Public Hearing — April 25, 2023 — Transcript
← Public Hearing April 25, 2023
I'm confused too, but it seems to be everyone's logged in.
This is giving me the...
Hi, it's Tina here in the chamber. Councillor Zhou, did we get you hearing you? Can you hear me?
Are you connected okay?
Oh, Councillor Carr, can you hear me? I can now hear you. Excellent. I was talking away to myself here. What a fun hobby. Anyway, we can hear you as well.
Councillor Schell, can you hear me? I can hear you just fine.
I'm going to try and log into Council Chambers. you know, the panel and everything. I've been having problems all day, but anyway.
Okay, we have Norm here to help you. Let us know if you need him to log in. I love our IT guys. Yep. Norm.
Some.
Yes, I can hear you.
Excellent. Okay, you're coming in quite low in volume. So if you want to make sure you're close to your microphone.
Okay, I will do that.
It's still a little bit muffled. Okay, how about right now? That's a little bit better. I can see you're really close to it.
Very close. Yeah, okay.
Okay.
Counselor Klassen, do you want to give a test?
Councillor Clausen, can you hear me? Tina?
Yes. I know you're trying to connect with Councillor Clausen, but I just tried to log into Council Chambers and it still has the council meeting. information up. It does not have the new public hearing. I can't log into that, so I don't know if anybody else is having that difficulty.
Thank you for that. Bonnie's just updating it. Councillor Klass, and I still haven't connected with you. If you can hear me, I'll go over to Councillor Kirby-Young first. Councillor Kirby-Young, can you hear me?
We're not hearing you. I can see your mouth moving.
So, Norm, are you able to help Councillor Carr?
you as soon as I can get them.
Yep. Okay, great. So we are going to convene tonight's public hearing, April 25th, 2023. I'll now call the meeting to order. This meeting is being convened by electronic means. As such, council members may participate in person or by electronic means. For council members participating electronically, Please ensure your video is turned on and let the clerks know if you leave the meeting for the purposes of confirming quorum. Council members are reminded that in accordance with section 14.13 of the procedure bylaw, members must enable their video to confirm quorum. If council members attending by electronic means lose connection during any portion of the hearing, we will recess the meeting until the connection is restored. If council members lose connection during the voting process, staff will get you back online quickly while we suspend the voting process and the contact information has been circulated. Members of the public can view the proceedings via live stream and YouTube link, which will be tweeted out by Advent City Clerk. We acknowledge that we are on the unceded homelands of the Musqueamamamam, Squamish, and TTTTsleil-Waututh people. We thank them for having cared for these lands and look forward to working with them in partnership. as we continue to build this great city together. In case of an emergency where we need to evacuate the building, I would like to direct your attention to the exits. There are two exits beyond the glass door to the left. And if these exits are obstructed, please direct your attention to the four exits in this chamber. Please use the stairs, do not use the elevator. And I'd also like to highlight that there is a defibrillator. located at the end of the hallway outside of the council chamber. I'd also like to take a moment to recognize the immense contributions of our city of Vancouver staff who work very hard every single day to make our city an incredible place to live, work, and play. Clerk, may we have the roll call, please? Yes. Mayor Sim is on leave of absence for civic business. Councillor Carr.
Councillor Kirby Young.
Councillor Kirby Young is here. Councillor Domenato. Present. Councillor Bly is the Acting Mayor and Chair. Councillor Boyle. Present. Councillor Fry. Councillor Montague is on leave of absence for personal reasons. Councillor Klassen.
Councillor Meisner. And Councillor Zhou.
Present.
The public hearing has quorum. Acting Mayor. Thank you very much. So before we begin, I have some announcements. The public may participate by speaking in person, by phone, or by submitting written comments to Mayor and Council. Electronic participation is highly encouraged. Speakers will have five minutes to make their comments and should limit their comments to the merits of the report being considered. Speakers should also state whether they are in support or opposed to the recommendations and if they are a resident of Vancouver. Speakers may only speak once and should follow along on Twitter at Ben City Clerk for updates on the progress of the meeting so they don't miss their turn to speak. Any comments on agenda items can be submitted in writing through our online Mayor and Council feedback web form. This link is also tweeted. Those speaking on behalf of other persons or groups will have eight minutes to speak and only if those represented are also on the line or in person and must not be individual speakers themselves. Speakers who are pre-registered with presentations are reminded we don't have any pre-registered speakers. Council is committed to ensuring that people who participate in council meetings or public hearings are treated fairly and respectfully. The language we all use in these meetings should reflect respect for all residents. No form of discrimination is acceptable or tolerated. Discriminatory language includes attacks on groups of people and individuals. Vancouver's procedure by law prohibits council members from the use of words, tones, speakers, or gestures that express a negative view on the character of any person or groups of people. Members of the public are expected to not engage in improper conduct, which includes the use of expressions that promote hatred or defamatory, as outlined under Section 7.8 of the procedure by law. The creation of a safe and inclusive environment for the public staff and council to participate is all of our responsibilities. Members of council may call a point of order if language used by another councillor during a meeting is not respectful. And as chair, I will ask the speaker to modify their speech to ensure that they are using respectful language. I also want to note the city of Vancouver's longstanding commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. including utmost respect for all genders. I remind council that when addressing speakers and staff, we will avoid using gendered honorifics and will instead prefer to the person by first and last name, role, or title. A reminder that council's role at a public hearing is to be a quasi-judicial body, which means council is only to consider the merits of the rezoning application or heritage designation. Council members may ask clarifying questions from speakers, including the applicant or technical advice from staff, but should have saved debate for after the close of the speakers list. After hearing from speakers, Council may, one, approve the application in principle, two, refuse the application, three, refer the application to staff for further consideration. And finally, if Council does not conclude hearing from speakers this evening, we'll recess and reconvene the meeting on Tuesday, May 2nd at 3 p.m. Okay. To the agenda. First, we will deal with item number one, rezoning 657685 East 18th Avenue.
