05SN0293-June22.pdfMay26, 2805 -OIG
June 22, 2005 BS
STAFF'S
REQUEST ANALYSIS
AND
RECOMMENDATION
05SNO293
Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors
Matoaca Magisterial District
North line of Powhite Parkway
REQUEST: Amendment of Conditional Use Planned Development (Case 89SN0059) to
permit property to be developed as a separate project for use as a school and/or
other public facility.
PROPOSED LAND USE:
A middle school is proposed. This property was zoned as part of a mixed use
development known as Centerpointe, which requires schematic plan approval for
the overall development prior to further construction. This request would allow
the school site or any other public facility to be developed independent of the
Centerpointe project.
PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION
RECOMMEND APPROVAL SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS ON PAGE 2.
AYES: MESSRS. LITTON, WILSON AND GECKER
NAYS: MESSRS. BASS AND GULLEY
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommend approval for the following reasons:
A. This amendment will allow development to proceed for public facility use
independent of the remaining portion of the Centerpointe Development.
Providing a FIRST CHOICE community through excellence in public service
B. A middle school site on a portion of the property complies with the amendment to
the Public Facilities Plan, as recommended by the Planning Commission.
(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) I . Prior to any site plan approval, ninety (90) foot wide rights of way
for Center Pointe Parkway and for Brandermill Parkway across the
entire parcel of the middle school site, as determined by the
Transportation Department, shall be recorded. (T)
(STAFF/CPC) 2. Direct access from the middle school site to Center Pointe Parkway
and to Brandermill Parkway shall be approved by the
Transportation Department. (T)
(STAFF/CPC) 3. Prior to issuance of an Occupancy permit for the middle school, the
following road improvements shall be completed, as determined by
the Transportation Department:
a. Construction of Center Pointe Parkway as a two-lane
facility from its current terminus to the western boundary of
the middle school site.
b. Construction of Brandermill Parkway as a two-lane facility
across the entire parcel of the middle school site.
C. Construction of additional pavement along Center Pointe
Parkway and along Brandermill Parkway at each approved
access to provide left and right turn lanes, based on
Transportation Department standards.
d. Dedication to Chesterfield County, free and unrestricted, of
any additional right of way (or easements) required for the
improvements identified above. (T)
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GENERAL INFORMATION
Location:
North line of Powhite Parkway, east of Old Hundred Road. Tax IDs 724-693-6630, 724-
694-5390 and 726 -695 -Part of 3178 (Sheet 9).
Existing Zoning:
R-7 with Conditional Use Planned Development
Size:
190.6 acres
Existing Land Use:
Vacant
Adjacent Zoning and Land Use:
North and East — R-7 with Conditional Use Planned Development; Vacant
South —R-7 and R-9, all with Conditional Use Planned Development; Single family or
multifamily residential
West - 0-2 with Conditional Use Planned Development and A; Multifamily residential
or vacant
Transportation:
This amendment to the Conditional Use Planned Development for the Centerpointe
Project (Case 88SN0059) will allow a public school and/or other public facilities to be
developed on the property (190.6 acres). All of the property may not be used for public
use. Any public use, other than a middle school, developed on the property would require
Substantial Accord approval. At time of Substantial Accord review for those other public
uses, the Transportation Department will evaluate the proposals and provide
recommendations to address their traffic impact.
This request will not limit enrollment at the middle school; therefore, it is difficult to
anticipate traffic generation. The recommended capacity for middle schools, identified in
the Public Facilities Plan, is 1,200 students. Based on this recommended capacity and
middle school trip rates, development could generate approximately 1,950 average daily
trips. These vehicles will be initially distributed along Charter Colony Parkway, which
had a 2003 traffic count of 16,809 vehicles per day between North Woolridge Road and
Center Pointe Parkway, and a 2003 traffic count of 17,694 vehicles per day between
Center Pointe Parkway and Powhite Parkway. Based on the current volume of traffic, the
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two (2) lane section of Charter Colony Parkway between North Woolridge Road and
Center Pointe Parkway is at capacity (Level of Service E). The capacity of the four (4)
lane section of Charter Colony Parkway between Center Pointe Parkway and Powhite
Parkway is acceptable (Level of Service B) for the volume of traffic it currently carries.
