COUNCIL REPORT - REZONING APPLICATION 2020/03 - 107 CHELTENHAM STREET

TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL COUNCIL REPORT

TO: Mayor & Council DATE: June 24, 2020 FROM: J. Chow, Senior Planner MEETING DATE: July 7, 2020

REZONING APPLICATION 2020/03 - 107 CHELTENHAM STREET

RECOMMENDATION:

To receive the June 24, 2020 report from the Senior Planner titled “Rezoning Application 2020/03 - 107 Cheltenham Street” for information.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS: I concur with the recommendation.

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES’S COMMENTS: I concur with the recommendation.

PURPOSE:

• For the purpose of a public hearing, to re-present information from the staff report received at the June 16, 2020 Council meeting.
• The proposal is to rezone the subject property from R-1B: Detached Residential (Medium Lot) to R-1C: Detached Residential (Small Lot) in order to enclose a carport in the existing dwelling.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Council gave first and second reading to Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014, Amendment Bylaw No. 1053, 2020 at the June 16, 2020 meeting. Information from the staff report received at that meeting is re-presented here for the purpose of providing information for the public hearing.

The applicant proposes to rezone the subject property from R-1B: Detached Residential (Medium Lot) to R-1C: Detached Residential (Small Lot). The purpose is to increase the permitted Floor Space Ratio from 0.50:1 to 0.60:1 so that the existing carport can be converted to living space for the home.

The proposal can be supported because:

1. This is unique situation of a small lot in a neighbourhood of medium sized lots. The small lot size of 391.2m² was due to part of the original lot being incorporated into the Galloping Goose Rail right-of-way.
2. The land use and floor space ratio of the proposed zone is consistent with the Official Community Plan “Residential” land use designation that applies to the neighbourhood.
3. There are no streetscape impacts as the enclosure is within the building footprint.
4. There is enough area for two required parking spaces onsite in the front driveway, and two additional spaces can be accommodated in the boulevard portion of the driveway.
5. If the property was to be completely redeveloped in the long term, a new building on the site would not be out of scale with adjacent properties because the building height and setback requirements of the existing and proposed zones are the same.

BACKGROUND:

The 391.2m² parcel is located on the north side of Cheltenham Street and backs on to the Galloping Goose regional Trail. BC Assessment records show the existing two story detached dwelling as having been constructed in 1980.

PROPOSAL:

The applicant proposes to rezone the subject property from R-1B: Detached Residential (Medium Lot) to R-1C: Detached Residential (Small Lot). The purpose (Attachment 2) is to increase the Floor Space Ratio from 0.50:1 to 0.60:1 so that the existing carport can be converted to living space for the home as shown in Attachment 3. The enclosure would be within the existing footprint of the building.

Figure 1. Streetscape montage

Two required parking spaces can be accommodated on site in the front driveway, along with two additional spaces in the boulevard section of the driveway. The existing driveway is gravel and if the rezoning is approved, paving will be required at the time of building permit to meet Zoning Bylaw requirements.

The property owner has spoken with neighbours on adjoining properties and those across the street about the proposal. No concerns were expressed.

DISCUSSION:

The key considerations for this proposal include the following:

1. How does proposal comply with the Official Community Plan?
2. What are impacts of the zoning regulations?
3. How does the proposal fit in the neighbourhood context?
4. What are the impacts for Town?

1. Policy Considerations:

The two relevant policies from the Official Community Plan are as follows:

Policy LU1.5 Land Use Designations

• Residential – predominantly detached homes and townhouses, up to 2.5 stories with a maximum Floor Space Ratio of 0.6.

Policy LU2.1 Residential Character Protect the rural and suburban character of established residential areas located outside of the mixed-use centres by maintaining zoning and development standards that identify detached housing as the priority use, and through the establishment and enforcement of Form and Character Development Permit Areas (See Part 4.).

The proposed R-1C zone has a maximum Floor Space Ratio of 0.60:1 which is consistent with the “Residential” land use designation that applies to the neighbourhood.

The Community Amenity Contribution Policy does not apply to this proposal as there is no proposed increase in the number of residential units.

2. Zoning Impacts

The following table compares existing and proposed zones, and the existing and proposed dwelling:

The Zoning Bylaw has changed over time, which is why the existing lot width and floor space ratio is nonconforming. The Zoning bylaw does not permit secondary suites within a detached residential dwelling if the parcel is less than 600m².

3. Neighbourhood Context

This is a unique situation of a small lot in a neighbourhood of medium sized lots is due to part of the original lot being incorporated into the Galloping Goose Rail right-of-way as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Original lot configuration

Enclosing the carport would not result in a building that would be out of scale with the neighbouring properties as shown in Figure 1 and the table below:

The proposal would be in keeping with the neighbourhood context as shown in Figure 1 because:

1. There are no streetscape impacts as the enclosure would within the building footprint.
2. There is enough area for two required parking spaces in the front yard, and two additional spaces can be accommodated in the boulevard portion of the driveway.
3. If the property was to be completely redeveloped in the long term, a new building on the site would continue to be in scale with adjacent properties with a maximum permitted floor area of 234.7m² including any garage.

4. Potential impacts for the Town