HomeMy WebLinkAbout08 04 2009 PC MinutesPC M no �0 5 -- 8 - � -U0 9
COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
4
' Creating and Department of Planning & Community Development
Connecting 401 McIntire Road, Room 218
• Communities Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
in Northern Albemarle (434) 296 - 5832
Fax (434) 972 - 4035
MEMORANDUM
TO: Albemarle County Planning Commission
FROM: David Benish, Chief of Planning
SUB]: Southern Expansion Area, Hollymead Community
DATE: August 4, 2009
Background:
The Commission requested that staff develop recommendations for a possible expansion of the
Hollymead Development Area between the current southern boundary west of US 29 and the
South Fork of the Rivanna River. This area had previously been recommended for expansion by
the Places29 consultant and staff to: 1) encourage participation in the construction of Berkmar
Drive extended, and 2) take advantage of the existence of the new road in this location to serve
long term land use needs. In the first draft of the Places29 Plan, the consultants stated the
following:
This expansion area is related to the proposed extension of Berkmar Drive to Meeting
Street in Hollymead Town Center. The cost for this transportation improvement is
expected to be significant and will require a combination of public and private
funding ... An alignment of Berkmar Drive Extended through the Development Area
would likely offer more incentive for a development to finance this new road, and the
new road would need to serve the new development around it...
The previous expansion area recommended by the Places29 consultant consisted of almost 200
acres and was designated for a combination of Urban Density Residential (70 acres),
Neighborhood Density Residential (90 acres), Neighborhood Service Center (10 acres), and
Semi -Public Open Space (20+acres). The selection and distribution of these land uses "reflected
the community's desire to maintain an appearance of the forested stretch of US 29 and to
facilitate a transition from the high intensity of the Hollymead Town Center to the open space at
the South Fork of the Rivanna River."
This area had also been the subject of a public request to amend the Land Use Plan to include a
Destination Center, "mixed use" and "residential area" land use designations in this area. This
request was considered as part of the review and development of the Places29 Plan. The
Commission recommended removing the expansion area proposed by the consultant and staff
from the proposed Future Land Use Map and also did not support the public request for
expansion.
cm
Places29: Southern Expansion Area, Hollymead Community, August 04, 2009 2
Attachment A is a revised version of the Future Land Use map that incorporates the proposed
expansion area. Attachment B provides the potential language to be added to Chapter 4 if the *40
Commission decides to recommend the expansion area.
Character of the Area:
The area is mostly wooded and consists of rolling terrain. There is a higher concentration of
critical slopes in the southern portion of the area, running along US 29 to the east and Rio Mills
Road at the south and west edges of this area. The proposed southern boundary for the
expansion area is located so as to exclude most of this critical slope area. There are several
intermittent stream valleys and swales in the area, but there are no major perennial streams
within the proposed expansion area. There is no existing development (homes, businesses, etc.)
except for a radio transmission tower and cell phone tower site. One subdivision, Templeton
Hills, and several other single family homes are located on Rio Mills Road adjacent to the
northwestern boundary of the expansion area.
New Expansion Proposal:
The new expansion proposal consists of approximately 140 acres. The recommended Land Use
designations are:
• Neighborhood Density Residential (87 acres)
• Neighborhood Service Center (10 acres).
• Urban Mixed Use (34 acres)
• One large format store up to 120,000 sq. ft. allowed in Urban Mixed Use area
The new expansion proposal differs from the earlier expansion proposal in the following ways:
• Less total area designated (140 acres vs. 190+ acres)
• Replaces Urban Density Residential (UDR) (70 acres) with Urban Mixed Use and
Neighborhood Density Residential (NDR) uses.
• The large format retail store was not permitted in the earlier expansion concept.
• Lowers the intensity of use in the area that is within in the existing Development Area
just north of the expansion area (from NDR and UDR to Industrial Service and NDR)
The recommendations for the Urban Mixed Use part of the expansion area would allow for one
large -format retail use (big box store). Staff believes that the mix of uses permitted in the Urban
Mixed Use land use designation, along with ability to locate a large retail use, create a greater
ability for future development within this area to contribute significantly to the necessary
infrastructure improvements.
In addition to the new expansion area, staff is recommending that land uses be changed in the
area just north of, and abutting, the expansion area. Staff is recommending that xx acres of land
located west of Berkmar Drive Extended be changed from Neighborhood Density Residential to
Light Industrial. The area between Berkmar Drive Extended and US 29 is also being
recommended for a change from Urban Density Residential to Neighborhood Density
Residential. Staff believes that these changes will reduce the amount of traffic generated from
Places29: Southern Expansion Area, Hollymead Community, August 04, 2009 3
this area and provide a greater opportunity for industrial uses to locate near a major road
'�Imw corridor.
