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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSDP201500048 Letter of Revision 2020-07-07 (16)June 30, 2020 County of Albemarle Department of Community Development 401 McIntire Road Charlottesville, VA 22902 SUBJECT: Application for Letter of Revision REFERENCE: SDP # 2015 — 08 Dear Sir/Madam: Referenced site plan supports the establishment of a restaurant on C-1 property in western Albemarle County, just outside the town of Crozet. As the project has progressed, it has become apparent that the current placement of the attendant dumpster enclosure/pad site will potentially create at least two issues for the planned restaurant use. This letter is written to request that the current site plan be amended to relocate the dumpster from its current position very close to the northwest corner of the building to a location across the parking lot near the western edge of the property. We feel that moving the dumpster enclosure to this location presents a number of advantages over its current planned location: The current location of the dumpster pad is situated directly behind the holding tanks for sewage effluent from the building. We have concerns that the weight of the garbage trucks repeatedly emptying the dumpsters could damage these holding tanks over time. The current location of the dumpster enclosure is less than 25 feet from the restaurant, and has the significant potential to impact the dining experience of restaurant patrons either when the enclosure is inactive (smell), or actively being serviced (noise and smell of garbage trucks). Under the proposed amended site plan, the location of the dumpster pad would still meet the following code requirements: Section 4.12.13 (e): Each site plan that depicts a commercial or industrial building of four thousand (4,000) gross square feet or more shall provide a dumpster pad that does not impede any required parking or loading spaces, nor any pedestrian or vehicular circulation aisles. Section 4.12.15 (e): Accessibility to loading spaces, loading docks and dumpsters. Parking areas shall be designed so that all loading spaces, loading docks and dumpsters are accessible by delivery and service vehicles when all parking spaces are occupied. We do recognize that proposed amended dumpster enclosure sits very close to Route 240. For this reason, we understand that this placement will require additional landscaping treatment, to include 'screening' plantings that will be of the size and maturity to effectively hide the enclosure from drivers in the eastbound lane of Route 240, heading towards the restaurant. We also understand that this screening must fulfill this purpose "on day 1". Please see the attached EXHIBIT 1, SDP # 2015 — 08, Page 6, Landscape and Lighting Plan (REVISED) showing the dumpster pad and enclosure in the proposed location, as well as the proposed placement of six (6) Leyland Cypress, three (3) Little Gem Magnolias, and two (2) Nellie Stevens Holly, each of the size and maturity required to collectively screen the enclosure from the view of eastbound traffic on Route 240. Additionally, we are including an 11 x 17 inch worksheet (EXHIBIT 2), detailing both the original as well as the proposed revisions to the Plant Schedule and Canopy Values, with changes (both additions and deletions) based on the screening requirement for the revised location of the dumpster enclosure described above. Please note that a previous version of this Letter of Revision application proposed additional changes to this schedule based on planting inventories available at the time. We are withdrawing this part of our request in order to limit the scope of requested change to the relocation of the enclosure, and the landscaping changes necessary to comply with the ARB review detailed under ARB-2017-43, attached, and excerpted below: "After a brief discussion, it was the consensus of the ARB that ... the dumpster location near the west end of the EC frontage could be acceptable with supplemental planting and screening, noting that the planting would need to be "robust' and provide adequate screening on "day 1". Lastly, we thought it might be helpful to include a recap of previous steps taken in support of this LOR, entitled "How We Got Here". (SEE BELOW) We greatly appreciate your consideration of this matter. If you have any questions, please contact either Chris LeBlanc (434.284.1711, chris@nolabuilds.com), or myself. Sincerely; Bill McKechnie William McKechnie Mechum's Trestle, LLC 434.906.5787 wmckechnie@comcast.net Melton McGuire Mechum's Trestle, LLC 434.806.4038 verulamfarm@gmail.com SDP 2015-08 Letter of Revision Subject: Dumpster Relocation 7/2/2020 ATTACHMENTS 1a, 1b: Initial LOR, dated 3.20.17 Summary: LOR Application to relocate dumpster site pad from current position to perimeter of parking area, away from sewage holding/pump tanks: the current location of the dumpster pad is situated directly behind the holding tanks for the sewage effluent from the building. We have concerns that the weight of the garbage trucks emptying the dumpster could damage these holding tanks over time. We would propose moving the concrete pad/wooden enclosure to just outside the perimeter of the lot, towards the center of the property. Response: Request was denied based on the fact that County determination that revised dumpster placement impedes vehicular circulation, and is not accessible when all of the parking spaces are occupied. ATTACHMENTS 2a - 2g: Pre Application Meeting 7.10.17, and Evaluation of Dumpster Site Options Summary: Pre-App meeting was held in order to discuss the various dumpster relocation options. Based on the County response to the 3.20.17 LOR Application, a spreadsheet was created to evaluate compliance with County code, as well as address other structural and aesthetic concerns. Based on discussion, Location 2 (furthest from restaurant, westernmost location in parking lot, on Route 240 Entrance Corridor) was determined to conform to both code requirements, and was scheduled for discussion at the 7.17.17 ARB meeting. Per ARB- 2017-43: Mechum's Trestle, "the dumpster location near the west end of EC frontage could be acceptable with supplemental planting and screening, noting that the planting would need to be "robust" and provide adequate screening on "day 1 "." ATTACHMENTS 3a - 3g: Follow-up LOR, dated 3.11.19 Summary: A new LOR Application was submitted for dumpster site location on EC frontage, Route 240, per ARB acceptance and guidance. In addition to the relocation itself, we provided a screening proposal based on the use of a single plant species. At the same time, we included a request to adjust the attendant Planting Schedule to accommodate a number of changes to both plant species as well as the caliper sizes of a number of the trees, based on current availability - we were having difficulty matching our original planting candidates (either size, or availability, or both) due to seasonal availability. Response: Request was denied based on the fact that our proposed landscape screening lacked "a layered and integrated appearance so as not to draw undue attention to that which is being screened". Relative to changes we proposed to the planting schedule based on availability, it was indicated that in case of Entrance Corridor Shade Trees, where approved species were not available in the caliper sizes stipulated, that alternate species at the stipulated calipers would be acceptable, with preference to native and locally native species.