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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCP202100002 Application 2021-08-13Application for Comprehensive Plan Compliance PROJECT NAME: (how should we refer to this application?): Southern Albemarle Convenience Center PROPOSAL (use separate sheet, if needed): Refer to attached Proposal COMPREHENSIVE COMP PLAN LAND USE/DENSITY: Area: Rural Area 4. Land Use: Rural Area LOCATION: Undeveloped, unaddressed parcel TAX MAP PARCEL(s): 12100-00-00-082A2 MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT: Samuel Miller District Contact Person (Who should we call/write concerning this project?): Lance Stewart, County of Albemarle Address 401 McIntire Road City Charlottesville State Virginia Zip 22901 Daytime Phone (434) 296-5816 Fax # (434) 296-0294 E-mail LSTEWART(),ALBEMARLE.ORG Owner of Record County of Albemarle Address 401 McIntire Road City Charlottesville State Virginia Zip 22901 Daytime Phone (434) 296-5816 Fax # (434,) 296-0294 E-mail LSTEWART@ALBEMARLE.ORG Applicant (Who is the Contact person representing?): County of Albemarle Address 401 McIntire Road City Charlottesville State Virginia Zip 22901 Daytime Phone (434) 296-5816 Fax # (434) 296-0294 E-mail LSTEWART(a)ALBEMARLE.ORG Does the owner of this property own (or have any ownership interest in) any abutting property? If yes, please list those tax map and parcel numbers Not Applicable FOR OFFICE USE ONLY ❑ Compliance with the Comprehensive Plan (CCP) ❑ Special Use Permits: ❑ Variances: Concurrent review of Site Development Plan? History: ❑ ZMA's & Proffers: ❑ Letter of Authorization ❑ YES ❑ NO Page 1 Comprehensive Plan Compliance Application Applicant: County of Albemarle Project Name: Southern Convenience Center Location: 12100-00-00-082A2, Unimproved, Unaddressed Parcel Preface If authorized to proceed, this project will advance central elements of the Comprehensive Plan and the Board of Supervisors' stated intentions to equitably provide essential services to the residents of our community. This application will provide a background and description of the project. It will strive to highlight the ways in which the project will specifically align with the Comprehensive Plan, while acknowledging conflicting goals with that guiding document. It will highlight the balance between the operation of the proposed facility and the community benefits that will be achieved. Project Background/Description For many years, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors has recognized the need for expanded solid waste management services in rural areas of Albemarle County. As detailed in a 2015 report of the Long - Range Solid Waste Solutions Advisory Committee, Albemarle has lagged significantly behind its neighbors in the provision of collection sites for residential trash and recyclables (convenience centers). In partnership with the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA), the County has in recent years funded major capital projects to meet this challenge, constructing a modern solid waste transfer station and a convenience center at the Ivy Materials Utilization Center (Ivy MUC). This facility is located in western Albemarle County. It is envisioned that additional convenience centers be placed in strategic locations throughout the County, to ensure equitable service provision. This strategy is consistent with Albemarle County's Climate Action Plan and elements of its Comprehensive Plan. In discussions over recent years, Board of Supervisors members expressed the opinion that the southern portions of the County are most underserved. At its meeting on February 17, 2021, the Board formally directed staff to pursue the construction and operation of a convenience center at an undeveloped, County - owned property near the Keene Post Office. At a subsequent meeting, the Board appropriated $1.1 million to fund the construction of the center, purchase trash and recycling containers and compactors, and all other amenities necessary for the operation of the facility. The proposed Southern Convenience Center, managed by the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority, would provide services to County residents in the same manner as those provided at the Ivy Convenience Center. • Service Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (closed Thursdays) • Service Hours: seasonally set (e.g. winter hours of 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM; 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM during summer months) • Recyclable material collection of types consistent with the Ivy Convenience Center, which may vary based on market conditions (currently consists of cardboard, mixed paper, plastic films, #1 and #2 plastic containers, office paper, newsprint, glass, mixed metals, and aluminum beverage containers). • Compostable food waste • Used Cooking Oil Page 2 • Tag -A -Bag household waste — bags of household trash, less than 32 gallons, fee of $2.00/bag — stickers sold off site — removed from site daily. (Large items or large volumes are still expected to be taken to the transfer station at the Ivy MUC). • Annual special waste collection days (e.g. household hazardous waste amnesty days, electronics) • Staffing: 0 one attendant at all times during operating hours o equipment operator to haul containers • Other amenities o Port-a-john for attendance use o Attendant station (1) o Municipal solid waste compactor (1) and cardboard compactor (1) o Roll -off containers for recyclable materials (8) The proposed convenience center is not subject to inspection or permitting by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality or the Virginia Department of Health — Blue Ridge Health District. History of County Ownership, Site Selection Considerations This parcel was purchased by the County of Albemarle in 1990, for future use as a convenience center. No immediate action