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HomeMy Public PortalAbout02 15 2018 PC MinutesThe Town of Gees6urg in Virginia Leesburg Planning Commission Meeting Minutes February 15, 2018 The Leesburg Planning Commission met on Thursday, February 15, 2018 in Town Hall Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176. Staff members present included Susan Berry -Hill, Irish Grandfield, Tom Brandon, Jason Cournoyer, Shelby Caputo, Chief Brown, Scott Coffman, Renee Lafollette, Brian Boucher, Bill Ackman, and Karen Cicalese. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:01 pm by Vice Chair Robinson. Members Present: Vice Chair Robinson, Commissioners Babbin, Barnes, Faliskie, Lanham, and Walker. Commissioner Kidder attended remotely Vote 7-0 ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion: Commissioner Barnes Second Commissioner Lanham Vote 6-0-1 (Babbin abstained) APPROVAL OF MINUTES February 1, 2018 Commissioner Lanham stated that he had made comments, during the discussion of the Town Plan, about the Economic Development Steering Committee Report being an excellent resource due to the amount of information, strategies and recommendations it contained. He felt that this should be mentioned in the minutes. Susan Berry -Hill, Director, Planning and Zoning responded that staff will insert those comments in the minutes. Motion: Commissioner Lanham moved to approve the minutes as amended Second: Commissioner Walker Vote 6-0-1 (Babbin abstained as she was not present at the February 1St meeting) DISCLOSURE OF MEETINGS Vice Chair Robinson disclosed a meeting on February 13th with the Meadowbrook Commercial Applicant where they discussed proffers, plat changes, and a number of other items that will be discussed during tonight's work session. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT N/A Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes PETITIONERS None PUBLIC HEARING FY 2019-2023 Capital Improvements Program- Presentation- Tom Brandon, Capital Projects Manager, Department of Public Works and Capital Projects, and the Budget Team Vice Chair Robinson opened the public hearing at 7:12pm Mr. Brandon explained that a capital improvement is defined as a construction, renovation/demolition, or acquisition project that has a value of more than $60,000 and a useful life of at least ,5 years. He gave an overview of the process to prepare the CIP noting that this was the second year of the bi-annual budget and it was intended to have minimal changes. They have spent the past year getting input from Town Departments, Town Council, Commissions, and the public. The Department of Public Works and Capital Projects takes this input and prioritizes the projects as they always have more requests than the Town can afford and/or manage. The Department of Finance and Administrative Services conducts a financial analysis which includes adjustment of project management costs. Lastly the Town Manger reviews the draft document and determines what will move forward to the Planning Commission and Town Council, Town Council direction has limited what projects are included in the CIP as the projects are required to have realistic scopes of work, identified funding sources, and realistic schedules. The number of CIP projects has been greatly reduced from 150 projects in FY 2001 to 38 in FY 2011 and this is generally the number of projects included in the CIP. Mr. Brandon discussed the relationship between the CIP and the Town Plan noting that the Town Plan is the basis for long-term decisions and the CIP implements the Town Plan. He explained that the Planning Commission's role in the CIP process is to determine if what has been presented meets the Town Plan's development goals and priorities. Mr. Brandon discussed the FY 2019 changes as follows: Completed Projects - 6 projects have been, or will be, completed by the end of this fiscal year and include the Chesapeake Bay TMDL Project, Battlefield Parkway (South King Street to Dulles Greenway), Traffic Signal Replacement at South King Street and Clubhouse Drive, Downtown Street Lights — Phase I, Airport Master Plan Update, and Customs General Aviation Clearance Facility. New Projects • General Government — Police Station Expansion and Town Shop Expansion, and the newly added Capital Asset Replacement Program. This program was added to the CIP to afford greater flexibility and assists in the long range sustainability of the Town. A memo was provided in the agenda packet for tonight's meeting. • Streets — Edwards Ferry Road Sidewalk and Bus Shelters and Bus Routes Signs Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes • Storm Drainage — Liberty Street, SW Drainage Improvements Budget Changes Updated Project Cost Estimate o Airport Maintenance/Storage Facility— Reduced estimate by $100,000 o Battlefield Parkway/Route 15 Bypass Interchange — Added estimated development cost New Funding o East Market Street/Battlefield Parkway Interchange — Anticipated $25 million additional NVTA funding o Evergreen Mills Road Widening — Additional $2 million VDOT funding o Airport North hangars — Anticipated $1.7 million additional FAA and DOAV funding Schedule Changes o Downtown Streetlights — 6 month delay due to availability of fixtures and required authorizations o Davis Court Bridge Replacement — postponed 1 year for Crescent Parke development o East Market Street/Battlefield Parkway Interchange — Established schedule (previously TBD) o Traffic Signal Replacement (S. King Street and Clubhouse Drive — Corrected schedule from last year's CIP o West Market Street Sidewalk Replacement (Ayr Street to Morven Park Road) — 9 month delay in start o Market Street/King Street Intersection and Alley between 3 and 5 South King Street — 9 month delay in obtaining land rights and relocating utilities o Airport Self Service Fuel Facility — 1 year delay in reaching agreement with airport fixed base operator Future Projects Lists o Moved to 6 -year CIP — Police Station Expansion, Town Shop Expansion and Refurbishment, and Battlefield Parkway/Route 15 Bypass Interchange (combined with existing CIP IIR Project) o New "Priority Future Project" — Airport Remote Tower Control Room o New "Potential Future Projects"— Town Hall Campus Improvements, Royal Street Improvements (Liberty Street to Wirt Street), Old Waterford Road Improvements (Fairview Street to Rust Library) o Liberty Street Improvements (Loudoun Street to Liberty Street Parking Lot) o Tuscarora Creek Stream Restoration (Downstream of Bypass to near Lawson Road) o Utilities Maintenance Equipment and Material Storage Building Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Mr. Brandon outlined the process to adopt the CIP which began with this Draft CIP presentation to the Planning Commission on February 1 st. Tonight, during the public hearing, the Planning Commission is tasked with determining consistency with the Town Plan and making their recommendations to Town Council. The draft CIP will be presented to Town Council by the Town Manager at their February. 