TEAM on permits: a One Stop Renovation Centre and Board of Variance appeals
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would simplify zoning and permit processes, bring back the One Stop Renovation Centre for small projects, restore third-party appeals to the Board of Variance, and require accurate renderings and shadow studies for every development proposal.
HOUSING AND PLANNING
Development Efficiency: what the Our Positions says
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver wants faster permits without weaker review. On its planning page the party says city processes are complex and slower than needed while public consultation is "opaque, rushed and misleading". Its answer is to simplify zoning, development and building permits, find the points where applications get stuck, and train staff to handle them, while keeping checks on quality and public process.
Small builders get their own promises. TEAM would bring back the One Stop Renovation Centre, a single city office for small projects such as laneway homes, secondary suites, duplexes and small infill homes that do not require buying several lots together. It would also allow more flexible on-site review for renovation permits. The party says planning should serve the public interest, and it criticizes planning shaped by developer proformas, which are a developer's projections of costs and profit.
Other items give the public more information and more ways to object. Third-party appeals to the Board of Variance, which the party says existed for 50 years, would return, so neighbours could challenge decisions of the Director of Planning. Proposal images would have to use a 50mm lens view that matches human sight, and shadow studies would be required for four dates in the year. Demolition would face more rules on taking buildings apart and reusing materials.
Permits, rendering standards and the Urban Design Panel are all run by the city, so Council can act on them. The Board of Variance is set up by the Vancouver Charter, a provincial law. Section 573 of that law lists the appeals the board can hear, and only the Province can change it.
THE PARTY'S NUMBERS
Figures in this chapter
How long third-party appeals to the Board of Variance were in place, according to the party
The party's figureLens length the party would require for development photos and renderings
The party's figure10 COMMITMENTS
What the party says it would do
Simpler and more transparent permit processes
TEAM would simplify the zoning, development and building permit processes and make them more transparent, to cut costs and approval times for all new development and renovations.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council controls the city's zoning and permit rules.
Keep quality and due diligence while speeding up
The party would make sure quality, due diligence and democratic process in the public interest are not reduced by faster processing.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets the review standards in the city's permit process.
Find bottlenecks and train permit staff
TEAM would make it a priority to identify bottlenecks in the permitting process and make sure staff are properly trained to handle permits.
- Who has the power
- City Council City permit staff work under policies and budgets that Council approves.
Flexible on-site review for renovation permits
The party would streamline processes for smaller projects with more flexible on-site review for renovation building permits.
- Who has the power
- City Council Vancouver issues its own building permits under its own building by-law.
Re-establish the One Stop Renovation Centre
TEAM would re-establish the One Stop Renovation Centre and similar services for approving small construction projects, making it easier to build laneway housing, secondary suites, duplexes and small ground-oriented infill without assembling several lots.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council can fund and organize a city permit office.
Restore third-party appeals to the Board of Variance
The party would reinstate third-party appeals to the Board of Variance, which it says were in place for 50 years as a check on the discretionary powers of the Director of Planning.
- Who has the power
- City, with others The Board of Variance and the appeals it hears are set out in section 573 of the Vancouver Charter, which only the Province can change.
Urban Design Panel members who represent the public
TEAM would make sure members of the Urban Design Panel, the city's advisory panel on building design, have a strong record of representing the public interest in design and planning.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets how members of the city's advisory panels are appointed.
A professional standard for development photos and renderings
The party would require proposal photos and 3D renderings to show the impact on the whole neighbourhood and skyline, including all surrounding buildings, using a 50mm lens and suitable focal length, or the same perspective in a digital rendering, so they match human vision. It cites CityHallWatch articles of June 2, 2020 and December 15, 2020.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets what a development application must include.
Shadow studies at four points in the year
TEAM would require every development proposal to provide shadow studies at the winter solstice, spring equinox, summer solstice and autumn equinox, using 3D renderings that show the effect on the surrounding neighbourhood and skyline.
- Who has the power
- City Council Council sets what a development application must include.
More deconstruction and reuse of building materials
The party would add more requirements for taking houses apart and reusing building materials, as a more sustainable alternative to demolition, and enforce the related tree retention and replacement policies.
- Who has the power
- City Council Vancouver sets its own demolition and tree rules through city by-laws.
WHO WOULD HAVE TO ACT
Where the power sits for this chapter
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Questions about development efficiency
What is TEAM for a Livable Vancouver's plan to speed up permits?
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would simplify zoning, development and building permit processes, identify bottlenecks, train staff, and allow more flexible on-site review for renovation permits, while keeping quality and due diligence in place (TEAM Planning for Livability and Affordability page).
Would TEAM bring back the One Stop Renovation Centre?
Yes. TEAM says it would re-establish the One Stop Renovation Centre and similar services for small projects, making it easier to build laneway housing, secondary suites, duplexes and small infill homes without combining several lots (TEAM Planning for Livability and Affordability page).
What does TEAM propose for the Board of Variance?
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver would reinstate third-party appeals to the Board of Variance, which it says existed for 50 years as a check on the Director of Planning. The board's appeals are set out in section 573 of the Vancouver Charter, which only the Province can change (TEAM Planning for Livability and Affordability page).
What rules would TEAM set for development renderings in Vancouver?
TEAM says proposal photos and 3D renderings would have to show the whole neighbourhood and skyline using a 50mm lens view that matches human vision. Every proposal would also need shadow studies at both solstices and both equinoxes (TEAM Planning for Livability and Affordability page).
Does TEAM want to limit demolition of houses?
TEAM for a Livable Vancouver says it would add more requirements for deconstruction, which means taking a building apart, and for reusing building materials instead of demolishing houses. It would also enforce tree retention and replacement rules (TEAM Planning for Livability and Affordability page).
Can Vancouver City Council change its own permit rules?
Yes. Council controls the city's zoning and permit processes, its building by-law and what a development application must include. Restoring third-party appeals to the Board of Variance touches the Vancouver Charter, which is provincial law (TEAM Planning for Livability and Affordability page).
ON THE BALLOT
The TEAM for a Livable Vancouver candidates behind this
Sources
Every commitment on this page comes from the party's own material, marked SAYS SO ITSELF. It proves what the party says it would do. Who holds each power is our own addition, from the sources listed after it.
- TEAM planning for livability and affordability, learn more SAYS SO ITSELFTEAM for a Livable Vancouver · checked
- Vancouver Charter: section 138 (councillors elected by neighbourhood), section 165.2 (closed Council meetings) and section 573 (appeals to the Board of Variance) Province of British Columbia (BC Laws) · checked