HomeMy WebLinkAboutSDP201200053 Legacy Document 2012-12-19 (3)ATTACHMENT A
STAFF ANALYSIS — SDP201200053 Albemarle County Public Safety Training Facility — Firearms
Range: Special exception to waive parking lot design standards and waive parking lot landscaping requirements.
APPLICANT: Albemarle County Office of Facilities Development (OFD)
APPLICANT'S PROPOSAL:
The applicant has requested special exceptions to waive minimum design standards of Section 4.12.15(a) (Surface
Material) and 4.12.15(g) (Curb and Gutter) for the parking lot and two way access aisles. The facilities will
consist of graveled parking lot, gravel two way access aisle, and no curb or gutter on either. They have also
requested special exceptions to waive parking lot landscaping requirements of Section 32.7.9.7(b) (Interior
Parking Lot Landscaping) and Section 32.7.9.8(c)(2) (Screening of Parking Lot).
SPECIAL EXCEPTION TO DESIGN STANDARDS
Section 4.12.15 of the Zoning Ordinance requires parking areas and drive access aisles to be both paved and
contain curb and gutter. The applicant has submitted a request and justification for special exceptions, to waive
these requirements, and staff has analyzed these requests to address the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. Staff
has reviewed the request with consideration of the criteria that are set forth in Section 4.12.15 of the Zoning
Ordinance, entitled "Minimum Design Requirements and Improvements for Parking Areas," specifically Sections
4.12.15(a) (Surface Material) and 4.12.15(g) (Curb and Gutter).
Section 4.12.15(a) - Surface materials. All parking areas consisting of four (4) or more spaces shall be surfaced.
The surface materials for parking areas and access aisles shall be subject to review and approval by the county
engineer, based upon the intensity of usage and Virginia Department of Transportation pavement design
guidelines and specifications. The county engineer may approve the use of alternative surfaces deemed equivalent
in regard to strength, durability, sustainability and long term maintenance for the intensity of the use.
Review of the request by Current Development Engineering staff:
Staff recommends approval of the special exceptions request to use gravel parking on the entrance travelway/
access road and in the parking area. The low intensity use is under County control and can be repaired if
necessary, and it has sufficiently intermittent traffic, access control, and a rural location which justify the special
exception.
Section 4.12.15(8) - Curb and gutter in parking areas and along travelways. Curbs shall be established at the
edges of parking areas or access aisles in the following circumstances: (1) in all commercial or institutional
developments requiring eight (8) or more parking spaces; (2) in all multi family dwelling and townhouse
developments requiring eight (8) or more parking spaces; (3) where necessary to control or direct stormwater
runoff; (4) where a sidewalk is located closer than four (4) feet from the edge of an access aisle; and (5) where
necessary to contain vehicular traffic to protect pedestrians and /or property. Gutters shall be required where
necessary to control or direct stormwater runoff. The county engineer may waive or modify this requirement if
deemed necessary to accommodate stormwater management /BMP facility design or existing uses located in the
Rural Areas (RA) zoning district.
Review of the request by Current Development Engineering staff:
Staff recommends approval of the special exception request to omit curb and gutter along the travelway /access
road and in the parking area. Stormwater management can be adequately handled, and the low intensity use and
rural location justify the special exception.
Review of the request by Planning staff:
Section 4.12.2(c) establishes the criteria for granting a special exception to waive Section 4.12.15 requirements.
The following staff analysis addresses the criteria of Section 4.12.2(c) of the Zoning Ordinance:
The public health, safety, or welfare would be equally or better served by the modification of waiver.
Granting the special exceptions equally serves the health, safety, and welfare of the public by forwarding the use
of underused County -owned land, which is being developed by the County as a facility to increase officer
proficiency and safety of firearms. The site's size and remote rural nature isolate it from more densely populated
areas of the County, the location of the range on site will further limit adverse impacts on adjacent agricultural
properties, and the site's location limits impacts to natural, scenic, historic and cultural resources. Neither the
parking lot nor the two way access aisle will be accessible by the general public because the parking area will be
located behind three locked gates and fences. The parking area is located approximately one mile from the site
entrance on Fortune Lane. The parking lot and firing range is anticipated to be used intermittently and/ or
occasionally with insignificant vehicle trips. In consideration of all the above factors, it is staff's opinion that the
special exceptions are justified because the low intensity use is under County control and can be repaired if
necessary, and it has sufficiently intermittent traffic, access control, and a rural location.
and the modification or waiver would not otherwise be contrary to the purpose and intent of this chapter.
