RE: Helmcken Road Rezoning Application (#3, #5, Lot 10, and 1449 Burnside Rd W.)

Dear Mayor Screech and Council:

On behalf of our client Invictus Commercial Investment Corp we are pleased to present the fully redesigned redevelopment proposal for the above-noted properties.

Our application is for the consolidated 3.4 Acre site to house 247 new apartment units in three buildings ranging in height from four to six storeys. The proposed density is 1.4 plus 0.1 bonus for 100% underground parking. This is 0.1 lower than the Mixed Residential zone base density. The lowest building fronts Helmcken, stepping down to three-storeys at each end. The east and west buildings step up from four to six storeys towards the north. A range of unit sizes will provide a variety of housing options. Family-oriented two-bedroom and three-bedroom units are concentrated at grade, adjacent to private and public outdoor space.

In recent months, we have worked with the site's immediate neighbours in the development of the proposed plan. We held workshop sessions in November and December to discuss key site planning issues and ideas, including traffic volume and speed, privacy, tree preservation, construction impact management, design and building massing and stepping. These working sessions helped us shape the revised plan, which we believe best balances OCP policy directions, physical site opportunities and constraints and community inputs to arrive at a viable plan.

Most importantly, we have worked to shape the plan to allow preservation of existing trees along the western boundary of the site that will add greatly to the privacy and screening for our neighbours in the Hidden Oaks townhouse development. The rocky outcropping at the southwest corner of our site is also preserved to maintain the natural character of the property, reflectively of View Royal's unique sense of place.

The design has evolved in consultation with senior planning staff for conformance with the applicable “Mixed Residential” Development Permit Area Guidelines. The design character, public and pedestrian realm, siting, height, massing, and landscaping all reflect the intents and guidelines of the Official Community Plan.

Please note the following key aspects of the proposal:

1. Tree Retention

Arborists and landscape architects have re-assessed all existing trees for health & resilience, and the building footprints have been carefully realigned to avoid critical root zones of all trees to be retained. Significant stands of trees will be kept at the south and southwest edges of the site, buffering the project from neighbours and creating an important character-defining aspect of the project.

2. Stepped Building Forms

The upper floors of each building will be significantly set back from lower floors to break down the scale of the project and improve daylighting and sky views throughout. Variations in building setbacks and exterior wall articulation will help bring a human-scaled character to the development.

3. Townhouse Entries

In contrast to typical apartments, all street-facing ground floor units will have prominent townhouse-style entries with individual paths to the public sidewalk. This street interface helps improve neighbourhood connectivity and strengthen community character.

4. Central Courtyard

A central green space forms the heart of the site. Instead of a conventional driveway providing lobby access to the three buildings, a multi-modal “Woonerf” is proposed, where the geometry, surfacing, and edge conditions are tailored as much to pedestrians as vehicles, greatly reducing speeds and creating a welcoming, flexible courtyard space.

5. Green Space

With all parking underground and minimal on-site drive surfaces the vast majority of outdoor space can be green space, which will be a diverse combination of manicured lawn, planted rain gardens, indigenous wooded areas, and drought-resistant ground cover and shrubs. Added on-site and street trees will more than offset the number of removed trees.

6. Corner Feature

The two buildings facing the intersection are set back to frame a breezeway through the site. The west corner of the Helmcken / Burnside intersection will be transformed from a narrow sidewalk above a retaining wall to a large at-grade plaza with seating, landscaped rain gardens, new ornamental trees, and views and pathway connections into the main courtyard of the site.

The site access is designed for minimal impact on neighbourhood traffic patterns. The sole vehicle entry point is located on Burnside, as far from the Helmcken intersection as possible, with no direct traffic flows or turning movements on Helmcken and no possible intersection blockage. Although the subject property has an access easement / right-of-way on 15 Helmcken Road (Hidden Oaks) there is no intention to use this access point.

I hope this proposal meets with your approval, and I look forward to working in View Royal.

Sincerely,

Rob Whetter, Architect AIBC, LEED™ AP de Hoog & Kierulf architects