27th meeting and the Planning Commission's recommendations will be reviewed. The Town Council public hearing has been scheduled for March 13th at which point projects, budgets, and schedules may be adjusted. Lastly, the CIP will be adopted as part of the budget process on April 10th Mr. Brandon noted that staff was in attendance from the Police Department, Airport, Public Works, and Finance to answer questions. Commissioner Barnes asked Chief Brown to explain why the expansion, equipment, and communication upgrades are needed. Chief Brown. explained that alterations have been made to the building to accommodate a growing police force. They have converted closet spaces and their fitness room to office space to house the School Resource Officers. They are currently utilizing their sally port as a storage space for bicycles and other equipment. The sally port is intended to be used for the safe transport of suspects and arrestees. The building was built in 1997 and housed approximately fifty-two personnel. Currently, they are at 103 authorized personnel which presents a number of challenges. They have positions available but no work space to accommodate them. They also do not have space for their motorcycle units so they have had to construct a shed behind the Police Station to house those units. The police force is going to continue to grow as the Town's population continues to grow. Delaying the expansion will result in significantly greater costs to make these enhancements in the future. Public safety is important and he needs to ensure that his officers have safe areas to come back to. They've had to sacrifice their "quiet room" which was intended to provide a place to recuperate after a 12 hour shift before heading to court to testify. They now have to sleep in their cars. In terms of their record management system they now use a system called New World which is different than the system used by Loudoun County and prevents real time communication between the Town's Police Department and the County's Sheriff s Office. He has spoken with Loudoun County staff who concur that they need to be on the same system to be able to communicate effectively. Police investigations would go much more smoothly if they had this communication tool. This presents a challenge in terms of operational efficiency. Commissioner Barnes stressed the importance of this project to ensure the safety of the Town residents and strongly recommended accelerating this project in the CIP as it is a top priority proj ect. Commissioner Babbin asked what the time line was for this project as they discussed this at last year's public hearing and recommended that this project be included in the CIP and accelerated. Mr. Brandon confirmed that the Planning Commission had made that recommendation last year and explained that due to the inability of the Town to provide the funding for this they were FA Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes unable to add it into the CIP last year. The Finance department has been juggling projects and monies and has found a way to put this project into the CIP this year. Renee LaFollette, Director, Public Works and Capital Projects clarified that this project is in the CIP for FY 2021 for design and FY 2022 for construction to begin. Commissioner Babbin asked if this project could be accelerated. Ms. LaFollette explained that Finance has been looking at a financial cliff for a number of years which the Town has been able to avoid. This project has been placed in the CIP where the Town can afford it based on current revenue sources. Jason Cournoyer, Management and Budget Finance and Administration, explained that this is a large project and they have added $12 million to the CIP for a scaled down version of a previous plan. It is very difficult to move a $12 million dollar project up in the CIP primarily due to how the Town has restructured their debt during the recession. The Town pushed some of their debt, which they call their fiscal cliff, from 2017 to 2023 and they have a large debt service requirement. In order to absorb this requirement, the Town is using their reserve funding to subsidize the tax rate in order to afford the debt service. Additionally, the Town's fiscal policy has limits of 15% of general fund expenditures and currently, the Town is close to 14%. There is not enough capacity, within the debt capacity, to move this project to FY 2019 or 2020. The first year they could add this was FY 2021. This becomes a question of affordability. The Town has had some good financial results over the last 2 fiscal years to allow more of the debt service reserve to be used during the last 2 years of their debt fiscal cliff in FY 2022 and FY 2023 in order to pay for the debt service that comes with a $12 million project. Without a substantial amount of what is called pay -go or cash funding the Town is very limited in its ability to move this project forward. The rule of thumb, used for planning purposes, is $80,000 per $1 million dollar of debt is the annual debt service over a twenty year term. Commissioner Walker asked if the $12 million was solely for the building expansion or if it also incorporated the computer system upgrades. Mr. Brandon responded that the $12 million was for the expansion and associated site work. Commissioner