Council Meeting/Documents/Council Report: 1708 Island Highway Development Permit (Casino Expansion)

Staff Report

Council Report: 1708 Island Highway Development Permit (Casino Expansion)

September 20, 2016Pages 9–142 sections

Staff report recommending approval of a Development Permit for a major expansion of the View Royal Casino, including a theater and restaurant.

Address: 1708 Island HighwayPermit No. 2016/10Recommendation: Approval of the development permit with five specific variances.Proposed height variance: 14m to 19m.

TOWN OF VIEW ROYAL Council Report

TO: Council DATE: September 16, 2016 FROM: Lindsay Chase, MCIP, RPP FILE NO: 3060-020 2016-10

1708 ISLAND HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT PERMIT (CASINO EXPANSION)

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated September 16, 2016 from the Director of Development Services titled “Development Permit No 2016/10 – 1708 Island Highway (Casino Expansion) be received for information.

AND THAT Development Permit 2016/10 be approved;

AND THAT Development Permit 2016/10 include the following variances:

a) Variance to the front minimum setback in Section 11.6.3.b of Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014 (CD-6 zone) from 3.5m to 2m. b) Variance to the side, flanking minimum setback in Section 11.6.3.d of Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014 (CD-6 zone) from 2.14m to 0m. c) Variance to the maximum height in Section 11.6.4.a of Zoning Bylaw No. 900, 2014 (CD-6 zone) from 14m to 19m. d) Variance to Section 48.7.a.iii of Land Use Bylaw 1990 No. 35 where a free-standing sign is not permitted on a site where the buildings are located less than 7.5m from the front and flanking lot lines. e) Variance to Section 50.2 of Land Use Bylaw 1990 No. 35 for the number of free-standing signs permitted on a lot in Sign Zone 4 from 1 to 2.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER COMMENTS:

I concur with the recommendation.

PURPOSE OF REPORT:

To introduce an application for a Form and Character Development Permit to permit the expansion of the existing casino on Island Highway. The proposal would allow the expansion of the gaming floor and the addition of a space for a theatre, new restaurant, additional gaming tables, and the use of the lot across Wilfert Road for surface parking.

BACKGROUND:

The View Royal Casino made application for an expansion in 2007, however the project was deferred after the economic crash of 2008. The previously approved Development Permit expired after two years. With a changing market, expansion of the existing casino facility is now possible, and a contemporary design for the addition is now proposed. Notices with respect to this application were sent to properties within 100 meters of the site on September 8, 2016.

DISCUSSION:

The Island Highway corridor is included in the Commercial Form and Character Development Permit Area in the Official Community Plan. This Development Permit Area regulates the form and character of commercial development and the landscaping on site. The applicant will need to enter into an off-site servicing agreement to address works and landscaping proposed in the road allowance. A condition of approval of this permit includes the need to consolidate the two parcels. Consolidation is necessary as the building addition exceeds the sites allowable density. With the addition of land area from the adjacent site, the proposal meets the zoning requirements. If the parcels are not consolidated, the development cannot proceed.

The proposed building addition is an opportunity for View Royal to have a signature architectural building at the western gateway to the Town. The architecture, materials, and building form are all part of an avant-garde expression of west coast modernism. A detailed review of how the application addresses the development permit area guidelines is included in Schedule 2. Overall the building and landscaping meet the Development Permit Guidelines for form and character and include a variety of interesting and durable building materials, a contemporary color palette and a signature design for a key site.

The application includes detailed information with respect to landscaping on site, a lighting plan specifying dark skies friendly light fixtures, a proposed signage plan for the site and exterior elevations of the proposed building addition.

The application does include requests for variances with respect to setbacks, height and signage. These are discussed in detail after the zoning table.

CD-6: Comprehensive Development (Casino)	Proposed	Variance
Subzone A Principal Uses
• Casino • Parking Structure • Premises licensed under the Liquor Control and Licensing Act • The uses permitted in the C-7: Business Park Commercial Zone	• Casino • Licensed premises • Theatre
Subzone B Principal Uses
• The uses permitted in the C-7: Business Park Commercial Zone	• Parking (lawfully non-conforming)
Density
• Floor Space Ratio (FSR) maximum of 0.45	• 0.36 (where the parcels are consolidated as a condition of approval)
Siting of Buildings and Structures
• Front minimum of 3.5m	• 2m (East, Wilfert Rd)	*
• Rear minimum of 0 m	• 1.5m
• Side, Flanking minimum of 2.14m	• 7.0m (South)
• Side, Flanking minimum of 2.14m	• 0m (North)	*
Size of Buildings and Structures
• Height maximum of 14m, except that a parking structure and chimney feature forming an integral part of the Building Architecture shall have a Maximum allowable height of 16.5m and 18.5m respectively.	• 19.0m	*
• Notwithstanding any other provision of this Bylaw, non-enclosed structures or architectural features used specifically for the visual screening or noise buffering of rooftop equipment are exempt from compliance with maximum height regulations.	• n/a
Lot Coverage
• maximum of 50% of the lot area	• 43.6%
Greenspace & Screening
• minimum of 10% of the lot area shall be maintained as natural greenspace or a combination of natural greenspace and landscaped area	• 10%
• Selection of tree and plant varieties in landscaped greenspace must be based on climatic conditions, constraints of location, resistance to disease, insect infestation & air pollution, ease of maintenance and effectiveness in enhancing year-round screening & streetscape beautification.	• Landscaping will be subject to DP.
• All vegetation within any greenspace area shall be maintained in a healthy, attractive condition and whenever necessary, replaced with new plant materials to ensure continued compliance with the applicable provisions of this Applicable Zone. Where screening has been achieved through the installation of fences or walls, these features must be permanently maintained in good repair and presentable appearance, and whenever necessary, they must be repaired or replaced.	• Irrigation will be provided.
Lot Size
• Lot Area minimum of 1500m2	• 19,170 m2 after consolidation of lots.
• Lot Width minimum of 20m	• n/a
General Regulation
• Except as provided for in this Applicable Zone, the regulations of the Business Park Commercial: C-7 Zone shall apply.	• n/a

