01SN0128-DEC20.pdfDecember 20, 2000 BS
STAFF'S
REQUEST ANALYSIS
AND
RECOMMENDATION
01SN0128
Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
Bermuda Magisterial District
West line of Chester Road
REOUEST:
Rezoning from Residential (R-7) to Agricultural (A) with Conditional Use to permit
a vocational/training school and Conditional Use Planned Development on this tract
and an existing Agricultural (A) tract to permit exceptions to Zoning Ordinance
requirements.
PROPOSED LAND USE:
A human rehabilitative service program known as Chester House is planned.
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
RECOMMEND APPROVAL SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS ON PAGE 2 AND
ACCEPTANCE OF THE PROFFERED CONDITIONS ON PAGES 2 AND 3.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommend approval for the following reasons:
The Chester Village Plan suggests the property is appropriate for neighborhood
office uses. Although a vocational and training school is generally considered a
commercial use, the recommended conditions limit the character and intensity of
the operation to that of an administrative office; therefore, the proposed use
conforms with the Plan.
Providing a FIRST CHOICE Community Through Excellence in Public Service.
Existing development standards and proposed conditions further ensure land use
compatibility with existing and anticipated area residential, office and commercial
development.
The proposed exception to Ordinance requirements is appropriate given the
exceptional narrowness of the width at the entrance off Chester Road.
(NOTE: CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPOSED OR THE PROPERTY OWNER MAY PROFFER
CONDITIONS. THE CONDITIONS NOTED WITH "STAFF/CPC" WERE AGREED UPON
BY BOTH STAFF AND THE COMMISSION. CONDITIONS WITH ONLY A "STAFF" ARE
RECOMMENDED SOLELY BY STAFF. CONDITIONS WITH ONLY A "CPC" ARE
ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS RECOMMENDED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION.)
CONDITIONS
(STAFF/CPC) 1.
This Conditional Use shall be granted for the purpose of operating
a vocational and training school limited to human rehabilitative
services. (P)
(STAFF/CPC) 2.
Except as stated herein, development shall conform to the
requirements of the Chester Village Fringe East District of the
Zoning Ordinance for office districts. (P)
(STAFF/CPC) 3.
A fifteen (15) foot exception to the required thirty (30) foot side
yard setback for the entrance drive shall be granted. (P)
(STAFF/CPC) 4.
Prior to issuance of a final certificate of occupancy, the gravel road
from the site access north to Chester Road shall be reconstructed to
VDOT standards, as determined by the Transportation Department.
The developer shall dedicate to Chesterfield County, free and
unrestricted, any additional right of way (or easements) required for
this road improvement. (T)
PROFFERED CONDITIONS
(STAFF/CPC)
1. The public water system shall be used. (U)
(STAFF/CPC)
With the exception of timbering which has been approved by the
Virginia State Department of Forestry for the purpose of removing
dead or diseased trees, there shall be no timbering until a land
disturbance permit has been obtained from the Environmental
Engineering Department and the approved devices have been
installed. (EE)
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(STAFF/CPC) 3.
Along the property line adjacent to the western property line of Tax
1D 789-656-8921, landscaping and/or fencing shall be installed for
the purpose of discouraging pedestrian traffic between that property
and the subject property. The exact treatment shall be approved at
the time of site plan review. (P)
GENERAL INFORMATION
Location:
Fronts west line of Chester Road, north of West Hundred Road. Tax ID 789-656-5544
and 7307 (Sheet 26).
Existing Zoning:
A and R-7
Size:
5.1 acres
Existing Land Use:
Vacant
Adjacent Zoning and Land Use:
North - A and R-9; Single family residemial or vacant
South - C-2 and C-3; Single family residential or vacant
East - R-7; Single family residential, public/semi-public (Chester Middle School and the
"Chester House") or vacant
West - C-3, C-3 with Conditional Use Planned Development, R-7 and A; CSX Railroad
or vacant
UTILITIES
Public Water System:
There is an existing sixteen (16) inch water line extending from West Hundred Road,
westward across both Chester Road and the request site which serves the Village Green
development. Use of the public water system is intended and has been proffered.
(Proffered Condition 1)
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Public Wastewater System:
There is an existing eight (8) inch wastewater collector extending from Chester Road
across the request site. Use of the public wastewater system is required by County Code.
Adequate wastewater capacity should be available to serve the intended use for this site.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Drainage and Erosion:
The parcel has two (2) creeks traversing the property into which this site currently drains.
