HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP201500023 Correspondence 2015-10-06COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax (434) 972-4126
October 23, 2015
Valerie Long
321 East Main St Suite 400
Charlottesville VA 22902
RE: SP201500023 5th Street Station -Drive through Windows (Signs # 47 & 48)
Dear Ms. Long,
The Albemarle County Planning Commission, at its meeting on October 6, 2015, by a vote of 7:0
recommended approval of the above -noted petition to the Board of Supervisors.
Please note that this recommendation is subject to the following conditions:
When adjacent to a public street the drive-through windows shall be located on the side or rear of the
building.
Drive-through lanes shall not be located between a building and a public street unless separated from the
right of way by a 10 foot landscaped area meeting the requirements of section 32.7.9.5(b)(c)(d) and (e).
3. Drive-through lanes shall be separated from sidewalks, and any vehicular travel areas by a planting strip
at least 5 feet in width.
4. Where pedestrian access crosses drive-through lanes a 5 foot wide raised pedestrian travelway or a 5 foot
wide pedestrian travelway containing a change in texture and visual markings shall be provided.
Drive-through lanes shall be a minimum of 11 feet wide.
Drive-through shall not enter directly from or exit directly to any public street.
7. Entrances to drive-through lanes shall be more than 50 feet from any intersection with a public or private
street or travelway without parking (interior circulation in shopping areas).
Drive-through lane length shall be a minimum of 100 feet measured from the center of first window or
service point. This length may be reduced if a study is submitted and approved by the Director of
Community Development or their designee.
Sarah Baldwin
From: Joan Albiston <albiston@cstone.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2015 11:53 AM
To: Planning Commission
Cc: Logan McKinley; Patrick Crusse; Sarah Baldwin
Subject: SP201500023-5th St Station Drive -Through Windows request --impacts on Willoughby
To Albemarle County Planning Commission members --
As a Willoughby property owner directly adjacent to the 5th St Station development, I ask that you carefully
review and consider the request and initial designs proposed by the developer of 5th St Station for multiple
drive-through windows within the development on October 6, 2015
Although the headlights of vehicles moving through drive-through lanes may not adversely affect the
appearance of the 5th St Entrance Corridor or interior site safety, they have a direct bearing on the welfare of
Willoughby residential property owners, who already anticipate frequent direct headlight glare from traffic
exiting the shopping center onto Bent Creek Drive at multiple locations of the development. I request that on-
site screening of Willoughby properties from headlights of vehicles using drive-throughs be required at each
site as a condition for approval.
I appreciate the developer's substantial efforts to create an attractive and environmentally sensitive development
and to take time to listen to the concerns of Willoughby property owners. But I have become increasingly
cautious in my acceptance of site details developed for the project, as they have not always turned out as
initially planned, described, or hoped for
As the most recent example, park and greenway trail land was proffered and sounded attractive within the
developer's 2012 proffers (see link: ZMA200900001 Proffers 2012-09-12[Iconj), but the actual lay of the land
that now remains following construction of the retaining wall along Moore's Creek makes the existing
landscape appear exceedingly challenging for the County trail staff to work with to find sufficient room for an
uninterrupted and safe walkable trail, much less one that is inviting next to a looming wall and within yet -to -be -
installed plantings below the wall necessary for wetland mediation. See below for two photographs of the
wall.
In a meeting with Willoughby homeowners on Sept 22nd, County trails staff acknowledged that the land now
remaining between the oppressively tall and stark wall and Moore's Creek is far less conducive for the
development of a Class A trail than originally considered when reviewed on paper It was suggested that the
trail may now need to follow Bent Creek Drive above the wall in a much more heavily trafficked
location. Some participants at the meeting further suggested that Willoughby's common area trail across the
creek from the development now might better accommodate the public trail that was proposed for the 5th St
Station land. In addition, access to the proffered bridge across Moore's Creek to Willoughby (at the location
shown in the first photograph below) also appears to be more challenging than anticipated and perhaps not
handicapped accessible from Bent Creek Drive.
