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PC_01-06-10_Meeting_Minutes® MEETING 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 January 6, 2010. PRESENT: June M. Wilmot, Chairman/ Member at Large; Roger L. Thomas, Vice Chairman/ Opequon District; Brian Madagan, Opequon District, Gary R. Oates, Stonewall District; Richard Ruckman, Stonewall District; Lawrence R. Ambrogi, Shawnee District; H. Paige Manuel, Shawnee District; George J. Kriz, Gainesboro District; Greg L. Unger, Back Creek District; Kevin O. Crosen, Back Creek District; Christopher M. Mohn, Red Bud District; Gary Lofton, Board of Supervisors Liaison; and Roderick Williams, Legal Counsel. ABSENT: Charles E. Triplett, Gainesboro District STAFF PRESENT: Eric R. Lawrence, Planning Director; Michael T. Ruddy, Deputy Planning Director; Mark R. Cheran, Zoning & Subdivision Administrator, Candice E. Perkins, Senior Planner; John A. Bishop, Deputy Director - Transportation; and Renee' S. Arlotta, Clerk. L CALL TO ORDER & ADOPTION OF AGENDA Chairman Wilmot called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Upon motion made by Commissioner Kriz and seconded by Commissioner Thomas, the Planning Commission unanimously adopted the January 6, 2010, agenda for this evening's meeting. ELECTION OF OFFICERS MEETING SCHEDULE COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS, AND ADOPTION OF BYLAWS FOR 2010 The Secretary to the Planning Commission, Mr. Eric R. Lawrence, presided over the election of the Chair and Vice Chair for 2010. Election of June M. Wilmot, Chairman for 2010 Secretary Lawrence declared nominations open for Chairman for the 2010 calendar year. The nomination of Ms. June M. Wilmot for Chairman was made by Commissioner Thomas and seconded by Commissioner Kriz. • Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2587 Minutes of January 6, 2010 -2- • A motion was made by Commissioner Kriz, seconded by Commissioner Thomas, and unanimously passed to close nominations for Chairman. BE IT RESOLVED, that by a unanimous vote, the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby elect Ms. June M. Wilmot as Chairman of the Planning Commission for the Year of 2010. Election of Roger L. Thomas, Vice Chairman for 2010 Secretary Lawrence declared nominations open for Vice Chairman for the 2010 calendar year. The nomination of Mr. Roger L. Thomas was made by Commissioner Kriz and seconded by Commissioner Madagan. Motion was made by Commissioner Kriz, seconded by Commissioner Madagan, and unanimously passed to close the nominations for Vice Chairman. BE IT RESOLVED, that by a unanimous vote, the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby elect Mr. Roger L. Thomas as Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission for the Year of 2010. • Election of Eric R. Lawrence, Secretary for 2010 Chairman Wilmot declared nominations open for Secretary of the Planning Commission. The nomination of Mr. Eric R. Lawrence was made by Commissioner Kriz and seconded by Commissioner Thomas. Motion was made by Commissioner Kriz, seconded by Commissioner Thomas, and unanimously passed to close the nominations for Secretary. BE IT RESOLVED, that by a unanimous vote, the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby elect Mr. Eric R. Lawrence as Secretary of the Planning Commission for the Year of 2010. MEETING SCHEDULE FOR 2010 Planning Commission and Committees Upon motion made by Commissioner Kriz and seconded by Commissioner Thomas, • Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2588 Minutes of January 6, 2010 -3- BE IT RESOLVED, that the Frederick County Planning Commission voted unanimously to have their regular monthly meetings on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m. to be held in the Board of Supervisors' meeting room in the Frederick County Administration Building. In addition, the Comprehensive Plans and Programs Committee shall meet the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the first floor conference room; and the Development Review and Regulations Committee on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the first floor conference room. Committee Assignments for 2010 Regarding committee assignments for the calendar year of 2010, Chairman Wilmot asked the Planning Commission members to remain in their current committee assignments until she had the opportunity to communicate with everyone individually and determine if everyone is satisfied with their particular role. Chairman Wilmot next announced the following liaisons: Transportation Committee, Commissioner Kriz with Commissioner Oates as his alternate; Historic Resources Advisory Board, Commissioner Oates with Commissioner Kriz as his alternate; Economic Development Commission, Commissioner Madagan; Sanitation Authority, Commissioner Unger; and Conservation Easement Authority, Commissioner Triplett. Bvlaws for 2010 Planning Director, Eric R. Lawrence, presented the Planning Commission Bylaws for 2010. Mr. Lawrence said there was one suggested change on Page 8, Section 8- 3 -9 -1, Item D. He explained that instead of the wording, "...within 21 days," the text was re- written to state, "...not less than 21 days." He noted that aside from this revision, the content of both the Bylaws and the Rules and Responsibilities are consistent with what the Planning Commission reviewed last month. The Planning Commission unanimously approved of the wording change on Page 8, Section 8- 3 -9 -1, Item D, as presented by Mr. Lawrence, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby unanimously adopt the Planning Commission's Bylaws for the calendar year of 2010, with the revision presented by the Secretary. MEETING MINUTES Upon motion made by Commissioner Kriz and seconded by Commissioner Thomas, the • Planning Commission unanimously approved the minutes of the November 4, 2009 meeting. Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2589 Minutes of January 6, 2010 -4- 6 COMMITTEE REPORTS Comprehensive Plans & Pro2rams Committee (CPPC) — 12/14/09 Mtg. Commissioner Kriz reported that the CPPC reviewed and discussed the 2010 -2011 Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) with the various departments, agencies, and school system. Commissioner Kriz commented about the much improved quality of the CIP. Transportation Committee - 12/21/09 Mtg. Commissioner Oates reported that the Transportation Committee discussed three items: 1) provided a positive recommendation for a Resolution of Support for the Valley Connector Bus Service; 2) provided a request to transfer a surplus of $414,359 from the Warrior Drive project to the Tevis Street Extension project; and a request to transfer $100,000 from a Route 50 East project, which will be paid for by Governor's Hill proffers, to a ramp extension project on Route 1 I at I -81, Exit 317, 3) adoption of the meeting calendar for 2010. E Chairman Wilmot called for public comments on any subject not on the Commission's agenda for this evening. No one came forward to speak. PUBLIC HEARING Rezoning Application #06 -09 of Jordan Springs Property to revise proffers associated with Rezoning #10 -01 for 10.33 acres of land zoned B2 (General Business) District with Historic Area (HA) Overlay Zone. This revision is intended to add permitted uses on the site. The property is located at 1160 Jordan Springs Road. The property is further identified by P.I.N.s 44 -A -294 and 44 -A- 294A in the Stonewall Magisterial District. Action — Recommended Approval Commissioner Manuel said that he would abstain from all discussion and voting on this rezoning application due to a possible conflict of interest. Senior Planner, Candice E. Perkins, reported that this application is a proffer amendment . for the Jordan Springs property which was originally rezoned in 2001. Ms. Perkins said this is a 10.33- Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2590 Minutes of January 6, 2010 -5- • acre site, zoned B2, with a HA (Historic Area) Overlay. She said the proffer revision is intended to add a couple of permitted uses to the site. Ms. Perkins noted that the proposed proffer amendment is necessary to resolve existing violations on the property concerning uses being conducted on the site which are not permitted under the current proffer statement. Ms. Perkins explained that the original 2001 proffer allowed for health services, legal services, engineering and accounting research management and related services, and general business offices, as well as residential uses accessory to the allowed business uses. She said the revised proffer seeks to add, in addition to the 2001 uses, museums, eating and drinking places, exposition operations, and theatrical producers, and miscellaneous theatrical services. Mr. Stephen L. Pettler, Jr., with Harrison & Johnston, PLC, was representing the applicant and owners of the Historic Jordan Springs Property, Greig D. W. Aitken and Tonic M. Wallace, husband and wife. Mr. Pettler was available to answer questions from the Commission. Chairman Wilmot called for citizen comments at this time. No one came forward to speak and Chairman Wilmot closed the public comment portion of the hearing. No issues or areas of concern were raised by Commission members. Commissioner Oates made a motion to recommend approval of Rezoning Application 906 -09 of Jordan Springs Property as presented. This motion was seconded by Commissioner Thomas and was unanimously passed. • BE IT RESOLVED, that the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby unanimously recommend approval of Rezoning Application 406 -09 of the Jordan Springs Property, located at 1160 Jordan Springs Road, to revise proffers associated with Rezoning 410 -01 consisting of 10.33 acres of land, zoned B2 (General Business) District, with a Historic Area (HA) Overlay Zone, and is intended to add permitted uses on the site, including museums, eating and drinking places, exposition operations, and theatrical producers and miscellaneous theatrical services, in addition to the uses previously approved in 2001. (Note: Commissioner Triplett was absent; Commissioner Manuel abstained from voting.) Rezoning Application 909 -09 of Graystone Corporation of Virginia, submitted by Greenway Engineering, to rezone 271.39 acres from RA (Rural Areas) District to M1 (Light Industrial) District, with proffers, for office and manufacturing uses. The properties are located on the north side of Redbud Road (Rt. 661), the east side of CSX Railroad, the west side of Milburn Road (Rt. 662), and south of McCanns Road (Rt. 838). The properties are further identified with P.I.N.s 43- A -158, 44 -A -25, and 44 -A -26 in the Stonewall Magisterial District. Action — Recommended Approval Commissioner Oates stated that he would abstain from all discussion and voting on this rezoning application due to a possible conflict of