HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP201800001 Correspondence 2023-01-25 (3)u�
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COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 229024596
Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax (434) 972-4176
April 18, 2018
Valerie Long
Williams Mullen
321 E. Main Street, Suite 400
Charlottesville, VA 22902
RE: SP 2018-001 Keswick Hall and Golf Club
Ms. Long:
Staff has reviewed your resubmittal for a special use permit amendment to the Keswick Hall and
Golf Club (SP2000-23 and SP2008-42).
We have a number of questions and comments which we believe should be resolved before your
proposal goes to public hearing. We would be glad to meet with you to discuss these issues. Our
comments are provided below:
1. The provided concept plan does not address any of the proposals discussed in Phases 2 and
3 in the 2017 Water/Wastewater Plan. The approval of the special use permit amendment
will be only for those improvements requested at this time, any future improvements
(banquet hall, event barn, clubhouse restaurant expansion, additional rooms, etc) are not
approved with this request and an amendment of the special use permit will be required.
2. The Water and Wastewater Facilities Plan states that were will be 43 rooms in the new
Hotel Wing, however your request states 38 additional rooms. Please clarify.
3. A left turn lane and right turn taper at the Route 22/Hunt Club Road intersection will be
required due to the changes requested to the property. See attached comments from
VDOT and the County Transportation Planner for further detail. These improvements are
included in the draft conditions stated further in this letter.
4. The response letter states "specific parking layouts and counts will be included in the site
plan review process", however parking areas will likely be conditioned as a major element
of the special use permit (see draft conditions). While 46 to 64 new spaces are proposed
(in excess of the 38 new keys for the hotel addition), it would be prudent to ensure that
this is sufficient for both the expansions of Fossett's Restaurant and the Villa Crawford
(both of which will be open to the public per the comment response letter dated March 19,
2018), which will require additional parking at a ratio of thirteen (13) spaces per one
thousand (1,000) square feet of gross floor area, and expansions to the spa and fitness
uses, which will require additional parking at a ratio of one (1) space per one hundred
twenty-five (125) square feet of useable recreation area. Provide the square footage of
restaurant, spa and fitness center uses.
5. There were a number of previous conditions related to water usuage in the prior SP's.
These conditions have been modified to clarify the usuage allowed, as well as additional
conditions have been added. See draft conditions and Planning and Zoning comments.
6. A critical slopes waiver request and justification should be submitted so that it can be
taken with the Special Use permit to the Board for action.
7. Concerns have been raised from residents in Keswick Estates regarding the traffic and gate
operation near Fairway Drive that allows access to and from the Inn and Club through the
subdivision. It is recommended that these concerns be addressed prior to the public
hearing.
8. Will there be a separate entrance for the Maintenance and Laundry facility off of Keswick
Road? If so, this should be shown on the concept plan. If not, the access should be shown
on the plan as well, as it is not clear how that facility will obtain access.
Planning
Planning staffs comments are organized as follows:
• How the proposal relates to the Comprehensive Plan
• Planning Comments
• Additional comments from reviewers
Comprehensive Plan. Comments on how your project conforms to the Comprehensive Plan will
be provided to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors as part of the staff report that
will be prepared for the work session or public hearing.
The proposed expansion is not consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, which does not
recommend hotels or resorts in the County's designated Rural Areas. However, staff notes that
this use was approved with prior special use permits.
In addition, Strategy 1c in the Economic Development chapter of the Comprehensive Plan
recommends uses that promote tourism by preserving scenic, historic, and natural resources in
the Rural Areas. The renovation of the Inn will not preserve the historic portion of the Inn, Villa
Crawford, as it is slated for demolition. However, the Inn is located in a scenic rural landscape and
will provide an opportunity for visitors to spend money in the County.
Planning Comments
1. While Zoning staff is recommending that the improvements for the well and sewage be
completed prior to the CO for Phase 1B, Planning staff believes this should be done with
Phase 1A due to the amount of unbuilt single family residential lots that will not have
capacity if they are all built before Phase 1B is complete. Therefore, the condition
recommended by Zoning has been modified to state that the improvements need to be
completed with Phase IA.
a. Table U2-2 shows that Phase 1A projects a maximum total demand of 61,400 gpd,
and 77 Single Family Residences at a demand of 23,100, and the system's permitted
capacity is 76,000 gpd. This excess of 14,600 gpd would not be sufficient to serve
more than 48 new single-family residences with an average daily flow of 300 gpd
per unit, per the same table. At least 15 unbuilt residential lots that are shown on
the County GIS are currently under ownership of entities other than Keswick Real
Estate LLC. In addition, there are 44 lots listed for sale currently in Keswick Estates.
