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Topic Description:
This
Comprehensive Plan Amendment proposes the reservation of a
corridor area between Route 211 and Route 17, where and when
warranted in the future a road may be considered, designed
and constructed. The objectives of this Amendment to the
Warrenton Service District Plan are to: (a) provide improved
neighborhood connectivity, enhanced pedestrian accommodation
and safety; and (b) coordinate the provision of improved
safety and operational capacity on Broadview Avenue with the
Town of Warrenton and the Virginia Department of
Transportation (VDOT).
The following provides historical and background
information regarding the connector, as well as the
refinements proposed in this amendment (CPAM10-MA-001) to
the transportation element of the Warrenton Service District
Plan.
A.
Background Information:
Reservation
of such a connector corridor is not a new concept for this
location on the west side of the Service District. The
Fauquier County Comprehensive Plan (1992-2010), which was
adopted in 1994, had originally presented a circumferential
route from U.S. 15/29 north of Warrenton and wrapping around
the Town’s western edges and reconnecting to U.S. 15/29 to
the south (refer to Attachment 1). More specifically, these
three basic legs of connection can be generally described
today as follows: (1) U.S. 15/29 to Route 17 (now the
existing Route 17 Spur); (2) Route 17 to Route 211
(delineated as a “Rural Principal Arterial” to a planned
interchange at Route 211); and (3) Route 17 to Alwington
Boulevard to an interchange location with U.S. 15/29
(vicinity of Lord Fairfax College).
The recent
chronology of events associated with the Route 211 – Route
17 Connector Corridor are summarized below:
1.
1992-2010 Fauquier County Comprehensive Plan
(Adopted: 1994): Corridor delineated as part of the
Warrenton Service District Transportation Plan;
2.
Town of Warrenton Comprehensive Plan 2000 - 2025
(Adopted: 2002): The northern link from Route 211 to Route
17 is shown in the adopted Comprehensive Plan (2000-2005) as
part of the Conceptual Land Use Plan (pages 3-67). Note
that the Town is currently updating its overall plan and
this alignment still remains;
3.
Gold Cup Settlement Agreement (May 26, 2000, Deed
Book 0869 Page 0005; Chancery No. CH98-275; Peter & Cynthia
Giudici and Gold Cup, LLC (Complainants) and the Town of
Warrenton (Defendant): The related rezoning case was
much contested and very public as it evolved within the
Warrenton community and was decided in court. The Court’s
settlement agreement restricted development in Gold Cup to
220 lots, limited lot connections along Gay Road and Gold
Cup Drive, prohibited lot access along Bear Wallow Road, and
restricted the subdivision to just two connections to “The
Connector Road” (i.e., Timber Fence Parkway). More
specifically, the “connector” was located entirely within
the Gold Cup subdivision, and, as the Court decree
represented, the right-of-way was to be dedicated to the
Town, be designed and constructed by the developer as a
2-lane road, which represents the half section of an
ultimate four lane divided roadway. The Town now owns the
entire 110-foot right-of-way and the 2-lane road, and is
responsible for its maintenance;
4.
Fauquier County Warrenton Service District Plan
(Adopted Update: November 17, 2003): As a result of the
Citizen Planning Committee update process in the 2002-2003
timeframe, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Warrenton
Service District Plan with revisions, which included removal
of the proposed Route 211 – Route 17 connection;
5.
Warrenton Broadview Avenue Access Management
Study: HNTB completed this study on May 30, 2008
for VDOT and the Town of Warrenton. It assessed existing
traffic peak volumes, levels of service (LOS) and forecasted
future volumes and LOS and identified recommended options
for consideration. The study discussed improvements to the
Broadview Avenue network with and without the addition of a
community street connection between Route 211 and Route 17.
(A copy of this study is available for review in the
Department of Community Development’s Planning Division,
Warren Green Building, Third Floor, Warrenton);
6.
Fauquier County Board of Supervisors’ Resolution
(Approved: July 9, 2009): Directed the Planning Commission
to review and refine the
draft Amendment to the Warrenton Service District Plan,
submitted as part of the Route 211 – Route 17 Connector
Corridor Technical Planning Study, consider recommendations
from the Transportation Committee, conduct public
hearing(s), and provide final recommendations to the Board
of Supervisors; and
7.
Transportation Committee Recommendations to the
Planning Commission (Approved July 29, 2009): The
Committee recommended the following:
·
Planning Commission reserve a location in the
Warrenton Service District Plan for a Route 211-Route 17
corridor, in the general alignment shown on the attached
map, where in the future a road might be considered. This
recommendation is for “a road” along this alignment. The
purpose, form, function, access and terminal connections of
this road require further study;
·
County will expect the Town of Warrenton to
phase and implement improvements and access management along
Broadview Avenue as represented in the Warrenton
Broadview Avenue Access Management Study (Prepared by:
HNTB; Prepared for the Town of Warrenton and VDOT; Dated:
May 30, 2008);
·
Recommends initiation of proactive regional
transportation network planning for Route 211, which
considers other existing public road links west of Warrenton
that access the Town or extend northward toward connections
with I-66, and
·
Recommends that the Planning Commission
re-examine the Warrenton Service District boundary in the
area of the corridor and re-examine the land use
designations along the corridor.
