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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCPPC 01-09-95 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 Director RE: Meeting Date and Agenda DATE: January 4, 1995 There will be a meeting of the Comprehensive Plans and Programs Committee on January 9, 1995 at 7:30 pm in the Conference Room of the Old County Court House. Please let me know if you are unable to attend. AGENDA 1) Discussion regarding policies for Rural Community Centers. We have attached the section from the Comprehensive Plan pertaining to Rural Community Centers. The Committee needs to determine an approach for developing a more detailed policy for Community Centers. The statistical information on the centers is now ten years old. We may want to start by updating the information to see what sort of changes have occurred since this information was put together. The Committee may chose to select one or two centers to focus on first. Given its proximity to the Urban Development Area and past discussion concerning the possible extension of sewer, we may want to begin with the Round Hill Community Center. 2) Other - Possible discussion of priorities for the Capital Improvements Plan. In Light of the School Boards recent announcement concerning the planned replacement of Stonewall Elementary School the Committee may need to revise their recommendation for CIP priorities. Among other things we would assume that the replacement of Stonewall would eliminate such projects as roof replacement and air conditioning for the school. 9 North Loudoun Street P.O. Box 601 Winchester, VA 22601 Winchester, VA 22604 Entrances to the community should be evaluated for needed improvements. Measures aimed at increasing the appeal of the areas to both tourists and businesses need to be developed and implemented. Regulations governing the size, number and spacing of advertising and business signs should be reviewed and improved. Rural Community Centers Rural community centers are relatively small centers of population and activity in the rural areas of Frederick County. Following the adoption of the 1982 Plan, the Rural Community Center Committee of the Frederick County Planning Commission was formed which proceeded to define rural community centers and to study their characteristics. Tye Committee held public meetings in 1984 and 1985 to solicit opinions on development policies and developed some recommendations on policies for the rural community centers. The following criteria were used to designate rural community centers: 1. Proximity to and access to collector or arterial routes. 2. Existing concentration of private commercial services within the center. 3. Existing concentration of public services within the center. 4. Access from concentrations of existing population. 5. Actual population growth in the area. 6. Access from concentrations of potential population (subdivided lots). 7. Proximity to other areas which could act as community centers. 8. Physical characteristics of land in the area. 9. Public perceptions. 10. Existing public facilities, churches, and civic clubs. 53 0 The potential rural community centers identified, included the following: Gore 10 Reynolds Store Gainesboro Round Hill Armel Shawneeland/North Mountain Star Tannery Whitacre/Cross Junction Clearbrook/Brucetown/Stephenson Provisions should be made in County policies to recognize the rural centers and to accommodate the differences between each center. Many of the centers are now zoned for agriculture, which is not necessarily appropriate in relation to the functions of some of the centers. The Committee recommended that Armel, North Mountain/Shawneeland, and Reynolds Store/Whitacre/Cross Junction be treated similarly as the surrounding areas. The recommendations for all other community centers suggest that additional commercial development will occur in the rural community centers. Only the recommendations for Gore suggest encouraging increased amounts and densities of housing in relation to surrounding rural areas. The recommendations for all rural community centers promote improved public services. The recommendations for the Round Hill Community Center place particular emphasis on increased road improvements and the provision of public sewer and water service. Water and sewer issues are also important in the Clearbrook, Stephenson, and Brucetown areas. A study designed to investigate and develop recommendations on possible methods of treating wastewater in the Round Hill, Clearbrook and Brucetown areas has been conducted. A report has been drafted and is expected to be finalized by October of 1993. A Technical Advisory Committee will then submit the report with their summary recommendations to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. The County needs to consider the recommendations of the report and investigate funding sources in order to implement the most cost effective solution. 54 tiJ Because of recent development, there is a need to reconsider including Albin as a potential rural community center. 55 Table 12 Comparison of Rural Community Centers Facts and Figures Frederick County, Virginia 1985 CATEGORY Gainesboro Round Hill Gore Clearbrook, Stephenson, Brucetown Armel HOUSING Single Family 122 266 101 346 158 Mobile Homes 13 14 23 229 26 Total 135 280 124 575 184 LOT SIZE [Average 13 2.75 7.5 4 6.25esidential 2.5 1.25 2.25 1.25 2 11 - (Estimated) IF'POPULATION 466 966 427 1,948 635 LAND USE Residential 288 338 220 545 354 Commercial 5 36 8 52 3 Mixed 5 46 4 80 7 Industrial 30 19 12 411 0 Public/Semi-Public 63 22 9 98 6 Agriculture/ Open 381 352 386 1,414 608 Vacant/Wooded --F 808 284 549 217 473 Total -- 1,580 1,097 1,188 2,817 1,451 Source: Frederick County Department of Planning and Development Because of recent development, there is a need to reconsider including Albin as a potential rural community center. 55 Issues. There is a need to determine to what extent rural community centers will be the primary location of commercial and service uses in the rural areas. The extent to which additional commercial development should be allowed in each rural community center needs to be determined. There is a need to determine whether additional housing growth should be encouraged in each center. What density of housing development should be allowed in each center? A method for providing public services to rural community centers needs to be determined. IRural Areas In terms of land area, Frederick County, Virginia is predominantly rural in character. In Frederick County, rural areas can be defined as all areas not within the designated Urban Development Area of the Comprehensive Plan. In the County, the primary land uses in rural areas are agriculture and forests. Rural areas show a population growth pattern consisting of widely scattered, large lot residential development. Frederick County contains 266,000 acres of land. Of this acreage, approximately 23,000 is contained within the bounds of the Urban Development Area. The remaining 243,000 acres is in the rural areas. Roughly 230,000 acres lie west of Interstate 81 and are intended to remain rural into the indefinite future. Many residents of Frederick County are attracted to the natural beauty and special lifestyle found in rural portions of the County. Excessive or inappropriate development in these areas can reduce their value and attractiveness. At the same time, the rural areas play an important role in the County's economy through the income generated by agriculture. Fruit production was the largest single category of agricultural production, in terms of dollar value, in the County in 1982. Over one-half of the market value of agricultural production in recent years has been fruit production. Most of the rest of the agricultural production involved livestock. In 1982, according to the United States Agricultural Census, there were 111,116 acres of farmland in Frederick County. The estimates of farmland acreage show that the total amount of farmland decreased steadily and significantly between 1950 and the early 1970's. However, between 1974 and 1982, the acreage of farmland remained relatively constant at about 120,000 acres. The estimated farmland acreage then fell between 1982 and 1987. Most of the reduction in farmland acreage that occurred in the 1950's and 1960's was 56