December 14, 2016 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Joe Erceg, Chair
Cathryn Volkering-Carlile, General Manager, Community Services
Victor Wei, Director, Transportation

Minutes

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on November 30, 2016, be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

Development Permit 15-696896
(REDMS No. 5217904)

APPLICANT:

McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

7120 No. 3 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of a single storey restaurant with a drive-through at 7120 No. 3 Road on a site zoned “Auto-Oriented Commercial (CA)”.

Applicant’s Comments

Brian Johnson, Reprise Design and Architecture, provided background information on the proposed development and highlighted the following:

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a wide pedestrian walkway fronting No. 3 Road with pedestrian scale furniture is proposed to provide direct access to the main entrance of the restaurant;

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proposed building materials, e.g. metal panel, natural stone, and natural brick, provide a West Coast feel to the building façade;

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sustainability features of the project include white roofing, energy management systems for lighting and HVAC controls, full LED lighting for interior and exterior lighting, low-e solar grade glazing and low-flow plumbing fixtures; and

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a screened rooftop area is being proposed to replace the original proposal for five individual HVAC rooftop units to address potential noise and aesthetic concerns of neighbouring developments.

In response to queries from the Panel, Mr. Johnson noted that (i) the rooftop mechanical units will be screened with metal louvers on top, (ii) a preliminary acoustic study was done and a final acoustic study is currently being conducted and a report will be submitted, (iii) the project will meet Noise Bylaw requirements, and (iv) the proposed commercial grade kitchen exhaust fans will discharge air vertically with a high rate of velocity.

Cameron Owen, IBI Group, provided a brief background on the proposed landscaping features for the project, noting that (i) Advisory Design Panel recommendations have been integrated into the proposed plans, (ii) a seating area is provided adjacent to the existing free-standing heritage McDonald’s sign which is proposed to be retained and refurbished, (iii) safety measures have been incorporated to ensure safe on-site pedestrian circulation such as installation of signs and bollards at the drive through exit and protecting the outdoor seating area with physical barriers, (iv) additional trees are proposed on the parking lot to provide more shade, (v) certain tree species have been replaced in the original proposal to address Advisory Design Panel concerns, (vi)  a new 1.8-meter high wood fence on the north, south and east property lines provide separation and screening to adjacent properties, and (vii) root barriers are proposed to be installed around trees along the north side for tree protection when the east-west City lane will be widened in the future.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Owen confirmed that the proposed buffering along the north property line consists of a 1.8-meter high wood fence, row of large canopy trees, dense low shrub planting and a strip of lawn to provide separation to the adjacent development to the north and mitigate traffic noise on the drive through lane.

Graham Fane, Real Estate Representative, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Ltd., spoke on the project’s proposed measures to mitigate potential noise and odour concerns of neighbouring developments, noting that (i) drive through speakers will be equipped with automatic volume controls (AVC) to control volume based on outdoor day and night time noise levels, (ii) screening for the rooftop mechanical units will be custom specified louvered acoustic walls, (iii) the restaurant will be equipped with high performing state of the art exhaust fans and range hoods, and (iv) projected noise and odour levels would be lower than currently existing and will comply with City regulations.

Panel Discussion

In response to queries from the Panel, the project team commented that (i) metal display boxes for newspapers and similar structures will not be allowed on the subject site, (ii) proposed ramps will provide accessibility to people in wheelchairs, (iii) the white roof is being proposed from a sustainability perspective, but the applicant will consider the suggestion for using other colours or introducing patterning on the rooftop surface, and (iv) a stamped concrete surface treatment is proposed for the loading area.

Discussion ensued on the proposed rooftop surface treatment and staff was directed to work with the applicant to investigate opportunities to enhance the proposed rooftop treatment through replacing the white colour and/or introducing patterns and designs to enhance the roof’s visual appeal and address potential overlook concerns from the high-rise commercial/residential building to the north of the subject site.

