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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP201200030 Review Comments Special Use Permit 2012-11-30COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE Department of Community Development 401 McIntire Road, North Wing Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 -4596 Phone (434) 296 -5832 Fax (434) 972 -4176 November 30, 2012 Valerie Long Williams Mullen 321 E Main Street, Suite 400 Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 RE: SP 2012 -030 Peabody School Ms. Long: Staff has reviewed your initial submittal for the expansion of enrollment in a private school from 140 students to 210 student (70 additional). 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. All comments from all reviewers are provided in this letter, however the major issues that will need to be addressed before moving forward to the Planning Commission are listed below. Many of these show up in other comments by each reviewer listed in this letter, however it is important to identify the major concerns, and these should be addressed with a resubmittal: 1. Parents are currently parking on the grassy edge of Stoney Ridge Road at least during the morning drop -off times. This activity is not permitted by the current site plan nor is it allowed in association with a public road that is not designed and constructed for on- street parking. This activity appears to result from a lack of parking and /or adequate circulation on -site. This problem will need to be resolved before we can support this request for expansion. Aside from the current special use permit application, this situation will need to be remedied. 2. Please submit a parking study to address required parking for the existing use and proposed expansion. Please include information as to number of faculty and staff in your submittal. As we discussed, we can consider many different approaches to provide adequate parking, including off -site parking, shuttle services and phased -in improvements. 3. The fire code requires with the building addition a fire access road that needs to access within 150 feet of all portions of the building. 4. There is an existing entrance to the school property approximately 215' west of Stoney Ridge Road off of Southern Parkway that was shown as a temporary construction entrance that needs to be closed. This entrance is too close to the roads' intersections and it was only approved to be temporary during the construction of the addition. 5. No parking signs should be placed by the applicant on the section of Stoney Ridge Road to control the existing parking problem. We also have a few questions and comments which are listed below: Planning Planning staff's comments are organized as follows: How the proposal relates to the Comprehensive Plan The Neighborhood Model analysis Additional 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 public hearing. The comments below are in preparation for the public hearing and may change based on subsequent submittals. The proposed development is within Neighborhood 4 of the Comprehensive Plan and designated as Industrial Service. Industrial Service uses include warehousing, light industry, heavy industry, research, office uses, regional scale research, limited production and market activities, supporting commercial, lodging and conference facilities, and residential (6.01 -34 units /acre). The current use is not in conformance with the Comprehensive plan, however it is an existing use, and a rezoning and special use permit were previously approved to rezone this property from Industrial to PUD to allow this school use. Neighborhood Model General comments on how well the proposed development meets the principles of the Neighborhood Model are provided here. More detailed comments may be provided at a later date if changes are made and /or after more detailed plans are provided. Pedestrian The existing site and surrounding properties do not have any Orientation pedestrian connectivity. Adding a sidewalk and pedestrian pathways does not make sense in this location, as most of the surrounding uses are industrial in nature. This principle is not applicable. Neighborhood Again, the existing site and surrounding properties do not lend Friendly Streets and themselves to this principle. No streets are proposed, this is an Paths existing site. This principle is not applicable. Interconnected No additional streets are proposed with this special use permit. This Streets and principle is not applicable. Transportation Networks Parks and Open This is an existing school site. The expansion of the use does not lend Space it self to provide parks and open space. This principle is not applicable. Neighborhood This is an existing school site along an existing parkway. This principle Centers is not applicable. Buildings and Spaces This is an existing school site. The proposed addition to the building is of Human Scale for a multi - purpose gymnasium for the school. This principle is not applicable. Relegated Parking There is existing parking on site that is located in the front of the building. Additional parking will need to be provided for the expansion of the use. A parking study is recommended. At this time, this principle is not met. Mixture of Uses This principle is not applicable for this existing school site. Mixture of Housing This principle is not applicable for this existing school site. Types and Affordability Redevelopment The special use permit for the expansion of the school is using the existing building and proposing an addition onto it. By using the existing school, and not developing elsewhere, this principle is met. Site Planning that There critical slopes on the site, and the proposed addition uses the Respects Terrain portion of the site where not slopes will be disturbe. This principle is met. Clear Boundaries This project is not adjacent to the rural areas. This principle is not with the Rural Areas applicable. Additional Planning Comments 1. There are issues currently on site with the parking and circulation. Please provide a parking and circulation study to show how you will accommodate the existing issues and the expansion. 