CPPC 08-14-95 Meeting AgendaCOUNTY of FREDERICK
Department of Planning and Development
703/665-5651
FAX 703/678-0682
MEMORANDUM
TO: Comprehensive Plans and Programs Committee
FROM: Kris C. Tierney, Deputy Planning Directorx
RE: Meeting Date and Agenda
DATE: August 9, 1995
There will be a meeting of the Comprehensive Plans and Programs Committee on
August 14, 1995 at 7:30 pm in the Conference Room of the Old Frederick County Court
House.
Please let me know if you are unable to attend.
1)
2)
AGENDA
Discussion of revisions to Proposed Round Hill Land Use Plan.
Staff has made revisions to the plan in response to discussions at the July meeting.
The plan will be discussed at the Planning Commission's meeting of August 16,
1995.
Discussion of public meeting(s) date(s).
Depending on the Committee's degree of comfort with the content of the plan, we
can schedule a meeting with Round Hill residents for sometime this fall.
3) Other.
107 North Kent Street
Winchester, VA 22601
P.Q. Box 601
Winchester, VA 22604
Round Hill Community Center
Proposed Land Use Plan
Prepared for Discussion S\14\95
Comprehensive Plans and Programs Committee Meeting
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction .... . . I . I . I . . I I
Background ..... I . . ...... .... --.1-1. 1
Description of Variations on Plan , ............................ 3
Components of the Plan ......................... ............ 4
Description of Phases ......... ............................. 6
Phase 1 6
Phase 11............. 6
Phase III ..... 8
Infrastructure 8
Sewer 8
Water ................ 9
Roads,... ............. 9
Summary ..... ...... . . 10
TABLES
Design Principles .......................... ................ 4
Number of Lots by Acreage ............
1.) ....................... 5
Projected Sewer Demand ..................... . .............. 9
MAPS
LocationMap ............................................ 2
Round Hill Community ........................ ......... 7
Introduction
The Frederick County Comprehensive Plan identifies ten areas of the County as potential Rural
Community Centers. The Plan acknowledges that these ten areas have distinct characteristics which
set them apart from the surrounding rural areas. Some of the Community Centers identified have
traditionally played a role as service centers for residents in and around the centers. The County has
long recognized that standard rural area regulations may not be suited to these centers. Retail and
service oriented commercial enterprises have existed in the centers for many years and some remain
in existence today.
The challenge facing the County is to develop land use policies and regulations which will allow
these centers to continue to serve their traditional function without spoiling their rural character. Of
all the identified Community Centers, the Round Hill Community is experiencing the most intense
development pressure due to its close proximity to the City of Winchester, the Route 50\37
interchange, central sewer and water and the County's Urban Development Area boundary. With
this in mind, the Comprehensive Plans and Programs Committee has undertaken the task of
developing a long range land use plan for the Round Hill Community first, complete with
recommendations for the formulation of specific development regulations.
Back round
The process of formulating a Plan began on May 8, 1995 when the Frederick County Comprehensive
Plans and Programs Committee (a subcommittee of the County Planning Commission) and staff from
the Department of Planning and Development, conducted a public meeting at the Round Hill Fire
Hall. Estimates of the attendance at the meeting ranged from 120 to 140 individuals. Given the size
of the community, this was considered to be a excellent turnout.
The high attendance was attributed to a variety of factors. The meeting had been advertised in both
the Winchester Star and the Northern Virginia Daily. Flyers, which announced the time, location, and
intention of the meeting had been posted throughout the community and invitations had been sent to
all 311 property owners within the established boundaries of the community. These invitations were
in the form of a newsletter intended to educate the residents on the current status of their community
with regard to county policies, and give them an idea of the purpose of the planned meeting. These
notices also contained a one page comment sheet which recipients were urged to either mail in or
bring to the public meeting.
A large parcel of land located within the defined community on the north side of Route 50, just west
of the Route 37 intersection, had also been advertised for auction (C.L. Robinson tract). The entire
Round Hill community contains approximately 1,100 acres. The parcel advertised for sale contained
243 acres. It is believed that curiosity and concern over the impact of this proposed land sale also
contributed to the meeting's attendance.
