Re: REZONING NO Application Review Summary

Transcription

1 January Leanne Taylor Community Planning Department City of Victoria 1 Centennial Square Victoria BC V8W 1P6 Re: REZONING NO Application Review Summary Dear Leanne Taylor, We are in receipt of the City of Victoria technical review comments for the proposed development at Pandora Avenue dated August 29, Further to our meeting of September , please find our response below: Item 1 The proposed building incorporates a base, body and cap order within the context of the building uses and the overlay of other design guidelines as outlined in the Downtown core area plan (DCAP). Exterior cladding materials, glazing mullion patterns and steps within the buildings massing are used to reinforce this order within the composition of the building. Additional design rational is provided in our response to item 3 below. Item 2 the 9 th and 10th floor areas have been reduced to provide a consistent setback to the cap of the building. Subsequently the 10 th floor area has been reduced to 728 SM which is 202 SM below maximum of 930 SM recommended. The 9 th floor area has also been reduced to 1010 SM which is 42 SM over the recommended area for this floor. Given the L shaped configuration of this floor the visual impact of the overall area is reduced as the floor area overlaps in any given view of the building. Item 3 - the building steps and massing along Pandora Avenue comply with both the Wide street and side yard setbacks and in general with the Primary and Secondary street wall guidelines of the DCAP. The Primary street wall is defined by continuous balconies in the southwest corner from levels 2-6 with an enclosing wall at each end. The height and width of this component complies the design guidelines. The Secondary street wall extends from levels 2-8 and overlaps with the Primary street wall. The height and width of this component complies the design guidelines. The Secondary wall is set back 2.1M from hdrcei.com HDR CEI Architecture Associates, Inc West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, CA V6G 2Z6 (604) Douglas S. Wignall, Architect AIA, AIBC, AAA, MRAIC

2 the Primary street wall which is the maximum cantilever for the balconies and compiles with the Wide street setback requirements. Both the Primary and Secondary street walls are located within the Body of the building. The Base of the building is defined by the taller main floor which will be for commercial / retail use. The height of this base will be proportionate to the Body and Cap of the building for a 10 storey structure. Masonry is the primary cladding material of the main floor which will reinforce the base component of the building. The 9 th and 10 th floor will be set back from the Body of the building to create the Cap. The composition of the Primary and Secondary street walls create greater set backs on the east side yard. The west side yard setback complies with the minimum 3M design guide line. The west facing balconies are proposed to project into the 3M setback however it should be noted that the exterior wall on the inside face of the balcony is setback 4.5M from the west property line, 50% greater than the required 3M setback. Item 4 the 9 th and 10 th floor have been setback on the west side and at the northwest corner equal to and consistent with the east side and southeast corner of the building which provides further balance to the overall composition. Item 5 The massing of the building complies with the setback requirements of a Narrow street. The taller portion of the building above the 2 storey Townhouses has been further refined to be a less visually dominating building component on Mason Street. The floor slab edge along with the balcony edge on levels 4-7 will partially project beyond the exterior face of the building as a scaling element and to provide additional visual interest to this façade. The metal cladding proposed for this face of the building has been revised to cement panel, a material that will be more compatible with the masonry of the historic churches in this district. A lighter color is also being proposed to further reduce the visual dominance of this building component. An image of the cement panel has been added to the materials board on drawing A-27. Item 6 We have reviewed the current location of the roof top patio with the area planner Leanne Taylor and we have confirmed that there will be no privacy issues for the neighbours on the north side of Mason Street. Please refer to the site line diagram added to the building section on drawing A-20. Item 7 The Mechanical room will be the minimum size for the required mechanical equipment and the minimum clearance required for maintenance. This will be determined once the Mechanical design is complete in a later stage of the project. The height of the room has been added to the building elevations and sections. We have included 4 additional street views, 2 on Pandora Avenue and 2 on Mason Street which confirm that

