Town of Qualicum Beach M E M O R A N D U M TO: Advisory Planning Commission FOR: APC Meeting April 18, 2012 FROM: Luke Sales, Director of Planning RE: Land Use Bylaw and Official Community Plan Bylaw Amendments RECOMMENDATION THAT the Advisory Planning Commission recommend that Council amend Town of Qualicum Beach Bylaw No. 700, 2011 ; and Town of Qualicum Beach Land Use and Subdivision Bylaw No. 580, 1999 to allow for the development of Lots 1 & 2, Plan 39063, DL 35, Newcastle Land District (528 and 561 Laburnum Road) as presented, subject to the following recommendations: a) The affordable housing contribution be substantially increased; b) The Town use an incentive program or other mechanisms to encourage homeowners to construct suites; c) The proposal be amended to include a comprehensive landscape plan for the site; the Landscape Plan would then be included in the design guidelines. d) The site plan be amended so that there are no driveways directly off of Claymore Road PURPOSE For the APC to consider an application to amend the Zoning and Official Community Plan Bylaws to allow a small lot subdivision with a neighbourhood commercial centre on approximately four hectares of land located at the corner of Laburnum Road and Claymore Road Table of Contents PURPOSE... 1 BACKGROUND... 2 Official Community Plan (OCP)... 2 DISCUSSION... 3 Site Plan... 3 Affordable Housing Contribution... 4 Zoning for Amenities... 4 Form and Character and Green Space... 6 Green Building and Neighbourhood Design... 6
Page 2 BACKGROUND Sandcastle Holdings Ltd. has made an application to rezone and amend the Official Community Plan to allow for the development of approximately 4 hectares (10 acres) of land located at the north east corner of Laburnum Road and Claymore Road. The Qualicum Beach Middle School lies to the east and the E&N Railway abuts the northern boundary of property. Official Community Plan (OCP) The Town s recently adopted Official Community Plan specifically addresses the subject property and states: The Town will consider an application for a primarily residential development on the ten acres next to the Qualicum Beach Middle School, provided that the development supports: Providing affordable housing; Improving trail connectivity; Supporting green building and neighbourhood design Providing family-oriented housing; and Even though the OCP supports residential development of the property in principle, in order for the application to proceed, the following bylaw amendments are required: Official Community Plan Change Land Use designation from Rural to Single Family Residential Removal of the subject property from the West Qualicum Beach Open Space Development Area. This is a specific designation in the OCP that identifies the potential for a future residential cluster development of approximately 8 to 12 hectares within an area of approximately 100 hectares of land on the west side of Qualicum Beach, primarily owned by the Provincial Government. Zoning Classification Change the zoning classification from Rural Residential 1 (RR1) to Residential Small Lot 1 (RSL1); and Commercial 10 (C10) as appropriate. Subdivision District Change the subdivision district from Z (minimum lot size of 20 hectares) to 'J (minimum lot size 300 m 2 ) The proposed development comprises of 49 fee simple lots. The lot sizes range from 500m 2 to 750m 2 and are generally smaller than the regular 700m 2 Qualicum Beach lot size. Features of the development include: An open space concept with 31% of the subject property preserved as green space. Most homes will front on a landscaped commons area free of motor vehicles. Parking is accommodated for 22 of the lots from a rear lane (road) system. Four stalls are possible on each lot by a garage and adjacent parking. Thirty-two on-street parking stalls are also available. A greenway buffer of 8m is provided on Laburnum Road (Ring Road). To ensure the quality of design and construction, a building scheme and design guidelines will be registered on title. This Section 219 covenant will detail building massing, finish materials and landscape requirements, among other things, to ensure appropriate and readily-recognizable architectural form and character. The prescribed architectural styles
Page 3 will include neo-traditional and neo-heritage characters such as Arts and Crafts and Craftsman. Possible detached suites on rear lanes over garages or at grade. DISCUSSION Site Plan There are two lot typologies in the proposal. Lots 1-11 and 34-49 provide vehicular access via a front driveway (Type A), while lot Type B is access via a rear laneway and provides a deep enough lot for ground-level detached suites. Type A (Average lot size is 500 sq. m. - 650 sq. m. Average lot dimensions are 15m x 33m Type B (Laneway): Average lot size is 550 sq. m - 750 sq.m. Average lot dimensions are 12.5m by 42m Laneway located at rear of lot Of the two typologies, the rear access laneway version is more appealing from a planning perspective. Laneway access makes for more attractive road frontages, efficient servicing, increased pedestrian and non-vehicular safety and provides flexibility for future uses and housing options. As such, Town staff recommend that the site plan be amended so that there are no driveway accesses of Claymore Road. Affordable Housing Staff support the potential for secondary suites, carriage houses and garden suites as part of the development. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are themselves a form of affordable rental housing and can also serve as a mortgage helper, a place to age in place or as a family support unit. The Town legalized secondary suites in most residential zones in 2010, and garden suites are permitted in the Village Neighbourhood R14 zone. If approved, the proposed subdivision would be the first in Town to permit carriage houses (suites over garage). Monitoring the effectiveness of the carriage house concept could lead to recommendation for policy in other areas of the Town. secondary suite means a self contained secondary dwelling unit that a) is located within or is part of another dwelling unit; b) is not separated from the other dwelling unit by any unheated area; c) shares at least one common interior wall, floor or ceiling with the other dwelling unit of at least 10m2; d) for parcels containing a dwelling unit prior to construction of a secondary suite, contains a maximum floor area of 45m2 exclusive of any floor area that existed as a part of the primary residence for at least three years prior to the start of construction of the secondary suite; e) has the main body of the secondary suite directly attached to the main body of the other dwelling unit; f) has a total floor area of not more than 90 m2 nor more than 40% of the total floor area of the building whichever is lesser; g) is not subdivided from the other dwelling unit on the parcel under the Strata Property Act; and h) is located on a parcel of land where the owner of the land is resident of either the secondary suite or the other dwelling unit for a minimum of six months in any twelve month period. - Zoning Bylaw Part 2 Interpretation