2. Parking calculations should be included in the special use permit as parking is a major
element listed in the recommended draft conditions.
3. All required/recommended improvements will require a major amendment, including the
traffic improvements.
4. Zoning recommended modification for condition #4 has been updated to include the
capacity of the sewage system as well as the approval from the Department of
Environmental Quality.
Zonin¢
The following comments related to zoning matters have been provided by Andrew Knuppel:
1. Zoning staff recommends implementation of water system expansions as conditions of
approval. These conditions shall coordinate with the phases and alternatives outlined in the
Water and Wastewater Facilities Plan. Below are examples of draft language that have not yet
been subject to review by the County Attorney's Office.
a. 'The applicant shall seek and obtain all necessary approvals by the Virginia Department
of Health, Albemarle County Fire Rescue, and the County Board of Supervisors for a
water system improvement to support dedicated internal fire protection as described
in the "Water and Wastewater Facilities Plan 2017 Update for Keswick Hall & Golf Club"
prepared by Timmons Group dated December 1, 2017 and revised March 19, 2018
(hereinafter the "2017 Water/Wastewater Plan") before a building permit for the
proposed improvements described in Phase 1A of the aforementioned plan may be
issued. No certificates of occupancy for the improvements in Phase 1A shall be issued
prior to the completion of the aforementioned water system improvement."
b. "The applicant shall seek and obtain all necessary approvals by the Virginia Department
of Health, Albemarle County Fire Rescue, and the County Board of Supervisors for a
water system improvement to support expanded permitted capacity of the water
distribution system as described in the "Water and Wastewater Facilities Plan 2017
Update for Keswick Hall & Golf Club" prepared by Timmons Group dated December 1,
2017 and revised March 19, 2018 before a building permit for the proposed
improvements described in Phase 1B of the aforementioned plan may be issued. No
certificates of occupancy for the improvements in Phase 1B shall be issued prior to the
completion of the aforementioned water system improvement."
The 2017 Water/Wastewater Plan recommends executing the improvement of
the domestic system, including new well, ground storage tank, and booster
pumps in conjunction with the Phase 2 expansion. However, staff has concerns
with the limited permitted capacity that will remain after the completion of
Phase 1B without expansion of the system: Table U2-2 shows that Phase 1B
projects a maximum total demand of 74,300 gpd, and the system's permitted
capacity is 76,000 gpd. This excess of 1,700 gpd would not be sufficient to serve
more than 5 new single-family residences with an average daily flow of 300 gpd
per unit, per the same table. At least 4 unbuilt residential lots that were platted
pursuant to SP2000-33 are currently under ownership of entities other than
Keswick Real Estate LLC.
Therefore, pursuant to Section 33.8 of the Zoning Ordinance, in considering that
the proposed special use will not be a substantial detriment to adjacent lots;
that conditions may be imposed to address impacts arising from the use in
order to protect the public health, safety or welfare and may pertain to but are
not limited to the provision of adequate improvements pertaining to water and
sewage; staff is recommending the above drafted condition related to Phase 1B.
c. Modify Condition 4 of SP2008-42 to read: "The restaurant, tavern, and inn and
accessory uses shall not consume water in excess of existing permitted capacity of the
existing water system (76,000 gpd). If the central water or sewerage system must be
expanded to meet existing or future demand for residential users, the applicant shall
seek and obtain all necessary approvals for expanding the system from the Virginia
Department of Health and the County Board of Supervisors."
2. The provided concept plan does not address any of the proposals discussed in Phases 2 and 3
in the 2017 Water/Wastewater Plan. Any conditions of this special use permit should be clear
as to not imply approval of these improvements without prior amendment of the concept
plan.
