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HomeMy Public PortalAbout06 21 2018 PC MinutesThe 2 -own of Leesburg in Virginia 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. Leesburg Planning Commission 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) Leesburg Planning Commission 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 Leesburg Planning Commission 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. el Leesburg Planning Commission 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 5 Leesburg Planning Commission June 21, 2018 Minutes ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:27 PM 4r' ved by: Cicalest-,Cemmission Clerk Shafon Babbin, Chairman It