Vancouver looks to eliminate need for property owners to apply for rezoning

MIKE HOWELL (WESTERN INVESTOR) - More than 4,200 parcels of land within Broadway, Cambie plan areas subject of Sept. 16 public hearing

Vancouver council will consider Tuesday a series of staff recommendations to amend the city’s zoning and development bylaw that would eliminate the need for property owners to apply for a rezoning in certain areas within the Broadway and Cambie plan boundaries.

Staff’s aim in allowing property owners to proceed directly to a development permit application is to “simplify, clarify and consolidate city-building rules to improve the end-to-end development approvals process and streamline the delivery of housing.”

That is a quote contained in a 447-page staff report that says 4,287 parcels in the Broadway and Cambie plan areas would be eligible to bypass a rezoning and proceed to a development permit application.

Those parcels could allow low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise developments.

“This proposal aims to reduce overall processing times with associated fees and streamline housing delivery as part of the creation of complete, walkable neighbourhoods close to transit,” the report said.

The report outlines what staff described as current challenges to getting housing built faster. Presently, there are 871 individual comprehensive development, or CD-1, zoning schedules across the city.

“These applications can take 12 to 15 months or longer to process from application to approval in principle by council at a public hearing,” the report said.

“This process often includes complex negotiations between the applicant and staff on form of development requirements and delivery of public amenities [either cash or in-kind contributions]. The site-specific processing of rezonings comes with uncertainty and risk for applicants and impacts city staff resources.”

Once a rezoning is approved and enacted, applicants submit a development permit application where a more detailed review is conducted on architectural drawings, site requirements and compliance with regulations, guidelines and bulletins.

Altogether, the entire process following rezoning approval in principle at a public hearing may take two to three years before a building permit is issued, the report said, noting staff relies on numerous policies, guidelines and bulletins to provide guidance on urban design topics.

Rules around building heights, setbacks and excluded floor area have also changed over time.
“In recent decades, there has been a tendency to tightly manage new forms of development through regulations on height, storeys and floor-to-floor heights,” the report said.

“Setbacks, building depth and building height regulations have been calibrated with the allowable density [floor space ratio] in a way that does not enable design flexibility for unique site conditions, alternative construction methods or delivery of open space.”

As a result, the report continued, the city’s development process has become increasingly complex and impacted processing times for applications that deliver much needed housing, community amenities and job space.

'Decrease sunlight'

​The proposed amendments have generated concerns from many residents, including more than 50 who wrote letters to council. Comments against and in support of the proposal have been posted on the city’s website.

Longtime Fairview resident Amanda Abrams is opposed.

“The Fairview neighbourhood is beautifully designed right now,” said Abrams, arguing that 22-storey towers will “destroy the good quality low-rise housing that exists, will significantly decrease the available sunlight, and will increase the population of the neighbourhood to unsustainable levels and making it harder to build a community with my neighbours.”

Longtime Kitsilano resident Rosalie Yaremko described her neighbourhood as one with soul, charm and a rich history. Yaremko is concerned of losing those attributes, if large developments are built in Kitsilano.

“To push through mass densification here feels careless,” she said. “If development must happen, then let it go through the same careful rezoning processes that currently exist. These should not be rushed or treated as formalities. Let the neighbourhood—and its residents—have a real say.”

Added Yaremko: “With time, perhaps the city will come to see what many of us already feel: that overdevelopment risks destroying the very essence of what makes Kitsilano special.

Sadly, I fear that if this plan moves forward as proposed, many of us who have built our lives here will be forced to leave—not just because of logistics, but because the place we love will no longer feel like home.”

'Young families'
Supporters of the amendments include Allen Pike of Kensington-Cedar Cottage and David Raji of Fairview.

Pike: “It would be great to finally get these upzonings, allowing more homes and businesses to be built in this desirable and well-connected part of the city. In particular, I think it's great that the city is doing pre-zoning for more housing, rather than requiring every new apartment to need to go through a slow/expensive process to get its own separate specifications and approval.”
​
Raji: “Overall, I'm strongly in favour of this plan as it can finally increase the number of young families that Vancouver can sustain and hopefully increase our city’s diversity. I envision a lot of mixed-use low-rise buildings, building a proper 21st century city like Paris or Barcelona. Looking forward to hearing more ways we'll improve our community services to match the expected growth, as well.”
The public hearing begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the council chamber at city hall.