was taken to develop the facility for more than a decade. Between 2012 and 2014, public discussions were held regarding potential convenience center sites to serve southern Albemarle. Those efforts focused on two County -owned properties, including the ultimately selected parcel in Keene. Due diligence engineering studies of the sites and public discussions during this period suggest several desirable aspects for siting of a convenience center, as well some minimum requirements. • Location — o major arterial road, or optimally an intersection of such roads o unimproved property or redeveloped commercial property o centralized location to conveniently serve the most citizens possible • Size — o minimum of 1 square acre of contiguous buildable land o additional acreage sufficient to provide visual screening from neighboring properties The property selected by the Board of Supervisors meets these criteria optimally. The land is near the intersection of US 20, Plank Road, Esmont Road and Coles Rolling Road, each of which serve as major arteries for the southern Albemarle community, and is approximately 6 miles north of the Town of Scottsville. (This property should not be confused with the former Keene Landfill.) Page 3 Keene o� ip Nq e i c a The benefits of the proposed site's "crossroads" location are enhanced by its geographic position to serve the most residents in this area of Albemarle County. The image below indicates the anticipated service area by frequency of use. Page 4 Southern Albemarle Convenience Center — Resident Service Area • .... t.. mile radius) Frequent Users (7.5-mile radius) Page 5 Comprehensive Plan (2015) The following sections of the Community Facilities chapter are relevant to the determination of compliance with the Comprehensive Plan. Objective 1 addresses the location of new public facilities and services as follows: • The location of new public facilities should be within the County's Development Areas per County land use policies. • Residents in the Rural Area should not anticipate levels of service delivery equal to those provided in the Development Area. • Development Areas serve as service center locations for the Rural Area. • Public facilities are allowed in the Rural Area only in cases where it is not possible in the Development Areas due to physical constraints, the nature of the facility, and/or the service(s) provided. Although the proposed convenience center will be located within the County's Rural Area distributed locations allow County residents to participate in enhanced residential trash collection and recycling in a manner that is not feasible if those services are only provided in the County's Development Areas. Recycling services are not provided to residents in the area of Southern Albemarle through private means. Locating this facility is not attempting to allow residents to "anticipate levels of service deliver equal to those provided in the Development Area." Rather it is attempting to allow these residents to reasonably participate in waste recycling at all. Objective 7 of that chapter addresses, "solid waste disposal and sustainable materials management to reduce waste, conserve resources, protect human and environmental health, and decrease greenhouse emissions." That objective stresses that, due to the unlikelihood of the permitting of another landfill within Albemarle County, "this plan recognizes that the County will need to be responsive to evolving waste management strategies, changes in the waste stream over time, and a changing regulatory environment." As solid waste management has evolved from backyard burn barrels to discussions of sustainable materials management, County governments, including Albemarle County, have struggled to balance maintaining the character of their communities and rural areas with acknowledging their responsibilities to prioritize environmental considerations with greater emphasis than may have occurred previously. This proposed convenience center provides an accessible means of providing current and near -future solid waste management services to residents with limited impacts (visual or otherwise) to the rural nature of the community. Without this center, residents cannot reasonably be expected to drive into Charlottesville or to Ivy to avail themselves of the opportunity to properly dispose of recyclable materials. They are relegated to putting it in their trash for landfilling. Strategy 7d: Continue to identify best practices for the management of solid waste in order to provide guidance for the County. The Albemarle County Long Range Solid Waste Solutions Advisory Committee was formed by the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors to study solid waste management as a public policy issue and to identify best practices for the management of solid waste in the County now and in the future, including the possibility of regional cooperation. Any recommended implementation strategies should be consistent with the County's Comprehensive Plan and the organizational vision of Albemarle County. Page 6 The committee referenced in Strategy 7d completed its work and generated a final report in 2015 (https://www.albemarle.org:/home/showdocument?id=7699), which was accepted by the Board of Supervisors. It has served as a guidance document for staff as a de facto Comprehensive Plan amendment. The report provided several prioritized Implementation Strategies related to the development of additional convenience centers. • Increase Recycling Options and Activities in Albemarle County • Plan and Construct Ivy MUC Upgrades • Create a model recycling center (completed 2020) • Upgrade transfer station (completed 2018) • Launch a Public Discussion on Creating Additional Recycling Centers • Foster Rural and Special Services • Carefully plan and establish rural recycling centers In the body of the report, it further states: Such recycling centers