Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Joe Erceg, Chair
Jeff Day, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works
Cathryn Volkering Carlile, General Manager, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services

The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m.

1.

Minutes

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on Wednesday, November 28, 2007, be adopted.

CARRIED

2.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 07-361148
(Report: November 13, 2007 File No.:  07-361148)   (REDMS No. 2297273)

APPLICANT:

Matthew Cheng Architect Inc.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

4211 Garry Street

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

To permit the construction of eight (8) townhouse dwellings at 4211 Garry Street on a site zoned Comprehensive Development District (CD/79); and

2.

Vary the provisions of the Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 5300 to:

a)

reduce the minimum front yard setback from 6.0 m to 5.25 m and the minimum west side yard setback from 3.0 m to 2.0 for a covered porch; and

b)

allow tandem parking spaces in six (6) of the eight (8) townhouse units.

Applicant’s Comments

Alphonse Kho, from Matthew Cheng Architect Inc., stated that since the rezoning for this site went to the June 18, 2007 Public Hearing, the proposed eight townhouse dwellings have been configured to allay the concerns expressed by neighbours at the Public Hearing.

Mr. Kho emphasized that the applicant and the strata council of the adjacent condominium property have communicated on a consistent basis and as a result the following details of the proposed development are acceptable to the neighbouring strata council:

·         

the access route for emergency vehicles is directly onto Garry Street, with the only other access through the neighbouring strata;

·         

there is a covered garbage enclosure located at the furthest point from the residential units where refuse will be collected in large bins; as done in large condominium complexes, the bins will be taken out of the enclosure, rolled to the street where a collection truck will await, and when emptied, the bins will be rolled back into the enclosure;

·         

the applicant has entered into a cost sharing agreement with the neighbouring strata council that will address common property issues (such as deterioration of infrastructure) and the placement of speed bumps on the drive aisle to enhance safety;

·         

in addition, the applicant will contribute financially to a common fence and to replacement/repair costs for the existing fence;

·         

signage adjacent to the existing condominium project will be upgraded and changed to reflect that the condo property will provide an access point to the Garry Street property;

·         

a landscaping strip is proposed along the east property line, which is the common property line with the neighbouring development; to address concerns that neighbours would be raking leaves that fall from trees on the proposed development site, the landscaping plan is to plant trees and shrubs closer to the eight townhouse units than was previously planned.

Regarding the request to reduce the minimum front yard setback and the minimum west side yard setback, Mr. Kho explained that only two of the eight townhouse units face Garry Street, and the set back variance is requested in order to bring the front units in line with the existing neighbouring townhouses. He further stated that the two Garry Street-fronting townhouse units are designed to complement, in height, form and character the residential structures already on the street.

Staff Comments

None.

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

Mr. S. Sakai, Unit 19 – 4111 Garry Street, represented the strata council of the adjacent condominium building, and he reported that his strata council is satisfied with the changes the applicant has made to the development plans. In particular, his strata council was grateful for the applicant’s decision to take responsibility for proper signage at the entrance to the condo building.

Mr. Sakai further stated that the cost sharing agreement for common property issues, including maintenance of the roadway from the entrance to the property line, was a positive development.

In response to a concern expressed by Mr. Sakai regarding the numbering of the eight proposed townhouse units, the Chair advised that house numbering is a function carried out by the City, and that staff is aware of the need to avoid confusion when determining new residential numbers. For this reason, staff will be diligent in assigning unit numbers to the eight proposed townhouses at 4211 Garry Street, in order to avoid confusion with residence numbers at 4111 Garry Street.

Panel Discussion

The Chair stated that residential projects designed by Matthew Cheng Architect Inc. have a common look, no matter where in the City they are destined to be constructed, and he enquired what the applicant had done, during the design process for this proposed development, that would make the eight townhouses fit into the Garry Street neighbourhood.

Mr. Kho responded that the predominant character of the adjacent townhouses, including gables and covered front porch elements, is reflected in the design of the proposed townhouse development. He further noted that the neighbourhood residences featured strong colours, and that for this reason, the proposed development features dark red doors and other colours that fit into the established neighbourhood context.

In response to a query from the Chair regarding whether detached units facing Garry Street were considered during the design phase, Mr. Kho commented that detached units were considered but that splitting the duplexes into detached units would have necessitated the townhouses going to three stories, not two, and that the neighbourhood character design would have had to have been sacrificed. He added that the duplex design was necessary due to the required turning radius for emergency vehicles.

The Chair encouraged the applicant to review the commonality of the design that he sees coming from Matthew Cheng Architect Inc.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would:

1.

Permit the construction of eight (8) townhouse dwellings at 4211 Garry Street on a site zoned Comprehensive Development District (CD/79); and

2.

