June 26, 2019 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Council Chambers
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Joe Erceg, Chair 
John Irving, Acting General Manager, Engineering and Public Works 
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 June 12, 2019 be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 11-593871 
(REDMS No. 6204334 v. 2)

APPLICANT:

IBI Architects (Canada) Inc. on behalf of South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink)

PROPERTY LOCATION:

6302 No. 3 Road and 6411 Buswell Street

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

permit the construction of a Bus Mall at 6302 No. 3 Road and 6411 Buswell Street on a site zoned “Downtown Commercial (CDT1)”; and

2.

vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the number of parking spaces for the existing office building on 6411 Buswell Street from 44 to 25 spaces.

Applicant’s Comments

Salim Narayanan, IBI Group Architects, with the aid of a visual  presentation (attached to and forming part of these Minutes as Schedule 1) provided background information on the proposed Bus Mall, highlighting the following:

§   

access to the Bus Mall loop is provided through a southbound left turn lane and northbound right turn from No. 3 Road;

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the Bus Mall includes two bus loading bays on the north side, two unloading bays on the south side, five bus layover bays, a HandyDart bay and three parking stalls for temporary parking of maintenance vehicles;

§   

a secondary public pedestrian and emergency vehicle access routes are provided from the eastern end of the Bus Mall to Buswell Street secured with a statutory Right-of-Way (SRW);

§   

the Bus Mall is bordered by wide sidewalks on the north and south sides, with the wider north sidewalk connecting to Buswell Street;

§   

a one-meter fence is provided on the median between the bus loading and unloading bays;

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a mid-block crosswalk provides pedestrian connection from the north side of the Bus Mall to the south side of the Mall and to the proposed Keltic development to the south;

§   

a fence is provided along the perimeter of the eastern end of the Bus Mall to protect pedestrians from buses turning at the loop;

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a bus shelter and extensive glass canopies along the south frontage of the new ScotiaBank within the Mandarin building are provided along the north side sidewalk of the Bus Mall for weather protection along the passenger pick-up area; and

§   

a 12-foot high acoustic wall is proposed adjacent to the townhouses in the Emporio building to the north of the eastern end of the Bus Mall to mitigate noise and block headlight glare from the Bus Mall.

Dylan Chernoff, Durante Kreuk Ltd., presented the main landscape features for the proposed Bus Mall, noting that (i) tree grates in lieu of planting are proposed at the base of trees to be planted adjacent to the sidewalks along both sides of the Bus Mall so as not to impede the flow of pedestrian traffic, (ii) the proposed planting is intended to mitigate the impact of bus turning and to buffer the pedestrian realm from the vehicular realm, (iii) proposed plant species are drought tolerant and easy to maintain, (iv) seating is incorporated with some planting in the pedestrian area, (v) the proposed decorative paving treatment for the Bus Mall public realm have been coordinated with the paving treatments for the existing Mandarin development to the north and the future Keltic development to the south, (vi) there is a row of trees planted in front of the acoustic wall, and (vii) some off-site trees on No. 3 Road will need to be relocated or removed for the improvements to No. 3 Road in coordination with City staff.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel, Mr. Chernoff and Chit Vyas, Translink,  acknowledged that (i) significant features of the proposed Bus Mall which distinguish it from other Translink bus malls include the installation of fences, continuous stone pavement on the north and south urban plazas, and decorative pedestrian paving along the north and south sidewalks adjacent to the Bus Mall, and (ii) the proposed landscaping for the Bus Mall, extensive glass canopies, and a significant bus  shelter further differentiate the proposed Bus Mall from other Translink bus malls.

In reply to further queries from the Panel, Mr. Vyas acknowledged that the applicant evaluated the parking needs of tenants of the existing office building on 6411 Buswell Street to determine the proposed parking variance from 44 to 25 spaces.

In reply to a query from the Panel, Sonali Hingorani, Transporation Engineer, Transportation Department, confirmed that (i) there are seven short-term parking spaces for the proposed “kiss and ride” drop-off  within the Keltic development which is adjacent to the southeast corner of the Bus Mall, (ii) a pedestrian connection is provided from the “kiss and ride” area to the Bus Mall, and (iii) there is vehicle access from the “kiss and ride” area  to Buswell Street through the adjacent City lane.

