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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSE202200018 Correspondence 2022-07-11EARLYSVILLE FOREST HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION BOARD P.O. Box 61 EARLYSVILLE, VA 22936 July 11, 2022 Bart Svoboda, 'Zoning Administrator County of Albemarle 401 McIntire Road, Suite 228 Charlottesville, VA 22902 Re: Special Exception for a Zoning Clearance SE202200018 Kindrick Farm 4394 Carriage Hill Drive Dear Mr. Svoboda: This letter is in response to the notification the Earlvsville Forest Homeowners Association (EFHA) received July 6, 2022 that the owner of the Kindrick Farm, which is accessed via a driveway on Carriage Hill Drive in the Earlysville Forest neighborhood, is requesting expansion of a fill area from 4 acres to 50 acres. The EFHA Board is submitting this letter in opposition to the request for the reasons noted below based on the information we have been able to gather in advance of the July 11 deadline for written comments. We also note that two of the three Carriage Hill homeowners whose property abuts the Kindrick Farm driveway that we were able to contact July 7 had not been notified of the request, and no public notice had been posted as of that date on the street. The EFHA Board has the following concerns and questions related to three of the four areas that the Board of Supervisors will specifically consider when determining whether to approve the Special Exception request: 1. Adverse impact(s) to the surrounding neighborhood. a. At least one full-size dump truck owned by Kindrick Trucking Company, LLC, has been making multiple trips per day down the driveway that abuts three Earlysville Forest homes on Carriage Hill Drive and then on the tar and gravel, residential streets of Carriage Hill Drive and Earlysville Forest Drive. Bart Svoboda, Zoning Administrator County of Albemarle July 11, 2022 Page 2 b. We have notified the Virginia Department of Transportation and requested confirmation of the traffic volume expected on the Earlysville Forest neighborhood's tar and gravel streets designed primarily for residential use. c. The noise and disruption of heavy machinery being operated in close proximity to residential homes and the Earlysville Forest common area is already a nuisance, and it is unclear what increased traffic is to be expected and for what duration if the special exception is granted. The driveway exits on to Carriage Hill Drive a few feet from the back deck of one of the homes, making the deck and back yard unusable 2. Adverse impact(s) to the public health, safety, or welfare. a. Earlysville Forest streets are used for recreation by walkers, runners, bikers, and children at play. Heavy equipment, such as full-size dump trucks, making regular trips on the road presents a safety hazard; assuming one 10-cubic-yard dump truck would be used to haul dirt in enough quantity to fill 50 acres (242,000 square yards) to a 6-inch depth, more than an estimated 4,000 trips would be required, meaning roughly 10 trips a day for more than 1 year. This assumes that the purpose of the request is to fill the property for a use other than as an ongoing dump and/or commercial operation to store and then resell fill dirt. b. Earlysville Forest depends on a neighborhood well system operated by Aqua America. We have notified Aqua of the request, as it is unclear what constitutes "clean fill" dirt and what entity will guarantee the dirt meets environmental standards for water quality. This is a concern as well for the countv's Chris Greene Lake, as the Kindrick property lies within the drainage area for the lake. I The proposed special exception would be consistent in size and scale with the surrounding neighborhood. a. Earlysville Forest is a subdivision of 191 homes on 1- to 2-acre lots with no agricultural use allowed. b. The purpose of the request to fill in 50 acres of the property is unclear. Separately, there is currently a conservation easement on the Mndrick Farm property, which provides tax exemptions and other benefits in return for accepting limitations on the use of the property. The Albemarle Conservation Easement Authority, which holds the easement, is aware that the special exception is being requested and has not made a Bart Svoboda, 'Zoning Administrator County of Albemarle July 11, 2022 Page 3 detemunation as yet regarding whether the proposed use is allowable. There should also be consideration of whether the use of the property as the base of operations for Kindrick Trucking Company, LLC, is allowed. Kindrick Trucking Company, LLC, was incorporated in September 2021. Sincerely, Brian D. Mc 'resident Earlysville Forest Homeowners Association (434) 975-2263 nukejackl I come st ❑ct BDM/jm RECEIVED COMMUNITY DE ELPMENT