HomeMy WebLinkAboutWilloughby Comp Pl Amend ApplicATTACHMENT III
WI L L 0 U G H B Y TR A C T
The County of Albemarle
Virg tn i a
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT APPLICATION
Submitted By:
Brass., In c.
Owners
BA~-rMCGuw'EW°°Ds ,
LE &BooTHE,~L,
Legal Counsel
The Cox Company
'Developme, nt Planners/Bngtneers
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. SUMMARY OF REQUEST .................................. 1
II.
PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS AND BACKGROUND ....... 2
A. CHARACTERISTICS ..................................... 2
B. BACKGROUND ......................................... 3
III.
CRITERIA IN SUPPORT OF CHANGE TO LAND USE PLAN ... 3
A, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE .... 3
B. THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN ............................................... 5
C. PUBLIC FACILITIES .................................... 6
D. ENHANCED DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES ............ 7
E. OBSERVATIONS UNDER EXISTING LAND USE
DESIGNATION ..................................... 7
IV. CONCLUSION .............................................. 8
EXHIBIT A:
EXHIBIT B:
EXHIBIT C:
EXHIBIT D:
EXHIBIT E:
EXHIBIT F:
EXHIBITS
VICINITY MAP
EXISTING LAND USE MAP
LAND USE MAP D (NEIGHBORHOODS 4 AND 5)
PLANNING AREA RECOMMENDATION
INVENTORY OF INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL USE
ALBEMARLE COUNTY SERVICE AUTHORITY LETTER
I. SUMMARY OF REQUEST
The applicant, Brass, Inc., is the owner of approximately 53.89 acres located
in the Seottsville Magisterial District of Albemarle County. The property is located
to the southeast of 5th Street Extended and is adjacent to Interstate 64. The property
currently is zoned light industrial (LF), and is designated on the Comprehensive Plan's
Land Use Map (adopted June 5, 1996) as Industrial Service. The applicant seeks a
change in the Land Use Map from the Industrial Service designation to the Regional
Service designation.
The purpose of the applicant's request ultimately is to support a commercial
rezoning of the property (to either C-l, or PD-SC). The goal of the rezoning will be
to enable the owner to present a comprehensive plan of development of the entire
property that is attractive to retailers who will serve the community and the region.
The applicant's request should be supported for the following reasons:
1. The proposed Regional Service designation for this property will serve the
Comprehensive Plan's regional planning objectives better than the current Industrial
Service designation. Regional commercial traffic (and the congestion related thereto)
along the Route 29 North corridor will continue to expand. Residence-to-shopping
trips from areas south of Charlottesville now converge onto Route 29 North via
Interstate 64 and Route 250. The applicant's proposal presents an opportunity to
create a retail attraction south of the City, at the intersection of 5th Street Extended
and Interstate 64. This location serves as a point of interception of the current pattem
for shoppers traveling to Route 29 North. Therefore, a regional shopping center at
the proposed location not only will provide more convenience to residents from south
and east of Charlottesville, but also will have the effect of improving the daunting
growth patterns associated with the Route 29 North corridor.
2. The proposal is supported by the Land Use Plan for Interstate Interchange
Development, as set forth in the Comprehensive Plan.
3. The Regional Service designation is consistent with neighboring
development patterns, particularly given the commercial development across 5th
Street, in the City of Charlottesville.
4. Regional Service and commercial zoning for the property will assist in
achieving the Comprehensive Plan's policy toward infill development.
5. The property can be adequately served by existing public facilities and
utilities.
6. The property generally conforms to the land use standards for Commercial
Development, as set forth in the Comprehensive Plan.
7. Retail businesses locating at the property will generate sales taxes, utility
taxes and will increase the real estate taxes attributable to this property. These
businesses will not directly impact school and housing requirements and therefore will
be net revenue producers.
II. PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS AND BACKGROUND
A. CHARACTERISTICS
The property appears on the Albemarle County Tax Maps on Map 76M(1),
as Parcels 2A and 2B. Attached for reference as Exhibit A is a vicinity map. Also
attached as Exhibits B and 12 are a map of the property's boundary, showing existing
land uses, and the Comprehensive Plan's Land Use Map depicting Neighborhoods
4 and 5.
Interstate 64 borders the property to the south. A Grand Piano warehouse
facility lies to the east of the property. The nearest residential use is the Willoughby
Subdivision, lying approximately 300 feet to the north. An extensively wooded area
provides a natural buffer between the property and the Willoughby Subdividsion, as
does Moore's Creek.
The property has access to 5th Street Extended via Bent Creek Road (State
Route 1104). Between the Property and 5th Street Extended lies a Hardees, and an
Exxon service station. To the south, on 5th Street, is a Holiday Inn. Directly across
5th Street from the property is the Willoughby Shopping Center (Food Lion, CVS,
Family Dollar). Approximately 2.402 acres of contiguous property also owned by the
applicant, but not included in this submission, is located within the limits of the City
of Charlottesville. This 2.402 acres has frontage on 5th Street Extended.
