HomeMy WebLinkAboutARB202200078 Correspondence 2022-08-15SHIMP ENGINEERING, P.C.
Design Focused Engineering
CAP Storage Capital Circle — Submittal Narrative
Proiect Narrative
This project is for a new self -storage facility at Fifth Street Landing just south of the City of
Charlottesville (the "Project") on a portion of what is currently tax parcel 76-55A in Albemarle County
The applicant, CAP Storage Capital Circle, L.L.C. ("CAP"), is a national development company from
South Carolina that specializes in creating modern self -storage facilities designed to fit within their
surrounding contexts.
CAP proposes for this site a new five -story self -storage facility with approximately 100,800 square feet of
floor area. All customer loading and unloading will occur in the vehicle pull -through area ("Loading
Area") located inside and at the Project's rear. The Loading Area will have an entrance and exit on the
North and South sides of the building, respectively. Entry to the Loading Area will be access controlled
and limited to customers only during set operating hours (typically 6:00am to 10:00pm). All storage units
will be climate controlled and accessed from the interior of the building through the Loading Area. The
Project will include a small leasing office at the Project's northwest comer.
The Project's facades include a variety of materials, textures, and patterns designed to represent a modem
office building, including brick, stone, aluminum, and EIFS. The Project's office entrance will include
shade canopies to protect customers from the elements and clearly designate the entrance point. These
colors will be highlighted by the branding colors of the end user, ExtraSpace Storage. The accompanying
elevations and materials board provide additional fagade details for the proposed structure.
Compatibility with the Entrance Corridor:
The Project is located near two Entrance Corridors: 51 Street and Interstate 64. The property is located at
the boundary of the City of Charlottesville, north of the Interstate 64 interchange. This segment of 5"'
Street, between the City boundary and the 1-64 interchange, is characterized by commercial and service
uses. Holiday Inn, Starbucks, and Christian's Pizza are located immediately adjacent to the site, with
Christian Aid Mission located across Fifth Street. South of the I-64 interchange, the 51' Street Corridor
features a range of residential forms and emerging commercial and service uses within the approved
Neighborhood Model District, Albemarle Business Campus. The proposed self -storage use would align
with the existing commercial fabric of 5"' Street and the elevations propose a compatible materials and
patterns with the neighboring buildings. Moreover, the new self -storage facility is to be located behind the
existing Holiday Inn, Starbucks, and Christian's Pizza structures. Because the proposed facility would be
set back behind these existing structures, visibility of the ExtraSpace Storage would be somewhat limited
from the 51 Street Corridor. The existing Starbucks and Christian's Pizza building is nearly 30', the
Holiday Inn is six stories, and the self -storage facility is proposed to be five stories. While visibility from
51h Street would be fairly limited, the building would be visible from I-64, particularly in the winter. The
building is approximately 200' from the interstate and mature wooded areas beyond the existing retaining
wall on the site would remain as a natural buffer between the building and 1-64. New plantings are
additionally proposed on the property along the 1-64 Corridor to minimize any impacts. With the
proposed architectural treatments, the new self -storage structure would align with the existing six -story
hotel and would create a harmonic commercial site from the 1-64 viewshed.