Babbin asked if there was any federal or state grants for Police Enforcement Proj ects. Mr. Cournoyer explained that staff is always looking to identify outside funding sources but was not aware of any being identified as of yet. The complete design and scale of this project is still unknown and staff has some questions regarding whether this project is the right size and its ability to accommodate growth and changes over the next 10 years. Commissioner Faliskie expressed concern regarding the computer upgrade being delayed as it represents a safety concern and asked if it would be possible to move this project up in the CIP, and if not, was there a Plan B. 61 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Chief Brown explained that there had been discussion last year regarding how to move forward if this project was not approved. There is the option to decentralize which he does not support due to the size of their jurisdiction. It is just over 12 square miles and in the law enforcement world it is too small an area to decentralize. The department has an average response rate of forty-five seconds and there is really no need to decentralize. He would like to keep everybody under one roof as removing people can impact operational efficiency. There is also a cost associated with decentralization. Chief Brown confirmed that the records management service is a totally separate project and he received an estimate to exist on Loudoun County's system at a cost of $385,000.00. If the Town went independently on their own system the cost would be approximately $1.4 million. Commissioner Lanham noted that last year there were some officers working out of satellite offices at the airport and asked if that space was available until such time as the Police Station could be expanded. Chief Brown explained that those individuals had to be relocated back to the station which facilitated the loss of their fitness center. Commissioner Barnes noted that there were a number of projects in the CIP that were not as important as the Police Station expansion and asked if funds could be reallocated to move this project forward and less important projects back. Ms. LaFollette explained that the Town has done an extremely good job of leveraging other people's money for transportation projects. For example, the Town is using 30% of NVTA's money to leverage VDOT revenue sharing money and VDOT's 70% money for the interchanges. The Police Station does not fall under any of those funding sources. General Obligation Bond money is required to pay for the expansion and there are only 2 General Obligation Bond projects in the CIP, one of which is Tuscarora Creek which dates back to 1985 and it has followed its path forward through the CIP as it is supposed to. The Police Station wasn't in the CIP when she first started with the Town. It came in to Potential Futures then moved to Priority Futures once the study was done. Staff has tried to move it into the CIP, but lacked the funding to do so. Staff has been directed this year, based on the recommendation of Chief Brown, to find where it would fit in the CIP meeting all the financial constraints the Town has due to their fiscal policy. It has been placed in the CIP where the Town can realistically afford the project. While she understands the Commission's desire to move the project forward, Council has to make that decision and there has to be a revenue source to pay for it. No other project has the bonding capacity or value of the project to take the place of the $12 million that is required for the Police Station expansion. She suggested that the Commission make a recommendation to Town Council to move this project forward. Commissioner Barnes asked how the improvements to the parking garage were funded. Ms. LaFollette explained that that was based on revenue generation for the parking garage and was not a capital project. Vice Chair Robinson asked where the Communication System upgrade falls in the CIP. 0 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Ms. LaFollette responded that this project was shown in 2023 as a $370,000 project. Commissioner Robinson asked if this could be accomplished earlier through the CARP Program. Ms. LaFollette responded that it was her understanding that due to what is entailed in the project, it does not meet the definition for a Capital Asset Replacement Project. The Capital Asset Replacement Program deals with repair, renovation or refurbishment. This is a new system with a depreciable life over 5 years and exceeds $60,000. Vice Chair Robinson summarized that the Commission should recommend to Council that the $12 million expansion project be moved forward in the CIP, identify operating monies to pay for the $370,000 communication system and to include a separate data system upgrade for police investigations. Chief Price replied that it was 2 requests; the building enhancement and the record management system which would allow for more effective communication with the Loudoun County Sheriff's office. Commissioner Babbin expressed concern about the lack of maintenance and snow removal on existing sidewalks and the access to the Liberty Street lot. She asked if it fell within the CIP budget to improve the lighting in this area. Mr. Brandon explained that staff recently completed a study to upgrade Royal Street. The study began as an evaluation of the portion of Royal Street from Liberty Street to South King Street. Once they got into the study, they realized that there were some significant issues on the portion between Wirt Street and Liberty Street so this area was pulled out of the study area and a second study has been established for the Liberty/Wirt/Royal Streets area which includes the parking lot access, sidewalk access on Liberty between Royal Street and Loudoun Street, and options to create one way sections on both Wirt Street and Liberty Street. This study has been started, and the project is currently listed in the Potential Future Project list. It is not in the CIP, and won't be, until staff identifies what improvements will be made. In terms of lighting, the residents in this area can request lighting and lighting can be added to the study. Commissioner Babbin noted that the lighting was a public safety concern and asked if emergency funds were available. Mr. Brandon answered that this was something that could be handled out of the general fund and staff would look into her request. Commissioner Babbin asked when the lights in the historic district would be installed. Mr. Brandon replied that the lights will be delivered and installation will begin in March. Commissioner Babbin asked for clarification on the north hangars construction. 