Approving the requested special exceptions for this site is not contrary to the purpose and intent of the Zoning
Ordinance. The proposal forwards the intent of Section 4.12.1, which establishes minimum standards applicable
to new uses, structures or parking areas, or redeveloped sites, for the purposes of
(1) maximizing the safety and functionality ofparking areas;
The low intensity of the use and intermittent traffic patterns of the site, combined with access control by County
officials, maximize the safety and functionality of the parking areas.
(2) providing parking and loading facilities in a reasonable proportion to one or more use's needs;
Based on the low intensity of the use and intermittent traffic patterns of the site, this requirement has been
adequately met.
(3) reducing minimum parking requirements to coincide with common usage rather than peak usage;
Based on the low intensity of the use and intermittent traffic patterns of the site, this requirement has been
adequately met.
(4) minimizing the visual and environmental impacts ofparking areas on adjacent lands;
The firing range is proposed to be located on a heavily wooded 171.96 acre parcel that contains the closed Keene
Landfill, of which only 3.57 acres (2.08 %) of the property is for the range, 0.23 acres (0.13 %) of the site as
parking area, and 2.33 acres (1.35 %) of the site as two way access drive aisle. The site will preserve 96.44%
(165.83 acres) of the property as open space, and this provides a large expanse of trees, varying topography and
vast expanses of open space, which provide heavy screening from adjacent properties throughout the site. The
parking lot is located a minimum of 450 linear feet from any adjacent property line and is buffered by large
expanses of existing tree coverage. The proposed location best minimizes the visual and environmental impacts of
parking areas on adjacent lands.
and (5) supporting mass transit opportunities. These regulations also encourage the application of
transportation demand management strategies and allow flexibility in design to reduce traffic congestion and
the amount of land that must be devoted to parking for commercial, industrial and public facility uses.
Based on the low intensity of the use and intermittent traffic patterns of the site, this requirement has been
adequately met.
PARKING LOT LANDSCAPING
Section 32.7.9.7 of the Zoning Ordinance entitled "Parking Lot Landscaping" requires all development subject to
site plan review to provide the required landscaping for parking lots consisting of five (5) spaces or more. This
includes Section 32.7.9.7(b) (Interior parking lot landscaping) and 32.7.9.8(c)(2) (Screening of Parking Lot). The
applicant has submitted a request and justification for the special exceptions and staff has analyzed this request to
address the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance. The following staff analysis addresses the criteria of Section
32.7.9.3 of the Zoning Ordinance:
Section 32.7.9.7(b) - Interior parking lot landscaping: Exclusive of the requirements of section 32.7.9.7(a) and
(c), an area equal to five (5) percent of the paved parking and vehicular circulation area shall be landscaped with
trees or shrubs. This shall include one (1) large or medium shade tree per ten (10) parking spaces or portion
thereof, iffive (5) spaces or more. Interior landscaping shall be located in reasonably dispersed planting islands
or perimeter areas. Shrub plantings adjacent to a building shall not be counted as interior landscaping;
Section 32.7.9.8 (c)(2) - Screening of Parking Lot: Parking lots consisting of four (4) spaces or more shall be
screened from adjacent residential and rural areas districts.
Review of the request by Planning staff:
Section 32.7.9.3 directs the Board to consider the following when considering requests for special exceptions
from the requirements of Sections 32.7.9.7(b) and 32.7.9.8(c)(2):
1. The requirement of such plan and/or improvement would not forward the purposes of this chapter or
otherwise serve the public interest;
The parking lot landscaping requirements for this site do not forward the purpose and intent of the Zoning
Ordinance in this case, which establish minimum standards to provide for the installation, preservation and
maintenance of plant materials.
2. The special exceptions are not inconsistent with the purposes for landscaping and screening requirements
delineated in Section 32.7.9.
The purposes for landscaping and screening requirements are:
Section 32.7.9(a) Insure development which is consistent with the goals of the comprehensive plan related
to natural resources and with the plan's environmental and land use standards;
Approving these special exceptions will not create inconsistencies with the goals of the Comprehensive Plan due
to the limited public access to, and visibility of, the site.