The Thoroughfare Plan identifies two (2) proposed roads, an east/west major arterial
(Center Pointe Parkway) and a north/south major arterial (Brandermill Parkway),
extending across the property. Both roads have recommended right of way widths of
ninety (90) feet. If part of the property is developed for the middle school and the
alignment(s) of one (1) or both of these proposed Thoroughfare Plan roads extend across
that site, then right of way for the roads should be dedicated in accordance with that Plan.
(Condition 1)
Access to major arterials, such as Center Pointe Parkway and Brandermill Parkway,
should be controlled. Based on zoning requirements for the Centerpointe Project, Center
Pointe Parkway will be a four (4) lane divided facility, and Brandermill Parkway will be a
two (2) lane facility. The amount of frontage the middle school has along each roadway
will determine the number and type of accesses (i.e., right -in and right -out only access
and/or full access) that will be available to the site. At time of site plan review, the
Transportation Department will review access from the middle school site to Center
Pointe Parkway and/or Brandermill Parkway (Condition 2).
The traffic impact of this development must be addressed. A section of Center Pointe
Parkway, from Charter Colony Parkway west for a distance of approximately 1,300 feet,
has been constructed as a two-lane facility. The County has a Letter of Credit for the
construction of an additional 500 -foot section of this roadway. Development of the
middle school should include: 1) extending Center Pointe Parkway as a two (2) lane road
from its current terminus to the western boundary of the middle school site; 2) if the
middle school parcel includes the proposed Brandermill Parkway, extending Brandermill
Parkway across the entire parcel; and 3) constructing additional pavement along Center
Pointe Parkway and Brandermill Parkway at each approved access to provide left and
right turn lanes, based on Transportation Department standards. (Condition 3)
At the time of site plan review, specific recommendations will be provided regarding
access, internal circulation and construction of mitigating road improvements.
LAND USE
Comprehensive Plan:
Lies within the boundaries of the Route 288 Corridor Plan which suggests the property is
appropriate for a mix of office, and light industrial and residential uses of varying
densities. The adopted Public Facilities Plan identifies a need for a new middle school in
the central part of the County. The adopted Plan recommends a site in the Courthouse
Road area, between Hull Street and Reams Roads or in the vicinity of the west Hull Street
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Road Corridor, between Woodlake Parkway and Baldwin Creek Road. An amendment to
the Plan is pending. The amendment, as recommended by the Planning Commission,
suggests an alternative location at, or east of Route 288, north of Hull Street Road and
south of Midlothian Turnpike. The pending amendment is scheduled for the Board's
consideration on June 22. The proposed use of land within the boundaries of this request
for a middle school complies with the amendment, as recommended by the Commission.
Zoning_ History:
On June 25, 1990, the Board of Supervisors, upon a favorable recommendation by the
Commission, approved an amendment to a Conditional Use Planned Development (Case
865025) to permit use and bulk exceptions on a 948 acre property zoned Residential (R-
15), Residential (R-7), Office Business (0) and Community Business (B-2) (Case
88SN0059). A mixed use development, to include residential, office, commercial,
industrial and public/semi-public uses was planned. The subject property was included
within the limits of this case.
Conditions of zoning require the dedication to the County of both a fire station site,
containing a minimum of five (5) acres, and school site, containing a minimum of thirty-
one (31) acres. Conditions further indicate that this acreage can be utilitized for other
public facilities. Specifically, the approved master plan (attached) depicts the location of
the fire station site at the intersection of Centerpointe and Brandermill Parkways and the
school site is depicted along the south line of Centerpointe Parkway, west of Brandermill
Parkway, both within the limits of the current request site.
