HomeMy WebLinkAboutSDP201700076 Study 2017-12-04TIMMONS GROUP
YOUR VISION ACHIEVED THROUGH OURS.
December 4, 2017
Albemarle County Community Development
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, VA 22902
608 Preston Avenue
Suite 200 P 434.295.5624
Charlottesville, VA 22902 F 434.295.8317
www.timmons.com
Re: Woolen Mills Redevelopment — Parking Reduction Waiver Request
The existing Woolen Mills site, most recently used for a warehousing/distribution use, is being
redeveloped to feature a mix of uses, including residential, industrial, office and commercial and has
now filed a site plan application. Its location is very unique, as it is located in the County of Albemarle,
but only accessible through the City of Charlottesville's infrastructure, with it being located on the
outskirts of the City's Urban Core.
The different uses, along with the required parking per the Albemarle County Zoning Ordinance, are as
follows:
USE
UNITS/SQUARE
FOOTAGE
PARKING RATE
PARKING
REQUIRED
Residential
43 One -Bedroom Units
1.5 / Unit
64.5
Office
50,069 sf
1 / 200 sf
250.32
Brewery
(0 sf open to public)
2 employees
1 / Employee
2
Storage*
1,010 sf
0.14 / 1,000 sf
0.14
Restaurant
5,500 sf
13 / 1,000 sf
71.5
Retail
724 sf
1 / 100 sf
7.24
TOTAL
395.7
Table 1: Parking Requirements per Albemarle County Zoning Ordinance
There are a few items worth noting as it relates to the zoning ordinance requirements, as there are
some items that do not correlate to the existing parking ordinance. First, there is not a specific use for
a brewery. The intent of the restaurant is that it has approximately 2,000 sf that is dedicated to
brewing. Per the ordinance, it appears this falls under the Other Industrial uses. With none of this
space open to the public, the only parking requirement is for employees.
Third, the County's ordinance does not list storage as a use. The parking rate, that was used, 0.14 /
1,000 sf, comes directly from the ITE Parking Generation Manual (4`" Edition).
Parking Assessment
Per our review of this site, and its urban character, it appears that several of the rates used for parking
generation are higher than warranted for this specific site. As a matter of justification the following
reasons are offered for consideration:
Residential Uses
• Per the ITE Parking Generation Manual, apartments with a similar description as this project,
generate an average need for 1.2 parking spaces per unit. In all cases, the data contained in
the Manual indicates urban units require less parking than suburban units.
• The Manual goes on to state that surburban units with an average of less than 1.5 bedrooms
per unit, generate a peak demand of 92% of the average. While the Manual does not address
urban units with an average of less than 1.5 bedrooms per unit, it is reasonable to conclude that
urban units would follow suit. This would result in a peak demand of 1.1 parking spaces per
unit.
• Per the City of Charlottesville's Ordinance, one bedroom apartments require 1.0 parking spaces
per unit.
• Per the Albemarle County Ordinance, for units less than 500 sf, 1.25 parking spaces are
required.
• It is our recommendation, that this site carries the characteristics in line with the ITE Parking
Generation Manual and should be parked at 1.1 parking spaces per unit, which is in line with
the City of Charlottesville's ordinance, and within 90% of the County of Albemarle's ordinance
for small units. The units under consideration have an average square footage of just over 700
square feet.
Mix of Uses
The mix of uses on this site will reduce trips and the need for parking (residents may also be
employees), while also allowing for shared parking to occur. As an example, while residents are
leaving the site in the morning for work, they will open up additional spaces for office employees.
Consequently, when the office employees are leaving work, spaces will reopen up for both the
residents, as well as restaurant needs. The current proposal provides adequate parking to
accommodate Albemarle County's parking requirements for both office and residential type uses.
Bus Access
There are two bus stops that currently serve the surrounding area, both within 0.5 miles of the parcel.
This distance assures a walk of less than 10 minutes, when a walking speed of 3.0 miles per hour is
applied. The presence of these bus stops, both on Route One of Charlottesville Area Transit, located
on Chesapeake Street and East Market Street will give tenants options with regards to transportation.
This bus route provides access to both the Downtown Transit Station and Piedmont Virginia
Community College.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Connectivity
The site is approximately one mile to the east of the Charlottesville Downtown Mall (approximately the
same distance as the Rotunda is from the Downtown Mall to the west), surrounded by Industrial sites
and dense housing (on the City's side).
With the City of Charlottesville installing new sidewalks in the Woolen Mills neighborhood and
continued development between Woolen Mills and the Downtown Mall, the walkability from this site
continues to improve, allowing for adequate pedestrian connection.
Summary
Based on the current layout of the site plan, 317 spaces have been able to be accommodated on the
site, which is 80.1 % of the required parking. The 19.9% reduction in parking can be made up in the mix
of uses, which will lead to shared parking, as well as its more urban character. This does not include
additional measures to reduce parking needs overall on the site, such as shared vehicles (such as Zip
Car) to augment bus service to the site, or bike lockers/storage. The developer is also considering
reduced rent or some form of credit for renters without a car.
Prepared for: Albemarle County Community Development
Prepared by: Craig Kotarski, P.E.
Date: December 4, 2017 (Revised)
Copy: Brian Roy