April 9 th, Mayor and Council City of Victoria 1 Centennial Square Victoria BC V8W TP6. Rezoning Application 1010 Fort Street, Victoria, BC.

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1 Stuart Howard Architect AIBC FRAIC AIA Principal W. Neil Robertson Architect AIBC MRAIC Principal April 9 th, 2018 Mayor and Council City of Victoria 1 Centennial Square Victoria BC V8W TP6 RE: Rezoning Application 1010 Fort Street, Victoria, BC. On behalf of our clients, NVision Properties, we would like to submit for your consideration this application for rezoning to allow the development of 1010 Fort Street. The proposal has been developed with on-going consultation with neighbours and municipal staff and closely follows the guidelines of the Official Community Plan and the City of Victoria s Downtown Core Area Plan. Description of Proposal: The proposal is to rezone the site at 1010 Fort Street from CA-42 to a new zone that will allow for a 9-storey (above grade) residential mixed-use rental building with 53 residential apartment units and ground floor commercial space. The current lot measures approximately 60.4 x (18.41m x 34.13m), thereby yielding a total site area of 6, sq.ft (628.3 sq.m) and drops approximately 4.49 in elevation to the northwest corner. There is an existing 1-storey commercial unit currently on the site with an FSR of The proposed building is approximately in height measured from average grade and proposes an FSR of The unit mix is made up of 66% Bachelor Units, 11% 1 bed units and 23% 2 bed. Sixty-Eight (68) bicycle spaces in conformance with Schedule C will be located in an enclosed bicycle storage room at grade accessed on the South side of the lot from Fort Street. There will also be an inclusion of six (6) short-term bicycle parking spaces at the entrance to the building. 53 personal storage units will also be located at ground level. Please refer to data tables on the attached site plan for additional development statistics. This proposal includes many adaptable housing features, which makes the building accessible to a wide range of people. These features reduce isolation and allow people with physical limitations to live in and visit the building. The building proposes to have automatic openers at entry doors, as well as barrier free access to all suites and amenity areas. The window sill height in many units is proposed not to exceed 750mm above floor level. Other adaptable housing features include slip resistant flooring in all bathrooms, sliding pocket doors at WEST FIFTH AVENUE VANCOUVER B.C. V5Y 1J6 Telephone Facsimile:

2 April 9, 2018 Page 2 bathroom entries, height adjustable closet shelving in bedrooms, 3m openings to decks and minimal thresholds to decks. Government Policies: The proposal conforms to the Official Community Plan, which states the strategic direction for Downtown and Harris Green is to accommodate the forecasted new population and housing growth forecasted for the urban core (21.4.1). The proposal also conforms to the Downtown Core Area Plan, which states the site is situated in the Residential Mixed Use District (RMD), which contains the entire Harris Green Neighborhood. On pg.33 it is stated that the RMD includes the majority of the residential land base in the area and that there are still under-utilized and vacant sites in the area. Section 3.98 of the Downtown Core Area Plan recognizes this areas desirability for mid-rise to highrise residential, commercial and office development. The intent of this rezoning proposal is provide a 9-storey long term, high quality rental accommodation for the neighborhood as well as providing high quality at grade commercial space. The unit mix noted above creates diverse rental opportunities close to the Downtown core where many new start up companies (especially tech start ups) are basing themselves. Map 16: Pedestrian Network, P.45 (Downtown Core Area Plan)

