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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZMA201000018 Review Comments Zoning Map Amendment 2015-11-19COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE Department of Community Development 401 McIntire Road, North Wing Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596 Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax (434) 972-4126 November 19, 2015 Frank R. Stoner Milestone Partners 300 2nd Street NE Charlottesville, VA 22902 RE: ZMA201000018: Crozet Square and SP201400001: Barnes Lumber Redevelopment Dear Frank: Thanks for requesting a meeting on November 3 to talk about the current concept for the Barnes Lumber Company site. Staff has reviewed this concept, Alternative D, which came from a PowerPoint presentation that you made to the Crozet Citizen Advisory Committee at their October meeting. For quick reference, the following list identifies the nine items for which we said we would provide comments: • Potential to disturb the stream buffer • The grid network and street interconnections • Parks and greenways • The Plaza • Phasing • Transportation access to the Square • Parking • Commitments for building the agreed -to street network • VDOT and sidewalk maintenance The details regarding these big issues are further discussed throughout this letter. Please be advised that these comments relate to the project at a high level and are not intended to negate comments that have been provided previously by staff or the Planning Commission. Potential to disturb the stream buffer As you correctly pointed out at the meeting, the Water Protection Ordinance allows for stream buffer disturbance for intermittent streams in the Crozet Development Area. (See section of the Water Protection Ordinance below:) Sec. 17-600 Extent of stream buffers; retention and establishment. Except as provided in section 17-602, each erosion and sediment control plan and each VSMP permit shall provide for stream buffers for the purposes of retarding runoff, preventing erosion, filtering nonpoint source pollution from runoff, moderating stream temperature, and providing for the ecological integrity of stream corridors and networks, as provided herein: 1 A. Development within a development area. If the development is located within a development area, stream buffers shall be retained if present and established where they do not exist on any lands subject to this chapter containing perennial streams, contiguous nontidal wetlands, or both. The stream buffer shall be no less than one hundred (100) feet wide on each side of any perennial stream and contiguous nontidal wetlands, measured horizontally from the edge of the contiguous nontidal wetlands, or the top of the stream bank if no wetlands exist. B. Development within a water supply protection area or other rural land. If the development is located within a water supply protection area or other rural land, stream buffers shall be retained if present and established where they do not exist on any lands subject to this chapter containing perennial or intermittent streams, contiguous nontidal wetlands, and flood plains. The stream buffer shall extend to whichever of the following is wider: (i) one hundred (100) feet on each side of any perennial or intermittent stream and contiguous nontidal wetlands, measured horizontally from the edge of the contiguous nontidal wetlands, or the top of the stream bank if no wetlands exist; or (ii) the limits of the flood plain. The stream buffer shall be no less than two hundred (200) horizontal feet wide from the flood plain of any public water supply impoundment. Sec. 17-604 Types of structures, improvements and activities which may be allowed in a stream buffer by program authority. A. Within the landward 50 horizontal feet. On a lot within the fifty (50) horizontal feet of a stream buffer that is the most landward (furthest from the stream), if the structures, improvements or activities either: (i) would be for necessary infrastructure to allow reasonable use of the lot; or (ii) would be on a lot that is within a water supply protection area where the stream buffer protects an intermittent stream and the lot is within a development area. In all cases under this subsection, any new building site and sewage disposal system shall be located outside of the stream buffer. It is preferable that you avoid disturbing the 100' stream buffer in a water supply watershed. However, please contact Glenn Brooks, Program Administrator, on what is needed to establish whether the stream on your property is intermittent or perennial and mitigation requirements if it is intermittent and eligible for Section 17-604 disturbance. Glenn can also provide information on the extent to which a roadway or parking area can be allowed in the first 50' of an intermittent stream buffer. The grid network and street interconnections A grid street network, similar in some ways to what you have shown in different iterations of the plan, would be the best street arrangement for this area. The attached concept shows the Phase 1 area from your latest plan and a street network for Phases 2 and 3 areas, taken from an earlier plan. Please be advised that these are concepts and will need additional work. They are provided to show the general arrangement of streets that can provide circulation at lower speeds to prevent speeding traffic through Parkside Village. They are not intended to address uses along those streets. The pedestrian bridge across the railroad would provide for additional access to the development and can be supported. It will require significant work the railroad. Please note that the three connections: 1) south to Hilltop Street, 2) north across the railroad, and 3) parallel to the Primary Street that would connect into Hilltop Street (extended) are not recommended. The connection south to Hilltop Street to the south is likely very unrealistic as it cuts through a residential lot with an existing building and onto a narrow residential street. While it could potentially help to create a block arrangement, I am not sure that there will be adequate neighborhood support for it to be approved, given the disruption to the Hilltop neighborhood. The crossing you have shown over the railroad is not shown in the Master Plan and we think would be extremely unlikely to be built because it requires considerable work with and approval by the railroad. The crossing requested by the community is shown in the Master Plan much further east and closes some at -grade crossings. The third connection to Hilltop Street extended is also 2 very unlikely, given that the property is owned by the Parkside Village Homeowners Association and is part of their open space. We understand and agree with the creation of 4-way intersections to help slow traffic. The illustration below shows how you might be able to have an intersection and a "bypass" area