HomeMy WebLinkAboutZMA202100016 Review Comments Zoning Map Amendment 2022-01-24Comments from Economic Development Office
Received from J.T. Newberry on 1/24/22
The Economic Development Office has reviewed the materials submitted for ZMA202100016: North
Fork, UVa. Discovery Park for consistency with Project ENABLE and provides the following comments:
Project ENABLE specifically identifies the University of Virginia Foundation as a critical partner to its
future success. The Foundation manages the development and operation of North Fork, which contains
the largest concentration of industrial zoning in the County. Industrial zoning is required for many of the
County's existing primary businesses as well as its four primary target industries:
• Bioscience and Medical Devices
• Business & Financial Services
• Information Technology and Defense & Security
• Agribusiness and Food Processing
Additionally, industrially zoned property that is "site ready' is critical to the mission of Project ENABLE.
Site ready property is defined as having the necessary infrastructure already in place (or can be
delivered within 12-18 months) and all permit issues identified and quantified.
This application retains over 350 acres of industrial zoning within North Fork; over 200 acres of which
have already been certified at a "Tier 4" level of site readiness under the Commonwealth's Virginia
Business Ready Sites Program. The certified Tier 4 acreage within North Fork remains an area of focus
for future economic development activities, but the remaining industrial acreage is important as well.
The certified Tier 4 acreage is delineated in blue in the map below.
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Map from the Due Diligence and Conceptual Planning Report. Completed by Dewberry, April 2018.
The Economic Development Office does not expect the conversion of 172 acres from PD-IP to NMD
zoning to undermine North Fork's ability to attract target industries. In fact, it may enhance its
attractiveness because "workforce" continues to be the top site selection factor according to corporate
real estate executives.
Workforce includes both the availability of skilled labor and the presence of workforce development
initiatives to serve the long-term needs of businesses. The availability of proximate housing and
placemaking elements as proposed in the NMD area may be especially attractive to certain target
industries and provide North Fork a point of differentiation from other sites. There are examples of
other research parks that have successfully integrated these elements (see list of research below).
In responding to recent private sector interest about land within North Fork, EDO staff found several
existing proffers serve as a barrier to economic development goals. Specifically, proffers with quantified
triggers for certain infrastructure improvements related to water, sewer, and transportation are
outdated or do not align with the latest planning efforts in the area.
Factors Favorable:
• We believe the introduction of residential, commercial, and other amenities proposed under the
NMD zoning will complement and enhance the desirability of the existing and future
employment -based uses. The benchmarking below shows almost all other peer research parks
contain commercial activities, amenities, and some include residential components (but none to
our knowledge include affordable housing).
• The proposal does not negatively impact the land set aside for economic development purposes
which is certified as Tier 4 site ready under the VBRSP and may enhance its attractiveness (Goal
3, Project ENABLE)
• The proposal will provide greater flexibility and certainty for prospective businesses by updating
proffers, updating and simplifying the land use matrix, and integrating new acreage under the
overall North Fork zoning (Goal 2, Project ENABLE)
• The proposal plans for future interparcel connectivity with adjacent industrially zoned
properties
Factors Unfavorable:
• Economic Development staff believes the applicant should work closely with RWSA to ensure
the conveyance of water for mixed -use and residential construction within North Fork does not
serve as a barrier to the expansion of existing businesses, nor the establishment of future
employment -based uses.
Research links:
1. What Exactly is Workforce Housing and Why is it Important? I Community and Economic
Development - Blog by UNC School of Government
2. Research Triangle Park I Where People+ Ideas Converge (rtp.org)
3. 2008ResearchParkReport.pdf (uli.org) (page 8)
4. University Research Park I CURRENTLY AVAILABLE PROPERTIES (no residential)
5. The UC Irvine Research Park: Paving the way for innovation & Technology
(universitylabpartners.org) commercial and amenities, no residential... but surrounded by
apartments
6. Amenities I UI Research Park (uiowa.edu) commercial and amenities, no residential
7. Our Vision I Technology Enterprise Park (gatech.edu) has residential too....
8. VA Bio+Tech Park Companies only....
9. Community I Discovery District (umd.edu) Commercial, amenities, no residential