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HomeMy Public PortalAbout01_07_16 PC MinutesOF LE�rSeG L�RGIN�P' The Town of Leesburg in Virginia Leesburg Planning Commission Meeting Minutes January 7, 2016 The Leesburg Planning Commission met on Thursday, January 7, 2016 in the Town Council Chamber, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176. Staff members present were Susan Berry -Hill, Brian Boucher, Irish Grandfield, Calvin Grow, Liz Whiting, Shelby Caputo and Karen Cicalese CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Chairman Harper PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND ROLL CALL Members Present: Chairman Harper, Commissioners Babbin, Barnes (arrived at 7:36), Kidder, Robinson, and Welsh Chamblin Commissioner Burk attended remotely via phone and left the meeting temporarily at 9:06 and rejoined the meeting at 10:24 PM Chairman Harper explained that Commissioner Barnes would be arriving late to the meeting. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion: Commissioner Robinson Second: Commissioner Kidder Vote: 6-0-1 (Barnes not present) APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Harper noted that she had spoken with Karen Cicalese, Commission Clerk, regarding the vote to adopt the agenda and to approve the minutes. She explained that Commissioner Barnes had arrived at the meeting during the Pledge of Allegiance and had been present for both votes and the December 17, 2016 minutes had been corrected. Motion: Commissioner Kidder Second: Commissioner Robinson Vote: 6-0-1 (Barnes not present) DISCLOSURE OF MEETINGS Commissioner Welsh Chamblin disclosed a meeting with Staff, Rich Brittingham and County Staff regarding the Courthouse Expansion application on Friday, December 18, 2015. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT None 1 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes PETITIONERS None PUBLIC HEARING TLTA-2015-0001, TLZM-2015-0002, and TLZM-2015-0003 — Courthouse Expansion, Irish Grandfield Sr. Planner Chairman Harper explained the Courthouse Expansion application noting that this project consists of three applications which include an amendment to the approved Concept Plan and Proffers; a Town Plan Amendment changing the land use to allow the Pennington Parking Garage; and a rezoning from R-6 (moderate density residential district) to GC (Government Center) to allow the construction of a four-story parking garage. The Planning Commission wished to make this application as transparent and clear as possible to the general public and had decided to address the applications individually. Chairman Harper opened Public Hearing TLZM-2015-0002 — Courthouse Expansion at 7:05 pm and invited the Applicant to make their presentation. The Applicant, Loudoun County, was represented by Peter Hargreaves, Design Manager, Loudoun County Transportation and Capital Infrastructure, Jim Beight, Dewberry, Bill Fissell, Dewberry, and Rich Brittingham, Dewberry. Mr. Hargreaves began the Applicants presentation by introducing Jim Beight, Rich Brittingham and Bill Fissell, Dewberry, as the architects and engineers for this project. Mr. Beight will discuss the project background and Mr. Brittingham will discuss application detail. Mr. Beight discussed the overall project scope and concept plan as follows: • Construction of a four story parking garage on the Pennington Lot • A reconfiguration of the Semones Lot • The New District Court House on Church Street • The Bank of the Valley restoration and properties directly associated with it • Streetscaping that will link these properties together • Off-site improvements This project will be phased as follows: The Pennington Lot will be built first as construction cannot begin on the courthouse until the parking, that will be removed due to the development of the courthouse site, is supplemented. The parking structure will be built adjacent to the existing parking lot as that parking needs to remain available as well. 2 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Once the parking deck is built, work will begin on the courthouse. The Semones Lot will be used for staging for the contractor for storage and construction trailers. The actual completion of that parking lot will be at the end of the courthouse site development. Once the new courthouse house site has been developed, work will begin on the main campus at the Bank of the Valley. Mr. Beight noted that they had been working closely with the BAR as there are nine applications for Certificates of Appropriateness that they are currently working through. The overall site plan has been conceptually approved, which involves the location of the building on the site, the setbacks, the mass of the building, the overall height of the building, and the general architectural language of the building. Delineation and fenestration will be reviewed extensively and to a greater degree. Mr. Beight discussed Community Outreach efforts which included meetings with stakeholders, Town Staff, Public Meetings, Courthouse Campus Grounds Committee, Planning Commissioners and Judges. The entry to the new district courthouse will be on Church Street directly across from the new courthouse plaza they are developing. All services to the building and the egress for the judiciary will occur at the secured parking area on Cornwall Street. The building itself is three stories, however much of the first floor is below grade. A tunnel will be constructed to link the new building to the existing Courts Campus. One of the attributes of the project, which drove the siting of the building, is the continuation of the public green space that fronts the existing Courts Campus down Market Street and onto Edwards Ferry Road making it a continuous setback and a front yard for all governmental functions that occur within these buildings. The Town is looking forward to having some structured events that could occur on the lawn to support some of the things that currently occur on the existing Courts Campus. The applicant is proposing to restore the Bank of the Valley closer to its' original configuration which will require the removal of the non-contributing addition built on the north side of the fagade in the 1980's. This will allow the new courthouse to be linked more directly with the existing Courts Campus. The property behind the Bank of the Valley will be activated and made into a small public park. The Semones Lot will be constructed in conjunction with the new courthouse. Currently it provides 69 parking spaces and it will continue to be used as a parking lot; primarily for accessible parking. There will be a total of 36 parking spaces; 16 of which will be accessible parking spaces and reserved spaces for adjacent homeowners on Church Street. The proposed Pennington Lot will hold the bulk of the parking for the project. The existing lot has 209 total surface parking spaces on the site and the Applicant is proposing to add a parking garage to provide 727 spaces in the garage. The main egress for the parking garage will be through the current parking lot and it has been suggested to have an egress only lane from the parking garage onto North Street. 