City taking final steps to approve updates for century-old East Van store
Credit to Author: Nick Eagland| Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2020 00:45:25 +0000
City staff will recommend on Tuesday that council help move forward an application to update a beloved century-old neighbourhood store in East Vancouver.
The Bramble Store and Apartment, located at 959 East 35th Ave., received heritage designation in May of 2019.
The designation requires the retention and rehabilitation of the building but allows for a new single-family home with a secondary suite at the front of the site, as part of a development permit application.
But there was a discrepancy in the reported floor-area allocation and site coverage in the application, so city staff will ask council on Tuesday to adjust that with an amendment to its heritage revitalization agreement so staff can finally approve the application, according to a report to council.
The original agreement allows for a modest increase in density — 10 per cent over what is permitted — as well as a modest increase in site coverage and other small variances, according to the city. The proposed amendment to the agreement won’t change the density or add any other variances.
The single-storey store in the Kensington neighbourhood was constructed in 1921 and in 1924 a second-floor apartment was added.
The city said the building is in “very good” condition. The rehabilitation of its exterior is a condition of the development permit application.
“The heritage building is valued as an example of the interwar development of small neighbourhood commercial buildings along local streets that served the area population with basic goods, including groceries, and various services,” said Gil Kelley, general manager of planning, urban design and sustainability, in a report to council.
“It is also significant for its cultural history that included various immigrant groups who lived in the apartment above and operated the store.”
The store used to be part of a cluster of commercial buildings along the block and continues to serve the community as a neighbourhood grocery store.
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