Vary the provisions of the Zoning and Development Bylaw No. 5300 to:

a)

reduce the minimum front yard setback from 6.0 m to 5.25 m and the minimum west side yard setback from 3.0 m to 2.0 for a covered porch; and

b)

allow tandem parking spaces in six (6) of the eight (8) townhouse units.

CARRIED

3.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 07- 363023

(Report: November 16, 2007 File No.:  07-363023)   (REDMS No.  2237151)

APPLICANT:

Matthew Cheng Architect Inc.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

9628 Ferndale Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of forty-seven (47) townhouses at 9628 Ferndale Road (formerly 9460 and 9628 Ferndale Road) on a site zoned Comprehensive Development District (CD/168); and

2.

Vary the provisions of zoning and Development Bylaw No 5300 to:

a)

reduce the minimum public road setback from Hemlock Drive from 5 m to 4.5 m for Building 9 and to 4.6 m for Building 10.

Applicant’s Comments

Matthew Cheng, Matthew Cheng Architect Inc., accompanied by landscape architect Fred Liu, addressed the Panel and highlighted the following features of the proposed development:

·            

there is a curving driveway connecting Ferndale Road to Emerald Drive with  both pedestrian entry and emergency vehicle access provided from Hemlock Drive;

·            

the amenity space is situated on the south side of the site;

·            

the electrical closets are situated at various locations on the site in order to increase landscaping elements;

·            

residents will use private, door-to-door pickup for garbage removal, but the design identifies a location for a future garbage room on site, should garbage removal techniques change in the future;

·            

there is a 1.5 metre easement on the east side of the site that will be shared with the developed property;

·            

during the design process, efforts were made to orient many of the townhouse front doors toward the walkway, a design modification in accordance with comments received from the Advisory Design Panel;

·            

windows, bays and garage doors have been lined up and the blank walls have been addressed by the addition of decorated shingle cladding;

·            

vertical siding will be applied to the exterior base of the building to create a more substantial base appearance;

·            

one unit is designed as an adaptable, accessible unit with provisions for such features as grab bars;

·            

the site can accommodate 3 metres by 3 metre turning cuts, and fulfills all requirements of moving truck turning.

Regarding the request for variances to the setbacks, the variances are required to provide additional space for public amenity space as well as visitor parking at the centre of the project.

Mr. Liu addressed the panel regarding landscaping and explained that the fir tree, located on the east property line, is in decline and that the arborist recommended that it be removed.

In response to a query from the Chair regarding the level of effort expended by the applicant to retain some of the 45 bylaw size trees slated for removal, Mr. Liu explained that: (i) the majority of the trees are birch which, due to their sensitive nature, are in decline and not worth saving, and (ii) the large coniferous tree on Ferndale Road conflict with the required road widening.

Mr. Liu added that the applicant would replace the 45 declining trees with 90 healthy replacement trees, and that the replacement trees, at a ratio of 2-1, would better fit the new townhouse use.

Mr. Liu concluded his remarks by ensuring the panel that an independent arborist was used to give an assessment of the trees on site, and that he, as a landscape architect, would not propose to destroy trees that he felt were worth  saving.

Staff Comments

Cecilia Achiam, Acting Director of Development, reported that the applicant had made a voluntary contribution of $345,000 for community benefits.

Correspondence

Ms. Achiam advised the panel that Mr. Wilson Liu of Unit 19 – 6233 Birch Street had submitted a letter and had expressed concern regarding: (i) the height of the proposed development and its potential to block the sun from his property, and (ii) the proximity of the development’s driveway to his house. (The letter is attached as Schedule 1 to these Minutes.)

Ms. Achiam explained that (i) there was no height variance, (ii) the units were stepped down and (iii) their height does not exceed the height of the adjacent homes. She further explained that there was no cross-access, that the development’s driveway is not adjacent to Mr. Liu’s home and that the use of the drive aisle terminus would be limited to the residents of the duplex building.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Discussion

In response to a query from the Chair, Mr. Cheng stated that his client has decided to not construct a garbage room on site, but that if the strata decide to do so in the future, a potential location for a future garbage room has been identified.

Panel Decision

That a Development Permit be issued which would:

1.

Permit the construction of forty-seven (47) townhouses at 9628 Ferndale Road (formerly 9460 and 9628 Ferndale Road) on a site zoned Comprehensive Development District (CD/168); and

2.

Vary the provisions of zoning and Development Bylaw No 5300 to:

a)

reduce the minimum public road setback from Hemlock Drive from 5 m to 4.5 m for Building 9 and to 4.6 m for Building 10.

CARRIED

4.

Date Of Next Meeting

It was moved and seconded

That the Development Permit Panel meeting tentatively scheduled for Thursday, December 27, 2007 be cancelled, and that the next Development Permit Panel is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 16, 2008.

CARRIED

5.

Adjournment

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be adjourned at 4:12 p.m.

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Wednesday, December 12, 2007.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Joe Erceg
Chair

Sheila Johnston
Committee Clerk