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Leesburg Planning Commission
Meeting Minutes
June 21, 2018
The Leesburg Planning Commission met on Thursday, June 21, 2018 in Town Hall Council
Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, VA 20176. Staff members present included Susan
Berry -Hill, Rich Klusek, Tom Brandon, Shelby Caputo, and Karen Cicalese.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Chairman Babbin
Members Present: Chairman Babbin, Commissioners Barnes, Faliskie, Kidder, Lanham,
Robinson, and Walker.
ADOPTION OF AGENDA.
Motion: Commissioner Kidder
Second: Commissioner Walker
Vote: 7-0
APPROVAL OF MINUTES — June 7, 2018
Commissioner Faliskie noted a typographical error on the first page which will be corrected.
Motion: Commissioner Walker
Second: Commissioner Kidder
Vote: 7-0
DISCLOSURE OF MEETINGS
Chairman Babbin disclosed a telephone call she received several weeks ago from Mr. Hamlet
who encouraged the Commission to move the plan along so he can begin development of his
property located in the Eastern Gateway District.
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
None
PETITIONERS
Bob Bunch, Six Seven Corporation, co-owner of a 6 acre parcel in the northeast quadrant came
forward and expressed concerns regarding the Battlefield Interchange access as it will not
provide adequate access to his parcel once the interchange is constructed. He noted that he had
prepared 4 alternatives to the proposed design which he felt would work. He requested that the
Planning Commission and Town Council direct VDOT and others involved in the design of the
auxiliary roads to look at his alternative designs. He noted that he would not support the
dedication of the right-of-way if one of his proposed or some other alternative access is not
provided.
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June 21, 2018 Minutes
PUBLIC HEARING
None
SUBDIVISION AND LAND DEVELOPMENT
None
ZONING
None
COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING
TLTA-2018-0002 Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan Work Session, Rich Klusek,
Sr. Planner
Mr. Klusek led a work session discussion focusing on the 8 remaining outstanding issues listed
below. In some instances a straw vote was taken to determine Planning Commission support.
1. FAR — Mr. Klusek explained that is the relationship between the total amount of floor
area that a building has and the area of the lot on which the building stands. This ratio is
determined by dividing the floor area of the building by the area of the lot. A calculated
FAR at the Village at Leesburg can be misleading since all of the buildings on the north
side of Russel Branch Parkway fall within a single 57.12 acre parcel. This area includes
several types of development with varying FARs. Big box retail uses like the Wegmans
store have relatively low FARs while the four story office building that houses the former
Smokehouse Live has higher FARs. Overall, uses like the Wegmans store, LA Fitness,
and several one story buildings including those that house the Verizon store, Orvis, and
the Wells Fargo bank bring the average FAR down.
It is important to note the 1.0 minimum FAR only applies to a core area intended to be 20
to 40 acres in size. Land with higher amounts of development are assessed at a higher
value and therefore create higher tax revenues. Since a primary goal of the Small Area
Plan is to provide economic development opportunities, the amount of revenue generated
in the mixed-use core is of critical importance. Allowing lower FARs could result in
reduced development and lower revenues. Furthermore, areas outside of the core would
continue to provide opportunities to develop at lower FARs.
It is also important to note that a 1.0 and greater FAR is consistent with the more urban
style development envisioned for portions of the Eastern Gateway District. Lower FARs
more commonly found in the County today are reflective of more suburban style
development. As proposed in the Small Area Plan's mixed-use core, new development is
anticipated to have slightly more density than what is proposed in the Village at Leesburg
which has a typical building height of 3 stories whereas 4 stories are proposed in the
mixed-use core.
A straw vote was taken and the majority of Planning Commission members were in
support of maintaining the staff recommendation of an FAR of 1.0 (Straw Poll 4-2-1)
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June 21, 2018 Minutes
2. Battlefield Parkway Interchange Project - Mr. Klusek gave an update on the status of the
Battlefield Interchange noting that the project is now fully funded and the design can't be
changed at this point.
3. Battlefield Interchange Access — Mr. Klusek explained that throughout development of
the Small Area Plan, Planning and Zoning Staff had been working closely with Public
Works Capital Projects Staff to ensure that the Small Area Plan and Battlefield Parkway
Interchange efforts were coordinated despite the fact that the interchange design
advanced ahead of the Small Area Plan. Efforts for the interchange design were in
progress before significant efforts for the Small Area Plan began. In meeting with
property owners, Planning and Zoning Staff recorded suggestions for alternative
interchange designs and worked with Capital Projects staff to determine if they were
viable. However, it was determined that a combination of factors including engineering
feasibility, project timing, and the potential to jeopardize project funding prevented
alternative designs from being implemented.
Tom Brandon, Capital Projects Manager noted that the alternative plans provided by Mr.
Bunch would not meet current VDOT standards and therefore would not be approved.
The Planning Commission determined that no action was necessary.
4. Battlefield Interchange Traffic — Discussion on this item was combined with Item 6
Traffic Analysis.
5. Village at Leesburg Land Use Designation — Mr. Klusek explained that there has been a
request that the parcel next to the quarry be designated as mixed use. Staff does not
support this request due to the presence of the quarry, truck traffic, and high voltage
power lines.