The property is generally wooded. Approximately 14% of the property
consists of slopes of greater than a 25% grade. The property possesses a significant
amount of frontage along both Moore's Creek and Biscuit Run. A floodplain exists
along Moore's Creek and along Biscuit Run.
2
B. BACKGROUND
The property is part of what was the original 300 acre Willoughby farm. In
the 1960's and 70's the property was designated for a major shopping area. From
1975 through 1985, the property was part of the Willoughby Planned Unit
Development (PUD).
In 1985, the County approved a proffered rezoning of a 49.377 acre portion
of the property to light industrial (LI). In 1989, the County aproved a rezoning
request to add the 4.516 acre residual to the LI District.
The owner has actively marketed the property, regionally as well as nationally,
as a mixed-use, light industrial/office park. Among those users who have located in
the area who previously considered the site were the University of Virginia Health
Services Foundation (now located at Fontaine Research Park), National Optronics
(now at the former CSX property), and the National Ground Intelligence Center (now
on Route 29 North). The property has not proven attractive to the office-type user.
The owner now seeks an alternative land use that is consistent with the goals
and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan and that is also financially feasible. A
shopping center is more feasible than an office park development for this property
given that the site's characteristics tend to favor a single phase, comprehensive
development plan, rather than developing individual parcels, piece-meal. A
commercial zoning (either C-1 or PD-SC) would allow the owner to pursue one or
more large, anchor tenants to secure viability for a regional-sized (300,000 square feet
total) shopping center.
III. CRITERIA IN SUPPORT OF CHANGE TO LAND USE PLAN
A. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE
The County's Policy for Submittal of Proposed Amendments to the
Comprehensive Plan, last revised December 11, 1991, (the "Policy") sets forth the
criteria by which proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Plan shall be reviewed.
The first of the Policy's criteria emphasizes the regional perspective of the
Comprehensive Plan. The applicant's proposal meets this criteria in several ways:
i) a regional shopping center near the interchange of Interstate 64 and 5th
Street Extended will provide an alternative retail attraction for shoppers who
otherwise must travel to the already congested Route 29 North corridor;
ii) the potential for relief of congestion in the Route 29 North area presented
by this request is a unique oppommity for regional planning, consistent with
the Comprehensive Plan's regional scope; and
iii) the proposed change contributes to the goal of a balanced land use plan
by reducing the disparity of available commercially-zoned land between
those Development Areas to the north, and those to the south of
Charlottesville.
Regional commercial traffic along the Route 29 North corridor will continue
to expand. The limited availability of large tracts within the Growth Areas to the
south of the "urban ring" has no doubt contributed to the lack of commercial
development in this area. The subject property presents an oppommity to supply
existing and future demands for commercial activity and thereby provides an
opportunity for regional benefits.
Residence-to-shopping trips from areas south of Charlottesville now converge
onto Route 29 North via Interstate 64 and Route 250. The subject property, if
ultimately rezoned, will create a retail attraction south of the City. Shoppers from
south and east of the City, including Scottsville, Buckingham, and Fluvanna, and from
the west, Waynesboro and Staunton, will have a retail alternative to the Route 29
North corridor. Since the property lies near the interchange at Interstate 64, its
location provides a means of intercepting traffic that otherwise flows through the
City, or other parts of the urban ring. Therefore, a regional shopping center at the
proposed location not only will provide more convenience to residents from south and
east of Charlottesville, but also likely will help alleviate one of the region's most
daunting growth patterns -- congestion attributable to regional shopper travel to and
along Route 29 North.
The proposed change to Regional Service will reduce the disparity between
Neighborhood 4 (in which the property is located) and other areas to the north of the
urban ring in terms of the relative inventory of commercial land uses. As the Policy's
statement of criteria indicates, one of the purposes of the Comprehensive Plan is to
"provide and plan for a balance of land uses,..." The applicant's proposed change
will further this purpose by adding potential commercial inventory to Neighborhood
4 which when compared with other areas in the urban ring, possesses a dearth of
commercially-zoned land.
Attached as Exhibit E are two charts depicting the amount of acreage zoned
4
for commercial uses (C-I, CO, HC, and PD-SC), and for industrial uses (LI, HI, and
PD-IP) in the Growth Areas. The figures upon which these charts are based were
provided by the County's Department of Planing and Community Development.
In terms of the availability of land for commercial uses, the disparity between
the neighborhoods to the south (Neighborhoods 4 and 5 ) and those of the north
(Neighborhoods 1,2, and Hollymead) is quite significant.
On the other hand, in terms of the availability of land for industrial uses,
Neighborhood 4 surpasses all others, except for the Community of Hollymead.
