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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP200300091 Minutes Special Use Permit 2004-04-27 Albemarle County Planning Commission April 27,2004 Partial Set of Minutes For SP-03-91 Kappa Sigma International Memorial Headquarters The Albemarle County Planning Commission held a meeting and a public hearing on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 at 6:00 p.m., at the County Office Building, Room 241, Second Floor, 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. Members attending were William Rieley, Rodney Thomas, Chairman; Calvin Morris, Jo Higgins, Marcia Joseph; Bill Edgerton and Pete Craddock, Vice- Chairman. Mr. Craddock arrived at 6:15 p.m. Other officials present were Yadira Amarante, Planner; Susan Thomas, Senior Planner; David Benish, Chief of Planning & Community Development and Greg Kamptner, Assistant County Attorney. Public Hearing Items: SP-03-91 Kappa Sigma International Memorial Headquarters (Sign #56) — Request for special use permit to allow the fraternal headquarters for Kappa Sigma International in accordance with Sections 13.2.2.2 and 5.1.02 of the Zoning Ordinance which allows for fraternal clubs. The property, described as Tax Map 91, Parcel 16, contains 6.14 acres, and is zoned R-1, Residential. The proposal is located on Rt. 20 (Scottsville Road), approximately one mile south of Mill Creek Drive, in the Scottsville Magisterial District. The Comprehensive Plan designates this property as Urban Density in Neighborhood 4. (Margaret Doherty) Ms. Doherty summarized the staff report. The Commission held a work session in March. The Commission discussed the proposal and gave some direction to staff and the applicant on how the use might be better suited to the site and discussed the impacts on the adjacent uses, the utilities and so on. The applicant made changes to the plan and went before the Architectural Review Board. The recommendations from the Architectural Review Board are listed in the staff report. The changes are listed in the staff report, but the applicant will elaborate on the changes that they have made on the plan since the last time the Commission saw it. The remaining issues for staff are also highlighted in the staff report,which include the following: • The Utilities - The applicant wants to connect to public water by extending the water line that is located west of Route 20. The applicant wants to connect to public sewer by a pump station and a 3-inch force main. A utility report was provided by the applicant that was very informative, which has led staff to recommend that they extend the public utility gravity system that is there and essentially oversize it. Staff hopes that the adjacent property owners will utilize this. That recommendation is in staff's recommended conditions for approval. • Vehicular Pedestrian Connections — Staff typically requests in special use permits or rezonings that applicants provide connections to adjacent parcels. This was a tough one for this use because it is a very particular use that would not be able to be used by adjacent property owners.Also, their entrance is not in a great location on Route 20 since it is located right at a curve. Staff has come up with a compromise solution. Staff requests the applicant to provide the pedestrian access internally to their site and to the bike/pedestrian pathway that will be located along Route 20. The applicant should reserve for the future vehicular connections to the adjacent properties, which might actually get them to a signal that could be on an adjacent property in the future. Currently. staff is trying to get people to traffic signals, which was how Route 250 West has been recently developed. If they put the possibilities for connections in now so if a signal is built on Route 20 and if they could get to it, then the signal would serve them. She pointed out ' that had also been included as a condition. • Lighting — Staff is proposing pretty dramatic lighting conditions, which go beyond what they normally require. The Zoning Department and Architectural Review Board have reviewed the proposed lighting conditions. The purpose of that is that this is a very dark ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION—APRIL 27,2004 1 MINUTES—DRAFT SP-03-911 Kappa Sigma • NN part of the County and there are no commercial uses out here. Therefore, any kind of lighting is going to have a real dramatic effect. Staff wants to keep the residential character. Their building is trying to provide sort of an estate feeling, but staff just wants to make sure that their parking lot and everything else does not feel like a commercial use.Those conditions of approval are included in the staff report. Ms. Doherty stated staff has had conversations with the other property owners on Avon Street. A rezoning was just submitted this week for the Avon Street, which used to be called the Stratford on Avon or the Coran Capshaw property, and they are hoping to use this sewer line. Therefore, this issue seems to be falling into place. She pointed out that her conditions addressed that issue. Mr. Thomas asked if there were any questions for staff. Ms. Joseph asked staff where she was envisioning these vehicular connections. Ms. Doherty pointed out the two possibilities. She pointed out that the conditions suggest that the applicant provide a reservation of right-of-way for these vehicular connections, which at first would probably be private, but then eventually being public. Mr. Rieley stated that they would have to hold an easement. He asked who the easement would be dedicated to. Ms. Doherty stated that if it ever becomes a public road, then it would be available for us. If it remains private that it does not need to be dedicated to anybody unless it provides access back into their site. Mr. Rieley stated that it was just a designation on the plan. Mr. Thomas stated that they could still put landscaping on it because the area just had to be reserved. Mr. Rieley stated that he was just thinking about the mechanics of executing it. Ms. Doherty stated that when she thinks about what is happening at the current Kappa Sigma site and what they were trying to work out with White Gables that she was just trying to put something in for future planners when that corridor starts getting