HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP201900012 Narrative 2019-12-03SHIMP ENGINEERING, P.C.
Design Focused Engineering
Project Narrative For: Field School of Charlottesville
Parcel Description: Tax Map 60, Parcel 68
Pre-App Meeting Date: July 15, 2019
Initial Submittal Date: November 18, 2019
ACREAGE
EXISTING
PROPOSED
COMP PLAN
ZONING
ZONING
DESIGNATION
TMP 60-68
24.57
Rural Area
Special Use —
Rural Area
Private Middle
School
Additional Zoning Considerations:
Airport Impact Area (AIA), Entrance Corridor (EC), Steep Slopes — Critical Slopes
Location:
This property located on Barracks Road, 500 feet east of Colthurst Drive and approximately 750 feet west
of Montvue Drive.
912 E. High St Charloftsville, VA 22902 1434,227.5140 1 skimp-engineering.com
Project Proposal:
Field School of Charlottesville is the Owner (the "owner") of tax map parcel 60-68 in Albemarle County,
Virginia which is approximately 24.57 acres (the "property'), and seeks a special use permit ("SP') to
amend the previously approved SP on the property, SP2015000024. This amendment to the approved SP
proposes a revision to the limits of the SP from a 24.57 acre area to a 21.00 area. The proposed limits of
the SP are consistent with a proposed boundary line adjustment with adjacent parcel, TMP 06000-00-OE-
01000. There are no proposed operational or enrollment changes with this amendment request.
SP 2015000024 was approved on March 8, 2017 and allows for private school use within the Rural Areas.
The Field School of Charlottesville seeks to construct a new school site in this location and move from
their Crozet location. The Field School is a small private school, dedicated specifically to middle school
boys. The school is committed to a lean school model, with its small teacher -student ratio encouraging
strong relationships and engagement with their students, and allowing for quick policy and institutional
decisions that are made by those who work directly with their pupils. The private school is
interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on a `collective experience' of in -class exercises, special events, and
field trips and teachers that educate the student body by subject, not by grade; the school firmly believes
that this consistency creates a stable foundation of which their middle school education is able to grow
from. Student capacity will remain unchanged, limited to 150 boys, grades 5-8. The regular hours of
operation will be from 9 am to 4 pm for approximately 170 days of the year and some additional summer
school options available. Summer school operations will have substantially the same limitations (time of
day, number of students, etc) as the limitations provided during the regular school year.
The boundary line adjustment requires revisions to the conditions of the original SP2015-24 to ensure that
TMP 60-C-OE-10 is not encumbered by the conditions of the special use permit applicable to the Field
School. Conditions such as the 50' tree buffer along the original property boundary need to be revised.
General site layout of SP2015-24 will remain unchanged as the limits of disturbance (ballfield and school
campus area) are set in front of the preserved critical slopes on the property's southern portion. Features
such as entrance location, building envelopes, travelway location and circulation, and parking areas, are
not proposed to be revised with this request. As per the approved SP2015-24, total building footprint will
be limited to a maximum of 30,000 sf and no individual building footprint shall exceed 12,000 sf. In
relation to parking, approximately 15-20 after -school sporting events are expected to take place on the
site. It is anticipated that ten paved parking spaces will be required to accommodate daily needs of the
students and approximately 10 additional paved parking spaces are required to accommodate school
faculty and staff. 20-30 "temporary" parking spaces will accommodate overflow parking, as needed for
events. It is anticipated that overflow parking will be on grass surfaces, approved with site plan review. It
is not anticipated that any onsite parking will be visible from Barracks Road or from adjoining parcels.
After school events typically occur immediately after school and are generally completed by 5:45 pm. An
additional 10-12 evening school events occur throughout the school year. Grading is proposed for the
multipurpose ball field, adjacent to the 100-ft stream buffer, which will not be impacted by the grading.
The 3-acre pond will remain within the school property.
Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan:
Per the approved SP2015-24, the project remains consistent with the Comprehensive Plan in the
following ways:
The mission of The Field School is similar to the mission of Albemarle County Public Schools and
includes a substantial outdoor component, requiring a significant campus. It would be convenient and
practical to locate a school campus on 20 acres within a County Development Area. Doing so would
Field School SUP Narrative 2
provide a convenience for families within the development area and would limit vehicle trips on rural
roads. In actuality, there are many hardships that prevent school campuses from locating within
community development areas. Section 3 of the Public Facilities chapter of the Comprehensive Plan
notes the following: "...In cases where it is not possible to locate anew school in the Development Areas
due to physical constraints, land area needs or availability, or service considerations, they may be
located adjacent to or in very close proximity to the Development Areas where infrastructure and utilities
can easily be provided. " In addition, private schools require a special use permit in every district except
the Downtown Crozet District. This additional hardship further limits private schools from competing
with by -right uses for land within the development area. Over half of Albemarle County public schools,
which are publicly funded and do not require special use permits, are located within the rural areas of
Albemarle County.
Section 3 of the Public Facilities chapter continues to provide guidelines for the siting of new schools in
Albemarle County:
"When siting new schools, as many of the characteristics below as possible should be met.•
• Elementary schools should be located within neighborhoods or at the edge of
neighborhoods to promote walkability;
• Middle schools and high schools should be located in a central location relative to
elementary schools, which feed these schools, to support the feeder pattern policy
of the School Board;
• Safe and convenient access should be provided between the schools and pedestrian
and road networks;
• Compatibility with adjoining planned and existing land uses should be achieved.
Though not preferred, locations near industrial and major commercial
developments are not prohibited;
• Public water and sewer service should be provided;
• Police and fire rescue service should be in close proximity; and
• The site should be developed with respect for environmental features such as
topography, soils, floodplains, and wetlands and final design should result in
aesthetically pleasingphysical qualities. "
The proposed site for The Field School of Charlottesville is consistent with these guidelines.
Additionally, the Rural Area Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan provides the following criteria for review
of new uses within the rural areas:
"As new uses are proposed in the Rural Area, it is essential that they be able to meet the following
standards. New uses should:
• Relate directly to the Rural Area and need a Rural Area location in order to be
successful, (e.g., a farm winery has to be located in the Rural Area and would be
unlikely to succeed in the Development Areas);
• Be compatible with, and have a negligible impact, on natural, cultural, and historic
resources;
• Not conflict with nearby agricultural and forestall uses;
Field School SUP Narrative 3
• Reflect a size and scale that complements the character of the area in which they
will be located;
• Be reversible so that the land can easily return to farming, forestry, conservation,
or other preferred rural uses;
• Be suitable for existing rural roads and result in little discernible difference in
traffic patterns;
• Generate little demand forfire and rescue and police service;
• Be able to operate without the need for public water and sewer;
• Be sustainable with available groundwater; and
• Be consistent with other Rural Area policies. "
In evaluating the proposed site for The Field School of Charlottesville in accordance with these two
sections of the Comprehensive Plan as outlined above; the following should be noted:
1. The site is centrally located relative to elementary schools and high schools,
2. Safe and convenient access is available to road networks,
3. The site is located adjacent to residential neighborhoods with vegetative buffers provided,
in close proximity of higher density neighborhoods, and not close enough to be affected by
nearby industrial or major commercial developments,
4. Public sewer is not available; however public water is available with approval of a
jurisdictional area expansion for service, requested in conjunction with this SP.
5. Police and fire rescue services are in close proximity to the site,
6. Consistent with this SP request, the site will be developed with respect to environmental
features,
7. The fields and open space plan submitted with this SP request relate directly with the Rural
Area objectives,
8. The proposed plan will be compatible with and have negligible impact on natural, cultural,
and historic resources,
9. The school use will not conflict with nearby agricultural and forestall uses, neither of which
are adjacent to the site,
10. The school use will reflect a size and scale that complements the character of the Barracks
Road area,
11. The school use will not be easily reversible, however a school campus, as shown on the
application plan, could serve other uses, with additional County approval, that are
appropriate within this rural area of the County.
