Mayor & Council of the City of Vancouver, City Hall, 453 West 12th Avenue,
Vancouver, British Columbia V5Y 1V4 April 18, 2016
Dear Mayor Gregor Robertson and Councilors,
Re: Policy Report to Council for 3365 Commercial Drive is Premature
The Grandview Woodland Area Council (GWAC) agrees with Cedar Cottage Area Neighbours (CCAN), a fellow member group of the Coalition of Vancouver Neighbourhoods, regarding this proposal.
We ask that you do not refer Policy Report #4 (CD-1 Rezoning – 3365 Commercial Drive and 1695- 1775 East 18th Avenue) to Public Hearing at the Council meeting scheduled for April 19, 2016.
This rezoning application includes a significant heritage component. At its meeting on May 4, 2015 the Vancouver Heritage Commission stated:
THAT the Vancouver Heritage Commission does not support the application to relocate and rehabilitate 3365 Commercial Drive due to the relocation of the house, its new siting and its condition;
FURTHER THAT the Commission is willing to consider a revised application that would address the position of the heritage house on the site with a reduced, more compatible infill project adjacent.
A revised application was submitted to the City of Vancouver by the developer in December 2015, but staff failed to send that application to the Heritage Commission for reevaluation. While the “infill project adjacent” has been slightly reduced in the revised application, we do not believe that this single change adequately addresses the concerns expressed in the initial evaluation of May 4, 2015. The relocation and the condition of the house have not been addressed at all; the siting has been addressed only minimally.
This application should not proceed to Council until the Vancouver Heritage Commission has reviewed the revisions. The evaluation of the Commission is essential information that needs to be provided to Council before a legitimate decision can be made to refer the application to Public Hearing.
Sincerely,
Dorothy Barkley, Chair
Grandview Woodland Area Council (GWAC)
Grandview Woodland Area Council 