developed that they have the possibility to build the connections that they need to. It is questionable if they even know the mechanisms of how it would work today, but that they would have future mechanisms. Mr. Rieley stated that if the property to the south were to develop and they could not get the site distance for an access onto Route 20 and there were a light up next to the boyhood home of Mr. Craddock, would you foresee some kind of connection essentially being imposed on this property for that area. He asked if this note on the plan would be adequate to enforce that. Ms. Doherty stated that if it were a reservation for dedication to the public. Mr. Edgerton stated that they often get copies of the Architectural Review Board's review, but they just got a summary here and he was a little concerned. On page 3, staff says that in addition to all of the requirements of the ARB is the preliminary site plan review check list. It says please provide when you have a list. He asked if staff has that check list since he did not know what was on that or did the summary cover it all. Ms. Doherty stated that she certainly could provide them with copies. Mr. Edgerton asked if their review was based on this plan or the previous plan that they saw. ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION—APRIL 27, 2004 2 MINUTES—DRAFT SP-03-91 Kappa Sigma NN Ms. Doherty stated that it was based on this plan. She pointed out that this is actually all that she had received this time from the Architectural Review Board. There had not been anything to attach and therefore it was not here. Mr. Thomas asked if that was something that should be required to be part of the packet. Ms. Doherty stated that was really just for their information because she could require that anyway. Mr. Thomas asked if there were any other questions for Ms. Doherty. There being none, he opened the public hearing and asked if the applicant would like to address the Commission. Lori Garrett, with Gaffney and Holmes Architects, stated that they would like a chance to respond to any questions. Other persons present tonight regarding this plan include Don Rissmeyer, Civil Engineer with Draper Aden and Associates; Linda Winecoff, Landscape Architect with John Milnor and Associates and Mitchel Wilson, representing the owner and Executive Director of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. She stated that they would like to make a couple of comments first. As Ms. Doherty has mentioned, they have tried to respond to the items that were mentioned in the Commission's prior work session. The building has been reoriented to reflect the topography at the front of the site. The parking has been reviewed to find ways that they could soften the impact near the residential property. They have met with VDOT and ascertained their requirements in terms of turning lanes and the analysis of that. They have also studied the utilities. She asked Linda Winecoff and Don Rissmeyer to present the parking issues and the utilities since that falls within their areas of expertise. Linda Winecoff, of John Milnor Associates, stated that the site plan has changed very little since the work session. She pointed out that they have taken into account the Commission's comment about the parking and the parking next to the residential parcels. They have indicated here and think it was a great idea to put stabilized grass in these parking areas. In addition, they also put shade trees within that area so that the effect is such that they virtually have 40 feet from the parking lot to parts of this parking because this will be an effective grass. It has worked out nicely and is what the Planning Commission's recommendation was. They have incorporated a pedestrian interconnection or path, which might not have been shown at the last meeting. They have incorporated this into VDOT's right-of-way and shown as requested in the staffs recommendations that they make a connection from this pedestrian/bike path to make a connection into the property. This would create an easy option in an area such as this to connect to the trails that they have interior to the property. The screening along the property lines is the same and the screening of the dumpster areas is recessed behind a wall as well as it is screened from Route 20. Don Rissmeyer, with Draper Aden and Associates, stated that there were two engineering issues that they have been working on with the County and VDOT. The first one had to do with the entrance. They did the turn lane analysis and the peak hour traffic counts on Route 20. They analyzed that and figured out that turn lanes basically are not needed. For example, regarding the left turns coming into the property that since nobody that works at Kappa Sigma lives in Scottsville that they assumed that one person might if they hired someone. Based on the traffic coming south bound, which is pretty minor in the morning because they had about a 15 second gap on average per turning vehicle. Therefore, there were just not a lot of traffic issues with getting in and out of the site for a left turn. For a right turn they assumed that everybody would come to the site at 5:00 p.m. at night with all of the cars coming south and came up with the need for a turn lane with a taper. They sent the analysis in and met with VDOT, who felt that using a different method that a turn lane would be needed. What they agreed to is shown in the plan that they worked out last week with Chuck Proctor from Charlottesville Residency. The plan essentially requires putting in a 150 foot turn lane and taper, which is designed to avoid the bridge at Cow Creek because taking a head wall off of a bridge, extending a culvert and getting a permit is a lot of stuff that they would rather avoid. He noted that VDOT was agreeable to that as ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION—APRIL 27, 2004 3 MINUTES—DRAFT SP-03-91 Kappa Sigma • the basis of the design. Therefore, they still have to work out the details, but that the agreement reached was based on their analysis and our analysis. On the current plan the entrance shifted just slightly in order to accommodate that 150 foot lane. That is really the biggest issue for VDOT and they were able to work it out. On the public utilities, the 8-inch water main that they discussed last time