Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutZMA200700015 Staff Report 2007-08-16COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE PLANNING STAFF REPORT SUMMARY Project Name: ZMA 2007-015 DTG Dickerson Staff: Judith C. Wiegand, AICP Road Planning Commission Public Hearing: Board of Supervisors Public Hearing: November 13, 2007 January 16, 2008 Owner(s): Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Applicant: DTG Enterprises LLC, Darren P. Society Giacalone Acreage: 2.644 acres Rezone from: Rural Areas to Light Industrial TMP: TM 32, Parcel 9J1 By -right use: agricultural, forestal, and fishery uses; Location: approximately 4500 feet north of the residential density (0.5 unit/acre) intersection with Airport Road (Rt. 649) at 4090 Dickerson Road (Rt. 606), on the west side of Dickerson across from Quail Run in the Community of Hollymead. Magisterial District: White Hall Proffers: Yes Proposal: The applicant is requesting a rezoning Requested # of Dwelling Units: none requested from the current Rural Areas district to a Light Industrial district in order to operate a small roofing business. The applicant does not propose any major changes to the site. The only changes will be the addition of a parking area behind the building and installation of a privacy fence. This business does not involve hazardous materials. DA (Development Area): Community of Comp. Plan Designation: Industrial Service Hollymead Places29: Light Industrial Character of Property: the property currently Use of Surrounding Properties: the property to houses the offices of the Woodmen of the World the north is residential, to the south is residential with Insurance Society. The property contains a building commercial uses, to the west is the airport, and to the and a parking area. The building is served by well east across Dickerson Road is the Quail Run water and a septic system. industrial complex. Factors Favorable: Factors Unfavorable: 1. The County needs additional Light Industrially Staff has found no factors unfavorable to this zoned property to accommodate uses such as rezoning. this one. 2. The subject property is designated for industrial use in the Comprehensive Plan. 3. The subject property is in the Development Areas, so a Rural Areas zoning district is inappropriate. 4. The location proposed for this new district is appropriate because it is adjacent to other Light Industrial districts and to the airport. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of this rezoning from Rural Areas to Light Industrial, with the proffers subject to modifications to address nonsubstantive matters. STAFF PERSON: JUDITH C. WIEGAND, AICP PLANNING COMMISSION: NOVEMBER 13, 2007 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS JANUARY 16, 2008 ZMA 2007-015 DTG Dickerson Road PETITION PROJECT: ZMA 2007-015 DTG Dickerson Road PROPOSAL: Rezone 2.64 acres from Rural Area (RA) zoning district which allows agricultural, forestal, and fishery uses; residential density (0.5 unit/acre) to Light Industrial zoning district which allows industrial, office, and limited commercial uses (no residential use). No residential units are proposed. PROFFERS: Yes X No EXISTING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN LAND USE/DENSITY: Industrial Service -- warehousing, light industry, heavy industry, research, office uses, regional scale research, limited production and marketing activities, supporting commercial, lodging and conference facilities, and residential (6.01- 34 units/acre) in the Community of Hollymead. ENTRANCE CORRIDOR: Yes No X LOCATION: approximately 4500 feet north of the intersection with Airport Road (Rt. 649) at 4090 Dickerson Road (Rt. 606), on the west side of Dickerson across from Quail Run in the Community of Hollymead. TAX MAP/PARCEL: 32-9J1 MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT: White Hall CHARACTER OF THE AREA This parcel is located on the west side of Dickerson Road and is one of 6 small parcels. The parcel to the south has a music school and plant nursery. The four parcels to the north are residential. The current use on the subject parcel is the Woodmen of the World insurance business, which operates in this location by special use permit. This parcel backs up to the Charlottesville -Albemarle Regional Airport and is across Dickerson Road from the Quail Run industrial complex. SPECIFICS OF THE PROPOSAL The applicant is requesting a rezoning from the current Rural Areas district to a Light Industrial district in order to operate a small roofing business. The applicant started the business in the City of Charlottesville in 2000. The business is currently operating out of rented quarters on Harris Street. The applicant has been looking for three years for a site to buy that would suit his business. The applicant does not propose any major changes to the site. The only changes will be the addition of a parking area behind the existing building and installation of a privacy fence. This business does not involve hazardous materials. APPLICANT'S JUSTIFICATION FOR THE REQUEST This location is the right size, with an appropriate building and parking for a small business of this nature. Based on the applicant's three-year search for such a location, this is one of the few locations in the County that are appropriate and affordable for small single -owner light industrial businesses. PLANNING AND ZONING HISTORY This site has been zoned Rural Areas since the current Zoning Ordinance and Map were adopted in 1980. 2 The previous owner, Woodmen of the World Life Insurance, had a special use permit, SP 1995- 035, approved on September 25, 1995, to operate an office in a Rural Areas district. Woodmen also had a site development plan, SDP 1998-020, approved March 19, 1998. