4949-5255 Heather St and 657 W 37th Ave (Heather Lands) rezoning application

The City’s current transportation target is to have two-third of the trips  made by walking, cycling or taking transit by 2030. As part of the Heather Lands rezoning submission, the applicant is required to provide transportation demand management measures to support the target and mitigate the traffic impact of the development to the neighbourhood. 

35^th Avenue, along with the existing 33^rd Avenue and 37^th Avenue, is intended as one access point to the Heather Lands development. The City is currently reviewing the rezoning application, including the draft Transportation Assessment and Management Study. Potential impacts, mitigations, and trade-offs are being explored and evaluated by staff. The outcomes of this review, along with public feedback and other relevant City policies, will be reflected as part of the rezoning report at the time it goes to Council for a decision.  

All of the proposed buildings on the Heather Lands site are required to provide pick-up/drop-off and loading spaces in accordance with the City’s Parking By-law requirements.Limited on-street parking is currently planned for sections of 35^th Avenue within the Heather Lands site. These spaces would serve as a supplement to the off-street parking requirements for the Heather Lands as well as serving the broader neighbourhood.  

As 33^rd Avenue and 37^th Avenue are important streets connecting Willow Street and Cambie Street, direct driveway access onto 33^rd Avenue and 37^th Avenue will be restricted to minimize the number of conflict points between pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicle traffic. The goal is to enhance the walking, cycling, and traffic safety of the neighbourhood.

Rental rates for a portion of the social housing is based on household incomes as defined by BC Housing’s Housing Income Limits (HILs), which are set annually. For these units, the expectation is that they would be operated on a rent-geared-to-income basis. The remaining units would target moderate-income households. The City will work with the MST Nations to seek additional opportunities, including funding from senior levels of government, to achieve deeper levels of affordability

Moderate income rental units have starting rents which are set to be affordable to households making between $40,000 to $80,000 per year. In this case, the affordability is tied to the units and not to individual tenancies, so the affordability is protected over time. Rents on the market rental units would be set by the landowners at the time that those units are completed. Marketing, pre-sales, and sales of any market strata units on the Heather Lands site would be undertaken by the landowners at a future stage. 

The MST Cultural Centre is anticipated to be built in Phase 4 of the Heather Lands proposal. Additional details in terms of programming, architecture, and any associated costs for events or activities would be finalized at that point in time. The Fairmont building is not proposed to remain on the Heather Lands site. The Heather Lands Policy Statement responds to a request from the landowners, the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh (MST Nations) for removal of the building which represents a reminder of negative history and is viewed as a continued imposition of colonial values. This was supported by Council when they approved the Heather Lands Policy Statement in 2018. City staff have been directed to explore the feasibility of relocating the Fairmont building off-site and will report back to Council on these relocation efforts as part of the rezoning process. If no suitable receiver site can be found, the building would be demolished.

The 74-space childcare facility would be built by the applicant. It is anticipated to be owned by the MST Nations, who would select an operator at a future date. The intent of this childcare facility is to help meet the public need for childcare spaces in Vancouver. 

Future stages of redevelopment on the Heather Lands would also include site signage and notification of surrounding residents to advise of specific buildings moving forward in the process. The timeline for individual buildings is dependent on when applicants come forward with development applications after the rezoning process. 

Due to the pandemic, we are not in a position to offer in-person open houses. A virtual engagement strategy is in place to ensure the City’s process for public discussion and feedback remains available. This virtual approach allows people to access materials online and engage at different levels at a time and location of their choosing. The Shape Your City platform is being used across the organization as the standard for engagement.

Heather Lands is a large-site with limited ownership, like Pearson-Dogwood, Oakridge Centre Mall or the Oakridge Transit Centre (OTC) and was first identified as a potential redevelopment site in the Riley Park South Cambie Community (RPSC) Vision and again as a large site in the Cambie Corridor Plan. The Heather Lands Policy Statement, approved in 2018. No amendment to the Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) is required and the Heather Lands proposal is supportive of the goals and strategies outlined in the RGS. Currently no modification to the Oakridge Municipal Town Centre (MTC) boundaries are being contemplated.