3 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes To mitigate the impact of the structure, the applicant is proposing a n extensive amount of landscape buffering and trees around the site to further enhance the development which Rich Brittingham will explain in more detail. Mr. Brittingham noted that the applicant is providing the required S-2 buffer on the southern and eastern property lines. They will also be adding a six foot masonry screening wall to mitigate the impact of the cars exiting the parking garage onto North Street. To the north of the property is a four acre mature hardwood tree save which is being preserved with this application. This will provide significant screening to all the single family homes located to the north and north-west of the property including the church cemetery. The applicant is also adding supplemental evergreens to firm up the edge of the tree save and to further shield single family homes. A portion of existing surface parking will also be removed to allow the planting of more evergreen trees to screen views from residences to the west. Along the southern part of the Pennington surface lot the Applicant is proposing to remove surface parking to allow the provision of a maximum width buffer; create a nice pedestrian experience; and allow a safe entry for vehicles entering the garage. Mr. Brittingham noted that they are requesting a design standard to allow light poles on the top level of the garage. The Illumination Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) has guidelines for security lighting in parking garages and parking lots. The average is 3' candles across a parking lot; with the minimum allowable being a 1' candle. In order to achieve the recommended guidelines they have come up with a Lighting Concept Plan where they would place 6 poles in the internal quadrants of the garage. These will be LED lights with a maximum mounting height of 26' and will meet the IESNA's full cut off standards. In conjunction with the location of these lights, they have been working with their lighting consultant to find a way to minimize the impact of the lights on the residents and have instituted some operational controls. The top deck will be reserved for County Employee parking and will have a card activated Roll down bar at the vehicle ramp with card activated elevator access. The top deck lighting will be motion activated after a specified time and motion detected without card activation will automatically send notifications to alert the courts facility. Mr. Brittingham described the pedestrian circulation from the Pennington Garage to the Courts facility an includes a six foot brick walk to be built along the south side of the Pennington Service Lot to connect to Church Street. The existing brick walks on Church Street and Cornwall Street will be improved. Visitors parking in the garage will also have the opportunity to exit down a walkway parallel to the exit onto North Street. Mr. Brittingham also discussed the offsite improvements proposed which include the Church Street extended road improvements; Church Street and Cornwall Street sidewalk improvements; underground utilities along Church Street and Edwards Ferry Road; traffic signals at the North King/King Street intersection (cash in lieu) and Edwards Ferry Road/Catoctin Circle intersection (cash in lieu); speed limit sign on Slack Lane (cash in lieu); 4 reserved residential parking spaces within the improved Semones Lot; wayfinding sign program design and installation; and speed table on Church Street at the New District Courthouse entrance. 0 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Mr. Brittingham addressed the following Planning Commission questions and concerns discussed at previous meetings with Planning Commission members. • Impact on traffic with a 4 -way stop at North Street & King Street — A 4 -way stop needs equal traffic from all approaches which is not ideal for this location • Will there be a crosswalk at Church Street extended? — Yes • Will County provide snow removal along Church Street sidewalk? — Details being evaluated • Future alignment of Harrison Street to garage exit — Proffer to align exit road if County ever purchases adjacent property • What are visibility impacts from homes on King Street looking east towards future garage — Enhanced evergreen plantings proffered along western edge of garage to mitigate all view from the west • Access to Catholic Church at Church Street Extended — Applicant is meeting with the Catholic Church on January 20, 2016 to discuss Mr. Brittingham concluded his presentation by addressing the five outstanding issues as follows: TLZM-2015-0002 Courthouse Expansion • Offsite transportation contribution — In Progress • Signalization at N. King Street and North Street — Applicant is evaluating • Undergrounding of Utilities — Revised proffers shall include commitment to underground utilities along Edwards Ferry Road frontage • Town -County Agreement to allow tunnel beneath Church Street - In Progress TLZM-2015-0003 Pennington Lot • Operational Measure to Limit Impact of Top Deck Lighting — restricted top level access and motion activated lighting • Stormwater routing along North Street — Applicant is evaluating and will be determined at site plan Staff Presentation — Irish Grandfield, Sr. Planner Mr. Grandfield gave a brief overview of all three applications explaining that the proposal is for a 92,000 square foot courts building at 2 North Church Street, previously approved in 1998 for 60,000 square feet. Also included in this application is a four-story parking garage at the Pennington Lot; sidewalk improvements between parking and courts, development of Church Street north of North Street to public road standards and enable it to become part of the Town's public road system; and offsite intersection improvements at North/King and Edwards Ferry Road/Catoctin Circle. Mr. Grandfield discussed the site noting the location of the Pennington Lot, Semones Lot, existing Courthouse, and 2 North Church Street which is approximately 1.8 acres in size. The Semones Lot is not technically a part of this application; however it does provide some of the required parking for the site. Mr. Grandfield discussed public comment to date and noted that he had received the following: 61 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes • Cornwall Street Resident email — Support for retaining Courts downtown; concerns about traffic, pedestrians, and parking • Property Owner across Church Street, extended email: Concerns with Church Street extended and views from home at 220 N. King Street. Request to have Church Street extended fully built, including portion fronting their property, and to consider storm water management for their lot in the design of this site • King Street Resident Phone Call: Support for project including improving North/King Street intersection. TLZM-2015-0002 Courthouse Expansion This is an application to amend the previously approved rezoning for TLZM-1998-0155 to allow a 92,000 square foot courthouse at 2 N. Church Street. The site is directly across from the existing courthouse at the corner of Church Street, Edwards Ferry Road, and East Market Street. It is important to talk about the additional roads in the area as all will be impacted in one way or another. Cornwall Street is to the North of East Market Street; Slack Lane is a small strip of public road on the east side of the Semones Lot; North Street is two streets up from East Market Street to the north; Harrison Street is located to the east and almost aligns to the Pennington Lot at North Street; and King Street. The zoning district is not changing. It is currently zoned GC and was previously approved for a 60,000 square foot courthouse (TLZM-1998-0155). The property is currently subject to proffers from TLZM-1998-0155 which will be superseded should this application be approved. The 92,000 square foot courthouse includes the removal of four houses on the property. There will be off-site sidewalk improvements to link to Pennington Lot and it is important to note that this property is in the H-1 district and subject to a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). Mr. Grandfield discussed the proposed concept plan noting the location of the courthouse; common green; an eight foot brick sidewalk along the property frontage on Church Street and Edwards Ferry Road; and a variable width brick sidewalk; a wrought iron fence adjacent to the cemetery property to the north; buffering; service entrance on Cornwall Street; gate; service parking; and utilities/dumpsters. The Government Center zoning district is the only district that has Site Specific Design Criteria which is similar to a modification in other zoning districts. The difference being that Site Specific Design Criteria is not a request that he Town acts on independently; rather it is a proposal by the Applicant to do something to modify the standard in the zoning ordinance. The Town does not have the ability to approve one and deny another. The only way to deny them is to deny the rezoning application itself. There are nine Site Specific Design Criteria proposed related to landscaping, buffering, and parking in this application. • Buffer B: Proposed 12' S2 buffer plus 8' wall in lieu of 25' Buffer • Buffer C: Proposed supplemental landscaping in lieu of 10' S2 buffer • Street Trees: Proposed one tree per 100' on Edwards Ferry and none on Church Street in lieu of one tree per 40' • Twenty Year Tree Canopy: Proposed no canopy requirement in lieu of 10% [: Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes • Parking greater than 500 `from building (+/- 900') • Lighting levels exceeding .05' candle at front of courthouse along Church Street • Lighting fixtures closer than 10' property line at front of courthouse along Church Street • Eliminate required yards and setbacks • One loading space instead of four Mr. Grandfield also discussed parking requirements. Parking is required at a rate of 1 per 335 square feet of court space. This was a standard in the parking standards of the Town's Zoning Ordinance. The amount of required spaces equals 717. They applicant is proposing 925 spaces broken down as follows: • Pennington Lot Garage: 727 • Pennington Lot Surface: 147 • Interior Existing Courts: 6 • Interior New Court: 9 • Semones Lot: 36 Staged development ensures adequate parking during construction which amounts to 451 spaces. Along Church Street between North and Cornwall Streets there is a residential parking area that has about 7 spaces. One of these spaces will need to be removed for the proposed sidewalk improvements. Staff negotiated to have 4 dedicated parking spaces in the Semones Lot for two lots on Church Street (106 & 108). Additional parking issues will be discussed as part of TLZM- 2015-0003 Pennington Lot Parking Garage. Mr. Grandfield discussed transportation noting that currently all intersections meet Level of Service (LOS) C or better except the eastbound approach of North Street at North King Street which has an LOS D rating. The courthouse expansion will generate 318 new trips during morning peak hours and 202 during evening peak hour. By 2040 the LOS C or better can be met provided that Church Street Extended is constructed as a public road; a traffic signal at North and North King Streets is installed; and an intersection improvement at Catoctin Circle & Edwards Ferry Road. Mr. Grandfield also addressed pedestrian access noting existing conditions that will remain and proposed improvements. There are proffers with this application which will supersede previous proffers. Staff encouraged the Applicant to write them in this manner as most