May 12, 2021 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Remote (Zoom) Meeting

Present:

Cecilia Achiam, Chair 
Peter Russell, Director, Sustainability and District Energy 
James Cooper, Director, Building Approvals

Minutes

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on April 28, 2021 be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 18-829082 
(REDMS No. 6616241 v. 5)

APPLICANT:

Forest International Real Estate Investment Company Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

10231, 10251, 10351, 10371, 10391, 10395 and 10397 No. 2 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of 22 townhouse units at 10231, 10251, 10351, 10371, 10391, 10395 and 10397 No. 2 Road on a site zoned “Low Density Townhouses (RTL4); and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the front yard setback along No. 2 Road from 6.0 m to 4.83 m.

Applicant’s Comments

Jiang Zhu, Imperial Architecture, with the aid of a visual presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s office), provided background information on the proposed development, including among others, its site context, design rationale, site layout, building elevations and sections, façade treatments, and building materials and colours, highlighting the following:

§   

three three-storey buildings are proposed at the front (along No. 2 Road) and five two-storey buildings in duplex form are proposed along the rear of the site;

§   

the end unit of the three-storey building adjacent to the south property line has been stepped down to two-storeys to provide an appropriate transition to the adjacent single-family homes;

§   

a separate utility building is proposed which includes an electrical room and garbage and recycling room;

§   

the proposed development includes four ground-level secondary suites and two convertible units;

§   

a single driveway provides vehicle access to the site from No. 2 Road and a north-south internal drive aisle is proposed;

§   

there is a statutory right-of-way over the internal drive aisle to provide shared access and connection to future developments to the north and south of the subject site; 

§   

a front yard setback variance is proposed along No. 2 Road to increase the rear yard setback;

§   

a side-by-side double car garage is proposed for all units;

§   

two colour schemes are proposed including a cold tone and a warm tone;

§   

proposed building materials include, among others, durable materials such as natural brick and hardie panels; and

§   

the proposed shared outdoor amenity area is centrally located.

Meredith Mitchell, M2 Landscape Architecture, provided an overview of the main landscape features of the project, noting that (i) alternating conifer and deciduous trees are proposed along the streetscape, (ii) each unit will either have a front or rear private outdoor space which includes a  yard with a patio, shade tree and planting, (iii) permeable paving treatment is proposed for the driveway and along the entire internal drive aisle, with vehicle and pedestrian circulation areas separated through different paving patterns, (iv) landscaping is proposed around the utility building, and (v) a pedestrian walkway is provided  at the driveway entry and along the south side of the subject site to provide pedestrian access to the interior of the site.

In addition, Ms. Mitchell noted that (i) trees and pockets of planting are proposed along the internal drive aisle, (ii) seven trees and a hedgerow in good condition located on neighbouring properties to the west will be retained and protected, (iii) a stepped yard system is proposed on the rear yards of majority of  back units to provide protection to existing trees to be retained and enhance the usability of rear yards, (iv) the shared outdoor amenity includes, among others, a children’s play area, a feature tree, a seating and barbeque area, a bike rack, lawn area and planting, (v) a low retaining wall and perimeter fencing is proposed along the north property line, and (vi) a low retaining wall with wood fencing on top is proposed along a portion of the south property line.

In reply to queries from the Panel, Mr. Zhu and Ms. Mitchell acknowledged that (i) a texture change in permeable paving treatment at the corner of the driveway and internal drive aisle is intended to provide traffic calming, (ii) there is adequate turning radius for garbage and recycling trucks at the corner of the driveway and internal drive aisle to access future developments to the north and south of the subject site, (iii) the applicant is committed to achieve the City requirements for the width of the entry doors for the convertible units, (iv) the patios at the rear yards of convertible units are accessible to people in wheelchairs, (v) signage will be installed to assist in wayfinding and provide identification to individual front entries of rear units, (vi) appropriate measures including installation of tree protection barriers will be installed to protect existing trees to be retained, (vii) the unit walkways and patios for the front units have been designed to be accessible, and (viii) the corners on the third floor of the front buildings have been recessed to break down their massing.

In reply to further queries from the Panel, Mr. Zhu noted that (i) the project’s lighting plan includes installation of exterior downward focused wall-mounted lighting and bollard lighting which will not cause light pollution, (ii) air source heat pumps will be installed at the back of the rear units and on the roof of the front units, and (iii) landscaping will be installed to provide screening for the air source heat pumps on the ground level of the rear units.

It was noted that in addition to landscaping, the applicant will consider installing a solid acoustic barrier for the heat source heat pumps at ground level. Staff was then directed to work with the applicant to investigate opportunities to provide the proposed acoustic barrier.

Staff Comments

Wayne Craig, Director, Development, noted that (i) there is a Servicing Agreement associated with the project which include the construction of a new sidewalk and boulevard along the No. 2 Road frontage, (ii) the Servicing Agreement also includes the installation of a channelized median within the driveway letdown to ensure that vehicle entry/exit is limited to right-in/right-out, (iii) the proposed front yard setback variance would provide a larger rear yard setback and allow the retention of trees and hedges along the west property line,  (iv) the distance from the back of curb to the building face would be approximately eight meters, and (v) an acoustical report was provided by the applicant confirming that the units will achieve Canada Home and Mortgage Corporation (CHMC) noise standards.

In reply to a query from the Panel, Mr. Craig confirmed that the proposed development achieves the grandfathering provision for Energy Step Code approved by Council.

Gallery Comments

None.

Correspondence

None.

Panel Discussion

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would:

1.

permit the construction of 22 townhouse units at 10231, 10251, 10351, 10371, 10391, 10395 and 10397 No. 2 Road on a site zoned “Low Density Townhouses (RTL4); and

2.

vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the front yard setback along No. 2 Road from 6.0 m to 4.83 m.

CARRIED

2.

Date of Next Meeting:    May 27, 2021

3.

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, May 12, 2021.

_______________________________

_____________________________

Cecilia Achiam 
Chair

Rustico Agawin 
Committee Clerk