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CCP-2018-00001 ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention”
Planning Commission: May 8, 2018
Page 1
ALBEMARLE COUNTY PLANNING
STAFF REPORT SUMMARY
Project Name: CCP201800001 “Albemarle Tech
– Center for Creativity and Invention”
Staff: Tim Padalino, AICP, Senior Planner
Planning Commission Public Hearing:
May 8, 2018
Board of Supervisors Hearing:
TBD
Owner(s): Seminole Trail Properties LLC Applicant(s): Albemarle County Public Schools
(ACPS)
TMP: 061W0-03-00--01800
Acreage: 25.4 acres
Comprehensive Plan Consistency for: Proposal
by ACPS to establish a “Center for Creativity and
Invention” within an existing facility, to be comprised
of professional development training space, a
student center, and administrative offices.
Location: 1180 Seminole Trail Zoning/by-right use: LI Light Industrial
Magisterial District: Jack Jouett Proffers/Conditions: No
School District: Albemarle High School, Jouett Middle School, Woodbrook Elementary School
DA (Development Area): Places29 – Hydraulic Requested # of Dwelling Units/Lots: N/A
Proposal: Convert ~40,000 SF of an existing
~1,000,000 GSF facility for a new ACPS
“Center for Creativity and Invention.”
Proposed use would include professional
development training space, a high school
student center, and administrative offices for
ACPS “Learning Engineering, Access and
Design” (LEAD) Department staff.
Comp. Plan Designation: “Office / R & D / Flex /
Light Industrial” (majority of site), which includes
“Institutional” uses as a secondary use in this
designation. Also “Urban Density Residential” (rear
portion of site). In Neighborhood 1 – Places29.
Character of Property: “Seminole Place” is an
existing ~1,000,000 GSF structure containing
numerous commercial and light industrial
enterprises, with accessory structures, a water
storage tank, and a large paved parking lot.
Former “Comdial” site.
Use of Surrounding Properties: Various
commercial, retail, office, and residential uses
including Costco, a Shell gas station, and Linden
Lane Apartments.
Factors Favorable: (see page 7 for complete summary)
1. Centrally located in Development Area
2. New ACPS facility with minimal time / cost
3. Enable ACPS to establish the initial pilot
project in the “High School 2022” initiative
4. Proposal is consistent with Comp Plan and
would support Plan Goals and Objectives
Factors Unfavorable: (see page 7 for complete summary)
1. Minor increases in vehicle daily trips to and from
the existing Seminole Place facility
Recommendation: Staff recommends that the Commission find the location, character, and extent of the
proposed public facility and public use thereof to be in substantial accord with the Comprehensive Plan.
CCP-2018-00001 ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention”
Planning Commission: May 8, 2018
Page 2
STAFF CONTACT: Tim Padalino, AICP, Senior Planner
PLANNING COMMISSION: May 8, 2018
CCP-2018-00001: ACPS “ALBEMARLE TECH – CENTER FOR CREATIVITY AND INVENTION”
Review for compliance with the Comprehensive Plan (per Va. Code §15.2-2232)
BACKGROUND
Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) has adopted the “High School 2022” initiative(*), which will
substantially change the high school curriculum starting with 9th graders in the 2018-2019 academic year.
Through this “High School 2022” initiative, ACPS intends “to provide more authentic, real-world learning
opportunities to students while expanding our community partnerships; optimizing the use of our current
physical facilities; and preparing our students to be productive, sought-after members of both the higher
education community and the workforce upon leaving our schools.”
As the initial pilot project in support of this High School 2022 initiative ACPS has proposed the
establishment of “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention.” ACPS has described this as the
first installment of their “student center” concept – an approach that provides an alternative to the
(potential) need of establishing a fourth comprehensive high school in Albemarle County – which will
provide specialized facilities in locations throughout the County for the dual purposes of academics-based
educational programming and experience-based workforce development programming.
Specifically, ACPS is potentially entering a 7-year lease to convert approximately 40,000 SF of the
existing approximately 1,000,000 SF Seminole Place facility for the establishment of a new high school
student center known as “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention.” This proposed new
ACPS facility would include professional development training space for ACPS and County staff; a
satellite student center to support the ACPS “High School 2022” initiative; and full-time administrative
offices for the ACPS “Learning Engineering, Access and Design” (LEAD) Department.
ACPS has noted that this approach and this subject property have been chosen for the following reasons:
no new facility or no new development would be required;
it would be a central location in the County;
it would include co-location with other businesses that provide on-site internship opportunities for
Albemarle Tech students; and
it would provide a centrally-located “home” for ACPS technology staff that serve ACPS facilities all
over the County.
