441 E Pender St rezoning application

Please find below the responses to the questions, in chronological order:

Quoting the DTES Plan Section 6.7. Strathcona is a “diverse neighbourhood with a mix of residential homes, including single family, co-ops, apartments, and several medium density social housing developments”. The Plan encourages new developments to include a range of housing types, including social housing. Regarding RT-3 compatibility, the building’s massing has been carefully considered to maximize the compatibility of the proposed mid-rise social housing building  to a low-rise neighbourhood context. As such, the proposed building form meets expectations for building height, density, site setbacks, shadow performance, and public realm interface.

The application is proposing to meet the needs of seniors by allowing seniors to be future tenants of the building. 

In order to meet the City’s definition of social housing, a building must be non-profit owned and operated. The applicant would be required to transfer the project to a non-profit during the development stage, should the application be approved.
 For questions about the development partnership between the non-profit operator and the applicant, or questions to the operator, please contact the applicant. 

The DTES Plan, as well as other area plans and city policies, strive to ensure access to affordable housing choices. The application proposes to create livable and vibrate communities by offering a diverse range of housing options. A future social housing building would need to be non-profit owned and operated, and the applicant has indicated their intended future building operator.

The application proposes to contribute to the existing social infrastructure by proposing affordable housing options for Vancouver residents. 

In terms of the proposed building form and physical placement on the site, the building responds to the neighbourhood’s low-density character. It meets the intent of the Strathcona/Kiwassa RT-3 Guidelines to “ensure that all development is compatible with surrounding buildings and the neighbourhood as a whole.”  The proposed massing provides a transition to the existing low-rise neighbours to the east and west, and the massing is setback from the property line to provide landscaped areas and respect the rhythm of the existing streetscape, including:

• Front: The proposed setback (3.7m) provides a green transition at the street interface.
• Side yards: The proposed setbacks (1.2m) provides an adequate buffer to the neighbours, including the Pender Lodge and the eastern neighbour. 
• Rear: The proposed 33 ft setback includes the proposed retention of a mature tree and provides common residential outdoor amenity.

In addition to reflecting the massing context, a key urban design objective is to enhance the pedestrian experience and public realm interface. Staff will review and provide feedback to the applicant based on relevant guidelines, expectations for comparable social housing projects, and community input. Staff advice could include improvements to the façade articulation, exterior wall materials/colours, project entries, ground level patios, and/or landscape improvements.

The proposal is required to comply with the Micro Dwelling Policies and Guidelines. Units must be a minimum of 76.2 sq. m (250 sq. ft.) with the provision that the internal unit design meets the layout requirements as outlined in 4.1 of the Guidelines. The provision of amenity space would also be in accordance with the Guidelines. Detailed building design will take place at the Development Permit stage should the application be approved. 

The provision of social housing is one of the City’s housing goals as identified in the Vancouver Housing Strategy, as well as in the DTES Plan. The proposal does propose infill housing, proposing development of a vacant lot. 

In accordance with the City’s procedures for rezoning application review, staff inform and engage the community in a variety of ways. A site sign is erected on the site, and postcards are sent to properties in the site’s vicinity (usually a 3 block radius) to notify them of a new application. Postcards are also sent to nearby residents notifying them of an upcoming Public Hearing, once scheduled. The virtual Shape Your City allows people to provide comments, and access planning-related documents as well as the applicant’s submitted materials. A virtual Question and Answer period was held between March 26-April 8, with all questions responded to publicly. 

Comments on the application can continue to be submitted through the SYC page, or directly to the planner. All correspondence received will be summarized and included in the planning report that will be considered by Council at a Public Hearing.

In the City of Vancouver, social housing is rental housing, owned and operated by a non-profit, or by/on behalf of the various levels of government, with tenure and minimum affordability requirements secured through a Housing Agreement. The area in which this building is located requires the following minimum affordability requirements: 1/3 at/below Housing Income Limits (HILs) as set by the Province, 1/3 at shelter/pension rate and 1/3 at affordable market rents. The proposed non-profit operator has indicated that the intended tenant population will be Vancouver residents requiring a range of affordable housing options.  