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Land Use Plan: The Comprehensive Plan shows this parcel and the surrounding parcels as Industrial Service. The parcels on the east of Dickerson Road opposite the parcel are also designated industrial Service. This proposed rezoning to Light Industrial is in agreement with the Comprehensive Plan Land Use designation. The draft Places29 Master Plan currently shows these six parcels as part of the Airport District. The next revision of the Framework Land Use Plan will change the designation to Light Industrial. Open Space Plan: This map does not show any environmental features on this parcel that would require preservation. Places29's Parks and Green Systems Map does not show any trails, greenways, or natural features on this parcel. The Neighborhood Model: the staff's analysis is presented below. Pedestrian The proposed business has only one existing building, so there is no Orientation need for additional paths or sidewalks within the parcel. The Comprehensive Plan indicates that urban roads should have sidewalks. There are currently no sidewalks along this section of Dickerson Road, and it is unclear when sidewalk improvements could be made. There are no plans in the County's CIP for sidewalks in this area at this time. If road improvements are constructed in this area in the future, the priority would be to install sidewalks on the opposite (east) side of Dickerson Road because of its proximity to the University of Virginia Research Park and the Neighborhood Service Center proposed for the east side of Dickerson Road in the draft Places29 Master Plan. In view of the lack of sidewalks anywhere else in this area and the lack of places to walk to, staff does not believe it is necessary to require the applicant to provide a sidewalk. Neighborhood This business is located independently of others and is not part of a Friendly Streets neighborhood. The only street in the area is Dickerson Road. As and Paths discussed above under "Pedestrian Orientation," staff does not believe it is necessary to require the applicant to provide a sidewalk and street trees along Dickerson Road. Interconnected This is a one -parcel development, with no place for interconnections. Streets and The proposed development will be served by an entrance on Dickerson Transportation Road. This principle does not apply. Networks Parks and Open The proposed use is a small, single -use development that is maintaining Space a significant landscaped buffer between the developed portion of the site and the adjacent residential/commercial areas. This principle is met. Neighborhood This development is not located in a proposed Center; the nearest Centers proposed one shown on the Places29 Framework Land Use Plan is across Dickerson Road adjacent to the University of Virginia Research Park property. This principle does not apply. 3 Buildings and The existing building was constructed as a one-story office and meeting Spaces of Human space. It is at a human scale. This principle is met. Scale Relegated Parking Parking for the proposed use is relegated to the side and rear of the building, when viewed from Dickerson Road. This principle is met. Mixture of Uses The subject property is a small, already developed site. A single use is proposed. The site is surrounded by residential uses, a commercial use to the south, the Charlottesville -Albemarle Airport to the west, and several industrial uses to the east across Dickerson Road. These existing uses have developed independently and do not form a cohesive mixed-use neighborhood. The proposed new use is compatible with those around it. This principle is met. Mixture of Housing The proposed development is industrial. No housing is proposed. This Types and principle does not apply. Affordability Redevelopment The proposed development is using an existing building and making only minor changes to the site. This principle is met. Site Planning that The proposed development is making only minor changes to an existing Respects Terrain developed site. Very minor grading may be necessary for the two parking areas that are to be added. Otherwise, the applicant is preserving the landscaped buffers and open space on the site. This principle is met. Clear Boundaries This project is well within the Development Area, so this principle does with the Rural not apply. Areas STAFF COMMENT Relationship between the application and the purpose and intent of the requested zoning district: The following sections, shown in italic type, are excerpts from Section 27, Light Industrial, of the Zoning Ordinance. Staff comments below each quotation are given in regular type: LI districts are hereby created and may hereafter be established by amendment to the zoning map to permit industries, offices and limited commercial uses which are compatible with and do not detract from surrounding districts. The proposed light industrial use, a roofing business, is the type of industry that is appropriate in Light Industrial districts. There is a minimum size for Light Industrial districts of 5 acres, unless the proposed district adjoins an existing industrial district meeting the 5 - acre minimum. Staff has determined that this parcel can adjoin the other existing light industrial properties across Dickerson Road to meet the 5 -acre minimum. This addition to the district will be compatible with surrounding districts, such as the Airport. It is intended that LI districts may be established in areas having all of the following characteristics: - Areas served by water and sewer facilities or if such facilities are reasonably available; The subject parcel is in an area that is not currently served by public water and sewer. Although it is currently not in the jurisdictional area for water and sewer, it is in the Development Areas. When requested the Board will act to amend the jurisdictional area boundary to include this parcel and the five nearby parcels. All six of these small, fairly M isolated parcels on the west side of Dickerson Road are served at this time by well and septic systems. The applicant's engineer has indicated that the cost of connection to both water and sewer would be approximately $160,000 (see copy of letter, Attachment D). Both the applicant's engineer and the Health Department (see Attachment E) have indicated that the well and septic system on the subject parcel are more than adequate for the proposed use. The applicant is proffering that he will connect to water and sewer when these are adjacent to the subject property and, further, that he will not request a second use on the property until it is connected to public water and sewer (see proffers in Attachment C). - Areas served by major highway, rail or air service, or secondary road improved to standards approved by the county, and The subject parcel has access from Dickerson Road that is adequate to serve the proposed use. Since the parcel is small (2.644 acres), subsequent businesses are likely to be similar in size and not involve a significant