June 14, 2017 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Joe Erceg, Chair
Cathryn Volkering Carlile, General Manager, Community Services
John Irving, Director, Engineering

Minutes

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on May 24, 2017, be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

Development Permit 15-700007
(REDMS No. 5334450)

APPLICANT:

LANDA Elmbridge Holdings Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

7100 Elmbridge Way

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of a (15) storey, 26,128 m2 (281,241 ft2), mixed commercial and residential use tower and podium building at 7100 Elmbridge Way on a site zoned “Downtown Commercial (CDT1)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to:

(a)

Reduce the parking rate from the standard City-wide parking rate to the City Centre Zone 2 parking rate; and

(b)

Allow the unenclosed balconies on building levels 3-16 to project into the required front yard by up to 3.0 m.

Applicant’s Comments

Arno Matis, Arno Matis Architecture, Inc., provided background information on the proposed development and highlighted the following:

§   

the proposed new building form meets the guidelines and requirements for the project;

§   

the terraced forms of the two towers are inspired by Richmond’s topography and geography;

§   

the horizontally-expressed tower forms are visually broken with vertical accents to mitigate the massing of the towers;

§   

the tower forms are seamlessly integrated with the podium;

§   

commercial/retail spaces are located on the ground floor with residential units above;

§   

14 affordable housing units are proposed for the project;

§   

outdoor plaza spaces are proposed along the street frontages including the public plaza at the corner of Elmbridge Way and Gilbert Road and outdoor café seating along the Gilbert Road frontage;

§   

significant setbacks from street frontages are required for the proposed development; and

§   

the main entrances to the towers are highlighted with entry features.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Matis noted that the balcony projections on residential building levels three to sixteen into the required building setback occur at the northwest corner of the building.

Joseph Fry, Hapa Collaborative Landscape Architects, briefed the Panel on the main landscaping features of the project and highlighted the following:

§   

the proposed landscaping reflects the language of the building;

§   

sedimentary rock layering and terracing are used to create zones on the podium level which provide outdoor spaces and amenities for residents;

§   

the dragon’s walk, a stone-paved promenade, unifies the podium landscape and provides pedestrian circulation in the entire podium landscape;

§   

grade transitions between the finished elevations of the street and the building’s ground floor were appropriately managed to incorporate outdoor plaza spaces  and provide accessibility to building entries; and

§   

public art is proposed to be located at the corner of Elmbridge Way and Gilbert Road and a specimen tree will be planted at the corner to replace the tree that was removed due to road widening.

Panel Discussion

In response to queries from the Panel, Mr. Fry stated that (i) the BC Hydro and street lighting kiosk midway along the Gilbert Road frontage is approximately 1.5 meters high at street elevation and will be screened with soft landscaping to mitigate its impact to adjacent patios, (ii) the proposed public art will be incorporated in an elevated small plaza with feature planter and specimen deciduous tree at the corner of Gilbert Road and Elmbridge Way, and (iii) the decision for the public art piece to be incorporated at the corner plaza has yet to be finalized.      

In response to queries from the Panel, Mr. Matis noted that (i) the balconies on building levels 3 to 16 will only project into the required front yard setback and not beyond the property line of the subject site, (ii) the yellow glass guards of balconies are translucent and provide verticality and visual interest to the building facades, and (iii) rooftop decks can be accessed by a roof hatch.

In response to queries from the Panel, Janet Digby, Planner 3, noted that (i) there will be a covenant related to airport restrictions on building height which regulates construction of additional structures on rooftop decks, (ii) the height of railings on rooftop decks complies with the height restriction, and (iii) the applicant supports the installation of hose bibs on rooftop decks for maintenance of plants.

In response to queries from the Panel, Mr. Matis acknowledged that (i) vehicular entries are provided off Elmbridge Way and the City lane, (ii)  a  layby along the City lane and a truck loading space within the building at the north end of the site are proposed,  (iii) garbage and recycling storage areas are proposed to be located within the building at the north and south ends of the development, (iv) residential units are located at the City lane elevation on the third, fourth and fifth levels, and (v) the affordable housing units are proposed to be located throughout the development.

Staff Comments

Wayne Craig, Director, Development, advised that (i) the proposed parking variance is supported by staff as it is consistent with Council policy for the use of City Centre parking rates in lieu of the standard parking  rates where developments provide affordable housing units, and (ii) staff also support the proposed variance to allow the unenclosed balconies on building levels 3 to 16 to project onto the required front yard.

Mr. Craig further advised that (i) all of the 14 affordable housing units and 10 percent of market rental housing units will have Basic Universal Housing (BUH) features, (ii) the project will be connected to the Oval District Energy Utility, (iii) the applicant will provide a public art contribution of approximately $212,000, (iv) the project provides comprehensive indoor amenity spaces, (v) the building will be designed to meet the City’s aircraft noise requirements, and (vi) there will be Servicing Agreements for frontage improvements along Gilbert Road, Elmbridge Way, and the City lane as well as upgrading of fronting utilities.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Craig acknowledged that the City could still review the landscaping in the plaza at the northwest corner of the site after the finalization of the public art piece to be installed in the plaza.  

Gallery Comments

None.

Correspondence

Anne Lerner, 12633 No. 2 Road (Schedule 1)

Mr. Craig noted that in her letter, Ms. Lerner expressed concern regarding the parking situation in the City and indicated that she does not support the proposed parking variance. In addition, Ms. Lerner expressed concern regarding the balcony encroachments and potential impacts on skyline and views.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Craig confirmed that (i) the proposed variance related to balcony projections into the front yard setback is a result of road widening, and (ii) the proposed parking variance is consistent with Council policy to encourage developments to provide affordable housing units.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

1.

That a Development Permit be issued which would permit the construction of a (15) storey, 26,128 m² (281,241 ft²), mixed commercial and residential use tower and podium building at 7100 Elmbridge Way on a site zoned “Downtown Commercial (CDT1)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to:

(a)

reduce the parking rate from the standard City-wide parking rate to the City Centre Zone 2 parking rate; and

(b)

allow the unenclosed balconies on building levels 3-16 to project into the required front yard by up to 3.0 m.

CARRIED

2.

New Business

It was moved and seconded

That the meetings of the Development Permit Panel scheduled on Wednesday, August 9, 2017 and Wednesday, August 23, 2017 be cancelled.

CARRIED

3.

Date of Next Meeting:  June 28, 2017

4.

Adjournment

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be adjourned at 4:00 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, June 14, 2017.

_______________________________

_____________________________

Joe Erceg
Chair

Rustico Agawin
Auxiliary Committee Clerk