November 16, 2017 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Joe Erceg, Chair
Robert Gonzalez, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works
Cecilia Achiam, General Manager, Community Safety

Minutes

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on October 25, 2017, be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

Development Permit 17-774043
(REDMS No. 5498522)

APPLICANT:

Anthem Properties Group Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

10475, 10491, 10511, 10531, 10551, 10571, 10591 and 10631 No. 5 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of 47 townhouse units at 10475, 10491, 10511, 10531, 10551, 10571, 10591 and 10631 No. 5 Road on a site zoned “Medium Density Townhouses (RTM3)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to:

(a)

reduce the front yard setback from 6.0 m to 4.5 m; and

(b)

increase the number of small car parking stalls from 53 spaces to 54 spaces.

Applicant’s Comments

Nicholas Kasidoulis, Anthem Properties Group, Ltd., introduced the project, noting that (i) the project is comprised of three-storey townhouses along No. 5 Road and two-storey units at the rear fronting the internal drive aisle, (ii) the front doors of three-storey end units accessing directly onto No. 5 Road provide a single-family feel to these units, (iii) existing large trees on-site are proposed to be retained and protected including a group of five trees at the outdoor amenity area, and (iv) two of the three-storey townhouse units are provided with a secondary suite.

Shamus Sachs, Integra Architecture Inc., provided an overview of the architectural form and character of the proposed development, noting that (i) the two-storey rear units have large overhangs and reduced setbacks to signify their entries along the internal drive aisle, (ii) the proposed orientation of three-storey units along No. 5 Road is intended to minimize their length along the street, (iii) all units are provided with semi-private yards, and (iv) the proposed contemporary West Coast architectural style of the townhouse units complements the character of neighbouring developments.

Mary Chan Yip reviewed the main landscaping features of the project, noting that (i) the landscape design is focused on providing strong pedestrian connections and interactions in the development, (ii) the siting, orientation and landscaping of three-storey units allow passive surveillance and interaction among residents, (iii) proposed landscaping of backyards of rear units have been intensified to provide a buffer to the adjacent single-family homes, (iv) five large trees are proposed to be retained and protected in the outdoor amenity area, and (v) the outdoor amenity area is programmed to serve various age groups.

In addition, Ms. Chan noted that (i) the selection of trees and shrubs will provide habitat to wildlife including birds and pollinators, (ii) an agricultural landscape buffer will be provided along No. 5 Road, and (iii) street trees are proposed along No. 5 Road to provide more buffer along the No. 5 Road frontage.

In response to a query from the Panel, Ms. Chan acknowledged that the trees to be retained at the southeast corner are on existing grade, and the outdoor amenity area will be slightly raised up to facilitate interaction with the street level.

Panel Discussion

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Sachs reviewed the architectural design of the three-storey end units along No. 5 Road, noting that doors of these units face the street.

In response to queries from the Panel, Wayne Craig, Director, Development, confirmed that extensive consultation was conducted in the surrounding single-family neighbourhood in connection with the subject application and other proposed developments in the area and the residents had expressed strong preference not to have any physical connection to the rear lane regardless of the potential ease of access to bus stops and commercial developments in the area that such connection would provide.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Sachs confirmed that a statutory right-of-way (SRW) over the north-south internal drive aisle in the subject development will allow access to future developments to the north and the existing townhouse development to the south should it be desired in the future.

Staff Comments

Mr. Craig noted that (i) the project has been designed to achieve an EnerGuide rating of 82, (ii) five convertible units are proposed, and (iii) the proposed agricultural landscape buffer along No. 5 Road has been reviewed and supported by the City’s Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC).

In addition, Mr. Craig noted that (i) the proposed variance for front yard setback is necessary due to the required road dedication along No. 5 Road frontage and to accommodate the required drive aisle width and retention of large on-site trees at the southeast corner of the site, (ii) the small car parking variance is intended to provide a parking stall to each of the two secondary suites, (iii) there is a Servicing Agreement associated with the subject application for frontage improvements along No. 5 Road, and (iv) the triplex units at the rear of the subject site were part of the proposal at rezoning and have not been changed.

Gallery Comments

None.

Correspondence

None.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would:

1.

permit the construction of 47 townhouse units at 10475, 10491, 10511, 10531, 10551, 10571, 10591 and 10631 No. 5 Road on a site zoned “Medium Density Townhouses (RTM3)”; and

2.

vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to:

(a)

reduce the front yard setback from 6.0 m to 4.5 m; and

(b)

increase the number of small car parking stalls from 53 spaces to 54 spaces.

CARRIED

2.

Development Permit 15-708092
(REDMS No. 5053675)

APPLICANT:

1004732 BC Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

6840, 6860 No. 3 Road and 8051 Anderson Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

Permit the construction of an 11-storey, 18,700 m2 (201,292 ft2), mixed commercial and residential building at 6840, 6860 No. 3 Road and 8051 Anderson Road on a site zoned “City Centre High Density Mixed Use with Office (ZMU31) - Brighouse Village”.

