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HomeMy Public PortalAbout10 15 2020 PC MinutesThe Town of Leesburg in Virginia Leesburg Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 15, 2020 The Leesburg Planning Commission met on Thursday, October 15, 2020 in Town Hall Council Chambers, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Virginia 20176. The meeting was held with a quorum physically present. Three members of the Planning Commission attended remotely with staff coordinating electronic participation via WebEx. Staff members present included Susan Berry Hill, Director Planning and Zoning, Chris Murphy, Sr. Planning Project Manager, Planning and Zoning, Rich Klusek, Sr. Planner, Planning and Zoning, Dennis Dames, Sr. Project Manager, Plan Review, Tina Newton, Deputy Town Attorney, and Karen Cicalese, Executive Associate, Planning and Zoning. CALL TO ORDER Chair Nacy called the meeting to order at 7:08 pm and made the following statement: "Pursuant to the Town's Remote Electronic Policy, Mr. Clemente, Mr. Barney and Ms. Harper will be participating in the meeting from their homes due to concerns with the COVID-19 Pandemic and current social distancing requirements in the Council Chamber and arrangements have been made for their voices to be heard by everybody." "I will now ask for a vote of the members present to allow Mr. Clemente, Mr. Barney and Ms. Harper to participate in the meeting." Vote: 4-0 Chair Nacy read the following statement regarding public participation. "Any member of the public who wishes to speak to any item as part of this agenda may follow the link posted on our agenda and published on the Town's website or call 1-415-655-0001 and enter access code 133 426 4717 to join the meeting." Chair Nacy — Present, attending in -person Vice Chair Faliskie — Present, attending in person Commissioner Clemente — Present, attending remotely Commissioner Barnes — Present, attending in -person. Commissioner Harper — Present, attending remotely Commissioner Robinson — Present, attending in -person Commissioner Barney — Present, attending remotely. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion: Commissioner Robinson Second: Commissioner Barnes 1 Leesburg Planning Commission October 15, 2020 Vote: 7-0 APPROVAL OF MINUTES September 3, 2020 Draft Minutes Motion: Commissioner Barney Second: Commissioner Barnes Vote: 7-0 DISCLOSURE OF MEETINGS None. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT None PETITIONERS Doug Fultz, 509 Valley View Ave., SW, Leesburg, VA 20175, came forward and noted his appreciation to Loudoun County Public Schools for working with him and his neighbor to address the flooding issues. He still had concerns regarding the berm maintenance moving forward. Tim Nichols, 507 Valley View Ave., SW, Leesburg, VA 20175, came forward noting that Loudoun County Public Schools did an amazing job addressing the flooding issues and developing a plan to mitigate the flooding. He too raised concerns regarding the berm location, size, and future maintenance Frances Hampton, 505 Valley View Ave., SW, Leesburg, VA 20175, attended via Webex and expressed concerns regarding the flooding in her backyard and the large tree leaning over her property. PUBLIC HEARING None SUBDIVISION AND LAND DEVELOPMENT None ZONING TLSE-2019-0009 Loudoun County Public Schools Catoctin Elementary School Addition Post Public Hearing Discussion — Chris Murphy, Sr. Planning Project Manager, Planning and Zoning Mr. Murphy presented an overview of the application, the Planning Commission public hearing held on June 18, 2020, and the concerns raised at that meeting which included stormwater intrusion, overgrown/damaged trees, and traffic/pedestrian safety at the school entrance. Mr. Murphy discussed Loudoun County Public Schools response which included a June 30, 2020 site inspection and a September 15, 2020 site meeting. New student pick-up/drop-off procedures 2 Leesburg Planning Commission October 15, 2020 have been implemented and a revised Special Exception Plat was submitted on October 5, 2020 and depicted alternative designs to correct the run off issue. Mr. Murphy explained that due to tight scheduling limitations built into this project, there was not time to prepare, present, and review engineering documents prior to the deadline for preparation of the staff report for tonight's meeting. As a result, all parties involved have agreed to provide a note on the Special Exception Plat that assures mitigation measures be developed during the final site plan review period. This note can be found on Sheet 1, Note 15 of the Special Exception Plat dated October 5, 2020. With Note 15, the condition of approval to develop the site in substantial conformance with the Special Exception Plat assures these improvements will be completed, or the approval will be negated. Mr. Murphy discussed the findings for approval and recommended conditions of approval and ended his presentation with staff's recommendation of approval. Sara Howard O'Brien, Land Management Supervisor, Loudoun County Public Schools, wished to address the speaker's comments. She explained that they have been working with the residents to address their concerns since the public hearing in June. They have worked closely with the Town's Department of Plan Review engineers to provide solutions for the stormwater drainage issues. The height and maintenance of the berm will be addressed during the site plan review process. The ultimate height of the berm will be contingent upon the Town requirements. There was discussion on the current storm water pipe capacity, the height and maintenance of the berm, the unmaintained trees, storm gutters filled with pine needles, and the possibility of removing the trees now. Dennis Dames, Sr. Project Manager, Department of Plan Review, explained that Loudoun County Public Schools is evaluating the stormwater pipes capacity and this will be addressed at site plan as well as the height of the berm. Mr. Murphy explained