12. The school use is suitable for existing rural roads and results in little discernible difference
in traffic patterns,
13. The school use will generate little demand for fire and rescue and police service,
14. The school use will be able to operate without the need for public water and sewer;
however, a request is made in conjunction to allow an expansion of the jurisdictional area
for public water.
15. The school use is sustainable with available groundwater, and
16. The use is consistent with other Rural Area policies.
The proposed site for The Field School of Charlottesville is located on a major arterial (Barracks Road) and
is less than one mile from the U.S. 29 Bypass. The site is within 800 feet of a Comprehensive Planning
Area (Neighborhood 7), within 1,200 feet of a 20-acre site zoned R-15, and less than 1.5 miles from a major
retail center (Barracks Road Shopping Center). There are few (if any) reasonable sites in Albemarle County
Field School SUP Narrative 4
that would require fewer vehicle trips within the rural area of the County and sites that would provide more
opportunities to reduce vehicle trips by combining trips for school, work and shopping.
A private school offers a unique opportunity for partnership with Albemarle County, where 54% (or $202
million) of the budget is allocated toward capital and operational costs of schools. It is anticipated that over
half of the students at The Field School will live in households in Albemarle County, paying property taxes
toward the Albemarle County school budget. The Field School offers an opportunity to increase the
inventory of schools within the County and increase the capacity for students within the public school
system, at no additional cost to the County taxpayer.
Landscape improvements with this amendment request remain consistent with approved SP2015-000024.
The property is located along the Barracks Road Entrance Corridor and ARB review of the application is
required with a future final site plan submittal. The proposed landscaping along this frontage remains
unchanged, which will comply with Albemarle County ARB Design Guidelines of the Entrance Corridor.
The private school will maintain and supplement, where necessary, existing vegetative screening buffers
along Barracks Road, along shared property lines with adjoining residential uses in the Colthurst
neighborhood, and along the shared property line of TMP 60-68E.
Impacts on Public Facilities & Public Infrastructure:
As per the approved SP2015-24, the impacts on public facilities & public infrastructure are as follows:
The property lies within the Albemarle County Jurisdictional Area for water and fire hydrants are located
along the frontage of the proposed school site. The property does not lie within an ACSA sewer service area
and therefore the site will utilize on -site drain field locations.
Lighting/Noise:
As per the approved SP2015-24, proposed lighting will be limited to parking and building entrances. No
lighting or amplification of noise will be permitted on the athletic fields. Use of the school and school
facilities will be limited outside of the hours of the regular school day.
Impacts to Traffic:
Since there are no proposed enrollment or operational changes, there are no anticipated additional traffic
impacts beyond those anticipated with the approval of SP2015-24.
The following traffic information was provided with SP2015-24:
The Field School currently enrolls 75 students and is located on Crozet Avenue (SX. 810) just north of
Crozet, Virginia. Attachment A is a study prepared in 2013 evaluating traffic counts and parking needs
for the Field School over a one week period during the regular school year. During that week-long study,
please note the following: attendance ranged from 65-68 students, daily traffic ranged from 58-62 trips,
AM Peak Hour trips ranged from 9-24, PM Peak Hour trips ranged from 4-13, and the maximum utilized
parking spaces was 15 car spaces and 2 bus spaces.
Attachment B is a map of Albemarle County showing residential areas (trip originations/destinations) for
the existing 2014-15 Field School population. It should be noted that the 18% of the current student
population is resided in the Crozet area (where the Field School is currently located) and 15% of the
current enrollment is resided in the Ivy area (where The Field Camp is located). If The Field School is
permitted to relocate to the proposed site on Barracks Road, it is anticipated that the proportion of
Field School SUP Narrative 5
students enrolled from the Crozet Area will significantly drop and the proportion of students enrolled
from the urban ring of Charlottesville will increase respectively
Traffic Impacts (continued):
Table 1 below provides an analysis based on traffic numbers generated from similar school projects (such
as the Regents School in Albemarle County). The 2013 existing ADT on Barracks Road (S.R. 654)
between Old Garth Road (S.R. 601) and Georgetown Road (S.R. 656) is 5,900 trips. This number
increases to 21,000 between Georgetown Road and the Charlottesville City limits. Using the figures from
Table 1, The Field School currently generates 209 trips per day and at full enrollment (150 students) will
generate 419 trips per day.
