March 13, 2024 - Minutes

Time:

3:30 p.m.

Place:

Remote (Zoom) Meeting

Present:

Milton Chan, Director, Engineering, Acting Chair

Claudia Jesson, Director, City Clerk’s Office

Marie Fenwick, Director, Arts, Culture and Heritage

MINUTES

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Development Permit Panel held on January 17, 2024 be adopted.

CARRIED

1.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 21-941827

(REDMS No. 7582619)

APPLICANT:

Vivid Green Architecture Inc.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

6740 and 6780 Francis Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

Permit the construction of a total of four front-to-back duplexes at 6740 and 6780 Francis Road (one duplex on each new lot created after subdivision), on lots zoned “Two-Unit Dwellings (ZD7) – Francis Road (Blundell)”

Applicant’s Comments

Rosa Salcido, Vivid Green Architecture, 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 proposal includes four two-storey front-to-back duplexes in four lots with a shared drive aisle located between each pair of duplexes;

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each unit is provided with two resident parking spaces  and one visitor parking space for each pair of duplexes;

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the entries to all units are visible from the street;

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each unit is provided with aging-in-place features and one convertible unit is provided in the proposed development;

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colours for each unit are varied to provide identity to individual units; and

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the project has been designed to comply with the energy efficiency requirements.

David Rose, PD Group Landscape Architecture Ltd., briefed the Panel on the main landscape features of the project, noting that (i) there are on-site and off-site trees that are identified for retention, including the hedgerow along the south property line, (ii) one existing street tree on the Francis Road frontage will be retained and protected, (iii) each unit will be provided with a significant amount of private outdoor open space, (iv) conifer trees are provided in the rear yards of back units, (v) permeable pavers in different colours are proposed for the surface treatment of the shared drive aisles, entrance pathways and visitor parking spaces, and (vi) utility pathways are provided for moving garbage and recycling between the back units and the garbage and collection areas at the front.

Staff Comments

Wayne Craig, Director, Development, noted that (i) there is a Servicing Agreement associated with the project for frontage works and site services, (ii) the applicant’s efforts to retain the hedgerow along the south property line is appreciated, and (iii) there is contribution towards the upgrading of the crosswalk at the Francis Road and Minler Road intersection through the rezoning process.

Panel Discussion

In reply to a query from the Panel, the applicant noted that the proposed width of the shared drive aisles comply with the Zoning Bylaw requirement. In addition, Mr. Craig noted that on-site vehicle manoeuvring has been reviewed by the City’s Transportation Department and was found to comply with the City’s requirements.

In reply to further queries from the Panel, the applicant noted that (i) the heat pump for each unit is located either on the second floor deck or rear walls of buildings and will be screened to mitigate noise, (ii) the sides of second floor balconies adjacent to neighbouring properties will be landscaped with planters to provide screening and privacy, and (iii) bicycle parking is accommodated in the carport between the vehicle parking space and the screening fence to prevent headlight glare of parked vehicles.

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the project, noting that it is well thought out and will address the city’s need for housing.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would permit the construction of a total of four front-to-back duplexes at 6740 and 6780 Francis Road (one duplex on each new lot created after subdivision), on lots zoned “Two-Unit Dwellings (ZD7) – Francis Road (Blundell)”

CARRIED

2.

DEVELOPMENT VARIANCE PERMIT 22-011004

(REDMS No. 7536504)

APPLICANT:

Danny Wong

PROPERTY LOCATION:

8451 No. 5 Road

INTENT OF PERMIT:

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the minimum size of a farm operation associated with a roadside stand in the “Roadside Stand (CR)” zone from 8.0 ha to 1.77 ha, to permit the construction of a roadside stand at 8451 No. 5 Road.

Applicant’s Comments

Judy Chu and Olena Korobka, Dajue Art Gardens, with the aid of a visual presentation (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 2), provided background information on the application including the history of the farm operation, existing and future garden centre operations, proposed interior and exterior layout of plant and nursery products, current site conditions, and site improvements in preparation for the construction of the proposed roadside stand.