Willoughby property owners should not have to bear the brunt of unlimited intrusion by headlights from
multiple drive-throughs, nor be asked to consider providing land or easements for proffers made by the 5th St
Station developer when anticipated site improvements shown on plans and documents may not be
accommodated following construction.
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COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax(434) 972-4126
September 18, 2015
Valerie Long
321 East Main St Suite 400
Charlottesville Va 22902
RE. SP201500023 5th Street Station -Drive through Windows (Signs # 47 & 48)
Dear Ms. Long,
This letter is to notify you that your above -referenced petition has been scheduled for public
hearings as follows.
This petition will be reviewed and public comment received at the ALBEMARLE COUNTY
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015.
The Albemarle County Planning Commission will meet at 6 00 p m., Lane Auditorium, Second
Floor, County Office Building, 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. You or your
representative must be present at this meeting; you may call this office during the week of the
meeting to ask the tentative time the item is scheduled on the agenda.
After the Commission has taken action on the proposal, a second public hearing will be
scheduled for the Board of Supervisors. The Board's meeting begins at 6.00 p m (evening
meeting) or 9-00a. m (day meeting) You or your representative must be present at this
meeting; A letter of notification of this hearing will not be sent to adjoining owners, however,
you may check this website http.//albemarle.org/upload/images/webapps/zoning/ for SIGN # 47
& 48 to see its status at any time. Alternatively, you may sign up for A -mail by going to
www.albemarle.orq (Go to the "Department" tab at the top and select County Executive. At the
County Executive's page, you will see "Albemarle County A -mail" by going to the menu on the far
right of the page It is the last item. Select this item and sign up from there.) If you do not have
internet access, please feel free to contact me by phone at 434/296-5832 x 3393.
YOU OR YOUR REPRESENTATIVE MUST BE PRESENT AT BOTH OF THESE MEETINGS
At least fifteen (15) days preceding the commission's public hearing, the Zoning Administrator or
designee shall erect on the property, subject to the above -referenced application(s), a sign (or
signs) indicating the property is to be subject to public hearing and referencing how to obtain
additional information regarding such hearing. The sign shall be erected within ten (10) feet of
whatever boundary line of such land abuts a public road and shall be so placed as to be clearly
visible from the road If more than one such road abuts the property, then a sign shall be erected
in the same manner as above for each such abutting road If no public road abuts thereon, then
signs shall be erected in the same manner as above on at least two boundaries of the property
abutting land not owned by the applicant. The filing of the petition or application shall be deemed
to grant consent to the Zoning Administrator or designee to enter upon the property and to erect
the signs
COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax (434) 972-4126
September 18, 2015
RE SP201500023 5th Street Station -Drive through Windows (Signs # 47 & 48)
Dear Sir or Madam
This letter is to notify you as an adjacent property owner of the above -referenced petition
described as follows
SP201500023 5th Street Station -Drive through Windows (Signs # 47 & 48) MAGISTERIAL
DISTRICT Scottsville TAX MAP/PARCEL 076M10000002A0, 076M10000002B0, and
076M10000004A PROPOSAL. Request for multiple drive-through windows ZONING Planned
Development Shopping Center COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Regional Mixed Use — residential (up
to 34 units/acre), regional serving retail, service and office uses, non -industrial employment
centers EC Entrance Corridor — Overlay to protect properties of historic, architectural or cultural
significance from visual impacts of development along routes of tourist access AIA Airport
Impact Area — Overlay to minimize adverse impacts to both the airport and the surrounding land
This petition will be reviewed and public comment received at the ALBEMARLE COUNTY
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015
The Albemarle County Planning Commission will meet at 6 00 p m , Lane Auditorium, Second
Floor, County Office Building, 401 McIntire Road, Charlottesville, Virginia. Should you wish to
attend this meeting, you may call this office during the week of the meeting to ask the tentative
time the item is scheduled on the agenda.
