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PC_03-19-08_Meeting_MinutesMEETING MINUTES OF THE FREDERICK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Held in the Board Room of the Frederick County Administration Building at 107 North Kent Street in Winchester, Virginia on March 19, 2008. PRESENT: Jwre M. Wilmot, Chaimnan /Member at Large; Roger L. Thomas, Vice Chairman/Opequon District, Richard C. Ours, Opequon District, Charles E. Triplett, Gainesboro District, Christopher M. Mohn, Red Bud District; Gregory S. Kerr, Red Bud District; Richard Ruckman, Stonewall District; Gary R Oates, Stonewall District; Cordell Watt, Back Creek District; Greg L. Unger, Back Creek District; Lawrence R Ambrogi, Shawnee District; Gary Lofton, Board of Supervisors Liaison; Kevin Talley, Winchester Planning Commission Liaison, and Roderick Williams, Legal Counsel. ABSENT: George J. Kriz, Gainesboro District; H. Paige Manuel, Shawnee District STAFF PRESENT: Eric R. Lawrence, Planning Director; Mark R. Cheran, Zoning & Subdivision Administrator, Candice E. Perkins, Senior Planner; and Renee' S. Arlotta Clerk. CALL TO ORDER & ADOPTION OF AGENDA Chairman Wilmot called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Upon motion made by Conmdssioner Ours and seconded by Commissioner Triplett, the Planning Commission unanimously adopted the agenda for the March 19, 2008 meeting_ MINUTES Upon motion made by Commissioner Ours and seconded by Commissioner Molm, the meeting minutes of February 6, 2008 were unanimously approved as presented. COMMITTEE REPORTS Economic Development Commission (EDC) — 03/07108 Mtg. Commissioner Kerr reported that EDC discussed a proposed zoning ordinance amendment limiting the size of warehousing and distribution in the M I (Industrial Limited) Zoning District. • Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2215 Minutes of March 19, 2008 -2- 0 Comprehensive Plans & Programs Subcommittee (CPPS) — 03/10/08 Mtg. Commissioner Oates reported that the CPPS discussed restructuring the CPPS into three smaller subcommittees with one subcommittee concentrating on public facilities, one concentrating on land use plans, and the third on Comprehensive Policy Plan review and language. He said three chairmen have been selected and members have made known their preference as to which subcommittee they would like to participate. Commissioner Oates said the CPPS is waiting for the Planning Conunission to take formal action before the three subcommittees can materialize. Conissioner Oates also reported that the Route 277 public participation meeting was held on Tuesday evening, March 17, 2008, at Sherando High School. He said about 150 citizens attended and the meeting went very well with some good exchange of information. Sanitation Authority (SA) — 03/18/08 Mtg. Commissioner Unger reported rainfall for the month of February was less than one inch. He noted that average rainfall in our area is three inches per month and 35 -36 inches annually. He said the county is presently in a ten -inch deficit for the year. Commissioner Unger reported that a fairly wet suruner is needed or Frederick County will more than likely be placed under some type of moratorium for water. He said the SA is • planning to purchase more water from the City of Winchester because production swells are low. In addition, the SA indicated an increase in water rates this year of about 30 -33 %. Anticipated new hookups for 2008 is 250; 2007 had 500 new hookups; 2006 had 750 new hookups. Welcome to Kevin Talley, Liaison from the City of Winchester Planning Commission Chairman Wilmot welcomed back Mr. Kevin Talley, the Citv of Winchester's liaison from the Planning Commission. Chairman Wilmot said that Mr. Talley will be attending the Frederick County Planning Commission meetings this month as the City's liaison. Appointment of Commissioner Rick Ours as Liaison to the City of Winchester Planning Commission Chairnan Wilmot appointed Coumnissioner Rick Ours as the Planning Commission's liaison to the City of Winchester Planting Commission. Chairman Wilmot thanked Commissioner Ours for agreeing to serve as the County Planning Commission's liaison. • Frederick County Planning Conunission Page 2216 Minutes of March 19. 