January 16, 2019 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

John Irving, Chair 
Laurie Bachynski, Director, Corporate Business Service Solutions 
Peter Russell, Senior Manager, Sustainability and District Energy

Minutes

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on November 28, 2018 be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 16-754761 
(REDMS No. 6013813 v. 2)

APPLICANT:

Bene (Richmond) Development Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

6560, 6600, 6640 and 6700 No. 3 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of a high-density, mixed-use development consisting of approximately 4,393 m² (47,286 ft²) of commercial and office floor area and approximately 166 residential units, including nine low-end market rental units, at 6560, 6600, 6640 and 6700 No. 3 Road on a site zoned “High Density Mixed Use (ZMU36) – Brighouse Village (City Centre)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the front yard setback to No. 3 Road for portions of the building above 12.0 m from 0.5 m to 0.385 m.

Applicant’s Comments

Brady Dunlop, Dialog, with the aid of a video presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office), provided background information on the proposed development’s site context, project concept, design rationale, and location of various uses.

Mr. Dunlop highlighted the following significant features of the project, among others:

§   

a mid-block/mid-frontage pedestrian plaza fronting No. 3 Road is proposed where all entrances to commercial, restaurant, office, and residential uses are located and activates and connects the variety of uses on the subject site; and

§   

outdoor amenity spaces are provided on different levels of the building and serve to provide connection to various spaces in the building.

James Godwin, Dialog, with the aid of a video presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office) briefed the Panel on the main landscaping features of the project, noting that (i) the proposed landscaping scheme reinforces the strong architectural forms and fosters connections to a variety of proposed building uses and (ii) the landscape strategy focuses on creating an oasis on No. 3 Road.

Mr. Godwin further noted that (i) separated bicycle and pedestrian routes are proposed along the No. 3 Road frontage, (ii) different paving materials are proposed to focus attention to key areas in the project such as the main pedestrian entrance to the building, (iii)  a three-storey vertical green landscaping above the building’s main entrance is proposed, (iv) the deep soil volume on the planted area on Level 4 can accommodate large trees, (v) the common outdoor residential amenity space on Level 5 is designed for active and passive uses, and (vi) local materials and native species are proposed for hard and soft landscaping.

Staff Comments

Wayne Craig, Director, Development noted that (i) the project includes nine affordable housing units secured by a housing agreement, (ii) there will be a District Energy Utility (DEU) facility that will be constructed as part of this development and transferred to the City, (iii) the project’s comprehensive Transportation Demand Management strategy includes three car share spaces and vehicles, bicycle end-of-trip facilities for the commercial and office uses, bicycle repair facilities for the residential portion of the development, a transit pass program for residents, and a bus shelter contribution, and (iv) the development has been designed to achieve LEED Silver equivalency.

In addition, Mr. Craig further noted that (i) 24 Basic Universal Housing (BUH) housing units are provided, (ii) the project is designed to achieve the City’s aircraft noise standards, and (iii) there is a significant Servicing Agreement associated with the project including site services and frontage works along No. 3 Road and the north-south City lane.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel, the design team acknowledged that (i) three levels of parkade face the north-south City lane, (ii) non-invasive bamboo plants are proposed to be planted between the new sidewalk and the Level 1 parkade wall along the lane to provide visual interest to pedestrians and cyclists, (iii)  the outdoor amenity area on Level 5 is intended for shared use of residents of market and affordable housing units, (iv) the landscape mounds with large trees on Level 4 is inaccessible, and (v) proposed hard surface paving materials for the outdoor amenity areas include concrete unit pavers and stone materials.

In reply to further queries from the Panel, the design team confirmed that (i) the proposed front yard setback variance to No. 3 Road relates to the thickening of the wall for  increased insulation in the above grade portion of the tower façade so there is no impact on pedestrian circulation, (ii) a three-storey greenscreen cable system which consists of a series of planters, cables and vines is proposed above the mid-block pedestrian plaza,  (iii) all residential parking stalls and the three car share spaces are provided with electric vehicle charging outlets, and (iv) visitors and delivery persons can access the residential units through the parkade and lobby spaces inside the parkade.