Please reference the applicant’s Project Narrative for more information. (Attachment C)
*Information about High School 2022 was compiled from the publicly-available information on the
following ACPS website: https://www2.k12albemarle.org/acps/division/hs2022/Pages/Overview.aspx
PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW
A Compliance with the Comprehensive Plan Review (“CCP Review” or “2232 Review,” in reference to the
Code of Virginia statute which necessitates this type of local review process), considers whether the
general location, character, and extent of a proposed public facility are in substantial accord with the
adopted Comprehensive Plan. It is reviewed by the Planning Commission, and the Commission’s findings
are forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for their information; no additional action is required of the
Board. The Commission’s action is only related to the appropriateness of the site for the proposed public
use, and is not an action or recommendation on whether the facility should be funded and/or constructed.
CCP-2018-00001 ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention”
Planning Commission: May 8, 2018
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITE AND AREA
The 25.4-acre property is located on the west side of Seminole Trail / US 29, approximately 200’ south of
Greenbrier Drive. The property has approximately 800’ of frontage along US 29, and has vehicular access
to Greenbrier Drive (to the northeast) and to Commonwealth Drive (to the northwest).
The subject property is known as Seminole Place, which includes an approximately 1,000,000 GSF
structure containing numerous commercial and light industrial enterprises, as well as accessory
structures, a water storage tank, and a large paved parking lot. This former “Comdial” site is currently
home to numerous tenants, including Agrospheres, CustomInk, Downtown Athletic Store, Innova, Lewis &
Clark Pharma, MIKRO Systems, MRI Global, Reason Beer, Two Men and a Truck, VAMAC Inc.,
warehouse space for NGIC, and a distribution center for Pepperidge Farms.
Adjacent properties primarily consist of various commercial, retail, and office uses, including Costco to the
southwest, a Shell gas station and Guadalajara restaurant to the northeast, and offices for Williams Gas
Pipeline Transco to the northeast. Additionally, residential (apartment) uses exist in Linden Lane
Apartments to the northwest on Commonwealth Drive. (Attachments A and B)
SPECIFICS OF THE PROPOSAL
The proposed Albemarle Tech facility would be comprised of the following components:
Administrative offices for ACPS Learning Engineering, Access and Design Department staff:
These offices would provide year-round offices for approximately thirty (30) ACPS-LEAD staff.
Daily operations would be conducted year-round during typical workday hours.
Professional Development Training Space: These professional learning facilities would
accommodate approximately 150 people (maximum) during occasional large events. More
frequent small- and medium-sized training activities would occur on a weekly (not daily) basis. The
training space would primarily be used during the school year, with limited student activity during
the summer months. Training space users would consist of teachers and administrative staff
visiting the proposed facility from various ACPS locations and from County Office Buildings.
High School Student Center: ACPS estimates that the High School Student Center would serve an
estimated twenty (20) to forty (40) student participants during the first year, and would grow to
have an eventual participation level of 150 people (maximum) in the future. ACPS has noted that
they are planning for only a small number of instances per week when all 150 students would be
present at the High School Student Center at any one time.
The High School Student Center would involve daily operations during the school year (with limited
student activity during the summer months). Students would maintain a “home high school” and
visit the Albemarle Tech facility throughout the day at variable times, and for variable lengths of
time. Most students are expected to access Albemarle Tech using personal vehicles, but ACPS is
also planning for a “few vans and/or school buses” to bring students to Albemarle Tech each day,
at different times.
ACPS has emphasized that this student center model differs substantially from traditional high
school, which has concentrated transportation services and impacts each morning and each
afternoon. These variable and flexible schedules, as well as the different methods of student
transportation, are expected to help disperse daily vehicle trips and reduce the facility’s impacts to
overall traffic volume and traffic patterns.
The proposed use would include renovation of approximately 40,000 SF within the existing Seminole
Place facility, which is approximately 1,000,000 GSF. (Attachment D – Proposed Floor Plan)
CCP-2018-00001 ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention”
Planning Commission: May 8, 2018
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Staff anticipate that the main impacts to infrastructure and surrounding private properties would be related
to changes in traffic volume and traffic patterns.
The majority of vehicles would access the site using the existing entrance on Greenbrier Drive. This
private access drive (Comdial Drive) is the primary entrance to Seminole Place; ACPS has indicated that
they would instruct students and visitors to utilize this entrance. It is assumed that some vehicles would
also access or exit the site using the existing entrance on Commonwealth Drive, although this would be a
comparatively small number of vehicle trips utilizing this secondary point of ingress/egress.
The increased traffic levels are anticipated to primarily include personal vehicle trips by ACPS staff,
County staff, and ACPS students. A much smaller number of vehicle trips will be made by small school
buses or vans that bring students to Albemarle Tech from their home high school; these transports are
expected to occur infrequently, as opposed to the concentrated school bus traffic patterns associated with
home high schools.
