(Updated 7:15 pm, July 9. Further updates likely.) Below is the agenda for a heavily-loaded Public Hearing to start at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, July 10, 2012. We have annotated the agenda with some concerns and information that has come to CityHallWatch attention. The official agenda is here:
http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/20120710/phea20120710ag.htm
1. TEXT AMENDMENT: Miscellaneous Text Amendments (city-wide)
1. TEXT AMENDMENT: Miscellaneous Text Amendments (city-wide)
Policy Report dated May 4, 2012
CityHallWatch note: These are technical amendments to bylaws on several projects already approved, some of them very large and some controversial. The staff report states that “The amendments achieve the intent of earlier zoning approvals and correct inadvertent errors…” and goes on later to say that “Approval of the report recommendations will have no financial implications with respect to the City’s operating expenditures, fees or staffing.” Yet where CityHallWatch or other parties have made greater scrutiny, it has been our experience that the absence of independent reviews of documentation coming from applicants and City Staff allows City Council to actually making decisions that burden taxpayers and neighbourhoods, while adding to benefits to private interests. Here is just one recent example (special deal for a developer on counting floor space of balconies). City Hall rarely responds to formal requests for information on such matters. In this particular case on July 10, below are the sites in question.
(i) CD-1 #363 (By-law No. 7679) for 1055 Canada Place (Vancouver Convention Centre West);
(ii) CD-1 #448 (By-law No. 9193) for 3158 Celtic Avenue;
(iii) CD-1 #521 (By-law No. 10413) for 7299 Granville Street (Shannon Mews);
[CityHallWatch note: This is the controversial Shannon Mews project by Wall Financial]
(iv) CD-1 #525 (By-law No. 10433) for 555 Robson Street, 775 Richards Street, and 520 West Georgia Street (Telus Block);
[CityHallWatch note: This is one of Vancouver’s largest current projects, Telus Garden, by Westbank Projects Corp. with Henriquez Partners Architects]
(v) CD-1 #529 (By-law No. 10472) for 2667-2703 Kingsway;2. HERITAGE DESIGNATION: 1927 West 17th Avenue (The Hawkins House)
3. HERITAGE DESIGNATION: 3350 West 37th Avenue (The Black House)
4. HERITAGE DESIGNATION/HERITAGE REVITALIZATION AGREEMENT (HRA):
334 West 14th Avenue (The Lawrence Residence)5. HERITAGE DESIGNATION/HERITAGE REVITALIZATION AGREEMENT (HRA):
1720 Waterloo Street (The Gables)6. HERITAGE REVITALIZATION AGREEMENT (HRA) AMENDMENT:
658 Keefer Street (The Chan House)7. REZONING: 1388 Continental Street (formerly 1349 Granville Street )
CityHallWatch note: This is a 10 storey tower with developer incentives for market-priced rental apartments, under the now-defunct Short Term Incentives for Rentals (STIR) program. West End Neighbours reports that it has never received even an acknowledgement of from the Mayor and Council, Planning Department staff, or the Legal Department, regarding the likely illegality of the entire STIR program. WEN started corresponding with City Hall in November 2011 on the matter.
Proponent is Cressey Drake Holdings Ltd, with architect IBI/HB Architects. The application is to “rezone the site from DD (Downtown) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District to permit a 10-storey, mixed-use commercial and residential building with 89 [supposedly] affordable market rental residential units. Proposed floor space ratio (FSR) is 6.99 and the building height is 30 metres (98.4 feet).
CityHallWatch note: Some other STIR projects have been very disruptive in communities, as the policy (adopted in 2009 with NO public input) fast-tracks rezoning/development applications and in practice gives staff and Council virtually a carte blanch to ignore existing zoning policies. Also, staff reports, upon which Council makes decisions, have been far off the mark. The first STIR project to break ground (November 2010), at 1142 Granville, started marketing rental units in June 2012 at hundreds of dollars per unit above what Planning Department staff originally stated in their recommendation.
Citizens are being told that the only recourse to challenge flawed decisions by City Council is a Supreme Court challenge, at a rough cost of $250,000.
8. REZONING: 4837-4861 Cambie Street
Policy Report dated May 24, 2012
CityHallWatch note: Based on info we have been able to obtain, this is not a controversialy project. The application is for 5 storeys, one less than the maximum for this site under applicable zoning policy. At 61 feet, it is a high 5 storeys, but most of the extra height consists of skylights, which only cover part of the penthouse and are stepped back. It is situated across from QE Park between 33rd and 32nd Aves, north of the 3-storey Cowie Rowhouses. It will leave one 50-foot “orphan” lot on the corner of 32nd Ave., which the developer was unable to purchase.
The application is for 41 units. According to the Cambie Corridor policy, it should include 20% purpose-built market rentals (or cash in lieu). The applicant is opting to include the rental units, which will be owned as a block but fully integrated with the strata units (no separate entrance for the rentals). The CAC is supposed to be equal in value to the difference in value between the rentals and strata units).9. REZONING: 3212 East Boulevard
Policy Report dated May 23, 2012
CityHallWatch comment: This is a six-unit demonstration project to test multi-family housing in a neighbourhood zoned for single-family dwellings, bordering Kitsilano, Shaughnessy and Arbutus Ridge. Applicant is Allan Diamond Architect. The application is to rezone the site from RS-1 District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District. It includes a principal multi-family dwelling and a second building at the lane containing parking at grade and residential space above, at a density of 1.2 FSR. The proposed height of the principal building is 11.47 metres (37.63 feet)..
10. REZONING: 800 Griffiths Way ( Rogers Arena)
Policy Report dated June 5, 2012
CityHallWatch note:
This application is by Aquilini Developments for three-towers near Rogers Arena downtown, seeking to allow density and height increases and new residential uses. Architect is Walter Francl. The application is for three rounded triangular towers of 26, 28 and 32 storeys, with a total 488 residential units, plus commercial and retail space. We have introduced this project earlier, and reported on political campaign contributions. We believe that the heavy dependence of some Vancouver politicians and their parties on developer contributions puts them in a potential conflict of interest when elected officials must decide on lucrative projects. The solution is for parties to voluntarily reject large donations from special interests, more carefully screen donations — as it could take forever for Victoria to impose regulations.
Correspondence in support, opposed, and other is posted on the City website with the agenda. Representatives of False Creek Residents Association (False Creek Res Assn, Public Hearing 10-Jul-2012, 800 Griffiths Way) and its member organizations, including the Crosstown Residents Association and the City Gate Inter-tower Group wrote City Council supporting this project, contingent on the delivery of two benefits:
1. The proposed rink/community space and 69 space childcare planned for the Plaza of Nations property owned by Canadian Metropolitan Properties (CMP) ; and 2. The skybridge to take event related pedestrian traffic from the Skytrain station off of Expo Blvd.CityHallWatch has also heard that Planning Department staff analysis relating to the proposed buildings’ impact on views has been downplayed.
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