The application includes requests for variances to building height, setbacks and signage. Each variance is discussed below.

Height

The proposed addition will be a landmark on Island Highway. To facilitate the necessary sight lines inside the theatre, additional height is required. The massing of the building is minimized by the presence of Wilfert Road and the width of the road allowance of the Island Highway. The parkade structure at the opposite end of the site has a height of 16.5 meters and the proposed building addition at the east end of the site creates a better sense of balance with respect to building massing on site. The architecture of the addition creates a strong sense of arrival at the site and the height variance is supportable. The applicant is requesting a variance from 14.0 meters to 19.0 meters.

Setbacks

Bylaw No. 900

Page 9–14

The proposed building addition follows the same setback as previously established on Wilfert Road (the north side) and a variance from 2.14 meters to 0 meters is requested. The building face of the addition does meet the required setback. In this case, it is the proposed stairs and patio that are the subject of the variance. The building does pull away from the street and the setback is greatest at the corner adjacent to the single family house that exists at the adjacent property. As the building face meets the required setback, the variance is supportable.

The final setback variance requested is for the front lot line, which on this site is the eastern property line on Wilfert Road. The required setback is 3.5 meters and the proposed theatre structure is cantilevered over an emergency access and this section of the building projects 1.5 meters into the setback. The opening under this section of the building is 3.6 meters high, lending this section of the building a sense of lightness. This also accommodates small delivery vehicles and ambulance access to the site in a discreet manner. The primary access for the site will continue to be on Island Highway with a significant porte cochère highlighting the main entrance to the building. The requested variance is from 3.5 meters to 2.0 meters for the cantilevered portion of the building and the stairs to exit that patio.

Signage

The application includes a proposed sign plan for the site, indicating that some existing signage will be reused in other locations, and that some of the current signage will be removed permanently, and some new signage is also proposed.

The proposed signage will necessitate some variances. At this time, details of the signs are not included and a total sign area and size of lettering is not confirmed. These details will be addressed as part of a future application. For the purposes of this application, Council is asked to consider a variance to the number of free standing signs permitted on the property from one to two. This is necessitated by the consolidation of the two existing lots (which is required to facilitate the additional density on site). Based on the amount of frontage and that the site continues to ‘read’ as two separate lots, it is reasonable to consider two freestanding signs. The free standing signs also require a technical variance. The current sign regulations require that all buildings on the site be at least 7.5m from front or flanking lot lines (lot lines adjacent to the street) in order to permit a free standing sign. In this case, the building setbacks which are significantly less than 7.5m from the front and flanking lot lines are along Wilfert Rd and not where the proposed signs are to be located along Island Highway, which has a proposed 7m setback.

For discussion purposes only, Council may wish to provide feedback to the applicant with respect to a proposed LCD sign on the eastern side of the surface parking lot. The Town’s signage regulations do not currently permit this type of sign, although two video signs have been permitted in other locations in the Town. Past discussion with respect to these signs has focused on these signs being a distraction to drivers, visually unappealing and overly illuminated. The other video signs that have been approved have been limited in size, and a covenant has been registered regulating the minimum amount of time that images are displayed. If this type of sign is considered by Council, it may be prudent to also consider regulating the amount of light (lumens) that the sign emits as concerns with respect to lighting have recently been expressed by nearby residents.

CONCLUSIONS:

Notices of the application have been sent to properties within 100 meters of the site in advance of the Council meeting on September 20, 2016. Based on the proposal as submitted, staff are recommending that the application be approved, subject to the consolidation of the two parcels (the main site with the surface parking lot site across Wilfert Road).

The Development Permit application for an expansion to the casino in View Royal meets the form and character objectives of the Commercial Development Permit Area. The applicant has provided a visually interesting building that will become a landmark at the western gateway to the Town.

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report dated September 16, 2016 from the Director of Development Services titled “Development Permit No 2016/10 – 1708 Island Highway (Casino Expansion) be received for information.

AND THAT Development Permit 2016/10 be approved;

AND THAT Development Permit 2016/10 include the following variances: