HomeMy WebLinkAboutZMA201800004 Review Comments Zoning Map Amendment 2018-07-09OF AL
COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE
Department of Community Development
401 McIntire Road, North Wing
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902-4596
Phone (434) 296-5832 Fax (434) 972-4126
TO:
Applicant
FROM:
Kevin McDermott; Principle Planner —Transportation
DATE:
July 9, 2018
SUBJECT:
ZMA2018-4 Willow Glen Comments
The Albemarle County Community Development Department, Planning Division, Principle Planner for
Transportation has reviewed the above referenced plan and associated traffic impact analysis as submitted
by Dickerson Ridge, LLC and (May 2018) and offers the following comments:
1. The Street Cross -sections provided on Sheet 5 of the Application Plan display exceptionally wide
travel lanes. Streets this wide tend to encourage high speeds when we would rather discourage
them in residential developments such as this. Consider narrowing the street sections to 24" — 29"
total or 10" — 12" lanes depending on parking (parking lanes 7" — 8"). The addition of striped
bike lanes where appropriate may be another consideration if the pavement width is desired.
2. The Proffer Statement seems to contain an older reference to road proffers in #2. This should be
updated as necessary.
3. The trip generation table on page 13 of the TIA does not match the Development Block Summary
on Sheet 4 of the Application Plan. The trip generation analyzed in the TIA should be the
maximum that the application plan sets forth.
4. Under the Capacity Analysis for Dickerson Road at Town Center Drive (8.1), there is a difference
of almost 2 minutes in the delay for the WBL between the No -Build and Build. This appears to be
glossed over in the assessment and with the statement that there are no improvements warranted
or recommended. The length of that queue also goes from not impeding the left turns from
August Lane to impeding that turn. This should be addressed in the assessment.
5. Also in regards to this same issue, the queue for the left turn movement will back up beyond the
split for the right and left turns causing the queue to extend even further because the right turn
will be mixed in. This may also result in drivers using Shannon Glen Court as a cut through to
the Willow Glen Drive and Dickerson. This practice often results in high speed traffic on
neighborhood streets that should be considered.
6. Similarly in the next section for Town Center Drive at August Lane (8.2) there is no delay shown
for the PM Peak but if the queue at Town Center and Dickerson extends beyond August Lane no
vehicles will be able to get out once a left turning vehicle queues up because it is a shared
right/left lane. This should be addressed in the assessment.
7. Regarding the Capacity Analysis for the Site Driveways, please provide a more detailed
description/methodology/basis for the development of the 1% -2% left turn warrant. I am
skeptical that the warrant table can work like that. It is just as likely that if you meet a warrant at
5% then no matter how low the percentage of turns is for a commercial or residential street that
the warrant is met. Please see NCHRP Report # 745 Left -Turn Accommodations at Unsignalized
Intersections or NCHRP Web -only Document 193: Development of Left -Turn lane Warrants for
Unsignalized Intersections both of which give alternate methods for assessing left -turn warrants.
The conclusion that a northbound right -turn lane is not recommended at the Commercial Site
Driveway is not acceptable. The AM warrant is met, a warrant analysis is done to show if there is
a benefit to adding a right -turn taper, which this does show, and the right -turn taper only reduces
the throat length in the current design. If the design is adjusted the throat length should be able to
meet requirements.
If you have any questions regarding this review please feel free to contact me.
Kevin M. McDermott
Principal Planner — Transportation
Albemarle County
401 McIntire Road
Charlottesville, VA 22902
(434) 296-5841 Ext. 3414
kmcdermott@albemarle.org