HomeMy WebLinkAboutSDP201800012 Request of Modification, Variance, Waiver 2019-05-10COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5832
May 10, 2019
Andrew Allison
Timmons Group
608 Preston Avenue, Ste. 200
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Fax (434) 972-4126
RE: SDP201800012 Woolen Mills Redevelopment — Letter of Revision #1— Parking Determination
Dear Mr. Allison,
This determination regards your request for parking modification dated January 23, 2019 accompanying a letter of
revision that would modify the uses in the Woolen Mills building and reduce the number of parking spaces provided from
the 585 spaces required under Section 4.12 of the Albemarle County Zoning Ordinance to 324 spaces. After reviewing the
information submitted, it is my determination that this modification is acceptable, with certain conditions. The basis of
this determination is as follows:
A. Relationship to Prior Modification
During review of the initial site plan, it was determined that a modification of the 397 spaces required under Section 4.12
of the Albemarle County Zoning Ordinance to 317 spaces provided was acceptable due to the mix of uses on site that
created opportunities for shared parking within the development, expected parking generation rates for the then -proposed
residential units, and pending improvements to multimodal access to the site. This modification resulted in a roughly 20%
reduction in parking.
However, plans for the reuse of the site have since shifted to include a major office tenant (WillowTree Inc.), enlarge the
restaurant space to accommodate event uses, and eliminate the residential component. A press release dated April 17,
2019 announced "The Wool Factory" as the tenant of the space designated for restaurant use, which will include a
restaurant and "premier event destination capable of hosting 20 to 350 guests for everything from intimate corporate
dinners to grand weddings and celebrations" as well as a brewery and coffee and wine shop. The approval of the prior
20% reduction is not acceptable as a general justification for the current request.
B. Current Proposal
Per the letter provided with this request, approximately 85,936 square feet of office space and 12,113 square feet of
restaurant space are proposed, with the uses requiring 427 parking spaces and 158 parking spaces, respectively, for a total
of 585 parking spaces. 324 spaces are proposed, a deficit of 261 spaces and an almost 45% reduction.
Per email received on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, the expected hours of operation and square footages for "The Wool
Factory" are as follows:
Selvedge Brewing
Serving Area
5PM-11PM
243 sf
Brewing/Production Area
8AM-5PM
657 sf
Broadcloth Restaurant
Bar/Dining/Bathroom
5PM-11PM
1,947 sf
Commercial Kitchen
5PM-11PM
1,244 sf
The Workshop
Coffee & Wine Shop
8AM-5PM
1,490 sf
Events Space
5PM-11PM
6,188 sf
The majority of event and restaurant activities would take place outside of the office tenant's normal business hours
except for "The Workshop" (coffee & wine shop) and production at Selvedge Brewing. Additionally, there are plans to
utilize a shuttle system to assist with event parking during events with higher attendance.
C. Transit Partnership & Shuttle Service
A key component of the public -private partnership approved in September 2018 was a performance agreement for a five-
year transit service obligation that will provide shuttle service to downtown Charlottesville. The letter provided further
clarifies that "...WillowTree Inc. maintains parking spaces within a garage located adjacent to downtown Charlottesville.
WillowTree intends to use these spaces along with a daily shuttle service and flexible work hours to meet the parking
needs of their employees."
The effective provision of offsite parking and transit service to the Broadway Street Corridor is acceptable as a
basis for the requested modification.
D. Pedestrian and Bicycle Connectivity
The original justification provided cited the relative proximity of the property to Charlottesville's Downtown Mall (-1
mile) and dense housing in nearby neighborhoods as factors encouraging bicycle & pedestrian access to the site.
Bicycle connectivity, although lacking in infrastructure, is adequate due to low traffic volumes along Market Street and
Broadway Street. The final site plan shows bicycle parking spaces (24) as requested in the original parking modification,
and locker facilities are being provided for the tenant. These facilities serve to incentivize bicycling and are acceptable
as a basis for the requested modification.
