December 11, 2024 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Remote (Zoom) Meeting

Present:

Wayne Craig, General Manager, Planning and Development, Chair

Roeland Zwaag, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works

Milton Chan, Director, Engineering

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on November 27, 2024 be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 23-018128

 (REDMS No. 7788454)

APPLICANT:

Pacific Land Group

PROPERTY LOCATION:

9100 Cambie Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

To permit the construction of a single-storey building with convenience store and restaurant uses at 9100 Cambie Road on a site zoned “Gas Station Commercial (ZC50) – West Cambie”

Applicant’s Comments

Laura Jones, Pacific Land Group, with the aid of a visual presentation (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 1), provided background information on the proposed development, highlighting the following:

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the project includes a new building with convenience store and quick service restaurant in addition to the existing gas station;

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the project has been designed to provide accessible pedestrian circulation on the site and accommodates cyclists, electric and regular vehicles;

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the development includes parking stalls for regular, accessible and electric vehicles, and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure;

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bicycle parking is proposed near the quick service restaurant;

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additional landscaping is proposed along the perimeter of the subject site;

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partially underground Molok bins are proposed to enhance the appearance of the development’s garbage and recycling area;

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weather protection for pedestrians is incorporated into the commercial building design;

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the convenience store and quick service restaurant are differentiated through variation in the colour scheme;

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a variety of high quality exterior cladding materials are proposed for the building; and

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the roof of the commercial building has been designed to provide visual interest in consideration of the potential midrise building that may be developed in the future on the adjacent property to the east.

Patricia Campbell, PMG Landscape Architects, briefed the Panel on the proposed landscaping for the project, noting that (i) tree planting and landscaping are proposed along both street frontages and along the south and east property lines, (ii) layered planting is proposed at the corners and along the edges of the subject site, (iii) the existing trees on the adjacent property along the east property line will be retained, and (iv) the walkway along the south property line provides pedestrian access to the proposed commercial building.

Staff Comments

Joshua Reis, Director, Development noted that (i) vehicle access to the site is provided from both street frontages, i.e. from Cambie Road and Garden City Road, (ii) two existing vehicle accesses are being removed to improve the condition of the development’s street frontage, (iii) pedestrian access is provided from both street frontages from the City’s sidewalk to the entrances of the building through a 1.5-metre wide accessible path, (iv) there is a Servicing Agreement associated with the project which includes the installation of new sidewalk, grassed/treed boulevard, and new raised centre median along Cambie Road and new sidewalk, grass/treed boulevard, pedestrian lighting, bicycle path and new water main along Garden City Road, and (v) staff have worked with the project’s Landscape Architect to install 10 additional replacement trees on the subject site.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel, the applicant noted that (i) the proposed lighting for the site is directed to and contained within the subject site to avoid light pollution onto adjacent residential properties, (ii) there is an existing fence along the south and east property lines which will be retained, (iii) opaque spandrel glass is proposed to be installed along the east side of the commercial building, (iv) there is no direct pedestrian access to the back (east side) of the building and security cameras will be installed throughout the site including at the back of the building, (v) access controls to the rear of the building could be integrated into the landscaping if required in the future, (vi) the fuel tank vent stacks are proposed to be located in the new landscaped area along the south side of the property and are fully screened by landscaping, (vii) the rooftop ventilation system includes scrubbers that  mitigate odour from restaurant operations, and (viii) the enclosures for the rooftop mechanical equipment and venting will have a custom design.

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the project, noting (i) the closure of two of the four existing driveways would significantly reduce potential conflict between pedestrians and vehicles, (ii) the applicant’s efforts to address concerns raised on the proposed development since rezoning, (iii) the applicant’s efforts to address potential adjacency issues, and (iv) the provision of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in the proposed commercial development.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would permit the construction of a single-storey building with convenience store and restaurant uses at 9100 Cambie Road on a site zoned “Gas Station Commercial (ZC50) – West Cambie”.