of the proffers from 1998 have been satisfied and the few remaining needed to be updated. Some of the proffers are relatively standard such as substantial conformance with the concept plan and a commitment to the government land use. The Applicant has proposed an offsite transportation contribution, intersection improvements, pedestrian improvements, parking improvements, landscaping and buffering, a wrought iron fence; undergrounding utilities, construction hours (6:30 am to 10:00 pm weekday and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm weekends); and an interpretative feature. An interpretative feature will be something that commemorates the history of the site and the four homes that will be removed as part of this development and will be located in the common green along Edwards Ferry Road. 7 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Outstanding issues include the following: 1. Value of offsite transportation contribution is recommended at $1.9 million per proffer guidelines in Appendix B of Town Plan. The applicant has yet to demonstrate a proffer valuation that approximates this recommendation. 2. North King Street/North Street signal: Staff recommends construction as opposed to a contribution which is value engineered at $470,000. The applicant has proffered $253,000 and no construction. 3. Contribution to Edwards Ferry Road/Catoctin Circle Improvement: Staff estimates the cost of this improvement to be $450,000 to $500,000. The applicant has proffered $253,000. 4. Undergrounding utilities along Edwards Ferry Road: The applicant stated that they are willing to do this during their presentation this evening. It is Staff s opinion that the application is consistent with Town Plan objectives subject to demonstration of meeting the Offsite Transportation Contribution; mitigates traffic impacts; is compatible with surrounding uses; and provides adequate public facilities. Staff can support approval subject to revisions identified in the public hearing and recommends that this application be scheduled for the January 21, 2016 Planning Commission meeting to give the Applicant time to respond to the issues identified at the public hearing tonight. Chairman Harper invited the public to comment on this application. John Burnham, 114 Slack Lane, NE, Leesburg, President of the Exeter Square HOA, came forward and expressed concerns regarding the Semones Lot as it currently overflows one to two times per week and the proposed reduction to 37 spaces will cause daily overflowing. This could potentially eliminate the parking behind his house and force residents to park at the Pennington Lot. Larr Kelly, 404 Edwards Ferry Road, Leesburg, came forward and expressed concerns regarding the traffic signal at Edwards Ferry Road and Catoctin Circle noting that the 4 -way stop works very well. The intersection at Edwards Ferry Road and Church Street needs to be addressed. Ken Reid, Former Loudoun County Board of Supervisor Member, came forward and noted that the courthouse expansion project is critical to Leesburg as it is the only non -transportation Capital Project in the County budget. There have been discussions amongst the Board of Supervisors to pull the plug on this project and move the courts into the County Government Center on Harrison Street and relocate the Government Center, County offices along with its 500 employees to 9 acres that the County owns at Route 772, Metro Station, which will be built in five years. He maintained that the votes exist to do this. Last year, due to the issue of the four buildings on Edwards Ferry Road and the possibility of the Council not overturning the BAR decision, County Staff was directed to investigate relocating the County Government Offices. If the County Offices and Government Center relocate to Ashburn, the Town loses 500 employees which will negatively impact the downtown restaurants and businesses. Mr. Reid opined that it was incumbent upon the Planning Commission to tweak and deal with those issues Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes that are a concern to the community, such as deck lighting, buffering, parking, etc. and not whether or not the parking garage is necessary. He maintained that it is. Fred Bishop, Trustee, Olive Branch Masonic Lodge, came forward and noted that the Olive Branch Masonic Lodge was on the Semones Parking Lot and they would like to put an ADA entrance into the bottom of their lot. As a part of their design, they would like a curb cut in the parking lot to enable them to build that ramp. He expressed concerns regarding ADA access and the ability to utilize ADA parking spaces in the evening when they meet. Yvonne Septinni, 209 North Street, Leesburg, came forward and noted that she will be living right across the street from the Pennington Lot. She expressed concerns regarding the exit of the lot onto North Street; potential traffic safety issues; addressing the intersection of Church Street, Edwards Ferry Road and East Market Street; and tree maintenance. Judy Hynes, Andover Court, Leesburg, came forward and expressed concerns regarding the Parking Garage exit onto Harrison Street; excessive speeding and traffic safety. JD Norman, 37 North Street, Leesburg, came forward and expressed concerns regarding increased traffic flow, cut -through traffic, speeding, parking structure mass and height; and top floor lighting. He noted his support of the addition of a 4-waystop at Harrison Street and Edwards Ferry Road and advocates a 3 -way stop at the intersection of North Street and Harrison Street. The intersection of North King Street and North Street needs to be improved with either a 4 -way stop or a traffic signal. Damon Schafer, 104 Harrison Street, Leesburg, came forward to commend the design and the need to keep the courts in Leesburg. He did express concerns regarding the Pennington Lot Parking Garage. There are a lot of children in that area and the increased traffic and potential for speeding creates an unsafe environment. He suggested utilizing Church Street extended for both infill and egress from the parking garage. George Flick, 14 Cornwall Street, Leesburg, came forward and noted his support for the expansion but had concerns regarding the need for parking and speeding enforcement and signage in this