DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 2021/10 – 298 Island Highway

DEVELOPMENT PERMIT 2021/10 – 298 Island Highway

RECOMMENDATION

THAT the July 8, 2021 report from the Senior Planner titled “Development Permit 2021/10 – 298 Island Highway” be received for information.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS

I concur with the recommendation.

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES’ COMMENTS

I concur with the recommendation.

DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING’S COMMENTS

I concur with the recommendation.

PURPOSE OF REPORT

To introduce a development permit to construct a six-storey mixed commercial and residential building. Variances are requested for commercial parking, small car spaces, and loading spaces.

BACKGROUND

The 1853 m2 subject property is located at the east corner of the Island Highway / Helmcken Road intersection. A single storey restaurant building with surface parking has occupied the lot since the early 1980s. In February 2021 the Official Community Plan was amended to change the property land use designation from Neighbourhood Mixed Use to the new Neighbourhood Centre land use designation to permit the same uses with more density. The property was subsequently rezoned from C-1 (Community Commercial) to the new CD-26: Island Highway / Helmcken Comprehensive Development zone in keeping with the new land use designation.

A site disclosure statement has been submitted to the Provincial Contaminated Sites Branch as the presence of an underground tank has been identified. A site release was issued to permit the rezoning, and a new one will be required prior to Council consideration of the development permit.

PROJECT INFORMATION

The proposal (Attachment 3) is to construct a six-storey building with two levels of underground parking. The upper two storeys are set back as shown in Figures 1-3. The ground floor would be 560m2 of commercial use with 55 apartment units on the five upper floors.

Figure 1. Renderings

Stepping back the upper two floors of the building will reduce massing and provide a human scale at the street level. The terraced and articulated facade is a complementary interface to the adjacent four storey Lion Cove Apartment with a relatively consistent roofline elevation as shown in Figure 2. While the proposed development is a taller building at six-storeys, the ground floor elevation is at a lower grade. A shared rooftop deck is proposed on the south-east end of the top floor (note: additional privacy screening should be provided).

Figure 2. Rendering – Island Highway frontage

A line of trees is proposed along the north property line to provide some screening for adjacent residential properties on Eltham Road that have Neighbourhood Mixed Use OCP land use designations and are zoned commercial. Unfortunately, the roots would impact Town sewer line in this location and the concept will have to be revisited (see servicing section of this report).

Figure 3. Landscape Plan

The average depth of the boulevard along Island Highway is over 6m, which would allow the creation of a pedestrian plaza along the Island Highway frontage as conceptually shown in Figure 4.

Unit Mix

The proposed residential component a 55-unit condominium in the following configuration:

• zero studio units
• 19 one-bedroom units
• 35 two-bedroom units
• 1 three-bedroom unit

Figure 4. Rendering – wide boulevard along Island Highway

The following attachments to this report provide information relating to the proposal:

1. Subject Property Map
2. Subject Property Orthophoto
3. Design Rationale - Ankenman Marchand Architects, (3 pages)
4. Architectural Drawings – Ankenman Marchand Architects, May 21, 2021 (35 pages)
5. Landscape Plan - Lombard North Group, May 10, 2021
6. Water, Storm and Sanitary Review - JE Anderson, August 27, 2020 (20 pages)
7. Preliminary Site Servicing Plan - JE Anderson, undated
8. Sustainability Checklist (8 pages)

DISCUSSION

The issues for consideration include how the proposal complies with the following:

1. Development permit area guidelines
2. Zoning requirements
3. Servicing requirements

1. Development Permit Area Guidelines

The site is subject to the guidelines of the Neighbourhood Mixed Use development permit area. Initial review of the proposal indicates it is generally consistent with the guidelines (see Attachment 8), notably as follows:

• The building is located close to the street to engage the pedestrian realm
• The top two floors of the six-storey building are set back to minimize the visual impact of the building height
• Extensive floor to ceiling glazing at the commercial ground floor contributes an inviting and high-quality streetscape
• There are no opportunities for large trees on the site, the urban styled building provides a suitable backdrop for the outdoor social gathering space on the wide, pedestrian oriented boulevard

Additional information as outlined at the end of this report should be provided so that the assessment of the proposal can be completed.

2. Zoning and Variances

It should be noted that portions of the building, namely small corners of the visual box frames facing Island Highway (Figure 1) encroach aerially into the road right of way and are not permitted. Canopies and awnings also encroach aerially into the road right of way and liability and maintenance issues need to be addressed prior to consideration of the development permit.

Variances

Commercial parking spaces

The plans appear to count the loading space as a commercial parking space. The zoning bylaw requires a separate loading space from designated parking spaces. If the variance to reduce the amount of commercial parking spaces from 19 to 18 is not supported, the applicant has the option to provide cash in lieu of the parking space.

Small car spaces

The variance to increase the percentage of small cars spaces can be supported as the residential component is proposed to be a condominium strata. The Real Estate Development Marketing Act requires a disclosure statement that explains the parking arrangements, including the number and location of parking stalls and the method of allocating the right to use the stalls. It is reasonable to expect that subsequent purchasers would inspect the allocated parking space as part of their due diligence.

