MINUTES

1.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING DATE

2.

The next meeting of the Committee will be held on Tuesday, April 3, 2007, at 4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Room.

4.

APPLICATION BY BOB CHEEMA FOR REZONING AT 9280 GENERAL CURRIE ROAD FROM SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING DISTRICT, SUBDIVISION AREA F (R1/F) TO COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (CD/120)

(RZ 06-352460 - Report:  February 26, 2007, File No.:  12-8060-20-8193) (REDMS No. 2084633, 2085335)

It was moved and seconded

That Bylaw No. 8193, for the rezoning of 9280 General Currie Road from “Single-Family Housing District, Subdivision Area F (R1/F)” to “Comprehensive Development District (CD/120)”, be introduced and given first reading.

CARRIED

5.

APPLICATION BY MATTHEW CHENG ARCHITECT INC. FOR REZONING AT 9460 AND 9628 FERNDALE ROAD FROM SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING DISTRICT, SUBDIVISION AREA F (R1/F) TO COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (CD/168)

(RZ 05-312239 - Report:  March 1, 2007, File No.:  12-8060-20-8205) (REDMS No. 2079752, 2082340)

It was moved and seconded

That Bylaw No. 8205, for the rezoning of 9460 and 9628 Ferndale Road from “Single-Family Housing District, Subdivision Area F (R1/F)” to “Comprehensive Development District (CD/168)”, be introduced and given first reading.

CARRIED

6.

APPLICATION BY MACLEAN HOMES LTD. FOR REZONING AT 6600, 6620 COONEY ROAD AND 6591, 6611 ECKERSLEY ROAD FROM SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING DISTRICT, SUBDIVISION AREA E (R1/E) TO COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (CD/180)

(RZ 06-339190 - Report:  February 27, 2007, File No.:  12-8060-20-8207) (REDMS No. 2079313, 2002295, 2084457)

Jean Lamontagne, Director of Development advised that this development is the first one in the City that proposes the provision of a co-op car.

It was moved and seconded

That Bylaw No. 8207, to create “Comprehensive Development District (CD/180)” and for the rezoning of 6600, 6620 Cooney Road, and 6591, 6611 Eckersley Road from “Single-Family Housing District, Subdivision Area E (R1/E)” to “Comprehensive Development District (CD/180)”, be introduced and given first reading.

CARRIED

7.

APPLICATION BY HYWEL JONES ARCHITECT LTD. TO DISCHARGE LAND USE CONTRACT (LUC 139) FOR THE PARCEL OF LAND IMMEDIATELY SOUTH OF 10780 CAMBIE ROAD AND TO REZONE THE SITE TO AUTOMOBILE-ORIENTED COMMERCIAL DISTRICT (C6)

(RZ 07-362264 - Report:  March 6, 2007, File No.:  12-8060-20-8208) (REDMS No. 2073386, 2086287, 2086291)

Mr. Lamontagne advised that the applicant has purchased a small amount of land from the Ministry of Transportation which will allow for a wider buffer strip along Highway 99, as well as additional display area for automobiles. The surface treatment will be impervious.

It was moved and seconded

That Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw No. 8208, to

Redesignate Parcel A (Reference Plan BCP23042) Section 35 Block 5 North Range 6 West New Westminster District as Dedicated on Plans 61424 and LMP 16312 to "Commercial" in the Generalized Land Use Map Attachment 1 of Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 7100, and;

Redesignate Parcel A (Reference Plan BCP23042) Section 35 Block 5 North Range 6 West New Westminster District as Dedicated on Plans 61424 and LMP 16312 to "Commercial" in the Land Use Map to Schedule 2.11b  of Official Community Plan Bylaw No. 7100 (East Cambie Area Plan);

be introduced and given first reading.

That Bylaw No. 8208, having been considered in conjunction with:

the City’s Financial Plan and Capital Program;

the Greater Vancouver Regional District Solid Waste and Liquid Waste Management Plans;

is hereby deemed to be consistent with said program and plans, in accordance with Section 882(3)(a) of the Local Government Act.