Transportation Impact of the Expansion Proposal:
Staff does not have the capability to model the new expansion area proposal, and the
transportation consultant is no longer under contract. However, traffic impacts from the
expansion area are already included in the traffic modeling for Places29, based on the first
expansion area proposal. The development anticipated from the previous expansion area concept
could be accommodated in the recommended road network. On balance the proposed expansion
will have a comparable impact as the previous expansion area proposal given the reduction in
size of the expansion area and changes in land use designations in, and immediately adjacent to,
the expansion area. The most significance difference in traffic impacts between the two
expansion concepts would be from the introduction of the large format retail building. This use
would be limited to 120,000 square feet in size and would potentially generate 6700 to 8500
vehicle trips per day. Large format uses of this size typically locate on sites of 12 to 15 acres.
The same 15 acre site, if designated Urban Density Residential as recommended in the previous
expansion proposal, would generate 600 to 3400 vehicle trips per day.
Specific transportation/traffic impacts will be identified through the required traffic study and
modeling for any proposed development in the area. Those impacts will be addressed through
the phasing of rezoning actions (approvals) concurrent with the provision of the necessary
infrastructure/road improvements to ensure that development does not take place until needed
improvements are in place.
Development Expectations:
The expansion area is not within a recommended Priority Area for development in the short-
term. New text to be included in Chapter Four of the Places29 Plan would state that no
development should take place in this expansion area until a number of improvements are made
to the transportation network. There are additional recommendations regarding expectations for
physical development of the area. Staff has provided following comments regarding these
recommendations:
One large -format retail use is permitted within the Urban Mixed Use area. The size is
limited to 120,000 square feet. This is consistent with the typical intermediate size big
box retail stores, but is larger than the 1001000 sq. ft. limit established in the approval of
the zoning map amendment for the North Pointe Development.
Recommendations have been included which encourage the form of the big box
development to be less conventional in nature and more in keeping with the expectations
of the Neighborhood Model. This language is similar to the Comprehensive Plan
recommendations for the Albemarle Place and Hollymead Town Center areas.
Wooded buffers are recommended along US 29 to provide a break from the otherwise
uninterrupted pattern of urban development from the city limits to NGIC. This is
consistent with the current recommendation of the Comprehensive Plan for this area
between the South Fork of the Rivanna River and the current Hollymead boundary. The
current Plan states:
Places29: Southern Expansion Areal Hollymead Community, August 04, 2009 4
The area between the southern boundary of the DA [Hollymead] and South Fork
Rivanna River is to remain in an open state as a buffer between the UA and '
Community of Hollymead. This boundary is critical as it preserves the distinct
identity of the Community from the Urban Area and prevents continuous
development from Charlottesville to the North Fork Rivanna River. (p.79,
Hollymead Community Profile)
The expansion of the Industrial Service designation just north of the proposed expansion
area will provide a larger Industrial Service area with frontage on Berkmar Drive to
support the community's industrial needs. The recommendations for the expansion area
encourage Office/R&D/Flex and space for contractor services be provided either in the
expansion area or this area. Some of the properties in both of these areas are in common
ownership.
Recommendation:
The Commission should provide staff direction on the attached expansion area addition to the
Places29 Master Plan. Should the Commission recommend including the expansion area in the
Master Plan, staff will revise the appropriate pages and maps in the master Plan prior to
distribution to the public for review.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A — Future Land Use Map, with Proposed Expansion Area
Attachment B — Proposed Text Amendment, Chapter 4
Places29: Southern Expansion Area, Hollymead Community, August 04, 2009 5
ATTACHMENT B
PROPOSED TEXTAMENDMENT, CHAPTER 4:
[Text to be added to Chapter 4, p. 4-16 (to the end of the "Key Subareas of the Land Use Plan"
section, which begins on page 4-11.1
Hollymead Southern Expansion Area
The newly expanded portion of the Hollymead Community is located west of US 29
approximately 2000 feet north of Rio Mills Road, east of the critical slopes and stream adjacent
to Rio Mills Road, and south of an unnamed stream. This area is to the east of the Templeton
Hills Subdivision located off of Rio Mills Road. This area consists of approximately 140 acres
of rolling terrain, with wooded and open areas. Existing development consists of radio and
cellular communication towers.