Does any member of council wish to declare a conflict of interest on item one?
Seeing none, we will have pleased the clerk. We'll now read the application and summary of correspondence received. This is an application by Ormanas Projects Corporation to rezone 756 to 685, sorry, 657 to 685 East 18th Avenue from RS1 Residential District to RR. to a residential rental district. To prevent the development of a four-story rental building, a building height of 13.7 meters or 45 feet and a floor space ratio FSR of 1.75 are proposed. The following correspondence has been received since referral to public hearing. Three pieces of correspondence in support and one piece of correspondence in opposition. This represents all correspondence received up to 5 p.m. today. Thank you very much. I will start by noting any speakers for this item who wish to speak to council, please call toll free 1-833-353-8610 followed by participant code 1061445 pound before the close of the speaker's list. The phone number will be tweeted out and made available on the live stream. There will be an opportunity for new speakers and missed speakers. Okay, we don't have any registered speakers. We have staff from Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability here to present the application, and I do see we have Councillor Klassen on the queue, so I'll call on Councillor Klassen first. Thank you, Chair. I'd like to move that we waive the staff presentation. Okay, seconded. Thank you very much. So a motion to waive the presentation. All those in favour? Any opposed?
And that passes. Thank you very much to the staff that were here available to do that presentation. So we are now moving to the applicant team who is here to speak to the application. And no comments, or you are the applicant team? You're the next one. Okay, so the applicant team is not present right now in chambers, so we'll move along. Are there any questions from council to staff or the applicant team who is not here?
Seeing none, we will now hear from any public speakers. And so I'll make another call. If there are any speakers for this item who wish to speak to counsel, please call toll free 1-833-353-8610, followed by participant code 1061445-PAN before the close of the speakers list. The phone number is tweeted out. And I don't see any speakers coming to the podium. There are none on the line. Thank you very much. So we'll make a third call and then we'll take a five minute recess. If there are any speakers who wish to speak to this item, please call toll free 1-833-353-8610 followed by participant code 1061445 pound.
And that number has been tweeted out and we'll take a five minute recess and we will come back at 622.
sure that we're following processes. Are there any questions of council or from council to staff?
Great. And then we also have the applicant team who's on the line on WebEx. And you're welcome to speak to the application if you like.
Yes, please. Yeah. So we do have also the applicant team in chambers. Great. Welcome. Thank you. Hi. I'll be quick in respect to your time. Good evening, mayor and council. My name is Oliver Bibby, development manager with Strand. Also in attendance is our senior vice president, Cameron Thorne. I'm pleased to be here with you this evening regarding our rezoning application for 5995 to 6015 Dunbar Street. As noted in the referral report, this application is to rezone three RS5 properties fronting Dunbar Street to allow a five-story market rental building in accordance with the SRP policy. As noted in the referral report, we've been working collaboratively with staff and are pleased with the direction and guidance provided in developing this proposed 76-unit rental building. I grew up and attended secondary and post-secondary school in this neighborhood, and I can attest to the lack of rental supply and diversity of housing options in this neighborhood. As evidenced by this application and the following application on tonight's agenda, Strand is committed to working with Council and staff on the mutual goal of increasing the supply of high-quality rental housing options across the city. Cameron and I look forward to answering any questions that Council may have. I'll note that Taizo Yamamoto, the architect on both this project and the following agenda item, is available virtually if there's any questions for him as well. Thank you. Thank you very much. Are there any questions from council to staff or the applicant team, noting this is the only opportunity to ask questions of the applicant team?
And hearing none, we will hear now from the public. And I'd like to refer us to the speaker's list. Speaker number one, Thomas Fife.
My name is Thomas Fife. I'm a resident of Vancouver.