The approved Oakridge Centre Mall rezoning includes a range of uses and building heights up to 45-storeys. The gross FSR of the site, calculated across the entire site including streets, parks and open spaces, is 3.71 FSR. There is an application to increase the density at Oakridge Centre Mall to 4.10 FSR. The Heather Lands proposes a gross density of 2.75 FSR.  

The new Eric Hamber school’s design intent is to build a replacement school in place of the track.  The new and existing school will operate simultaneously; the existing school will stay open until the Seismic Mitigation Program is complete within Vancouver, which is anticipated in 2030. Once the existing school is no longer required as a swing site, the intention is to demolish the school and build a playing field.

The Heather Lands rezoning proposal offers a number of community amenities and benefits: 4+ acres of new parks and open space, a 74-space childcare centre, as well as the MST Cultural Centre, approximately 400 rental units, and approximately 540 social housing units. There will also be a new CSF French school on-site.

The Cambie Corridor Plan, includes a comprehensive public amenity plan for the area. The plan incorporates amenities planned for several of the large sites within the plan area including Oakridge Centre Mall, the Oakridge Transit Centre (OTC) site, and Heather Lands. The Cambie Corridor Plan also considers wider community recreational needs for community centres, pool facilities and rinks. Oakridge Centre mall will include a new community centre which is currently underway. Council recently approved the OTC rezoning, including a 74-space childcare, new 2-acre park, and additional social and rental housing. 

The intent of the Virtual Open House format is to allow people to participate as and when they are able. This is supported by providing application and policy materials on the project website, as well as ensuring a three-week window of time to ask questions publicly. This gives people the flexibility to review, ask questions and comment on a timeframe that works best for them, instead of requiring attendance for a limited period of time on a given date. The project website also means the questions posed by members of the public are both shown and answered publicly by staff in a place where a member of the public can access them at any time. In addition to the Virtual Open House, interested community members can also reach out to staff by phone or email if either format is more helpful for them to understand the project, ask questions, or to comment. Staff will continue to monitor and adapt our online engagement approach to suit various project needs.

The Heather Lands applicant team is aware and informed about various City policies, guidelines and regulations as they relate to the Heather Lands site. This includes both the Cambie Corridor Plan and the Heather Lands Policy Statement, and the planning for commercial space and public amenities.

The application proposes the buildout over five phases, starting at the southern end of the site. The retail and office floorspace is proposed in Phase 5. The application also includes significant other benefits, such as social and rental housing, including moderate income rental housing, as well as new park and open space, MST cultural centre and a CSF Francophone school.  Adjustments in the proposed phasing plan may be considered as part of the rezoning process.

Public benefits are anticipated to be delivered throughout each phase of the development. This recognizes the need for amenities like social and rental housing, parks and open space, childcare, cultural amenities and commercial space while balancing the market requirements of applicants who provide these amenities through rezoning. The estimated buildout time of the Heather Lands site is 15 years.

The proposed density for the rezoning application is based on the Heather Lands Policy Statement and a 2019 Issues Report. The Heather Lands Policy Statement establishes density based on multiple City objectives including sustainability, affordability and livability. The density set out in the Policy Statement was not predicated on a Canada Line station at 33rd Avenue, which is not currently included in TransLink’s 10-year investment plan.

The transportation study refers to a future potential new bus route  along 33rd Avenue as opportunity identified in the Cambie Corridor Plan. At present, there are no plans underway to create this new bus service; however this may change in the future with development like the Heather Lands.

Planning for the Heather Lands was initiated in July 2016. Throughout the planning process, the 33^rd Avenue station was identified as a future potential opportunity that is not yet funded. The Mayors’ Plan (released in 2014) identifies other priorities for transit investment in Vancouver over the next 10-12 years and does not include a new station at this location.  Specific investments identified in the Mayors’ Plan for the Canada Line are more train cars and upgrades to existing stations.     

As part of the Heather Lands Policy Statement, a preliminary transportation assessment was competed to understand the potential impacts of the proposed development on the local transportation network. As part of the rezoning process, the applicant is required to provide a Transportation Assessment and Management Study prepared by a third party engineering consultant to evaluate the potential traffic impacts and potential mitigation measures, which is reviewed in detail by the City’s Engineering staff. The study includes a review of today’s existing parking and traffic conditions, as well as a projection of future conditions with the addition of the proposed changes on the development site. Upon review of the transportation study and rezoning application by Engineering staff for impacts to roadway operations and safety, the City may require the development to provide off-site improvements, as appropriate, to mitigate potential impacts. 

