There is no policy directly related to this request. The purpose of this report is to seek Council's advice as to the extent of encroachment onto the sidewalks around the old Eatons store at Pacific Centre that should be allowed in order to assist the architects in improving the appearance of this building by renovating it prior to its re-opening as an Eatons Store. As part of this project, significant changes to the appearance of the building are planned. On the outside of the building, new elements will include weather protection by means of glass canopies, some additional storefront windows, architectural elements to animate the pedestrian experience and a changing program of colourful signs and banners on all the building facades. They have requested that the City permit them to encroach up to 18 inches onto the street.
Sidewalk space is taken up by various pieces of street furniture, street trees and signs.
At the northerly end of the proposed arch encroachment on Granville Street, the clearance from the existing building to a bus shelter is only approximately eight feet. Staff feel this is unacceptable and therefore could not support the requested encroachment. It is important to note that the City receives many requests for encroachments onto streets and lanes for a number of different reasons. The majority of these requests come from commercial areas where existing buildings are built to, or nearly to, the property lines. Staff evaluate these requests based on the needs of the City and the public for the street space and the potential impact of the proposed encroachment.