HomeMy WebLinkAboutSDP200800041 Review Comments Preliminary Site Plan 2009-01-30S .
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GINIP
COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, Room 227
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 -4596
Phone (434) 296 -5832 Fax (434) 972 -4126
January 30, 2009
Richard Spurzem
Neighborhood Investments- NP,LCC
PO Drawer R
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Re: Variations from Application Plan for SDP - 2008 -00041 North Pointe Preliminary
Site Plan (Northwest Residential Area) dated May 2, 2008 — Advisory Comments
Dear Mr. Spurzem:
As promised at our meeting on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, this letter provides advisory
comments on how to address those features on the above - referenced site plan that
would require a variation. It further details points raised in Item 2. Buildings and parking
areas not in conservation areas of the letter to you from Amelia McCulley and me dated
September 23, 2008 in which we said that the location, number, design, layout and
orientation of buildings and parking areas not in conservation areas do not comply with
the Application Plan. That letter also indicated that when buildings and uses are shown
on an application plan, changes in their arrangement are permitted only if a variation is
granted under Albemarle County Code Section 18- 8.5.5.3(a) (2). The following advisory
comments are specific to the above referenced site plan submittal and do not anticipate
changes other than the potential deletion of the stormwater management (SWM) facility
in the vicinity of the proposed Korean Church.
Item 2.A. in the September 23 letter said that "Buildings and parking areas are shown on
the Site Plan in an area adjacent to SWM Facility #10 where the Application Plan shows
no buildings or parking." Item 2.B, said, "The number, design and layout of the buildings
shown on the Site Plan near SWM #10 results in proposed stormwater facilities which will
require construction of steep slopes inside the basins and cause parking lots near the
basins to have 10 foot retaining walls. Although details of the stormwater facilities were
not required on the application plan, the proposed grading and stormwater uses do not
comply with the Application Plan."
Under either of the following conditions, a variation could be approved to allow buildings
and parking areas near SWM #10 that were not shown on the Application Plan. The
conditions would be either to: 1) Establish slopes between the buildings /parking areas
and SWM #10 that are no steeper than 3:1 and vegetated, or, alternatively, to 2)
construct retaining walls no greater than 5 feet in height and terraced if necessary with a
planted shelf between the terraced walls of a minimum twice the width of the height of the
retaining walls. Under either condition, due to the resulting close proximity of the
buildings /parking areas to SWM #10 and visual changes from U.S. 29, a preliminary site
plan demonstrating appropriate design for erosion control, stormwater management and
safety as well as appearance from the Entrance Corridor would be necessary to allow me
to determine that the variation satisfies all of the elements in Albemarle County Code
Section 18- 8.5.5.3(c) and, in particular for this variation, that the variation "is in general
accord with the purpose and intent of the approved application ". Therefore, the
preliminary site plan would need to be revised to show one of these two conditions. Also
please note that, as proffered in Section II. Entrance Corridors 2.2, Appearance of Storm
Water Management ( "SWM ") Facilities of the North Pointe Proffer Statement dated July
20, 2006, this SWM facility will require review and approval by the ARB.
Item 2.C. in the September 23 letter said that, "Unit orientation towards Northwest
Passage is different than shown on the Application Plan on both the western and eastern
side of Northwest Passage. Units were not shown along the street on the western side of
Northwest Passage on the Application Plan." A variation could be approved if the units
face the street and have sidewalks connecting the units to sidewalks along the street.
The Northwest Passage street section would need to include sidewalks and street trees
on both sides of the street with street trees located between the back of the curb and the
sidewalk. These features would allow me to determine that the variation satisfies all of
the elements in Albemarle County Code Section 18- 8.5.5.3(c) and, in particular for this
variation, that the variation "is in general accord with the purpose and intent of the
approved application ". Either the preliminary site plan would need to be revised to reflect
these features or its approval conditioned on the provision of these features as necessary
for final site plan approval. Road plans submitted with the final site plan also would need
to reflect these features.
Item 2.D. in the September 23 letter said that, "Units on the western side of Northwest
Passage are shown on the Site Plan in areas where no development was shown on the
Application Plan. The number, design, and layout of these buildings cause the need for a
stormwater management facility west of the easement for the Korean Church ..." I
indicated in our January 20 meeting that this stormwater management facility as located
on the site plan cannot be varied under Albemarle County Code Section 18- 8.5.5.3(a)(2)
because "major elements shown on the [application] plan and their relationships" would
not "remain the same ". However, it is my understanding that, based on alternative
designs for handling stormwater discussed with Mark Graham at that meeting, your
engineer would be looking into designs that would not require this stormwater
management facility. Therefore, we are assuming this facility will be omitted and other
stormwater management solutions will be incorporated into the developed area.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide these advisory comments and please do not
hesitate to contact me should you have any questions. We hope this letter provides
helpful information to allow this project to move forward.
Sincerely, �i F
bdr,�VV14_111
V. Wayne 611 imberg
Director o Planning—
Cc: Larry Davis
Mark Graham
Amelia McCulley
Gerald Gatobu