Hi there. We can hear you. Members of city council. Please go ahead. My name is Thomas Fife. I'm a resident of Vancouver. Members of the council, I am here to express my support for the rezoning of 5995-6015 Dunbar Street. As a resident of Vancouver, I believe that our city desperately needs more market rental housing, and this rezoning proposal is an important step towards addressing this critical issue. As I'm sure we all know, Vancouver is facing quite the affordable housing crisis with rising house prices. And limited supply, it has become increasingly difficult for many families and individuals to find suitable housing within their means. This is especially true for those seeking market rental housing where supply is limited. The rezoning of Dunbar Street would provide much-needed market rental housing in an area where it is sorely lacking. This development would not only provide new homes for Vancouver residents, but it would also stimulate the local economy. Furthermore, this proposal is consistent with the city's goals of promoting sustainable and inclusive communities. By providing more affordable housing options, we can help ensure that people of all income levels can live and work in our city. This will promote social cohesion and help create a better society for all. In conclusion, I urge the City Council to approve the rezoning of 6015 Dunbar. Vancouver needs more market rental housing and this proposal will provide that. All of what I've mentioned also applies to the following item of tonight's City Council. City 1 rezoning of 3205 Arbutus Street, as I am in support of that rezoning as well. I really appreciate your time and attention. Have a great evening.
Thank you very much. There are no questions, but we do appreciate you calling in to share your point of view to Council tonight.
So we'll move to our next call for speakers. If there are any speakers for this item who wish to speak to council, please call toll-free 1-833-353-8610, followed by participant code 1061445-POUND. And I'll check with clerks. Do we have any speakers on the line?
No more speakers. Thank you very much. So this is the third call. If there's any speakers for this item who wish to speak to council, please call toll-free. 1-833-353-8610 followed by participant code 1061445 pound. And we will take a five minute recess to allow for any callers to call in and we'll be back at 638.
Okay, Council, so I will bring us back to order and checking with the clerks if we have any speakers who have called in.
No. Thank you. So seeing there are no additional speakers, the speakers list is now closed, and I'm now also closing the receipt of public comments. Does the applicant have any closing comments?
Thank you very much. Does staff have any closing comments?
Thank you very much. Does council have any questions for staff?
Hearing none. Recommendations, Chair. Thank you very much. So we have a mover for the recommendations to a seconder. Thank you very much. Is there any debate?
Hearing none, I will call for the vote.
Chair, again, Councilor Drogue here. So please vote assist in favor, please.
Thank you. Chair, I'll also take a vote of system favor. Thank you. Okay. Thank you very much.
And that application has passed with unanimous support. So thank you very much. We will move to our third and final item of the agenda for tonight, and that is CD1 rezoning 3205 Arbutus Street. Does any member of council wish to declare a conflict of interest? Hearing none, the clerk will now read the application and summary of correspondence received. This is an application by Yamamoto Architecture to rezone 3205 Arbita Street from C1 Commercial District to CD1 Comprehensive Development District to permit the development of a four-story mixed-use building with 54... secured market rental units, and at-grade commercial space. A building height of 19.2 meters with additional height for a rooftop amenity and a floor space ratio of 2.56 are proposed. The following correspondence has been received since referral to public hearing. Four pieces of correspondence in support, one piece of correspondence in opposition, and two pieces of correspondence regarding other aspects related to the application. This represents all correspondence received up to 5 p.m. today. Thank you very much. If there are any speakers for this item who wish to speak to council, please call toll-free 1-833-353-8610, followed by participant code 1061445-POUND. We have staff from Planning, Urban Design, and Sustainability here to present the application. I can confirm there are no registered speakers, so I might suggest that we waive the presentation.
Move to waive the presentation.
Thank you very much. That sounds like a move and a second. All those in favor? Any opposed? Thank you very much to our staff team being here ready to go, but we'll waive the presentation. So we are now moving to... If there's any questions from Council to staff.
Okay, any questions of the applicant?
And that's no. So we are going to move to our second call. Is there any speakers for this item who wish to speak to council? Please call toll free 1-833-353-8610 followed by participant code 1061445 pound. And I'll check with the clerks if we have any speakers on the line.
None. Thank you. So this is the third and final call. If there are any speakers for this item who wish to speak to council, please call toll free 1-833-3538-610 followed by participant code 1 0 6 1 4 4 5 pound. And we will come back at 6 46 for debate and decision.
and check just confirming we have quorum actually six oh we're good we're good council boyle yeah okay thanks very much so we'll just check with the clerks if there are any additional speakers who have called in none
Thank you. So seeing there are no additional speakers, the speakers list is now closed. I'm now closing the receipt of public comments. Does the applicant have any closing comments?
Okay, thank you. And does staff have any closing comments? Thank you very much. Does council have any questions of staff?
And hearing none, we'll now be moving to the recommendation decision. And that sounds like a mover. Councillor Carr, second? That was Councillor Kirby Young. Oh, sorry, Councillor Kirby Young. Sorry. And Councillor Boyle has seconded. And is there any debate?
Seeing none, we can move straight to a decision.
Chair, I'll take a vote. Assist in favor, please.
Chair, in favor, please.
Thank you very much. And so that application has passed. And I just want to say there wasn't a lot of comments, but we just approved very, very, very important, much needed rental housing. So thank you very much to staff for the work on all three of those applications and to all three applicants for bringing those projects forward. With that, can I call for motion to adjourn? So moved. Second. Thank you. And all those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Thank you very much. We are adjourned.