City of Surrey Advisory Design Panel Minutes Executive Boardroom City Hall 14245-56 Avenue Surrey, B.C. THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2007 Time: 3:30 p.m. Present: Chair L. Mickelson Panel Members: R. Knill G. McRae A. Policzer Neil Pelman Staff Present: B. Clark, City Architect - Planning & Development H. Bello, Senior Planner - Planning & Development K. Swaele, Legislative Services A. NEW SUBMISSIONS 1. Commercial Shopping Centre 2444 160 Street File: 7906-0426-00 Nathan Hildebrand, South Surrey Shopping Centres Ltd. Developer Chris Block, Chandler Associates Architecture Inc. Architect Area Planner: Ron Gill Urban Designer: Hernan Bello Christopher Block, Architect, Chandler Associates, Dan Diaconu, Dan Diaconu, Architect, Chandler Associates, Brent Savard, Smart! Centres, Nathan Hildebrand, Smart Centres, and David Mitchell, DMG Landscape Architects, were in attendance to present the plans, perspective and landscape plan for the proposed commercial shopping centre. Nathan Hildebrand, Smart Centres, introduced the members of the delegation and commented: That this proposal is for the northeast quadrant of the 160 th and 24 th Avenue intersection and is the third development they have in the area. That the two other developments are the Home Depot, which opened today, and Wal-Mart which will hopefully be developed this spring with an opening early 2008. That they have attempted to utilize materials and style to provide continuity throughout the entire development. That all sidewalks and interior streets lead to a central pedestrian court which will include paving stone and benches for ambiance. The Architect made the following comments: That they have been working on this project for a little over a year along with the other parcels in the area. That this portion of the development will create a focal point for the developments on the four corners of 24 th and 160 th Street http://surrey.ihostez.com/content/uploaded/8a405455bfda436b96e00660fab7565b-01257adp-min.doc Page 1
That they have tried to design the centre to create a sense of a main street or village and that this is the concept for the NW quadrant. That they are looking at materials which detail and interact with the landscaping, which is an important part of the main street idea. That they are aware that corner units need to be special, and that once tenants are secured they will work with them to ensure the buildings are well articulated. That parking is angled in front of the stores along both the main streets within the site, with smaller parking areas around the site. The pedestrian nodes are created which are made interesting through landscaping, benches, and entries onto the main streets of the development. That they are creating variation throughout the plan with the use of canopies along the sidewalks for people to walk under during inclement weather. That they have a palette of materials to be used in variation from building to building including stucco, some wood, two different types of cultured stone, glazing, and limited corrugated metal panels. Typically the windows will be in darker anodized metal and the concrete will be either painted or exposed. The colors being used are from the Benjamin Moore line and tend towards robust on the warmer end of the scale. That they have a separate parking structure to the north, rear area of the development. That there will be a residential townhouse development built behind the parking structure. The parking structure will be two level precast concrete with pedestrian stairs at either end. That where the parking structure faces the residential units, it will be built five feet below grade with a berm and densely planted area so there will only be about 8 feet of building above grade which will be hidden from residential by berm and trees. That there will be additional screening elements on the parkade with metal framework and mesh to provide a screen through the trees, and to fill in the visual openings. The entrances to the parking structure will have roll shutters for nighttime visibility and will be locked off after hours. The Landscape Architect made the following comments: That they are following a fairly straightforward master plan that will be repeated throughout all the developments in this intersection. That parking areas are bisected with strong pedestrian opportunities and pedestrian linkages. That parking areas will be well treed. That the landscape treatment along 160 th Street and 24 th Avenue is treed, but more urban because there is no residential interface to deal with. That there is a buffer and path along the back of the development that may be a meandered for more interest, depending on the adjacent development, and that this item will be coordinated with the two sites. http://surrey.ihostez.com/content/uploaded/8a405455bfda436b96e00660fab7565b-01257adp-min.doc Page 2
That they are using plantings consistent with the South Surrey character. That arbours similar to those used at the Home Depot will frame pedestrian entries along 24 th Avenue. Trees will screen the parkade along the west side. That there is an abundance of topsoil on the site that will ensure the long-term health of the landscaping. The Landscape Architect concluded by displaying pictures of the proposed lighting, benches and bicycle racks to be used in the development. Comments from Planning were: Site plan has been significantly refined, with clear pedestrian and vehicular routes, and creation of meaningful spaces Corner plaza at 24-160 th should be a significant landmark at a civic scale to anchor the Grandview Corners development with a 3D expression (i.e. banner poles, feature trees, like Strawberry Hill shopping plaza s corner feature). The corner plaza at the SE of the site also needs development. Simplify colours, materials and forms for a more elegant character (i.e. limit use of unfinished metal siding, orange, multiple awning types and signage) Parkade needs restudy to interface with the townhouse development to the north, particularly due to visibility of parked cars on the roof (i.e. break up roof plane with tree planting as per OCP, add stone and timber pergola elements to match the rest of the development, incorporate special treatment along north façade now painted concrete, etc.) South portion of parkade structure poses CPTED concerns and needs resolution. Loading area at NE of site requires more screening to the north due to townhouse interface. Area shown as future building may not be used for parking on an interim basis, and should be landscaped. Landscape comments to be discussed subsequent to the meeting. Existing trees to be shown on site plan, reviewed and retained where possible In response to questions and comments from the Panel the delegation stated the following: The colour and materials could be further studied The intent is to fit within the South Surrey context and provide a different character than the proposed mall to the west, which incorporates residences That the site entry points have been established with the Engineering Department and cannot be altered. ADVISORY DESIGN PANEL STATEMENT OF REVIEW NATHAN HILDEBRAND, SOUTH SURREY SHOPPING CENTRES LTD. 7906-0426-00 http://surrey.ihostez.com/content/uploaded/8a405455bfda436b96e00660fab7565b-01257adp-min.doc Page 3
