HomeMy WebLinkAboutVA202000001 Correspondence 2020-10-05Corbett Barn Variance Application Description
Dear Board of Zoning Appeals,
In December 2019, we purchased Whistlin' Hollow Farm (Parcels 69-20C and 69-20A2)
with plans to rehabilitate and sensibly expand an historic 90 year -old farmhouse and
13-acre agricultural property. The farm had previously thrived as a successful family
farm, raising Katandin Sheep, Sebastopol Geese, and Guinea Hens, as well as growing
a variety of fruits and vegetables. Sadly, this farm had not been maintained by the most
recent owners — who neglected the outbuildings, pastures, garden beds — and
allowed their horses to damage a delicate ecological refuge area. Since we purchased
the land, we have actively restored the garden beds, started growing crops for a local
CSA market, established a new flock of chicken layers, and are actively planning
conscientious enhancements to the stream buffer.
We are applying for a variance to the setback requirements on the front and side
boundaries to build an agricultural barn to support our farm operations in the most
practical and least disruptive location on the farm. The barn will allow us to replace
several dilapidated outbuildings, house our farm vehicles (tractor & implements), and
provide a space to process our crops.
The barn — a classic, traditional -looking structure — was intentionally designed to
minimize new land disturbance and fit the existing topography and site features. We
want to be good stewards of the farm and make conscientious choices to restore the
health and productivity of the riparian area, pastures, and garden beds. We hope to
build the current design in the proposed location for the following reasons:
• The barn is designed to minimize additional cut and fill by taking advantage of a
retaining wall recently rebuilt to stabilize the only existing parking area on the
site, which had been severely compromised. When the property was
purchased, the current parking and access area was held up by a pressure
treated beam retaining wall that was failing due to poor DIY construction,
lack of care, and many years of significant water run-off from a neighboring
property. Due to the increasingly heavy rains, it was clear that we would (1)
have no place to park and (2) no means to access our house at grade
without shoring up the parking lot with a concrete replacement wall. Since
this location is also a perfect place for a barn to house farm equipment and
implements, the new retaining wall can also serve as the foundation wall,
supporting access and entry into the barn.
• By taking advantage of already established infrastructure — the driveway,
parking area, and retaining wall — these features don't need to be created or
expanded into productive pasture or the sensitive buffer areas.
• The proposed location minimizes disturbance from construction and long-term
use in the stream protection area. We are working to improve the condition of the
stream buffer for water quality, habitat, and flood mitigation purposes, and we
don't want to offset our progress by converting a section of the stream protection
area to a new building site.
We are currently in the process of
restoring and expanding the old
farmhouse, which is located just
15 feet back from the edge of the road.
The barn, to be located about 50 feet
North from the farmhouse, is set an
additional40 feet further back from the
original farmhouse (so at least 55 feet
from the road edge). The proximity of
the original house to the road makes
the barn feel significantly set back from
the road. The barn is also designed as a Bank Barn to drop the building profile
and tuck it into the hillside to minimize visual impact from the road, and to match
the grade of the parking lot, which is already 8' lower than the road.
• With the extreme rains and flooding
we've had recently, we've seen the
stream jump out of its banks on a more
regular basis. We urgently see the
need to invest in stream stabilization
and re -vegetation strategies, and we
fear adding another structure in this
area will further compromise the
function of the stream protection zone
to absorb flood waters, as well as put
the structure and its uses at risk. A
recent visit from Kory Kirtland the
Corbett Barn Variance Application 1 2
NRCS District Conservationist, confirmed the wisdom and benefits of the
proposed location.
We first consulted Albemarle County Engineering staff about our plans and their effect
on the stream buffer in November 2019, but were not made aware of any front and side
setback requirements. In response to our submitted Farm Building Exemption form,
County staff has explained they cannot grant exception to the front and side setbacks
and must therefore recommend the structure encroach into the stream protection buffer.
This seems to be an illogical and unfortunate consequence of the usually
well-intentioned rules, which is why we are now applying for a variance to build in the
front setback area. It did not make sense to us that they agreed with our assessment of
the situation and told us we had a "compelling" case, but could not approve this
approach.
As a separate issue, our farm encompasses two parcels: 69-20C and 69-20A2. The
only (given the pre-existing parking area which is the only land at grade with the main
floor of the house) optimal location for the barn, at the edge of the existing parking area
and retaining wall, currently straddles the boundary between the parcels. We would like
to dissolve this property line to remove the side setback issue — or follow whatever
other guidance the Board might determine to be most expeditious — to resolve this
potential conflict.
We thank you for working with us to find a mutually beneficial solution, which we all
earnestly believe is in the best interests of the environment, our county, and our lovely
farm. We ultimately and passionately want to take advantage of the existing topography
and site layout, minimizing new land disturbance, protect sensitive areas, and restore
agricultural use of the land. We plan to spend a great deal of time and money repairing
and enhancing the current riparian buffer — so putting the barn further down onto the
property from the current parking area will not only damage the pristine area we are
seeking to preserve — but also contradicts the purpose of the county's stream
protection ordinance in the first place.
We would like to stress that the current topography of the property contains a
parking area just below the road, and that the rest of the land slopes quite steeply
down from there, leaving no space for parking or conveniently accessing
anything (house or barn) other than from this area. Putting the barn 20' further
west would require an enormous amount of fill, great expense, and an extremely
unattractive causeway from the current parking/access/entry area to the barn.
Corbett Barn Variance Application 1 3
The site is tight and as is the barn would already sit 40' further back from the
house, and is still out of the riparian buffer we are seeking to remediate — so all
these plans reflect the best practices and priorities enjoined by the county if we
are allowed to do what we are requesting to do.
Thanks again for your help and
consideration — we really do
appreciate it.
CorbettMichael & Michelle
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