2. A couple options have come to mind to alleviate some of the circulation and parking issues, particularly as it is needed for the younger children who attend the school and who's parents would like to park and walk them in. a. One option is to assign a staff person or persons at the drop off to collect the children and take them inside. Making a policy that parents can't bring their children in, thus allowing circulation to move. A number of schools in the area have this rule and seems to work. b. Second option is to provide a parking space for each parent /child in the younger classes on site for drop off /pick up in addition to those needed for staff. c. Third option is to stagger the drop off times for younger kids and older kids during the morning. d. Zoning The following comments related to zoning matters have been provided by Amelia McCulley: Parents are currently parking on the grassy edge of Stoney Ridge Road at least during the morning drop -off times. This activity is not permitted by the current site plan nor is it allowed in association with a public road that is not designed and constructed for on- street parking. This activity appears to result from a lack of parking and /or adequate circulation on -site. This problem will need to be resolved before we can support this request for expansion. Aside from the current special use permit application, this situation will need to be remedied. We understand that you are planning various actions to appropriately respond to our concerns. 2. Please submit a parking study to address required parking for the existing use and proposed expansion. Please include information as to number of faculty and staff in your submittal. As we discussed, we can consider many different approaches to provide adequate parking, including off -site parking, shuttle services and phased -in improvements. From Zoning Ordinance Section 4.12.6: Schools: The number of proposed spaces shall be shown in a parking study submitted by the school division (public schools) or the school (private schools). The number of required spaces shall be determined by the zoning administrator. In making the determination, the administrator shall consider the recommendations in the parking study, traffic generation figures either known to the industry or estimated by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, peak parking demands, and other relevant information. (Amended 2 -5 -03) 3. Please revise the plan to include the following: a. The number of parking spaces currently shown are 33, not 29 as noted; b. The latest rezoning action for this property is ZMA 96 -21, not ZMA 95 -19 as noted. Current Development The following comments regarding your proposal's ability to meet site plan or subdivision ordinance requirements in the future: 1. Parking for the additional staff will need to be provided, and the existing parking lot is not adequate for the expansion. 2. A plat is currently under review for the elimination of the undisturbed buffer that was previously platted. 3. An amendment to the site plan will be required for the building addition and any additional parking, access, circulation changes to the site. Engineering and Water Resources The following comments related to engineering and water resources have been provided by Michael Koslow: 1) There is an existing illegal entrance to the school property approximately 215' west of Stoney Ridge Road off of Southern Parkway. This entrance is too close to the roads' intersections and it could represent an existing site plan violation. 2) The applicant's assertions regarding the traffic generated for the projected enrollment of 210 students appear to be accurate (AM peak hour trip generation of 189 trips being the governing standard). The existing public roads appear to be sufficient to handle the proposed additional traffic. 3) During a field investigation on 9 November 2012, as many as 8 cars were simultaneously dropping off students around 8:25am outside of designated parking areas and backing out on to Stoney Ridge Road (see photo below). 4) Relative to comment #3, the existing student pick up / drop off lane appears to be insufficient. The existing lane is approximately 130' to the nearest faculty parking lot entrance. There is no County specific standard for this length; however various outside agencies have provided design guidelines for the lane length as summarized below: Jurisdiction Minimum lane Enrollment or Source length or enrollment range length range (students) (ft) North Carolina 467 140 elementary & North Carolina Municipal 70 middle school School Transportation Assistance — School Traffic Calculations spreadsheet South Carolina 900 -1200 200 -600 SC DOT Guidelines for School Transportation Design Texas 400 -800 Less than 550 TTI TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AND SAFETY AT SCHOOLS: RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES City of 300 210 City of Henderson Henderson, Development Code Ch. NV 19.7: Development and Design Standards Recommend a parking study which addresses both the minimum number of faculty and visitor parking spaces and the applicant recommended minimum lane length be included with SP2012- 00030. 