Location Map
The Round Hill community has been the focus of discussion on and off for a number of years. The
primary issue addressed in these discussions was whether or not to provide central sewer to the
community and the possible impacts this would have on the area. This discussion was fueled in part
by the existence of a sewer line just to the east of Route 37 and rumors of failing septic systems.
A sewer line had been extended to the eastern edge of Route 37 by the City of Winchester, prior to
the construction of the Winchester Medical Center. This line had been oversized as part of an
agreement between the City of Winchester and the County Sanitation Authority. The agreement
required that the Sanitation Authority pay the cost difference of the oversized line and the City agreed
to allow use of the line to serve an estimated 1,100 acres of medium density development within the
Round Hill Community.
The County had also conducted a study in 1993, which was funded by a grant from the State Water
Control Board. The purpose of the study was to attempt to document the number of failing systems
present, and to examine the feasibility of providing sewage treatment to the community through some
means other than a conventional collection and treatment system. The study concluded that there
were in fact a number of failing systems within the community and that it would be possible to install
a small diameter sewer collection system that would work in conjunction with individual residential
septic tanks. This collection system would carry liquid waste to a treatment facility that would
discharge into Abrams Creek. Several alternative treatment methods were identified. The estimated
cost to construct such a system however, was 2.8 million dollars, double the estimated cost of tieing
into the existing sewer line east of Route 37.
Description of Variations on Plan
The proposals made by the Planning staff for the Round Hill Community take into consideration input
received from residents and land owners within the community both as a result of the public meeting
and through comments sheets which were distributed and returned. In all, 66 comment sheets were
received. Though there was nearly an even split among those expressing an opinion on whether
sewer should be extended to the community, (31 opposed and 30 in favor) few were in favor of large
scale residential growth. Many respondents expressed a desire to keep the area rural and to protect
the remaining open land.
One alternative included as part of the overall recommendation involves adjusting the bounds of the
Community Center itself. The majority of residential structures that comprise the Community Center
are situated south of Route 50 along Route 803 and the connecting streets. Residences located
outside of this core area tend to be more scattered and situated on larger (five acres or more) lots.
In light of this, and given the numerous requests from landowners for retaining the rural atmosphere
of the community, staff feels it may be appropriate to move the southern boundary of the center
north. The intention of this adjustment would be to restrict this area to uses permitted in the rural
areas rather than permit more dense residential development. This would" help to maintain one of
the more prominent rural views within the community.
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If the area in the southern portion of the current center is reduced, it would then be possible to add
some additional acreage north of Route 50 and not exceed available sewer capacity. This area is
already separated from the core area by Route 50 both visually and in terms of traffic. The northern
area could be developed with less of an impact on the original core community than could the
southern portion.
A second variation on the proposed plan would be to designate the area within the Community
Center, lying north of Route 50, as a potential planned unit development. This would allow for the
submission of a detailed plan that addressed all relevant issues such as traffic, density, and
appearance, but would not necessarily be bound by all current land use regulations. An interested
party could take the initiative to present an innovative plan, which conforms to the general guidelines
established for the Community, while at the same time differing from established land use and site
planning regulations. Such a plan would be subject to public hearings and Board of Supervisor
approval.
Components of the Plan
The staffs proposed plan is broken down into distinct phases. The timing of the phases is very
tentative and subject to factors such as the economy and the desires of individual landowners. The
time periods used for the phases are in five year intervals. This is more for the purpose of establishing
a basis for comparison than a hard and fast time line for development. Naturally, the later the phase,
the more uncertain the timing.
There are a number of recommendations that are critical to the proposed phasing of the plan. First,
given the fairly uniform response from residents of the community, no area is proposed for high
density residential development. It is the recommendation of the staff that a new zoning category
be adopted which, among other things, allows residential development within the Community Center
at a density in keeping with traditional development patterns for the community. The actual
development of any given area of community will be dependent on the availability of appropriate
infrastructure.