2008 -3- Citv of Winchester Planning Commission — 03/18/08 Mtg. • Commissioner Ours reported that the City of Winchester Planning Conunission acted on two city- sponsored rezonings: the first was a rezoning from Commnercial /Industrial to Central /Business which was described as 9/10 acre within the North Cameron Street Warehouse District that needed to be brought into the same zoning as adjoining properties; the second was a rezoning from Educational /Institutional /Public Use to Highway Conunercial and the property is publicly known as the Old Robinson School House. Commissioner Ours said this second rezoning will permit an eventual road re- alignment of Papermill Road to Pleasant Valley Road and will make the transportation system work better in that area. He said the City Planning Conunission also approved a conditional use permit for Buffalo Wild Wings for a nightclub. He added that a teat amendment regarding the use and storage of recreational vehicles and equipment pertaining to off -street parking requirements on residentially -used and occupied properties was discussed. CITIZEN COMMENTS Chaimnan Wilmot called for public comments on any subject not on the Commission's agenda this evening. No one came forward to speak. PUBLIC MEETING Review of Public Facilities - Site Plan of Frederick County Public Schools, submitted by Greenway Engineering, for Frederick County's 12 °i Elementary School. The new elementary school will be located on Charming Drive within the Lynnehaven Development. The property is identified with P.I.N. 55- A -206B in the Red Bud Magisterial District. No Action Required Senior Planner, Candice E. Perkins, presented the preliminary site plan for Frederick County's 12` elementary school to the Commission for review and input; she said no action is required. Ms. Perkins reported that the site is located within the Charming Land Bays of the Lynhaven development in the Red Bud Magisterial District. She said the school consists of 100,800 square feet and has a capacity of 750 students, the facility includes 190 parking spaces, 10 bus parking spaces, an emergency fire lane around the school building, and playground equipment areas, as well as the soccer field. She said the staff has reviewed the site plan and identified issues, such as sidewalks and walkability. Ms. Perkins said it has been determined that a sidewalk along Channing Drive will not be feasible due to the topography of the site, but the school will be responsible for providing sidewalks along Lynnhaven Drive and Woodrow Road, Ms. Perkins pointed out that the site plan shows an access point on Woodrow Road, she said the staff has had discussions with the applicant about an additional access point and one will be provided from the Lynnhaven/ Woodrow Road intersection, to access the fire lane and the school building. Commission members expressed safety and fire protection concerns about having only one public access into the site. Commissioners asked if the pedestrian connection could possibly be made into a fire lane using pavers with grass in between, so if the front access was blocked, there would be another access to the back of the building for fire trucks. They also asked if there was a level area around the bus - parking lot drat could • serve as a second access from a public right -of -way for fire and rescue vehicles. Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2217 Minutes of March 19 2008 -4- • Mr. Mark Smith hn ith Greenway Engineering was representing the site plant for Frederick County Public Schools. Mr. Smith said the pedestrian access area Commissioners referred to was steps and there is about a 20 -foot elevation drop in this particular area. Mr. Smith pointed out areas along the fire lane circling the building where a fire truck could access the building. In addition, Mr. Smith pointed out areas with sidewalks. Referring to the trail issue, Mr. Smith said a six -foot asphalt trail has been constructed along the south side of Charming Drive. Mr. Smith said the bus parking lot had no level areas and the entire backside of the site had a three -to -one slope. Mr. Smith said he would consult with the school's architect to see if there was a level area around the ball fields that could serve as an access for fire and rescue vehicles, if the main entrance was blocked. At this point of the meeting, Chaimhan Wilmot called for public comments. No one came forward to speak and Chairman Wilmot closed the public continent portion of the meeting. No other issues were raised by the Commission. No action was needed to taken by the Commission. COMMISSION DISCUSSION An ordinance to amend the Frederick County Code, Chapter 165, Zoning, Article X111, MS (Medical Support) District with the addition of Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) within the MS District. • Senior Planner, Candice E. Perkins, reported that over the past few months, the Development Review and Regulations Subconmhittee (DRRS) has been reviewing proposed revisions to the Medical Support (MS) District to include Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC). She said the MS District permits residential whits intended to support hospitals, medical centers, medical offices, clinics, and schools ofinedicun; however, residential units that would be part of a CCRC are not allowed. She defined a CCRC as a senior housing development planned, designed, and operated to provide a full range of accommodations for older persons that include all of the following for its residents: independent living, congregate