Page 4 The proposed site layout is such that it will be possible to construct accessory dwelling in several configurations: 1. Secondary suites that are attached to the house. Such suites would be regulated by the Town s definition of a secondary suite (see above). 2. Carriage houses where the accessory dwelling units are above the garage. Regulated by form and character covenant. 3. Garden suites where the ADU is a separate building. Regulated by form and character covenant. Lots 12-33 are particularly well suited to all three options for accessory dwelling units, but it will be legal on any of the proposed lots. Affordable Housing Contribution The owners have proposed to make a contribution to the Town s Affordable Housing Reserve account equivalent to $2,000 per Type A lot. The applicant suggests that Type B are inherently well suited to affordable housing and therefore should not make an affordable housing contribution. Staff recommend that the amount be increased, and that the contribution should be made on all the lots. Zoning for Amenities When land is rezoned to allow for increased density, there is usually a dramatic increase in land value as a result of the increased development potential. At the same time, community growth places increased demands on common amenities such as libraries, community centers, and fire halls. In one approach to rezoning, the profit from rezoning is kept by the developer. The developer buys land zoned for lower density, rezones, and then develops the land. Assuming that the developer has purchased the land based on the previous land use, the developer profits twice - from the rezoning and also from the development. Many municipalities in British Columbia have concluded that the benefits of rezoning should be shared between the developer (in the form of profit) and the community (in the form of amenities). The developer should profit to offset the time, cost and risk associated with the rezoning and development process. The community should benefit to offset the cost of increased density. When a zoning change results in increased land value, the increase in land value is shared between the developer and the community. The proportional split between community and developer varies between communities. On the high end of the proportional split is the City of Vancouver, which aims to capture 90% of the increase in land value from rezoning through amenity contributions.
Page 5 Following are examples of amenity contributions from rezonings since 2007: Civic Amenity Contributions Collected? 101-103 Affordable housing contribution: approximately No Railway St $45,000 Parks and Trails contribution: approximately $45,000 673 Fir St Affordable housing contribution: 15% of the No appraised value of the land determined by a registered professional appraiser at the time of application for a building permit $50,000 contribution to Memorial Ave & First St intersection LEED-Certified building design Construction to meet standards for adaptable design so that units can be easily retrofitted to meet the needs of people with disabilities. 127-141 Affordable housing contribution: $5,000 per Yes Fifth Ave E residential unit College Heights Parkside Subdivision Affordable housing contribution: $2,000 per unit; Yes, Phase 1 only Renovation and restoration of College heritage building Construction of an access trail to the beach Adaptable design standards LEED Silver building design $2,000 per lot created. Yes As can be seen from the table above, amenities included as part of rezonings have varied widely. Staff and Council have customized the amenities for each rezoning on a case by case basis, with consideration to factors such as the following: Developer and community input; Location of project; Increase in density; Projected burden on amenities; Affordable housing amenities; Design amenities; Provision of green space; and Financial viability. The goal is to facilitate a win-win between developers and the community. In the proposed Laburnum and Claymore development, the amenities proposed include the following: Construction of a multi-use trail from Laburnum Road to Hoylake Road (approximately 400 metres) Affordable housing contribution ($54,000 proposed)
Page 6 Green building standard: Energy Star or BuiltGreen LED Streetlights Staff recommend that the affordable housing contribution be substantially increased. Form and Character and Green Space In order to ensure the lots are developed as planned, buildings are designed as envisaged and green space areas are protect over the long term, it is proposed that detailed design guidelines be developed and a Section 219 covenant and a building scheme be registered on the title of all lots. These methods have been successful in other areas of Town where the management and longevity of design is critical. In order to avoid the lane system becoming a hard edged area of asphalt concrete and fences deficient in greenery, subdivision construction should include a landscape scheme for this area. The Landscape Plan would then be included in the design guidelines. Green Building and Neighbourhood Design The development as presented includes green features as follows: Smaller homes, which are inherently more energy efficient than larger homes and are more affordable. Narrow roads with less asphalt and less impervious surfaces. Preservation of mature forested area. Commitment to a green building standard, either Built Green or Energy Star. LED street lights ALTERNATIVES Recommend that Council approve the development as presented; Recommend that Council approve the development with changes; Recommend that Council not approve the development of the property. Luke Sales Director of Planning N:\0100-0699 ADMINISTRATION\0360 COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS\APC\2012\April 18\memo.APC.Laburnum and Claymore.docx