7 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Scott Coffman, Airport Manager, explained that there was a typo in the report and that design would being in FY 2019 (July of 2018) and construction would commence in FY 2020. Commissioner Babbin asked if other funding sources for hangar construction had been explored or if it had been considered to allow private companies to construct the hangars on grounds leased from the Town. Mr. Coffman responded that staff met with the FAA and has secured an additional $1.7 million in funding towards the North Hangar Project. The FAA typically does not fund these types of projects, however this is related to the Airport losing some hangars due to moving the existing taxiway, so this is an effort to help replace those hangars. In terms of private companies building hangars on Airport grounds, the Airport Master Plan is being finalized and they have identified 2 parcels that.the Town does not have plans to build on in the foreseeable future. One parcel, located near the airport terminal will go out to bid in the next 30 days. There is also new interest in the other parcel at the southern end of the airport. Commissioner Babbin asked if the Town had explored Bond Financing for Airport projects that would not go against the Town's bond rating. Mr. Cournoyer explained that the Town was planning to leverage Junior Resource Authority Airport Fund Bonding for the hangars. This is a revenue bond that will not go against our general obligation debt capacity. Staff is also looking at other projects that could potentially tab into revenue bonds as well such as the FBO Corporate Hangar. Commissioner Babbin noted that she supported making a recommendation to Council to accelerate the Police Station Expansion and Records Management Systems upgrade as she felt both were a top priority. Commissioner Faliskie noted that the taxiway and the runway are too close together and asked if that presented a safety issue, and if so, why was it not being addressed sooner. Mr. Coffman explained that it was not a safety issue, but rather a non-standard configuration at the Airport. The FAA has airport design standards and their priority is to have all the airports in the United States meet these design standards. They will fund relocating the taxiway approximately 30 feet farther away from the runway which has impacts to existing hangars. Commissioner Faliskie asked if this was the same for the lighting. Mr. Coffman replied that the lighting was more of an age problem. Three ODALs (Omni - Directional Approach Lights) is acceptable according to FAA Advisory Circulars however, 5 is the normal configuration. Commissioner Kidder noted that all the projects in the CIP state how they fit in with the goals of the Town Plan and she recommended including a paragraph in the Introduction which shows the relationship between the CIP Program and the Comprehensive Plan as it is one of the tools that is used to accomplish our vision of what the Town should be. Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Commission Kidder asked how important the AV Symington Spray Ground was as it was already a great recreation area. Mr. Brandon responded that when the outdoor pool was initially envisioned and constructed, it was recognized that occasionally it would need to be expanded and new features added to keep it a viable facility. The splash feature was considered in the original construction however, the decision was not to include it in the original construction but the facilities to handle it were retrofitted. The primary purpose of the Spray Ground is to keep the park fresh and attractive to the patrons who use it. Commissioner Kidder referenced the Hospital Water Storage Tank and Recoating project and commented that the color of the water tanks along Battlefield Parkway soften the impact of their appearance. She asked that this color option could be considered. Mr. Brandon responded that staff could discuss this with the Utility Department. He knows that they have plans to recoat that tank as well as other repairs this summer. Ms. LaFollette added that there is a paint palette that they can select colors from that typically has 3 to 5 viable colors that can be used on water storage tanks. She will work with Amy Wyks, the Director of Utilities, and see what they can come up with. Commissioner Babbin noted that she would respectfully disagree with Commissioner Kidder as it was her opinion that the color of the water tanks along Battlefield Parkway was not attractive. She has a view of the hospital water storage tank from her home and felt that the current color was perfect as the tank disappears in the sky. Vice Chair Robinson asked for the amount available for spending in the Tree Bank. Mr. Brandon noted that they would have to get back to the Commission with the exact figure. Commissioner Kidder asked where the public could find the draft CIP. Mr. Cournoyer explained that the document was for the Commission's benefit and is a draft document. It will be available on the website the evening of February 27th which is when the Town Manager presents it to Town Council. It will be located under the Budget link on the homepage. Vice Chair Robinson summarized the following Commission actions: • Send a strong recommendation to Council to accelerate the Police Station Expansion and Records Management Systems upgrade projects. • Continue work on the Liberty Street, Wirt Street, and Royal Street area and address additional lighting and tree trimming. 