3 the mechanical room will have minimal impact on the massing of the building. Please refer to drawing A- 25. Item 8 - The roof overhang above the first floor on Pandora Avenue has been extended to cover the entire length of the commercial/retail storefront to provide continuous weather protection. Item 9 - The recessed entryway has been eliminated. All commercial/retail entrances have been relocated to face Pandora Avenue. Item 10 - The common outdoor areas of this proposal are enclosed by building components and security entry gates. All building areas outside of the secure area will be well illuminated and visible from the commercial areas on Pandora Avenue and the Townhouses on Mason Street. Residential units above the main floor will face all four sides of the site providing eyes on the street. As discussed with the area planner Leanne Taylor a CEPTED report will not be required. Item 11 - The roof overhang above the first floor on Pandora Avenue is comprised of 2 architectural components. Each component will have a composite metal panel fascia each with a different color to express each component. Item 12 The site for the proposed multi-family residential project falls within the DPA-3 Heritage Conservation district. The design guidelines for this district encourage the use of building materials that will conserve and enhance the heritage value of the significant historic buildings within the district, most notably the masonry and brick churches along Quadra Street. To meet the intent of the design guidelines brick cladding is proposed as the primary cladding material for the base of the building. Cement panel cladding will also be incorporated as an accent material in areas of the upper floors. Colored glazing alluding to the stained glass window of the church will enclose the end of the west stairwell for the full height of the building. Staggered mullion patterns around the building recall the offset masonry joints of the stone churches and tall narrow windows commonly located within a church spire have been incorporated as accent windows on the north facade of the building. These design elements, in combination, respectfully acknowledge and reinforce the unique architectural character of this district. A heritage context board has been added to the DP submittal. Refer to drawing A- 26. Item 13 - An economic analysis with be provided to confirm the amenity contribution. Item 14 - Horizontal setback dimensions have been added to the Site plan drawing A4.

4 Item 15 - Individual unit sizes have been added to the individual floor plans. Item 16 - Floor plan drawings and elevation drawings are consistent. Item 17- A materials board has been added to the DP submittal. Refer to drawing A-28. Item 18 - Additional details have been added to for both entry gates, Pandora Ave and Mason Street. Refer to drawing A-22. Item 19 - Additional material labels have been added to the Landscape drawings. Item 20 - The Townhouse main floor roof overhang will include recessed lighting to illuminate the individual suite entrances and entry courts. Recessed linear light fixtures have also been identified for each of the Mason street canopy supports. Additional information has been added to the Main floor plan and perspective views. Item 21 - Visitor parking stalls have been identified on the first level of the underground parkade. Item 22 - Visitor bike parking stalls will be located directly outside of the 2 entry gates on Pandora Avenue and Mason Street. Item 23 For security reasons the developer would prefer to maintain individual bike parking lockers for each tenant however if there is a revised by-law in place to provide a common room the Bike room will be revised as such. Item 24 For legal reasons the developer would prefer to dedicate the land required for the local road improvement on Mason Street rather than a SRW on the property. This approach was reviewed with and accepted by Transportation planner Steve Hutchison. Item 25 - Visitor parking stalls have been identified on the first level of the underground parkade. Item 26 The Architectural drawings have been updated to be consistent with the Landscape drawings. Item 27 A vestibule has been added to the electrical room to meet the requirement of BCBC ) e) Item 28 The security gate at the Mason Street entrance has been revised to swing in the direction of travel.

5 Item 29 A second exit has been added to the Amenity room to comply with BCBC ). Currently 3 doors are indicated for the commercial space along Pandora Avenue. Additional exit door (s) will be added as required dependent on the final configuration of the Tenant space(s) and will be dealt with at the time of Tenant Improvement Applications. Item 30 refer to the response given to item 29. Item 31 refer to the response given to item 28. Item 32 a space form CREST will be reviewed and coordinated with them and be included in the building permit application documentation. We trust we have satisfied the revisions and clarifications outlined in the Application Review Summary and we look forward to receiving the final Planning report is support of this proposal. Yours very truly, HDR / CEI Architecture Associates, Inc. Jim Aalders Architect AIBC MRAIC LEED AP