This expansion of the Hollymead Community is related to the proposed extension of Berkmar
Drive north across the South Fork Rivanna River to Meeting Street in the Hollymead Town
Center. The cost for this improvement is significant and will require a combination of public and
private funding. The Master Plan expands the Development Area and designates urban uses
along the alignment corridor for Berkmar Drive to support the development of the road. An
alignment for Berkmar Drive through a Development Area (as opposed to a Rural Area) will
create more opportunities and incentives for new development to finance the new road, and the
road would be necessary to support the new development around it.
The selection and distribution of the land uses within the expansion area reflect the community's
desire to maintain the appearance of the forested stretch of US 29, and to facilitate a transition
from the high intensity of the Hollymead Town Center to the open space at the south end of this
corridor and along the South Fork of the Rivanna River. A Neighborhood Service Center
designation is provided, surrounded by an Urban Mixed Use designation that would permit a
single large -format retail store as an additional incentive for development to finance the road. It
is important that commercial development (Neighborhood Service Center/Urban Mixed Use) be
oriented primarily to the side street(s) and Berkmar Drive and not directly to US 29 in order to
avoid replicating the commercial strip development pattern currently prevalent along the US 29
corridor. VDOT's access management regulations and the Access Management Plan
component of Places29 will also guide access decisions in this area.
Expectations for development within this expansion area include:
• Within the Urban Mixed Use area, one large -format (big box) retail use of up to 120,000
square feet may be constructed, provided it is developed in a manner otherwise consistent
with design/development expectations for the Urban Mixed Use designation. If no large -
format retail use is developed, the area designated Urban Mixed Use should retain the
character described in the definition of that designation.
• The large -format retail building should adhere to the following guidelines for the purpose
of creating an appropriate streetscape:
—The building's facades and rooflines should be of visual interest and should reduce the
massive scale and the uniform, impersonal appearance of such large buildings.
Places29: Southern Expansion Area, Hollymead Community, August 04, 2009 6
—The building should have architectural features and patterns at a pedestrian scale to
provide visual interest, reduce massive aesthetic effects, and recognize local character.
These elements should be integral parts of the building fabric and not applied trim,
graphics, or paint.
—A large building's design should integrate small liner stores with entrances onto the
sidewalk in order to break up the fagade of the larger user.
—The large building's location should be integrated with other buildings and site
features to encourage a more pedestrian -friendly composition.
—All large buildings should present at least a two-story elevation to the streetscape.
—Loading docks, trash collection facilities, outdoor storage and related facilities
should be incorporated into the building design or site to limit visibility.
• Retail uses within the Neighborhood Service Center should be those neighborhood scale
uses typically expected in such a Center (see Land Use Table 1).
• Office/R&D/Flex and space for contractor services are encouraged to be provided within
or near (north of) the Urban Mixed Use area.
• All development, including the Neighborhood Center and Urban Mixed Use area, should
be primarily oriented to Berkmar Drive and/or the east -west connecting road(s) from US
29 to Berkmar Drive.
• Access to all development within the Expansion Area, including the Neighborhood
Service Center and the Urban Mixed Use area should be provided from Berkmar Drive
and/or the planned perpendicular roads (consistent with the recommendations of the
Access Management Plan). No new commercial entrances should be constructed on US
29 to serve individual properties or developments.
• Provision of public active recreation space (playfields/practice fields) in this area should
be considered to meet the larger community needs.
• A wooded, naturalistic buffer along US 29 from Rio Mills Road to the southern edge of
the Hollymead Town Center development should be provided to avoid or minimize the
appearance of uninterrupted urban development from the City to northern end of Piney
Mountain.
This expansion area is not within a Priority Area for public capital investment and land use
activity. Approval of any development within this new DA expansion area, as with other lands
within the non -priority areas, will be predicated on the completion of a number of transportation
and infrastructure improvements needed to support development in these areas. These
improvements include:
• The widening of US 29 to six lanes total between the South Fork Rivanna River and the
existing six -lane section near Hollymead Town Center, including the grade separation/jug
handle road system at US 29 and Ashwood Blvd.
• The extension of Berkmar Drive north across the South Fork Rivanna River to Meeting
Street in the Hollymead Town Center.
• The construction of the east -west road from US 29 to Earlysville Road.
• The construction of a road connecting Rio Mills Road to Berkmar Drive Extended.
• All of the above improvements are needed to better distribute traffic generated from
within this Expansion Area to various roads in the transportation network and to
minimize the impact to US 29.
Places29: Southern Expansion Area, Hollymead Community, August 04, 2009 7
Provision of an easement for the upgrade to the RWSA water distribution line to serve the
�,. Hollymead and Piney Mtn. Development Areas. The easement is expected to run approximately
adjacent to Berkmar Drive Extended and must be acceptable to RWSA.
8-4 version -desktop
on
m