Danny Wong, Architelier, with the aid of the same visual presentation, briefed the Panel on the proposed architectural design and landscaping for the roadside stand building, noting that (i) metal cladding is proposed for the sides of the building except for the front façade where glazing is proposed, (ii) metal roof is proposed, (iii) the proposed roadside stand building will have indoor and outdoor areas, (iv) 13 regular parking stalls and two accessible parking stalls will be provided, and (v) five trees, low shrubs and perennials are proposed to be planted along the No. 5 Road frontage.

Staff Comments

Mr. Craig noted that (i) the application was reviewed and endorsed by the City’s Food Security and Agricultural Advisory Committee (FSAAC), and (ii) the siting of the proposed roadside stand building will minimize the impact to the farm operation and maximize the preservation of agricultural land for agricultural production.

Panel Discussion

In reply to queries from the Panel, the applicant noted that (i) a minimum of 50 percent of the plant products in the roadside stand will be grown on-site although it is estimated that 70 percent of products will be grown on-site, and (ii) majority of the retail area in the roadside stand will be wheelchair accessible.

In reply to queries from the Panel, Mr. Craig noted that (i) there is no associated Land Commission application required for the subject application, and (ii) the asphalt surface treatment for the parking area is an existing condition and consistent with the Zoning Bylaw.

Correspondence

None.

Gallery Comments

None.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the project and the proposed variance.

Panel Decision

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Variance Permit be issued which would vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the minimum size of a farm operation associated with a roadside stand in the “Roadside Stand (CR)” zone from 8.0 ha to 1.77 ha, to permit the construction of a roadside stand at 8451 No. 5 Road.

CARRIED

3.

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 23-014121

(REDMS No. 7521612)

APPLICANT:

1166225 BC Ltd.

PROPERTY LOCATION:

8880 Cook Road and 8751 Citation Drive

INTENT OF PERMIT:

1.

Permit the construction of two six-storey buildings containing 339 rental units at

8880 Cook Road and 8751 Citation Drive on a site zoned “Low Rise Rental Apartment (ZLR44) – Brighouse Village (City Centre)”; and

2.

Vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the road setback to projecting balconies above the second floor from 3.0 m to 1.2 m.

Applicant’s Comments

Alejandro Martinez, GBL Architects, with the aid of a visual presentation (attached to and forming part of these minutes as Schedule 3), provided background information on the proposed development, highlighting the following:

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the proposed two six-storey buildings provide 339 rental housing units, including 301 single level apartment units and 38 two-storey townhouse units;

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68 rental housing units are designated as moderate-income rental units and distributed on different levels of the buildings;

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all single level apartment units have been designed with Basic Universal Housing (BUH) features;

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the rental housing units include six fully accessible units;

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all floor levels and indoor and outdoor amenity spaces provided in the project are fully accessible;

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the project has been designed around a grove of trees in centre of the site which has been retained as the main feature of the proposed central courtyard;

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architectural and landscape elements are proposed to provide screening for the parkade walls surrounding the central courtyard;

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common indoor and outdoor amenity spaces are provided on three levels of the buildings;

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the pocket parks that are proposed along the periphery of the site are publicly accessible and intended to integrate the project with the neighbourhood;

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the contemporary form of the buildings contributes to the energy performance of the project;

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two levels of parking are proposed and all residential parking spaces will be provided with electric vehicle (EV) charging;

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an extensive package of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures are proposed for the project;

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there are significant road dedications along all fronting streets for road widening and frontage improvements; and

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a new bicycle lane will be added along Garden City Road.

Alexa Gonzalez, Durante Kreuk Ltd., with the aid of the same visual presentation, briefed the Panel on the main landscape features of the project, noting that (i) the project’s key design features include the central courtyard with retained trees and the pocket parks which have been improved in response to Advisory Design Panel (ADP) comments, (ii) the central courtyard and other common outdoor amenity areas on the other levels provide, among others, seating areas, children’s play area, turf space, and outdoor dining area (iii) ramps and stairs are proposed to enhance the connectivity of the amenity spaces and promote pedestrian circulation, and (iv) landscaping for the central pocket park along Pimlico Way has been enhanced to address ADP comments,

Staff Comments

Mr. Craig noted that (i) there is an extensive Servicing Agreement associated with the project for frontage works along all sides of the property and the development of two pocket parks, (ii) an extensive Transportation Demand Management (TDM) package is proposed for the project which includes, among others, the provision of car share vehicles, transit passes for all residents, and shared bike and micro mobility station, (iii) the project will provide an on-site District Energy Utility (DEU) plant and ownership will be transferred to the City for future connection to the City’s (DEU) system, and (iv) the applicant is commended for the retention of trees within the centre of the site and in other strategic locations in the subject site.