A straw poll was taken and the majority of Commission Members supported staff's
recommendation to maintain the existing land use category for this property and not
change it to a mixed use designation. (Straw Poll 6-1)
6. Traffic Analysis — Mr. Klusek explained that the traffic analysis conducted for the project
is based on VDOT requirements and was developed by the Town's consultant ATOS, to
analyze the transportation impact of the Small Area Plan. The study is currently being
reviewed by VDOT to ensure it conforms to VDOT requirements. Upon completion of their
review, VDOT is expected to provide an assessment of whether or not the study was conducted
properly and according to industry standards.
Based on analysis completed to date, the Town's consultant has indicated that the
transportation network proposed in the Small Area Plan would be able to adequately
handle transportation demands associated with future land uses. These assumptions are
based on implementation of the Town's transportation network and construction of
several improvements as the Town Plan land use and transportation elements are tied
together. As is typical during rezoning reviews, more detailed traffic studies that account
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June 21, 2018 Minutes
for the specific development program being proposed would be prepared. During review
of rezoning applications, it would be possible to deny any applications that are unable to
mitigate their traffic impacts according to the Town Plan.
The Planning Commission determined that no action was necessary.
7. Walkability — Mr. Klusek explained that walkability is a key element of the mixed-use
development being proposed in the Small Area Plan. Pedestrian connections within and
between the quadrants of the small area plan have been emphasized. The Battlefield
interchange will include pedestrian paths to allow safe crossing of Route 7. At the same
time, the Plan acknowledges that some areas will remain largely auto -oriented. Staff
believes that pedestrian travel should not be encouraged along Route 7/East Market Street
outside of the Bypass due to the high speed of traffic and safety considerations. Staff
agrees that the Leesburg Bypass serves as a barrier to walkability but the Small Area Plan
proposes a transit system to help make connections between the Eastern Gateway District
and Downtown area. Furthermore, improvements proposed as part of the Edwards Ferry
Road/Fort Evans Road interchange project are planned to include pedestrian connections.
The Planning Commission determined that no action was necessary.
8. Public Input — Mr. Klusek explained that Staff made a conscious effort to include as
much public outreach as possible in the planning process given time and budget
constraints. Despite these efforts there was not a high level of participation from the
general public. Efforts undertaken by staff included electronic surveys, postings to
Facebook and Twitter, email blasts to residents that signed up for town email updates,
press releases, notifications to HOAs, videos on YouTube, and public meetings. Despite
these efforts, many residents chose not to participate in the process. Staff does note that
over 150 people participated in online surveys.
The Planning Commission determined that no action was necessary.
Mr. Klusek explained that there were also Town Plan text amendments associated with this
Town Plan Amendment and gave a brief overview of those changes.
After further discussion Chairman Babbin called for motion.
Commissioner Faliskie moved that Town Plan Amendment TLTA-2018-0002, including Town
Plan text changes dated May 3, 2018 and incorporation of the Eastern Gateway District Small
Area Plan dated May 3, 2018, including the typographical change on Page 12-49 of the Draft
Plan, be forwarded to the Town Council with a recommendation of approval on the basis that the
amendment meets the Approval Criteria of TLZO Section 3.16 and will serve the public
necessity, convenience, general welfare and good zoning practice based on the findings as
provided in the June 21, 2018 Planning Commission Staff report.
Chairman Babbin seconded the motion.
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June 21, 2018 Minutes
A minority opinion was expressed that the plan did not contain enough specificity to effectively
draft ordinances that will influence the most desirable future development.
A minority opinion was also expressed in preference to the original draft plan and not the plan
revised by Staff at the direction of the Planning Commission in their March 1, 2018 motion.
This direction was not supported by 3 Commission members. The revised plan appears to be in
the best interest of the development community and not the best interest of the Town and its
citizens.
An additional minority opinion was expressed regarding traffic impacts, parks, open space, and
designated truck parking. It was felt that the Small Area Plan needed more work to address these
issues.
The motion carried by a vote of 4-3 (Aye: Babbin, Faliskie, Lanham, and Walker; Nay: Barnes,
Kidder, and Robinson).
Chairman Babbin moved that the Planning Commission Resolution for approval of the updated
Town Plan inclusive of the Eastern Gateway District Small Area Plan presented June 21, 2018 be
adopted.
Commissioner Lanham seconded the motion and the motion carried by a vote of 4-3 (Aye:
Babbin, Faliskie, Lanham, and Walker; Nay: Barnes, Kidder, and Robinson).
STAFF AND COMMITTEE REPORTS
None
SRTC REPORT
None
TOWN COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT
Council Member Campbell updated the Commission on the following Council actions:
1. Approval of new trash contract
2. The Meadowbrook rezoning application was denied by a 4-1-2 vote.
3. The Leesburg Tech rezoning and special exception applications were approved.
4. Food Trucks were not approved in the B-1 district but were approved for the other
zoning district, including the H-1.
5. Tents, shade structures and seasonal weather enclosures in the B-1 were also approved
and the coverage limit was reduced to 50%
OLD BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
None
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June 21, 2018 Minutes
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:27 PM
4r'
ved by:
Cicalest-,Cemmission Clerk
Shafon Babbin, Chairman
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