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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP201500028 Review Comments Special Use Permit 2015-10-02A �jRGIl`IlA COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE Department of Community Development 401 McIntire Road, North Wing Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 -4596 Phone (434) 296 -5832 Fax (434) 972 -4176 October 2, 2015 Mr. Kelly Strickland Shimp Engineering 201 E. Main St., Suite M Charlottesville VA 22902 RE: SP201500028, SP201500029 Blue Ridge Swim Club Dear Kelly -- Thank you for the recent application for these special use permits. Please find review comments for both applications included in this letter. Please see the attached re- submittal schedule for a list of dates on which you can submit your revisions and responses to review comments (below and attached), as well as for possible Planning Commission dates. (Please note that the listed dates are the earliest possible, but actual dates need to be selected to suit the revision schedule for each project.) Review Comments Planning (Scott Clark) The conceptual plan shows that the long, narrow portion of the parcel that contains the entrance road would be part of the residential lot. Is there a particular reason for this design other than the need to meet the 2 -acre minimum lot size? The conceptual plan should show both existing and proposed tree /vegetation lines. Please note the Historic Preservation comments below regarding screening of the new dwelling from the historic pool area. Discussions about this topic have continued since those comments were provided. We are currently considering a recommended condition that would require a 50 -foot wooded buffer along the new property line adjacent to and parallel to the pool. This buffer would require supplemental plantings, and we are working on recommended tree sizes and densities. Please show that 50 -foot buffer depth on the conceptual plan. Your request for a special exception for the building -site shape is noted. Section 4.2.2(a)(3) states: Special exception. Notwithstanding section 4.2.5, the rectangular shape required by subsections (1) and (2) may be waived or modified by special exception under section 31.8 upon the board of supervisors' consideration of the recommendation from the Virginia Department of Health and information provided by the developer showing that: (i) the parcel has an unusual size, topography, shape, location or other unusual physical condition; (ii) no reasonable alternative building site exists; and (iii) modifying or waiving the rectangular shape would result in less degradation of the parcel or adjacent parcels than if those dimensions were adhered to. Please (1) contact Josh Kirtley at the Virginia Department of Health and obtain written comments from him supporting the siting of the primary and backup septic fields on the new parcel; (2) show those locations on the conceptual plan; and (3) provide a detailed narrative addressing the "information provided by the developer" referred to in the section quoted above. Zoning (Amelia McCulley] Please see attached memo. Historic Resources /Architectural Review Board (Margaret Maliszewski) The Blue Ridge Swim Club is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the Virginia Landmarks Register. The pool is among the oldest known concrete outdoor commercial swimming pools remaining or in use in both the state and the country. The pool and its ancillary features (draw pipe, terra cotta pipes, drains, and settling tank) are counted as the single structure that contributes to the significance of the resource. The National Register Nomination Form states that "the property's location and setting were selected for their rural and picturesque qualities, which have been retained to the present day." The pool is situated in a naturalistic, wooded locale that retains a high level of integrity of location, setting, feeling and association (aspects of integrity as defined by the National Register). The area proposed for the new single family residence is included in the boundaries of the NRHP site. A new residence readily visible from the pool could have a negative visual impact on the setting of the historic resource. Although the slope up to the proposed house site is wooded, it is anticipated that tree removal to allow for construction would result in a building that would be visible from below. Among the methods available to ensure that the character and integrity of the setting are maintained after the construction of a new building are: 1) build a building whose style is consistent with the rustic character of the swim club and that blends with the surrounding wooded area as viewed from the swimming pool, or 2) use wooded area to screen the new building from the swimming pool. A wood frame pavilion recently constructed at the site blends well with the surroundings. A house constructed with similar materials and colors could similarly blend with the setting. Alternatively, the appearance of the building would be less important if trees were added to the house site to ensure that the new building is sufficiently screened when viewed from the pool in the summer months (the time of year when the pool is in operation). En inng (Max Greene) No objection Virginia Department of Transportation (Shelley Plaster) Please see attached memo. 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 actions is taken, staff will schedule your application for a public hearing based on the information provided with your original submittal. 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. Please feel free to contact me if you wish to meet or need additional information. I would be happy to meet with you to discuss the issues raised by this application. Sincerely, Scott Clark Senior Planner, Planning Division Or ALp�r County of Albemarle Department of Community Development Memorandum To: Scott Clark, Senior Planner From: Amelia McCulley, Zoning Administrator Date: September 24, 2015 Subject: SP 2015 -028 and SP 2015 -029 Blue Ridge Swim Club and Camp — review comments I have reviewed the initial submittal (of the new applications which were originally SP 2013 -024) and have the following comments: (Prior comment not addressed) The proposed well on the existing conceptual plan appears to be in the area proposed for the new lot. Please ask the applicant to clarify the location of the well on what will remain the property of the swim club / camp rather than the residential lot. A well is an accessory use and by definition, needs to remain on the parcel with the primary use it serves. It would be helpful if the plan were revised to reflect current Health Department approvals for well and septic areas. 2. (Prior comment) Please keep in mind that development of the proposed residential lot can result in tree removal and disturbance. If some of these wooded areas are critical to the swim club and camp, you may wish to include notes on the plan and conditions which limit their disturbance. The applicant's narrative states that vegetative buffers will not be disturbed. However, that is not clear from the plan. The current condition #1 which limits clearing is somewhat vague and could be better clarified. 3. It may be advisable to remove the residential lot from the special use permit, to clarify that the swim club and camp use is not permitted on the new lot. It is not clear if the applicant is willing to accept a condition that would limit by -right uses (such as further residential use) while the uses under these special use permits are operational. 4. The close proximity of the new parking area with respect to the southeastern property line for the proposed lot brings up the question of whether the parking area can be completed as previously proposed. 5. Please ask the applicant to review the plan as follows: a. (Prior comment not addressed) Show the location of the well and septic field for the swim club /camp; b. Clarify the location of the woodline and of critical slopes.