care or assisted living facilities, and nursing home or skilled -care facilities. A CCRC must also provide facilities for the further enjoyment, service, or care of its residents. Ms. Perkins said the proposed CCRC definition states this use may not contain individual parcels, and may not include condominium options; the community must be developed as one parcel, owned and operated by the entity offering rental options for die residential units. A distance requirement is proposed to be placed on the use which states that the CCRC must be within a two -mile radius from the center of the Route 37 Medical Center interchange. Mr. Perkins explained there are specific uses and housing types permitted within CCRC, and residential densities and average lot sizes have been included A4th the housing types, as well as occupancy restrictions. Other changes described by Ms. Perkins included commercial entrance spacing requirements, modifications to the structure and parking lot setback regulations, which are intended to permit the residential units in the district to use private alleys, as well as lesser setbacks when they're located on private roads, as well as other minor changes throughout the amendment to provide for the CCRC use. The amendment also makes minor changes to other portions of the MS District to clean up the ordinance as well as to introduce new definitions that correspond to this use. Ms. Perkins noted that revisions to the proposed ordinance were provided for each Conumissioner this evening. She said originally, through DRRS discussions on the amendment, the CCRC was only to be permitted through a conditional use permit (CUP) with required conditions; however, after conversations with Board members, the preferred route for this amendment is to have • the CCRC as a by -right use in the MS District. instead of a conditional use. Ms. Perkins noted that all of the stipulations that were originally proposed to be conditions have been incorporated as performance standards for the CCRC use. Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2218 Minutes of March 19. 2008 -5- Conunissioner Thomas believed this was how the DRRS and the Commission should continue to • evolve the ordinance. He said this proposal is looking forward and planning for the future, it is not strictly reactive, which frequently is the case. Conunissioner Thomas said the staff has done an excellentjob on the final revisions and this should be used as a model for future ordinance revisions. He believed this particular amendment will help developers plan for the future and will be worthwhile to the County and developers striving to produce a good product. He congratulated the staff and the DRRS for a fine effort and hoped the Conmmssion could continue along these lines though the remainder of the ordinance. Referring to Page 3, Nmnnber 5, Chairman Wilmot pointed out a statement which defines related residential uses and she conuuented that the language repeats the intent of the medical center. She inquired if the language was necessary because it seemed to imply that other uses do not have the same intent. Responding to Chairman Wilmot's connment, Planning Director, Eric R. Lawrence, said the staff added the language simply to clarify the different types of residential uses. No otlier comments were made. No action was needed by the Planning Concussion at this time. STRATEGIC PLANNING POLICY Planning Director, Eric R. Lawrence, stated that during the morning session of the 2008 Plannin Commission Retreat, a number of strategic and thought - provoking planing questions were posed. Mr. Lawrence proceeded to lead a discussion of those questions in an effort to continue the strategic thinking and planning exercise; he said the staff will use the Commission's comments to develop work session items for the future. Mr. • Lawrence asked the Conuuission members for their input on whether Frederick County needs policies dealing with the following issues: • Is the County prepared for future growth pressures'? (driven by the County's assets of location and quality of life) • What time span should the Comprehensive Policy Plan cover? • Do we have a targeted rate of growth for residential units per year? • How many residential units should be in the pipeline to meet the goal of annual rate of growth? • Is the 25% commercial and industrial tax base an official policy or a practiced target? • If transportation is critical, should we base land use planning around major corridors? Conunissioner Thomas believed the Conuuission needed to evaluate how it reviews and approves the UDA (Urban Development Area). He said the UDA was approved back in 1987 with very few changes made since then and he questioned whether opportunities may have been missed to improve the UDA. Conunissioner Thomas said that changing the UDA configuration has been made so difficult, it can't be considered a plan