Joe Guzzo, McDonald’s restaurant owner, noted that (i) the McDonald’s restaurant on the subject site is the first McDonald’s restaurant in Canada and outside of the United States and will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017, and (ii) significant improvements in sustainability features will be incorporated into the project.

Staff Comments

Wayne Craig, Director, Development, advised that (i) staff appreciate the proposed retention and refurbishing of the McDonald’s free-standing heritage sign along No. 3 Road, (ii) the landscape plan is respective of existing trees along the perimeter of the site which are in good condition, (iii) the applicant will introduce a significant amount of permeable pavers on site, and (iv) there is a Servicing Agreement associated with frontage improvements along No. 3 Road.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Craig confirmed that the City is requesting the applicant to provide Public Rights of Passage (PROP) Statutory Right of Way (SRW) along the entire west property lines for frontage improvements along No. 3 Road and along the north property line for future widening and extension of the east-west City lane.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the proposed development, noting that the project was well thought out.

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would permit the construction of a single storey restaurant with a drive-through at 7120 No. 3 Road on a site zoned “Auto-Oriented Commercial (CA)”.

CARRIED

2.

Development Permit 16-723753
Heritage Alteration Permit 16-723754
(REDMS No. 5229080)

APPLICANT:

City of Richmond

PROPERTY LOCATION:

3811 Moncton Street

INTENT OF PERMIT:

Permit the construction of an enclosure containing information technology and building mechanical equipment on a portion of the east side of Steveston Museum, a designated heritage building in the Steveston Village Heritage Conservation Area, at 3811 Moncton Street on a site zoned Steveston Commercial (CS2).

Applicant’s Comments

Wendy Andrews, Andrews Architects, Inc., accompanied by Greg Andrews, provided background information on the development proposal and highlighted the following:

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an enclosure is proposed to be constructed to contain City IT-related infrastructure and screen an HVAC unit for the Steveston Museum, a designated heritage building in the Steveston Village Heritage Conservation Area;

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the proposed enclosure will be located between the Steveston Museum and the Japanese Fishermen’s Benevolent Society building which is also a designated heritage building;

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the existing HVAC unit will be replaced with a more compact unit and will be moved along the side of the Steveston Museum building so that the window on the north side of the building will not be blocked;

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the proposed enclosure will provide ventilation for the HVAC unit and will have a low slope wood shingle roofing to avoid blocking the windows on the east and north sides of the building; and

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the proposed enclosure will be a separate structure from the Steveston Museum building and designed to match cladding and roof materials and colour consistent with the heritage character of the building.

Staff Comments

None.

Correspondence

Linda Barnes, Steveston Historical Society, 3811 Moncton St. (Schedule 1)

Mr. Craig advised that the email from Linda Barnes on behalf of the Steveston Historical Society expressed support for the development proposal, noting that the proposed enclosure is consistent with the design provided to the Society’s Building Committee.

Panel Discussion

In response to queries from the Panel, Ms. Andrews advised that (i) the proposed colour of the enclosure is consistent with the colour of the Steveston Museum building, (ii) the proposed cedar shingles for the roofing of the enclosure will age over time and match the colour of the building’s roof, and (iii) the proposed slope of the roofing for the enclosure will be lower than the slopes of the roofs of the Museum building and the adjacent Japanese Fishermen’s Benevolent Society building in order not to block the Museum’s windows, and (iv) security features will be incorporated into the proposed enclosure.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

1.

That a Development Permit be issued which would permit the construction of an enclosure containing information technology and building mechanical equipment on a portion of the east side of Steveston Museum, a designated heritage building in the Steveston Village Heritage Conservation Area, at 3811 Moncton Street on a site zoned Steveston Commercial (CS2); and

2.

That a Heritage Alteration Permit (HA 16-723754) be issued for 3811 Moncton Street in accordance with the Development Permit.

CARRIED

3.

New Business

None.

4.

Date of Next Meeting:  January 11, 2017

5.

Adjournment

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be adjourned at 4:10 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 14, 2016.

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Joe Erceg
Chair

Rustico Agawin
Auxiliary Committee Clerk