The creeks proceed north from the parcel to Great Branch and eventually to the James
River. The property is currently wooded and, as such, should not be timbered until
issuance of a land disturbance permit. This will ensure that adequate erosion control
measures are in place prior to any land disturbance (Proffered Condition 2). There are
currently no on- or off-site drainage or erosion problems.
Water Ouality:
Wetlands may be located on the northern portion of the property which may affect future
site design.
PUBLIC
Fire Service:
This property is currently served by the Chester Fire/Rescue Station, Company Number
1 and Bensley-Bermuda Rescue Squad. When the property is developed, the number of
hydrants and quantity of water needed for fire protection will be evaluated during the plans
review process.
Police:
Chesterfield County, through the Police Department, has incorporated Crime Prevention
Through Environmental Design, (CPTED), into the planning process. CPTED is the
implementation of strategies to reduce frequency, severity and/or fear of critue through the
manipulation of the physical environment. The Police Department, upon reviewing this
request, has determined that there is a need to implement certain CPTED strategies. These
include access control, lighting, landscaping, site layout and security. If this request is
approved, staff will work with the developer to have these concerns addressed in
conjunction with site plan review.
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Transportation:
Traffic generation information is not available for the proposed use; vocational/training
school (Chester House). Vehicles generated by this development will be distributed to
Chester Road which had a 1997 traffic count of 10,625 vehicles per day.
On the west side of, and parallel to, this section of Chester Road is a gravel road. This
parallel gravel road intersects Chester Road just north of Route 10 and again just north of
the subject property. The southern half of this gravel road is in the State Secondary
System. The northern half, which the subject property fronts, is not in the State Secondary
System. Traffic generated from development of the subject property will access Chester
Road via this unimproved gravel road. In conjunction with development of the subject
property, the gravel road should be reconstructed from the subject property access north
to Chester Road (Condition 4). The reconstruction should consist of a twenty-two (22)
foot wide paved road with a minimum four (4) foot wide shoulders. Once this road is
reconstructed, the County should request the Virginia Department of Transportation
(VDOT) to accept it into the State Secondary System.
At time of site plan review, specific recommendations will be provided regarding access,
internal circulation and reconstruction of the gravel road.
LAND USE
Comprehensive Plan:
Lies within the ~ Plan which suggests the property is appropriate for
neighborhood office use. Appropriate land uses include limited professional and
administrative offices and similar uses that do not generate excessive traffic volumes,
undue noise or glare and are compatible with adjacent residential uses.
Area Development Trends:
Adjacent properties to the north and east are zoned Residential (R-7 and R-9) and
Agricultural (A) and are developed for single family and public/semi public uses (Chester
Middle School and the current "Chester House" facility) or are vacant. Properties to the
south and west are zoned Neighborhood and Community Business (C-2 and C-3) and are
occupied by a single family residence, railroad right of way or vacant. The Chester Village
Plan anticipates neighborhood office uses within the inunediate area of the subject property
that will provide a transition between the future commercial development along the north
line of Route 10, west of the CSX Railroad and the residential and public/semi-public
development to the north of this neighborhood office designation as well as east of Chester
Road.
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Uses:
The Chesterfield County Community Services Board proposes to construct a facility for
the operation of a psychiatric rehabilitation program for adults with mental illness on the
property. Known as "Chester House", participants in the program receive extensive
community-based rehabilitation services to include vocational assessment and training, job
placement and on-going employment supports, training in various daily living skills and
interpersonal skills and/or training and support necessary to function in the community and
avoid frequent hospitalization. This facility currently operates from the former Red Cross
building located directly across from the subject property on the east line of Chester Road.
Chester House currently serves up to 120 participants each year, with a daily attendance
averaging between fifty (50) and fifty-five (55) people between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to
4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Recommended conditions would restrict the use of the property to the operation of a
vocational and training school limited to human rehabilitative services. This will insure
that the use has a character similar to that of an administrative office rather than a more
intense commercial or trade school and therefore consistent with the recommendations of
the Plarl. (Condition 1)
Site Design:
Condition 2 requires that the property be developed in accordance with the Chester Village
Fringe East District requirements of the Zoning Ordinance, except as modified by
Condition 3. These standards address access, parking, landscaping, architectural treatment,
setbacks, signs, utilities, and screening of dumpsters and loading areas.
Architectural Treatment:
As per the current Ordinance and as required by Condition 2, architectural treatment of
buildings, including materials, color and style, must be compatible with buildings located
within the same project. Compatibility may be achieved through the use of similar building
massing, materials, scale, colors and other architectural features.