Loading spaces

The variance to reduce the number of loading spaces from two to one can be supported because it is not significant given the scale of the commercial use. The Zoning Bylaw requires two loading spaces for commercial floor space between 500-2500m2. 656m2 of commercial floor space is proposed.

3. Site Servicing

The requirements of Subdivision and Development Servicing Bylaw No. 985, 2017 include no net increase in post-development site runoff, and that storm water entering the Town’s drainage system will meet the requirements of Storm Water Regulation Bylaw No. 902, 2015. Key items to be resolved include the following:

1. A storm water management plan is required.
2. Dedication of a 3 m x 3 m corner cut area at the southwest corner of the lot as public road right-of-way is required.
3. The proposed footprint of the underground parking area has zero set back from the existing sanitary sewer Statutory Right-of-Way along the north property line. It is reasonable to presume that the excavation activities necessary to construct the building will encroach upon the SRW. The extent of the apparent impact on the SRW must be verified, and proposed excavation and shoring activities approved by the Engineering Department prior to approval of the Development Permit.
4. The proposed tree plantings within the SRW are not supported.
5. The proposed use of the public boulevard for dedicated commercial use is not supported.
6. The proposed encroachment of awnings onto the public road allowance is not supported.
7. The proposed driveway access on Helmcken Road conflicts with the bus stop pull out. BC Transit should be consulted about the interface of the proposed driveway with their bus stop. Consideration should be given to relocating the bus stop or driveway access to avoid this conflict.

NEXT STEPS

Prior to consideration by Council, the applicant should address any comments from the Committee and resolve the following items with staff.

A critical aspect to work out is how the development interfaces with public property. There are multiple aerial encroachments for canopies and awnings. Encroachment agreements for decorative features are used in urban settings and this would be new for the Town. If the encroachments are acceptable to the Town, it will be essential that issues including maintenance, indemnification, municipal access, are resolved prior to Council consideration of the development permit.

Development Permit Guidelines a. Show any roof top mechanical equipment and vents. They must be screened. b. Provide a colour and material sample board. c. Provide fence details. d. A master sign plan should be provided showing locations, maximum dimensions, permitted materials and illumination specifications. e. Consider additional privacy screening at the southeast end of the sixth floor shared deck. f. Details of street lighting standards and street furniture should be provided. g. Provide arborist report with recommendations to mitigate construction impacts on trees located on adjacent properties. h. Storm water management plan to be provided and indicate if it employs landscape design strategies. i. Covenant to permit residential visitor use of commercial spaces during nonbusiness hours is recommended. j. Show exterior bike rack locations. k. Exterior lighting plan and details should be provided and should be dark skies friendly. l. Plans should note that outdoor electrical outlets be provided at regular intervals to facilitate the installation of seasonal/decorative outdoor lighting. m. Sustainability Checklist indicates rain barrel – show location. n. Landscape plan should note all landscaping work and plant material shall conform to the most recent edition of the British Columbia Landscape Standard published by the British Columbia Society of Landscape Architects o. Are adaptable design standards to accommodate individuals with mobility challenges, and to facilitate “aging in place” proposed?

Zoning p. Portions of the building encroach into the boulevard and are not permitted. q. Indicate the amount of impermeable surface coverage.

Servicing r. Dedication of a 3 m x 3 m corner cut area at the southwest corner of the lot as public road right-of-way is required. s. A storm water management plan is required. t. The proposed footprint of the underground parking area has zero set back from the existing sanitary sewer Statutory Right-of-Way along the north property line. It is reasonable to presume that the excavation activities necessary to construct the building will encroach upon the SRW. The extent of the apparent impact on the SRW must be verified, and proposed excavation and shoring activities approved by the Engineering Department prior to approval of the Development Permit. u. The proposed tree plantings within the SRW along the north property line (Attachment 6) are not supported. v. The proposed use of the public boulevard for dedicated commercial use is not supported. w. The proposed encroachment of awnings onto the public road allowance is not supported. x. The proposed driveway access on Helmcken Road conflicts with the bus stop pull out. BC Transit should be consulted about the interface of the proposed driveway with their bus stop. Consideration should be given to relocating the bus stop or driveway access to avoid this conflict.

RECOMMENDATION

THAT the July 8, 2021 report from the Senior Planner titled “Development Permit 2021/10 – 298 Island Highway” be received for information.

SUBMITTED BY: J. Chow MCIP RPP, Community Planner

REVIEWED BY: L. Chase MCIP RPP, Director of Development Services

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Subject Property Map
2. Subject Property Orthophoto
3. Design Rationale - Ankenman Marchand Architects, (3 pages)
4. Architectural Drawings – Ankenman Marchand Architects, May 21, 2021 (35 pages)
5. Landscape Plan - Lombard North Group, May 10, 2021
6. Preliminary Site Servicing Plan - JE Anderson, undated
7. Sustainability Checklist (8 pages)
8. Development Permit Guidelines review