Though there is potential for pedestrian access, there is currently a lack of pedestrian infrastructure in the property's
immediate surroundings, with missing or intermittent sidewalks along Broadway Street and Market Street. During the
rezoning process (ZMA201600016), an easement for a new connection to the Rivanna Trail (#1) and a cash contribution
to the City for potential improvements within the City's portion of the Woolen Mills neighborhood (#7) were proffered.
Additionally, the County's Economic Development Strategic Plan identified the need for a planning study for the
Broadway Street corridor. However, the scope and timeline of City or County -initiated improvements has not yet been
determined and is beyond the control of this project. Future pedestrian improvements in the area may mitigate this as
a cause for concern.
2
E. Shared Parking
Most of the restaurant & event uses in "The Wool Factory" will have peak parking demand times outside the office
tenant's normal business hours, and care will be taken to permit shared usage of parking by multiple users. Shared
parking is acceptable as a basis for the requested modification.
Comment on Public Health, Safety, or Welfare and Other Information
The Woolen Mills site poses significant challenges in balancing adaptive reuse on a significantly constrained site with the
protection of the public health, safety, or welfare, which were discussed during its legislative review processes. This
determination is solely focused on the relationship between the provision of parking (and mobility) and ensuring that the
public health, safety, or welfare will be equally or better served by the modification.
The proposed reuse substantially utilizes the available land and building area. Due to the constraints of surrounding
streets, preventing parking overflow will be a priority: East Market Street cannot handle on -street parking near the site and
currently has "no parking" signs posted near the end of the public right-of-way. Should future zoning enforcement
headaches arise, it should also be noted that the County is enabled to pursue additional enforcement measures by
regulating parking on public streets to protect public safety & the welfare of adjacent neighborhoods.
Although a modification of this scale is uncommon, it is also recognized that the inclusion of the shuttle service is a novel
solution to address parking and the reuse of this site is an example of how partnerships can improve mobility, support
community needs, and encourage economic development in an urbanizing area. The long-term viability of the proposal
will depend on continued support for the transit partnership beyond the initial five-year obligation, and should issues arise
with overflow parking, the site may lend itself to structured parking solutions. However, there must be a continued
commitment to improving bicycle, pedestrian, and transit access to the site; optimizing the usage of parking resources in
the Broadway Street corridor; and successfully implementing mobility solutions as operations ramp up at the Woolen
Mills.
3
Summary
The provision of transit service/offsite parking, bicycle facilities, and shared parking combined with conditions related to
parking signage are sufficient to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. Although there are issues that still need to
be resolved regarding multimodal access, it is my determination that the modification in the minimum parking
requirement is acceptable. I recommend the following conditions of approval for Letter of Revision #1 for
SDP201800012 relating to parking:
1. Signage shall be posted to direct overflow vehicles from the parking area accessible from East Market Street to
the parking area accessible from Broadway Street. These signs shall be posted as to be visible from the vehicular
circulation areas at the following locations:
a. the entrance to the property at East Market Street;
b. between the entrance to the property at East Market Street and the CSX railroad bridge;
c. and the parking area accessible from East Market Street.
2. The plan shall contain:
a. A note stating "No vehicles shall be parked along East Market Street or the driveway connecting to East
Market Street.";
b. The general location and quantity of bicycle parking facilities;
c. And the locations and content of the above referenced signs as approved by the Zoning Administrator or
designee.
3. Events shall not be held during the office tenant's normal business hours.
If you are aggrieved by this determination, you have a right to appeal it within ten (30) days of this notice, in accordance
with Virginia Code § 15.2-2311; provided, however, that a ten (10) day appeal period applies to appeals of decisions
pertaining to temporary or seasonal commercial uses, and such appeals shall be filed within ten (10) days after this
decision. If you do not file a timely appeal, this determination shall be final and unappealable.
An appeal may be taken only by filing an appeal application with the Zoning Administrator and the Board of Zoning
Appeals, in accordance with Albemarle County Code § 18-34.3, along with a fee of $258 plus the actual cost of advertising
the appeal for public hearing.