While a number of other factors must be considered in interpreting the Land Use
Map's effectiveness on the County's overall planning, these charts suggest that the
shifting of an industrial use designation (Industrial Service) in Neighborhood 4 to a
commercial designation (Regional Service) favors "a balance of land uses".
B. THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
The applicant's proposal supports the "Goals and Objectives" of the
Comprehensive Plan. The property is located in a Growth Area and not in a Rural
Area. Therefore, the proposal is not in conflict with the County's primary Growth
Management goal: to protect the Rural Areas.
The proposal also supports the County's secondary Growth Management
goal: to promote a variety of land uses within the Development Areas, with emphasis
placed on infill development. The property is a prime example of an oppommity for
appropriate infill development. The 50 acres of undeveloped area is particularly
unique given its close proximity to the urban core, and to one of the gateways to the
City of Charlottesville. The surrounding, existing development supports the property
as an infill oppommity.
One of the benefits of the County's infill policy is to encourage efficient land
use within the Development Areas. This may be accomplished through plans for
development that take a regional perspective, rather than planning one building at a
time. Due to the relatively high projected costs of developing under this site's
physical characteristics, the applicant's proposed alternative land use warrants a
comprehensive site plan of development. Development of the property through a
comprehensive site plan is more likely under a regional-scale, commercial zoning, than
under the existing light industrial zoning. Developing a regional-scale, shopping
center will produce a more efficient overall land use than, roi' example, a series of self-
storage warehouses, or a series of office buildings (as now permitted under the
existing zoning).
The Comprehensive Plan's Land Use Plan for Interstate Interchange
Development (the "Interchange Plan") supports the applicant's proposed commercial
land use. The Interchange Plan specifically endorses a regional shopping center at
the Interstate 64 and 5th Street interchange (north side only). (Land Use Plan, page
101).
C. PUBLIC FACILITIES
1. Utilities. Sufficient public and private utilities either already serve or are
immediately available to the property. The recently installed Biscuit Run Sewer
Intercepter traverses the property. A 12" diameter water line serves the site.
Attached as Exhibit F is a copy of a letter from Mr. Peter C. Gorham of the
Albemarle County Service Authority regarding the availability of water and sewer to
the property. Abundant three phase electrical service and natural gas are available as
well.
2. Transportation. The commercial uses contemplated by this request can
be accommodated by the existing roadway network. According to the Southern
Charlottesville Transportation Study, dated June 25, 1995 (the "Southern Study"),
the 5th Street/Ridge Street/Route 631 corridor is the highest capacity north/south
corridor within the area. (Southern Study, page I12). The Southern Study notes that
this four-lane roadway possesses only three traffic signals along the corridor, between
Interstate 64 and West Main Street.
The Southern Study recommends planning for installation of traffic signals
at the Interstate 64/Fifth Street interchange. The Southern Study identified a need
for these traffic signals based on current land uses along the Fifth Street traffic
corridor. Thus the need has already been identified under current conditions and
development of the property, whether by-fight, under the existing zoning, or as a
shopping center under the proposed rezoning will not create the need to install the
Southern Study's recommended improvements at Fifth Street and Interstate 64.
The applicant expects to develop appropriate traffic modeling as part of a
rezoning request for the property. Based upon available traffic data, a commercial
development with a total build-out of 300,000 square feet should not reduce the level
of service operations at any of the adjacent street intersections to levels below those
already determined to be acceptable by Virginia Department of Transportation
guidelines.
6
D. ENHANCED DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The applicant's proposed commercial use will be implemented through a
unified, comprehensive plan of development for the entire property. In addition to
the efficiencies outlined above, this proposal offers opportunities for the protection
of natural resources through a comprehensive approach, rather than through a piece-
meal, office/industrial subdivision approach. For example, a unified plan of
development for the entire tract can create, up-front, an integrated system of Best
Management improvements for desired watershed management.
Similarly, a regional-size, single phase project may present an oppommity for
the owner/developer to work with the County and City to implement appropriate
regional environmental objectives, such as those set forth in the recently-completed
Moore's Creek Regional Stormwater Management Plan.
The applicant's proposed commercial land use at this site can comply with all
of the Commercial Land Use Standards, as set forth in the Comprehensive Plan.
E. OBSERVATIONS UNDER EXISTING LAND USE DESIGNATION
The applicant has actively been marketing the property for office/industrial
use since 1989. The applicant has sought office and high-end industrial users, such
as research and development firms. The project must now compete with recently-
developed office/research parks such as Fontaine, North Fork, and Peter Jefferson
Place. To date, no such users have contracted to locate at the site. Feed-back
suggests that one of the issues is that tenants in this category generally do not desire
an entrance through commercial or pad uses, such as those found at the entrance to
this site. On the other hand, the existing commerCial uses at the entrance to this site
are perfectly compatible with a regional shopping center and a large, anchor tenant.