3. The applicant has stated that "specific parking layouts and counts will be included in the site
plan review process", however parking areas will likely be conditioned as a major element of
the special use permit. While 46 to 64 new spaces are proposed (in excess of the 38 new keys
for the hotel addition), it would be prudent to ensure that this is sufficient for both the
expansions of Fossett's Restaurant and the Villa Crawford (both of which will be open to the
public per the comment response letter dated March 19, 2018), which will require additional
parking at a ratio of thirteen (13) spaces per one thousand (1,000) square feet of gross floor
area, and expansions to the spa and fitness uses, which will require additional parking at a
ratio of one (1) space per one hundred twenty-five (125) square feet of useable recreation
area.
Historic Preservation
The following comments related to the Historic Preservation have been provided by Heather
McMahon:
Following a site visit to Keswick Hall on 2-13-2018, staff concurs with the VDHR Preliminary
Information Form prepared by Patricia Castelli and submitted 9-6-2017 that: "The original floors
(Georgia heart pine), room divisions, fireplaces and their surrounds, room divisions, crown
moldings, wainscoting, cornices and grand staircase of Villa Crawford, now designated as the
historic wing of the hotel, are essentially unchanged. Countless guests and visitors have enjoyed
tours and presentations about its history, and marveled at the preservation and authenticity of
the historic aspects of the structure." Hence, staff maintains that the interior and exterior of the
Villa Crawford retain a significant degree of integrity and recommends that Villa Crawford be
preserved and/or sensitively restored. It is further recommended that:
• Rehabilitation or remodeling of this wing of the hotel be limited and undertaken in
consultation with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic
Properties.
• Architectural features that are deteriorated beyond repair, such as the windows and
doors, should be replaced in like materials with the same/original configuration of lites;
• The interior wood flooring should be protected;
• The interior detailing, such as fireplace mantles, stair balustrade and rail, wainscoting,
paneling, dentilated cornice, scroll brackets, door surrounds, and window frames
should be preserved in situ.
• The Villa Crawford retains its original floorplan (room layout) and this should continue
to be preserved.
The VDHR report also identifies two historic structures on the grounds that were in good condition
at the time of the last survey (9-6-2017). Both are single dwellings that were constructed circa
1940 and which served as motel rooms when the private residence was converted into a hunt club
and resort after 1948. Today, they are identified as "administration buildings" located southwest
of the hotel building along Club Drive. While the current SP request does not specify any proposed
alterations to these structures, staff recommends that if these structures are to be altered in
future, this would necessitate further review/documentation/determination of historic
significance.
Staff is not concerned with the applicant's proposal to expand the Energy Plant, expand/renovate
the Club House, or expand the hotel with a +38 Room Guest Wing on the hotel's south elevation
as none of these structures are deemed historically significant. Furthermore, staff has no objection
to the construction of a new Maintenance and Laundry Facility, Pool Bar and Pavilion, new Spa
Facility, or new Restaurant space.
Although the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) Evaluation Committee determined
on 11-9-2017 that the Villa Crawford, the historic (ca. 1910) core of the hotel, is not eligible for
individual listing on either the state (Virginia Landmarks Register) or federal (National Register of
Historic Places) registers, it is a contributing resource to the Southwest Mountain Rural Historic
District [a full report of the DHR's findings can be found in the VCRIS database under DHR File No.
002-0941). Therefore, historic preservation staff recommends careful stewardship of this historic
resource.
VDOT
The following comments have been provided by Adam Moore:
1. The Department has reviewed the TIA for the studied intersection in addition to a memo
dated 28 March, 2018 containing additional comments on the crash history and associated
FR-300 Crash reports.
2. The above referenced memo does not meet VDOT's standard criteria for an intersection
safety study. Most notably, the memo does not compare the crash history to other similar
intersections as a basis of comparison and does not appear to consider the severity of the
crashes. If the county would like VDOT to perform a safety study, the scope and schedule
for it can be discussed separately.
3. Although the proposed development does not trip the left turn lane warrant, and the study
suggests there will be little or no operational concerns (congestion/delay), the estimated
traffic does lie very near the warrant line plot. To demonstrate, a future increase from the
expected 309 VPH southbound to 375 VPH would trigger the turn lane warrant. This
informs and contributes to the Department's recommendations.