interest. u Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2591 Minutes of January 6, 2010 Deputy Planning Director, Michael T. Ruddy, reported that the Commission held a public hearing on this rezoning at their meeting of November 4, 2009, at which time the rezoning was tabled. Mr. Ruddy provided the Commission with a summary of events to date and he reviewed the remaining unresolved issues. Those items that staff believed had not been fully addressed included the issue of the proposed rezoning being inconsistent with the Land Use Plan; the potential impacts associated with more intensive use of the properties; and the recommendations of the HRAB (Historic Resources Advisory Board). Deputy Planning Director- Transportation, John A. Bishop, reported on the remaining, unresolved Route 37 transportation issues, which included: Route 37 corridor width remains at 225 feet, rather than the 350 feet as voted on by the Board of Supervisors; the need for an accelerated design time line to meet the requirements of the proffer, which called for full design approval within five years; and the corridor shown on the GDP does not match up with the Board's adopted corridor for Route 37, particularly when the ramps are involved. Regarding Route 11, Mr. Bishop said he has discussed with the applicant a number of ways they could partner with the County to address issues; specifically, a possible connection from existing Redbud Road up to Snowden Bridge Boulevard which would allow the County, should funds become available, to relocate the I -81 northbound exit ramp onto Route 11 over to the existing Redbud Road connection. He said this would provide the opportunity to remove one of the signals and improve the spacing and alignment in that area. In addition, Mr. Bishop raised the issue of bicycle facility connectivity. He said there are bicycle accommodations in Snowden Bridge, in the Rutherford Crossing development, and within the battlefield itself, this application sits within the center of these other developments and the County would possibly be missing an important opportunity to make those connections through this property. The final issue raised by Mr. Bishop was the proffered entrance location by others, which he anticipated to mean VDOT and/or the County, upon construction of Route 37. He said the applicant has proffered three entrances along Snowden Boulevard and the proffer allows for one of the entrances to be relocated upon the implementation of Route 37 and its associated interchange with Snowden Bridge Boulevard. However, Mr. Bishop noted that it allows the entrance to be relocated to the east, which is in the Snowden Bridge development, for which proffers on this development do not apply. Mr. Bishop said he is looking for an agreement or easement for this when it comes to pass. He said the day will come when the entrance will need to be relocated and it will not be able to be easily done in the middle of constructing the needed interchange. Commissioner Unger had questions about the timeline issue on the design for Route 37; he was concerned about holding up a project while the County determines what the appropriate number of years would be for the applicant to wait until the County has the design work completed. Commissioner Thomas noted that the 225 feet dedication by the applicant was indefinite; however, the difference between the 225 feet and 350 feet was what was on the time line. Commissioner Thomas believed the decision on how much right -of -way was needed for the corridor could be made by the County with a level of design that was conceptual or possibly a detailed master development plan. The design would be one that VDOT could take to FHA to get an exception for the interchange. In addition, he said the centerline of Route 37 would need to be set through the right -of -way. Commissioner Thomas asked the staff if they could estimate what the cost would be to produce that level of design. He was suggesting that the developer may want to consider taking on that effort to move things forward. He said the County would then have an idea of where Route 37 would be in the 350 -foot corridor and could tell the developer how much footage was actually needed, possibly freeing up the remainder of footage back to the developer. Commissioner Thomas said this would eliminate the eight -year sunset clause and the County would have the land needed to construct Route 37 through there. Commissioner Thomas said 0 he thought this was a good project, but he did not want to see costs transferred to County taxpayers Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2592 Minutes of January 6, 2010 -7- • Mr. Evan A. Wyatt, with Greenway Engineering, was representing the applicant, Graystone Corporation of Virginia. Mr. Wyatt began by addressing the issue of compliance with the Comprehensive Policy Plan and he reiterated the position he took at the Planning Commission's previous meeting. He said in viewing the County's Northeast Land Use Plan, the County has designated this area as a Planned Unit Development (PUD). He said the Planned Unit Development concept is to create land uses that work in harmony, promoting the opportunity to live, work, and play. Considering this area as a whole, Mr. Wyatt said the Snowden Bridge project provides the residential element of the PUD, the elementary school site and the public park provides the public element, and the commercial service provides