Applications for Appeal of the Zoning Administrator's Determination are available at the Department of Community
Development located at 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 or online at www.albemarle.or /g cdapps. This
form applies to appeals of decisions of the zoning administrator or any other administrative officer pertaining to the
Zoning Ordinance.
Regulations pertaining to the filing of an appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals are outlined in Albemarle County Code
§ 18-34.3, which may be reviewed online at www.albemarle.or /cg oq tycodebza. If you have any questions, please do not
hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
CL-Q, �/ "T-L
Andrew Knuppel
Planner - Albemarle County Community Development
aknuppel(aDalbemarle.org 1 (434) 296-5832 ext. 3313
Attachments:
1. Request Letter
2. The Wool Factory Press Release
3. Email dated 5/7/2019
W
■ � i
TIMMONS GROUP
YOUR VISION ACHIEVED THROUGH OURS.
January 23, 2019
County of Albemarle
Bill Fritz, AICP — Chief of Special Project
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, VA 22902
608 Preston Avenue P 434.295.5624
Suite 200 F 434.295.8317
Charlottesville, VA 22903 www.timmons.com
RE: Woolen Mills Redevelopment — Waiver Request from Section 4.12.16
Dear Mr. Fritz:
With this letter we would like to formally request a waiver to the County code requirement,
described in Section 4.12.6, "Offices, business, administrative and professional (including medical offices
but not dental clinics:" to provide one (1) parking space per two hundred (200) square feet of net office
floor area. The proposed development on this property shall consist of approximately 85,396 SF of office
space and 12,113 SF of restaurant space. Per Albemarle County Code Section 4.12.6, a total of 585
parking spaces are required. With the approved 20% parking reduction associated with this development,
the total amount of parking required of equals 468 spaces.
The approved site plan provides 324 parking spaces, 9 of which are ADA accessible. With the
change in building use from office/restaurant/residential to office/restaurant a deficit of 144 parking space
is created. The current tenant of the property, WillowTree Inc., maintains parking spaces within a garage
located adjacent to downtown Charlottesville. WillowTree intends to use these spaces along with a daily
shuttle service and flexible work hours to meet the parking needs of their employees.
We appreciate your considerations for the proposed exception request. A Letter of Revision to the
approved site plan shall be submitted for your use and review. If you have any questions or comments,
please feel free to give me a call at 434.327.1683.
Sincerely,
Andrew Allison
Project Engineer
CIVIL ENGINEERING I ENVIRONMENTAL I SURVEYING I GIs I LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE I CONSTRUCTION SERVICES
5/10/2019 Event Venue, Brewery, and Restaurant Planned for the Historic Wo - WVIR NBC29 Charlottesville News, Sports, and Weather
2ONBC29.COM
73a (/weather) —
Event Venue, Brewery, and Restaurant Planned for the Historic Woolen Mills
The Historic Woolen Mills will serve as the site for The Wool Factory, a 12,000-square-foot project featuring
an expansive event space, a craft microbrewery, an ingredient -driven restaurant, and a coffee and wine
shop.
Wednesday, April 17th 2019, 12:08 PM EDT
Edited by Halley Wilt
1/3
Jaggers Communications Press Release:
CHARLOTTESVILLE (Aprl 17, 2019) - The Historic Woolen Mills, a restoratb n of the 19th-century textb mll located a mb from Downtown
Charlottesvb , wll serve as the site for The Wool Factory, a 12,000-square-foot project featurh g an expanse a event space, a craft
microbrewery, an in gredient-dry en rat aurant, and a coffee and win a shop. Located at the junctb n of Moore's Creek and the Rv anna Rv er,
The Hst oric Woob n Mlls wll also be home to the 85,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art campus of Wllo wTree, an in dustry-b adin g technology
company.
The Wool Factory was conceptuak ed by partne s Brad Uhl, Brad on Wooten, and Dan FitzHenry, part of the team behin d Charlottesvg -
based Grit Coffee. Inspt ed by the industrb us hst ory of the property, The Wool Factory wll be a unq ue coil boratb n between chefs, brewers,
win emakers, and coffee roasters aimed at creath g a dst in ct food -and -beverage desth atb n.
