HomeMy WebLinkAboutZMA201800013 Staff Report 2021-07-02 (2)COUNTY OFALBEMARLE
PLANNING STAFF REPORT SUMMARY
Project Name: ZMA201800013 Rio West
Staff: Rachel Falkenstein
Planning Commission Work Session:
Board of Supervisors Public Hearing:
May 21, 2019
July 17, 2019
Planning Commission Public Hearing:
June 18, 2019
Owner: Auto LLC
Applicant: Shimp Engineering
Acreage: 3.32 acres
Rezone from: C1 Commercial
TMP: 04500000010000, 045000000100A0,
By -right use: C1 Commercial which allows retail sales and
04500000010100, 045000000101B0
service; residential by special use permit (15 units/ acre)
Location: 664 Rio Road West, Charlottesville,
VA 22911
Magisterial District: Rio
Proffers: Yes
Proposal: Rezone 3.3 acres from C1
Requested # of Dwelling Units: up to 112 units
Commercial to NMD Neighborhood Model District
- residential (3 — 34 units/acre) mixed with
commercial, service, and industrial uses. A max
of 112 units is proposed for a density of
approximately 34 units/acre.
DA (Development Area): Neighborhood 1 —
Comp. Plan Designation: Core Area within Rio29 Small Area
Places29 Development Area; Rio29 Small Area
Plan- area intended to have the highest intensity of
Plan Boundary
development with a mix of uses including residential,
commercial, retail, office, institutional and employment uses.
Buildings with heights of 3-6 stories, built close to the street,
with pedestrian access and relegated parking & Flex Area
within Rio29 Small Area Plan — area intended to allow a
flexibility of uses including residential, commercial, retail, office,
institutional and employment uses. Buildings with heights of 2-5
stories, built close to the street, with pedestrian access and
relegated parking.
Character of Property: Mostly undeveloped
Use of Surrounding Properties Most adjacent uses are
property with some areas of woods, sloping down
commercial including retail, self -storage, auto sales and
from Rio Road with one single family home.
service; 2 single family homes and a small apartment building
to the west.
RECOMMENDATION:
Question 1: Should there be a commitment to the timing of the "block 1" residential building in relationship
to the timing of the construction of the surface parking lot and the "block 2" self -storage building?
Staff recommends the applicant provide a commitment that the block 1 building be commenced within 2 years of the
issuance a CO for any block 2 structure. Additionally, staff recommends interim screening be provided if the bock 2
CO is issued prior to the commencement of the block 1 building.
Question 2: Should 15% affordable housing be required with this development?
Staff recommends 15% onsde affordable housing be provided through the requirements of the COD
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STAFF PERSON:
Rachel Falkenstein
PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION:
May 21, 2019
PLANNING COMISSION PUBLIC HEARING:
June 18, 2019
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
July 17, 2019
ZMA 201800013 Rio West
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW
Applicants for Rio West have submitted a request to rezone their property from C1 to NMD to allow
for a mix of uses, as described in more detail below. This request meets the criteria for a "priority
review" project under the 2018 adopted policy for Rio29. The priority review process does not
establish firm timelines for review comments and approval, though the process directs staff to make
every effort to move applications through the process as quickly as possible, while still providing a
thorough and comprehensive review.
The applicant for Rio West submitted the most recent revisions to their application materials on April
29 and requested a May 21 Planning Commission public hearing. This allowed reviewers one week
to complete the review of the revised materials and one week for staff to compile and reconcile
review comments into a staff report and recommendations.
In staff's haste to move this project quickly, we made an error in the legal advertisement and
therefore, the public hearing will need to be rescheduled to the earliest available date of June 18.
Overall, this error is not expected to delay the timing to final action by the BOS, currently scheduled
for July 17.
The reason for this work session is that there are still substantial issues with this request that have
not yet been resolved. Staff and the applicant felt that these issues would benefit from a Planning
Commission work session prior to the public hearing. The questions for discussion at the work
session are described in more detail below.