minor land bay employment. He said the element missing from the Snowden Bridge project is a major commercial and service component that would provide employment opportunities. He said the R4 District provides the potential for up to 50% of a PUD land area to be in employment -type use and that is where this project, the Graystone Corporation, fits into that niche. Mr. Wyatt next addressed transportation and he began by showing a Powerpoint display with a color -coded representation of the level of service (LOS) impacts to this area both with the proposed project and without it. The first display showed the background traffic impacts including all projects approved, but not yet built out, and depicted the intersections along the Route 1 I corridor and the I -81 corridor. He noted manageable traffic with some problem spots such as Welltown, Old Charlestown Road, and the off -ramp at I -81, but all -in -all, it was not a grid -lock situation. Mr. Wyatt said after factoring in the applicant's project, at build -out and with the Route 37 dedication, the mainline corridor for their project to get to Route 37 or Route 11, functions very well and the overall impact to the Route 1 I corridor is no different than with the background impacts. He said if the two scenarios are placed side - by -side, Route 37 becomes an important component because it serves its purpose in creating negligible • degradation of service. Mr. Wyatt said in light of the comments received at the November 4, 2009, Commission meeting, regarding additional square footages, FARs, and building heights, the applicant has removed those items from the proffer statement. Revisions were also made to the proffer to accommodate the comments from the County Attorney. Mr. Wyatt said the Planning Staff provided the applicant with a model run from the County's Development Impact Model and the rezoning provides the County with cash resources through tax revenues throughout the life of the project. He said the 20 -year outlook projected a $40 million cash positive and is a significant economic development boost for the County. Lastly, Mr. Wyatt talked about the remaining issues from the November Commission meeting and for the final proffer statement that will be considered through another public hearing process at the Board of Supervisors level. Mr. Wyatt said VDOT and staff were of the opinion that if an interchange is sought for this location, which the owners agree is a good for all parties, there is the possibility that a design exception will need to be sought; in which case, an elevated interchange over Snowden Bridge Boulevard will be needed, along with collector /distributor road systems. He said a more expansive right -of -way will be needed because of this. Mr. Wyatt said the owners would like to work in a partnership effort and certainly want to make sure the right -of -way needed is available. Therefore, the owners will commit to the 350 feet of right -of -way needed for the main line and, the 800 -foot wide area for the interchange will remain within the existing proffer as well. He said the owners have stated that whatever right -of -way is not needed, they would like returned for development. Regarding the time line discussion for the Route 37 design, Mr. Wyatt said it was important for this industrial and office park project to have direct access to Route 37 and facilitate traffic movement to I -81. Referring to previous design drawings done for Route 37 in years past, he believed a manageable design could be accomplished within the time frame suggested; however, to make sure the County has an opportunity to explore a way Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2593 Minutes of January 6, 2010 .14 to finance the design, whether it is a VDOT allocation, a Board of Supervisors' reimbursable allocation, or whether it is tapping some of the proffers from surrounding developments. He said if the partnership works, with the applicant's right -of -way and with an innovative way to obtain the money for the initial design, an eight -year window seems like a very manageable time frame to accomplish the design. Mr. Wyatt raised the issue with Redbud Road and the desire of the County to get the northbound off -ramp relocated. He believed the applicant had the ability to provide a 60 -foot right -of- way dedication to the County to be available within 90 days of a written request from the County. This arrangement would allow for a connecting street between Redbud and Snowden Bridge Boulevard. Mr. Wyatt said if the applicant begins to build an access road to serve a land bay, the existing proffers already state that any internal street built as a private street has to be constructed to a vertical section that meets or exceeds VDOT requirements. Therefore, an existing right -of -way would be available overtop a road that already met design requirements. Mr. Wyatt believed this will help with the improvement to the Route I 1 corridor and the I -81 off -ramp in that location. Commissioner Kriz asked Mr. Wyatt if he would speak about the Historic Resources Advisory Board's (HRAB) comments and the archeological resource surveys. Mr. Wyatt said there was one resource on site identified by the Rural Landmarks Survey, the old Carter - Hardesty House, which is no longer on the property. He said the former location of that structure and its out - buildings is within the path of Route 37 and when Route 37 