9 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Commissioner Kidder noted the barren appearance of the Water Treatment Facility and surrounding buildings and suggested that some trees be planted to add some screening. Mr. Brandon responded that he would speak with the Town's Urban Forester to determine if this is an appropriate place to plant trees and get back to her. Vice Chair Robinson called for public comment. Chris Thomas, 15 Liberty Street, SW, Leesburg, VA 20176 came forward and expressed concern regarding the Liberty Street Project being scheduled for 2023. He has experienced significant water damage to the front of his residence and has had issues with the 4 catch basins on Liberty Street not draining quickly enough. This has damage to the crawl space and first floor. This is also affecting other residents on Liberty Street. He asked that this project be moved forward and addressed sooner. Commissioner Babbin asked if there was any way to do a temporary fix. Ms. LaFollette responded that she has met with this resident a number of times and explained that the 4 catch basins are on a regular schedule to ensure that they are cleaned prior to large storms. The -basins have been cameraed and cleaned out all the way to Market Street. Staff has funded a study and hired an engineer to look at this area and are currently reviewing a draft preliminary report. Staff is not prepared to release what they have been given so far. There may be some temporary options based on what is in the study. Vice Chair Robinson called for additional public comment. Seeing none, she closed the public hearing at 8:19. She stated that she felt that staff had what they needed in terms of direction from the Planning Commission and asked if they will be able to review the memo before it goes to Council. Ms. Berry -Hill explained that the Town Manager was going to be presenting this to Town Council on February 27"', however there will be work sessions and further discussion at the Council level. The Commission could review the staff memo in their March 1St agenda packet. The Planning Commission determined that they wished to review the memo at their March 1 st meeting. Vice Chair Robinson initiated a brief recess at 8:21 pm and resumed the meeting at 8:26 pm. DIVIVISION AND LAND DEVELOPMENT Crescent Parke Street Naming — Mike Watkins, Assistant Zoning Administrator, Planning and Zoning Susan Berry -Hill stated that she would be presenting this item in Mr. Watkin's absence. She explained that there were 2 corrections to the street names; Stillness Drive, SE is corrected to Stillness Alley, SE and Angler's Stream Square, SE is corrected to Angler's Stream, SE. She noted that staff recommends approval of the proposed names. 10 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Commissioner Lanham noted that the memo states Forest Reserve Drive however, the map references Forest Preserve Drive. There was also an issue with First Street and East First Street. Brian Boucher, Assistant Deputy Director explained that it was his understanding that this had already gone through the County's naming conventions and shown on the plat. Vice Chair Robinson noted her opposition to the name Rachel Carson Terrace and suggested the following alternatives such as Perch Terrace, Sunfish Stream Terrace, and Bass Terrace. Mr. Boucher explained that the naming comes from the Subdivision Ordinance and the intent was to avoid duplicative names or names that were considered offensive. He was unsure that the Commission had the authority to change names. Vice Chair Robinson asked if it would be appropriate to ask the developer if they would consider changing the street name. Mr. Boucher responded that they could do so. Vice Chair Robinson called for additional comments. Seeing none, she called for a motion. Commissioner Babbin made the following motion: I move approval of the street names included in the Crescent Parke Street Naming staff report dated February 15, 2018, pursuant to Section 4.02.f of the Subdivision and Land Development regulations with the provision that the Planning Commission ask the developer to consider changing the name of Rachel Carson Terrace, SE to something appropriate in keeping with the other names. Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion and the motion carried 7-0. ZONING TLZM-2015-0006, TLSE-2015-0004, TLSE-2015-0006-0010 Meadowbrook Work Session, Irish Grandfield, Sr. Planner, Planning and Zoning Mr. Grandfield explained that the primary purpose of tonight's meeting was to allow the Applicant to show some of the ideas they are working on and get the Commission's feedback. The Applicant wants to revise the plan in response to comments received from the Planning Commission and the public at the public hearing on January 18t". Mr. Grandfield gave a brief overview of the application explaining that it was a request to rezone 23.56 acres of vacant property located at the southeast corner of South King Street and Evergreen Mills Road from R-1 to B-3. The site is located at the southeast corner of Evergreen Mills Road and South King Street to allow development of a Community Commercial retail center of up to 199,950 square feet. The application also includes the following 6 Special exception requests: TLSE-2015-0004 Service Station (fueling facility) building A-1 TLSE-2015-0006 Eating Establishment with Drive-in Building E 11 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes TLSE-2015-0006 Eating Establishment with Drive-in Building F TLSE-2015-0006 Eating Establishment with Drive-in Building I TLSE-2015-0009 Bank with Drive-in Building A-2 TLSE-2015-0010 Retail Center greater than 100,000 square feet. The planning Commission held a public hearing on January 18, 2017. Four members of the public spoke of concerns related to the gas station service hours, number of pumps, lighting, noise, and traffic impacts. Following Planning Commission questions and discussion the applications were referred to work session and the Applicant was asked to prepare a response to the issues identified by staff, the public, and the Commission. Planning Commission Issues 1. Possibility of relocating the proposed gas station further from single family residential areas 2. Commitments to phasing, amphitheater, and the Code of Development 3. Impacts of outdoor restaurant