Through the rezoning, project priorities get confirmed and secured such as target mode share, high quality spaces for walking and cycling, and traffic management measures to mitigate the impacts of the development and ensure the project meets the City’s transportation goals.  

For major projects such as the Heather Lands and Oakridge Centre, the City requires a transportation study for both policy work and the rezoning stage. Those studies take into consideration all related approved policies (i.e. they are cumulative).  Through major projects like the Heather Lands, transportation studies allow the City to understand the impact that the proposal has on the surrounding neighbourhoods and consider transportation strategies that focus on enabling access and accessibility in line with the Climate Emergency Action Plan. These studies take into consideration all related approved policies and projects in the surrounding area. Industry best practice and experience has shown that site-generated traffic impacts diminish rapidly farther away from the development. In the context of the changing transportation habits seen in Vancouver, these more neighbourhood focused assessments often provide greater value than traditional broad transportation studies.

Heather Lands will be designed to meet the Climate Emergency Action Plan goals, including seeking to reduce reliance on the private automobile by increasing trips by active modes. The Parking By-Law sets out requirements for parking and loading that are to be provided on-site for new development properties. The Heather Lands are expected to build the appropriate amount of parking and loading to service their building without relying on-street parking, so residents and visitors should be able to park in their building. 

New developments here will also be required to provide Transportation Demand Management measures that make it easier to choose sustainable modes such as walk, bike, and transit. If people are looking for additional parking options they may choose to park on-street in the neighbourhood. Street parking will continue to be available in the neighbourhood as a public amenity.

Staff are currently exploring a citywide residential parking program, as directed by Council in November 2020 as part of the Climate Emergency Action Plan. The program would help reduce pollution while addressing current and future parking issues in a growing city. Take this survey to help us understand what parking is like in your neighbourhood today. Your input will help us develop a program that works for everyone. The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete and is open until February 28. The survey can be found here: https://shapeyourcity.ca/parking 

An acceptable Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan is required at rezoning for Heather Lands, including a legal agreement committing to deliver this TDM Plan. The precise allocation of measures is finalized at the Development Permit stage because several TDM measures rely on building design details that are not available at the Rezoning stage. At the rezoning stage, applicants typically provide a draft TDM Plan that the City reviews and provides comments on, to be incorporated into the final TDM Plan at the Development Permit stage.

 More information about Transportation Demand Management can be found here:

 https://vancouver.ca/your-government/parking-bylaw.aspx

Busy but functional intersections in an urban environment often operate near or over capacity from a purely technical perspective. When assessing the potential need for upgrades and changes, staff balance the environmental impacts of creating additional capacity for vehicles, which may be beneficial for only a short period each day during peak times, and improvements that support affordable, low carbon, sustainable, and healthy transportation mode choices such as walking, cycling, and transit. Overall, shifting trips to sustainable modes has the desired long term effect of reducing congestion, noise and pollution.

During development of the Heather Lands Policy Statement, detailed consideration of new streets and connections were established including the extension of 35th Ave, a new retail street, closure of a portion of Heather Street, and connections to existing streets – 33rd  Ave, Manson Street, and Baillie Street. Along with the new streets, some adjustments to the existing off-site street network may be required. This may include enhancement to existing intersections. These adjustments will be determined through the rezoning analysis and secured through conditions.

Staff carefully consider the impacts that potential intersection changes can have on people driving, as well as people walking, cycling, and taking transit. Larger intersections can have a number of negative impacts on people walking, rolling, and biking, which can work against the City’s Climate Emergency Action Plan goals. For example, wider intersections have longer crosswalks, and the added time and distance can be uncomfortable for many people to cross. Additionally, the extra space needed to enlarge intersections for vehicle traffic makes it challenging to provide generous space for people walking and cycling. To achieve the objectives in the Transportation 2040 and Climate Emergency Action Plan, the City aims to improve the efficiency of existing rights-of-way and encourage more walking, biking, and taking transit by enhancing active transportation design treatments.

The Heather Lands Policy Statement does include a new 35th Avenue street connection which will provide improved access to Cambie Street. Other opportunities are being assessed as part of the rezoning review.