CARRIED

2.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 23-011558

 (REDMS No. 7739527)

APPLICANT:

Lansdowne Phase 1 Limited Partnership

PROPERTY LOCATION:

5300 No. 3 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

To permit the construction of a mid-rise to high-rise mixed-use development with 1,075 residential dwelling units, including 141 Low End Market Rental (LEMR) housing units and 160 market rental housing units at 5300 No. 3 Road on a site zoned "Residential/Limited Commercial (ZMU55) - Lansdowne Village (City Centre)".

Applicant’s Comments

Jesse Galicz and Dan Guenter, representing Vanprop Investments Ltd., introduced the project and Marianne Kwok, representing KPF, with the aid of a visual presentation (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 2), provided background information on the proposed development, highlighting the following:

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the proposed development is the first phase (Phase 1A) of the multi-phase Lansdowne redevelopment project;

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Phase 1 includes the development of three parcels, i.e. Parcel 2 which provides a mix of market strata residential housing units and commercial retail units (CRUs), Parcel 5 which provides market strata housing units, and Parcel 8 which provides Low-End-of-Market housing units and Market Rental housing units;

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the project’s “first 40 feet” approach includes the use of light-coloured brick at the base of the building blocks along Alderbridge Way to help create a human scaled and pedestrian-centric design along this frontage;

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the proposed development includes a number of publicly accessible and landscaped pedestrian pathways along the perimeter of the subject site and in between the building blocks; and

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the project’s proposed building design and sustainability features including the provision of an on-site Low-Carbon Energy Plant will enable the project to not only meet but exceed the sustainability requirements for the project.

In addition, with the aid of a video presentation (copy on file, City Clerk’s Office), Ms. Kwok provided further information on the main features of the proposed development including, among others, the project’s site context, history of the site, the buildings’ architectural form and character, building elevations, landscaping, and proposed locations for on-site public art.

Nastaran Moradinejad, representing PFS Studio, briefed the Panel on the main landscape features of the project, noting that (i) street frontages will be landscaped to provide a soft edge to the subject site, including the installation of stepped and layered planting to provide buffers along the streetscape, (ii) two existing significant trees will be retained to highlight the entrance to the North-South Greenway on Alderbridge Way that will ultimately connect to the future Lansdowne Park, (iii) 253 new trees are proposed to be planted on the site at-grade and on the outdoor amenity areas exceeding requirements, (iv) a multi-use path will be installed along the Alderbridge Way frontage, (v) the East-West Mews along the south side of the subject site is envisioned and designed to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists with limited portions providing vehicle access to the underground parkade, and (vi) common outdoor amenity spaces are proposed on lower and upper levels of the buildings on the three parcels.

Staff Comments

Mr. Reis noted that (i) the proposed development is Phase 1A of the multi-phase Lansdowne redevelopment project, (ii) the development will provide 141 Low-End-of-Market Rental (LEMR) housing units and 160 market rental housing units as part of the first phase of the development which must be completed prior to occupancy of any of the market strata housing units that will also be provided in the development, (iii) the LEMR and market rental housing units will be accommodated in a standalone building on Parcel 8 and will be managed by a non-profit operator, (iv) there is an agreement in place between the developer and the non-profit operator for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the rental units, and (v) the development will provide 409 Basic Universal Housing (BUHJ) units, including 94 percent of the LEMR units and 100 percent of the market rental housing units.

In addition, Mr. Reis stated that (i) there are a number of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures that were secured through the rezoning process including, among others, a Transit Pass Program, car-share vehicles and parking spaces and car-share memberships for LEMR and Market Rental housing units, and (ii) there is an extensive Servicing Agreement associated with the proposed development, including, among others, the installation of standard utilities and frontage improvements along the subject site, the design and construction of the North-South Greenway, the East-West Mews, the area along Kwantlen Street, the multi-use path along Alderbridge Way and other proposed publicly accessible pedestrian walkways on the subject site, and upgrades of all intersections along the development frontages including the installation of new left turn lanes on Alderbridge and new traffic signal devices.

