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Location, Zoning and Current
Land Use:
The properties are located
at 6331 Mintbrook Lane and 10633 Bowers Run Drive. The
properties are zoned Rural Agricultural (RA), Rural
Residential (RR-2), and Planned Residential District (PRD).
The site is in agricultural use.
Surrounding Zoning and
Current Land Use:
Surrounding parcels are
zoned RA to the north. East of Route 17 is Village (V),
Residential-4 (R-4), RA, and Commercial-Neighborhood (C-1)
Zoning. The parcels to the south are zoned RA, PRD, and
Residential-2 (R-2). The parcels to the west are zoned
Residential-1 (R-1), R-2, RR-2, and RA.
Land to the north is in
agricultural use. To the east is the Village of Liberty and
Liberty High School. Land immediately adjacent to the south
is vacant, with commercial properties south of Route 28.
Land to the west is residential, the Meadowbrooke
Subdivision, and agricultural.
Adopted Bealeton Service
District Plan
The
Bealeton Service District Plan was amended by the Board of
Supervisors on November 13, 2008 and again on January 8,
2009 (Attachment 8). The principle change was that areas
planned for commercial land uses were re-evaluated for a mix
of uses, including residential development. Of particular
relevance to this application, the area formerly designated
for Institutional/Office was changed to
Institutional/Office/Mixed Use. The plan states “The
land use categories identified on the Bealeton Service
District Land Use Plan as Commercial Office/Mixed Use (#1)
and Institutional/Office/Mixed Use (#4) should emerge as the
new, traditional downtown of Bealeton with a dominant
presence of commercial uses, both office and retail.
Institutional uses are specifically sought in land use
category #4. Residential uses within this area should
include a combination of residential units over commercial
uses, live-work units, townhouses or multi-family units,
with small lot single homes at the outer edges. It is
anticipated that these areas will be linked to each other
for both pedestrian and vehicular activity via public
streets, sidewalks, and crosswalks across Route 17 and
throughout the anticipated street grid.”
The recently
amended plan seeks the inclusion of “main street specialty”
uses and “destination retail” in the Bealeton Town Center.
Traditional neighborhood development principles have also
been added to the Comprehensive Plan for the center of
Bealeton. These include a mix of uses within buildings, two
and three story buildings, buildings and building entrances
placed directly behind the sidewalks, and sidewalks of
adequate widths to accommodate comfortable pedestrian
movement and facilitate walkable shopping, including
activities such as outdoor dining and cafes.
The recently
amended plan also advocates Route 17 becoming the Main
Street of Bealeton in the form of an attractive and walkable
boulevard that knits the town together, while still
respecting the need for regional through traffic.
Staff Analysis:
Eleven key
issues are highlighted in this staff report:
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Expansion of the Service
District;
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Changes to the Land Use
Designations;
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Total Residential Units;
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Public Utilities;
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Public Facilities;
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Roads;
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Retaining a Hard Edge to
the Service District;
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Stormwater Management;
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Floodplain;
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Traditional Neighborhood
Development; and
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Text Changes.
1. Expansion of the Service District
Chapter 6, Page 6 of the Comprehensive Plan states that
“Any proposed additions to a service district shall require
a Comprehensive Plan Amendment. In considering such
amendments, the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors
should examine such factors as: a) the justification for the
proposed expansion of the community; b) the availability of
water and sewer and other infrastructure such as fire and
rescue facilities, schools, and roads; c) the fiscal and
community-wide impacts of the addition; and d) the
consistency of the proposed expansion with the orderly
development of the service district.”
The applicant contends that
leaving the 125-acre portion of the existing Cheatham Farm
out of the service district was an oversight. However, the
service district boundary has been in this location for many
years. Service district boundaries have been studied by the
County a number of times, and the boundaries vetted through
Citizen Committees, the Planning Commission, and the Board
of Supervisors. The portion of the Cheatham Farm in the
Service District that is west of the floodplain is currently
designated Residential/No Sewer or Water. The Comprehensive
Plan established this area as the Service District Buffer,
with only very large lots allowed. In addition, the
Cheatham Farm has been a longstanding feature that marks the
gateway to the Bealeton Service District.