New traffic patterns associated with students’ use of the High School Student Center are expected to be
variable throughout a given day, and from day-to-day and week-to-week, and will also be subject to
seasonal fluctuation in correlation with the school calendar year. New traffic patterns associated with staff
use of the Professional Development Training Space and administrative offices for the ACPS-LEAD
Department are expected to remain relatively constant throughout the year. It is anticipated that these
approximately 30 LEAD staff members, and additional Training Space participants, would primarily use
personal vehicles and would generally arrive and leave during peak hours.
The following summary of transportation activities and impacts has been compiled by ACPS.
Function Approximate Number
of People
Frequency of
Access
Traffic Impacts
Administrative
Offices for LEAD &
Child Nutrition
30 Daily Typical work day with visits to
school locations as needed
Professional
Development
Training Space
Max Group = 150
Large Group = 50
Approx. Group = 30
1/month
2/month
2-3/week
Teachers and administrative staff
visiting facility from various
school locations and County
Office Building
Student Center First Year = 20 – 40
Max = 150 Daily
Students visiting facility
throughout the day for variable
lengths of time depending on
studies and traveling to internship
sites; most transportation will be
by student vehicles but may
include small buses for
transporting students
Source: Lindsay Snoddy / ACPS
Staff’s opinion is that the traffic volumes and patterns generated by this use would not necessarily be
different than what could be generated by other by-right uses that could be located in this space. The site
has convenient access to a major thoroughfare (US 29) and an inter-connected road network.
CCP-2018-00001 ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention”
Planning Commission: May 8, 2018
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COMMUNITY MEETING
A Community Meeting was conducted with the Places29-Hydrauic CAC on Monday, April 16, 2018.
CDD staff provided an introduction to the CCP review process, and explained that such a review by the
Planning Commission is required (per Code of Virginia §15.2-2232) in order to evaluate whether any
public use or facility that is not specifically contained in the Comprehensive Plan would be in “substantial
accord” with the Comprehensive Plan.
Mr. Ira Socol and Ms. Lindsay Snoddy, representing ACPS, then presented an overview of the proposed
Albemarle Tech project to members of the CAC. CAC members expressed interest and support for this
proposal at this location.
One member of the public expressed concerns about the use of the existing entrance at Commonwealth
Drive, near the existing residential apartment buildings. Ms. Snoddy articulated that ACPS would direct
students and visitors to use the existing entrance on Greenbrier Drive as the primary school entrance,
and that informational materials such as maps and website directions would direct people to use the
Greenbrier Drive entrance. A representative of Seminole Place also confirmed that the existing gate at
the Commonwealth Drive entrance would continue to be closed and locked at the end of the business
day, and would remain closed and locked over the weekend.
CONFORMITY WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Staff provide the following information for Planning Commission consideration, regarding the compliance
of this proposal by ACPS relative to the policies and plans contained in the County’s Comprehensive
Plan’s.
Albemarle County Growth Management Policy: Promote the efficient use of County resources
through a combination of:
A. Protecting the elements that define the Rural Area: … and
B. Promoting the Development Areas as the place where a variety of land uses, facilities, and
services exist and are planned to support the County’s future growth, with emphasis placed on
density and high quality design in new and infill development.
Staff comment: This proposal would advance the County’s Growth Management Policy by establishing
a new ACPS facility and service within the Development Area, and by doing so as an infill
development (through the renovation and reuse of an existing structure).
Growth Management Goal: “Albemarle County’s Development Areas will be attractive, vibrant areas
for residents and businesses, supported by services, facilities, and infrastructure. Growth will be
directed to the Development Areas…”
Staff comment: This proposal would advance the County’s Growth Goals by establishing a new ACPS
facility and service within the Development Area in a way that enhances the vibrancy of that area by
bringing together high school youth and ACPS staff and by promoting career development and
workforce readiness through interactions and internships with existing businesses.
Economic Development Strategy 7-a: “Increase support for initiatives that foster career planning,
decision making, and workplace readiness skills for the K-12 population, as well as continuing
education and training programs to prepare the local workforce for the demands of current and future
employers.”
Staff comment: This proposal would advance this Economic Development strategy by placing high
school students in close proximity to a wide variety of potential “sheltered” internship opportunities (on-
CCP-2018-00001 ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention”
Planning Commission: May 8, 2018
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site), and more generally in the vicinity of a large number of potential internship opportunities. ACPS
has indicated that Albemarle Tech is designed to provide a customized combination of college prep
and workforce readiness, in part by establishing internship opportunities on-site and beyond.
Development Areas Objective 2 – Neighborhood Model / Redevelopment / Strategy 2o:
“Promote redevelopment as a way to improve and take advantage of existing investment in the
Development Areas.”
