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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSDP200900009 Review Comments Preliminary Site Plan 2009-07-20aL ti �IRGI:�Z� COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE Department of Community Development 401 McIntire Road, Room 227 Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 -4596 Phone (434) 296 -5832 Fax (434) 972 -4126 MEMORANDUM TO: Gerald Gatobu, Principal Planner for Current Development FROM: Elaine Echols, Principal Planner for Development Areas RE: SDP 2009 -00009 Arden Place Preliminary Site Plan DATE: July 20, 2009 Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed open space and trail for the site plan for Arden Place. The Planning division's comments are as follows and are written to you as the reviewer. As such, you will need to decide whether or not to include them in your written comments to the applicant and /or Planning Commission. The applicant has requested a density bonus for dedication of land for public use. The land proposed for dedication would have a paved trail through it to connect County - owned property to Rio Road. The addition of public open space and a trail connecting two public properties are both in keeping with the Comprehensive Plan. Maintenance could be performed by General Services provided that the Board approves maintenance money in the budget. Planning staff believes that dedicated open space with a path is a positive feature and can recommend approval of the open space with the paved trail. Planning notes several items which should be resolved prior to approval. They are as follows: 1. The "Trailway" note says "Class A Type 1 ...path -- a 10' wide paved trail..." A 10' wide trail is the Class A Type 2 trail. As a County trail, we would prefer the Type 2 trail; however, the lead County engineer needs to look at the grades to see how feasible it is to make the trail ADA compliant as Type 2 trails must be ADA compliant. Also, the lead County engineer should look carefully at the notes. We have design standards in the Design Standards Manual for the path and I don't know if the improvements described in the trailway note are in accord with those standards. 2. Approval should be conditioned on (if it is not already) the commercially zoned portion of the property providing an easement and building a trail with construction related to the first site plan that allows for safe and convenient access to Rio Road. The trail will need to match the design of the one on the residential property. It should be built by the owner of the commercial parcel in conjunction with development of that property. 3. If the regraded slopes between Building 5 and the trail are proposed at 2:1 slopes, then landscaping with plants which are both attractive (ask Megan ?) and keep the soil on the slopes is needed to keep the trail from getting muddy runoff on it during storms. 4. If there is any way the applicant can commit to doing the mowing on both sides of the trail, that would be great; however, I know that this is tricky given the fact that the property will belong to the County. also noticed the following things on the site plan: The trail will be cut into the tree preservation area in several places. This is not problematic for me, but, may be problematic in terms of the expectations for tree preservation. 2. There is a note on sheet 3 in a tree preservation area that says it is "reserved for future interparcel roadway connection to be determined with final site plan ". I'm not sure what that means since the trail can't be a road meeting any of our standards and has been disapproved by the PC in any case. 3. Similarly, there is a note on Sheet 1 that says this "0.05 acre easement has been reserved for potential connection to Carmike cinemas or Woodbrook Subdivision, to be determined with final site plan approval ". At this time we can recommend connection to the Carmike cinemas or Albemarle Square, or the r.o.w. going into Woodbrook, or any combination of these three access points. Although the Planning Commission did not want a road or sidewalk leading from Arden Place to the Woodbrook Subdivision, a reservation for potential future access would be good in the event we (the County) ever want /need to make that connection. Planning believes that area will always be a short cut.