 Regarding accessibility, the units are currently designed as 100% adaptable Micro-Dwelling units which complies with City of Vancouver Building Code Accessibility requirements. 

The DTES Plan strives to ensure that access to affordable housing choices to meet the diverse needs of the community. A diverse range of housing options is essential to fostering vibrant, healthy communities—environments that, in turn, nurture the well-being of children.

The City does hold the ability to purchase land through broader area and capital planning. This site is not identified to be purchased by the City. 

This application proposes to be community-serving by providing affordable housing choices, and contribute social housing units towards the City’s housing goals as identified in the Vancouver Housing Strategy.

The proposed building is for social housing – rental housing where the building is owned and operated by a non-profit corporation or non-profit co-operative association, or by or on behalf of the various levels of government (City, Province, Federal). The required minimum rental affordability of social housing in DTES is 1/3 at or below Housing Income Limits (HILs) as set by the Province, 1/3 at shelter/pension rate, and the remaining 1/3 at affordable market rents. 

The proposed non-profit operator has indicated that the intended tenant population for this site will be residents of Vancouver who require a range of affordable housing options.

The rezoning application will follow the City’s standard public engagement process, and would not be sent directly to the DTES CLT for feedback. The CLT may contact the applicant directly for further discussions.

The City is obligated to consider and process all submitted rezoning applications. Compliance with City policies is evaluated through the course of the application review. Staff will form a recommendation on the proposal, to be considered by Council at a Public Hearing.

The City’s definition of social housing is rental housing owned and operator by a non-profit corporation or non-profit co-operative association, or by or on behalf of the various levels of government (City, Province, Federal). The non-profit operator does not currently have approved funding or financing, but has intention to apply to various funding streams to maximize affordability of the proposed units. 

BC Housing typically provides funding for social housing, and does operate a limited number of social housing buildings in Vancouver. BC Housing is not the proposed operator for the subject proposal. 

Vancouver’s Social Housing Initiative works toward the need for affordable housing by simplifying and changing zoning regulations to allow for mixed-income social housing to be built without a rezoning. The focus of that initiative is on neighbourhoods outside of the downtown core where there is not existing policy to enable additional height/density for social housing; this does work toward encouraging social housing to be built throughout the city and contributes to creating inclusive neighbourhoods. This initiative does not impact areas of the city where there are community plans in place, such as the DTES Plan which includes Strathcona. In these areas, social housing projects may continue to come in through existing policies.

Please see the below response from the Architect: 

Each project has its own unique requirements, and this project has focused on small space living to address the needs of the housing operator. Great spaces can be achieved in small areas. For projects with small living units, the reduced floor area is offset with other design considerations. A key design aspect of small unit design is to make sure that each unit has tall ceilings, in our case 2.9m/9’6". The idea being that more volume in each room allows brighter and lighter spaces. We couple the taller heights with increased attention to detail on the design of the millwork (the cupboards, closets, wall beds, and kitchens storage). Efficient and intelligent use of space drives the planning of these spaces. Further, the units are supported by storage spaces in the basement of the building giving residents a place outside of their units to store larger items that they don’t need to access on a daily basis. 

Small space living projects use the approach of minimizing private space and sharing larger common areas like living rooms and patio spaces. In the proposed building, the shared living space is on the ground floor with access to the rear yard, and the rooftop patio gives residents a dedicated outdoor area they can access when they want another place to go. These approaches are consistent with the City’s requirements for micro units. Finally, we considered how people get to their front doors as an important factor in our design. We prioritized the need for choice by giving people two ways to get to their units by way of a circular hallway. The corridors will have access to natural light through windows at each end of the hallways. Having two ways you can get to every unit, and having a hallway that has lots of natural light helps lighten the overall feeling of the building.

In order to meet the City’s definition of social housing, the building will need to be owned and operated by a non-profit corporation, or by or on behalf of government. If the rezoning application is approved, the project will transfer to a non-profit during the development stage. Funding has not yet been secured for this project, but the applicant has indicated that they are pursuing a variety of funding sources from senior levels of government. Consistent with Council policy on social housing, the project is expected to be self-sustaining over the long term and does not require further operating subsidies or property tax exemptions from the City.