3 Page 3 Section 3.96 of the Downtown Core Area Plan outlines the encouragement of active commercial and retail uses at street level on 5 streets in the Residential Mixed-Use Districts (RMD), including Fort Street. Sections 3.99 and encourages that buildings relate well to public streets ensuring that streets are well-designed public places for pedestrians. In order to enhance the public realm, the ground floor has been set back 3 0 in this project to create a generous public space for pedestrians allowing additional space for movement. Project Benefits and Amenities: Economically, although the proposal displaces an existing commercial unit, it replaces it with a higher quality commercial retail unit with a large floor area. The 15 high commercial unit contributes to the need for at grade commercial units in the area. Externally, the ground floor clear height of 15 gives the feeling of space in the public realm, creating a well-designed environment for pedestrians. The commercial facades have been designed with expansive, visually permeable glazing to increase visual interest at grade supporting retail on Fort Street. In terms of social sustainability, we have designed the building to foster a sense of community and to engender social connection opportunities. A large shared semi-private amenity area on the ninth floor, connected to a roof deck amenity space provides residents with opportunities to socialize in the building. This space has been located to maximize access to sun while simultaneously providing noise protection from the streets. Need and Demand: Historically, Victoria has a low vacancy for rental properties; therefore there is an opportunity to increase rental density on this underutilized site. The current zone allows for a density of 2.5:1 on the site, therefore staying in this zone would not allow us to dramatically increase the rental housing stock in the area. We are proposing a density of 5.50:1 with 53 units, which will meet the housing needs in the area providing the Harris Green neighbourhood with long term, high-quality rentals. Neighborhood: The general neighborhood character of Harris Green is a mixed-use urban community with mid to high-density residential, mixed-use and commercial developments. The site is located on Fort street which is a key pedestrian street and transit corridor running from east to west. Immediately surrounding the subject lots on Fort Street are predominately mid-rise mixed-use developments with commercial units at ground level. Fort Street is a

4 Page 4 Impacts: special character area with a strong concentration of heritage properties, many of which have smaller scale commercial units at street level. The 9-storey building relates to the scale of its context, there are many mid-rise developments neighboring the property with an 11-storey residential complex within the block at lot number Additionally, a project proposal directly adjacent to our project on the north property line at lot number 1029, the Jukebox proposes a 9-storey residential building with a gross floor area of 11,843sq.m. (127,477 sq.ft) and site coverage of 90%. The development complements the area by providing a high quality commercial unit on ground floor with well-designed access for pedestrians. The setbacks on the north and south property reduce the visual impact of the building and reduce the risk of shading neighboring properties. Design and Development Permit Guidelines: On pg. 33 of the Downtown Core Area Plan, Fort Street has been outlined as a Special Character area within the RMD. In order to positively contribute to the street character, the traditional building material brick has been used on the lower floors (2-4), to link the project to the historical character of the area. Above this, the modern materials of stucco and metal cladding are used to hint to the more contemporary elements of this project. Hence, our project ties together the old with the new, linking the history of Fort Street to its future possibilities. In order the reduce the perceived height and bulk of the project, the floors have been stepped northward 4.81m above the fourth floor on the south and 4.86m southward on the second floor on the north to minimize shading and massing. Additionally, the use of the materials transitioning from brick on the lower floors to stucco and metal cladding on the upper floors gives the sense of a lighter, less intrusive building above the brick podium.

5 Page 5 Street Walls and Setback, Downtown Core Area Plan, p. 91 Over the past year, NVision Properties has conducted a thorough engagement process with community members located around the project site. This process included attempting to connect with every adjacent business or resident within 90m of the project site. A CALUC meeting was held on April 9 th 2018 to discuss the proposal and gather feedback. Safety & Security: This proposal was also designed taking the CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) Guidelines into consideration. All walkways and entries are visible and well lit, as well as being overlooked by residents in the floors above. The use of adequate lighting around the building will reduce the possibility of crime and will also reduce the fear of crime for residents.

6 Page 6 Transportation: Sixty-eight (68) long-term enclosed bicycle spaces are provided in the proposal, exceeding the required number of bicycle spaces needed by 15 spaces. In addition 6 short-term visitor parking spaces are provided at the entrance to the building. The most notable deviation from a standard development proposal associated with this project is the requirement for a significant reduction in the number of required vehicle parking stalls. The parking by-law for the current CA-42 zone does not require any parking, therefore we are proposing 0 vehicle parking stalls and 68 long term bicycle stalls. We are targeting our units at a population less likely to own or require vehicles, in a Centre that is supported by alternative transportation options; consistent with the OCP policies for supporting a parking reduction (see below). OCP objectives that support a parking variance include the following: 7.12 Review and update the Zoning Bylaw to consider reductions in parking requirements where: Geographic location, residential and employment density, housing type, land use mix, transit accessibility, walkability, and other factors support non-auto mode choice or lower parking demand; and, Activities and circumstances of land uses, structures or buildings include the provision of a comprehensive suite of permanent on-site alternative travel supports and active transportation infrastructure, including such things as shortterm and long-term bicycle parking facilities including shower and locker facilities, ridesharing, car-share co-ops, payroll transit passes and other automobile trip reduction measures. Additional transportation demand management strategies to support our low parking project will include; ensuring we attract residents with transit passes, designing units to attract a younger demographic and providing significantly higher levels of bicycle parking. The Downtown Core Area Plan and the OCP both outline the Transport Demand Management Framework, which encourages the success of 3 primary networks; pedestrians, cycling and transit to encourage more sustainable modes of transport in Victoria. The plans aim to create a safe, walkable and attractive public realm and to reduce the impact of motor vehicles. Fort Street is noted as a key Pedestrian street, an existing bikeway route and a Frequent Transit Corridor hence the need for on-site motor parking is greatly reduced on the

