A rezoning proposal at 970 Union Street will go to Public Hearing this fall. Council referred the redevelopment proposal on July 23, 2013. The Public Hearing for this item might come as early as September 24th, 2013. There is currently an ongoing Local Area Plan that covers this part of Strathcona; council has nonetheless referred this rezoning to Public Hearing without waiting for the completion of this plan (see Reflections on the Downtown Eastside Local Area Plan Open House – Critical info is missing). The application was submitted to the city on November 9, 2012 – well after the start of the Local Area Plan (further information on the application is on the City’s website).
The property is located across the street from Strathcona Park, between Prior Street and Union Street, and one block west of La Casa Gelato. The proposal calls for the redevelopment of the site and it includes an 11-storey tower (108ft / 33.0m). The current zoning allows for a maximum height of 38 ft or 11.7m. An increase in density from a FSR of 1.7 to 3.0 is also being requested.
The Villa Cathay Care Home is currently operated by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. The redevelopment of the site would increase the number of care beds from 188 to 225, and also convert double rooms to single rooms. The scale of the proposed tower is significantly higher than those of the surrounding buildings. While the staff report suggests that “Very little concern has been expressed about the application” the reason for this might be the lack of public awareness of the project. It’s worthwhile noting that it’s more than possible to make a 3.0 FSR design fit within a 6-storey height envelope. Would an 11-storey tower along Prior Street set a precedent for this part of Strathcona?
Additional details on this proposal are contained in the staff report: CD-1 Text Amendment: 970 Union Street (Villa Cathay Community Care Facility). Joe Wai Architect, Inc. is responsible for submitting the rezoning submission on behalf of the Villa Cathy Home Society.
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11 storeys seems like the foot in the door for generally taller buildings in the area, and it seems completely out of context with the residential community as well as the neighbouring industrial community. I admire what they are trying to do, but surely it can be accomplished with lower heights. Joe Wai is a fine architect, who works well in the Asian community, surely he could come up with an alternative that would respect the community, their neighbourhood and meet the needs of the Care Home Society-without an egregious 11 storeys. It really is not in his nor the Society’s interest to make this height a requirement, and a tipping point for neighbourhood activism.