Another goal of the Comprehensive
Plan is to “Maintain the unique, visual identity of Fauquier
County’s villages and incorporate new development in a way
that complements existing communities.” The proposed
expansion of the service district would be directly across
Route 17 from the Village of Liberty. Intense development
so close to the Village of Liberty would compromise its
integrity. The village would cease to be a unique location
and would visually be absorbed into the Bealeton Service
District. The applicant’s Concept Plan (Attachment 3)
includes a large open area with a pond across from the
Village of Liberty. This open area, depending on how it is
developed, could serve as a buffer between an expanded
service district and the Village of Liberty. Should this
expansion be approved, a large buffer area should be
required in this location.
The fiscal impacts of the service district expansion have
not been fully evaluated by staff. The applicant submitted a
Market Research Analysis, a Local Economy and Economic
Impact Analysis and a Fiscal Impact Analysis. These were all
incomplete, and the applicant has indicated that his
consultants are in the process of completing the studies.
In their absence, staff cannot truly evaluate the economic
benefits or potential impacts associated with this project.
2. Changes to the Land Use
Designations
As noted in the descriptions
above, the applicant is proposing that 99 acres outside of
the service district be designated Medium Density
Residential: 4-6 Units Per Acre, and that three acres along
Route 17 be designated Institutional/Office/Mixed Use. For
the portions of the site already within the Bealeton Service
District, the applicant is proposing that the area
designated Institutional/Office/Mixed Use be expanded
northward and westward to include a total of 110 acres.
This land is currently designated a combination of Medium
Density Residential 4-6 units per acre, Residential/No Sewer
or Water, Park/Open Space and SCFRR
(School/Church/Fire/Rescue/Recreation). The applicant is
also proposing a designation of Medium Density Residential:
4-6 Units Per Acre for 34 acres currently designated as
Residential/No Sewer or Water. Finally, the applicant is
proposing two new sites, totaling 17 acres, to be designated
Park/Open Space, and five acres to be designated SCFRR
(School/Church/Fire/Rescue/Recreation). In all cases, areas
in the floodplain would be designated FEMA Floodplain.
Many of the proposed uses are
clearly more intense than the adopted plan currently
envisions for Bealeton. The expansion of the
Institutional/Office/Mixed Use area north to the area
currently designated Medium Density Residential is not too
radical a change in intensity. Extending the
Institutional/Office/Mixed Use area up to the adjacent
Meadowbrooke Subdivision, a development of single family
detached homes, is a more significant change. It should be
noted, however, that the Meadowbrooke Subdivision already
has a buffer, generally 100 feet wide, on its perimeter.
The current Bealeton Plan
clearly promotes mixed-use development in Bealeton,
particularly in the area currently designated
Institutional/Office/Mixed Use. The Board of Supervisors
will need to consider the requested locations of Mixed Use
Core, Mixed Use General, and Mixed Use Residential on the
Concept Plan.
The Board of Supervisors is
reminded that in the standards of the new Mixed Use Bealeton
Zoning District, residential density is based on the
Comprehensive Plan Land Use Designations. While this is not
a rezoning, the Land Use Plan sets the stage for any future
rezoning. Details are included below.
A. Mixed Use – Core: No
limit on the number of units that may be requested as
Live/Work units or in buildings with ground floor
commercial. Other types of residential units are achievable
utilizing the density provisions set forth below.
B. Mixed Use –
General: No limit on the number of units that may be
requested as Live/Work units or in buildings with ground
floor commercial. Other types of residential units are
achievable utilizing the density provisions set forth below.
C. Mixed Use –
Residential: Maximum starting density for residential units
is the bottom of the range specified in the Comprehensive
Plan for the area, with additional density achievable
through use of the bonus provisions set forth below.
Increases in residential
densities as referenced above are encouraged in order to
help focus residential growth in the Service Districts.
Such density increases shall be allowed consistent with the
policies set forth in the Comprehensive Plan as approved by
the Board in exchange for Transfer of Development Rights,
affordable housing, and traditional neighborhood design.