5) The existing site for the school appears to be insufficient in area based on The School Site Planner — Land for Learning (Public Schools of North Carolina State Board of Education Department of Public Instruction, Published June 1998). This Planner indicates an elementary and middle school with an enrollment of 210 students should be on an approximately 14 Ac site. The existing parcel for The Peabody School (76M1- 00 -00- 01500) is approximately 5.09 Ac. VDOT Comments from VDOT have been provided by Joel DeNunzio: 1. The plan needs to identify adequate parking and circulation within the site for student drop off to alleviate the need for illegal parking on Stoney Ridge Road. 2. No parking signs should be placed by the applicant on the section of Stoney Ridge Road to control the existing parking problem. Fire and Rescue Fire Rescue has No Objections to the increase in students for the Peabody School. However, I have listed a code that addresses fire access to the proposed addition on the building. 503.1.1 Buildings and facilities. Approved fire apparatus access roads shall be provided for every facility, building or portion of a building hereafter constructed or moved into or within the jurisdiction. The fire apparatus access road shall comply with the requirements of this section and shall extend to within 150 feet (45 720 mm) of all portions of the facility and all portions of the exterior walls of the first story of the building as measured by an approved route around the exterior of the building or facility. Exception: The fire code official is authorized to decrease the dimension of 150 feet (45 720 mm)where: 1. The building is equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system installed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1, 903.3.1.2 or 903.3.1.3. 2. Fire apparatus access roads cannot be installed because of location on property, topography, waterways, nonnegotiable grades or other similar conditions, and an approved alternative means of fire protection is provided. 3. There are not more than two Group R -3 or Group U occupancies. ASCA /RWSA Prior to the ACSA approving a building permit the existing and proposed water fixture counts must be submitted for review. The ACSA needs to verify the water meter size. 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 no fee for the first resubmittal. The resubmittal date schedule is provided for your convenience. Notification and Advertisement Fees Recently, the Board of Supervisors amended the zoning ordinance to require that applicants pay for the notification costs for public hearings. Prior to scheduling a public hearing with the Planning Commission, payment of the following fees is needed: $237.20 Cost for newspaper advertisement $204.23 Cost for notification of adjoining owners (minimum $200 + actual postage /$1 per owner after 50 adjoining owners) $441.43 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. $237.20 Additional amount due prior to Board of Supervisors public hearing $678.63 Total amount for all notifications Fees may be paid in advance. Payment for both the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors public hearings may be paid at the same 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 myaniglos @albemarle.org. Sincerely, r Megan Yaniglos Senior Planner, Planning Services cc: Peabody School, rhenslee @peabodyschool.org enc: Action After Receipt of Comments Resubmittal Form DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTION AFTER RECEIPT OF COMMENT LETTER Within 30 days of the date of this letter, please do one of the following: (1) Resubmit in response to review comments (2) Request indefinite deferral (3) Request that your Planning Commission public hearing date be set (4) Withdraw your application (1) Resubmittal in Response to Review Comments If you plan to resubmit within 30 days, make sure that the resubmittal is on or before a resubmittal date as published in the project review schedule. The resubmittal schedule for 2013 is not complete yet, staff will forward them once they are complete. The remaining 2012 dates may be found at www.albemarle.org in the "forms" section at the Community Development page. Be sure to include the resubmittal form on the last page of your comment letter with your submittal. The application fee which you paid covers staff review of the initial submittal and one resubmittal. Each subsequent resubmittal requires an additional fee. (See attached Fee Schedule.) (2) Request Indefinite Deferral If you plan to resubmit after 30 days from the date of the comment letter, you need to request an indefinite deferral. Please provide a written request and state your justification for requesting the deferral. (Indefinite deferral means that you intend to resubmit /request a public hearing be set with the Planning Commission after the 30 day period.) (3) Request Planning Commission Public Hearing Date be Set At this time, you may schedule a public hearing with the Planning Commission. However, we do not advise that you go directly to public hearing if staff has identified issues in need of resolution that can be addressed with a resubmittal. After outstanding issues have been resolved and /or when you are ready to request a public hearing, staff will set your public hearing date for the Planning Commission in accordance with the Planning Commission's published schedule and as mutually agreed by you and the County. The staff report and recommendation will be based on the latest information provided by you with your initial submittal or resubmittal. Please remember that all resubmittals must be made on or before a resubmittal date. By no later than twenty -one (21) days before the Planning Commission's public hearing, a newspaper advertisement fee and an adjoining owner notification