a "community service" nature, similar to the Royal Canadian Legion. Neighbours have not objected to any of the proposed uses but have raised concerns with traffic and parking in relation to the church use which is discussed in the next section below.

Traffic and Parking: A number of residents in the 700 block of East 20th Avenue have expressed concerns with the increase in traffic and parking that could result if the church use were approved. Staff feel that traffic impacts should be no greater than would be experienced from a Club which could include activities of a wide variety of non-profit societies and associations. These impacts will be minimized due to the location of the building both on a corner and an arterial street. Existing access to underground parking is from East 20th Avenue between Fraser Street and the lane which also limits traffic in the neighourhood as the majority of vehicles exit towards Fraser Street.

Staff note that the Parking By-law requirements for Club and Church are identical and no additional parking would be required. Other proposed uses have a lower parking standard than is currently required. Some residents feel a parking problem has been created by existing churches, restaurants and other commercial activities in the immediate vicinity and are concerned that the addition of church use will exacerbate the problem. They also indicated that some of the other nearby churches had resident-only parking areas in place. Resident-only parking areas of approximately one-half block are in place adjacent to the Glad Tidings Temple (Fraser Street and East 19th Avenue) and Hope United Church (St. Catherine's Street and East 19th Avenue).

Engineering staff reviewed the parking situation on the 700 block of East 20th Avenue earlier this year and determined there was insufficient spill-over parking to warrant a resident-only parking system on this block. Staff will undertake another review and monitor traffic and parking in light of the current text amendment application and once again when the church has been established. Measures will be proposed, as warranted, in consultation with neighbours.

CONCLUSION

The Director of Current Planning recommends that the application, with rental limitations on the proposed church use, be referred to Public Hearing and that it be approved subject to the conditions of approval in Appendix B.

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APPENDIX A

DRAFT CD-1 BY-LAW PROVISIONS

Use · Add Church (not for rental purposes), Public Authority Use, Community Centre and Library in conjunction with Community Centre [Amend Section 2].

APPENDIX B

PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL

(a) THAT prior to enactment of the amending by-law, the registered owner shall enter into an agreement to the satisfaction of the Director of Legal Services, the General Manager of Engineering Services and the Medical Health Officer, agreeing to deal with the following matters at the development application stage:

APPENDIX C
page 1 of 2

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Background: This site was previously zoned RT-2 and occupied by a one-storey building that served as the home Branch No. 68 of the Royal Canadian Legion since 1931. It was rezoned to CD-1 in 1993 to permit a seniors multiple dwelling including eight rental units and a club (Legion Hall). In 1997 City Council approved a text amendment deleting the seniors and rental stipulations.

Site, Surrounding Zoning and Development: This 0.18 ha (0.44 ac.) site is at the southeast corner of Fraser Street and East 20th Avenue. This site is adjacent to RS-1S zoned parcels to the east and faces RT-2 zoned sites across Fraser Street. Lands to the north of East 20th are zoned C-2 and developed with commercial buildings. To the south is a very old, non-conforming three-storey apartment building on an RT-2 zoned site. South of that building is a two-storey apartment building on an RM-3A zoned parcel.

Existing Building: The site is developed with a 3-4 storey building containing 28 residential units plus the Legion space on the ground floor and was completed in 1996. An underground garage, accessed from East 20th Avenue, accommodates the parking requirements for the multiple dwelling and the club uses. The strata lot which occupies the north portion of the main floor has been occupied by the Legion until recently. This Branch of the Legion has closed due to financial difficulties and has been forced to sell the strata lot. No exterior changes to the building are proposed.

Public Input: A notification letter was sent to 374 nearby property owners on July 23, 1999 and a rezoning information sign was posted on the site on July 28, 1999. Four phone calls were received from residents concerned with the potential traffic and parking impacts on the immediate neighbourhood that may be caused by the proposed church. No objections to the proposed church use were received during an open house that was organized by the Gospel Church in Christ prior to submission of this application. The remaining strata owners unanimously support the sale of the strata unit to the church group.

Comments from Engineering Services: Engineering Services has no objection to the proposed text amendment, provided that the applicant complies with conditions as shown in Appendix B.

APPENDIX C
Page 2 of 2

Comments from the Health Department: During review of this application the Health Department advised that it could not support the proposed uses because of the potential noise problem noting that church use was of particular concern in this regard. However, in subsequent discussions with Planning staff it was agreed that an acoustical consultant's report proposing mitigation measures to contain potential noise problems would be considered. Therefore an acoustical consultant's report will be required at the development permit stage. Acceptance of mitigation measures will be at the discretion of the Health Department.

Environmental and Social Implications: Nearby access to transit may reduce dependence on use of automobiles by those attending church services and functions. There are no major positive or negative social implications to this proposal. There are no implications with respect to the Vancouver Children's Policy or Statement of Children's Entitlements.

Comments of the Applicant: Please see Appendix D.

APPENDIX E

APPLICANT, PROPERTY, AND DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL INFORMATION

APPLICANT AND PROPERTY INFORMATION

Street Address

3624 Fraser Street

Legal Description

Lot N, Block 43, D. L. 301, Plan 11092, Strata Plan LMS2499

Applicant

Gospel Church in Christ

Property Owner

Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 68

SITE STATISTICS

 

GROSS

DEDICATIONS

NET

SITE AREA

1 779.4 m2 (19,154 sq. ft.)

nil

1 779.4 m2 (19,154 sq. ft.)

DEVELOPMENT STATISTICS

 

DEVELOPMENT PERMITTED UNDER EXISTING ZONING

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

ZONING

CD-1

CD-1 (amended)

USES

Multiple Dwelling,
Club (not for rental purposes), and Accessory Uses

add the following uses:
Church (not for rental purposes),

Public Authority Use,

Community Centre, and
Library in conjunction with Community Centre

* * * * *

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