In reply to further queries from the Panel, the design team noted that (i) the three levels of parkade along the north-south lane will be screened with a perforated metal material with corrugated texture, (ii) there will be shared access points and shared use of amenity spaces  for residents of market and affordable housing units, (iii) there is adequate separation between the tower and the slab building to the east of the tower, and (iv) there are no residential units in the tower directly facing the slab building.

Gallery Comments

George Smith, representative of the Richmond Masonic Temple Association which owns the property at 6740 No. 3 Road located immediately to the south of the subject site, expressed concern regarding the potential use of the property’s surface parking stalls by visitors and customers intending to go to the subject site.

In response to Mr. Smith’s concern, Mr. Craig advised that (i) there are 86 commercial parking stalls provided in the proposed development, and (ii) the applicant could provide notice to prospective building tenants that any parking should be on the subject site and not on the immediately adjacent property to the south.

Correspondence

None.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the project, noting that the applicant has put substantial effort into the project. In addition, the Panel expressed appreciation for the proposed mixed-uses of the development and the proposed landscaping on the ground and upper levels of the building. 

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would:

1.

Permit the construction of a high-density, mixed-use development consisting of approximately 4,393 m² (47,286 ft²) of commercial and office floor area and approximately 166 residential units, including nine low-end market rental units, at 6560, 6600, 6640 and 6700 No. 3 Road on a site zoned “High Density Mixed Use (ZMU36) – Brighouse Village (City Centre)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the front yard setback to No. 3 Road for portions of the building above 12.0 m from 0.5 m to 0.385 m.

CARRIED

2.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 18-832285 
(REDMS No. 6031848)

APPLICANT:

Aplin & Martin Consultants Inc.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

8140 Garden City Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

Permit exterior renovations to the existing drive-through restaurant at 8140 Garden City Road on a site zoned “Community Commercial (CC).”

Applicant’s Comments

Andrew Igel, Aplin and Martin Consultants, Inc., briefed the Panel on the intent of the subject development permit application, noting that the applicant is proposing to undertake exterior renovations to the existing drive-through restaurant to reflect the new corporate brand standard. In addition, Mr. Igel noted that the exterior renovations will include upgrades in materials, signage and lighting.

Noting the lack of presentation materials and a model, the Chair advised the applicant of the Panel’s requirements for applicants making a presentation of their project to the Panel.

Staff Comments

Mr. Craig noted that (i) the subject development permit application is relatively minor, (ii) the site has been reviewed for pedestrian connectivity, and (iii) staff conducted a visual inspection of the on-site landscaping approved through the previous Development Permit and determined that the landscaping has been maintained in good condition and no additional landscaping is being sought through this Development Permit.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel, Mr. Igel confirmed that (i) the existing greenery on the site is in good condition, and (ii) all existing landscaping will be maintained and any damage to the landscaping incurred during construction would be repaired or replaced.

The Chair noted that the existing mature trees around the subject site are not reflected in the applicant’s submission and advised staff to work with the applicant to include all existing trees on the site in the landscape plans.

In response to a query from the Panel, Mr. Craig confirmed that there is a pre-existing free-standing signage on the subject site. 

In response to a further query from the Panel, Mr. Igel commented that modifications to the existing signage will be subject to a separate sign permit application.

Gallery Comments

None.

Correspondence

None.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would permit exterior renovations to the existing drive-through restaurant at 8140 Garden City Road on a site zoned “Community Commercial (CC).”

CARRIED

3.

Date of Next Meeting:  January 30, 2019

4.

Adjournment

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be adjourned at 4:15 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, January 16, 2019.

_______________________________

_____________________________

John Irving 
Chair

Rustico Agawin 
Committee Clerk