area. James Belli, 124 Harrison Street, Leesburg came forward and expressed support to expand the courthouse but had concerns regarding traffic, the North Street exit, and the impact of the parking garage. Amy O'Connor, 108 Church Street, Leesburg, came forward and expressed concerns regarding the Church and Harrison Street alignment, increased traffic; and the need to distribute the traffic burden across the entire project; not just Church and Harrison Streets. Lester Moxley, 114 Wirt Street, Leesburg, came forward and expressed concerns regarding the Pennington Lot Parking Garage and proposed retaining wall. SA Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Chairman Harper closed the Public Hearing at 8:23 pm and solicited the Planning Commission for questions, comments and discussion. Commissioner Barnes asked what impact the extension of Church Street would have on the entrance to the church cemetery. Mr. Grandfield answered that there would be no change in access to that church cemetery. During construction there may be some partial or temporary closings of Church Street extended as it is developed to public road standards. Commissioner Babbin expressed concern surrounding construction hours and asked if it were possible to make it 7:00 am instead of 6:30 am. She also questioned the necessity of a traffic signal at North Street and North King Street as current conditions often prohibit two-way traffic and a signal at this intersection might cause more traffic delays. In addition, there are a number of traffic accidents at this intersection due to the parking spot in front of RGS Title that limits visibility and asked if eliminating that parking spot had been considered. She also asked for Staff s response to the public comment expressed; specifically the parking issue on Slack Lane and if that parking area is currently restricted to residents only. The Applicant answered that it was not restricted currently. Mr. Grandfield clarified that the specific area being discussed was along Slack Lane adjacent to the Semones Lot. He explained that the Exeter Townhome residents depend on having those parking spaces available and often overflow parking from the Semones Lot utilize these spaces. There would be no way to prevent this unless the residents were to petition Town Council and this area be made a residential parking permit zone. There are a series of standards that have to be met to establish a residential parking permit zone and a study would be done to demonstrate that the area meets the conditions - specified in the Town Code. If those conditions are met, it would be up to Town Council to decide. Calvin Grow, Transportation Engineer, addressed concerns regarding the intersection of Church Street, Edwards Ferry Road and East Market Street. He referred to the traffic study and noted that a lot of the trips occurring from east to west to the Pennington Lot come in through Church Street as it is one way at that point. The LOS at that intersection will basically remain the same since Church Street is one way in either direction; traffic exiting Church Street will either turn left or right. Commissioner Babbin noted that several members of the public had expressed concern regarding this intersection and requested that County and Town Staff revisit this issue for possible alternatives. Commissioner Babbin asked if under federal law, would it be possible to have parking spaces that are dedicated ADA during the day, be available for general use in the evening. Mr. Grandfield answered that he did not know but confirmed that 16 of the 3 6 spaces are ADA, the remaining 20 are not. Commissioner Babbin also asked about the possibility of eliminating the North Street exit as suggested by one member of the public. Mr. Grandfield answered that that would be discussed during the Pennington Lot Parking Garage public hearing. 10 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Mr. Brittingham explained that Church Street Extended is two-way traffic and there is the opportunity to exit the surface lot onto Church Street Extended and head south on Church Street. The North Street exit is exit only. Church Street Extended will be the only entrance into the surface lot and parking garage but will also function as an exit as it does today. Commissioner Babbin asked that the Applicant address the community's concerns regarding traffic distribution and safety expressed and be prepared to discuss at the next meeting. Commissioner Welsh Chamblin asked what part of Church Street will be closed during the Courthouse expansion. Mr. Beight answered that it would be a small section (approximately 20' wide) near the proposed courtyard area that would need to close for excavation when the tunnel is being constructed. Commissioner Welsh Chamblin asked about the blasting notification area and whether the blasting will impact the cemetery. Mr. Hargreaves answered that they have doubled the required distance. Mr. Grandfield explained that the Town Code specifies 150' and Staff asked them to double that to 300" and that the Applicant has proffered to 300'. Mr. Beight answered that he did not think that the cemetery would be affected but agreed to look into it more closely and provide more information at the next meeting. Commissioner Welsh Chamblin referenced the 1998 proffers which proffered 100 spots between the Harrison Street Parking Lot and the Liberty Street Parking Lot to offset parking requirements for the Courts Complex and asked what will happen to those lots. Mr. Grandfield answered that those lots belong to the Town and the Town had an agreement back in 1998 to let those parking spaces be counted towards the required parking. Those 100 spaces would be utilized for public parking. If Council wanted to enter into an agreement regarding designated parking spots at another Town owned site for the courts they could do so. Commissioner Kidder noted that she had had a conversation with Calvin Grow recently regarding that parking space on North Street and limited visibility. Mr. Grow responded that Staff would need to discuss this with the Town Manager. At one time there was a sign on the meter for "Compact Car Only" which has since been removed. Options are to replace the sign or to remove the meter and designate the space as "No Parking". Commissioner Kidder also discussed the traffic signal proffered at the intersection of Edwards Ferry Road and Catoctin Circle which the Planning Commission has repeatedly requested to be removed from the CIP. She noted that it has been accident free for twenty-five years and moves traffic, even during rush hour, at a calm and courteous pace. It was her opinion that a traffic signal at this location would negatively impact the character of the neighborhood. Commissioner Kidder also noted that she had spoken with Irish Grandfield earlier in the week regarding the possibility of a 4 -way stop at the Intersection of North King Street and North Street and asked if the Applicant had considered this possibility. 