Design Principles
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Curb -side parking
Low speed limit
Shade trees on both sides of street
Modest front yard setback 15-30 feet
Large amounts of open space - 50%
Modest size commercial\retail uses
Large predominance of single family dwellings
Discreet signage - maximum 10% of facade area
S
A second recommendation is that along with an alternate minimum lot size, the new zoning
classification should also establish building location and use regulations which perpetuate existing
development patterns. These regulations should be developed following a thorough examination of
existing building patterns within Round Hill. Standards addressing such things as minimum and
maximum front setbacks and building height for structures within the core area of the community,
permitted commercial uses and their scale, the location of parking areas as well as their size, location
and screening should all be considered. The intended purpose being to permit the continuation of
favorable building patterns, styles and mix of uses found within the community rather than utilizing
existing regulations which were not written with small rural communities in mind.
In the case of the Round Hill core area, the staff is suggesting that a minimum lot size of one half
acre be established. This acreage is based on a study of existing lot size which revealed that nearly
half of the roughly 400 lots within the Round Hill Community were under one half acre in size.
Approximately 100 of the existing lots are between a half acre and one acre in size. It is suggested
that the half acre minimum would go into effect as part of Phase III of the proposed land use plan.
This change would only take place as part of an overall zoning change for the core area of the
Community that addresses other issues such as building location and permitted uses, and would be
dependent on the installation of a central sewer system.
The one half acre lot size in not proposed for the entire Community Center. Areas outside the core
should be developed on slightly larger lots, perhaps one acre. There should also be an effort made
to preserve large contiguous parcels of open land around the perimeter of the Community Center as
a means of maintaining the rural atmosphere.
Given the available sewer capacity (953,600gal./day) and a average usage of 400 gallons per day,
there would be the potential for roughly 2400 residences to be served. This number however does
not take into account commercial facilities or existing uses which presumably would also be tieing
into central sewer when it becomes available. A more detailed discussion of sewer capacity and
projected demand appears under Infi-astructzrre later in the report.
De.rcrr tion n Phases
Phase I
The first Phase in the proposed plan involves the establishment of a Business/Office area immediately
adjacent to the Route 37 interchange. This phase contains roughly 120 acres. Implementation of
this phase is anticipated within the near term, with a five year time frame suggested. One of the
anticipated results of this first phase would be to bring sewer and water to the west side of Route
37, thereby bringing these services that much closer to the existing residential community, portions
of which have a demonstrated need. Business and office development would require the extension
of public sewer and water, and therefore, would necessitate an extension of the county's sewer and
water service area. Such an extension would require action by the Board of Supervisors following
a public hearing.
The staff recommendation is that standards be developed that will minimize the visual disruption to
the Route 50 corridor. This would involve standards for shared entrances, a green space along Route
50 which might include a bike and or walking trail, screening of structures and parking areas, the
location of parking in relation to Route 50 itself, size, number and location of signage and finally,
landscaping. The objective is to prevent the creation of a typical commercial strip along this route.
The regulations should discourage individual business entrances on Route 50 both for aesthetics
reasons as well as transportation efficiency. Commercial establishments should front feeder roads
which connect to Route 50 at signalized intersections.
Phase II
The second phase of the proposed plan involves an extension of the commercial area established in
Phase I, west along the northern side of Route 50 to the western edge of the Virginia Department of
Transportation property and north adjacent to Route 37 to the northern limit of the Community
Center. The total business area in this phase amounts to just over 100 acres with roughly 70 situated
to the north of Route 50 and approximately 35 to the south. The southern portion is proposed as an
area that would transition to a business/office area.
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Phase III
The third Phase encompasses the core area of the Community and proposes infill residential
development. This portion of the phase involves roughly 100 acres. As mentioned above, it is not
recommended that this residential development take place under the current Residential Performance
regulations, but rather that new regulations be developed that enable the continuation of the rural
community atmosphere. As with other phases, the type of development anticipated would require
the availability of central sewer. Since the provision of public utilities will involve a substantial
investment, this phase also proposes further expansion of business\offices westward out Route 50
as a means of funding the extension. The business area in this phase contains roughly 100 acres.
Again, it is recommended that the commercial development be permitted only after the formulation
of specific standards designed to address the visual impact of such development.
Infrastructure
Seiver
The agreement between the City of Winchester and the Frederick County Sanitation Authority
reserves 953,600 gallons of capacity within the sewer line which terminates just east of Route 37.