is still the plan, which was what the Service Authority wanted. For the sewer, they were still looking at two options, which were the force main or the gravity system. They have met with the engineers for the Stratford on Avon property and have come up with an engineering solution that is being incorporated into their study where they could cost share the gravity sewer system. They feel that there should be no increased cost to anyone as long as there is a fair cost share. Therefore, they just need for the two developers to look at the money side of it and then they can design something that would not only accommodate both of these developers. There is a parcel in between their properties. There would be a gravity sewer coming down through their property and Kappa Sigma would have to provide an easement for their project as would the property in between them. Then from there they were figuring that they could use Route 20, which was pretty much down hill from there so that they could install the sewer system. There are about eight parcels between them that could connect that are already being serviced by sewer and water if they do this project. He pointed out that they would have all of this figured out by the preliminary site plan. Mr.Thomas asked if they have an easement for going across those eight pieces of property. Mr. Rissmeyer stated that the tricky part is putting in Route 20 because Route 20 is here and the creek is here. The Service Authority's master plan puts the sewer along the creek that was great, but they could not force people to give them easements. Therefore, they might wind up putting it in Route 20 if it was deep enough with inverts in order to service all of those parcels or if those property owners were interested in allowing us to put those in the creek to make those connections cheaper in the future. That would be great as long as they would give them an easement. He pointed out that they would have to just work through this. Mr.Thomas asked if there were any questions. Mr. Craddock stated that it was sort of the same thing with the northern and southern connection through there because the creek runs parallel to Route 20. If they were going north on that you would almost have to follow the creek to connect for interconnections of the parcels. He pointed out that going south it was pretty much a hill side. He asked where the road connections would be made. Mr. Rissmeyer stated that he did not catch where the road connection would be for the other parcels. Ms. Doherty stated that they would be made up front on the parcel. Mr. Craddock asked if there were plans for any roads to cut through there over to Avon Street. Mr. Benish stated that there were no plans at this time. He pointed out that there has been from time to time some internal discussion about that possibility once they get to a neighborhood plan. Mr. Rieley asked if the alignment of the entrance road in the front was dictated by the desire not to remove the head wall. Mr. Rissmeyer stated that it did. They moved the entrance as far as possible in order to stay off of the creek and the bridge and also to minimize the length of the turn lane. The plan shows basically where they could get the entrance in, which actually has a good site distance. Ms. Garrett stated that there was a comment made last time that it would be advantageous for the owner to look into purchasing the adjacent property. Currently there are negotiations going on ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION—APRIL 27, 2004 4 MINUTES—DRAFT SP-03-91 Kappa Sigma that have not had any conclusions, but they are hopeful that they will be able to purchase that property. Mr. Thomas asked if there was anyone else present who would like to address this issue. There being none, he closed the public hearing to bring the matter back before the Commission. Mr. Rieley stated that if all of their suggestions in work sessions were taken and implemented in as complete and an elegant way as these have, then they should have more work sessions. The applicant seems to have done everything that they asked them to and did it very well. Mr. Thomas concurred with Mr. Rieley that the applicant has responded to everything that the Commission had requested at the work session. Mr. Rieley moved for approval SP-03-91, Kappa Sigma International Memorial Headquarters, subject to the conditions as recommended by staff in the staff report. 1. The site shall be developed in general accord with the plans, entitled Kappa Sigma Fraternity Headquarters, dated April 2, 2004; 2. Lighting of the site shall be limited as follows: a. Light levels at the property line shall be no greater than 0.001 foot candles; b. No flood lighting of the building is permitted; c. Only the parking lot north of the building shall be allowed pole lights; d. Utilize bollard type lights in place of pole lights whenever possible. Use only full cutoff fixtures; and e. Site and building illumination shall be limited to the satisfaction of the ARB. 3. Final site plans shall show a reservation for future vehicular and pedestrian connections to adjacent parcels to the north and south; 4. Final site plans shall show a pedestrian connection from the ped/bike pathway on Route 20 into the site; 5. A right turn and taper shall be constructed at the entrance in Route 20' to the satisfaction of VDOT; 6. Landscaping shall be provided to limit'the impact of the storm water area on the Entrance Corridor to the satisfaction of the ARB; and 7. The Applicant shall construct public water service to the site via extension of the existing Albemarle County Service Authority water line located on the west side of Route 20 and public sewer service via extension of the existing Albemarle County Service Authority sewer line located along Route 20 and the Cow Branch Creek, generally as provided in the report entitled, Preliminary Engineering Report Water and Sewer Facilities for kappa Sigma Headquarters by Draper Aden Associates, dated March 30, 2004. Mr. Higgins seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of(7:0). Mr.Thomas stated that SP-2003-92 would be heard by the Board on May 12tn (Recorded and transcribed by Sharon Claytor Taylor, Recording Secretary.) ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION—APRIL 27, 2004 5 MINUTES—DRAFT SP-03-91 Kappa Sigma