11 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Tushar Awar, Traffic Engineer, Gorove/Slade, explained that when doing a traffic study, they have to follow the Town's guidelines for LOS. When they analyzed the possibility of a 4 -way stop at this intersection; it was determined that it did not meet the Town's criteria. After continued discussion it was determined to postpone action on this application and to have the applicant return to the January 21St meeting to address concerns expressed to include waiver justification, exacting language; proffer clarification; clarification pertaining to undergrounding utilities; tree planting, garage upper deck lighting, fiscal analysis; clarification on GC zoning district proposal sections; and the North Street and Church Street parking garage exits. TLTA-2015-0001 Pennington Lot Land Use Chairman Harper opened the public hearing TLTA-2015-0001 Pennington Lot Land Use at 9:14 PM and invited Staff to continue their presentation Mr. Grandfield explained that this is an application to amend the Town Plan to replace "Low Density Residential Planned Land Use with "Downtown" on the Pennington Lot. The Town Plan Amendment would change the Land Use Policy Map for the Pennington Lot; provide new policy language; and set the stage for consideration of the rezoning application TLZM-2015- 0003, Pennington Lot parking Garage which is a request to change the zoning from R-6 to GC. The new policy language would allow residential use or optional parking/low intensity government use. Parking/low intensity government use is conditional upon the following standards: • Church Street extended built as a public road • Screening and buffering • Mitigation of lighting impacts • Future alignment of North Street with Harrison Street. Mr. Grandfield discussed staff analysis and recommendation as follows: 1. Retention of County government downtown is an essential objective of the Town Plan. 2. A parking structure is needed to provide the required parking. 3. There are few options for locating a parking structure elsewhere and there are advantages to not siting the structure in the H-1. 4. The proposed Town Plan Amendment provides appropriate guidance and the approval criteria are met. 5. Staff recommends the addition of policy language regarding superior architecture given proximity to H-1 and to forward to Town Council with a recommendation of approval. Chairman Harper solicited the Planning Commission for clarifying questions. Commissioner Robinson asked for clarification of the property size as the Town Plan Amendment states that it is 9.9 acres and County site states the property is 10.03 acres. Mr. 12 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Grandfield explained that the mapping area of the County website gives the mapped acreage which is not the legal acreage. The assessment should have the correct acreage. Commissioner Robinson asked Mr. Grandfield for clarification of the following statement found on Page 6 of the January 7, 2016 Staff Report: "In this way it protects the government function essential to the economy of the downtown in a manner that the by -right or planned residential use could not." Mr. Grandfield explained that there are a number of businesses located in the downtown area due to their association with the courts. Those businesses bring in tax revenue to the Town. In the event that this property was developed as residential and the Courts Complex moved out of the downtown, the Town would no longer have that tax revenue. Additionally, if there isn't any other option provided for providing parking for the courthouse; then the courthouse will have to relocate. Commissioner Robinson asked for clarification of the following statement found on page 7 of the January 7, 2016 Staff Report: "The Town plan Amendment would allow for structured parking necessary to keep the Courts Complex in the Old and Historic District while providing policy guidance for maintaining character." Mr. Grandfield explained that proposed policy language would say that appropriate screening and buffering needs to be provided for adjacent residential development; impacts of on-site lighting on surrounding residential development are mitigated; and Staff is requesting to add language to commit to superior architecture. These components of the policy language would enable this parking structure to be consistent with the Town character. Chairman Harper invited members of the public to comment on this application. Mr. Reid requested that his comments made during the TLZM-2015-0002 Courthouse Expansion public hearing be include in the record of this public hearing as well. Chairman Harper closed the public hearing at 9:29 PM and solicited comments and discussion amongst the Planning Commission members. Commissioner Robinson referenced Objective 12 in the Town's Land Use Plan regarding the provision of institutional uses such as schools, libraries, and government facilities throughout the town. Section B of that objective speaks to facilities not having a negative impact in terms of automobile traffic, noise, lighting and visibility and would like to see language that clearly addresses this to ensure compliance. It was determined to delay action on the Town Plan Amendment and for the Applicant to return for continued discussion at a work session to be held at the next Planning Commission meeting on January 21, 2016. 