In essence, market experience over the past eight years supports the applicant's
proposed change in use.
Retail businesses locating at the property will be net revenue producers. The
proposed property would support a center comparable in size to the Rio Hill
Shopping Center in Albemarle County. Reported sales from the 280,000 square foot,
Rio Hill Shopping Center were $86,000,000.00 last year. The direct reimbursement
to Albemarle County was 1%, or 860,000.00, in addition to indirect funding for
schools from the State's general fund, attributable to the remaining 3.5% of the sales
tax. Rio Hill pays approximately $120,000.00 in real estate taxes annually. All
tenants pay a 10% tax on utilities consumption as well. The retail businesses
7
locating at the subject property
requirements, and therefore will
County.
will not directly impact school and housing
have a significant positive, fiscal effect for the
IV. CONCLUSION
The applicant's request to change the Land Use Map of the Comprehensive
Plan meets the criteria set forth in the Policy and should be approved for the reasons
stated at the outset.
1. Comprehensive Plan's Development Perspective. The proposed
Regional Service designation for this property will serve the Comprehensive Plan's
regional planning objectives better than the current Industrial Service designation.
A regional shopping center at the proposed location provides an opportunity to
alleviate a deleterious regional growth pattern which has resulted in congestion on
Route 29 North. The Regional Service designation is consistent with neighboring
development patterns.
2. The Goals and Objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. The applicant's
proposal supports the "Goals and Objectives" of the Comprehensive Plan. Regional
Service and commercial zoning for the property will increase the likelihood of
achieving the Comprehensive Plan's policy toward intill development. The proposal
is supported by the Land Use Plan for Interstate Interchange Development, as set
forth in the Comprehensive Plan. The property conforms to the land use standards
for Commercial Development as set forth in the Comprehensive Plan.
3. Adequate Public Facilities. The property is adequately served by public
facilities and utilities. The retail businesses locating at the property will not directly
impact school and housing requirements, and therefore will have a significant positive,
fiscal effect for the County.
4. Enhanced Development Opportunities. The applicant's proposed
commercial uses will be implemented through a unified, comprehensive plan of
development for the entire property. This proposal offers oppommities for
protection of natural resources through a comprehensive approach.
5. Experience under existing use designation. Market experience over
the past eight years supports the applicant's proposed change in use.
The applicant respectfully requests recommendation for approval by the
Planning Commission, and approval by the Board of Supervisors.
EXHIBIT A
VICINITY MAP
Vicinity Map
WILLOUGHBY TRACT COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Comprehensive Plan Amendment o=~ Albemarle County, Virginia
EXHIBIT B
EXISTING LAND USE MAP
EXHIBIT C
LAND USE MAP D
(NEIGHBORHOODS 4 & 5)
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE
COMMUNITY SERVICE
REGIONAL SERVICE
OFFICE/REGIONAL SERVICE
OFFICE SERVICE
TRANSITIONAL
INDUSTRIAL SERVICE
NEIGHBORHOOD DENSITY
(RECOI~ENDED 8~8 DU/AC)
URBAN DENSITY
(RECOMENDED 6,01-34 DU/AC)
OPEN SPACE
PARKS AND GREENWAYS
INSTITUTIONAL
Existing Comprehensive Plan: Neighborhoods 4 & 5
I~ILLOUGHBY TRACT COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Comprehensive Pian Amendment aaaa Albemarle County, Virginia
EXHIBIT D
PLANNING AREA RECOMMENDATION
EXHIBIT E
INVENTORY OF
INDUSTRIAL/COMMERCIAL USE
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EXHIBIT F
ALBEMARLE COUNTY
SERVICE AUTHORITY LETTER
ALBEMARLE OOUNTY
P.O. Box 1OO9 168 SPOTNAP ~tD. CHARLOTTESVILLE
SERV CE AUTHORITY
VA 22902 · (804) 977-4511 FAX (804) 979-0698.'
August 22, 1997
Mr. ]'ames McLaughlin
McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe
P.O. Box 1288
Charlottesville, Vir~nia 22902
Re: Tax Map 76M(1), Parcels 2A,2B
Dear Mr. McLaughlin:
This letter serves to confirm our phone conversation that public water and sewer
are available to the above referenced parcels. A 12" diameter public water main runs
along 5t~ Street and also enters parcel 2B on the east end from Willoughby subdivision. A
30" diameter sewer line parallels Moore's Creek and Biscuit Kun.
Enclosed is a rough sketch showing the approximate location of the water and
sewer lines relative to the parcels in question. Please be aware the parcel information may
be outdated as it comes from an older version of the tax map.
We trust this information is sufficient for your needs. Let us know if you need
additional information or if we can be of further service.
Peter C. Gorham, P.E.
Senior Engineer
PCG/lbt