1150 Cook Street at View

SAKURA DEVELOPMENTS proposes to build a 15-storey, 129-unit strata building at 1150 Cook and View Streets, consisting of mostly one-bedroom condos. Among other reasons, rezoning is required for the height as it currently allows only 10 storeys.

The Downtown Residents Association in a September 2020 letter to City council noted that “The proposed density for 1150 Cook is 7.78:1 while the Official Community Plan maximum is 5.5:1. The R‐48 zone does not state a specific density entitlement and instead staff have adopted a highly debatable calculation to interpret and justify ‘as of right’ densities. If the R48 zoning bylaw does not specifically state a density entitlement, why isn’t an OCP amendment required for this proposal?” It also pointed out that “The City of Vancouver does not allow anything approaching these densities in urban residential areas and neither should Victoria.”

In its letter the DRA also expressed concerns around limited parking: “There are 41 parking spaces proposed for 129 market condo units. There are commercial units proposed within this project and yet no commercial parking spots are being provided. There is no parking for moving trucks, delivery vehicles or guest parking and both short term and long term street parking are typically at a premium already in our neighbourhood and with all the COVID deliveries, it is even worse. “
Its letter concluded: “This application facilitates the undermining of our core planning documents. It is high time for Council to support liveability Downtown and support the principles enshrined in the City’s core planning documents. 

As of December 2020, staff were reviewing some revisions, but the controversial 15 storeys and 41 parking stalls remained.

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