"We've been workh g on this project for almost two years, refh h g our concept and brh gh g h the right partners. It's amazin g to see our vs b n
start to become real ty," Wooten said. "We're excited to take up rid ence h this bubi g after it sat dormant for so long and to create a space
we hope wll become a gatherh g pb ce for the community."
The Hst oric Woob n Mlls' origh al in dustrial aet hetic has been preserved to form the breathtakin g backdrop for its showpiece event hall. The
event space in The Wool Factory wll be a premier event desth atb n capabb of hostin g 20 to 350 guests for everythh g from h tm ate
corporate din ners to grand weddh gs and cb bratb ns. The h -house caterh g program wll be overseen by Execute e Chef Tucker Yoder, a
ceb brated local chef with an extensv a cuh ary career. Ame itW wll h clude outdoor gatherh g areas featurh g ry er views, a fully appoh ted
dressh g loft, and over 300 parkh g space on site.
"The scab and character of the architecture, the beautiful setth g along the ry er, and the proxM ity to Downtown make The Wool Factory
unk a any other event space in the area," said Cb ' a Macfarb n, & ector of operatb ns and sab s, who brh gs more than a decade of local and
natb nal hospital ty and event experience to the venue.
https://www.nbc29.com/story/4O323385/event-venue-brewery-and-restaurant-planned-for-the-historic-woolen-mills 1/6
5/10/2019 Event Venue, Brewery, and Restaurant Planned for the Historic Wo - WVIR NBC29 Charlottesville News, Sports, and Weather
Housed withh the mah event space, Selvedge Brewig wll present unq ue small batch beers created h calk boratb n with Hunter Smith,
owner and president of Champb n Brewh g Company. The brewery menu created by Chef Yoder wll feature seasonal fare to pair with the
rotath g seb ctb n of beers. Patrons of Sh( edge Brewh g wll have the opportunity to enjoy their food and beverages withh the mah hall,
courtyard or along the Moore's Creek promo ade.
"I've long been h terested h the redevelopme t of the Hat oric Woob n Mlls, as a Charlottesvb naty e and with Champb n's productb n
brewery, the Mbs Factory, just down the road on Broadway. It's a great neighborhood and I'm really excited to create some new experiences
and beers with Tucker and the whob crew asses bb d he e. It's a great opportunity and I feel lucky to be h valved," Smith said.
Broadcloth, a restaurant helmed by Chef Yoder, wll feature an ecb ctic menu bult around locally sourced h gredients. It wll marry the
h dustrial aesthetic of the origh al mll budi g with modern touches, and wll boast a chef's tabb h side the kitchen, a cocktal bar, and
several pre ate din h g optb ns. Yoder, who most recently served as the execute a chef of Back 40 — a cob boratb n with Tm bercreek Farm —
s passb nate about developh g reb tb nshp s with farme s and local purveyors.
"Chefs and the media have co-opted 'farm-to-tabb ,' but I stll bele ve real reb tb nshp s with farmers and producers yield the best food," said
Yoder. "With Broadcloth, we're excited to recb m an approach to food that would have been the norm durh g the origh al operatb n of the
buld h g."
The Workshop, a coffee and wh a shop located h a modest two-story budi g adjacent to the event hall, wll feature locally roasted coffee by
Grit Coffee and a curated wh a program focush g on vh tages produced as passb n projects by local wh emakers. The shop wll serve as a
tasth g room and educatb nal desth atb n for both coffee and wh e.
The Hat oric Woob n Mlls s currently sb ted to open h b to 2019/early 2020, h cludh g the compb tb n of new parkh g lots, b ndscaped green
space, and a connectb n across Moore's Creek to the Rv anna Tral . The developer for The Hs toric Woob n Mlls project B Brian Roy. The
bud out for The Wool Factory wll be compb ted by Ebi e t Constructb n. For more h formatb n about the project or to h quir a about
reservh g the event space, emal Clair e Macfarb n at connect@breadandtabb.com (malt o:connect@breadandtabb .com).