Tablet: Field School Trip Generation with 150 Students
Assumed Values": Dallytrafflc multiplier=
2.79 perstudent
AM peak hour traffic=
0.9 perstudent
AM Inbound =
55 %
AM outbound =
45 %
PM Peak Hourmulitplier=
0.61 perstudent
PM inbound =
47 %
PM outbound =
53 %
Use Description Size (number of students) Population Basis
AM peak Hour
PM Peak }lour
DailyTraffic
In
Out Total
In
Out Total
Private School (Grade 5-8) 75 current enrollment
209
37
30 66
22
24 46
Private School (Grade 5-8) 150 maximum enrollment
4N
74
61 335
43
48 92
•' These values are estimates compiled from various online traffic reports including:
http://wwi.cltyofpasadena.net/councilogendas/2n09%20agendas/Mar_ 3_09/6A%20ATrACHM6NT%202%20PART%200.pdf
http://www.albe marle.org/upicad/images/Farms_Center/Departments/Board_pf_5upervisors/Forms/Agenda/2014Fi les/0813/D9.0a_RegentsSehoolAttechA.pdf
The 2013 analysis of actual trips provided in Attachment 1 demonstrates that the actual ADT is
significantly lower than the design ADT provided in Table 1 above. It is our opinion herein that the
discrepancy in these figures is due to the Field School use of bus service and carpooling. Figures
provided in Table 1 were originally derived from the TTE Code 534 (private school use (K-8)) which
apparently does not consider bus services or carpooling.
Additionally, it should be noted that the proposed school location on Barracks Road is 1 % miles west of
the Barracks Road Shopping Center. This proximity to a major retail center will significantly reduce the
number of trip originations when considering design ADT. Consider the parent of a student, traveling to a
regional service at Barracks Road (Harris Teeter, Kroger, Wells Fargo, CVS, USPS, etc...) will be able to
stop by and pick up their child from school on the way home.
As demonstrated in the 2013 study, the peak hours for the school use are between 8:30-9:30 AM and
3:45-4:45 PM. The AM Peak hours would coincide with peak hours of traffic along Barracks Road and a
left turn lane may be required for the school use. The site has adequate frontage and sight distance to
provide turn lanes as needed.
Barracks Road (S.R. 654) is a major collector road in Albemarle County with a posted speed limit of 50
MPH (45MPH for trucks). Georgetown Road (S.R. 656) is another major collector road in Albemarle
County and is located %2 mile from the proposed site. The U.S. 29/250 Bypass is characterized as a
"Freeway or Expressway" and is located 1 mile from the proposed site.
Impacts on Environmental Features:
As per the approved SP2015-24, impacts on environmental features are as follows:
After meeting with adjoining property owners, it was the consensus of neighbors and a science teacher from
The Field School that the lake on the property should be preserved along with the existing stream buffer and
Field School SUP Narrative 6
adjoining wooded slopes along the southern border of the property (see attached application plan). In later
meetings with neighbors, an additional buffer area was requested between the ball fields and the lake to
supplement an area with few screening trees. This additional buffer is included in the application plan.
Additionally, a landscaped buffer is proposed along the frontage of Barracks Road and the intent is to match
this frontage with existing landscape characteristics along the Barracks Road entrance corridor. The
language provided on the application plan is consistent with Albemarle County ARB guidelines and
provides an additional level of regulation of these guidelines.
Some critical slopes will need to be disturbed in order to create the ball fields and school campus. A
conceptual design of the school campus is provided, demonstrating how the critical slopes can be addressed
with minimal disturbances and these disturbances can be mitigated.
Field School SUP Narrative 7
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Attachment B.
Field School ofCharlottesville
Map of Trip I rigme ationsl'Vastinations
for Currant School Enrollment 2014-1 )
prepared June 10, 2015
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