connecting to a parking lot for the development or for the greenway. This would be the alternative to the second connecting road to Hilltop Dr. Extended. It will be important with the next plan submittal to identify which streets are proposed as public streets and which are proposed as private streets. Parks and greenways As indicated on the Parks and Green Systems Plan, a major greenway trail is planned along the stream on your property to connect to Library Avenue. The trail shown on your current proposal does that. It will be important to plan for this greenway trail as you phase the project. From the prior topic, you can see that the County cannot support disturbance of the inside 50' of stream buffer of an intermittent stream for a street/road. Please coordinate with Glenn Brooks about disturbance of the stream buffer for a greenway trail. The Plaza The Plaza is a key feature for the downtown area and one desired by the Community as a park and gathering place. We know that you want to use the Plaza as a feature for the potential hotel, south of Library Avenue; however, in the configuration shown on your most recent plan, it is cut off from the Square. Physical connections to the Square are needed in order to make this a usable, inviting, and "community -owned" space. There are different ways you could achieve this. If you were to move the Plaza north, perhaps creating a promenade from the hotel to the Plaza, you might be able to provide a parkway "appearance" near the hotel. 3 Phasing Project phasing, as shown on your plan, where a portion of the road network is built initially and extension to Hilltop Street (extended) east of the site as part of Phase 2 can be supported. We can see that it will be helpful in creating an initial revitalized part of downtown to create impetus for further development of the area. It also allows time for additional study on how much commercial/office/employment space the Crozet market area can realistically support. Please be advised that the area to be rezoned must be surveyed so that we know the exact boundaries for the new zoning district. Remember that any remaining HI zoned property would still be subject to the HI zoning. When you are ready to bring in subsequent phases they will be considered new rezonings and subject to the new process and fees. Transportation access to the Square As you know, business activity in the Square is essential to the success of downtown Crozet. The road called, "The Square," is also very close to the railroad overpass and the intersection of Three Notch'd Road and Crozet Avenue. We believe that reconfiguring access to the Square to allow for only a right-in/right-out movement would improve traffic flow throughout this area and could support such a reconfiguration. However, this would be a major change for the businesses and the community. Discussions and coordination with the businesses in the Square will be a necessary first step. Support from the businesses and the community will be needed. We could also support conversion of The Square (road) to a private street with a parking area to help create a community space. Several ownership possibilities exist. For example, the community might want to own it like it does the Crozet pool. Potentially the businesses along the front or for which parking would be provided could own and maintain it. Discussions with the Advisory Committee and/or Crozet Community Association will also need to take place on this change. Please be advised that roads will need to be in place to provide access to the Square from Library Avenue before changing the entrance to The Square. Parking We recognize that provision of parking for the commercial uses in downtown creates some challenges. You and the Zoning Division have been working on solutions for some of the problems. One of the ways recent commercial projects have addressed parking issues is through a "now and later" arrangement. For example, at Stonefield, surface parking is being used for now. Later, these parking areas will be replaced with structures. Use of on -street parking, especially on private streets, can help provide for some of the needed parking. One-way arrangements with angled parking may also help. Commitments for building the agreed to street network With the phasing of this project, a commitment to future buildout of the street network shown on a plan, may (or may not) be important. I note that Eastern Avenue, which is shown on the Master Plan, is being built as shown generally on the Master Plan through the voluntary efforts of developers in by -right projects. VDOT may need a concept plan with a certain level of commitment before they can recommend approval of Phase 1. Please consider whether making such a commitment is possible. Community input will also be important on this item. Long term ownership and maintenance of 10' wide sidewalks in the development We have checked with VDOT and 10' wide sidewalks are allowed in the r.o.w. and will be maintained (in the sense of fixing cracks and such) if the full width is in the right-of-way. VDOT will not allow parts of the sidewalk to be in and out of the r.o.w. and, in this situation, the sidewalks will need to be in an easement. An option to deal with this situation would be for the owners of the properties on which the sidewalks are placed to accept ownership and M maintenance. Another possibility would be for the entire 10 foot sidewalk to be in the r.o.w. until it veers off and becomes a greenway trail. Action after Receipt of Comment Letter I note that you recently received permission for a deferral of this project to August 2016. Because you originally submitted your rezoning before the County's resubmittal process changed, no resubmittal fees will apply. I also recognize that it may be necessary for us to meet again after you review this letter. It may also be important to take the next draft to the Advisory Committee so they know what you will be resubmitting. I can attend that meeting to hear comments and provide information to the Planning Commission. When you do resubmit, please be sure to resubmit on a Resubmittal Monday -- Schedule can be found at this address: http://www.albemarle.org/upload/images/forms center/departments/Community Development/fo rms/schedules/Special Use Permit & Zoning Map Amendment Schedule.pdf Frank, I hope that this letter answers your questions and provides adequate guidance for your next steps. Please feel free to contact me if you wish to meet or need additional information. My email address is eechols aaalbemarle.ora Sincerely, Elaine K. Echols Acting Chief of Planning Enc: Concept Plan showing roads Resubmittal Form Copies via email: Troy Austin, VDOT John Anderson, County Engineering Susan Stimart, County Economic Development Faith McClintic, County Economic Development Dan Mahon, County Greenways Planner Ann Mallek, Board of Supervisors Tim Tolson, Crozet Resident 5