The Design Panel recommends that the applicant address the following issues and resubmit the project if the following items are not addressed the satisfaction of the Planning & Development Department: Form and Character 1. Simplify architectural expression (i.e. almost too much variety, colour and elements gives a less elegant appearance). Create foreground and background elements that unify the project. 2. This quadrant should exceed the standards at the Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Superstore components of Grandview Corners, both in terms of themes and level of finishes. 3. Colour palette to be further studied (i.e. orange not up-scale, consider copper detailing with charcoal grey accents, in keeping with South Surrey location). 4. The Panel noted that the parkade design was not up to the standard of the rest of the development and needed restudy to address the residential overview from the north (i.e. metal screen insufficient; character of painted concrete and steel too industrial use detailing seen elsewhere on the site, such as trellis/pergola shown on landscape plans). Integrate parkade and building to south to avoid narrow slot (i.e. extend building to parkade or vice versa, and create internal walkway. Consider surveillance issues/opportunities). Parkade may only require 2 exit stairs. 5. Concerns were expressed about Building VD (largest) and how it would relate to the other buildings on the site. 6. Extensive of use of flat roofs gives an impression of a lack of articulation (i.e. incorporate some sloping roof elements, changes in roof plane, rooftop screening devices, etc.). 7. Signage concept to be further developed and integrated in the DP drawings. It is important that the signage be upscale and elegant to create an appropriate character for this South Surrey location. Internally illuminated box signs are not appropriate. 8. Mast and fascia lighting to be resolved (i.e. 5m pedestrian-scale decorative non-glare fixtures, HPS). Site Plan & Landscape 1. Develop significant corner feature, as an introduction to the elegance of the surroundings. The southwest, and to a lesser extent the southeast, are major gateways to the development which requires 3D expression and a more prominent landmark. Defining the corners with building mass, as seen at the Strawberry Hill Shopping mall, was suggested as an approach. 2. The pedestrian realm should be studied in detail as these spaces will give the centre its heart. Develop hierarchy of open spaces/routes. 3. Develop all the site entries and corners with special landscaping and urban design features. 4. The street front detailing should be more interesting where parking lots are located behind (i.e. stone wall, planting, etc.). 5. Consider less rectilinear site geometry or other methods to create meaningful building articulation. 6. Further consider way finding from the parking areas to the buildings. http://surrey.ihostez.com/content/uploaded/8a405455bfda436b96e00660fab7565b-01257adp-min.doc Page 4
7. Rooftop planting on parkade should match OCP guidelines. 8. Resolve landscaping with the Planning Department, including location and design of garbage enclosures. CPTED 1. Maximize natural surveillance throughout the site. Ensure that future tenants do not block vision windows with posters and the like. Consider incorporation of caretaker s suite(s). 2. Beautify the parkade to draw people to it, and incorporate an element within that gives the impression of natural surveillance (i.e. shifted elevator, security kiosk with mirrored glazing). 3. Provide hard-wired, installed video surveillance equipment in the parkade. 4. Design to deter access from parkade to roof of building to south. 5. Ensure use of high end locks to deter unwanted access. 6. Incorporate appropriate way-finding signage and consider impact of landscaping and snow. 7. Encourage extra security measures on phone room wiring. 8. Do not install pay phones. Access 1. Let-downs should be located near the road as they are easier to access when blocked by vehicles. Curb cut-outs should align with crosswalks and ideally be at right angles to the curb. 2. Consider shifting the parkade elevator to the centre and on axis with the pedestrian route from the south, to make it more obvious. 3. Incorporate power doors. The Panel asked that future applicants be requested to provide photographs of built developments that are similar to what they wish to achieve in their applications, to clarify the design intent for the Panel. B. RESUBMISSIONS C. ADOPTION OF MINUTES It was Moved by A. Policzer Seconded by L, Mikelson That the minutes of the Advisory Design Panel meeting held on December 5, 2006, be adopted. Carried http://surrey.ihostez.com/content/uploaded/8a405455bfda436b96e00660fab7565b-01257adp-min.doc Page 5
It was Moved by L. Mikelson Seconded by A. Policzer That the minutes of the Advisory Design Panel meeting held on December 7, 2006, be adopted. Carried It was Moved by R. Knill Seconded by A. Policzer That the minutes of the Advisory Design Panel meeting held on January 15, 2007, be adopted. Carried D. OTHER COMPETENT BUSINESS E. NEXT MEETING The next Advisory Design Panel is scheduled for February 15, 2007. F. ADJOURNMENT The Advisory Design Panel meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m. Margaret Jones, City Clerk L. Mikelson, Chairperson Advisory Design Panel http://surrey.ihostez.com/content/uploaded/8a405455bfda436b96e00660fab7565b-01257adp-min.doc Page 6