After the Commission has taken action on the proposal, a second public hearing will be
scheduled for the Board of Supervisors The Board's meeting begins at 6 00 p m (evening
meeting) or 9-00a.m (day meeting) A letter of notification of this hearing will not be sent to
adjoining owners; however, you may check this website
http.//albemarle.org/upload/images/webapps/zoning/ for SIGN # 47 & 48 to see its status at any
time. Alternatively, you may sign up for A -mail by going to www.albemarle.org (Go to the
"Department" tab at the top and select County Executive At the County Executive's page, you
will see "Albemarle County A -mail" by going to the menu on the far right of the page It is the last
item Select this item and sign up from there ) If you do not have internet access, please feel
free to contact me by phone at 434/296-5832 x 3313
Should you have any questions regarding this project, please feel free to contact me at the above
noted telephone number or via e-mail at sbaldwin@albemarle.org. Should you simply wish to
review file material pertaining to the project, this information is available for review in the
Community Development Department during normal business hours (8 a.m -5p m , Mon -Fri) To
assure the information is ready for your viewing and to allow staff to be available to help with any
questions, we encourage you to schedule a viewing time Please contact me during business
hours to schedule an appointment. While an appointment is not required, we do give priority to
those with appointments Those without appointments may find the materials are in use by
others and/or staff is not available to help
Sincerely,
W��
Sarah Baldwin
Senior Planner
Planning Division
ABUTTING PROPERTY OWNERS
5TH STREET STATION VENTURES LLC
ALBEMARLE-CHARLOTTESVILLE REGIONAL JAIL AUTHORITY
AVON HOLDINGS LLC
BLUE RIDGE JUVENILE DETENTION COMMISSION C/O ROBERT W TUCKER JR CHAIRMAN
BODDIE-NOELL ENTERPRISES, INC
BOSWELL SUPPLY LTD
BOYER, AMY C OR JEFFREY S
BUI, DUONG
BURGERBUSTERS INC
CROUCH, GRAHAM H OR MOLLY E
DELANEY, SEAN D OR ANNE M DEMICHELE
FOXCROFT OWNERS ASSOCIATION INC
FTV INVESTMENTS LLC
HANEY, DAVID OR SARAH
HAWKINS, DAVID S OR SARA P
KINDLEY, KIMBALL JADE OR KYLE H
MCGINTY, MICHAEL B OR JASMIN L
MCI TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP OF VA
MILLER, CHARLES A OR KRISTIN I
MONMOUTH REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION C/O FEDEX TAX DEPT (A3418)
MOORES CREEK LLC
NIXON, SHAY T OR ANITA R
PARENTE, WILLIAM R OR KELSEY M
PATEL, DHARMA B OR SAURABH GODHWANI
PERINI, REBECCA L
SHACKELFORD, ELLIE WICHTER
TAYLOR, DARNELL A
TIGER FUEL COMPANY
WILLOUGHBY PROPERTY OWNERS ASSO INC C/O REAL PROPERTY INC
cc: Valerie Long
321 East Main St Suite 400
Charlottesville Va 22902
City Manager
PO Box 911
Charlottesville, VA 22902
File
AFFIDAVIT
September 18, 2015
I, Stephanie L Collier, hereby certify that the attached notification letter was sent on the above
date to those persons listed on said notification A total of 30 letters were sent (this includes
those listed receiving a copy)
My commission expires May 31, 2016
FILE. SP201500023
Sarah Baldwin
From: Davies, Ashley <adavies@williamsmullen com>
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2015 11 37 AM
To Sarah Baldwin
Subject: 5th Street Station Community Meeting
Hi Sarah,
I'm happy to hear that you will be working with us on the 5th Street Drive-Thru SP request. I was wondering if you could
go ahead and send me the property owners we will need to invite to the community meeting, so we can get the wheels
turning.
Also, we would like to hold the meeting at the County Could you tell me if rooms are available for the dates
below? Thanks!
