Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC_01-05-94_Meeting_MinutesMEETING MINUTES OF THE FREDERICK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION Held in the Board Room of the Old Frederick County Court House in Winchester, Virginia on January 5, 1994. PRESENT: Planning Commissioners present were: James W. Golladay, Jr., Chairman; John R. Marker, Vice Chairman /Back Creek District; Todd D. Shenk, Gainesboro District; S. Blaine Wilson, Shawnee District; Roger L. Thomas, Opequon District; Manuel C. DeHaven, Stonewall District; John H. Light, Stonewall District; and George L. Romine, Citizen at Large. ABSENT: Marjorie H, Copenhaver, Back Creek District; Ronald W. Carper, Gainesboro District Planning Staff present were: Robert W. Watkins, Director /Secretary; W. Wayne Miller, Zoning Administrator; and Kris C. Tierney, Deputy Planning Director. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Golladay called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND 1994 MEETING SCHEDULE Action - Election of James W. Golladay. Jr. Chairman A motion was made by Mr. DeHaven and seconded by Mr. Marker to nominate James W. Golladay, Jr. as Chairman of the Planning Commission for 1994. No other nominations were made. BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby unanimously elect James W. Golladay, Jr. as Chairman of said Commission for the year of 1994. 3754 2 Action - Election of John R. Marker, Vice - Chairman A motion was made by Mr. DeHaven and seconded by Mr. Light to nominate John R. Marker as Vice - Chairman of the Planning Commission for 1994. No other nominations were made. BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby unanimously elect John R. Marker as Vice- Chairman of said Commission for the year of 1994. Action - Election of Robert W. Watkins, Secretary A motion was made by Mr. DeHaven and seconded by Mr. Marker to nominate Robert W. Watkins, the Planning Department Director, as Secretary to the Planning Commission for 1994. No other nominations were made. BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby unanimously elect Robert W. Watkins as Secretary of said Commission for the year of 1994. Action - 1994 Meeting Schedule BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission voted unanimously to have regular monthly meetings on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 7:00 p.m. and worksessions on the fourth Monday of each month, as needed, at 7:30 p.m. Both regular meetings and worksessions will be held in the Board Room of the Old Frederick County Court House at 9 Court Square in Winchester, Virginia. MONTHLY AND BIMONTHLY REPORTS Commissioners asked about the status of the Woodside Estates MDP. Mr. Watkins said that the Board tabled the application after a public hearing, but they will be considering it again at their meeting of January 12, 1994. Mr. Watkins said that the Board had concerns over traffic and localized impacts. 3755 3 COMMITTEE REPORTS Economic Development Commission (EDC) Mr. Romine reported that the EDC completed the certification process. PUBLIC HEARINGS Conditional Use Permit 1!012 -93 of Maria S. Yost for a cottage occupation for a certified public accountant business. This property is identified with PIN 1106 -A -81A and is located 15 miles from Winchester on North Frederick Pike and east onto Route 694 in the Gainesboro District. Action - Approved Mr. Miller noted that the applicant wishes to have a sign in her yard to locate or advertise her business as a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Miller said that having the sign places Mrs. Yost in the realm of the cottage occupation and therefore, a CUP is required. He said that the proposed use will be low volume with no appreciable increase in the amount of traffic generated and most of the applicant's work would be on consignment. Commission. Mrs. Maria S. Yost, the applicant, was present to answer questions from the Commissioners questioned the appropriateness of requiring a CUP for a simple sign. The staff noted that this is a requirement of the ordinance because neighbors can potentially be concerned about the activity taking place. The Commission did not envision any problems with the proposal. Upon motion made by Mr. Shenk and seconded by Mr. Light, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby unanimously approve Conditional Use Permit #012 -93 of Maria S. Yost for a Cottage Occupation for a Certified Public Accountant with the following conditions: 1. That a change of use permit be acquired in accordance with the requirements of the Building Inspections Department. 2. That the sign associated with this use be maintained in accordance with the Frederick County Code and any applicable state code. 3756 Request for Conversion of 2.9 acres of Sherando Park Property to Accommodate the Relocation of Warrior Road. Action - Approved Mr. Tierney said that Warrior Road is a planned Collector Road shown in the Eastern Road Plan of the County's Comprehensive Plan. He said that Warrior Road runs from Route 277 through the Village at Sherando, north across Route 642, continues north through Wakeland Manor, and will ultimately connect with Route 37 or Route 522. Mr. Tierney stated that the original plan for Warrior Road called for it to traverse Fredericktowne Estates. He said that the existing portion of Warrior Road within Fredericktowne is a 50' right -of -way with lots (and therefore, driveways) fronting on it. He said that following opposition on the part of residents of the area to the existing street being connected to the Village at Sherando to the south, the County has sought to relocate this section of the road onto the adjacent park land lying to the east. Mr. Tierney explained that because Land and Water Conservation Grant money was used in the development of elements of Sherando Park, permission from the National Park Service is required in order to utilize any of the park acreage for purposes other than recreation. He stated that a key component of any conversion is that land of equal value and usefulness be acquired to substitute for the land which is to be converted. He said that an agreement has been reached with JASBO tnc. to obtain 5.4 acres from a 95 acre parcel which adjoins Sherando Park to the north. He said that this would amount to a nearly two -to -one trade, as only 2.9 acres are being requested for the road relocation. Mr. Tierney said that