(3)

That Bylaw No. 8208, having been considered in accordance with the City Policy on Consultation During OCP Development, is hereby deemed not to require further consultation.

(4)

That Parcel A (Reference Plan BCP23042) Section 35 Block 5 North Range 6 West New Westminster District as Dedicated on Plans 61424 and LMP 16312 be discharged from the provisions of “Land Use Contract “LUC 139” and that Bylaw No. 8209 to rezone Parcel A (Reference Plan BCP23042) Section 35 Block 5 North Range 6 West New Westminster District as Dedicated on Plans 61424 and LMP 16312 to “Automobile-Oriented Commercial District (C6)”, be introduced and given first reading.

CARRIED

8.

APPLICATION BY KIM REDLICH FOR REZONING AT 11200 RAILWAY AVENUE FROM SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING DISTRICT, SUBDIVISION AREA E (R1/E) TO SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING DISTRICT, SUBDIVISION AREA J (R1/J)

(RZ 06-350640 - Report:  March 1, 2007, File No.:  12-8060-20-8210) (REDMS No. 2086648, 2086971)

It was moved and seconded

That Bylaw No. 8210, for the rezoning of 11200 Railway Avenue from “Single-Family Housing District, Subdivision Area E (R1/E)” to “Single-Family Housing District, Subdivision Area J (R1/J)”, be introduced and given first reading.

CARRIED

3.

OFFICIAL COMMUNITY PLAN/STEVESTON AREA PLAN AND REZONING MARITIME MIXED-USE AREA APPLICATION BY ONNI DEVELOPMENT (IMPERIAL LANDING) CORP. FOR REZONING AT 4020 AND 4300 BAYVIEW STREET, FROM COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (CD/104) AND COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (CD/105), TO AN AMENDED COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT (CD/104)

(RZ 04-287989 - Report:  February 19, 2007, File No.:  12-8060-20-8191/8192) (REDMS No. 2078108, 1882963, 1891981, 2069374, 2069375)

Jean Lamontagne, Director of Development reviewed the application with Committee and highlighted the following components:

·      

the site currently has two separate zones, with the western end and the eastern end zoned CD/104, and the centre zoned CD/105;

·      

each of the CD/104 zones allows for residential units to a maximum of 40 dwelling units, for a total of 80 units, and the residential proportion is capped at 62.5% of the building area; the current proposal is for a total of 69 units and the applicant is proposing different styles of housing choices on the areas of the site proposed for residential;

·      

the building height of 12 metres is not to be changed;

·      

no commercial use is proposed east of Easthope Avenue, and the addition of commercial uses is proposed only to the west of Easthope Avenue;

·      

much of the initial surface parking has been placed underground thus improving public access; in addition, the number of public parking spaces is the same as originally proposed;

·      

the minimum setback of 1 metre for the site has not changed; a 1 metre minimum setback occurs at only two spots on the site while there are greater setbacks throughout the remainder of the site;

·      

originally proposed density was for .8 floor area ratio (FAR), and the current proposal maintains that density; overall it is a fairly low density when compared to the rest of the B.C. Packers site;

·      

access to the waterfront is available through four easement accesses, an increase of three access points over the original proposal;

·      

the proposed public open space is a new, central plaza which opens up more of the neighbourhood to the waterfront than the original proposal;

·      

the view corridors have been improved from the original proposal, and the 3-storey structure being proposed at the west end of the site has been lowered to 2-storeys; in addition, there are three 3-storey residential buildings between Easthope Avenue and Bayview Street;

·      

two open houses were hosted by the applicant, at the request of the City, and both were well attended;

·      

the City will accrue benefits from the applicant, including a voluntary amenity package of $1.8 million, which includes $1.5 million in cash to be used at the discretion of City Council, as well as title to one condominium dwelling unit worth $300,000, to be used for low market rental affordable housing.

