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COUNTY OF FAUQUIER DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT OCTOBER 25, 2001 PRELIMINARY PLAT #PP 02-C-01 Blackwell timbers
STAFF PLANNER: Elizabeth Cook STAFF
AND AGENCY REVIEW Staff and appropriate referral agencies have
reviewed this request for conformance with the Comprehensive Plan, the
Zoning Ordinance and other relevant policies and regulations.
An analysis of these referrals and the actual comments from the
appropriate agencies are included as attachments to this report. Findings
There
are several outstanding issues outlined in the staff analysis in this
report and the agency comments, which are included as attachments.
The key items that should be addressed in more detail by the
applicant are as follows: 1.
The Town of Warrenton indicates that the property is not
identified in the master water and sewer agreement between the County
and the Town for future water service.
That agreement was Board of Supervisors approved on May 22, 2001
and by the Town Council on June 12, 2001.
To be served by the Town, approval will be required of both the
Board of Supervisors and the Town Council. 2.
The Health Department indicates that if public sewer service is
within 300 feet of the proposed lots, then the lots must be connected to
the public sewer unless the Health Department receives written
permission from the Town stating that it has no objection to the
proposal. The applicant
will need to identify the closest public sewer to the property.
Again, the provision of sewer at that location was excluded in
the referenced Master Water and Sewer Agreement.
Please note that the Board of Supervisors did not intend to
provide public sewer to the parcel through the Town of Warrenton. 3.
The Town of Warrenton indicates that an agreement is needed
between the Town and the Virginia Department of Transportation for the
maintenance and plowing of the access portion of the proposed roadway
within the Town limits. 4.
Lot 18 should be eliminated or reconfigured to address the
one-half acre existing pond located in the center of the lot.
The area below the pond embankment is unsuitable for a house
site, according to the County Engineer's Office.
5.
The County Soil Scientist indicates that an old quarry site
exists on the property, which should be identified on the plat.
6.
The existing grade on Timberstone Lane, near the intersection of
Blackwell Timbers Drive, is about 20%.
This area appears to be adjacent to the rock quarry and may be
shallow to rock, which may make it difficult to meet the County street
grade standards. 7.
With the soil information presently available, the County Soil
Scientist has concern about the placement of a drainfield and house site
on several lots. Due to the
limited area, soil, and sight conditions on several of the proposed lots
a number of alternative on-site wastewater systems are being proposed.
The Planning Commission may want to consider including, as a
condition of approval, regular operation and maintenance provisions for
these alternative systems. 8.
According to the County Soil Scientist, areas with steep slopes
(erosive areas), drainageways, and possible wetlands should have minimal
disturbance. This would
affect Lots 7,9 and 18. 9.
The Parks and Recreation Department is recommending a trail
connection from Blackwell Road to the Commonwealth of Virginia property
adjacent to Lots 15 and 16. This
trail could also provide access to the R-1 residue parcel. 10.
The subdivision name and street names are still being developed,
as some of the names submitted by the applicant are too similar to
existing developments and streets. 11.
The County Engineer's Office does not recommend granting the
cul-de-sac waiver. The
extra length places the cul-de-sac in the middle of a large drainage
swale. Recommendation
Staff
recommends that the Planning Commission defer action on this preliminary
plan to allow the applicant time to address the outstanding issues.
Neither the Town nor the County included the applicant's property
in the Master Water and Sewer Agreement for service.
The provision of public water service to the applicant's property
requires an amendment to that agreement.
The timing of such an amendment and action on the preliminary
plat needs further discussion. Attachments Memo 1 (11-29-01) Memo 2 (12-13-01) Memo 3 (Technical memo - 02-20-02) Memo
4 (02-22-02) 5.
Parks and Recreation Review 8.
Letter from Frederick Ward Associates,
Inc (02-13-02) STAFF
ANALYSIS Staff
and appropriate referral agencies have reviewed this request for
conformance with the Comprehensive Plan, the Zoning Ordinance, and other
relevant policies and regulations.
Staff findings, comments and recommendations, as well as referral
agency comments follow: 1.