July 20th
July 27th -- <<n�Y v k,# ntg& MIS,
August 3rd `r"_
Ashley Davies
Land Use Planner
Williams Mullen
321 East Main St.
Suite 400
Charlottesville, VA 22902-3200
T 434.951.5725
F 434.817.0977
adavies@williamsmullen.com
www.williamsmullen.com
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information transmitted without making any copy or distribution thereof
Direct Dial 434 951 5725
adavies@williamsmullen corn
September 16, 2015
Re Special Exception Requests for SP201500023
Ms Baldwin
Fifth Street Station Ventures, LLC is the owner of approximately 60 56 acres of land identified
as Albemarle County tax map parcel numbers 76M1 -2A, 76M1-26, and 76M1 -4A (the "Ventures
Property") and Avon Holdings, LLC is the owner of approximately 21 38 acres of land identified
as Albemarle County tax map parcel numbers 77-E1 (the "Avon Property") The Ventures
Property and Avon Property are referred to collectively hereafter as the "Property", and Fifth
Street Ventures, LLC and Avon Holdings, LLC are referred to collectively as the "Owners"
On behalf of the Owners of the Fifth Street Station Development, we formally request the
following special exceptions to accompany our Special Use Permit request for drive-throughs
within the Fifth Street Station Development. Both of these requests are reflected in the
proposed conditions that accompany SP201500023
Special Exception #1. 4.12.17 (c) 2- Travelway Width
One-way access aisles. One-way circulation is allowed provided the circulation loop or pattern is
contained within the site or sites. Public streets or private roads shall not be used as part of the circulation
loop or pattern The minimum travelway width for oneway access aisles shall be twelve (12) feet,
We request a minimum travel width of 11 feet for one way access aisles servicing drive-
throughs This width comfortably accommodates vehicles approaching and travelling through a
drive-through, while allowing more room for other design features on site such as planted
buffers
Special Exception #2. 4.12.6 MINIMUM NUMBER OF REQUIRED PARKING SPACES FOR
SCHEDULED USES -for Financial Institution and Restaurant.
Financial institution One (1) space per one hundred fifty (150) square feet of gross floor area. This
requirement may be reduced by twenty-five (25) square feet per drive-in aisle Each drivethrough lane
serving a financial institution shall provide a minimum of five (5) stacking spaces that shall not impede
any required parking or loading spaces or any pedestrian or vehicular circulation aisles. (Amended 2-5-
03)
Restaurant: Thirteen (13) spaces per one thousand (1, 000) square feet of gross floor area including areas
for accessory dancing Drive-through lanes serving restaurants shall provide a minimum of five (5)
stacking spaces that shall not impede any required parking or loading spaces or any pedestrian or
vehicular circulation aisles. The five (5) stacking spaces shall be provided at the order board and
additional spaces may be provided at the payment or pick-up windows. (Added 2- 5-03)
The Special Use Permit request includes a condition for 100 feet minimum drive-through lane
length, with the option to potentially reduce the lane length with an approved study This length
is measured from the center of first window or service point. We request a waiver from the
321 East Main Street, Suite 400 Charlottesville, VA 22902 T 434 951 5700 F 434.817 0977
williamsmullen.com I A Professional Corporation
September 16, 2015
Page 2
above drive-through lane information included within the parking standards for financial
institutions and restaurants requiring 5 stacking spaces plus room for the car at the service
window The current County interpretation of this standard would require 120 feet of stacking,
while 100 feet of drive-through lane is adequate for the uses contemplated at Fifth Street
Station Both staff and the Owners have reviewed multiple studies to confirm that 100 feet is a
reasonable standardized number to use as a condition for the multiple drive-throughs
Thank you for your assistance during this process, and we appreciate your consideration of
these two Special Exception requests Please let us know if you need any additional
information
Sincerely,
VAS� f_lv�'r
Valerie Long
Thank you in advance for your time and careful consideration of my request for on-site screening of multiple
drive-through windows at the 5th St Station development from residential properties within Willoughby
--Joan Albiston
921 Royer Dr
Charlottesville, VA
Retaining wall between proposed elevated Bent Creek Drive and Moores Creek, showing break in wall for
proposed pedestrian access (sloping down to left in photo).
Retaining wall between proposed elevated Bent Creek Drive and Moores Creek, looking east toward 5th St.