In reply to further queries from the Panel, Mr. Narayanan and Mr. Vyas confirmed that (i) there is no pedestrian connection from the south side of the Bus Mall to Buswell Street, (ii) pedestrians on the south side of the Bus Mall could access Buswell Street through the centre crosswalk and the north sidewalk, (iii) the south sidewalk adjacent to the Bus Mall could be extended eastward to connect to Buswell Street subject to the future redevelopment of the property to the east of the Bus Mall.

In reply to a query from the Panel, Joshua Reis, Program Coordinator, Development,   referenced an architectural drawing showing the location of the ‘kiss and ride” drop-off within the Keltic development relative to the cul-de-sac within the Bus Mall.

In reply to a query from the Panel, Ms. Hingorani confirmed that (i) pedestrian access from the “kiss and ride” drop-off to the Bus Mall will be through the north plaza within the future Keltic development, and (ii) upon redevelopment of the existing office building on 6411 Buswell Street, the extension of the sidewalk along the south side of the Bus Mall up to Buswell Street could be considered.

In reply to further queries from the Panel, Mr. Narayanan and Mr. Vyas noted that (i) the turning radius at the southbound left-turn lane on No. 3 Road to the Bus Mall entrance has been increased to provide clear sightlines to the pedestrian crosswalk to enhance the safety of pedestrians, (ii) the cantilevered overhead lighting adjacent to the acoustic screen as shown in the architectural rendering is  intended to provide lighting along the north sidewalk, (iii) retail spaces along the north side of the Keltic development will interface with the south side of the Bus Mall, and (iv) a prototype overhead electric bus charging station/depot is currently being developed by Translink and an electric bus charging station could be installed on the Bus Mall subject to its feasibility.

Staff Comments

Suzanne Smith, Acting Director, Development, noted that a specific Bus Mall Servicing Agreement is associated with the project, which includes on-site and off-site improvements such as improvements to the southbound left-turn lane and the median on No. 3 Road, widened sidewalks on No. 3 Road, installation of new traffic signals at the intersection of No. 3 Road and the Bus Mall, and provision of emergency vehicle and public pedestrian access connecting through Buswell Street.

Ms. Smith further noted that (i) staff support the proposed variance from 44 to 25 parking spaces for the existing office building on 6411 Buswell Street due to its proximity to the Brighouse Canada Line Station, ability to function in the past with 30 parking spaces and potential for its redevelopment and reassessment of its parking needs in the future, (ii) the Bus Mall has been designed in the context of its adjacency to the existing Mandarin development to the north and the Keltic development to the south currently under construction, (iii) ground-oriented units within the Keltic development will front the Bus Mall, (iv) the Bus Mall and Keltic sidewalk have been designed with the same landscaping and pavement standards, (v) the applicant has consulted with the Strata Council of the adjacent Emporio building which was built prior to the Bus Mall being proposed, and (vi) measures have been proposed to mitigate Bus Mall noise impacts including the installation of an acoustic screen adjacent to the Emporio building.

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

Jenny Shao, 6288 No. 3 Road, expressed concern regarding the proximity of the proposed Bus Mall to high-density residential developments and noted the existing low density of planting along the north sidewalk adjacent to the Bus Mall which could be enhanced to mitigate potential noise.

With regard to the Ms. Shao’s concern regarding the siting of the Bus Mall, the Chair advised that the existing development to the north and the development to the south currently under construction have been designed in consideration of the future construction of the Bus Mall.

With regard to planting along the north and south edges of the Bus Mall, staff noted that (i) the spacing of street trees to be planted will be consistent with the City standard, (ii) 24 street trees, majority of which are Pin Oak trees, are proposed to be planted along both sides of the Bus Mall adjacent to the sidewalks, and (iii) the Bus Mall functions as an enhanced City Centre street and has been designed as such.

In reply to a query from the Panel, Mark McMullen, Senior Coordinator-Major Projects, confirmed that acoustic measures to address potential noise from the future Bus Mall were incorporated into the design of residential units in the “Mandarin” building through the development permit process.

A resident of 6351 Buswell Street, stated that she is a residing in one of the townhouses of the Emporio building to the north of the Bus Mall and sought clarification regarding (i) whether the height of the proposed acoustic screen adjacent to the building would be able to effectively control Bus Mall noise at the upper levels of townhouses, (ii) whether engine idling of stationary buses on the Bus Mall is allowed, (iii) whether a future connection for buses from the Bus Mall to Buswell Street will be provided, and (iv) whether there are proposed measures to control pedestrian access and traffic along the north-south lane to the north of the Bus Mall to address the Emporio residents’ safety and security concerns.