CHARACTER OF THE AREA
The subject property consists of four parcels: three of the parcels are undeveloped and one has a
single-family house on it. The property is located on the north side of Rio Road, across from the
Daily Progress building. West of the site along Rio Rd are two single-family homes and west of
those, at the corner of Berkmar Drive, a small apartment building, with a few commercial service
uses on the first floor. All other adjacent uses are commercial, including Colonial Auto Center to the
north and PhotoWorks Group and Storage Solution Center to the east. Adjacent properties are a mix
of HC Highway Commercial and C1 Commercial.
The site slopes downward from Rio Rd with over 100 feet of drop from the front of the site to the rear
property line. There is a small intermittent stream along the back of the property, a portion of which is
piped underground. There are no preserved slopes on the site, but there are small areas of
managed slopes in the center of the property and along the eastern boundary (Attachment 1).
SPECIFICS OF THE PROPOSAL
The applicant is proposing to rezone the 3.3-acre property from C1 Commercial to NMD
Neighborhood Model District to allow for a mix of commercial and residential uses. Though the Code
of Development (COD) will allow a flexibility of uses on the property, the applicant has shared that
their intent is to construct a multi -family residential building along Rio Road and an interior
conditioned self -storage building behind the residential building (Attachment 2 — Application Plan).
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The COD divides the property into 3 blocks. Block 1 covers approximately 1.47 acres of the site
adjacent to Rio Road and is called "Active Urban" space in the application materials. Permitted uses
in block 1 include multi -family residential, retail, commercial service, and office/R&D/flex. Block 1
contains form regulations that require buildings to be placed close to Rio Road with frequent
pedestrian entrances along the street and minimum ground story transparency requirements.
Building height in block 1 is 3-6 stories with stepbacks above the 41h story. Block 1 buildings will be
designed to accommodate ground story commercial uses along Rio Rd with a 14-foot ceiling height
required. The applicant has stated that their intent in the near term is to have residential uses on the
first floor until the market can accommodate commercial/retail along this portion of Rio Rd. The COD
provides different standards for pedestrian entrances and ground story transparency for residential
and commercial uses for block 1 (Attachment 3 - COD).
Block 2 is labeled "Neighborhood Services and Local Manufacturing". Uses allowed in block 2
include light industrial/self-storage, auto sales & service, retail, general commercial service,
office/R&D/Flex, and multifamily residential. This block allows up to 310,000 sq. ft. of building with a
height of 2-6 stories, with stepbacks in the front and back of the building above 4 stories. The COD
includes regulations in block 2 for pedestrian entrances, ground story transparency, and fagade
treatments for the portions of the site that are not visible from the Entrance Corridor and therefore
not subject to ARB approval. These standards would be applicable to the backside of this building,
which fronts along a future trail and greenspace.
Block 3 is called "Neighborhood Greenspace". This is an area that is shown in the Rio29 Plan as a
future linear park. Improvements in this block include a 25-foot designed landscape, parallel to the
block 2 building and a 10-foot-wide shared use path. The COD includes an allowance for a small
amount of building space here to accommodate structures such as picnic pavilions and other
structures deemed accessory to the recreational use of the block.
Question 1: Should there be a commitment to the timing of the "block 1" residential building
in relationship to the timing of the construction of the surface parking lot and the "block 2"
self -storage building?
The Small Area Plan envisions the transformation of Rio29 into a vibrant and diverse mixed -use
community with interesting character and a human -scaled built environment. The Plan divides Rio29
into Place Types that are intended to guide the scale and intensity of development. The southern
portion of the subject property, along Rio Rd, is within the Rio29 "Core" area, which is intended to
have the highest intensity of development and meant to accommodate ground story commercial and
retail uses. The northern portion of Rio West is designated "Flex" area, which is intended to allow a
flexibility of uses and scales of development.
