September 27, 2017 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Joe Erceg, Chair
Cathryn Volkering Carlile, General Manager, Community Services
Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works

Minutes

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on September  13, 2017, be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

Development Permit 16-726865
(REDMS No. 5510231)

APPLICANT:

Zhao XD Architect Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

8631 Alexandra Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of a two-storey commercial building at 8631 Alexandra Road on a site zoned “Auto-Oriented Commercial (CA)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the minimum interior (west) side yard from 3 m to 0 m.

Applicant’s Comments

Xuedong Zhao, Zhao XD Architect Ltd., provided background information on the proposed development and highlighted the following:

§   

the proposed two-storey commercial building aims to achieve a commercial character through variations in volumes, materials, colours and textures and enhance the shopping experience in the neighbourhood;

§   

the location of the outdoor parking at the back of the building maximizes the distance of the building from the residential neighbourhood to the north of the subject site; and

§   

the building is sited and oriented to create a continuous street wall along Alexandra Road, which necessitates the requested setback variance for the minimum interior west side yard.

David Jerke, van der Zalm + Associates, Inc., briefed the Panel on the main landscaping features of the proposed development, noting that (i) the proposed landscaping will create a pedestrian-friendly street frontage, (ii) benches, pavers and pedestrian-friendly landscaping at the building entrances will be installed along the street frontage, (iii)  fencing and hedges are proposed at the north property line to provide a buffer between the outdoor parking area and the residential neighbourhood to the north, (iv) bio-swales will be introduced depending on the grades of the parking area, and (v) selection of street tree species will be coordinated with City staff for planting along Alexandra Road and the City road to the east of the subject site.

In response to queries from the Panel, Mr. Zhao confirmed that a barrier free access from the handicapped parking stall to the building entrance at the rear is provided, and Mr. Jerke acknowledged that the bicycle parking racks at the southeast corner of the outdoor parking area will be visible from inside the building and from the street. 

Staff Comments

Wayne Craig, Director, Development, noted that (i) there will be a Servicing Agreement associated with the project prior to issuance of the building permit for frontage improvements along Alexandra Road and Sorenson Crescent and site servicing, (ii) the proposed setback variance for the minimum interior west side yard would allow the project to achieve a continuous commercial street wall along Alexandra Road, and (iii) the project has been designed to achieve a LEED silver equivalent standard.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Craig confirmed that the requested interior side yard setback variance is a common variance granted to commercial projects to achieve a continuous street wall frontage and similar variances have been granted to projects on Alexandra Road.

Gallery Comments

Connie Tang, 8611 Alexandra Road, owner of the restaurant immediately adjacent to the west of the subject site, expressed concern regarding the potential adverse impacts to the restaurant’s customers and commercial operations during the construction of the proposed project.

In response to Ms. Tang’s concern, the Chair advised that a construction traffic management plan is required to be submitted by the applicant prior to building permit issuance and suggested that she coordinates with the Planner regarding her project construction-related concerns.

In response to a query from Ms. Tang, Mr. Zhao stated that the project would be constructed over a period of approximately one year.

Correspondence

None.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would

1.

Permit the construction of a two-storey commercial building at 8631 Alexandra Road on a site zoned “Auto-Oriented Commercial (CA)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the minimum interior (west) side yard from 3 m to 0 m.

CARRIED

2.

Development Permit 16-735007
(REDMS No. 5493885)

APPLICANT:

Alex Sartori

PROPERTY LOCATION:

6020 No. 4 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of a Single-Family Residential Dwelling at 6020 No. 4 Road on a site zoned “Agriculture (AG1)” and designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA); and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to increase the maximum area of the farm home plate from 1,000 m2 to 1,342 m2.

Applicant’s Comments

Stephen Sims, Sartori Environmental Inc., briefed the Panel on the main design changes made by the applicant to the proposed development in response to the Panel’s comments and the application’s referral back to staff at the April 12, 2017 Panel meeting and highlighted the following:

§   

the driveway that was previously proposed on the south side of the house has been removed;

§   

the southern driveway is proposed to be replaced by an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) landscaping which will increase the total ESA on the subject site by approximately 550 square meters;

§   

all the hard surfaces and structures previously located on top of the septic field have been removed and replaced with grass;

§   

the size of the house has been reduced to comply with the recently enacted bylaw regarding the maximum house size for the “Agricultural (AG1)” zone; and

§   

the previously proposed port cochere has been removed.