13 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes TLZM-2015-0003 Pennington Lot Courthouse Garage Chairman Harper opened TLZM-2013-0003 Pennington Lot Courthouse Garage at 9:31 PM Mr. Grandfield explained that this is an application to rezone the Pennington Lot from R-6 (Low Density Residential) to GC (Government Center) to allow a four-story parking garage to provide courthouse and general County government parking. The site would be designed with the four- story garage towards the center of the property. It is a banked garage with the eastern and part of the northern elevations below grade such that from the eastern perspective it would appear as three stories rather that four. The western perspective would have all four stories exposed. The existing surface parking at the Pennington Lot would be modified. Currently there is approximately 220 parking spaces, however in order to accommodate a greater buffer adjacent to the houses on North Street and public road frontage improvements and garage buffering, the number of spaces will be reduced to approximately 140. There is ingress and egress on two locations on Church Street which lead to one entrance on the first floor of the parking garage; and an exit only, that due to the banked nature of the garage, would come from the second floor of garage to North Street. There is a 5' wide brick sidewalk to be constructed along Church Street extended and approximately four acres of vegetation to remain and additional buffers. Many of the buffers meet the zoning requirements; however, there are a few that fall under the Site Specific Design Criteria discussed earlier. There are also trees in the existing surface parking lot that will remain so there will be some mature trees within the parking lot at the time of installation. The Applicant is proposing three Site Specific Design Criteria which include the following: 1. Modify Buffer E: 10' wide S2 buffer supplemented with a 6' solid masonry wall for a 55 linear foot section 2. Modify Buffers A, B, and C: Use existing vegetation varying in width from 40' to 300' in lieu of a 25' S2 buffer. The existing 4 acres of vegetation is proposed to function as the buffer in area A to the north, area B to the east and area C to the east. 3. Lighting Poles Top Deck of Parking Garage: Allow top deck lighting poles in order to meet required lighting standards. Through a zoning ordinance amendment in 2011, the Town adopted a policy to prohibit lighting poles on the top of parking garages. This exclusion prohibits provision of appropriate levels and the Applicant is proposing a modified standard by which they would have six lighting poles on the deck. Mr. Grandfield explained that there currently no proffers on this property. The R-6 zoning was established by the Town and was not part of a proffered rezoning. This application is proffering the following: • Substantial conformance & government land use • Church Street extended • Wayfinding signage • Alignment of North Street exit with Harrison Street should they ever acquire property to do so 14 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes • Slack Lane sidewalk alternative • Forest Stand Management Plan • Site Lighting: full cut-off, full -shielded, directed downward, limit light trespass • Parking garage public use • Pre -construction public meeting • Construction operations - Construction hours to run from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm on weekday as per the Town Code. Blasting notification at 300' instead of 150'. Requests from the Planning Commission to amend the construction hours and blasting notification limits have been noted by the Applicant. The following outstanding issues remain: 1. Value of offsite transportation contribution: $1.9 + million per Appendix B of Town Plan; applicant has yet to demonstrate value of proposal 2. Operation controls to limit top -deck lighting impacts: Limit after hours lighting on top deck to reduce neighborhood impact — earlier discussion addressed this issue but it is not in the proffers currently 3. Architecture: Commitment to architecture specifics consistent with being adjacent to the H-1 4. Stormwater routing: Commit to routing stormwater in front of North Street homes rather than behind Mr. Grandfield also addressed concerns expressed by the public and the Planning Commission regarding the height of the parking garage. He explained that Staff has tried to negotiate the elimination of the fourth level; however, the Applicant has not been inclined to do so and claims that the fourth story is needed. Mr. Grandfield concluded his presentation with an explanation of the approval criteria and Staff's recommendation as follows: 1. Consistent with Town Plan subject to resolution of the four outstanding issues 2. Mitigates traffic impacts 3. Compatible with surrounding uses 4. Provision of adequate public facilities 5. Subject to revisions identified in the Staff Report dated January 7, 2016 and identified at the public hearing; Staff can support approval 6. Continue discussion to the January 21, 2016 Planning Commission work session Chairman Harper invited members of the public to comment on this application. Mr. Reid requested that his comments made during the TLZM-2015-0002 Courthouse Expansion public hearing be include in the record of this public hearing as well. 15 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Yvonne Septinni, 209 North Street, Leesburg, came forward and commented that if the parking garage has to go in this location it should be compatible with the H-1. In addition, the wall is intrusive, and the exit onto North Street poses a huge safety risk in terms of traffic. Rich Werth, 108 North Street, came forward and expressed concerns regarding flood control, serious drainage issues, garage appearance from the houses on North Street, screening and buffering of garage and storm drainage, the overall appearance of the garage, and security. Chairman Harper solicited the Planning Commission for questions, comments and discussion. Commissioner Barnes asked if the Applicant had considered a three story garage; moving the garage further onto the surface deck; and wall lighting as opposed to pole lighting. Mr. Grandfield answered that alternative lighting had been considered however it doesn't work in this situation as you can't have a vehicle parked in front of a wall light as it blocks the lighting. The Town has employed wall pack lighting on the Town Parking