Density increases awarded through Transfer of Development
Rights shall be allowed only to the extent an equal amount
thereof is retired from an area within five miles of the
Bealeton Service District, and such Transfer of Development
Rights shall be accomplished by acquiring and proffering
easements on qualifying land or through other mechanisms
acceptable to the Board of Supervisors and permitted under
the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The applicant plans to
address the project’s density in the details of a companion
rezoning application (to be submitted at a future date),
including the provision of 1) affordable housing; 2)
purchase of rural area development rights; 3) implementation
of unique, town-scaled designs, and 4) voluntary proffers
and conditions of rezoning approval.
The applicant’s request for
Medium Density Residential: 4-6 Units Per Acre warrants
caution. While the applicant is seeking a density between 4
and 5 units per acre, the Medium Density Residential
category allows up to 6 units per acre; 4 is the base level,
and 6 is the level that can be earned. Should this
application be approved, staff would strongly suggest that
text be added to clarify the County’s position, which is
perhaps a hybrid such as a maximum of three units per acre
with a density of 4.5 to be earned via the bonuses noted
above. Without such text, the stage would be set for a
density of 6 units per acre.
The Board of Supervisors and the applicant should be aware
that designating land for Park/Open Space and SCFRR
(School/Church/Fire/Rescue/Recreation) does not release the
applicant from providing institutional uses in the area
designated
Institutional/Office/Mixed Use. The recently adopted
Bealeton Plan clearly states “The land use categories
identified on the Bealeton Service District Land Use Plan as
Commercial Office/Mixed Use (#1) and
Institutional/Office/Mixed Use (#4) should emerge as the
new, traditional downtown of Bealeton with a dominant
presence of commercial uses, both office and retail.
Institutional uses are specifically sought in land use
category #4.”
The Cheatham Farm House is a
key landmark in this part of the County. The area on the
Concept Plan incorporating the house should be discussed in
greater detail. The mass and scale of the surrounding open
space and landscaping should be proportionate to a farm
house in order to maintain the visual aesthetic of this
landmark rural structure.
3. Total Residential Units
The applicant seeks recognition that its aggregate proposed
residential density of three homes per acre (approximately
1,000 units) satisfies the county’s vision for the service
district.
For purposes of comparison, staff
has estimated the residential units that would have been
generated given the current Land Use Plan. The 55 acres
currently designated Medium Density Residential: 4-6 units
per acre could have generated between 220 and 330
residential units. The Institutional/Office/Mixed Use area
(including the Starr Mawyer property) could have generated
another 150 residential units plus commercial and
institutional uses. The land currently designated
Residential/No Sewer or Water could only have generated
about six residential units. Based on the figures above,
the adopted Comprehensive Plan would have allowed between
376 and 486 residential units inside the Service District on
the applicant’s property plus the Starr Mawyer property.
In summary, while the current
Land Use Plan would have generated up to 486 residential
units, the applicant is seeking approximately 1,000 units.
For further comparison, the Freedom Place development
included 358 residential units.
According to the Comprehensive Plan, the Bealeton Service
District had 900 homes and 1,900 residents in 2000. The
applicant provided data to indicate that in 2008 there were
1,577 residential units in Bealeton. The applicant provided
further data to indicate that the remainder of the Bealeton
Service District (excluding Mintbrook) at build-out could
include an additional 822 - 1,085 residential units. These
figures do not include residential units in the Town Center
or the Commercial/Office/Mixed Use area, nor do they include
intensification of properties that have existing development
but could have more intense development based on the
Comprehensive Plan.
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Development |
Residential Units |
|
Existing (Year 2008) |
1,577 |
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Increase to build-out
(excluding Mintbrook) |
822-1,085 |
|
Mintbrook |
1,000 |
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Total at build-out* |
3,399-3,662
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*Total excludes residential units in
Town Center and Commercial/Office/Mixed Use areas and
intensification based on the Comprehensive Plan
The Bealeton Plan has a projected build-out size of 3,300
dwellings with 9,000 people. The Board of Supervisors will
need to seriously consider the implications of allocating
the Service District residential build-out to the Mintbrook
development. This is particularly important as Supervisors
indicated in the recently approved Bealeton Service District
Plan that they are seeking residential development in the
Town Center and the Commercial/Office/Mixed Use areas.
