Attachment 2: Letter from VDA Architecture Limited

RE: 7 Erskine Lane, Rezoning Application

We are pleased to submit an application for rezoning of the above property and this letter summarizes the design intent and how the proposed development fits with the objectives of the View Royal OCP and will be a positive development for the neighbourhood community and the Town of View Royal in general.

The development is in accordance with the objectives of the OCP and furthermore, the developer’s consultant team has met several times with View Royal’s Planning Department in order to refine the objectives of the Town specific to this site.

The property of the proposed development is located close to the hospital, second from the end of a dead-end residential street and in the immediate vicinity of the Galloping Goose Trail. Current zoning is A-3 Rural Residential, and the current use is a marine repair private company. The OCP designates the property within the Hospital Neighbourhood Centre and supports higher density: Intensive Mixed Use.

The current zone for the site is a rural agricultural zone and doesn’t match the objectives for density or use noted in the OCP. Any development following the existing zoning wouldn’t conform to the OCP. The proposed zoning for the development is RM-3: Mixed Residential consisting of 70 residential units. The OCP recommends mixed-use with both residential and commercial; however, commercial in this location would not be viable. Being at the end of a residential street with no other commercial development, the property is too far away from other commercial development and too inconvenient of a location to draw enough people to support commercial use. It’s worth noting that the boundaries of the OCP are rough and precise consideration of each property does not appear to be the intention of the OCP. Rather, the OCP is a broad-brush approach leaving the particular details to be resolved as development moves forward. Although commercial would not be appropriate to this site, higher density as proposed in the OCP is appropriate. The property is very close to the hospital, within walking distance to any future commercial development in the Hospital Neighbourhood Centre, close to transit hubs and literally across the street from the Galloping Goose Trail.

The development further aligns with the OCP in the following ways:

• By providing a mix of unit types ranging from 1 to 3 bedrooms a broad range of family types would occupy the development. The 2 and 3-bedroom units provide options for families while the one bedrooms are “affordable by design” and provide less expensive units for singles or couples to enter the housing market.
• The location is ideal for promoting walking and cycling rather than vehicle use. The hospital is within walking distance and it’s anticipated those working at the hospital and looking to live closer to their place of work will be some of the future residents. The development will also be of interest to those who wish to commute to other areas of Greater Victoria due to its immediate proximity to the Galloping Goose and walking distance to a transit hub.
• The provision of a communal outdoor amenity garden will encourage outdoor use and help develop a sense of community within the development.
• Energy efficient design will be provided by conformance to Step 2 of the recently implemented voluntary BC Building Code Step Code.
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is addressed through the provision of a portion of the parking having electric charging stations as well as a green roof over a significant portion of the parking structure.
• Should the property be rezoned, as part of the DP conditions the developer would like to offer improvements to the Galloping Goose trail head, add a bench and other improvements as determined in discussions with the Town on what would be most appropriate to further improve the trailhead at the end of Erskine Lane. This will further encourage the use of the trail and promote both walking and cycling for the neighbourhood in this area.

The development meets the requirements of the proposed zoning, RM-3, regarding all setbacks, density, etc. except a variance for building height is requested. A height of 13.5m is allowed and a height, calculated as per View Royal definition of building height, of 15.35m is proposed.

The reason a variance on the building height is requested is due to the grade change of the property. As there is a significant rise from street level to the rear of the site, the building steps with the grade. It would be possible to provide the same number of units, in a similar layout, without a height variance by raising the south (street facing portion) by 2 to 3m and not stepping the building. However, that would lift the main level significantly above street level. This would be a less desirable relationship of the building to the street and in fact result in a building that from Erskine Lane would appear to be higher than what is proposed. By keeping the street portion lower and stepping the building at approximately 10m back from the front elevation the massing of the building is reduced and better meets the intent of the height restriction but leads to the building technically being over the allowable height for the proposed zone.

A review of the public infrastructure has been undertaken and it’s anticipated an upgrade of the water service will be required to provide adequate flow for the sprinkler system. Other infrastructure is adequate for the development and included in the proposed is a stormwater retention area under the visitor surface parking to control the flow into the Town’s stormwater system. A traffic study is included with the application and there will be no significant impact on traffic for the neighbourhood and no traffic mitigation measures are required.

The proposed development fits within the neighbourhood both as currently exists and as foreseen in the future according to the OCP objectives. The other side of Erskine Lane, the south side of the street, is primarily a small single family residential subdivision with a wide green boulevard and rear yards facing Erskine. The development will have no visual or shadow impact on these neighbours and is quite separated from these neighbours. To the west is a largely undeveloped property zoned A-1 with an older single-family residence. Based on the OCP, it’s reasonable to assume at some point this property will be rezoned with a similar development to the proposed and perhaps even more intense development. To the east is a lot of approximately the same size currently with a single-family residence which would also most likely be rezoned in the future to a density similar to the proposed.

As this is a rezoning application and View Royal separates the Development Permit process from the Rezoning process, form and character will be addressed at the DP stage with the intention of following the form and character guidelines noted in the OCP.

In summary, the proposed development meets the objectives of the OCP and fits well with the existing neighbourhood by stepping down the building massing at the street to a residential scale and limiting use to residential only.

Sincerely,

VDA Architecture Limited

Kevin Klippenstein, Architect AIBC, AAA, MRAIC