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Home My WebLink AboutSP200800027 Review Comments Special Use Permit 2008-08-01COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE Department of Community Development -Planning 401 McIntire Road, Room 227 Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596 Phone (434) 296-5832 Ext. 3439 Fax (434) 972-4126 August 1, 2008 Mr. Todd Barnett, Head of School Field School PO Box 4234 Charlottesville, VA 22905 RE: SP 200800027 Field School (Claudius Crozet Park) Review Comments Dear Mr. Barnett: Thank you for your continuation of the special use permit (SP) approval for the Field School's use of community building at Crozet Park. The private school use was originally approved with SP 2006-043, approved by the Board of Supervisors on May 2, 2007 with the following conditions: 1. Maximum enrollment shall be forty-eight (48) students; 2. Hours of operation for the school shall be from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; 3. The school is limited to existing buildings and park grounds as indicated on the concept plan (Attachment C -copy on file in Clerk's office). Any additional building or site changes for the school use will require an amendment to this Special Use Permit (SP -2006-043); 4. Prior to issuance of a Zoning clearance for the private school use, water line dedications to the satisfaction of the Albemarle County Service Authority are required; 5. The playgrounds and the park grounds, with the exception of the Community Building, will remain open and available for public use during the hours of school operation; 6. The athletic fields at the park shall not be available for the school's use after 4:00 p.m. on weekdays and shall not be available on weekends; 7. The athletic fields shall not be available for school use when closed by the Department of Parks and Recreation for inclement weather, overuse, fields restoration, or when any other scheduled use is authorized by the Department of Parks and Recreation; 8. The school use may begin and continue only if the Crozet Park covenants and restrictions allow the use; 9. Special Use Permit 2006-043 shall be valid until June 30, 2009; and 10. Shuttle bus service for students to and from school shall be provided each school day. I understand your request is to modify conditions #1 and #9. The special use permit was approved with a limit of 48 students in condition #1 and you have indicated in your application that you are seeking approval for a maximum school size of 70 students. Please confirm SP 200800027 Field School whether this is correct and if you are seeking modifications to any other conditions of approval listed above. Please specify what modification of the time limit on approval you are seeking. Conditions #6 and 7 were requested by the Parks and Recreation department. I will be confirming with that department that these conditions are still needed and also seeking any additional comments that the Park may have on the Field School. Relevant information from the Comprehensive Plan, which was also provided to you with your original SP request, is provided again for your information below. Crozet Master Plan The Place Type & Built Infrastructure Map (inset below) does not designate the majority of the park with a land use color because it is existing open space. A portion of the park, in the northwest corner, is designated as CT2 Development Area Preserve. CT 2 areas are expected to be fairly restricted in terms of land use. However, the proposed school will make use of the existing park building and facilities and has the same land use designations as the exiting schools in Crozet, so the use would be consistent with uses recommended in the master plan. The Green Infrastructure Map (inset below) designates Crozet Park as an existing park and proposes greenway connections to the park. Establishing greenway trails (for pedestrians and bikes) from Lickinghole Creek Basin to Crozet Park and downtown is a priority in the master plan. Please consider what opportunities there may be for the Field School to partner with the greenways program to further trails shown on the Green Infrastructure map. Although it is not a requirement of the special use permit, are there opportunities for students to participate in building greenway trails? Neighborhood Model Green Infrastructure Map The Neighborhood Model describes the more "urban" form of development desired for the Development Areas. It establishes the 12 Principles for Development that should be adhered to in new development proposals. These principles include: (1) Pedestrian Orientation, (2) Neighborhood Friendly Streets and Paths, (3) Transportation Networks and Interconnected Streets , (4) Parks and Open Space, (5) Mixed Uses, (6) Neighborhood Center, (7) Buildings and Spaces of Human Scale, (8) Relegated Parking, (9) Affordability with Dignity, (10) Redevelopment, (11) Site Planning that respects terrain, and (12) Clear boundaries with the Rural Areas. This special use permit request is to use the existing building and no new development is proposed on the site. This Neighborhood Model information is provided mainly for informational SP 200800027 Field School August 1, 2008 purposes. The park does serve as a neighborhood center so locating a school within the park would be consistent with the principle of Neighborhood Centers. There is a lack of pedestrian orientation and neighborhood friendly streets and paths leading to the park. Do you anticipate any students who may be walking to school from surrounding neighborhoods? Traffic Impacts While the Virginia Department of Transportation has indicated that continuation of the existing use does not appear to generate any additional traffic or safety concerns, the County would like to know current capacity and volumes on Park Road to evaluate your request to increase maximum enrollment from 48 students to 70. Please explain how the traffic volume of 25 cars was determined at full enrollment and provide this information in terms of vehicle trips. This may factor into the recommended extension of approval for the school use at the park. This item is tentatively scheduled for the Planning Commission public hearing on September 9, 2008 so please provide the requested information/clarifications within the next two weeks. Please contact me at (434) 296-5832 Ext 3439 or rragsdale@albemarle.ora you have any questions or need additional information. Sincerely, Rebecca Rebecca Ragsdale Senior Planner