The Chester Village standards currently require that buildings be designed with
harmonious proportions to avoid bulky masses. There should be architectural variety, but
also compatibility with existing structures, especially of a high historical interest. New and
remodeled buildings must enhance the cohesive village character reflected in existing
structures through the use of design elements such as materials, balconies, terraces,
articulation of doors and windows, sculptural or textural relief of facades, architectural
ornamentation, varied roof lines, lighting fixtures and planting materials.
Currently, no building exterior which would be visible to any A or R District or any public
right of way may consist of architectural materials inferior in quality, appearance, or detail
6 01SN0128/WP/DEC20J
to any other exterior of the same building. There is, however, nothing to preclude the use
of different materials on different building exteriors, hut rather, the use of inferior
materials on sides which face adjoining property. No portion of a building constructed of
unadorned concrete block or corrugated and/or sheet metal may be visible from any
adjoining A or R District or any public right of way. No building exterior may be
constructed of unpainted concrete block or corrugated and/or sheet metal.
Currently, the Ordinance states that all junction and accessory boxes must be screened
from view of adjacent property and public rights of way by landscaping or architectural
treatment integrated with the building. Mechanical equipment, whether ground-level or
rooftop, shall be screened from view of adjacent property and public rights of way and
designed to be perceived as an integral part of the building.
Screening and Bulk Exceptions:
Currently, the Zoning Ordinance requires that solid waste storage areas (i.e., dumpsters,
garbage cans, trash compactors, etc.) on property which is adjacent to an A, R, R-TH or
R-MF District be screened from view of such district by a masom3, or concrete wall which
is constructed of comparable materials and designed to be compatible with the principal
building that such area serves, and that such area within 1,000 feet of any A or R Districts
not serviced between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. In addition, sites must be
designed and buildings oriented so that loading areas are screened from any property where
loading areas are prohibited and from public rights of way.
Adjacent properties to the north and southeast are zoned Residential (R-7 and R-9) and are
occupied by single family residences. These properties are designated on the Chester
Village Plan for office uses. Side yard setbacks for parking and drives are thirty (30) feet,
but may be eliminated adjacent to these residentially-improved parcels provided that a solid
screen or fence at least four (4) feet high is installed adjacent to such properties. This
screening requirement may be waived by the Director of Planning at the request of the
adjacent property owners. The applicant has requested an exception to encroach fifteen
(15) feet into the required thirty (30) foot side yard setback for the entrance drive without
the provision of a solid screen or fence. This exception is appropriate given the
exceptional narrowness of the parcel width at the entrance off Chester Road. (Condition
3)
Buffers and Screening:
Since the Plan suggests that the adjacent property would be appropriate for office use, staff
has not recommended provision of a buffer or screen along the access drive (Condition 3).
Provision of screening and buffers elsewhere will be addressed at the time of site plan
review based upon Chester Village Fringe Standards.
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To address concerns of an adjacent property owner to the east, the applicant has proffered
landscaping and/or fencing between that property and the subject property to discourage
pedestrian traffic between the two (2) properties. (Proffered Condition 3)
CONCLUSIONS
The Che te Villa e Plan suggests that the property is appropriate for neighborhood office uses.
A vocational and training school would typically be considered a Community Business (C-3) use;
however, the conditions which limit the character and intensity of the operation, represent the
characteristics of an administrative office use. The requested exceptions to setbacks for drives are
appropriate given the exceptional narrowness of the parcel width at the entrance off Chester Road.
Given these considerations, approval of this request is recommended.
CASE HISTORY
Planning Cormnission Meeting (11/16/00):
The applicant accepted the recommendation. To address concerns of an adjacent property
owner, the applicant introduced a proffered condition requiring landscaping and/or fencing
between an adjacent property to the east and the subject properties to discourage pedestrian
traffic between these two (2) properties. (Proffered Condition 3)
Mr. Cunningham acknowledged that the adjacent property owner was satisfied with the
case based upon the addition of this proffered condition.
On motion of Mr. Cunningham, seconded by Mr. Marsh, the Commission recommended
approval of this request subject to the conditions on page 2 and acceptance of the proffered
conditions on pages 2 and 3.
AYES: Unanimous.
The Board of Supervisors, on Wednesday, December 20, 2000, beginning at 7:00 p.m., will take
under consideration this request.
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C-3
A
0 600 Feet
Case #: 01SN0128
Rezoning: ~ R-7 TO A
~ C.U. & C.U.P.D,
Sheet #: 26
c v THOM
EST~
A
C-3
~ R-7
I
1'4
6,oo
600 Feet
lil~ R-7 TO A
~ C.U. & C.U.P.D.
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