would be staffed and would prioritize source -separated recycling, but they could also provide MSW collection and perhaps some specialty services such as a reuse/swap area or donation boxes, a -waste collection, or collection of tires or paint, depending upon the community's needs. Determining the best location and service level will be an important collaboration between county residents, the SMM Advisory Committee (later formed as the Solid Waste Alternatives Advisory Committee) and County staff in the coming years. In keeping with the guidance from the Long -Range Solid Waste Solutions Advisory Committee this convenience center represents the continued implementation of a long-range plan to increase recycling and landfill diversion options for all residents of the County. Further, completion of this new facility will provide the County with a great deal of real -world data on the demand for further convenience centers elsewhere in the rural areas of the County. Transportation Impacts When planning for any new public service infrastructure, it is important to consider the impacts of increased vehicular traffic on public roads. Traffic impact projections for a solid waste convenience centers are not comparable to standard businesses, such as a "convenience store". The number of daily visitors will vary by the type of services offered, the number of residents served and other options for those services in the area. For this reason, the only directly comparable facility to utilize as a baseline is the Ivy Convenience Center. That facility averages 96 visitors per open business day. Saturdays are the busiest days at Ivy, where the daily visits can be expected to be approximately 190 residents. Further mitigating transportation impacts is the fact that the proposed convenience center is located right off of a major arterial roadway (Route 20) in this area of the County. This is somewhat different to the Ivy Convenience Center baseline in that the Ivy facility is located several miles down minor roadways from any road which would be comparable to Route 20. It is unlikely that proposed convenience center would greatly increase traffic on portions of Esmont Road as it continues away from Route 20 beyond the proposed site location. Page 7 Community Engagement County staff will seek community input during the project development process, to inform the design of the site and the services to be provided. This engagement will include efforts to educate residents regarding the benefits of these services in terms of environmental protection. In addition to the Board of Supervisors' show of support in February of this year in a public meeting, which resulted in a substantial $1,100,000 funding allocation, staff subsequently provided an update on the proposed facility to the Scottsville Town Council on April 12, 2021. At its next meeting on April 19, the Town Council formalized a resolution of support for the project (included as an attachment to this application), citing the desirability of the services the convenience center will provide to area residents and the environmental benefits that may be realized, "especially in rural areas". Additional community engagement is planned as follows: • Planning Commission public hearing anticipated to be required by the Comprehensive Plan compliance review • 5`h & Avon Community Advisory Committee Meeting • Community outreach meeting to gain stakeholder input from residents of southern Albemarle County County staff believe that these opportunities for input will honor the Comprehensive Plan's intent for a collaborative community process. SITE PLAN AND GRAPHIC The graphic below has been developed for the purposes of submission for Site Plan approval, illustrating: • The type and number of containers and compactors that will be provided • Parking spaces • VDOT-compliant entrance to the site from Esmont Road • Traffic flow on the site • Stormwater management features • Security fencing • Visual screening features • Areas of preserved open space Page 8 ov O�?�b0 00 0r s °® bop0 0 00oa00 0°0a oQO-00 o�°06 oa _ �� �o Oboo00 000000 Oo0p00 -��°oID 000-o.0°o00�000-°° °o a�°o 0 00 ° c� N 0 0 000ro°0° 0° .0 00oa°o° o o0 11-7n 00 °00000 o 000o0c o ool)ooooo0o oo °° 00°00000-o-o°a° °0o00000°0oa0°co°o°°C °° o°ff°ot f%NPMK YJ1lE Page 9 Appendix I - Scottsville Town Council Resolution of Support - Southern Convenience Center Page 10 yG,VTsvtttt� °< WE� A RESOLUTION BY THE SCOTTSVILLE TOWN COUNCIL IN SUPPORT OF ALBEMARLE COUNTY IMPROVEMENTS TO SOLID WASTE MANAGMENT WHEREAS, stewardship of the natural environment and the James River is a fundamental goal of the Scottsville Town Council; and WHEREAS, Scottsville's Town Council is dedicated to supporting a high level of community services to residents of the town; and WHEREAS, convenient public facilities for trash and recycling are essential to public health and environmental quality, especially in rural area; and WHEREAS, Scottsville's adopted Comprehensive Plan states support for a convenience center with trash and recycling services close to town; and WHEREAS, Albemarle County now proposes to construct a convenience center for household trash and recycling near the Keene Post Office on Esmont Road with a high quality service and no increase to taxes, - NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Town Council hereby endorses and states its support for the construction and operation of Albemarle County's southern convenience center near the Keene Post Office on Esmont Road; RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Clerk of the Council prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. I, Thomas Unsworth, do hereby certify that the foregoing writing is a true, correct copy of a Resolution duly adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Scottsville by vote of q to (L at a duly called meeting held on ( Owl. Clerk, Scottsville Town Council