Mr. Reis further noted that the Servicing Agreement includes the proposed Lansdowne Linear Park along Lansdowne Road which will be designed in phases and stages as it is implemented.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries and comments from the Panel, the applicant noted that (i) the location of the BC Hydro infrastructure at the southeast corner of Parcel 8 meets the BC Hydro requirements in terms of size and accessibility, (ii) there are a variety of proposed materials and colours in the internal courtyard area of the Parcel 8 building, (iii) the proposed use of light coloured brick at the base of the building on Parcel 8 and on Parcels 2 and 5 is intended to maintain the continuity of materiality for all buildings in Phase 1, and (iv) the applicant is considering using textured concrete for the portions where concrete walls of buildings are at street level to provide visual interest and appropriate plant species will be installed to ensure the long-term maintenance of plantings to screen the concrete walls.

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding the Tree Management Plan for the subject site, the applicant noted that (i) in addition to the two on-site existing trees within Phase 1A, a number of existing trees on the north and south sections of Phase 1A will be retained, (ii) a total of 72 existing on-site trees were identified for removal with 253 trees proposed for planting, (iii) 11 existing City trees along the central boulevard along Alderbridge Way will be removed to accommodate left hand turning bays, and (iv) the replacement trees to be planted on the site would be as large/mature as possible.

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding the proposed Low-Carbon Energy Plant (LCEP) on the roof of the Parcel 5 building,  the applicant noted that (i) the plant will be two storeys high and enclosed in a perforated metal screen, (ii) the plant will be designed and constructed at the sole cost of the developer and will be turned over at occupancy to the Lulu Island Energy Company for ownership and maintenance, and (iii) the applicant is working with their acoustic consultant to ensure that the City’s required noise mitigation standards to mitigate impact on surrounding residential units will be achieved and the City’s Noise Bylaw will be complied with.  

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding the installation of public art in Phase 1A, the applicant noted that (i) public art is proposed to be located along the East-West Mews, in particular at the southeast corner of Parcel 2, on the southern facades of Parcels 2 and 5 between the brick colonnades and bays, and on the underside of the bridge that connects the Parcel 2 and Parcel 5 buildings, (ii) other details of the project’s Public Art Plan will be determined through a separate public art process, and (iii) the applicant is working on the legal agreement with the future stratas to secure the ongoing maintenance of public art.

It was noted that upon completion of the separate public art process, a General Compliance application could be expected from the applicant to integrate public art in the building design.

In reply to queries from the Panel regarding the interim and ultimate condition of the East-West Mews, the applicant noted that in the interim condition of the Mews along the south side of Parcels 2 and 5, there will be full vehicular access through the Mews while the existing mall to the south is still functional to maintain its operational needs. In its ultimate condition, the majority of the Mews will be fully pedestrianized with limited portions of the Mews allowing access to emergency vehicles and vehicles accessing the underground parkades.

With regard to the Mews along the south side of Parcel 8, the applicant noted that in its ultimate condition, a significant portion of the Mews will become a pedestrian zone only and the rest of the Mews providing shared vehicular and pedestrian access.   

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Discussion

Discussion ensued regarding (i) the treatment to the façades of the three buildings, with the Parcel 8 building façade having less variety of materiality and colour in comparison to the building façades on Parcels 2 and 5, and (ii) the need to provide more visual interest to the Parcel 8 building façade.

As a result of the discussion, staff were directed to work with the applicant prior to the application moving forward to Council to investigate opportunities to enhance the treatment to the Parcel 8 building facade in terms of materiality and colour to provide more visual interest.

The Panel then expressed support for the project, noting (i) the applicant’s attention to various details in the project, (ii) efforts to design a pedestrian-friendly mixed-use development from an existing auto-oriented commercial development, and (iii) the sustainability initiatives and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures associated with the development.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would permit the construction of mid-rise to high-rise mixed-use development with 1,075 residential dwelling units, including 141 Low End Market Rental (LEMR) housing units and 160 market rental housing units at 5300 No. 3 Road on a site zoned "Residential/Limited Commercial (ZMU55) - Lansdowne Village (City Centre)".

CARRIED

3.

New Business

None.

4.

Date of Next Meeting:  January 15, 2025

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:47 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, December 11, 2024.

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Wayne Craig

Chair

Rustico Agawin

Committee Clerk