Follow this story to get emal or text ab its from NBC29 when there ' a future articb followh g this storyh e.
Emal address Follow this story
(https://ab rtme.news)
https://www.nbc29.com/story/4O323385/event-venue-brewery-and-restaurant-planned-for-the-historic-woolen-mills 2/6
Andrew Knuppel
From: Andrew Knuppel
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2019 1:17 PM
To: 'Andrew Allison'
Subject: RE: Wool Factory - Parking Reduction Questions
Thanks for sending this over! I don't think I'll need an updated letter, this should cover my questions pretty well.
Andrew Knuppel, AICP Candidate
Neighborhood Planner
Albemarle County Community Development
434-296-5832 x 3313
From: Andrew Allison <Andrew.Allison@timmons.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 7, 2019 2:45 PM
To: Andrew Knuppel <aknuppel@albemarle.org>
Cc: Brian Roy <brianhroy@gmail.com>
Subject: RE: Wool Factory - Parking Reduction Questions
Andrew,
Jumping in to assist Brian with your previous email. See below for my comments in red.
Do you need an updated waiver letter covering this information? Just let me know how best to proceed.
Thanks,
Andrew Allison
Project Engineer 111
TIMMONS GROUP I www.timmons.com
608 Preston Ave, Suite 200 1 Charlottesville, VA 22903
Office: 434.327.1683 1 Fax 434.295.8317
Mobile: 704.941.4097 1 Andrew.Allison(cDtimmons.com
Your Vision Achieved Through Ours
To send me files greater than 20MB click here.
From: Brian Roy <brianhroy@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, April 26, 2019 3:44 PM
To: Andrew Allison <Andrew.Allison@timmons.com>
Subject: Fwd: Wool Factory - Parking Reduction Questions
---------- Forwarded message---------
From:Andrew Knuppel <aknuppel@albemarle.org>
Date: Tue, Apr 23, 2019, 3:12 PM
Subject: Wool Factory - Parking Reduction Questions
To: Brian Roy <brianhrov@gmail.com>, connect@breadandtable.com <connect@breadandtable.com>,
mariiean@iaggerscommunications.com<mariiean@iaggerscommunications.com>
Hi Brian, Claire, and Marijean,
I'm reviewing the parking reduction request for Woolen Mills and saw the press release from last week for The Wool
Factory. Since the request letter (attached) didn't mention the specifics related to events and restaurant use, I'm hoping
that one of you could provide a bit more information about the plans for this space so I can keep this review moving
forward.
What are the expected days/hours of operation and approximate square footages for:
o Selvedge Brewing (serving area) 5 pm — 11 pm (243 SF)
o Selvedge Brewing (brewing/production area — we won't count this for parking demand) 8 am — 5 pm
(657 SF)
o Broadcloth 5 pm — 11 pm (Commercial Kitchen = 1,244 SF; Bar/Dining/Bathroom = 1,947 SF)
o The Workshop 8 am — 5 pm (1,490 SF; 745 SF each floor)
o Events space 5 pm — 11 pm (6,188 SF)
o If you have a preliminary floorplan, then that should also work, though I'll still need the expected
days/hours of operation. See attached for preliminary floor plans.
What is the expected maximum attendance for events? (Setting this cap will likely be a condition of approval for
the parking reduction). All event activities will take place outside of normal WillowTree Business hours. Overlap
in parking lot use will be extremely limited if not at all.
Will any events occur during WillowTree's normal business hours? No
A large portion of WillowTree's parking needs will be accommodated by the transit service & offsite parking, but the
potential for overlapping parking demand from the office and restaurant tenants causes me some concern about the
viability of shared parking. The vast majority of the uses outside of WillowTree's normal business occur outside of the 8
am — 5pm time frame. They plan to utilize a shuttle system to assist with event parking during events with higher
attendance. We anticipate very minimal overlap in parking needs for this property.
Please give me a call if you have any questions. Thanks!
Andrew Knuppel, AICP Candidate
Neighborhood Planner
Albemarle County Community Development
434-296-5832 x 3313