uses across pond from residential uses 4. Alternative layouts for special exception uses 5. Impacts to South King Street as a part of the Journey through Hallowed Ground 6. Size of buffer plantings Staff Issues 1. Mitigating gas station impacts on residences 2. Buffers and modification requests 3. Code of Development 4. Outdoor restaurant uses impacts on residential uses 5. Outdoor lighting 6. Alternative layouts for special exception uses 7. Proffers Mr. Grandfield discussed the post -public hearing actions to date which included a staff -applicant meeting on February 1 St, the Applicant has considered significant revisions to their proposal, and new materials have been submitted for consideration. Mr. Grandfield outlined the process moving forward as follows: • February 15, 2018 — Work session discussions and request for the Commission to give direction to the Applicant's proposed revisions • February 22, 2018: The Applicant will submit revised plans • February -March: Staff review and preparation for a new public hearing with a possible additional work session in March if the Commission so desires • April 5, 2018: Planning Commission public hearing. 12 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Vice Chair Robinson invited the Applicant to make their presentation. Molly Novotny, Sr. Urban Planner, Cooley, LLP, came forward to deliver the Applicant's presentation. She noted that Roy Barnett, Denise Harrover, and Mark McIntosh, all from Van Metre Homes, Peter Kalaris, Traditional Land LLC, Bob Brown, J2 Engineers, and Adam Steiner, Urban Engineers were all in attendance to address any questions the Commission may have. Ms. Novotny gave a brief overview on the background of the case for the benefit of Commissioner Faliskie and Commissioner Kidder who were not at the public hearing on January 18t". The project is approximately 24 acres in the southwest policy area of the Town of Leesburg. The Town Plan has designated this property for Community Commercial and requires for up to 150,000 square feet of retail uses. If it exceeds 150,000 square feet, office may account for 15 — 30% of total development and residential may be up to 20%. The intent is to meet daily and weekly shopping and personal needs of the surrounding 4 mile area and grocery should be the single anchor tenant. Lastly, there should be a main street character and layout. There were 2 proposed layouts, one displayed a slightly smaller grocery allowing 2 additional tenants in the grocery building (Building B) and they were able to add Building H. Ms. Novotny presented the following: Revised Layout • Building A-1 has been relocated to the northeast portion of the project so the service station will be accessed off of Evergreen Mills Road, the station will have the same number of gas pumps (8) and includes a slightly larger convenience store building and they have added a carwash which is a new Special Exception request • Relocating Building I to the previous convenience store location and removal of the bank special exception from the application so there will no longer be a drive-thru bank in this project • Building C is enlarged by about 1,500 square feet which will be an additional retail bay and helps to further the street edge along South King Street Drive-thru Layouts, Alternatives and Designs • Building I is the smallest fast food restaurant and is envisioned to be a coffee shop and the building size has been augmented to be slightly larger (approximately 400 square feet). This will be located at the corner of Marathon Drive and South King Street an there is only 1 alternative for this building • Building E has always had 3 alternatives however, the conditions of approval specify that it must be 1 of the 3 proposed layouts. Other conditions of approval include BAR approval, the dumpster enclosures to be architecturally consistent with the buildings, no speaker will be closer than 75 feet from South King Street or closer than 60 feet from Evergreen Mills Road, the speaker mounting height is capped at 5 feet, and the notes will be cleaned up. • Building F has remained unchanged and also has 3 alternatives. It is subject to the same conditions of approval as Building E. 13 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Building A-1 and A-2 — The gas station and carwash are new in this location. The gas station is slightly larger (5,200 square feet, previously proposed as 4,500 square feet) as they have more space. The car wash is closer to Evergreen Mills Road. This location is much farther away from the residences with the closest home being over 800 feet away. They are asking for a new modification to allow the service station and drive isle to be within 100 feet of an R-1 zoning district as there are no homes planned in this area as it is where the storm water management pond is located. Enhanced Buffers • Revised buffers were presented for the carwash, gas station and the remaining eastern buffer • Buffering along South King Street including Buildings I and E • Buffering along Evergreen Mills Road and Building F Code of Development BAR to review and approve Code of Development for the entire property BAR will review and issue COA's for Buildings A- 1, A-2, B, C, E, and F Images depicting architecture, place making, site design, and pedestrian experience are included in their Code of Development and they are committing to this high quality architecture and materials. Noise Study and Speaker Conditions • Ms. Novotny addressed concerns regarding the impact of speaker noise on the residents noting that they have hired Polysonics to do studies at this site. As a preliminary part of the study, they did place 2 speakers at 2 sites on the property and measured the existing background noise for a twenty-four hour period. They then measured speaker noises at different drive-thrus. This preliminary study determined that the existing background noise is louder than the average menu board. Fiscal Benefits • Over the 20 year forecast period from 2018 to 2037, RCLCO estimates that under the Proposed Development Scenario the development will generate revenues of approximately $14,984,000 against expenditures of $4,779,000 resulting