4. Public Utilities
The Bealeton, Opal, and
Remington Service Districts are all served by the Remington
Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The Business
Development Strategies Report (March 2, 2007) (BDSR)
documents the limited availability of sewer. If fully
built-out, the land already planned for these utilities in
the three service districts would consume approximately
2,276,000 gallons per day (gpd) of sewer and over 2.0
million gallons per day (mgpd) for water. The table below
estimates the demand for public utilities.
Business Development
Strategies Report (March 2, 2007)
The Remington WWTP is not yet
fully operational to its maximum permitted capacity of 2.5
mgpd. Rather than expand the treatment facility to treat
2.5 mgpd, the Board of Supervisors asked the WSA to make
mandatory upgrades to the WWTP by 2010 for an anticipated
total treatment capacity of between 1.8 and 2.0 mgpd.
The Village Service District
of Midland might also be a contender for this public
utility. It is estimated that Midland could require at
least 100,000 gpd. One option outlined in the Draft Midland
Plan (2008) is to run sewer lines from the Remington WWTP to
Midland.
Using the BDSR
estimates, the portion of the Mintbrook property already in
the service district (including the Starr Mawyer property)
would use approximately 222,000 gpd based on the current
Bealeton Plan. (78,000 gpd for 52 acres of
office/institutional use and 144,000 gpd for as many as 480
residential units.) WSA confirmed on March 18, 2009 that
300 gpd/EMU (equivalent metered units) is used for
the Remington Treatment Plant. 260 gpd/EMU is used for the
newer Vint Hill Plant. Rough assumptions can be made
about the sewer demand for the applicant’s proposal. 1,000
residential units would generate 300,000 gallon per day.
Approximately 160 acres of Mixed Use Core and General would
generate about 240,000 gpd for the commercial uses.
The applicant
provided data on current sewage treatment at the Remington
Treatment Plant. These figures, validated by the WSA, show
that the Mean Flow (GPD) is 782,024, with the Median Flow
653,500 GPD. At the present time, 63% of the total is used
in Bealeton, 33% in Remington and 5% in Opal. Given a
future treatment capacity of 2.0 MGPD, the applicant has
estimated that 7,692 EMUs can be treated in the three
service districts. Using WSA’s figure of 300 gpd/EMU, staff
estimates this at 6,667 EMUs. Using the assumption that
Bealeton will continue to receive 63% of the plant’s
capacity, 2,700 EMUs can be added in the Bealeton Service
District (4,200 future total minus 1,500 current usage).
One EMU corresponds to one single family unit or one
townhouse. Apartments and condominiums are calculated
differently and use less than one EMU each. Commercial,
office and institutional uses are calculated independently,
dependent on water usage.
Other than the
work done for the BDSR, it is difficult to estimate the future commercial, office, and
institutional usage at build-out of the service district.
Such users in recent times have been striving to reduce
sewage usage to reduce costs. Assumptions can be made about
the residential build-out. The applicant’s study entitled
“Sanitary Sewer
Capacity Demand Analysis Bealeton Service District &
Remington Sewer Treatment Facility”
indicates that the build-out of Bealeton (excluding
Mintbrook) adds up to 1,085 residential units to the service
district. Mintbrook would add another 1,000 residential
units. If all were single family units or townhouses the
combination would need 2,085 EMUs. If Bealeton will only
have 2,700 EMUs available, the Board of Supervisors will
need to think carefully about how these are allocated.
Commercial, office and institutional uses, including those
on the Cheatham and Mawyer properties, will need some of
those EMUs. The applicant’s study showed only 18 acres of
new commercial development, not including Mintbrook. This
is too low. The study also did not show any residential
development in areas planned for Mixed Use, so additional
residential units, not reflected in the applicant’s study,
are likely. However, multi-family units would lower the
residential allocation considerably. The applicant used a
figure of 1 EMU per 4 multi-family units. WSA does not use
such a precise figure, as this varies with the number of
fixtures. In addition, if some of the Remington Treatment
Plant capacity is needed in Midland or more is needed for
Opal and Remington, allocations would shift.