Staff comment: By gaining new utility out of an existing building on a developed site which currently
served by infrastructure, and by avoiding the need to expand into the Rural Area or into a greenfield
site in the Development Area, this proposal would advance the principle of reusing existing buildings
and sites that are served by public utilities which is embedded within this Redevelopment objective
and strategy. This proposal represents a redevelopment opportunity to contribute to the ongoing
transformation of an older industrial site into a vibrant mixed use area.
Development Areas Objective 6: “Promote infill and redevelopment that is compatible with
surrounding neighborhoods and uses.”
Staff comment: This proposal would advance this Development Area Objective by providing a new
ACPS facility and service within an existing structure on a large parcel. The public school use is not
incompatible with surrounding neighborhoods or uses, and is consistent with the “Office / R & D / Flex
/ Light Industrial” future land use designation as recommended in the Places29 Master Plan. That
designation identifies “Institutional” uses as an appropriate secondary land use; and the scale of this
proposed public facility meets this criteria for this site.
Development Areas Objective 6 – Strategy 6a: “Encourage developers to meet with neighborhoods
to find ways to minimize any negative impacts of infill and redevelopment. Use neighborhood meetings
to help find solutions to potential compatibility issues.”
Staff comment: As described in this staff report, ACPS attended the Places29-Hydraulic CAC meeting
on April 16, presented to the CAC and members of the public, and addressed questions and concerns
about potential traffic impacts (generally) and about the use of the existing entrance on
Commonwealth Drive (specifically). ACPS articulated their commitment to the use of the existing
Greenbrier Drive entrance for access to and from the site.
Community Facilities Goal: “Albemarle County’s facilities and services will be of high-quality and
delivered in an environmentally responsible and cost-effective manner.”
Staff comment: This proposal includes leasing space within an existing facility that would be renovated
to meet the specific spatial and programmatic needs of ACPS, which would enable ACPS to provide a
new public facility and service with minimal amounts of time and money. For these reasons, this
proposal by ACPS also supports and advances the following Community Facilities policies:
Objective 1: Continue to provide public facilities and services in a fiscally responsible and
equitable manner.
o The location of new public facilities should be within the County’s Development Areas
per County land use policies.
o Development Areas serve as service center locations for the Rural Area.
Objective 3: Provide physical facilities that enable the School Division to provide a high quality
educational system for students in Albemarle County.
o Strategy 3a: Locate new schools in the Development Areas.
o Strategy 3h: Encourage innovative alternatives to address new school facility needs,
including potential cooperation with the City of Charlottesville.
CCP-2018-00001 ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention”
Planning Commission: May 8, 2018
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Community Facilities Objective 5: “Continue to provide facilities for both local government and
schools administrative services in a central location that is convenient for County residents.”
Staff comment: This proposal includes the establishment of a centralized, full-time location for staff
members of ACPS-LEAD in a location that provides relative accessibility to and from all ACPS
facilities in the County.
SUMMARY:
Staff has identified factors which are favorable and unfavorable to this proposal:
Factors favorable to this request include:
1. The proposed use would be centrally located in Albemarle County within the Development Area
(Places 29 – Hydraulic).
2. The proposed use would utilize (renovated) space within an existing facility, thereby providing a
new ACPS location with minimal investment in the construction of new improvements.
3. The proposed use would enable ACPS to establish the first “student center” as the initial pilot
project in the innovative “High School 2022” initiative.
4. The proposed use at this subject property does not appear to be contradictory with the
Comprehensive Plan, and would support and advance goals, objectives, strategies, and other
policies contained in the Plan.
Factors unfavorable to this request include:
1. The proposed use would create minor increases in vehicle daily trips to and from the existing
Seminole Place facility.
In summary, Staff finds that the proposed “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention” public
facility and public use thereof, including the location, intensity, and frequency of activity, are in substantial
accord with the Comprehensive Plan.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends that the Commission find the location, character, and extent of the ACPS “Albemarle
Tech – Center for Creativity and Invention” facility and public use thereof, as proposed, to be in substantial
accord with the Comprehensive Plan, for the reasons identified as favorable factors in this staff report.
POSSIBLE MOTIONS:
A. I move to find the location, character, and extent of the ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity
and Invention” public facility and public use thereof, as proposed, to be in substantial accord with the
Comprehensive Plan.
B. I move to find the location, character, and extent of the ACPS “Albemarle Tech – Center for Creativity
and Invention” public facility and public use thereof, as proposed, to not be in substantial accord with
the Comprehensive Plan [state reason(s) for non-compliance with Comprehensive Plan].
ATTACHMENTS:
A – Location Map
B – Future Land Use Map
C – Application: Project Narrative
D – Application: Proposed Floor Plan / Albemarle Tech