In reply to queries from the Panel, the applicant noted that (i) the music room provided in the indoor amenity room will be acoustically treated and is intended for students’ after school practices, (ii) the consolidated children’s play area in the central courtyard includes naturalized play equipment that could be integrated with nature, (iii) the pocket parks at the site corners and at the vehicle entrance to the site along Pimlico Way include a variety of design elements such as a drinking fountain, coloured benches, bicycle racks, among others, and (iv) the central courtyard is intended for the use of the residents.

Gallery Comments

Ruolin Tian queried about the nature of the proposed below market rental units.

In reply to her query, Mr. Craig noted that out of the proposed 339 rental units in the project, 271 units are market rental and 68 units are slightly below market rental based on the BC Housing’s Housing Income Limits (HILs).

Edmund Guinn, 8771 Cook Road, representing the townhouse strata located at 8771 Cook Road, expressed his appreciation for the project in terms of its design and for being a good example of providing affordable housing options.

In addition, Mr. Guinn expressed concern regarding (i) the limited availability of digital information during the application process and quality of paper copies of some development application documents, (ii) incomplete shadow studies provided by the applicant which only cover a half year period, and (iii) the newly installed traffic lights at the Cook Road and Cook Gate intersection that has failed to address rampant speeding and aggressive driving, hence the need for installation of speed bumps on this section of Cook Road.

In reply to the concern regarding speeding on Cook Road and the need to install speed bumps, the Chair noted that this matter be referred to the City’s Transportation Department.

In reply to the other concerns expressed by Mr. Guinn, Mr. Craig noted that (i) the availability of digital information on the City website is part of the City’s long-term digital strategy and is a work in progress, (ii) rezoning information is available in the Public Hearing minutes on the City website, (iii) a shadow study was provided as part of the subject application and is on file, and (iv) the shadow study is consistent with the City’s standard practice of requiring diagrams showing shadowing impacts at four times throughout the year, covering the months of March, June, September and December.

Correspondence

Monireh Daipour, 908-9180 Hemlock Drive  (Schedule 4)

In reply to the concerns noted in the letter, Mr. Craig stated that (i) matters relating to building density and building height are established through the rezoning process and are outside the purview of the Panel, (ii) information regarding the proposed below market rental units have been discussed, (iii) with regard to potential traffic impacts, the application was reviewed by the City’s Transportation Department and an independent traffic analysis was provided as part of the application, and  (iv) with regard to the nearby school’s capacity to absorb additional students, the Official Community Plan (OCP) amendment associated with the rezoning of the subject site indicated that the development will not generate a significant increase in the number of students; however, the School Board and the City meet regularly to discuss school capacity.

In addition, Mr. Craig noted that the request of Mr. Guinn for the installation of additional traffic calming measures on Cook Road will be forwarded to the City’s Transportation Department.

Panel Discussion

The Panel expressed support for the design of the proposed rental housing project.

It was moved and seconded

That a Development Permit be issued which would:

1.

permit the construction of two six-storey buildings containing 339 rental units at

8880 Cook Road and 8751 Citation Drive on a site zoned “Low Rise Rental Apartment (ZLR44) – Brighouse Village (City Centre)”; and

2.

vary the provisions of Richmond Zoning Bylaw 8500 to reduce the road setback to projecting balconies above the second floor from 3.0 m to 1.2 m.

CARRIED

4.

New Business

None.

5.

Date of Next Meeting:  March 27, 2024

ADJOURNMENT

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:53 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, March 13, 2024.

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Milton Chan

Acting Chair

Rustico Agawin
Committee Clerk