fee must be paid. (See attached Fee Schedule) Your comment letter will contain the actual fees you need to pay. Payment for an additional newspaper advertisement is also required twenty -two (22) days prior to the Board of Supervisors public hearing. These dates are provided on the attached Legal Ad Payments for Public Hearings form. Please be advised that, once a public hearing has been advertised, only one deferral prior to the Planning Commission's public hearing will be allowed during the life of the application. The only exception to this rule will be extraordinary circumstances, such as a major change in the project proposal by the applicant or more issues identified by staff that have not previously been brought to the applicant's attention. As always, an applicant may request deferral at the Planning Commission meeting. (4) Withdraw Your Application If at any time you wish to withdraw your application, please provide your request in writing. Failure to Respond If we have not received a response from you within 30 days, we will contact you again. At that time, you will be given 10 days to do one of the following: a) request withdrawal of your application, b) request deferral of your application to a specific Planning Commission date as mutually agreed to with staff, or c) request indefinite deferral and state your justification for requesting the deferral. If none of these choices is made within 10 days, staff will schedule your application for a public hearing based on the information provided with your original submittal or the latest submittal staff received on a resubmittal date. Fee Payment Fees may be paid in cash or by check and must be paid at the Community Development Intake Counter. Make checks payable to the County of Albemarle. Do not send checks directly to the Review Coordinator. FEE SCHEDULE FOR ZONING APPLICATIONS A. For a special use permit: 1. Additional lots under section 10.5.2.1; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$1,000.00 Each additional resubmittal ....................................... ............................... ........................$500.00 2. Public utilities; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$1,000.00 Each additional resubmittal ....................................... ............................... ........................$500.00 3. Day care center; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$1,000.00 Each additional resubmittal ....................................... ............................... ........................$500.00 4. Home occupation Class B; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$1,000.00 Each additional resubmittal ....................................... ............................... ........................$500.00 5. 5. Amend existing special use permit; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$1,000.00 Each additional resubmittal ....................................... ............................... ........................$500.00 6. Extend existing special use permit; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$1,000.00 Each additional resubmittal ....................................... ............................... ........................$500.00 7. All other special use permits; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$2,000.00 Each additional resubmittal ........................................................... ............................... $1,000.00 8. Deferral of scheduled public hearing at applicant's request Fee............................................................................. ............................... ........................$180.00 B. For amendment to text of zoning ordinance: Fee................................................................................... ............................... .......................$1000.00 C. Amendment to the zoning map: 1. Less than 50 acres; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$2,500.00 2. Less than 50 acres; each additional resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$1,250.00 3. 50 acres or greater; application and first resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$3,500.00 4. 50 acres or greater; each additional resubmission Fee............................................................................ ............................... ......................$1,750.00 5. Deferral of scheduled public hearing at applicant's request Fee............................................................................. ............................... ........................$180.00 D. Board of Zoning Appeals: 1. Request for a variance or sign special use permit Fee............................................................................. ............................... ........................$500.00 2. For other appeals to the board of zoning appeals (including appeals of zoning administrator's decision) — Fee (to be refunded if the decision of the zoning administrator is overturned) .......$240.00 N. Required notice: 1. Preparing and mailing or delivering up to fifty (50) notices: Fee............................................................................. ............................... ........................$200.00 plus the actual cost of first class postage 2. Preparing and mailing or delivering, per notice more than fifty (50): Fee............................................................................... ............................... ..........................$1.00 plus the actual cost of first class postage 3. Published notice: Fee.............................................................................. ............................... .........................Actual cost