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HomeMy WebLinkAboutVA198900100 Action Letter 1990-01-11 ,- ! COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE Department of Zoning 401 McIntire Road Charlottesville, Virginia 22901-4596 (804) 296-5875 January 11, 1990 Mark Hutchison Mill Creek Industrial Land Trust P. O. Box 6156 Charlottesville, Va. 22906 Re: Board of Zoning Appeals Action VA-89-100, Tax Map 77 , Parcel 11D1 Dear Mr. Hutchison: This letter is to inform you that on January 9, 1990, during the meeting of the Albemarle County Board of Zoning Appeals, the Board unanimously approved your request for VA-89-100 subject to Zoning Administrator approval of sign materials and color. This variance approval allows relief from Section 4 . 15. 3 . 5 of the Albemarle County Zoning Ordinance to increase the size of an identification sign from 2 square feet to 20 square feet, a variance of 18 square feet. Also, relief from Section 20 .8 . 6 of the Albemarle County Zoning Ordinance to reduce the required building setback from Route 742 and Mill Creek Parkway from 50 feet to 8 feet for each frontage, a variance of 42 feet. If you have any questions, please contact our office. Sincerely, Amelia M. Patterson Zoning Administrator AMP/st cc: VA-89-100 1 Staff Person: Amelia M. Patterson Public Hearing: January 9 , 1989 STAFF REPORT - VA-89-100 APPLICANT: Mill Creek Industrial Land Trust/ Craig Builders of Albemarle, Inc. TAX MAP/PARCEL: 77/11D1 ACREAGE: 11. 573 acres ZONING: P.U.D. , Planned Unit Development LOCATION: In the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Route 742 (Avon Street) and the proposed Mill Creek Parkway, within Mill Creek REQUEST: The applicant requests relief from Sections 4 . 15. 3 . 5 and 20. 8 . 6 of Albemarle County Zoning Ordinance, which state: Section "4 . 15. 3 Permitted Signs 4 . 15. 3 . 5 Residential (R-10 and R-15) ; Planned Residential Development (PRD) ; and Planned Unit Development (PUD) . . . Identification Signs: Provided: (a) not more than two (2) square feet in area . . . " Section "20. 0 Planned Unit Development - PUD 20. 8. 6 Setback and Yard Regulations Within the PUD district, the Board of Supervisors shall establish minimum setback and yard requirements at time of establishment of such district. " A fifty (50) foot building setback was established in this area. The applicant requests relief for an identification sign to a) increase the size of the sign from two (2) to twenty (20) square feet, a variance of eighteen (18) square feet; and to b) decrease the required sign setbacks from Route 742 and Mill Creek Parkway from 50 to 8 feet, a variance of forty-two (42) feet. The sign is proposed to be located in the center of the sign easement shown on the plat. It will be grey with the words "Mill Creek Business Park" in raised red letters. The applicant comments, "This sign will blend in well with the surroundings and will not be visible from any residence located within the P.U. D. " Also, "We would like to suggest that a sign of only two (2) square feet would not be of any service to the public or the Industrial Park as it would be hardly visible from Avon Street Extended. Current ''industrial zoning allows an identification sign to be one hundred (100) square feet in size. " Staff Report - VA-89-100 Mill Creek Industrial Land Trust Page 2 RECOMMENDATION: The first item for discussion will be sign location. The sign is proposed to be located at the edge of a critical slope. The required building setback of 50 feet is approximately 18 feet below the grade of Avon Street or Mill Creek Parkway. Therefore, for the sign to be visible above the grade, it would need to have a base of 18 feet. The proposed sign identifies the entire industrial park in a similar manner to a subdivision sign. Staff is of the opinion that if setback 50 feet into this parcel, it would be confusing to travelers as to what it identifies. The required sign size would not be easily read by moving traffic. The proposed sign size is significantly below that allowed for conventional industrial zoning. (20 square feet versus 100 square feet) The portion of the Planned Unit Development (P.U.D. ) on the north side of the Mill Creek Parkway is designated for industrial use and the portion adjacent on the south side is designated for commercial use. Therefore, this property is not internal to a residential neighborhood. As mentioned previously, multiple variance requests for signage (mostly commerical) have led staff to its current review of the sign regulations within Planned Developments. We are researching other localities' regulations pertaining to sign size and location. Our regulations appear more restrictive on both counts. This request would, in staff's opinion, meet the criteria. Staff recommends approval for cause: 1. The applicant has provided evidence that the strict application of the ordinance would produce undue hardship. The current Ordinance does not permit sufficient sign area, and the site topography does not easily permit location at the required setback. 2 . The applicant has provided evidence that such hardship is not shared generally by other properties in the same zoning district and the same vicinity; 3 . The applicant has provided evidence that the authorization of such variance will not be of substantial detriment to adjacent property and that the character of the district will not be changed by the granting of the variance. The property is bordered by industrial and commercial uses. Staff recommends the following condition: 1. Zoning Administrator approval of sign materials and color.