Section 32.7.9(b) Promote the public health, safety and welfare,
Approving these special exceptions promotes the health, safety, and welfare of the public by forwarding the use of
underused County -owned land, which is being developed by the County as a facility to increase officer
proficiency and firearms safety.
Section 32.7.9(c) Conserve energy by providing shade and wind breaks;
The proposal intends to leave 96.44% (165.83 acres) of the property as open space. This alone provides far more
shade and wind breaks than the strict interpretation of the parking lot landscaping section that the Zoning
Ordinance requires.
Section 32.7.9(d) Provide pervious area which helps to reduce run -off and to recharge groundwater;
The proposal intends to provide 3.71 acres (2.16 %) of the site as impervious cover. The majority of the site will
remain as pervious surface. As such, the strict application of the Zoning Ordinance would not further the public
interest by requiring more trees or recharge area onsite.
Section 32.7.9(e) Improve air quality,
The firing range is proposed to be located on a heavily wooded 171.96 acre parcel that contains the closed Keene
Landfill, of which only 3.57 acres (2.08 %) of the property is for the range, 0.23 acres (0.13 %) of the property is
for the parking area, and 2.33 acres (1.35 %) of the property is for the access road area. As such, the site will
preserve 96.44% (165.83 acres) of the property as open space, and this provides a large expanse of trees and open
space to improve air quality for the area.
Section 32.7.9() Minimize noise, dust and glare,
The firing range is proposed to be located on a heavily wooded 171.96 acre parcel that contains the closed Keene
Landfill, of which only 3.57 acres (2.08 %) of the property is for the range. As such, the site will be heavily
screened from adjacent properties by large stands of trees, as well as varying topography throughout the site.
Impacts of dust from gravel surface treatment will be limited by the limited level of use of the site and by
retention of the existing vegetation previously noted.
Section 32.7.9(g) Promote traffic safety by controlling views and defining circulation patterns;
Neither the parking lot nor the access aisle will be accessible by the general public because the parking area will
be located behind three locked gates and fences. The parking area is located approximately one mile from the site
entrance on Fortune Lane. The parking lot and firing range is anticipated to be used intermittently and/ or
occasionally with insignificant vehicle trips.
Section 32.7.9(h) Protect and preserve the appearance, character and value of the neighboring properties.
Approving the special exceptions to waive the parking lot landscaping requirements for the site would cause no
additional adverse visual impacts on adjacent properties or public area. The parking area is located a minimum of
450 feet from any adjacent property line. The site will preserve 96.44% (165.83 acres) of the property as open
space, and this provides a large expanse of trees and open space to visually buffer the facility and parking areas.
Neither the parking lot nor the access aisle will be accessible by the general public because the parking area will
be located behind three locked gates and fences. The parking area is located approximately one mile from the site
entrance on Fortune Lane. For this site, parking lot landscaping would result in a more formal site character,
which is not in keeping with the rural setting of the area.
3. The variation or waiver shall have no additional adverse visual impact on adjacent properties or public
areas nor otherwise be inconsistent with section 32.7.9.
As noted in the above section, approving the special exception to waive the parking lot landscaping requirements
for the site would cause no additional adverse visual impacts on adjacent properties or public area due to the
remote location of the site and dense existing vegetation onsite.
SUMMARY:
Staff has identified factors which are favorable and unfavorable to this proposal:
Factors favorable to this request include:
1. The proposed use is under County control.
2. The firing range is anticipated to be used intermittently and/ or occasionally with insignificant vehicle trips.
3. Neither the parking lot nor the two way access aisle will be accessible by the general public, since the parking
area will be located behind three locked gates and fences.
4. The site's size and remote rural nature isolate it from more densely populated areas of the County.
5. The proposal has no additional adverse visual impacts on adjacent properties or public area due to the remote
location of the site and dense existing vegetation onsite.
Factors unfavorable to this request include:
None
RECOMMENDATION ON SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS:
Staff recommends approval of the special exceptions to the minimum design standards of Sections 4.12.15(a)
(Surface Material) and 4.12.15(g) (Curb and Gutter) for the parking lot and two way access aisles. The parking
lot and travel aisles will be gravel surfaced and constructed to a standard acceptable to the County Engineer.
Staff also recommends approval of the special exceptions to waive parking lot landscaping requirements of
Sections 32.7.9.7(b) (Interior Parking Lot Landscaping) and 32.7.9.8(c)(2) (Screening of Parking Lot).
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