Attachment 3. Letter from Ankenman Marchand Architects - Potential Redevelopment/Rezoning – 298 Island Highway
Correspondence from the project architect explaining the design philosophy, site planning, and potential tenants for the 298 Island Highway proposal.
May 27th, 2020
The Town of View Royal 45 View Royal Ave, View Royal, BC V9B 1A6
Attention: Mayor & Council
Dear View Royal Mayor and Council:
Re: Potential Redevelopment/Rezoning - Corner Old Island Highway & Helmcken – View Royal – Current Namaste Restaurant Location
As you may recall I have reached out to you on a few separate occasions to offer the opportunity to review our schematic design and preliminary ideas our firm has created for the above-named project with the intent of receiving initial feedback from Council on our proposal prior to submitting an application to ensure that all questions can be answered and any concerns addressed prior to the application.
In last week’s discussions with Mayor Screech it was determined that in lieu of current health issues and the lack of ability to appear before Council as a delegation, that I write this summation letter regarding our proposal as the best way to communicate with you that will then be placed on the Agenda for the next Council meeting with the intent that comments be forwarded to me directly following the meeting. Please note these ideas and associated drawing package are quite preliminary in nature allowing us all the opportunity to “Workshop” this proposal to ensure we take full advantage of the site’s potential. The following is the project summary complete of where we currently stand along with associated images:
The Site:
This highly visible corner site provides a tremendous opportunity to create a landmark, gateway building that, if designed correctly, will set an outstanding precedent for future development along this corridor. To that end, as mentioned, should the Community and Council support this project (in whatever form it ends up being), as long as it’s financially viable, my Client intends on purchasing other sites along this corridor, allowing everyone to initiate a larger urban design exercise that will optimally provide positive change to the View Royal streetscape and community.
Uses:
Consistent with View Royal’s OCP and to ensure activation of the pedestrian streetscape we are proposing a mixed-use development with commercial use at grade, with a variety of multiple unit residential uses above.
Site Planning:
As you will note on the Site Plan below, we are very intentionally providing “First Principle Urban Design: considerations listed as follows:
- Hide all parked vehicles from the main two streets/arterials:
We have intentionally split the two parking uses – the parking for commercial use has been placed behind the building fronting onto Old Island Highway yet it has been designed as convenient parking for the commercial users providing direct access from their vehicles into the main commercial use. This is proposed to be accessed via a convenient right-in right out access for those heading west along the highway.
You will also note on the site plan above that we have introduced a large landscaped buffer between the surface parking and the 3 properties fronting onto Eltham Road c/w a high hedge and large trees to ensure adequate buffering between our proposal and the rear of the future townhouses proposed for those three sites once consolidated.
All residential parking, for security purposes is proposed as being housed in a secured underground parkade accessed along the more benign street, Helmcken.
- Activate streetscape for pedestrian vs. vehicular uses:
As you will note, by placing the commercial convenience parking behind the building where it is not visible, a tremendous streetscape opportunity emerges as ample room is now allocated to a very large, activated public gathering plaza in front of the commercial use. We envision this space to become very well used, as long as an active retailer is selected for the commercial use. We envisage (as per the renderings below), opportunities for this space to become a meeting place for friends and family, spillover areas for the retail use (ie, outdoor seating, benches and a place to simply relax after having for example walked from your home to this gathering area. Naturally, post-Covid it will be designed as smaller, outdoor rooms to ensure no large gathering can take place in this otherwise vast public offering.
Commercial Use:
In selecting a commercial user, we wanted to seek out a tenant that provides a convenience offering for both the residents for the project, as well as the community at large, and further, a tenant that would assist in aiding towards the active and colourful streetscape activities described above. To that end, our Client has been in discussions with Red Barn Market who have expressed a strong interest in this location and the size of the retail component being offered. If we are successful in soliciting a small boutique grocery retailer to this site, we believe it will provide all the active streetscape opportunities that are envisaged for this important site as reflected in the following renderings, and will include outdoor colourful fruit and vegetable displays, overhead doors allowing the transition between the store and sidewalk/plaza to become seamless, a coffee bar with outdoor seating, outdoor flower displays, outdoor seating and the like:
Residential Uses:
In order to designate ground floor of the Old Island Highway frontage as purely pedestrian-activated, we have located the main residential entry adjacent the residential parkade entry along the west side of the building on Helmcken where the pedestrian activity will be much more benign.
Again, we are proposing a very wide variety of units ranging from one-bedroom units for first time purchasers and investors for rental to 3-bedroom family units. This wide variety is intended to appeal to all socio-economic demographics as possible including renters, first time purchaser’s young families, empty-nesters, seniors and the disabled.