amount of additional traffic. The parcel is close to the intersection of Dickerson and Airport roads and is close to US 29. The parcel is also very close to the airport. - Areas having clearly demonstrated suitability for intended uses with regard to physical characteristics and relationship to surrounding development. This proposed addition to the Light Industrial district is suitable for the intended use because it is an appropriate size, it is industrial in nature, and it is compatible with surrounding uses. This portion of the Hollymead Development Area is intended for industrial uses because of its proximity to the airport and the University of Virginia Research Park. Staff believes that the proposed rezoning meets the intent of the Light Industrial district. Public need and justification for the change: During the process of preparing the Places29 Master Plan and of revising the County's Economic Development Policy, consultants and staff have identified a definite need for Light Industrially zoned property to serve as locations for this type of small, single -owner business. This need is outlined in the draft Places29 Master Plan and in a memorandum prepared by the County's Business Development Facilitator. The area adjacent to the northern portion of the airport property already has a significant amount of Light Industrial property on the east side of Dickerson Road. Since this parcel is inside the Development Areas, it is an appropriate location for rezoning to Light Industrial in order to further the County's growth management goal of encouraging industrial development to locate in the Development Areas. Impact on Environmental, Cultural, and Historic Resources: There are no environmental, cultural, or historic resources present on this property. Further, there are none on adjacent parcels that might be affected by the proposed rezoning. 5 Anticipated impact on public facilities and services: Streets: The impact of this proposed use on Dickerson Road and the surrounding street network is minimal. Comments from VDOT are included as Attachment F. Schools: There are no residential uses proposed for this site, so there will be no impacts on County schools. Fire and Rescue: The closest station is the Hollymead Fire/Rescue Station on Airport Road. Utilities: Public water and sewer are not available to the site and the closest lines are at least 700 feet away. The well and septic system on the site are adequate for the proposed use. The applicant has proffered to connect to public water and sewer when they become available nearby. Comments from ACSA are included as Attachment G. Anticipated impact on nearby and surrounding properties: There are no anticipated impacts on surrounding properties. The applicant is constructing a privacy fence to screen the trucks that will be parked on the property. Employee vehicles will be parked there during the day as they were for the previous use as an insurance office and meeting facility. The applicant intends to maintain the wooded buffer areas around three sides of the property, as shown on the application plan. Staff notes that the applicant will be required to submit to the County Engineer, as part of final site plan approval, a Certified Engineer's Report describing the proposed operation, all machines, processes, products, and by-products. This report will be reviewed and approved by the County Engineer in accordance with Section 26.7, in order to assure compliance with section 4.14, regarding performance standards for noise, vibration, glare, and air & water pollution. PROFFERS Attachment C contains the current draft of the proffers. Wording changes are expected prior to the Board of Supervisor's public hearing to address nonsubstantive matters. Individual proffers are described below: Proffer 1: Addresses the need to connect to public water and sewer when these utilities become available in the vicinity of the subject parcel. The County Engineer has suggested language that is better than staff's original suggestion to the applicant. The Engineer's language adds adjacent public easements to the possible location for water and sewer attachments and also removes the requirement that these connections be shown on the site plan, since it is uncertain at this time exactly where the connections would be made. The applicant has also indicated a willingness to proffer that a second use will not be located on the site until water and sewer is available. The current zoning would allow a second use on the site and there is room for another use that is similar in size. Proffer 2: Lists current by -right uses that will only be permitted by special use permit. Staff has redrafted this list so it is shown as part of the complete list of uses currently permitted by -right and by special use permit. Uses shown in strikethrough type have been changed so they will be available by special use permit. Staff recommends that the applicant us this format. no Proffer 3: Lists uses now available by special use permit in a Light Industrial district that will be prohibited in the proposed district. Staff has incorporated these uses in the list described under Proffer #2 above. Staff also requests an additional proffer to indicate that the applicant will develop the property in general accord with the application plan. SUMMARY Staff has identified the following factors, which are favorable to this rezoning request: 1. The County needs additional Light Industrially zoned property to accommodate uses such as this one. 2. The subject property is designated for industrial use in the Comprehensive Plan. 3. The subject property is in the Development Areas, so a Rural Areas zoning district is inappropriate. 4. The location proposed for this new district is appropriate because it is adjacent to other Light Industrial districts and to the airport. Staff has found no factors unfavorable to this rezoning. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of this rezoning from Rural Areas to Light Industrial, with the proffers subject to modifications to address nonsubstantive matters discussed above. ATTACHMENT A: Location Map ATTACHMENT B: Application Plan ATTACHMENT C: Proposed Proffers ATTACHMENT D: Letter from Engineer concerning water and sewer, dated ATTACHMENT E: Dept. of Health report on well and septic systems (e-mail), dated ATTACHMENT F: Comments from VDOT ATTACHMENT G: ACSA Comments 7