The proposed Service District
expansion and land use proposals will require public water.
The WSA has opined that there is an adequate water supply
source to service this project.
5. Public Facilities
Comprehensive Plan
Amendments must include an analysis of infrastructure such
as fire and rescue facilities and schools and the fiscal and
community-wide impacts. While rezoning applications
typically use the proffer model to determine impacts, with a
Comprehensive Plan Amendment, a more holistic view is needed
as the proposed uses have not previously been taken into
account in county plans. The community facility needs
generated by the proposed development and the community
facility needs of the service district need to both be
considered.
The adopted Future Land Use
Plan for Bealeton designates three sites on the Cheatham
Farm for SCFRR (School/Church/Fire/Rescue/Recreation) and
one site for park/open space. The Introduction Chapter of
the Bealeton, Opal, and Remington Plan calls for
neighborhoods of 80 to 160 acres with identifiable community
focal points such as a park, elementary school, or
recreational center. Given that this proposal is for over
300 acres and will include a number of neighborhoods, the
expectation would be that parks, an elementary school, and a
community center should all be provided as focal points for
neighborhoods. The application states that sites will be
reserved for a town park, an open space system, a site for a
church and neighborhood chapel, a site for a community
center, and a site for a major recreational facility such as
a YMCA. Staff would suggest that given the magnitude of
this proposal, the applicant work with the School Division
and the Fire Rescue and Emergency Services Departments to
evaluate sites for their facilities as well.
The five acres on the west
side of the floodplain designated for
SCFRR
(School/Church/Fire/Rescue/Recreation) are not adequate for
a typical County elementary or middle school. It may be
appropriate for a Fire/Rescue station or Recreation area.
However, this project generates the need for at least one
elementary school and possibly a middle school. Land needs
to be designated to accommodate those facilities. In
addition, Recreation or Park/Open Space should also be a key
component of the entire project and the Comprehensive Plan
calls for its inclusion in the areas designated
Institutional/Office/Mixed Use.
More detailed
information on school impacts is provided later in this
report in the comments from the School Division.
6. Roads
The application addresses
many aspects of the transportation plans included in the
Bealeton Plan. The Plan includes the east/west collector
road on the northern portion of the site, and the
applicant’s plans show this road extending beyond the site
to Weaversville Road (Route 662). (No evidence of the
applicant’s ability to extend this road off-site has yet
been provided.) The proposal includes the extension of
Church Road, the parallel road to Route 17. The applicant
has expressed a willingness to work with the County to
develop further details of the “Bealeton Boulevard” called
for in the recently approved Comprehensive Plan Amendment.
This boulevard concept might include roundabouts.
The applicant’s Concept Plan
(Attachment 3) includes a complete road network not yet
evaluated by the County since a full TIA is not required
with a Comprehensive Plan application. The Concept Plan
also includes roundabouts on Route 17. While both of these
features may prove to be desirable to the County in the
future, at this point in time, they should not be included
in any Concept Plan adopted as part of the Comprehensive
Plan, as they have not been fully vetted.
It is critical to point out
that the applicant’s plans call for a generally rectilinear
grid of streets and alleys. This is a key component of
traditional neighborhood development as called for in the
current Bealeton Plan, but to date, has been sorely lacking
in Bealeton.
7. Retaining a Hard Edge to
the Service District
The adopted
Comprehensive Plan contains multiple references to the
premier County goal of preserving the rural areas and
channeling growth to the Service Districts. A key strategy
to achieve this goal is to maintain a hard open space edge
around the service district boundaries. The Bealeton Plan
states “The community will be surrounded by large lot rural
housing along the perimeter.” In the Bealeton Plan, the
designation of Residential/No Sewer of Water formed the
large lot area. At this time, much of the Cheatham Farm
inside of the service district is part of this hard edge for
the Bealeton Service District.