Comprehensive Plan The property is located is Phase 1 with regards to
public water and sewer provision, indicating that the area is planned to
be served prior to the year 2010. However,
the Town of Warrenton indicates that the property is not identified in
the master water and sewer agreement between the County and the Town for
future water service. Prior
to receiving public water service from the, approval will be required of
both the Board of Supervisors and the Town Council. 2. Zoning
Ordinance Final plat requirements, which are not provided on
the preliminary plat, necessary prior to final zoning approval include:
landscaping, buffering, tree preservation and tree canopy requirements.
Lot 15 is a cul-de-sac lot and the front yard setback for
cul-de-sac lot is measured where the lot width equals, in R-1 districts,
135 feet. In the case of
Lot 15, this measurement with place the front yard setback about in the
middle of the lot. The
applicant may want to consider reconfiguring the lot. 3.
Engineering/Soil Scientist The site is located within the Occoquan Watershed;
therefore both stormwater management (SWM) and BMP facilities will be
required. If the existing
pond is to be used as a BMP/SWM pond, as-builts and a dam safety
inspection will be required to determine if the pond will take the
increased runoff without adverse impacts to the dam and outfall
structure. The existing pond is located in the center of
proposed Lot 18. The area
below the pond embankment is unsuitable for a house site, according to
the County Engineer's Office. The
useable area of Lot 18 is very limited and the location of the pond
makes this a very undesirable lot configuration.
According to the County Soil Scientist, areas with steep slopes
(erosive areas), drainageways, and possible wetlands should have minimal
disturbance. This would
also affect Lot 18, as well as Lots 7 and 9. The County Soil Scientist prepared a Type I Soil
Report in May 2001. There
are several discrepancies between the preliminary soil map and the type
I study. Most notable is
absence of a quarry on the property, which should be identified on the
plat. Several items are noted in the Soil Scientist's comments that
should be incorporated into conditions for approval, if the Commission
ultimately desires to approve the preliminary subdivision plat. The existing grade on Timberstone Lane, near the
intersection of Blackwell Timbers Drive, is about 20%.
The County Engineer's Office indicates that this area appears to
be adjacent to the rock quarry and may be shallow to rock, which may
make it difficult to meet the County street grade standards of a maximum
of 10 % difficult to meet. The
County Soil Scientist has noted similar concerns. With the soil information presently available, the
County Soil Scientist has noted concerns about the placement of a
drainfield and house site on several lots.
Due to the limited area, soil, and sight conditions on several of
the proposed lots, a number of alternative on-site wastewater systems
are being proposed. The
Planning Commission may want to consider including, as a condition of
approval, regular operation and maintenance provisions for these
alternative systems. 4.
Transportation Access to the proposed development will be from
Blackwell Road within the Town of Warrenton.
The Town of Warrenton has indicated the need for an agreement
between it and VDOT regarding the maintenance and snow plowing of the
site access prior to development of the industrial portion of the
property located within the Town limits. The Virginia Department of Transportation has not
provided comments, as of the date of this report. When comments are received, staff will update the Commission. 5. Public
Utilities The Town of Warrenton indicates that it will not
serve the proposed development with public water until the Board of
Supervisors and the Town Council grant approval for the Town to provide
the proposed development with public water services.
As of the date of this report, staff is not aware of action by
either body on this issue. The Health Department indicates that if public sewer
service is within 300 feet of the proposed lots, then the lots must be
connected to the public sewer unless the Health Department receives
written permission from the Town stating that it has no objection to the
proposal. The applicant
will need to identify the closest public sewer to the property and
provide the appropriate documentation from the Town if needed. 6. Parks and
Recreation The Parks and Recreation Department is recommending a
trail connection from Blackwell Road to the Commonwealth of Virginia
property adjacent to Lots 15 and 16. 7. Cul-de-Sac
Length Waiver The applicant is requesting a waiver of the
Subdivision Ordinance Section 5-8, Cul-de-Sac Street, which limits the
length of cul-de-sacs to 700 feet exclusive of turn-around. No justification was submitted with the waiver request.
Staff is not supportive of the waiver as the extra length places
the cul-de-sac in the middle of a large drainage swale, as noted in the
County Engineer's Office comments. The County Soil Scientist has also expressed about the
street's placement as it may disrupt the flow of water after major rain
events. |
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