Discussion ensued among Committee members and staff regarding:

Parking – currently, throughout the Maritime Mixed Use (MMU) plan area (including the Phoenix Net Loft area) a half acre of parking for commercial and industrial uses that support the maritime economy is required; the current proposal includes a total of 61 spaces for public use (26 located off English Avenue, 35 underground) and there are some additional public spaces available near the Phoenix Net Loft site;

Public Plaza – is located at the south end of Easthope Avenue, and has been expanded approximately 15 m to the east in order to provide a public gathering space; City staff would be in charge of envisioning the design of the public plaza;

Waterfront - the City owns the unbroken waterfront that runs parallel to the site which is zoned CD/105; staff will present a comprehensive report regarding the development of the waterfront later; the Chair referenced two letters from 1999, and read excerpts from the August 10, 1999 letter (attached to these minutes as Schedules 1 and 2) from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans with regard to portions of the BC Packers shoreline designated as Fraser River Estuary Management Program (FREMP) “red” (having highly productive habitat features); 

Setback - the distance from the proposed buildings to the edge of the boardwalk promenade varies; the closest it would be is 1 metre; with regard to the large building proposed for the west end of the site, there is greater setback in the middle of the building, with the 1 metre setback involved only at the building’s extreme west and extreme east ends;

 MMU Definition – the proposed zoning will allow for a variety of either existing MMU businesses (such as offices, light industrial, fish auction and off-loading), and also some more conventional community retail uses (such as laundry, dry cleaning and grocery store); the proposed  commercial building is to be located at the west end of the site which may contain a small, boutique style grocery store at ground level with restaurants on the upper floor;

Commercial Units – the applicant’s intent is to maintain ownership of the commercial units and to lease them to individual business owners.

The Chair stated his concern that if the staff recommendation to repeal and replace the definition of MMU is adopted, a grocery story with restaurants above would dominate the west end of the site. He further stated that the forthcoming report on the development of the waterfront may not allow the opportunity to build over the water south of the Onni site, and for that reason the City should explore acquiring MMU land if the City cannot get open space on the waterfront.

To illustrate his point the Chair referenced three plans for the Onni site, provided to Committee from earlier reports. (Attached as Schedules 3, 4, and 5 to these minutes).

Chris Evans, Onni Development (Imperial Landing) Corp., addressed the Committee and made the following points:

·            

Onni has worked with the public and with City staff to try to satisfy everyone’s goals for the site;

·            

residential units are confined to the east end of the site, with commercial buildings and units at the west end; at the east end, the goal is to achieve a semi-private space for the owners of the units, and a public space in front of that;

·            

the majority of public comments favoured a full service grocery store in the proposed commercial space at the west end; a typical grocery store operates within a minimum of 30,000 square feet, and the applicant is considering a 13,500 sq. ft. smaller, boutique style grocery store;

·            

the four view corridors have been enhanced throughout the site, with several public accesses from Bayview Street to the public dyke walkway; the second floor of the most westerly commercial building has been set back for the purpose of enhancing the view corridor at that end of the site;

·            

roadways ending at the waterfront have been created; the concept of a hard plaza is to gain higher usage than a green space and at the same time ensure lower maintenance;

·            

the applicant worked with constraints, including setbacks, and has achieved a level of density that is acceptable;

Discussion ensued among the Committee, Mr. Evans and staff members, regarding the following points:

·            

a higher degree of density in the residential units at the east end of the site was explored in exchange for other amenities given by the applicant such as access to the waterfront, and enhanced views;

·            

public input conducted by the applicant demonstrated that current small business operators in Steveston favour a 13,500 square foot boutique grocery store that would draw people, who would then patronize their stores, as opposed to a number of small commercial units that would attract other small business operators who might draw business away from existing businesses;

·            

the City’s zoning regulates the size of commercial units, but does not regulate occupancy within units.