Garage; however, the Town doesn't have the level of security lighting that would be recommended. Mr. Beight responded that they had looked at a number of parking garage configurations and it comes down to a balance between a larger footprint and cutting down more trees. Removing a level from the parking garage and making it three stories would expand the footprint of the building by approximately 3 0%. They have also looked at pushing it further into the ground; however the rock and the limestone substrate make it unfeasible. This garage is built into a hill giving it a physical perception of three stories on the north and east sides. They can't encroach upon the current available surface parking as they have to maintain the parking until the new parking deck is constructed. To further complicate matters; a large underground water culvert t runs right through the existing parking lot and will require maintenance overtime. The Applicant feels that they have proposed the best compromise in terms of the number of parking spaces; footprint, and tree preservation. Mr. Beight also addressed the lighting issue and explained that they have looked at a number of iterations and the lighting requirements are being driven by code driven criteria. He noted his agreement with Mr. Grandfield's suggestion to have a more detailed discussion to discuss the various iterations at the next meeting. Mr. Brittingham noted that they will have their lighting consultant present at the work session on January 21St to address lighting concerns and the consultant will be able to give a much more detailed explanation. Elevating the wall pack lighting above the height of the cars would put it is the 5' to 7' range; shining alight bright enough to meet the minimum standards for facial recognition, security, and visuals would blind the drivers and the pedestrians and have the opposite effect on safety. They have also considered floor mounted lights which have maintenance concerns such as snow plows and while they might meet the standards on the ground they don't meet the standards for facial recognition, security and visuals. Commissioner Barnes expressed concern regarding the entrance to the church cemetery being closed during construction. Mr. Beight responded that it will most likely be closed for a short period of time during construction; however once the work is done access to the cemetery will remain at it exists today. 16 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Commissioner Robinson expressed a number of concerns to include proffer language for Church Street extended and it's maintenance; a preference for the proffer language in the existing proffers regarding wayfinding signs directing traffic away from neighborhood streets; parking lot monitoring and shuttle service; relocation of the North Street exit further away from the residence; top deck lighting; and the location of the underground utilities on Church Street and Edwards Ferry Road. Commissioner Kidder expressed concerns regarding the parking garage design and the structure's compatibility with the H- I's historic character; its' proximity to the surrounding residential communities; and a lack of specificity in the Justification Statement language. Commissioner Babbin noted that the Courts Complex needs to enhance the downtown area and stressed the need for clear wayfinding signage to the courthouse and public parking. Commissioner Welsh Chamblin asked for the height of each level of the parking garage and for clarification on the height of the lighting poles. Mr. Brittingham answered that each level was 11' 8" in height and the lighting poles were 26' tall. Commissioner Welsh Chamblin asked if the Applicant had looked into enclosing the top level. Mr. Brittingham answered that they had, however enclosing the top level gives the appearance of another level. Commissioner Welsh Chamblin requested that alternatives be looked at to determine if it would be possible to offset some of the garage parking with other existing parking lots such as the Harrison Street Lot and the Liberty Street Lot. Additionally she would the Applicant like to look into the feasibility of a three story garage with a roof. Chairman Harper expressed concerns regarding design, proximity of the Pennington Lot to the courthouse; and the current under- utilization of the existing lot. Chairman Harper closed the public hearing at 10:19 pm and continued discussion on this application to the January 21, 2016 work session. SUBDIVISION AND LAND DEVELOPMENT None COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING None ZONING None COUNCIL AND REPRESENTATIVES REPORT 17 Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes Commissioner Welsh Chamblin attended the BAR work session on January 4th. Discussion included the re -vamping of a property on Wirt Street; and the addition of a permanent stage on the Town Green. Commissioner Welsh Chamblin also attended the EAC meeting where discussion of the Flower & Garden Show and the energy usage study for Town facilities was held. Chairman Harper will be attending the EDC meeting on January 11th. The EDC is conducting a business forum at Ida lee on the 11th and will discuss how to re-energize the downtown. Commissioner Robinson attended the SRTC meeting where on -street parking and rules enforcement were discussed. STAFF AND COMMITTEE REPORTS None STAFF DISCUSSION None OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS Commissioner Burk rejoined the meeting at 10:24 pm • Elections Chairman Harper nominated Commissioner Welsh Chamblin as Chairman Commissioner Kidder seconded the motion Vote: 7-0 Commissioner Barnes nominated Gigi Robinson as Vice —Chair Commissioner Kidder seconded the motion Vote: 7-0 Commissioner Babbin nominated Commissioner Burk as Parliamentarian Commissioner Robinson seconded the motion Vote: 7-0 • Review of Draft Annual Report Chairman Harper and Commissioner Walsh Chamblin noted some minor typographical errors which will be corrected prior to its distribution to Town Council. Chairman Harper will present the Annual Report at a future Town Council meeting to be determined. Leesburg Planning Commission January 7, 2016 Minutes ADJOURNMENT Are meeting was adjourned at 10:32 PM roved byn Cica se, Commission Clerk r r Mary Har er, ehairnian 19