310 E 14th Ave rezoning application

Thank you for your comments on the proposed removal of the deodar cedar at the corner of the site. Landscape staff are reviewing the overall proposal and the Arborist Report, and all public comments relating to the proposed tree removal have been shared with them for their consideration as well. Through staff review, it will be determined whether removing the tree is supportable or if alternate designs should be considered.

Please see the winter solstice shadow study. You can also reach out to the rezoning planner at Allison.Smith@vancouver.ca to receive the larger scale PDF version.

20% of the residential floor area would be secured as below market rental (BMR), with the remainder being market rental (BMR) units. There would be a housing agreement registered on title ensuring that all 138 units remain rental housing and none become condo units, and to ensure 20% of the units remain at below market rents in perpetuity. Securing the 20% of units as BMR in perpetuity will ensure that those units remain at a lower rent for the life of the new building, whereas in existing buildings, any unit could be raised to market rent upon turnover. Existing tenants would have the right to return to the new building at their current rent or a the below-market rent, whichever is lower. All tenancies in the new building would be regulated by the Provincial Residential Tenancies Act. 

I have requested the unit size information for existing units vs. proposed units, and the applicant has provided the following information:

Comparison, All Units:

Existing:                                              Average 576 sf (30 One bedroom; 2 Studios)

Proposed:                                           Average 614 sf (14 Three Bedroom; 35 Two bedroom; 33 One bedroom; 56 Studios)

Comparison, by Unit-Type:

Existing Studios:                               Average 422 sf

Proposed Studios:                            Average 439 sf

Existing One Bedrooms                  Average 586 sf

Proposed One Bedrooms:             Average 590 sf

Proposed Two bedrooms:            Average 724 sf

Proposed Three bedrooms:         Average 1,052 sf

Thank you for your comment with concerns on the proposed tree removal. Please email the rezoning planner for the Arborist Report that was submitted as part of the application: Allison.Smith@vancouver.ca. Landscape staff at the City are reviewing the submitted Arborist Report, which must be prepared by a professional arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture which oversees the field with a code of ethics. The City does not seek Arborist Reports outside of what is submitted by a professional arborist, unless deemed necessary by Director of Planning. The City may do tree inspections to confirm the findings in an Arborist Report, if necessary.

The entire building is proposed to be rental housing.

The rezoning application proposes 138 units with 20% of the floor area for below-market rental units. The total gross floor area proposed is approx. 116,000 sq. ft. Please see this link for project stats.

Thank you for your comment with concerns on the proposed tree removal. Please email the rezoning planner for the Arborist Report that was submitted as part of the application: Allison.Smith@vancouver.ca. Landscape staff at the City are reviewing the submitted Arborist Report, which must be prepared by a professional arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture which oversees the field with a code of ethics.

Thanks for your question. The Broadway Plan does contemplate tower redevelopment in this area and across the Broadway Plan area, subject to sub-area policies in the Plan, therefore permitting consideration of the proposed rezonings. The City takes into consideration rezoning applications proposed in one area, and in particular how they relate to one another from an urban design perspective (i.e. tower separation, shadowing on parks and open spaces, etc.).

Council had previously directed staff to explore a policy that would limit the pace at which new development would occur. Staff proposed a pace of change policy to Council, however after consideration, Council chose not to enact a pace of change policy for the Broadway Plan area. Therefore, there is no policy in place to limit the pace of development that is permitted to be considered under the Plan. Please note that not all rezoning applications received by the City end up proceeding to the building stage. For those that do proceed, there are also several factors that will moderate the pace of development as the development industry has limited capacity and not all buildings can be constructed at the same time. These factors include market absorption rates, which in part determine when developers choose to construct; labour capacity; supply and cost of construction materials; and access to capital.

In terms of impacts on traffic, the sites are situated in an area with many transit and active transportation options, including a new future SkyTrain station along Broadway. It is anticipated that many residents within the Broadway Plan area will take advantage of the improved public transit infrastructure. This applicant has submitted a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan for this site proposing a variety of sustainable transportation strategies to reduce the demand for vehicle use. As part of the rezoning process, the application is reviewed with respect to access and transportation impacts.  Following review, development conditions for off-site infrastructure may be required, such as improved public realm, sidewalks, and intersection upgrades, to improve transportation operations and safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike near the site. 

The Broadway Plan recognizes that “as a community or area of the city develops and grows, there is increasing need for the renewal, replacement and expansion of public amenities and infrastructure to help meet daily service needs.” The Broadway Plan Public Benefits Strategy a 10-year capital strategy for delivering public amenities and infrastructure. See Chapter 21 of the Plan for more information.

Thank you for your question. The applicant is proposing to remove all existing on-site trees as part of redevelopment of the site. The applicant has submitted an Arborist Report, which is under review by Landscape staff. The Arborist Report indicates that the tree at the corner of 14^th and Sophia, a Deodar Cedar, is of “low retention value” in poor condition with “Multiple stems begin at 1.5 m with narrow unions and included bark. Previously topped at 6 m creating multiple competing leaders and dense crown.” Staff are also reviewing the proposed landscape plans, which indicate the planting of new trees both on the site and adjacent to the site along Sophia Street, in between the sidewalk and the road. Final determination of tree removals and landscape design would be worked out at the next application stage, the development permit stage.