Site Desijzn:
As previously noted, conditions of Case 88SNO059 require the dedication of a total of
thirty-six (36) acres to the County to accommodate a fire station site and a school site or
other public facility. There are plans to develop a middle school on a portion of the
acreage included in this request. It is anticipated that the County will need to acquire
approximately sixteen (16) additional acres to accommodate the development of a middle
school. Any acreage from the subject property that is not acquired or dedicated for public
use will be required to be developed in compliance with the conditions of Case
89SNO056 and will require schematic plan approval as part of the adjacent mixed use
project known as Centerpointe. Further, should any public facility, other than a middle
school, be constructed on the site, such facility will require substantial accord
determination.
CONCLUSIONS
The amendment will allow for development of thirty-six (36) acres dedicated for public facility
use, as required by conditions of Case 89SN0059. Further, it will permit the incorporation of
additional property to accommodate development of public facilities as a separate project from
Centerpointe. Should a middle school facility be constructed on the site, this amendment would
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allow for this use without future zoning action. Other facilities will be required to obtain
substantial accord approval
Given these considerations, approval of this request is recommended.
CASE HISTORY
Planning Commission Meeting (5/26/05):
There was support and opposition present. Those in support indicated a need for a middle
school and that the site conforms with the information disseminated for the bond
referendum. Those in opposition indicated that a more western site would better serve
the needs; the public was mislead during the bond referendum as to the site of the new
middle school; the selection of the site has not followed County policies; condemnation
of additional land to accommodate a middle school would be costly to the taxpayers; and
requested deferral until the Board can act upon the pending amendment to the Public
Facilities Plan.
Mr. Bass made a motion to defer Case 05SNO293 to the August 16, 2005, Planning
Commission meeting to allow the legalities of the Centerpointe site to be resolved and to
allow the Board of Supervisors to make a decision on the proposed amendment to the
Public Facilities Plan. Mr. Bass stated he felt staff's reasons for recommending approval
were misleading and the request should be deferred for ninety (90) days to allow for the
possibility of obtaining the land the County wanted to be used for public property without
any court action or cost for the land.
Mr. Litton addressed previously expressed concerns relative to whether or not
condemnation proceedings would be necessary if a landowner did not want to sell his
land, noting the School Board would have to determine if they needed the additional land
and, if they so determined and the landowner was unwilling to sell, they would have to
initiate condemnation proceedings to obtain the land. He stated he did not anticipate that
action would occur.
Mr. Bass restated his motion for deferral of Case 05SNO293 to the August 16, 2005,
Planning Commission meeting. Mr. Gulley seconded the motion for purposes of
discussion.
Mr. Gulley stated, although the Commission requested the public comments be limited to
the subject request, some people felt this would be their only opportunity to address
whether a middle school should be in the Centerpointe or western area of the County. He
addressed concerns relative to perceptions of the public process and the process being
ridiculed; referenced email correspondence concerning statistics projecting high school
and middle school attendance with proposed and/or actual boundary changes; addressed
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the bond referendum campaign, indicating he felt the Bond Committee simply presented
information provided to them; stated he took issue with the elected officials who failed to
act on the Public Facilities Plan so that the Plan reflected the alternative location
suggested by the School Board; that the public was deceived because there was
contradictory information disseminated; that the middle school site reflected on the bond
referendum map did not adhere to the adopted Public Facilities Plan; and that a great deal
of misinformation and tainted information had been disseminated during the bond
referendum process. He further stated he wanted to address a statement that was made at
a previous Commission meeting that "the difference between what it would cost to
renovate the current Clover Hill High School and building a new one is the cost to build a
new middle school," noting that a Feasibility Study completed in 2002 indicated that the
difference between the cost of renovating Clover Hill High School and constructing a
new high school was not sufficient dollars to cover the cost of constructing a new middle
school. He stated the currently adopted Public Facilities Plan did not recommend a
middle school in Centerpointe; that he concurred with Mr. Bass that the proposal before
the Commission was premature until the Board of Supervisors' took action on the
amendment to the Public Facilities Plan; and that deferral of the request would allow Mr.