With regard to the resident’s query whether a future vehicular connection for buses will be provided from the Bus Mall to the Buswell Street, the Chair advised that as decided by Council, there will be no bus connection through Buswell Street even though adjacent properties will be redeveloped in the future; however, an emergency vehicle access route will be provided from the Bus Mall to Buswell Street.

In response to the resident’s other concerns and questions from the Panel, Mr. Narayanan, Mr. Vyas, and Emmanuel SanMiguel, IBI Group Architects, acknowledged that (i) the height of the proposed acoustic wall adjacent to the Emporio townhouses has been increased from eight feet to 12 feet in response to staff and Advisory Design Panel recommendations, (ii) the increased height of the acoustic wall adjacent to the townhouses is more than sufficient to provide a noise barrier for the Bus Mall as indicated in the acoustic report, (iii) the intensity of noise coming from the Bus Mall is expected to be highest near the townhouses due to its proximity to the Bus Mall cul-de-sac where buses generate significant noise when turning, (iv) the acoustic report indicates that the proposed acoustic screen will significantly decrease the noise impacts of the Bus Mall on adjacent townhouses, (v) the acoustic report does not mention the potential noise reduction to townhouse outdoor spaces as it focuses on noise reduction to townhouse indoor spaces, (vi) the proposed acoustic barrier will result in buses sounding as though they are two or three times far away, (vii) idling of buses on the Bus Mall is not allowed by Translink, and (viii) the buses on the Bus Mall will cover six bus routes with trip frequencies matching the Canada Line commuter loads.

In response to the resident’s concern regarding safety and security along the north-south lane to the north of the Bus Mall, Ms. Hingorani noted that vehicle access from the lane to the Bus Mall is not permitted. In addition, Mr. Narayanan confirmed that removable steel bollards at the south end of the lane provide access only to emergency vehicles and pedestrians can access the lane from the south end of the lane.

Carmelita Chan, 6380 Buswell Street, queried (i) whether bus stops along Buswell Street will be relocated to No. 3 Road with the construction of the proposed Bus Mall, (ii) whether consideration has been given to mitigate Bus Mall noise impacts on 6380 Buswell Street, a residential development to the east of the Bus Mall across Buswell Street, and (iii) whether a pedestrian connection will be installed in the future from 6380 Buswell Street to Cooney Road.

In reply to the query regarding the possible relocation of bus stops along Buswell Street, Ms. Hingorani advised that (i) the primary intention of the Bus Mall is to take passengers getting off at the Brighouse Canada Line Station, and (ii) all existing bus routes and stops around the proposed Bus Mall area will be retained.

In reply to the query whether noise mitigating measures have been considered for the existing development on 6380 Buswell Street, Ms. Smith noted that the buses on the Bus Mall will be turning away from the existing development at the cul-de-sac. In addition, Mr. Narayanan advised that the Bus Mall will function as a regular City street except that buses turning at the cul-de-sac will create more noise.

In reply to the query whether a pedestrian pathway is proposed to connect 6380 Buswell Street eastward to Cooney Road, Ms. Hingorani advised that the City Centre Area Plan does identify a long-term vision for a future pedestrian connection from the Brighouse Canada Line Station on No. 3 Road to Cooney Road subject to the redevelopment of adjacent properties.

Panel Discussion

It was suggested that the subject development permit application be referred to the Panel’s next scheduled meeting to hear from the Panel’s acoustical engineer and provide more information including specific details and assumptions regarding possible noise impacts of the proposed Bus Mall on neighbouring developments’ indoor and outdoor spaces and proposed measures to mitigate Bus Mall noise.

It was also suggested that the applicant meet with residents of neighbouring developments who have presented their concerns before the Panel prior to the Panel’s next meeting.

Panel Decision

As a result of the discussion, the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the Development Permit application on 6302 No. 3 Road and 6411 Buswell Street (DP 11-593871) be referred back to staff to:  

1.

review the noise impacts of the proposed Bus Mall to neighbouring residents with the applicant; and 

2.

coordinate with the applicant to address concerns reported by neighbouring residents;

and report back to the July 10, 2019 Development Permit Panel meeting.

CARRIED.

2.

Date of Next Meeting:  July 10, 2019

3.

Adjournment

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting be adjourned at 4:46 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 26, 2019.

_______________________________

_____________________________

Joe Erceg 
Chair

Rustico Agawin 
Committee Clerk