HomeMy WebLinkAboutARB201000126 Legacy Document 2010-11-05 (3)ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD STAFF REPORT
Project #/Name
Entrance Corridor Design Guidelines Update
Review Type
Review of draft revisions to the Entrance Corridor Design Guidelines
Proposal
To present a phased plan for updating the Entrance Corridor Design
Guidelines and to review phase 1 draft revisions to the Guidelines.
ARB Meeting Date
November 1, 2010
Staff Contact
Margaret Maliszewski
Entrance Corridor Design Guidelines History
DATE
ACTION
1990
Entrance Corridors were first established in Albemarle County in late
1990.
April 10, 1991
The first ARB applications were reviewed against interim design
guidelines that were adopted in April 1991.
August 21, 1991
The interim guidelines were amended in August 1991.
November 1, 1993
The ARB adopted design guidelines to replace the interim guidelines.
January 12, 1994
The design guidelines were adopted by the Board of Supervisors.
August 1998
Fuel pump canopy guidelines were added.
November 16, 1998
The general lighting guidelines were updated.
October 12, 2000
Guidelines were added for the use of decorative landscape lighting.
October 2004
The fuel pump canopy guidelines were updated.
October 13, 2004
The sign guidelines were updated and separated from the general
guidelines.
Background
The Entrance Corridor Design Guidelines have not received a general update since their adoption in
1994. Updates have been made to portions of the guidelines, including the sections on lighting, fuel
pump canopies, and signs over the years, and the Entrance Corridor section of the Zoning ordinance
was revised in early 2010. In an effort to make progress on the guidelines update, taking into
consideration the limited resources that are available, a phased approach is recommended, as described
in the following section.
Two documents accompany this staff report. One is a red -line version of the guidelines. It shows the
deleted and added text, with comments provided to explain the reasoning for the changes. The other
document is a draft of the proposed guidelines in regular formatting for easier reading. The current
version of the guidelines is available at www.albemarle.org /ARB.
Phases of Work
PHASE
TIMING
1
Corrections and clarifications
Current
2
Revisions to coordinate the Guidelines
Work will begin following adoption of Phase 1
with the Development Areas
updates. Completion will depend on available
resources.
3
Revisions to coordinate the Entrance
This phase will begin after the RA
Corridor Design Guidelines with the Rural
Comprehensive Plan update is complete.
Areas
4
Revisions to coordinate with changes to the
Timing depends on the completion of the review
Site Plan Review process
process changes. This phase could shift to an
earlier position depending on the timing and
scope of the site plan process changes.
Phase 1 includes minor rewording and new wording to bring the guidelines up to date with long-
standing practices of the ARB and to clarify design requirements for applicants. This phase would also
eliminate from the guidelines lists and process - related information (rather than design - related) because
the lists and process information are now easily available at the county's web site. (See
www.albemarle.or /g ARB.) Eliminating this information from the document will allow for more
efficient future updates and general streamlining of the guidelines. These revisions are separated from
the future phases because these changes do not propose revised guidance or practice. Instead, these
changes will simply update the language of the document to meet long- standing practices of the ARB
and to provide greater clarification on guidelines that have proven difficult for applicants to interpret.
Phase 2 revisions will bring the guidelines in line with the county's expectations for the Development
Areas. This will include coordination with the Neighborhood Model and the master plans for Crozet,
Pantops, Places 29, and the Village of Rivanna. The Development Areas are an important second step
in the guidelines update since the majority of ARB applications are for sites in the Development Areas.
This phase of updates will begin to address a current gap in the guidelines; although the guidelines
allow for consideration of context, there is no distinction between the appropriate appearance of a site
in the Development Areas as opposed to one in the Rural Areas.
Phase 3 revisions will bring the guidelines in line with the county's expectations for the Rural Areas,
using the updated Comprehensive Plan as guidance. This work will provide the remaining guidance on
the distinction between Development Area and Rural Area corridors.
Phase 4 will include updates to bring the guidelines in line with revisions made to the site plan review
process. The site plan process changes are currently under review. Related ordinance amendments are
not likely to be completed before late 2011. Once the site plan process amendments are finalized, the
scope and timing of any corresponding guidelines changes can be ascertained.
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Steps in the Update Process
Each phase of updates must be approved by the ARB, then by the Board of Supervisors. One or more
work sessions, followed by a public meeting/hearing is the typical process for both boards. In the past,
the ARB has invited the public to provide comment at ARB meetings when the ARB is considering
changes to the guidelines. Round -table work sessions with the public have been successfully employed
for this type of project in recent years and are planned to be incorporated into Phases 2, 3 and 4 of the
guidelines update.
Questions for the ARB
1. Do you have comments /recommendations on the proposed phasing of revisions to the guidelines?
2. Do you have comments on the proposed update process?
3. Do you plan to allow public comment at ARB meetings on the proposed revisions?
4. Do you have suggestions regarding the round -table sessions? What role do you see the ARB
playing in these sessions?
5. What are your comments on the proposed Phase 1 revisions?
6. Do you have other comments /suggestions?
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the ARB forward the following recommendation to the Board of Supervisors:
The ARB recommends that the Board of Supervisors adopt the Entrance Corridor Design
Guidelines revisions as outlined in the draft dated 10/22/2010.
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