that the trees will be removed as part of this development. Ms. Howard O'Brien addressed the issue of the trees noting that the downed tree had been removed and the debris cleaned up. As for the remaining two trees behind 505 and 507 Valley View Drive; their arborist had evaluated the trees and determined they are stable. However, she agreed to have a crew sent out to remove the trees now. Commissioner Faliskie moved that Special Exception application TLSE-2019-0009, LCPS Catoctin Elementary School Expansion, be forwarded to the Town Council with a recommendation of approval subject to the conditions of approval as enumerated in the October 15, 2020 Planning Commission Post Public Hearing Staff Report on the basis that the Approval Criteria of Zoning Ordinance Section 3.4.12 have been satisfied and that the proposal would serve the public necessity, convenience, general welfare and good zoning practice. Commissioner Robinson seconded the motion and requested an amendment to the motion be added to include the removal of the trees behind 505 and 507 Valley View Ave and to require a 3 Leesburg Planning Commission October 15, 2020 maintenance agreement schedule to be agreed upon by the residents affected by the storm drainage. After further discussion on the amendment, it was advised by Councel to withdraw the amendment because of legal exposure to the Town. Commissioner Robinson agreed to withdraw the request. The Planning Commission voted on the motion and the motion carried by a vote of 6-0-1 (Nay: Harper) COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING Gateway District Streetscape Plan Presentation and Discussion — Rich Klusek, Sr. Planner, Planning and Zoning Mr. Klusek gave a brief overview of the Gateway District history noting the direction given by Council, at the recommendation of the H-2 Work Group, was to improve the design of the key entrance ways to the Town and to do so by using a holistic approach to site, building and streetscape design. The overall goal being to streamline the development review process in the current H-2 Corridor. The streetscape plan and its contents were developed with input from the H-2 Work Group (H2WG) based on comments, questionnaires, and surveys completed by the H2WG members. The H2WG has reviewed the draft plan and determined that the Planning Commission should take the lead in further refining the plan and developing an implementation approach. The H2WG generally felt that the Planning Commission and Town Staff would be the primary parties responsible for implementing the Streetscape Plan and ensure that future rezonings and Capital Projects adhere to its guidance. The Planning Commission should review the goals of the plan and the overall vision and recommend approval to the Town Council with any further edits deemed necessary. Mr. Klusek gave a summary of the plan focusing on goals, corridor goals, streetscape features, priorities, and adoption and implementation. Mr. Klusek noted that staff recommended the following implementation plan: 1. Recommend approval of the Streetscape Plan to the Town Council. 2. Town Council should endorse the contents of the Draft Streetscape Plan to confirm the overall direction. 3. Initiate further efforts to refine the streetscape vision for each corridor, beginning with the Edwards Ferry Road Corridor. 4. The Plan should be formally adopted by reference at the time of approval of the forthcoming Legacy Leesburg Town Plan Update. Mr. Klusek discussed the overall goals of the Draft Streetscape Plan as they relate to the five unique gateways corridors. The overall goals include: 4 Leesburg Planning Commission October 15, 2020 1. Improve sense of place 2. Enhance the visual and aesthetic experience 3. Create a welcoming experience 4. Preserve character defining elements There was discussion on the Edwards Ferry Road Corridor being a priority, the Walmart property redevelopment, street frontage improvements, timing for the East Market Street Corridor and the impact of the Battlefield Interchange currently being constructed, a main roadway focus vs. streetscape elements as a whole within each corridor, CIP funding, and implementation and timing with the Legacy Leesburg Town Plan update. Commissioner Faliskie moved that the Streetscape Plan be forwarded to the Town Council with a recommendation of approval and formal incorporation into the Legacy Leesburg Town Plan Update. I further move that the Planning Commission recommend the implementation actions contained in the Planning Commission's October 15, 2020 staff report, indicating initiation of more detailed streetscape planning efforts for all five corridors of the Gateway District starting with the Edwards Ferry Road Corridor. Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion and the motion carried by a vote of 6-0-1 (Commissioner Harper was not present for the vote). STAFF AND COMMITTEE REPORTS a. Update on Cases at Council — Susan Berry Hill, Director, Planning and Zoning Ms. Berry Hill informed the Commission that Council will be discussing Mike McLister's recommendations for development in the Downtown. On October 27th, a portion of the 2017 Zoning Ordinance Batch will be addressed. The public hearing was held on January 14th. Council had acted on about 2/3 of the batch but had separated some items out for continued discussion. These items included new requirements for BAR membership, Airbnb registration, and a definition for kiosks. SRTC REPORT Chair Nacy informed the Commission that she had not attended the meeting. BAR REPORT Commissioner Robinson informed the Commission that the BAR has modified their minute format to be more of a generic overview of the meeting and have also added a timestamp for when the item was discussed. TOWN COUNCIL LIAISON REPORT None OLD BUSINESS None NEW BUSINESS 5 Leesburg Planning Commission October 15, 2020 None ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 9:28 pm. roved by ren Cicalese, Commission Clerk Auu ilkiti Kari Nacy, Chair 6