in a net positive fiscal impact to the Town of $10,205,000. Under the Currently Approved Scenario the net fiscal impact would be much lower at $620,000 Proffers • Widen Evergreen Mills Road to 4 lanes with pedestrian path along frontage • Add right turn lane along South King Street into the site • Install pedestrian path along east side of the road • Commit to BAR review for all buildings within the H-2; the Preservation Planner would review all other buildings against Code of Development • Agree to repay the Town if it builds the Applicant's portion pf Evergreen Mills Road first • Commit to more than $4 million in off-site transportation improvements, through right- of-way dedication, built improvements, and cash if needed 14 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Ms. Novotny explained that they are preparing for a new public hearing due to the significant changes proposed and asked for direction form the Planning Commission as to how to proceed. Commissioner Kidder noted her appreciation to the Applicant for relocating the service station and did not have concerns about the car wash. Commissioner Barnes asked if the fine dining restaurants proposed at the public hearing would still be included in the revised plan. Ms. Novotny responded that they are and would be located in the lower 2 pad sites overlooking the pond. Commissioner Branes asked if the Applicant had spoken to the 2 ladies that spoke at the public hearing. Mr. Barnett replied that they had spoken with both ladies and showed them the new concepts and felt that the revisions were positively received. Commissioner Lanham asked if staff concurred with the BAR review. Mr. Grandfield responded that the BAR will be providing General Concept Plan Approval which does not have to be done prior to the approval of the rezoning. The Applicant will be returning to the BAR to provide more detail, some of which has been shown to the Commission tonight. He was uncertain if the BAR would take action at that meeting. Commissioner Lanham asked for clarification of the carwash buffer. Ms. Novotny responded that the buffer along Evergreen Mills Road was reduced from 50 feet to 40 feet. Mr. Barnett further clarified that they are losing a pad user and they are trying to balance the economics. The building setback was always 40 feet, but the buffer was 50 feet and they have modified the buffer to 40 feet with the same number of plantings. Commissioner Lanham asked if the buffer for Building A-2 had changed. Ms. Novotny answered that it did change. Mr. Barnett explained that the buffer will be 10 to 15 feet onsite with the remainder located off- site. Commissioner Lanham asked if Building I was now larger since it was relocated. 15 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Mr. Barnett responded that it was larger. Originally it was 2,100 square feet and now they are proposing 2,500 square feet which is the size of the prototype tenant they are hoping to locate there. Commissioner Lanham asked if all the fast food restaurants will be open twenty-four hours a day. Mr. Barnett answered that from a marketing and economics perspective, they could not restrict hours as they don't know what the market is going to demand in the next 5 to 10 years. Commissioner Lanham noted that he would like the Applicant to consider some sort of phasing into the project. Mr. Barnett responded that it is a grocery anchored center and the tenant is unknown and did not want to restrict his options. Commissioner Babbin wished to thank the Applicant for making such substantial changes. She referenced discussion on the buffers on the commercial side of the pond and asked if staff was in agreement with the Applicant to leave this area open to allow restaurant patrons a view of the pond. Mr. Grandfield explained that is was his understanding was that the buffers they were proposing are the buffers that they are going to continue with. The commitment that has changed is they are now committing to building this upfront. It will not be completely open, but it will not have some of the understory trees and shrubs that would block the views. They have proffered to have all the buffers in place up front which is an improvement from staff's point of view. He stated that he wished to decline comment as to whether staff supports the modification to that buffer until they receive the resubmission. Commissioner Babbin noted discussion at the public hearing about the Applicant building a sidewalk outside their property line to connect Evergreen Mills Road to residential areas and the Applicant had expressed concern that it would need to be removed once Evergreen Mills Road is widened by the Town. She asked if this issue had been resolved. Mr. Grandfield wished to clarify that staff was never advocating constructing something that would need to be removed, but rather looking for a permanent solution. He confirmed that staff was not pushing this issue at this time. Commissioner Babbin asked if there were sufficient buffering between the gas station and Building K to make Building K viable for the desired restaurant use. Mr. Barnett responded that there was. Restaurant patrons will not be seeing the gas station canopy and the building will block this view. Commissioner Faliskie asked for clarification of the economic impact due to the relocation of the gas station. 