HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP202100011 Narrative 2021-05-17SHIMP ENGINEERING, P.C.
Design Focused Engineering
Project Narrative For:
Parcel Description:
Pre-App Meeting Date:
Initial Submittal Date:
Field School of Charlottesville
Tax Map 60, Parcel 68
March 22, 2021
May 17, 2021
ACREAGE
EXISTING
PROPOSED
COMP PLAN
ZONING
ZONING
DESIGNATION
TMP 60-68
21.00
Rural Area
Amendment to
Rural Area
SP approved for
condition #9
private school
use
Additional Zoning Considerations:
Airport Impact Area (AIA), Entrance Corridor (EC), Critical Slopes
Location:
This property is located on Barracks Road, 500 feet east of Colthurst Drive and approximately 750 feet
west of Montvue Drive; within the Ivy Creek water supply watershed.
Field School of Charlottesville 2021 SP Amendment I 1
Project Proposal:
Field School of Charlottesville is the Owner (the "owner') of tax map parcel 60-68 in Albemarle County,
Virginia, a 21.00-acre parcel located off of Barracks Road approximately 500' east of Colthurst Drive and
approximately 750' west of Montvue Drive (the "property"). The owner intends to construct and operate a
private school on the property and has received approval of a special use permit with conditions to allow
for this use to be realized on the property. The owner requests removal of condition #9 with this 2021
special use permit amendment request (the "2021 SP amendment"), to allow for additional time to
commence construction on the property without compromising the validity of the special use permit.
Condition #9 approved with SP2019-12 states, "if the construction of the private school for which this
Special Use Permit is issued is not commenced by February 28, 2022, the permit shall be deemed
abandoned and the authority granted there under shall thereupon terminate." The 2021 SP amendment
solely requests removal of condition #9 and does not propose any changes to the other conditions of
approval or the approved concept plan, beyond minor changes to labels on the concept plan to accurately
reflect a change in acreage of the subject property and a neighboring parcel that occurred as a result of a
boundary line adjustment that occurred subsequent to the approval of SP2019-12.
Condition #9, the sunset clause, was originally adopted with approval of SP2015-24 in 2017 and
remained unchanged with SP201900012 (an amendment to SP2015-24) which was approved on July 1,
2020; SP2019-12 incorporated a boundary line adjustment, bringing the total acreage of the property from
24.57-acres to 21.00-acres, and amended the concept plan accordingly, revising the limits of the special
use permit to be consistent with the property's new boundary line. Slight revisions to building and
parking areas to accommodate drainfield locations were included as well.
The owner received approval of an initial site plan for "Phase I" of the school campus in September of
2017; Phase I included the construction of the site entrance, a limited parking area, and the ball field. The
owner had secured funding to develop Phase 1 but due to delays with plan approval the time -sensitive
funding fell -through.
The owner amended SP2015-24 with the approval of SP2019-12 which changed the "limits of SP" so that
a boundary line adjustment with a neighboring residential property could be recorded without the
residential property being encumbered by the special use permit conditions on the property. While
SP2019-12 was under review, the global COVID-19 pandemic hit. The owner continued pursuing
approval of SP2019-12 during the early months of the pandemic so that the boundary line adjustment
could move forward however additional construction plans to establish the new Field School Campus on
the property were put on hold as the global pandemic created a great deal of uncertainty for future funding
opportunities and general construction feasibility.
Field School of Charlottesville looks forward to continue working towards creating its new campus on the
property and in light of some funding setbacks and the global COVID-19 pandemic; respectfully requests
more time to bring this long -anticipated and worked -for vision to fruition.
Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan:
A private school use on this property has been deemed to be consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and
removal of the sunset clause will not compromise that evaluation. Field School embodies several
community values as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan:
Vision + Values
Field School of Charlottesville 2021 SP Amendment 12
• Excellent educational opportunities as found in the County's public and privates schools, college,
and university
The Field School of Charlottesville offers an excellent educational opportunity in Albemarle
County. 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.
Economic Development
• Promote economic development activities that help build on the County's assets while recognizing
distinctions between expectations for the Development Areas and the Rural Area.
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.
Impacts on Public Facilities & Public Infrastructure:
Removal of Condition #9 will not result in impacts on public facilities and public infrastructure.
Lighting/Noise:
Approved conditions 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 work in conjunction to limit lighting and noise impacts. There are
no proposed changes to these approved conditions with this 2021 SP amendment.
Impacts to Traffic:
Removal of Condition #9 will not result in transportation impacts.
Impacts on Environmental Features:
Removal of Condition #9 will not result in impacts on environmental features.
Field School of Charlottesville 2021 SP Amendment 13