The Planning
Commission has conducted: (a) three work sessions regarding
the pending amendment; (b) site visits (c) briefings from
County/Town staff and HNTB regarding the Warrenton
Broadview Avenue Access Management Study; and (d)
advertised a community meeting regarding the proposed
corridor connector reservation area with interested
residents on November 2, 2009 at the Fauquier High School
cafeteria (Attachment 2 provides a summary of public
comments from the meeting; Attachment 3 provides the
technical information sources which served as the foundation
for development of the plan amendment).
B.
Proposed Plan Amendment:
On March 25, 2010, the Planning Commission forwarded the
revised and proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendment
(CPAM10-MA-001) to the Board of Supervisors with a
recommendation it be adopted (Vote: 3-2). The proposed plan
is included as Attachment 4, and the
revised text is underlined for ease
of reference.
As reflected in the text amendment, any future street in
this proposed corridor needs to be designed within a
110-foot right-of-way to match Timber Fence Parkway.
Pedestrian accommodation, through sidewalks and
multi-purpose paths and traffic calming within its overall
design, are essential elements due to the local
neighborhoods, parks and school facilities that all need to
be carefully linked. Traffic calming designs in the future
are expected to include roundabouts, lower posted speed and
other similar elements. The proposed community street
corridor would provide neighborhood residents with
alternative travel connections that are not available west
of Broadview Avenue, better access to community parks, and
improved access for emergency vehicles throughout the
resident and business community (Refer to Exhibit 4).
Other expectations outlined within the text are as follows:
-
General Character: Any prospective street
constructed within the reserved corridor is expected to
remain as a 2-lane facility well into the future. If
increases in traffic volume require reevaluation and
warrant lane additions at selected locations or
throughout the corridor, then the 110-foot right-of-way
reservation provides the flexibility for such
improvements.
-
Traffic Calming Design Requirements: Any future
road design shall have strategically located and clearly
marked pedestrian crossings, maximum integration of
traffic calming design features, including roundabouts
at key intersections (e.g., Timber Fence Parkway/Black
Sweep Road and Route 690/Timber Fence Parkway), and have
limited access to any extension from Route 690 to Route
17. Here limited access means that no access from Rady
Park or the adjoining rural agriculturally zoned area
will be allowed connections to this road between Bear
Wallow Road and Route 17.
-
Community Involvement: Public community street
design from the Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) to
the final design stages will have required community
involvement, including the Board of Supervisors, Town of
Warrenton, the affected neighborhoods and the broader
town-county community. The objective is to insure
environmental, historical, neighborhood, and public
impacts and costs are carefully assessed and balanced
within the final design of this key facility.
-
Watershed Management: The northern portion of the
corridor is within the Warrenton Reservoir’s watershed.
Therefore, integral in the study and design process of
any such future community public street will be its
affect on the watershed. The quality and quantity of
surface water from this watershed represents the primary
drinking water source for the Town of Warrenton. As
reflected in another section of this plan, the Town of
Warrenton’s potable water supply needs long term
management and remedial attention.
Therefore, any connector street design must: (a) protect
critical wetland resources and habitat areas; and (b)
incorporate design features within the right-of-way and
externally that promote continued stormwater pollutant
cleansing from this roadway. The clear added objective here
is that the connector’s design, construction and operation
will result in no impacts or even improve the water quality
flowing from its area to the Town’s reservoir supplies.
One of the concerns raised by two Planning Commission
members not supporting the amendment was that the connector
could result in future development not wanted in the Fenton
Farm location. Prior to adoption of any such amendment,
they felt further land use controls needed to be in place.
For example, part of their opposition at this time to the
amendment was that the Service District’s hard edge,
represented by the Fenton Farm properties, needed to be
protected now through recorded easements, purchase of
development rights or other similar means. The Fenton Farm
parcel through which the connector reservation passes is
zoned Rural Agriculture (RA) and totals 266.23 acres, while
other farm properties north of this parcel total 224.19
acres and are zoned Rural Agriculture/Rural Conservation
(RA/RC). The Department concluded subdivision potential
deed research for these Rural Agriculture (RA) and Rural
Conservation (RC) zoned properties, and the results are: (a)
266 - acre parcel: 7 total residential lots; and (b) 224 -
acre parcel: 4 total residential lots.
-
Broadview Avenue Expectations: In regards to the
construction timing of any such community corridor, no
future connection should be undertaken between Bear
Wallow Road and Route 17 unless:
a.
It is established that such a
road is the permanent hard edge of Warrenton and the
Warrenton Service District;
b.
The County and Town have
secured conservation easements or development rights on the
Rural Agriculture (RA) zoned land to the west of the
reservation so as to assure its continued contribution to
the water supply of Warrenton;
c. No construction shall occur
between Route 211 and Route 17, until the Town of Warrenton
has implemented the recommended improvements and access
management along Broadview Avenue as represented in the
Warrenton Broadview Access Management Study (HNTB
Prepared for: Town of Warrenton and VDOT; Dated: May 30,
2008); and
d.
Actual traffic volumes clearly
indicate the need, and no other reasonable options are
available.
-
Regional Transportation Network Assessment: To
facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of options, the
plan amendment recommends that the County initiate
transportation network planning at a more regional scope
for Route 211. Such an assessment would consider
existing public road links west of Warrenton that access
the Town or extend northward to connections with I-66,
Route 29 and Route 17. This styled analysis could
provide more effective traffic distribution and road
travel choices for the public, as well as the
identification of essential road and intersectional
safety improvements that need to be programmatically
considered, funded and then constructed in the future
throughout that network.
Attachment 5
provides a tabular summary of future expectations and
results regarding the corridor reservation plan. |