Applicant’s Comments

Daniel Eisenberg, GBL Architects and Grant Brumpton, PWL Partnership, with the aid of a visual presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office), provided background information on the proposed development.

Mr. Eisenberg noted that (i) the proposed 9,794 square meters of office space in the 11-storey tower will help meet the increased demand for office space in Richmond, (ii) 75 dwelling units are proposed in the 10-storey mid-rise including five affordable units, (iii) 1,149 square meters of continuous ground floor retail spaces wrap around the corner of No. 3 Road and Anderson Road, and (iv) indoor and outdoor amenity areas will be provided for the residential and office components. In addition, Mr. Eisenberg reviewed the project’s site context and lay-out, noting that the five levels of parking are located within the podium and are hidden from adjacent streets.

Mr. Eisenberg further noted that (i) a statutory right-of-way is proposed over the north-south lane which runs through the podium and provides access to the parking entrances and loading bays and the east-west lane to the north, and (ii) the proposed treatment for the internal north-south lane provides visual interest and is integrated into the architecture of the building.

Also, Mr. Eisenberg reviewed (i) the proposed locations of the indoor and outdoor amenity areas for the office and residential components, (ii) the architectural form and character of the proposed tower and mid-rise building, and (iii) the proposed interface of the subject development with the existing commercial and residential podium and tower development to the east.

In response to a query from the Panel, Matt Stogryn, IFortune Homes, confirmed that there will be separate stratas for the commercial and residential components.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Eisenberg acknowledged that the five affordable units will not be clustered, but distributed throughout the first four floors of the residential mid-rise building.

Mr. Brumpton briefed the Panel on the main landscaping features of the proposed development, noting that (i) existing trees along the No. 3 Road frontage will be retained, (ii) new trees and raised seating are proposed along the Anderson Road frontage, (iii) special ground and wall treatment as well as lighting are integrated into the north-south lane to enhance motorist and pedestrian experience, (iv) the proposed six layers of roof treatment form a cohesive landscape design and are individually usable, and (v) outdoor amenity spaces for the office and residential components are physically separated but visually connected.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Brumpton noted that the proposed location of urban agriculture on level 7 will receive a high degree of sun exposure and the cylindrical form of the planters will enhance the usability of the area as a social space.

Panel Discussion

In response to queries from the Panel, Mr. Stogryn noted that (i) the proposed north-south internal lane will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, (ii) there will be an agreement between the residential and commercial stratas for the shared maintenance of the lane, (iii) a pedestrian sidewalk is provided on the right side of the lane, and (iv) lighting is imbedded on the surface of the lane, in addition to the wall and soffit lighting.

Staff Comments

Mr. Craig noted that (i) the project has been designed to be District Energy Utility (DEU) – ready and achieve LEED Silver Equivalency and the City’s noise mitigation standards, (ii) there will be a special covenant relating to the mixed-use and potential noise generated from the mixed-use, and (iii) there is a comprehensive Transportation Demand Management (TDM) package including bicycle facilities for the commercial and office components.

Mr. Craig further noted that (i) frontage boulevard works along Anderson Road will be extended across the existing development to the east as part of the Servicing Agreement to provide a continuous frontage treatment along the entire length of the block, (ii) the Servicing Agreement also includes extensive improvements along the No. 3 Road frontage, the existing east-west lane adjacent to the north side of the subject property, and the new north-south internal lane for coordination purposes.

Gallery Comments

Jason Wang, 8111 Anderson Road, expressed concern regarding the siting of windows in the residential mid-rise building facing the bedroom of his residential unit on the 8^th floor of the building immediately adjacent to the east of the subject development.

In response to Mr. Wang’s concern and queries from the Panel, the design team confirmed that (i) most of the small windows in the residential mid-rise building facing the adjacent building to the east have been removed and the remaining hall end windows and doors will have frosted glass, (ii) two planters have been added to the patio on level 9 to increase the density of the landscape buffer, (iii) the distance of the residential mid-rise building from the adjacent building to the east is approximately 10 meters, (iv) the patio is not publicly accessible, and (v) a cedar hedge is proposed to provide screening to the patio.

Correspondence

None.

Panel Discussion

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Craig acknowledged that the proposed five affordable housing units comprising five percent of the residential floor area comply with the City’s policy on affordable housing although the proposed development has less than 80 dwelling units.

The Panel expressed support for the project, noting that the project is a nice addition to No. 3 Road.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would permit the construction of an 11-storey, 18,700 m² (201,292 ft²), mixed commercial and residential building at 6840, 6860 No. 3 Road and 8051 Anderson Road on a site zoned “City Centre High Density Mixed Use with Office (ZMU31) - Brighouse Village”.

CARRIED

3.

Date of Next Meeting:  November 29, 2017

4.

Adjournment

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be adjourned at 4:24 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 Thursday, November 16, 2017.

_______________________________

_____________________________

Joe Erceg
Chair

Rustico Agawin
Auxiliary Committee Clerk