The staff has done a cursory estimate of usage for the land use plan being proposed. The estimate
takes into account existing uses as well as "worst case" demand if the areas designated for
business\office uses were to develop to their maximum capacity under business zoning.
Certain assumptions have been made in order to get some indication of the demand that might be
anticipated. We have assumed the maximum square footage that would be attainable given
requirements for open space, landscaping, buffer and screening, parking, roads and driveway. Based
on the acreage designated for the general category of uses we then determined a gross square footage
of developed land. This square footage was then multiplied by a estimated gallons per day of water
usage to arrive at an estimated sewer demand. The usage was based on the Virginia Department of
Health's Waterworks Regulations and conversations with the Frederick County Sanitation Authority.
Within Phase I we assumed 120 acres of B-2 (Business General) development. For this phase we
have assumed primarily retail uses resulting in roughly 500,000 gallons per day of sewer demand.
For Phase II we have again assumed retail uses on 100 acres resulting in roughly 450,000 gallons
per day of sewer usage. Phase III we have used 100 acres of residential development at a density of
one unit per acre resulting in 40,000 gallons per day of sewer demand. Sewage flow generated by
existing commercial establishments was estimated based on inquiries of the owners. Eighteen of the
29 businesses (including churches) were contacted to obtain a description of the facilities. Demand
for the remaining uses was estimated based on similar known uses. Overall, existing commercial
facilities would generate an estimated demand of 24,000 gallons per day. The approximately 300
residential units existing in the community would be projected to use another 120,000 gallons per
day.
Round Hill Community Center
Projected Sewer Demand
Based on Proposed Land Use Plan
Area
Land Use
Gallday
Phase I
120 acres retail
500,000
Phase II
100 acres retail
450,000
Phase III
100 residential units
40,000
Existing
Commercial
29 businesses
24,000
Residential
300 homes
120,000
Total
1,134,000
This scenario results in a total demand of 1,134,000 gallons per day which exceeds the available
capacity by roughly 180,000 gallons per day. Obviously the square footages used for the estimate
are not attainable given the limited capacity. We do not intend to suggest that the area should
develop to this density, in fact, we would hope to prevent such extensive development. This scenario
merely helps to determine the limits of development based on available sewer capacity.
Water
The Frederick County Sanitation Authority owns a water tower which is located just to the east of
Route 37, just north of the Winchester Medical Center. The Authority would have the capacity to
service the Round Hill Community,
Roads
As with development proposals within the current Urban Development Area, construction of new
collector roads and the installation of sewer and water within the Community Center would be the
responsibility of the developer. Each of the phases contain segments of collector roads which are
intended to channel traffic to and from a few key intersections along Route 50. These collectors are
seen as a preferred alternative to permitting an excessive number of individual business entrances
on Route 50. In some instances the collectors act as separation between areas designated for business
and residential use. The location of collectors roads shown are not intended to be precise.
Development proposals submitted for specific areas would be expect to provide for roads which make
0J
the connections indicated and serve the intended function, but would not necessarily follow the same
alignment.
Where the collectors intersect Route 50 signalization will be required as the areas develop.
Procedures already in place would require that development pay a prorata share toward the cost of
such facilities.
Sannmar
The primary objects of the recommendation for the Round Hill Community are to allow for growth
within the Community center without overwhelming, and ultimately destroying, the features that
distinguish the community from the surrounding county. In particular the plan attempts to steer large
scale commercial and residential growth away from the core area of the community, maintain large
amounts of open space, and insure that new development within the core area is in keeping with the
scale of the community. The plan also calls for a transportation network that feeds traffic to and from
Route 50 at controlled intersections, and discourages a proliferation of entrances along Route 50
itself.
While the plan does not offer specific design standards or land use regulations, it suggests features
that should be examined and calls for the development of a new zoning district that are tailored to
Round Hill. Route 50 west should not become a commercial strip. A green space should be
maintained along either side of the road and a pedestrian/bike way should be incorporated into
development plans. It is likely that elements of these standards, once developed, will be applicable
to other Community Centers throughout the county.
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