800-876 Granville St rezoning application

Thanks for the question. City staff will be bringing the Granville Street Plan to Council for consideration in early June. Pending Council approval, the draft Plan includes policy directions to establish a pedestrian zone along Granville Street, and to create a central vehicle-free plaza at Granville and Robson that could extend along Robson Street for at least a half-block in each direction, including the section of Robson Street fronting this site. The specific design and timeline for delivery is yet to be determined, but improving the space for both gathering and movement is a key priority at this location.

Thanks for the question. 70 three bedroom units are proposed. No four or five bedroom units are proposed. Thanks, Nick

Thank you for your question and raising your concerns. Noise impacts will be considered in the review of the rezoning application. The applicant team provided a response related to noise impacts from performance venues for a previous question which is applicable: 

Noise emanating from the Commodore Ballroom (which is a live performance venue with diverse acts) and from the new performance venue which will have a similar diversity of live performances has been addressed in a number of ways:

1. Commodore Ballroom (Level 03)
   1. Addition of new exiting and loading functions which allow for greater acoustic separation between the Ballroom and adjacent commercial spaces;
   2. The structural truss that spans over Commodore Complex is acoustically isolated from the 4th floor promenade and its programmatic functions. This, combined with the interstitial mechanical space will mitigate noise transfer from the Ballroom and the Bowling Lanes (Level 01). 
2. New performance venue (Level 04)
   1. Acoustic isolation to mitigate noise through its construction – both structure borne as well as ambient.

Thank you for your questions and concerns, they will be considered in the review of the application. Regarding the confidence that tenants can be found for the retail, restaurant and office space the applicant team has provided the following response: 

The proposed project is approximately 650,000 sq. ft. of floor area which is not a lot to get absorbed/rented/occupied; especially when the design/building can be adapted to many commercial uses and most importantly meets and exceeds the highest demand requirements (i.e. being at the center of the downtown core at a location where business/office, shopping, entertainment, restaurants, arts & culture venues and major transit all intersect). The location is basically a highest demand / limited supply scenario.

The applicant team has provided the following response regarding noise:

Noise emanating from the Commodore Ballroom (which is a live performance venue with diverse acts) and from the new performance venue which will have a similar diversity of live performances has been addressed in a number of ways:

1. Commodore Ballroom (Level 03)
   1. Addition of new exiting and loading functions which allow for greater acoustic separation between the Ballroom and adjacent commercial spaces;
   2. The structural truss that spans over Commodore Complex is acoustically isolated from the 4th floor promenade and its programmatic functions. This, combined with the interstitial mechanical space will mitigate noise transfer from the Ballroom and the Bowling Lanes (Level 01). 
2. New performance venue (Level 04)
   1. Acoustic isolation to mitigate noise through its construction – both structure borne as well as ambient.

The rezoning application is currently under review; however, identified below are some high-level areas of policy non-compliance with respect to the existing policy framework. 

The rezoning site is currently zoned ‘DD (Downtown) District’ and falls within the Downtown Official Development Plan (DODP) area. Under the DODP, a height of up to 90 ft. and a density of 3.5 FSR can be considered at this location. The rezoning application submitted for 800-876 Granville St requests consideration of a height of 260 ft. at a density of 13.58. The rezoning site also falls under the current direction within the Granville Street (Downtown South) Guidelines which are used in conjunction with the DODP for approval of uses or discretionary variation in regulations within the 800 to 1200 blocks of Granville Street. The general intent of these guidelines is to create a distinct urban character for Granville Street as an entertainment district for the city and as a pedestrian-oriented shopping area for Downtown South; to ensure a high standard of livability for residential projects and for the area as a whole; and to ensure high quality development. 

The Vancouver Heritage Program (VHP), adopted in 2020, sets out guiding principles, vision, goals and directions to further integrate heritage conservation within citywide planning. Under the VHP and the associated Heritage Polices a site occupied by a protected heritage property should not be considered for rezoning if the proposal would result in demolition, severe alteration, replacement of original building structure, or with façade only retention. A heritage property on a rezoning site must be preserved, must be seismically upgraded, and a high level of retention and conservation should be proposed. Legal protection of the heritage resource is required. Façade-only retention is generally not considered to be an appropriate heritage conservation procedure. 

Please note that the rezoning application is under review and more detail on policy deviations may be determined. The rezoning review process includes consideration of Council-approved plans, policies, and guidelines as well as input from the public, advisory committees, and other City departments. The result of the review is a report for City Council that analyzes the application, summarizes the feedback received, and recommends to refer an application to a public hearing and whether to approve or refuse the application. The report may also set legal conditions and design requirements for approving an application.