The proposed block 1 building placement is adjacent to Rio Rd and will be designed to
accommodate future ground story commercial/retail. The COD contains requirements that will
ensure most of the street frontage along Rio will be framed by buildings and includes requirements
for pedestrian entrances and ground story transparency that will contribute to a human -scale built
environment (Attachment 3). Parking for the site will be relegated behind the block 1 building
(Attachment 4). Staff finds that the location and scale of the building is consistent with the character
recommendations of the Rio29 Plan, but little commitment to architectural features, beyond first floor
transparency has been established through the COD. During a December work session the ARB
provided preliminary feedback for the applicant, subsequent ARB staff comments have suggested
revisions to the plan and COD, but these have yet to be incorporated (Attachment 5). ARB review
and approval of this project will be provided during the site plan review and can help assure the
architecture of the site promotes a human scale environment.
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Block 2 proposes a building located behind a surface parking lot, on the northern portion of the
property. The COD contains fewer form standards for the block 2 building, including no maximum
setback and stepbacks above 50 feet. Block 2 does not have relegated parking, since it is intended
for the building in block 1 to screen most of block 2 and the parking area. Such an arrangement is
appropriate and consistent with the intent of the Rio29 Plan, since the focus of the Plan is the
relationship of the built environment to the public realm, namely streets and public outdoor spaces.
Additionally, any structure or parking area visible from Rio Road will be subject to ARB review and
approval, which will include the block 2 building.
The draft proffers and COD contain no commitment to the timing of the construction of the block 1
building with this proposal. Because of this, there is no guarantee that the block 1 building will be
constructed before or concurrent with or the block 2 building, or that it will be constructed at all. The
applicant has stated an intention to construct the block 2 building and parking area first on this site
and to not begin construction of the block 1 residential building until sometime after the completion of
the block 2 storage building. The applicant was not comfortable committing to a timeframe under
which they would construct the block 1 building. Without a commitment to timing of the block 1
construction, a scenario could occur where the site is left with a large surface parking lot in front of a
storage building for several months, years, or indefinitely. Such a scenario would make this proposal
largely inconsistent with the character recommendations of the Rio29 Small Area Plan and the intent
of the NMD zoning district.
The question for discussion is whether the Commission sees a need for a commitment from the
applicant for the timing of the block 1 construction. Staff is of the opinion that no more than two years
should pass between the completion of the block 2 building and the commencement of block 1
building construction. Additionally, interim screening should be provided if the block 2 certificate of
occupancy is issued prior to the commencement of the block 1 building, as the applicant has already
proposed with this request.
Question 2: Should 15% affordable housing be provided through the COD with this
development?
The applicant did not provide a detailed breakdown of unit types or sizes in the application materials,
beyond stating in the COD that block 1 can accommodate 30-112 multi -family units. The applicant is
not requiring any affordable units be provided within the COD for this project.
This proposal is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan recommendation that a minimum of
15% of all units developed under rezoning and special use permits be affordable units. Additionally,
the applicant is not proposing to provide two or more housing types, which is a requirement of the
Neighborhood Model zoning district. The applicant submitted a special exception request to waive
the requirement for a mix of housing types (20A.8(a) of the Code) (Attachment 6).
The subject property is within an area that is currently largely commercial. The Rio29 Small Area
Plan recommends a higher intensity and scale of development for this property, which would be
most supportive of multi -family residential units rather than other lower intensity housing types such
as townhouses or single family detached. The property is also within a quarter mile of a mix of
existing housing types, including single family detached, townhouses, and multi -family units. For
these reasons, staff could be supportive of the special exception request to not provide two or more
housing types on this site, if the applicant were to provide 15% of the multi -family units as affordable
units.
As a condition of this special exception request, Staff recommends the COD be revised to include a
provision that 15% of all residential units be provided as affordable units, consistent with County
Policy.
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SUMMARY
Question 1: Staff recommends a requirement for that the block 1 building be commenced within 2
years of the issuance a CO for any block 2 structure. Interim screening should be provided if the
bock 2 CO is issued prior to the commencement of the block 1 building.
Question 2: Staff recommends 15% onsite affordable housing be provided through the requirements
of the COD as a condition of the special exception to waive the requirement of two or more housing
types
ATTACHMENTS:
1 - Location Mar)
2 - Application Plan
3 - Code of Development (COD)
4 - Draft Proffer Statement
5 - ARB work session feedback and staff comment
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