7 Page 7 site. In response to the Downtown Core Area Plan and the OCP, we believe that emphasizing alternatives to single occupant vehicle modes of transportation through bicycle and transit accessibility is the best solution. To that end, we have provided 68 long-term and 6 short-term bicycle parking spaces in this project. The new bike-sharing program in Victoria also supports this low vehicle parking, high biking strategy. Green Building Features: The building is being designed to minimize the consumption of energy long term through the use of energy efficient windows, high-performance thermal insulation, durable building materials and other energy performance strategies. At present the project is intended to be built to the BuiltGreen Silver standard, which is consistent with Step Two of the new BC Building Code. At this time, we are not targeting BuiltGreen Gold, as we are exploring the use prefabricated, steel frame modular units and we are not yet aware of how the building will perform in relation to the baseline building performance standards. This approach to construction offers significant sustainability benefits by way of a reduced construction period, which limits the dust, noise and light impact on adjacent properties. As modules could be delivered in the night, traffic operations and impact on pedestrians could also be dramatically reduced. At present this type of construction has not been utilized in Victoria, so we do not have a comparison test case for energy performance. Rather than overcommit ourselves and not being able to deliver, we are taking cautionary approach and targeting BuiltGreen Silver, with the hope that we can meet Council s expectations that all projects achieve a BuiltGreen Gold status. Infrastructure: The site is situated 1 block from the Central Business District, Douglas Street and Blanshard Street being at the centre of this District. These streets have a concentration of tall buildings, which rise in scale from west to east. The district also contains many recreational and cultural facilities such as the Royal Theatre, the YMCA and several historical churches. Two blocks to the south is Pioneer Square, which provides immediate access to public outdoor spaces. Furthermore, Beacon Hill Park, which provides 200 acres of parkland, is a 12-minute walk south from the site. The property is highly serviced by public transit, with several bus lines running directly along Douglas Street, which is 4 blocks away. These routes are defined as Rapid Transit Corridors in Victoria s Transit Future Plan, which are designed to move high volumes of passengers between major regional destinations along key transportation corridors. Fort Street itself is proposed as a Frequent Transit Corridor (FTC), defined as a medium to high-density mixed land use corridor with convenient, reliable and frequent services. The property is also close to the Downtown Core, which provides other transport options such as the seaplane, helijet and

8 Page 8 walk on ferry to Seattle. Victoria has also just launched a bike share program called U- Bicycle. This program differs from many other bike share programs due to the fact that the bikes do not need to be paired with docking stations, instead, the bikes can be parked at any legal parking place. Transit Future Plan Map BC Transit (2011) The proposed development will be tying into the existing municipal infrastructure and services. Reduced long-term maintenance for the building is another environmental factor that has been considered: the stucco cladding is durable and requires little maintenance; and the use of brick has been employed to ensure durable, long-lasting performance. We believe that our proposal conforms to all applicable plans, policies and guidelines, meets or exceeds the required yard setbacks on all levels and meets the design principles laid out in Victoria s planning documents. Furthermore, the north and south facades have been significantly stepped back above the podium level to reduce the apparent massing. We have also introduced a ninth floor shared outdoor amenity space for residents with an outdoor lounge and community garden. The proposed project meets all accessibility requirements pursuant to section 3.8 of the British Columbia Building Code and the project will meet BuiltGreen Silver.

9 Page 9 Please find the attached architectural drawings including site plan, floor plans, elevations, perspective views and context photographs and key plan. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions concerning this proposal. We look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, STUART HOWARD ARCHITECTS INC. W. Neil Robertson Architect AIBC, MRAIC PRINCIPAL