February 15, 2023 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Remote (Zoom) Meeting

Present:

Joe Erceg, General Manager, Planning and Development, Chair

Cecilia Achiam, General Manager, Community Safety
James Cooper, Director, Building Approvals

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on December 14, 2022 be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 21-933765

(REDMS No. 6862789)

APPLICANT:

Interface Architecture Inc.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

9300 and 9320 Cambie Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of 126 residential units in a five-storey multi-family apartment building over a common parkade at 9300 and 9320 Cambie Road on a site zoned “Low Rise Apartment (ZLR43) – Alexandra Neighbourhood (West Cambie)”.

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to:

(a)

increase the maximum lot coverage of buildings from 40 to 43 per cent; and

(b)

reduce the minimum width of one manoeuvring aisle in the parkade from 6.7 m to 6.4 m.

Applicant’s Comments

Ken Chow, Interface Architecture, Inc., with the aid of a visual presentation (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 1), provided background information on the project’s site context, road frontages, development statistics, site plan, building elevations and sections, and floor plans, highlighting the following:

§   

a six-storey multi-family apartment building is located to the east of the subject site and a three-storey townhouse development is located to the west of the site;

§   

the proposed development is located within the Alexandra District Energy Utility Energy (DEU) catchment area and will be required to connect to the Alexandra DEU;

§   

the proposed building has been designed to provide an appropriate transition from the six-storey apartment building to the east to the three-storey townhouse development to the west;

§   

the required east-west McKim Way road dedication will split the site into the northern portion where the 126-unit five-storey apartment building will be sited and the southern portion which will have an outdoor amenity space with garden plots for the exclusive use of residents in the proposed development;

§   

the proposed unit types include one- to three-bedroom units with dens;

§   

five two- to three-bedroom units will be provided for affordable housing;

§   

36 units, including the five affordable units,  will meet the City’s Basic Universal Housing (BUH) requirements;

§   

the central mass of the proposed building is positioned from the adjacent east and west developments to provide separation, screening, and privacy and mitigate potential overlook and shadowing onto adjacent developments;  

§   

the southeast corner of the proposed building is chamfered to allow sunlight penetration to the proposed building and to the west face of the adjacent apartment building to the east;

§   

the Cambie Road and McKim Way frontages include terraced landscaping to provide an appropriate relationship with the street; and

§   

in addition to the fitness centre and a multipurpose room on the first floor, a common amenity room will be provided on each floor of the proposed building.

Yiwen Ruan, PMG Landscape Architects, briefed the Panel on the main landscape features of the project with the aid of a visual presentation (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 2), noting that (i) 38 existing trees on the site will be removed and 79 new trees will be planted, (ii) curved retaining walls with planters are proposed along the south edge to provide transition from McKim Way to the proposed building, (iii) the pedestrian entries on McKim Way are marked with pedestrian scale lighting, (iv) an architectural trellis is proposed above the parkade entry, (v) the loading area is screened from McKim Way by raised planters, (vi) the subject site’s grade along the west side is matched to the site grade of the adjacent townhouse development and trees and tall shrubs are proposed to provide screening and privacy, (vii) terraced planter walls and trees are proposed along the north edge of the subject site to provide transition from Cambie Road to the proposed building, (viii) a landscape boulder feature, bench seating and bicycle rack are proposed near the pedestrian lobby entrance, (ix) terraced planter walls, one row of trees, and lounge seats are provided along the east edge of the subject site to provide a quiet and resting zone for the proposed development and privacy to the two adjacent properties, (x) the outdoor amenity area on the podium includes, among others, a children’s play area, a large lawn, and an outdoor dining area, (xi) the community gardens in the southern portion of the subject site will be fenced and gated, and (xii) permanent irrigation will be provided for all landscaped areas in the proposed development.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel, Mr. Chow and Mr. Ruan noted that (i) the green space adjacent to the parkade entry and loading area is elevated and will not be accessible to the public, (ii) the proposed children’s play area includes a large open lawn area and multiple play structures that provide play opportunities for children with ages  ½ to 12 years, (iii) a three- to four-feet wide rainwater percolation zone is provided along the east and west edges of the subject site, (iv) downward focused and low lighting are proposed throughout the subject site which include bollard lights, step lights and unity entry downward lights to provide adequate lighting and avoid light pollution, and (v) there are  penthouse units with outdoor decks provided on the 5th floor along Cambie Road.