is built, an archeological survey would be conducted as a part of the environmental clearance check. Regarding impacts to historic resources, he said the property owner has placed a portion of the property under permanent easement. Mr. Wyatt said the owner is willing to provide a natural 100 -foot minimum buffer mitigation area, included within the proffer, for the area along Milbume Road, the significant connecting road between the battlefield at Second and Third Winchester; • he said the County ordinance requires a 100'foot distance and landscape screening and the applicant will provide 1,600 trees along Milbume Road. Subsequently, where no buffering is required, the owners have offered to provide landscaping on the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation (S VBF) property, if they allow the applicant to come onto their property. Mr. Wyatt said this does not mean SVBF would be giving the applicant land, but simply granting the applicant permission to go onto their land to plant. He also noted that the other part of the viewshed mitigation was agreeing not use taller structures or pursue increased FARs. Commissioner Unger asked about dedication of land for Redbud Road and who would construct the road. Mr. Wyatt said this was envisioned to be a part of the I -81 project and would create a state -wide benefit at the expense of a local street. He said funding for the project would relocate Redbud Road. He commented that the County missed a previous opportunity for relocation because they didn't have the land available, he said the applicant's right -of -way dedication is an attempt to eliminate the land issue in the future. VDOT representative, Mr. Lloyd Ingram, stated that a 30% design plan, identifying right - of -way needs, could possibly be achieved within five years. Mr. Ingram said the cost value would depend on FHA's determination as to how far the preliminary design needs to be extended; he estimated the cost to be over a half million dollars or closer to $650,000. He said VDOT would work in partnership with Greenway or any other engineering firm the developer chose to move this forward as quickly as possible. Mr. Ingram presumed variable right -of -way up to 350 feet will be needed, except in the interchange area; he said VDOT does not want more right -of -way than needed. Mr. Ingram expressed concerns regarding VDOT's future budget issues and how that could affect VDOT's ability to participate in projects. • Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2594 Minutes of January 6, 2010 49 Chairman Wilmot called for public comments at this time. The following person came forward to speak: Mr. Denman Zirkle, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF), stated that the SVBF submitted a comprehensive set of comments regarding the Graystone rezoning proposal at the Planning Commission's November 4, 2009 meeting and he wanted to follow up on those initial comments. Mr. Zirkle stated that the SVBF believed the Graystone rezoning application was inconsistent with the Comprehensive Policy Plan. He said the SVBF and its partners have invested more than $6 million to preserve the landscape in this area, much of which would be degraded by the development in this proposal. Mr. Zirkle stated that the MI Zoning requested is also incompatible with the neighboring rural and agricultural landscape of the area. He said the more intensive use of the property will negatively impact the rural and historic character of the neighborhood; it will have impacts on the historic transportation corridor of Milburne Road; and it will impact the battlefields located along that corridor. Based on these impacts, Mr. Zirkle asked the Planning Commission to recommend denial of the rezoning. Commissioners had concerns about VDOT's limited transportation funds to do a concept design; they were concerned about the possibility, after the eight -year time frame, that the County may not have enough right -of -way and the taxpayers would have to buy additional land at an exorbitant cost. Commission members urged the applicant to provide the design documents for the Route 37 corridor to determine the path and the width needed in order to move the project forward; they believed a conceptual level of design may be sufficient for VDOT to take to the FHA for an exception for the interchange. This would eliminate the eight -year sunset clause, the County would have the land needed to construct Route 37, and the applicant would know the amount of width needed and could move his project forward. • Commission members believed the proposal fit well within the PUD and there was a need for industrial land in this area. A motion was made by Commissioner Ruckman, seconded by Commissioner Manuel, and unanimously passed to recommend approval of the rezoning application with the applicant's revised proffer including the anticipated transportation improvements. The Commission stated that this recommendation was based on the expectation that the applicant's proffer statement will be revised to include those transportation impact mitigation items identified by the applicant in their presentation to the Planning Commission and that the complete, revised proffer be presented to the Board of Supervisors prior to the Board's consideration. BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby recommend approval of Rezoning Application 409 -09 of Graystone Corporation of