AREA COUNCIL
  
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Proposal to Rezone 1870 East 1st Avenue / 1723 Victoria Drive from RT-5 to CD-1

 

Summary:

  On 18 April 2012, Council approved a proposal to rezone city lots at the southwest corner of First Avenue and Victoria Drive (street addresses: 1870 East 1st Avenue and 1723 Victoria Drive) from RT-5 to CD-1, for a community housing project.   Council approved staff's recommendations with two additional conditions proposed by Cllr Reimer regarding a citizen advisory committee and the visual appearance of the building.   The project's partners are the Grandview Calvary Baptist Church, Salsbury Community Society (SCS for short), and Just Work Economic Initiative.   The SCS runs the Co:Here Housing Initiative which currently supports three intentional community homes.   SCS will manage the community housing project.

Recent News:

  The project partners have been holding monthly Neighbourhood Advisory Council meetings at the Grandview Calvary Baptist Church, 1803 East 1st Avenue since September 2011, on the fourth Wednesday of the month.   The next meetings are 7pm Wednesday 25 April 2012 and Wednesday 23 May 2012.

Wednesday 18 April 2012:

  A public hearing was held 6pm Monday 16 April — see the the City's page on this rezoning and Notice of Public Hearing.   You were able toregister to speak before 5 pm on Monday, April 16, 2012 by e-mailing publichearing@vancouver.ca or by calling 604.829.4238.   You could also register to speak in person at the door between 5:30–6 pm on the day of the Public Hearing.   You can submit comments by e-mailing mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca

  On Wednesday 18 April, Council unanimously approved staff's recommendations which included a five-foot height reduction, with two amendments by Councillor Reimer.   One amendment was to make a citizen advisory committee mandatory.   The second amendment was about the visual appearance of the building.   Here is the first part of condition 1 which Council passed.   It's what staff recommended.

    1. A reduction of the maximum building height from 15.3 m (50.1 ft.) to 13.7 m (45 ft.).
    Note to Applicant: This condition anticipates an overall reduction in building height by approximately 1.5 m (5 ft.), which staff believe can be met without a reduction to the proposed floor space requirements. It addresses concerns from neighbouring private property owners with respect to existing northward views. Furthermore, this condition works in conjunction with condition (2) by reducing the overall building scale.

  This first part is followed by the main amendment made by Councillor Reimer, which states:

    Significant design development to achieve visual compatibility with the finer-grained, historic and residential character of the immediate neighbourhood with special attention to blend and be more reflective of the built form in the surrounding RT-5 zoned neighbourhood.

Tuesday 27 March 2012:

    Council accepted the recommendation in staff's report to send the proposed rezoning to public hearing.

Monday 26 March 2012:

  Staff have published a report recommending that the proposed rezoning go to public hearing.   The report is to be heard at the Regular Council meeting at 9:30am Tuesday 27 March.   Members of the public cannot speak to the report at the meeting, but they can contact Council before the staff report is considered.

  GWAC today sent a letter to Mayor and Council.   The letter requests that Mayor and Council vote against sending the rezoning to public hearing until the concerns raised by people in Grandview-Woodland and GWAC in its 10 December 2011 letter, have been addressed.

Monday 13 February 2012:

    GWAC received a response letter from Erin Thrift (Chair, Salsbury Community Society Board of Directors), Tim Klauke (Chair, JustWork Economic Initiative Board of Directors), and Tim Dickau (Pastor, Grandview Calvary Baptist Church), cc'd to Karen Hoese (Rezoning Planner), Daniel Naundorf (Housing Centre), and Mayor and Council.

Saturday 10 December 2011:

    GWAC today sent an open letter to Karen Hoese (Rezoning Planner) and Brent Toderian (Director of Planning) about a rezoning application that was filed on 20 June 2011 for a community housing project at the southwest corner of First Avenue and Victoria Drive in Grandview-Woodland, with street addresses 1870 East 1st Avenue and 1723 Victoria Drive.

    [The application is] to rezone 1870 East 1st Avenue and 1723 Victoria Drive from RT-5 (Two-Family Dwelling) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District.   The proposal includes a 4-storey, 26-unit multiple dwelling building, with a floor area of approximately 20,258 sq. ft. (1,882 sq. m.).   The multiple dwelling will provide supportive housing through an intentional community (co-housing) in which some residents will provide support to those residents in need of them.   (From http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/rezoning/applications/1870e1st).

  The supportive housing project is a partnership between the Grandview Calvary Baptist Church, Salsbury Community Society, and Just Work Economic Initiative.   The Salsbury Community Society (or SCS for short) also runs the Co:Here Housing Initiative which currently supports three intentional community homes.

  In the letter, GWAC states that it is supportive of more non-market social housing in Grandview-Woodland and SCS's desire to provide supportive housing in the neighbourhood that is neither simply "social housing" nor "affordable rental housing" at First and Victoria, provided that concerns are addressed that have been raised by the community and supported by GWAC.   Concerns about the proposal include the proposed density, design, economics of the project, and commercial use of the site, and also the lack of response to the first three concerns.

  GWAC requests that the applicant and City provide a full and timely picture of neighbourhood feedback about the rezoning application, ahead of publication of City staff's report, and that the rezoning application partners respond to the concerns publically raised by the neighbourhood.

  This letter has been cc'd to Johanna Suttor-Doerksen (Co:Here Housing Coordinator), Alice Sundberg (Housing and Community Development Services Consultant to Salsbury Community Society), and Mayor and Council.

Tuesday 4 October 2011:

  Open House about the Co:Here housing initiative, Lower Hall of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church, 1803 E. 1st Avenue (at Salsbury Drive).

  GWAC understands that a staff report is being prepared about 1870 East 1st Avenue/1723 Victoria Drive that is tentatively expected to go to Council in February 2012.   If staff support the rezoning, then they will recommend it goes to Public Hearing, probably some time in March 2012 .   (Usually, staff reports recommend that rezoning applications go to a Public Hearing.)   Council can either accept or reject staff's recommendation.

  If you are concerned about the proposed rezoning, then send an e-mail expressing your concern to Ms Hoese, Mr. Toderian, and Mayor and Council.

Monday 20 June 2011:

  Rezoning application filed for a community housing project at the southwest corner of First Avenue and Victoria Drive in Grandview-Woodland, with street addresses 1870 East 1st Avenue and 1723 Victoria Drive.

  The application is to rezone from RT-5 (Two-Family Dwelling) District to CD-1 (Comprehensive Development) District.

  The City's website about the rezoning application can be found at http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/rezoning/applications/1870e1st.


(Last updated 24 April 2012.)