BYLAW NO: 2387 Official Community Plan Bylaw, 2017, No. 2220, Amendment No. 2, (Height and Density Review), 2021, No. 2387
PURPOSE: Bylaw 2387 is proposed to implement the City’s Official Community Plan (OCP) Review and would amend the OCP with changes to the following sections: Land Use, Housing, Town Centre Development Permit Area Guidelines, Multi-Family Development Permit Area Guidelines, Schedule A - Land Use Plan, and Schedule B - Form and Character Development Permit Areas.
The OCP applies to all lands in city. The primary changes proposed in Bylaw 2387 include reducing maximum building heights for new development proposals in the Town Centre land use designation to between 4 and 12 storeys, in the Town Centre Transition designation to between 4 and 6 storeys, and in the West Beach area of the Waterfront Village designation to 3 storeys. Policy changes are also proposed to the East Side Large Lot Infill designation for the density and height of buildings properties along North Bluff Road. Bylaw 2387 also introduces new policies regarding height and density bonusing (i.e., up to 6 storeys) in the Town Centre Transition designation when an “affordable housing component” is included in an eligible development. Options related to the “affordable housing component” are also being introduced in a new policy in the Housing section; these options include reference to “affordable rental housing” which has also been defined (i.e., 20% below average rent in the White Rock area, as determined by the current Canada and Mortgage Housing Corporation rental market reports).
The properties in the following areas are proposed to have their land use designation change, as follows:
- The properties with the Montecito (1153-1169 Vidal Street) and Silver Moon (1081 Martin Street) multi-unit residential buildings – from “Waterfront Village” to “Urban Neighbourhood”
- South side of Victoria Avenue between Martin Street and Finlay Street
(15000-15500 block of Victoria Avenue) – from “Waterfront Village” to “Mature Neighbourhood”
- East side of Finlay Street south of Russell Avenue (1400-block of Finlay Street) – from “East Side Large Lot Infill” to “Mature Neighbourhood”
- West side of Hospital Street north of Vine Street (the gravel parking lot owned by Peace Arch Hospital Foundation) – from “Town Centre Transition” to “Institutional”
In the draft version of Bylaw 2387, the east side of Elm Street (1100-block of Elm Street) was proposed to be changed from “Waterfront Village” to “Mature Neighbourhood”; however, Bylaw 2387 has now been amended to leave the land use designation for these properties as “Waterfront Village” recognizing that amendments to the designation would, if approved, allow multi-unit residential buildings with a maximum height of 3 storeys at a density of up to 1.5 FAR (gross floor area ratio). Additional amendments to the OCP as it relates to Elm Street would require that development proposals in the area give consideration to the heritage context of existing properties.