JASBO has agreed to give the county this land if it could be counted towards open space, if and when they develop their property. Mr. Tierney added that another important element of this request is a proposal for a bike path to be built in conjunction with this section of road. He said that this would link up with the 2.5 mile bike path to be constructed with the ISTEA grant the County recently received. Commissioners asked if anyone had agreed to construct the road after the conversion of land takes place. Mr. Tierney said that although no one has agreed to construct the road, Dr. McAllister has committed to spend "X" amount of dollars towards construction of the portion of the road located within the Village at Sherando, regardless of which path it takes. The Planning Commission had no problems with the proposal to convert the acreage for relocating Warrior Road and upon motion by Mr. Thomas and second by Mr. Shenk, 3757 5 BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby unanimously endorse the request for conversion of 2.9 acres of Sherando Park property to accommodate the relocation of Warrior Road and recommends approval to the Board of Supervisors. INTERIM BATTLEFIELD PLAN Action - Approval Mr. Watkins presented the Interim Battlefield Action Plan as prepared and recommended by the Frederick County - Winchester Battlefield Task Force. The Commissioners were in favor of the overall Plan, but voiced several concerns. They felt that some type of maintenance program should be established for upkeep of these various sites until the National Parks Service took over the maintenance. The Commissioners felt that site maintenance responsibility should be clearly stated in the Plan so that these areas did not become unsightly. They suggested that one of the Civil War groups may be interested in taking on this responsibility. The Commissioners were also concerned about the costs involved and felt that the financial aspects needed to be closely examined. They felt that the Plan should specify who would pay for the work that needed to be done and who would supply the necessary manpower. Upon motion made by Mr. Shenk and seconded by Mr. Light, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County Planning Commission does hereby unanimously endorse the Interim Battlefield Action Plan as prepared and recommended by the Frederick County - Winchester Battlefield Task Force and recommends that the Board of Supervisors approve said Plan. S7R240 /HJR572 /SJR188 HIGHWAY FUNDING LEGISLATION Action - Opposed Mr. Watkins said that legislation will soon be considered in the General Assembly which will substantially change the formulas by which road construction funding is distributed throughout the state. He explained the changes to the formulas for unpaved roads, primary roads, and secondary roads. 3758 U Mr. Watkins said that the change in the unpaved road eligibility (SJR188) will be particularly dramatic. He stated that it will reduce the funding in our area by over half. Mr. Watkins said that a number of unpaved roads that have been scheduled for years to be paved in our Secondary Road Improvement Plan will have to be removed. Mr. Watkins said that the impacts of the changes in the primary and major secondary improvement funding will be more subtle. He said that although analysis submitted to the staff suggests that funding will continue to grow despite the change, the staff feels that the funding will grow less rapidly than it would have without the change. Mr. Watkins said that it is clear that this bill represents an attempt to shift funding from the smaller municipalities to the larger metropolitan areas. He said that it will have a substantial negative impact on the smaller, but rapidly growing areas like Frederick County. The Planning Commission was concerned about the changes and felt that an analysis by VDOT was needed of the impact that the legislation would have on rates of growth in road improvement funding. The Commission felt that Frederick County should oppose the bill and, therefore, upon motion made by Mr. Marker and seconded by Mr. Romine, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Frederick County-Planning Commission does hereby unanimously oppose the SJR240 /HJR572 /SJRI88 Highway Funding Legislation and recommends that the Board of Supervisors also oppose this legislation. Virginia Growth Strategies Act Mr. Watkins said that last summer the Planning Commission reviewed the proposed Virginia Growth Strategies Act, which was intended to provide a new framework for planning and growth management in Virginia. He said that the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors passed resolutions which stated that: 1) Frederick County supports legislation that would provide for improved strategic planning at the statewide level and improved coordination among state agencies; 2) Frederick County does not support scrutiny of local planning by state agencies; and 3) measures are needed to improve regional coordination and to provide better local tools for growth management. Mr. Watkins said that a new version of the Act has been prepared for introduction into this session of the General Assembly and the following changes have been made: 1) Local planning review and recognition procedures have been removed; and 2) The legislation endorsed by the Commission on Population Growth and Development on September 29, 1993 requires that a Virginia Growth Strategies Plan be prepared and adopted and that the activities of state agencies be required to conform with this plan. 3759 7 The Planning Commission was satisfied with the changes that were made to the Virginia Growth Strategies Act. No action was necessary from the Commission at this time and they accepted the report for information. 1994 SUBCOMMITTEES Mr. Watkins presented a list of subcommittees and liaison positions that were in effect during 1993 and requested that the Commission contact the staff if changes were needed for 1994. Chairman Golladay said that he would like to reserve a position on each subcommittee for a citizen member. CANCELLATION OF JANUARY 19 1994 MEETING Upon motion made by Mr. Wilson and seconded by Mr. Morris, the Planning Commission unanimously voted to cancel their second meeting in January because of no pending business. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Robert W. Watkins, Secretary James W. Golladay, Jr., Chairman 3760