Bass to negotiate with the Centerpointe developer on land dedications and acquisitions.
He again addressed attendance statistics, noting the amount of land in the Matoaca
District that had been zoned for residential development would ultimately have an impact
on school capacities. He stated that if the County acquired the dedicated property and
then used eminent domain to acquire the rest of the property, the County would only have
to construct road improvements to accommodate the school and fire station sites, leaving
the developer with the majority of the transportation improvements.
Mr. Wilson stated the issue as to the location of the middle school and the amendment to
the Public Facilities Plan was debated at the April 21s' meeting and that the Board of
Supervisors had scheduled consideration of the amendment. He stated the Commission's
recommendation on the Public Facilities Plan was consistent with the School Board's
request and consistent with the information that was presented to the public during the
bond referendum, none of which was pertinent to the proposal at this time. He stated the
request before the Commission was a zoning amendment that would enable the County to
extricate itself from the Centerpointe developer's schematic plan issues; and that nothing
in this zoning case would prejudice the Board's decision on the pending amendment to
the Public Facilities Plan because the Board could approve this case and still not be
obligated to amend the Public Facilities Plan.
Mr. Gecker stated he saw no reason to defer the request; that the decision on the location
of a new middle school would be decided through the amendment to the Public Facilities
Plan. He addressed the Feasibility Study, referenced by Mr. Gulley, noting that the
consultant was asked to determine how to renovate existing Clover Hill High School to
the same standards as the new Matoaca High School and that the data revealed it was not
economically feasible. He stated the study did not address the feasibility of renovations
to a standard of what was appropriate for a Chesterfield County public high school. He
stated he did believe the real cost difference between renovation of Clover Hill High
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School and construction of a new high school to be roughly equivalent to the cost of a
new middle school; however, instead of constructing two (2) new middle schools and
renovating Clover Hill High School, the Clover Hill District representatives supported a
new high school and one (1) new middle school. He stated he recalled reading in The
Observer that Ms. Pettitt, the Clover Hill District School Board representative,
acknowledged that a deal was made to move the bond referendum forward with a new
Clover Hill High School and a middle school in the Centerpointe area. He stated he was
never a proponent of the Centerpointe site; he believed the site should be further east; and
that he did not believe that the public process was not followed. He stated there had been
a number of meetings, as Mr. Wilson pointed out, on the topic of school locations. He
stated, however, the issue before the Commission, at this time, was simply that the
County was entitled to acreage at Centerpointe and should the County be able to develop
the acreage independently. He stated the decision on the school site location would be
decided by the Board; that deferral served no purpose; and the Commission should take
action. He stated much untrue information had been disseminated and over time became
truth; that he felt the process had been complete and fair; ultimately, the School Board
and the Board of Supervisors arrived at a compromise to replace Clover Hill High
School; that he did not support a deferral; and felt the request should be moved forward to
the Board of Supervisors.
Mr. Litton stated he concurred with Messrs. Wilson and Gecker, stating he would not
support the deferral. He stated a recommendation for approval of the current proposal did
not dictate the location of a middle school but rather offered an option.
The vote on Mr. Bass' motion to defer Case 05SNO293 to the August 16, 2005, Planning
Commission meeting was as follows:
AYES: Messrs. Gulley and Bass.
NAYS: Messrs. Litton, Wilson and Gecker.
On motion of Mr. Gecker, seconded by Mr. Wilson, the Commission resolved to
recommend approval of Case 05SN0293, subject to the conditions on page 2.
AYES: Messrs. Litton, Wilson and Gecker.
NAYS: Messrs. Gulley and Bass.
The Board of Supervisors, on Wednesday, June 22, 2005, beginning at 7:00 p.m., will take under
consideration this request.
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