any longer - -it is locked in concrete. Conunissioner Thomas said that back in 1987, there was no possible way anyone could have anticipated the type of growth that has taken place over the last ten years in Frederick County. He said this County has changed from a rural county in 1987 to one with a huge urban component and a small rural component; it is not an agricultural county any longer and this needs to be considered. He was concerned about continuing with the same UDA for the next 20 years, especially if the County wanted to plan strategically towards the future. is Frederick Comity Planning Commission Page 2219 Minutes of March 19, 2008 -6- Referring to the question of using growth rates for residential units per year, Commissioner Thomas advised a close look at other localities which have tried to limit growth rates in residential areas. He said this only benefits developers who already have their land rezoned and makes it very difficult for an else to do good planning. He also hesitated to use future population growth rates, questioning which rates would be appropriate for Frederick County to use —the county's, the state's, or the country's. Because of its location, he thought Frederick County would probably grow at a higher rate than the country. He said if residential supply is purposely limited, the price is artificially inflated. Commissioner Thomas said lie preferred to focus on those administratively - approved projects that remain undeveloped for three or more years. He suggested an annual rate of escalation be placed on the proffers of undeveloped projects with accepted proffers. He suggested the standard national increase rate, based on the monetary system, and increase proffers annually on any undeveloped property. He said if it's also tied into phasing, the proffers on the fifth year should be more than the proffers on the first year. Convnissioner Thomas noted that the purpose for proffers is to help the Comity defer costs on infrastructure, such as schools and roads, and it will cost more five years front now to build that infrastructure than it does today. He suggested the Commission obtain a legal opinion to pursue this. Regarding the transportation issue and whether land use planning should be based around major corridors, Commissioner Thomas suggested that infrastructure be the critical component, not solely transportation, as the guide for land use planning and UDA expansion requests. He suggested the County develop its owii policies for access management using the County's Transportation Planner for guidance and not depend so much on VDOT; he said VDOT's perspective is different from the county's with regard to quality of life and safety. The final item addressed by Convnissioner Thomas was the issue of low- impact design standards and design policies. Commissioner Thomas said he would like to see the County move towards low - impact designs standards as a requirement for all new development. He said for many years, the Count} has had best business practices in effect and encouraged developers to use it; however, he did not see it being used on a frequent basis. Convnissioner Thomas believed that any development outside of the UDA should have strict, high standards for low- impact design in the RA areas for residential mots. Specifically, the design standards should include ever\ from septic systems to building materials, driveways, floor area ratios, etc. Chairman Wilmot advised that low - impact development might be taken on by die Environmental Work Group. Mr. Lawrence said the Environment Work Group was just recently discussing the importance of low - impact design, so that group would be appropriate in helping to determine where the standards might be applied. Chairman Wilmot had additional post - retreat comments. She suggested the Planning Commission may be interested in having a couple workshops when the regular agenda is light. A suggested topic was the relationship between the staff and the Planning Commission. Another topic was a discussion on how the General Assembly's actions and decision will affect the Planning Con mussion's future work. NEW APPOINTMENTS TO THE DRRS AND THE CPPS Chairman Wilmot appointed Commissioner Lawrence Ambrogi to the DRRS (Development Review and Regulations Subcommittee) and Convnissioner Richard Ruckman to the CPPS (Comprehensive Plans and Programs Subcommittee). In addition, she stated Convnissioner Richard Ours will be once again covering the City of Winchester Planning Commission meetings. E Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2110 Minutes of March 19, 2008 -7- • ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss the meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m. by a unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted, Chairman Eric R Secretary 40 • Frederick County Planting Conunission Minutes of March 19, 2008 Page 2221