Agenda Index City of Vancouver

POLICY REPORT
BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT

TO:

Standing Committee on Planning and Environment

FROM:

Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

Process for Considering a Granville Island Development Proposal for
1253 Johnston Street (Expansion of Granville Island Hotel)

 

RECOMMENDATION

CONSIDERATION (As alternative to A)

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

On April 18, 1978, City Council adopted the following motion:

Council took the following actions on a recent development proposal for a multi-cinema complex at 1405 Anderson Street:

On March 23, 1999, Council amended the Reference Document in consideration of an addition to the Arts Umbrella, updating the Document in keeping with approved uses on the Island. The specific Arts Umbrella proposal was ultimately approved by the Director of Planning.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

This report advises Council of a proposal to expand the Granville Island Hotel which would require amendment to "Reference Document for Granville Island" (herein after referred to as the Reference Document), and seeks Council direction on an appropriate process for handling the potential amendment and ultimately the specific proposal.

BACKGROUND

A development application has been submitted for expansion of the existing Granville Island Hotel at 1253 Johnston Street, which would increase the existing number of hotel rooms from 54 by adding 32 additional rooms, for a total of 86 rooms. The floor space would be increased by 1 709.4 m² [18,400 sq. ft.] from the existing hotel size and maximum hotel land use allocation in the Reference Document of 2 601 m² [28,000 sq. ft.]. Parking would be provided within the existing unassigned allocation for the Island. Analysis of the development indicates that adjustments to the Reference Document would be needed in order for this proposal to proceed, as the proposal exceeds the current Reference Document allocation for hotel by approximately 66%.

The Reference Document originally did not include a hotel allocation but was amended in March 1999 to acknowledge the existing hotel floor space of 2 601 m² [28,000 sq. ft.]. This action took place as a housekeeping matter to bring the document in line with development that has incrementally occurred over the years.

As Granville Island is Crown land under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, City zoning by-laws do no apply. However, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation [CMHC], who administers the Island, has agreed to follow standard City approval processes. Development proposals for Granville Island are considered by the City in the context of the Reference Document, which can be seen to be similar to an official development plan.

DISCUSSION

Reference Document: A review of the Reference Document is underway, as existing development on Granville Island is near or at many of the maximums for individual land use categories, as was determined in the review of recent proposals. A cooperative program for review by the City and CMHC, with wide public consultation, will be reported to Council shortly.

Process: As the development contemplated by the Reference Document is nearly built out, review of the Document is pending and Council policy is unclear when proposals go beyond the current allowances in the Document. Over the last two years, staff have begun to process development applications in one of the following three ways.

1. For development proposals which are within the development limits of the Reference Document, staff will continue to process in the normal manner, through the Development Permit Board or the Director of Planning, dependent on size and consistency with the Reference Document.

2. For development proposals which exceed the development limits in the Reference Document but which are felt to be consistent with the general objectives for Granville Island and/or are of modest scale and impact, staff will report to Council recommending immediate amendment of the Reference Document to allow the proposal, and then the proposal will be dealt with as per #1 above. If the Development Permit Board feels it appropriate, it may refer the form of the development back to Council for advice. The Arts Umbrella was processed in this manner without reference back to Council on the form.

3. For development proposals which exceed the development limits in the Reference Document where it is unclear whether the proposal meets the general objectives for Granville Island and/or the proposal is complex or controversial, staff will report to Council before processing such proposals, recommending that such proposals be treated in a manner similar to a change of an official development plan. If Council agrees, staff will proceed to analyze the proposal, collect and document public input and report back for consideration by Council at an evening meeting where delegations can be heard, similar to a public hearing. The staff report will focus on the suitability of the use, the scale of the proposal and the general principle of the development. The multi-cinema complex proposal was processed in this manner and Council ultimately refused the proposal.

While the hotel is an existing operation similar to the Arts Umbrella, staff are recommending the broader public process as outlined in #3, above, for the following reasons:

1. hotel was not a use originally included in the Reference Document when it was approved in 1978;
2. the proposed addition represents a significant overage of 66% above that currently delineated in the Reference Document; and
3. there may be aspects of interest to the community and Council may wish to be the final judge of the suitability of the proposal, rather then staff.

Therefore staff are recommending that the proposal be processed as follows:

1. a notification sign to be erected and notification letters to be sent to registered property owners in close proximity to Granville Island;
2. the proposal to be reviewed with the Granville Island Business and Community Association;
3. staff to prepare a report and recommendation for Council on the principle of the use expansion, noting pros and cons and costs and benefits;
4. Council to consider the proposal at a special meeting in the evening, where delegations are able to speak on the matter;
5. Council to make a decision on the principle of the expansion; and
6. if yes, the specific application to be dealt with by the Development Permit Board.

To expedite the process, the Development Permit staff review will be undertaken at the same time as the general use analysis. Therefore, the Development Permit Board will be able to deal with the proposal directly after Council, if Council is supportive in principle.

Alternative Approach: Council may feel that as the hotel is now a use allowed for in the Reference Document, that amendment of the Reference Document to increase the hotel allocation is reasonable without further evaluation on the principles of the expansion. With Council and CMHC approval of such expansion, the specific form of the development would then be processed in the normal manner by the Development Permit Board, who may seek Council's advice on the proposal if concerns arise in the community. Alternative CONSIDERATION B would lead to this approach, instead of that recommended by staff.

CONCLUSION

As the proposed development is of significant scale and impact and does not fit within the technical limitations of the "Reference Document for Granville Island", staff recommend that the amendment to the Reference Document be considered through a process similar to that for amending an official development plan. The Development Permit Board would then subsequently deal with the particular development on the basis of the revised allowances in the Reference Document, following well-established practice. This process provides for good Council direction to staff on a significant proposal for which the existing policy does not provide such direction.

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