Virginia, submitted by Greenway Engineering, to rezone 271.39 acres from RA (Rural Areas) District to M1 (Light Industrial) District for office and manufacturing uses with the applicant's revised proffer including the anticipated transportation improvements. This recommendation is based on the expectation that the applicant's proffer statement will be revised to include those transportation impact mitigation items identified by the applicant in their presentation to the Planning Commission and that the complete, revised proffer be presented to the Board of Supervisors prior to the Board's consideration. (Note: Commissioner Oates abstained; Commissioner Triplett was absent from the meeting.) • Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2595 Minutes of January 6, 2010 -10- COMMISSION DISCUSSION FREDERICK COUNTY 2010 -2011 CAPITAL IMPROVMENTS PLAN (CIP) Deputy Planning Director, Michael T. Ruddy, reported that the Comprehensive Plans and Programs Committee (CPPC) Executive Committee met with Frederick County's department and agency representatives to discuss their individual capital improvement project requests at their meeting on December 14, 2009. Mr. Ruddy said the CPPC reviewed and endorsed this year's CIP and found it in conformance with Frederick County's Comprehensive Policy Plan. Mr. Ruddy said that particular focus was once again placed on enhancing the connection between the CIP and potential proffered contributions made with rezoning projects. Mr. Ruddy stated there are 73 projects in this year's CIP, including requests from County schools, parks and recreation, airport, library, county administration, fire and rescue, and individual fire and rescue departments. In particular, he pointed out for the Commission that the Department of Parks and Recreation has added three items to the CIP which improved the connection between the Comprehensive Policy Plan, the CIP, and proffered commitments from rezoning. He said for the first time, Parks and Recreation has made a distinction between community, neighborhood, and district parks, and they have supplied an additional map as well. Mr. Ruddy believed this change improves the CIP and continues to enforce the connection between the CIP and rezonings. Mr. Ruddy next reviewed some of the various projects and maps with the Commission. Commissioner Thomas pointed out the section on Transportation and confirmed with staff that the project description for Route 37 should state, "Engineering and Construction," for the dollar is amount listed. Mr. Ruddy replied this was the intent and agreed with the suggested change. No other issues or areas of concern were raised. The Commission endorsed the CIP as presented and agreed to forward it to the Board of Supervisors for their discussion. NORTHEAST LAND USE PLAN — TRANSPORTATION COMPONENT Deputy Director - Transportation, Mr. John A. Bishop, reported that incorporating the transportation component into the Northeast Land Use Plan has been an ongoing process for some time; he said it was postponed for a while by the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) in attempts to acquire funding to conduct modeling. Mr. Bishop stated that the inclusion of this transportation component would be a step forward from previous land use plan updates. He said past updates consisted of identifying the new or updated land uses and associated transportation improvements, but the final modeling had not been a part of the process. Mr. Bishop said funding has now been secured through the MPO and this process is underway. Mr. Bishop reviewed the proposed improvements for the Commission as follows: 1) redesigning the I -81 Interchange at Hopewell Road into a split interchange connected by frontage roadways; the intention is to aid in better distribution of interchange traffic by adding an additional way to access the interchange from Route 11; 2) a parallel road system to Route 11 which includes additional connections back to Route 11; the intention is to improve north/south connectivity without forcing vehicle • trips back to Route 11; 3) additional crossings of 1 -81, the intention is to better facilitate east/west travel Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2596 Minutes of January 6, 2010 • across I -81; 4) improved access management; the intention is for improved level of service and safety with fewer lanes. Mr. Bishop commented that the modeling is currently taking place and Mr. Tim Stowe is conducting the modeling through a contract with the MPO. He said preliminary results are anticipated by the January 30, 2010, Planning Commission Retreat, Mr. Bishop said this was being presented for the Commission's information and no action was needed. CANCELLATION OF THE JANUARY 20, 2010 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Chairman Wilmot announced there were no items for the Planning Commission's January 20, 2010, meeting. The Commission was unanimously in favor of canceling that meeting. Chairman Wilmot reminded all the members about the Planning Commission's Annual Retreat, to be held on Saturday, January 30, 2010, at Frederick County's Public Safety Center. ADJOURNMENT No further business remained to be discussed and the meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. by a unanimous vote. Respectfully submitted, June M. ilmot, Chairman Eric R. Lawrence, Secretary • Frederick County Planning Commission Page 2597 Minutes of January 6, 2010