Chloe Lee, Bouthouse Design Group, provided background information on the main landscaping features for the project, noting that (i) the removal of the previously proposed southern driveway has resulted in an increase of total ESA on the subject site, (ii) birch trees have been replaced with native cherry trees in response to a comment from the public at the previous Panel meeting, (iii) native species are proposed for all plantings on the ESA, and (iv) the landscaping cost for the project has increased due to additional ESA planting.

In response to queries from the Panel, Ms. Lee acknowledged that the revised planting scheme on the ESA will achieve a more natural landscaping for the project and provide a more suitable habitat for insects, birds and animals at the site.

Mr. Sims added that invasive species on the ESA at the eastern portion of the site will be removed and perimeter fencing installed to mitigate possible encroachment into the adjacent property to the east of the subject site.

Staff Comments

Mr. Craig noted the significant revisions made by the applicant to the original design of the project since its previous consideration by the Panel, which includes reducing the amount of hard surfaces on site and increasing ESA planting by approximately 6,000 square feet.

Mr. Craig further noted that staff support the proposed variance on the maximum area of the farm home plate as (i) the subject application, originally received in 2016, was in-stream when the City’s bylaws related to the farm home plate area and house size were enacted in May 2017, and (ii) the house size has been reduced to comply with the new bylaw.

In addition, Mr. Craig stated that staff requested the driveway entry be located as far south as possible along No. 4 Road to enhance traffic safety and minimize vehicular conflict at the intersection of No. 4 Road and Westminster Highway which has contributed to the larger farm home plate area for the subject development.

In response to queries from the Panel, Mr. Craig acknowledged that (i) the house will have to be relocated closer to No. 4 Road and the driveway reduced in order to comply with the maximum farm home plate area without significantly redesigning the house, (ii) the paved areas adjacent to the indoor garage have been reduced to the maximum extent possible but would still allow space for manoeuvring, (iii) permeable paving is proposed for the paved areas to help provide infiltration into the site, (iv) the ESA landscaping in front of No. 4 Road is included in the farm home plate area of the subject development, (v) moving the house to the minimum required setback from No. 4 Road would reduce the variance to the farm home plate area; however, native planting in front of No. 4 Road is proposed to provide a buffer from the busy road, and (vi) the project’s environmental consultant could provide an assessment of the benefits of relocating the house to the southern portion of the site adjacent to the southern driveway entry in terms of potential increase and enhancement of ESA.

Gallery Comments

Anne Lerner, 12633 No. 2 Road, expressed appreciation for the Panel’s comments on the proposed development to ensure that the applicant comply with the City’s maximum farm home plate area.

In addition, Ms. Lerner stated that the Panel’s handling of the subject development permit application would positively impact future applicants’ compliance to the recently enacted City bylaw related to the farm home plate area.

Stephen Guo, Qualicon, project manager for the proposed development, provided a brief comment on the proposal for the relocation of the house to the southern portion of the subject site.

Correspondence

None.

Panel Discussion

The Panel noted the significant changes made by the applicant to the original design of the project; however, the Panel was of the opinion that the applicant could have done more to comply with the spirit of the City’s zoning regulations regarding developments located on agricultural lands and ESAs.

Suggestion was then made to refer the subject development permit application to the Panel’s next meeting on October 11, 2017 so that the applicant could work with staff to investigate opportunities for further changes to the revised project design to eliminate or reduce the proposed variance to the maximum area for the farm home plate.

It was also suggested that the project’s design team, including the architect, be present at the Panel’s next meeting to explain the proposed changes.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That Development Permit application 16-735007 be referred to, and form part of, the Development Permit Panel agenda at the Panel’s next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Richmond Hall, for the purpose of further exploration of changes to the design of the proposed development to eliminate or reduce the proposed variance to the City’s maximum farm home plate area.

CARRIED

3.

Date of Next Meeting:  October 11, 2017

4.

Adjournment

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be adjourned at 4:16 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, September 27, 2017.

_______________________________

_____________________________

Joe Erceg
Chair

Rustico Agawin
Auxiliary Committee Clerk