Staff Comments

Wayne Craig, Director, Development, noted that (i) there is a Servicing Agreement associated with the project which includes, among others, frontage improvements along Cambie Road and road construction of McKim Way extension through the subject site, (ii) the proposed variance to reduce the minimum width of one manoeuvring aisle is limited to a portion of the parkade, was reviewed and supported by Transportation staff, and would not adversely impact traffic mobility within the parkade, (iii) the proposed variance to increase the maximum lot coverage of buildings is a technical variance associated with balcony projections and columns supporting the balcony projections which assist in achieving energy efficiency, (iv) the building has been designed to achieve BC Step Code Level 3, (v) the package of Transportation Demand Measures (TDM) associated with the project includes, among others, provision of one-year 2-zone monthly transit passes to 25 percent of the market units and 100 percent of affordable units, provision of a bicycle maintenance and repair room in the development, provision of two car share vehicle spaces equipped with electric vehicle (EV) charging, and provision of voluntary cash contributions for wayfinding and cycling-related infrastructure in the West Cambie area.

In reply to queries from the Panel, Mr. Craig confirmed that (i) there is an existing north-south pedestrian walkway adjacent to the proposed community gardens, (ii) the walkway will be improved as part of the Servicing Agreement, and (iii) the proposed lot coverage variance is associated with the balcony columns which help thermal bridging for the balconies and enhance energy efficiency. 

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

Shaun Traill, a resident of the six-storey apartment building (i.e., REMY building) to the east of the subject site, sought clarification regarding (i) the proposed variance in lot coverage from 40 to 43 percent, (ii) the proposed affordable housing units, and (iii) whether there is public access along the east side of the proposed development adjacent to the REMY building.

In reply to Mr. Traill’s queries, Mr. Craig noted that (i) the proposed increase of 3 percent in lot coverage is associated with columns that support balconies on the second floor of the subject building and enhance energy efficiency, (ii) the proposed five affordable housing units in the project are low-end  market rental units secured by housing agreement with the City and could be occupied by qualified tenants meeting the City’s income requirements, and (iii) there is no public access along the east side of the subject building.

Huang Wen Zheng, 4133 Stolberg Street, queried regarding the distance of the proposed building from the REMY building and expressed concern regarding fire truck access in the parkade as it relates to the proposed variance in minimum width of one manoeuvring aisle in the parkade.

In reply to Mr. Huang’s queries, the Chair noted that the proposed building’s setback from the common property line is larger than the building setback provided on the REMY building.

In addition, Mr. Craig noted that (i) the minimum required setback from the common property line is 4 meters, (ii) the central portion of the subject building is set back 10.4 meters from the east property line and the proposed building setback at the north and south ends of the proposed building is 4 meters, (iii) there is no need for fire truck access in the parkade, (iv) a fire suppression system will be installed in the proposed building that meets the City’s Building Code requirements, and (v) the proposed manoeuvring aisle variance is limited to the eastern  side of the parkade which is occupied only by small cars.

Mr. Huang also expressed concern regarding the height of the proposed building, its potential impact on sunlight exposure to the adjacent REMY building particularly during winter, and the width of the roads in the neighbourhood.

With regard to the concern on the height of the proposed building and road width, the Chair noted that (i) the proposed height of the building is a zoning issue which is not within the purview of the Panel, and (ii) the roads in the neighbourhood have been designed to accommodate the proposed development in accordance with the master plan for the neighbourhood.

With regard to the potential shadow impact of the proposed building on the adjacent REMY building, Mr. Craig referenced the shadow analyses for the project, noting that the two buildings will cast a shadow on each other during winter and confirmed that the amount of shading on the proposed development from the taller REMY building would be greater. In addition, Mr. Craig noted that the proposed building has been pulled back as far as possible from the east property line to mitigate shadowing impacts.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the project, noting that (i) the project has been sensitively designed to provide an appropriate interface with existing adjacent developments and the adjacent streets, and (ii) the proposed outdoor amenity spaces are well thought out.

The Panel then directed staff to work with the applicant to address potential security issues with respect to the proposed community gardens on the southern portion of the subject site.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would:

1.

permit the construction of 126 residential units in a five-storey multi-family apartment building over a common parkade at 9300 and 9320 Cambie Road on a site zoned “Low Rise Apartment (ZLR43) – Alexandra Neighbourhood (West Cambie)”.

2.

vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to:

(a)

increase the maximum lot coverage of buildings from 40 to 43 per cent; and

(b)

reduce the minimum width of one manoeuvring aisle in the parkade from 6.7 m to 6.4 m.

CARRIED

2.

New Business

It was moved and seconded

That the Development Permit Panel meeting tentatively scheduled on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 be cancelled.

CARRIED

3.

Date of Next Meeting:   March 15, 2023

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:39 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, February 15, 2023.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Joe Erceg

Chair

Rustico Agawin
Committee Clerk