16 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes Ms. Novotny replied that they had a gas user that was very interested in the site when the gas station was located at Marathon Drive and South King Street. The new location is much more internal to the site and does not have the visibility as the previous site so they are trying to find a user for the new site. They area also losing the bank site to accommodate the relocation. Commissioner Faliskie noted that a number of buildings were increasing in size and asked if that would offset the economic impact. Ms. Novotny replied that this was one of the reasons for the size increase. The coffee shop is being increased by 400 square feet and allows them to attract all coffee users to the project. Vice Chair Robinson noted that Building A-1 had a decorative retaining fence and sked how tall it was going to be. Mr. Barnett answered that this wall has been on the plan since day 1 as Evergreen Mills Road sits down and they have to build up to the plateau and the wall is intended to support the dirt. Vice Chair Robinson expressed concern regarding the buffering around the commercial side of the pond and encouraged the Applicant to work with staff to come up with something like a shrubbery rug to address this area. Vice Chair Robinson asked staff if they had a list of their concerns. Mr. Grandfield replied that staff had included, as an attachment to the staff report, a number of tables detailing concerns expressed by the Planning Commission and outstanding staff issues. These tables have not been updated since the staff report went out in their agenda packets last week. Staff is waiting for the full submission coming in next week and will review the complete package to determine what issues have been addressed. They have made significant progress in the partial submission provided for the agenda packet and are awaiting more information to make decisions on some things such as the drive-thru at Building E due to its relationship to residential uses. Staff has never seen the noise information provided by the Applicant this evening. Staff has been asking for the relocation of the gas station since day one and felt that relocating the gas station solved a number of community concerns and mitigations issues. He will have an updated issues table at the next meeting. Vice Chair Robinson asked for additional questions and comments from the Planning Commission. Commissioner Lanham asked to have the fiscal analysis summary sheet provided to the Commission. Mr. Grandfield agreed to forward this information to the Planning Commission. Vice Chair Robinson asked the Applicant to provide hard copies of their presentation. Ms. Novotny agreed to do so. 17 Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING None STAFF AND COMMITTEE REPORTS None SRTC REPORT None OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS Elections Commissioner Walker nominated Sharon Babbin as Chair and Commissioner Lanham as Vice Chair Commissioner Babbin nominated Commissioner Lanham as Vice Chair and noted that he was agreeable to continue as Parliamentarian Commissioner Kidder nominated Commissioner Robinson as Chair Commissioner Babbin was elected as Chair by a vote of 4-3. Commissioner Lanham was elected as Vice Chair and Parliamentarian by a vote of 6-0-1 (Kidder not present for vote) Comprehensive Plan Evaluation Vice Chair Robinson noted that this was something that Commissioner Kidder had requested to bring up due to Town Council exploring the possibility of a Town Plan update. Susan Berry -Hill, Director, Planning and Zoning, explained that she had spoken with Commissioner Kidder and pointed her to the email that she had sent to the Planning Commission which explained that Town Council was interested in getting a very broad perspective from the Planning Commission on what their thoughts were on a Town Plan update. Specifically would the Commission be leaning towards a complete rewrite of the Plan, which is a bigger and more expensive task, or a smaller more strategic effort. Council discussed this on Monday, February 19t" in the context of dir cti`ng. some fund money towards new project. They have taken the Commission's recommendation into advisement and have ear -marked some money for a Town Plan update based on a strategic effort. Council has not initiated a project or asked that the Planning Commission look into a Town Plan update at this time. If the Planning Commission wishes to discuss a Town Plan update, they can do so. However, as she explained to Commissioner Kidder, the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan is the task as hand and urged the Commission not to discuss a Comprehensive Plan update until the small area plan project is completed. A memo summarizing the February Town Plan discussion was provided r: Leesburg Planning Commission February 18, 2018 Minutes on the dais this evening. All this can be considered at such time as the Planning Commission wants to discuss a Plan amendment. Vice Chair Robinson asked if the Commission would like this to be placed on a future work session once the Eastern Gateway Small Area Plan was completed. Commissioner Kidder wished to comment on her memorandum. She explained that it was not her intention to have staff or the Commission spend time on this memorandum. Her purpose was to provide Town Council with a very brief run-down of the scope of what a future update might be. She understands that this is not a work in progress now, but felt it would be good to have a record of these items to refer too when Council decides to initiate a Plan update. Ms. Berry -Hill responded that they could merge Commissioner Kidder's comments into the staff memo dated February 12t" on the dais tonight and then send it to Town Council as an informational item in their agenda packet. Commissioner Babbin stated that she was not in support of doing this as she had not had a chance to review it to determine if she were in agreement with Commissioner Kidder's comments. Ms. Berry -Hill replied that they could do this at a later date and noted that there had been agreement on the issues and suggestions raised at the February 1 St discussion. Commissioner Kidder's comments could be added as a part of that brainstorming session. After further discussion, it was determined to put this item on a future agenda for discussion prior to combining Commissioner Kidder's comments with the February 1 st staff memo and sending to Council as an information item in their agenda packets. Vice Chair Robinson asked for additional new business, if any. Commissioner Babbin stated that she wished to thank her fellow Commissioners as it was a great honor to be elected as Chair of the Commission. She noted that Vice Chair Robinson had done a phenomenal job as both Vice Chair and Acting Chair over the past 2 years. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:42 PM I ON jar roved by: n Cicales , = oMmission Clerk Q1 1-1 4 PCV4:� r., Gi �Inson, Vice Chairman 19