4. The intersection's position on the District's PSI (Potential for Safety Improvements) Top
100 list and its crash history suggest that regardless of additional development safety
improvements should be considered at some point in the future should funding become
available.
5. The Department recommends that a left turn lane and right turn taper be installed at the
intersection of Route 22 and Route 744. This recommendation is based on the
intersection's position on the District's PSI Top 100 list, a review of the applicable crash
history, and the expectation that additional traffic added to the intersection will likely
result in an increase in crashes.
SP Conditions
Staff has drafted the following conditions. Please note these are just draft conditions and have yet
to be reviewed by the County Attorney's office, however the language and content has been
discussed. Please note that changes were made to the recommended conditions from Zoning
regarding the timing of the improvements based upon concerns regarding the residential capacity
and timing of the improvements.
1. Development and use shall be in general accord with the conceptual plan titled "Keswick
Hall & Golf Club Special -Use Permit Plan" prepared by Hart Howerton and dated March
2018 (hereafter "Conceptual Plan"), and narrative title "Keswick Hall and Golf Club Project
Narrative" (hereafter "Narrative"), dated January 16, 2018, updated March 19, 2018, as
determined by the Director of Planning and the Zoning Administrator. To be in accord with
the Conceptual Plan, development and use shall reflect the following major elements
within the development essential to the design of the development, as shown on the
Conceptual Plan and described in the Narrative:
a. location of buildings and structures
b. location of parking areas
c. 38 additional guest rooms for a total of 86 rooms
d. 4 additional spa treatment rooms for a total of 8 treatment rooms
e. 165 seat restaurant
f. 10 seat Villa Crawford Bar
g. 20 seat pool bar and restrooms
Minor modifications to the plan which do not conflict with the elements above may be
made to ensure compliance with the Zoning Ordinance.
2. Pursuant to road plans approved by the Virginia Department of Transportation ("VDOT"),
the Owner shall construct right turn taper and left turn lane at the intersection of Route 22
and Route 744. These improvements must be completed prior to the issuance of the
building permit for the additional Guest Wing, as shown on the Conceptual Plan, to the
satisfaction of the Virginia Department of Transportation.
3. The restaurant, tavern, and inn and accessory uses shall not consume water in excess of
existing permitted capacity of the existing water system (76,000 gpd) and sewage system
(60,000 gpd). If the central water or sewerage system must be expanded to meet existing
or future demand for residential users, the applicant shall seek and obtain all necessary
approvals for expanding the system from the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia
Department of Environmental Quality, and the County Board of Supervisors.
4. The applicant shall seek and obtain all necessary approvals by the Virginia Department of
Health, Albemarle County Fire Rescue, and the County Board of Supervisors for a water
system improvement to support dedicated internal fire protection as described in the
"Water and Wastewater Facilities Plan 2017 Update for Keswick Hall & Golf Club" prepared
by Timmons Group dated December 1, 2017 and revised March 19, 2018 (hereinafter the
"2017 Water/Wastewater Plan") before a building permit for the proposed improvements
described in Phase 1A of the aforementioned plan may be issued. No certificates of
occupancy for the improvements in Phase 1A shall be issued prior to the completion of the
aforementioned water system improvement.
5.
The applicant shall seek and obtain all necessary approvals by the Virginia Department of
Health, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Albemarle County Fire Rescue,
'
and the County Board of Supervisors for a water system improvement to support
expanded permitted capacity of the water distribution system as described in the "Water
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and Wastewater Facilities Plan 2017 Update for Keswick Hall & Golf Club" prepared by
l'J\,1[_
Timmons Group dated December 1, 2017 and revised March 19, 2018 before a building
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permit for the proposed improvements described in Phase 1A of the aforementioned plan
may be issued. No certificates of occupancy for the improvements in Phase 1A shall be
issued prior to the completion of the aforementioned water system improvement.
6. No unplatted property shall be subdivided and no approved subdivision plat shall be
recorded unless the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Planning Commission
that the existing central water system, approved under Permit Number 2003400 issued by
the Virginia Department of Health, Division of Water Supply Engineering dated January 7,
1998, or as such permit is amended or such subsequent permit approved by the Virginia
Department of Health, Division of Water Supply Engineering and the Board of Supervisors,
is available and adequate to serve all of said lots, as well as all existing improvements,
associated uses, and platted lots, without compromising on -site and adjacent off -site well
water supplies. Nothing herein shall guarantee approval of such amendment or permit. In
making this demonstration, the application shall use test procedures approved by the
Virginia Department of Health and the Community Development Department Engineering
Division.