(where additional park land was proffered)
COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax (434) 972-4126
Memorandum
To Valerie Long
From- Sarah D Baldwin
Date June 11, 2015
Subject: Mandatorypre-application meeting for 5th Street Station
The following are County staff comments regarding the above noted pre -application meeting. This meeting
satisfies the requirement for a pre -application meeting prior to submittal of your zoning map amendment
application ("rezoning") and/or a special use permit application The purpose of for the meeting is summarized
below -
The purposes for a pre -application meeting are to. (i) provide the applicant and the county a common
understanding of the proposed project, (ii) inform the applicant about the proposed project's consistency
with the comprehensive plan, other relevant policies, and county regulations, (iii) broadly identify the
planning, zoning and other issues raised by the application that need to be addressed by the applicant; (iv)
inform the applicant about the applicable procedure, and (v) allow the director to identify the information
the applicant must submit with the application, including the supplemental information delineated in
subsection (c) Receiving the relevant supplemental information will allow the application to be
comprehensively and efficiently reviewed.
The following are staff comments:
(ii) Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan
• The Plan designates this area as Community Service/Mixed Use -community scale retail wholesale
businesses and medical offices, mixed use core communities and/or employment services and residential.
• The proposed Southern and Western Plan, which is not yet adopted, proposes this area as Regional
Mixed Use -serving retail and service and office uses and residential.
(iii) Broadly identify the planning, zoning and other issues raised by the application that need to be
addressed by the applicant
• According to the applicant, only one tenant location was proposed. The biggest concern we discussed is
that the exit is too close to the intersection. There are problems with trucks using the one way lane as an
egress and blocking sight distance.
• Other possible drive-thru locations were discussed, but it is difficult to review since they have not
committed to an actual layout. Staff will be looking into changing the ordinance to come up with some drive
thru standards and Glenn is in the process of creating a system of some sort, like a rating/metric system for
drive thrus. Another suggestion is to provide actual studies of other businesses to verify stacking lanes or
other ordinance requirements are adequate
• Staff suggests for the applicant to think about the following items as they design the drive thrus
o Bypass — A bypass lane allows drivers to exit prior to the order/teller window They are parallel to
the stacking lane With multiple lanes fully stacked, this bypass will only be beneficial to the most
adjacent drive thru lane. Also, some sites may not achieve the full bypass lane due to space
constraints. One idea is to provide an escape lane from the stacking lane without having to drive to
the order/teller window
o Good Circulation —Design a good circulation to minimize the conflicts between vehicles and
pedestrians.
o Stacking — Provide an adequate drive thru length for stacking, which is separate from the main
travelway The key is to avoid queuing on travelways.
o Multi -Lane —Multi -lanes can be beneficial if extra stacking is necessary
o Entrance/exit placement — There should be a good distance from the order window to the entrance
of the travelway The exit should be situated away from road intersections Also, think of the
impacts when multi -lanes converge to one lane. Will it provide queuing problems where the exit
intersects the main road?
o Pedestrian Safety — Avoid pedestrians walking through queued vehicles beyond the staking lane.
Plan a safe pedestrian route when queuing does extends beyond the drive thru lane.
o Another thing to consider with a bank drive thru is visibility from surrounding areas. This may be a
safety concern for the customers using the atms in the evening.
Staff suggests that you confirm that any new conditions do not conflict with the approved rezoning.
(iv) Applicable procedures
If the applicant knows of any of any waivers or modifications that are needed to implement the proposed
plan, staff recommends that those requests be submitted with the initial application. Staff will then
determine if the waivers should be approved with the special permit or deferred for action with site plan
and/or subdivision plat approval.
Community Meeting -the applicant is required by ordinance to undertake a community meeting process
as part of the review of the SP request. This meeting should be held if possible within 30 days from the
date the application is submitted. Adjacent property owners and neighborhood and staff should receive
advance notice of the meeting.
(v) Identify the information the applicant must submit with the application, including the supplemental
information
• Staff recommends that the applicant review that existing standards for drive-thru's (4 12.17c) and the
definitions for potential uses (Section 3) for conditions of the SP and/or offer alternative conditions from
studies.
• Conceptual plan
If you have any further questions, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Sarah D Baldwin