Discussion continued among Committee members and staff on:

·            

whether the City should allow development of this site before the arrival of the forthcoming report on the waterfront;

·            

if the City could explore acquiring MMU land if the City is limited from using the waterfront and building to the south of the site;

·            

the location and design of the hard plaza, and the way it aligns with the roads; the public plaza is a significant development and creates a vista from four separate roads, but it was suggested that the applicant might consider shifting one building to the west and reduce some parking stalls;

·            

the massing of the commercial and the residential buildings in this proposal appear to be more than the massing in the earlier proposal;

Committee was advised that;

·            

this proposal does not include higher density than the density proposed earlier;

·            

the development includes maximized parking;

·            

both the 12 metre height, and the .8 FAR have remained consistent between the former and the present development.

David Fairweather, #328 – 12931 Railway Avenue, drew attention to his summary of comments recorded at the December 13, 2007 Open House, hosted by Onni, attached to the letter he circulated to the Committee. (On file, City Clerk’s Office). He believed that the proposed 11 townhouses are too close to the public walkway; there is a need to create welcoming green space on the site; and there is a need to maintain openness along the waterfront. Also, Mr. Fairweather expressed concern that staff and the applicant seem to have ignored input gathered at the various open houses. He recommended that the City strive for the best possible results on the site for the benefit of Richmond residents and visitors to the City.

Based on the discussion,  the following referral motion was introduced:

It was moved and seconded

That the report (dated February 19, 2007 from the Director of Development and the Manager, Policy Planning), be referred to staff for further consideration of the following:

(a)

assess the potential to place a museum and library on the west end of the Maritime Mixed Use site where Onni proposes the 2-storey commercial building, and the potential to place a museum and or library on the second level of the Onni-proposed commercial building;

(b)

provide an update on the status of the referral made at the April 10, 2006 City Council meeting regarding the Steveston waterfront as a possible viable site for a museum;

(c)

comment on the possibility of selling the City-owned land on 4320 Moncton Street, and possibly combining that area (1 acre) with the Maritime Mixed Use or Onni site for a P3 arrangement;

(d)

assess the addition of green space by Onni to the site, in lieu of Onni’s cash contributions to the City;

(e)

clarify the proposed density of residential units at the east end of the site, and how the proposed density compares to the originally proposed density for the east end of the site as brought forward to the General Purposes Committee meeting of March 1, 2004;

(f)

clarify the proposed building mass on site and how the proposed massing compares to the originally proposed massing, as envisioned in 2003 and brought forward to the General Purposes Committee meeting of March 1, 2004;

(g)

confirm details of the surface parking requirements;

(h)

clarify the setbacks at all points on the site;

(i)

assess the use of Maritime Mixed Use, and the industrial and commercial uses, and advise on the feasibility of creating two bylaws, to address Maritime Mixed Use (maritime economy) and to separately address commercial (shopping, recreational, etc.).

The question on the motion was not called as discussion ensued regarding when staff would report to Committee on the referral.

Mr. Crowe advised that staff could return to Committee within several weeks with a memorandum addressing the status of each of the points mentioned in the referral.

The question on the referral motion was then called and it was CARRIED.

9.

MANAGER’S REPORT

Affordable Housing – The Committee will receive a report at the end of April, 2007.

City Centre Area Plan – Staff is currently working on analysis of information gathered during the March 1 – 16, 2007 Open House as well as recent meetings held with stakeholders.

Steveston Study – The Committee will receive a draft Conservation Study at the end of May, 2007.

Official Community Plan/Liveable Region Strategic Plan Review – By the end of June, 2007 there may be a GVRD guide regarding the Liveable Region Strategic Plan Review update process.

West Cambie Plan – The City is in receipt of a letter from the applicants who are asking the City to front end some of the initial servicing costs. During the week of March 26, 2007 staff will meet with the applicants to review the request and respond to it.

In response to a query regarding the storm sewer downstream analysis that applicants are required to make, Committee was advised that staff will address that issue with a verbal report at the April 3, 2007 Planning Committee meeting.

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (5:59 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Tuesday, March 20, 2007.

_________________________________

_________________________________

Councillor Harold Steves
Chair

Sheila Johnston
Committee Clerk