7. Except for any restaurant and spa on the property open to the general public, Keswick Hall
and its associated facilities shall be used only by the guests of the inn and their invitees,
and members of the Keswick Country Club and their invitees.
S. In the event that the use, structure or activity for which this special use permit is issued is
not commenced within twenty-four (24) months from the date of Board of Supervisors
approval, it shall be deemed abandoned and the permited terminated. The term
"commenced" means "construction of any structure necessary to the use of the permit".
Action after Receipt of Comments
After you have read this letter, please take one of the actions identified on "Action After Receipt
of Comment Letter" which is attached.
Resubmittal
If you choose to resubmit, please use the attached form. There is a fee of $538. The resubmittal
date schedule is provided for your convenience online at
http://www.albemarle.org/upload/images/forms center/departments/Community Development
/forms/Special Use Permit Applications/Special Use Permit Submittal and Review Schedule p
df
Notification and Advertisement Fees
Prior to scheduling a public hearing with the Planning Commission, payment of the following fees
is needed:
$294.00 Cost for newspaper advertisement
$215.00 Cost for notification of adjoining owners (minimum $200 + actual postage/$1 per owner
after 50 adjoining owners)
$509.00 Total amount due prior to Planning Commission public hearing
Prior to the Board of Supervisor's public hearing, payment of the newspaper advertisement for the
Board hearing needed.
$294.00 Additional amount due prior to Board of Supervisors public hearing
$803.00 Total amount for all notifications Fees maybe paid in advance. Payment for both the
Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors public hearings may be paid at the some time.
Additional notification fees will not be required unless a deferral takes place and adjoining owners
need to be notified of a new date.
Feel free to contact me if you wish to meet or need additional information. My email address is
mnedostuo@albemarle.ore
Sincerely,
1- I�
Megan Nedostup
Principal Planner, Planning Services
enc: Transportation Planner Comments
Action After Receipt of Comments
Resubmittal Form
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COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5932 Fax (434) 972-4126
March 12, 2018
Re: SP20180001 Keswick Hall and Golf Club; Traffic Analysis Comments
Based on the following, County Transportation Staff continues to recommend that the Keswick Hall and
Golf Club address the transportation impacts through construction of a left turn lane and right turn taper
on Route 22 at Hunt Club Road. This recommendation is based on the following points:
• The Keswick Hall Traffic Analysis submitted on January 15, 2018 shows that a left turn lane is
warranted at the intersection of Hunt Club Road and Route 22. This is displayed on Figure 14 of
that report although the figure states it is not warranted. The chart shows the bidirectional traffic
on Route 22 to be high enough to require a left turn lane, The traffic generation assumed by the
Traffic Analysis was exceptionally conservative (assumed an extremely low traffic generation by
the development) and further research appears to show it will be much higher. At the time of the
original seeping meeting for the Traffic Analysis, the full scope of the development was not
known and so that conservative estimate was accepted.
• Staff evaluated trip generation estimates based on ITE trip generation for the full Keswick Club
and determined that expected trips would be much higher than what was shown in the Traffic
Analysis when totaling the existing traffic plus that expected for the new addition alone.
• Despite the assessment by the traffic consultant hired by the developer, staff continues to believe
that the history of crashes at the intersection display a need for improvement. Although this is not
scheduled to be addressed by the County or VDOT at this time, the crash history remains a
concern. If there were not other intersections that are a higher safety priority at this time, the
County would be working to address this issue. The increased use expected to be generated by
this development makes this a higher concern.
• In the previous comments from the Transportation Planner (attached) it was mistakenly
determined that the water use levels displayed an extreme reduction in visitation during the year
in which the traffic counts were taken. Clarification from the Developers representatives show
that this water usage was not for a full year and therefore did not represent that reduction in
visitation. However, there is no way of determining that visitation remained at the amount that
would be typically expected for this type of use during the period when traffic data was collected.
See attached comments from February 27, 2018 for additional details.