The applicant
has suggested that the rural areas north of the Cheatham
Farm could serve as the rural hard edge for Bealeton. The
applicant provided information documenting the existing
parcels and their development potential. The 642 acres
north of the Cheatham Farm contain 30 lots today. Based on
the applicant’s research, the potential exists for 17 more
lots in that area. The Board of Supervisors will need to
consider whether they consider 47 lots on 642 acres (average
lot size 13.6 acres) to be an adequate rural hard edge for
the service district.
The applicant
has indicated that he intends to employ the purchase of
rural area development rights to enhance the hard edge to an
expanded service district. To date, details have not been
provided.
8. Stormwater Management
The application discusses
creative approaches to address and implement stormwater
management. A variety of approaches including regional
stormwater management, on-site stormwater management, and
LID are advocated. The text calls for a County stormwater
management master plan. The text changes state that “these
facilities should be designed to reduce peak flows and
existing storm drainage problems within the developed
downstream areas… funding for such facilities and related
feasibility studies should be principally borne by the
private sector in conjunction with new and redevelopment
projects.” It is not clear how these costs would be
allocated or how the master plan would be funded.
The
applicant seeks Comprehensive Plan recognition that its
stormwater management approach, as shown on its Concept
Plan, is a desirable approach to address storm drainage
problems within the Bealeton Service District. Should the
regional stormwater management strategy be a component that
the Board of Supervisors wishes to investigate and pursue,
there is a significant amount of up-front work that will be
necessary on behalf of the County to establish such a plan.
The Engineering Office has been advised by the Virginia
Department of Conservation and Recreation that in order to
pursue such an undertaking, Fauquier County would need a
Regional (Watershed-wide) Stormwater Plan in place in order
to utilize a regional facility per 4 VAC50-60-90. It would
also require facilities outside of the applicant’s site at a
future date. Greater details are contained in the comment
letter from the County Engineer (Attachment 6).
In light of the County’s still
developing understanding of Regional Stormwater Management,
it would be imprudent to include the applicant’s Regional
Stormwater Management ponds on any Concept Plan adopted as
part of the Comprehensive Plan. In addition, the proposed
Stormwater Management facilities at the confluence of the
two branches of Bowers Run could require the replacement of
WSA owned community wells by the applicant.
9.
Floodplain
The
applicant’s Concept Plan shows approximately 42 acres of
floodplain within the current service district and an
additional 23 acres in the proposed expansion area.
A floodplain
study was submitted by the applicant and approved by the
County on November 26, 2008. The floodplain study only
revised the existing Zone A floodplain within the project
site. The study provided a more detailed analysis, which
resulted in minor revisions to the floodplain boundary. The
study is currently being processed by FEMA to revise the
effective Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) in the County.
Please be advised that the study modeled existing conditions
only and did not include any proposed fill in the floodplain
associated with the contemplated Mintbrook plan. The
applicant will have to perform another floodplain study to
model the floodplain reflecting the proposed project.
Staff notes
that the applicant conducted this study only for the
Mintbrook Farm parcel from the northern property line
downstream to Route 28. The applicant opted to not follow
the previous recommendation of the County Engineering staff
associated with the former Freedom Place project to extend
the analysis further downstream to Remington Road. The
purpose of this recommendation by staff was to accurately
depict the floodplain along the existing Meadfield and Fox
Meade subdivisions, which have a history of known flooding
even though some houses are not reflected to be within the
existing FEMA designated floodplain. Extending the
floodplain study within these subdivisions would determine
whether or not the rezoning of the Mintbrook property
upstream would result in further increases in flooding
impacts to downstream properties. The former Freedom Place
project followed the above recommendation.
County
Engineering staff recommends a detailed hydrologic and
hydraulic flood analysis for the Bowens Run flood corridor
extending from the upper property limits, downstream to the
roadway crossing of Route 656, Remington Road. This study
must compare the pre-developed (existing) condition to the
post-developed (rezoned) condition and must demonstrate that
downstream properties will not be subject to greater
flooding impacts.
If this study
does not take place with the Comprehensive Plan Amendment,
this analysis will be recommended by staff with any future
rezoning application. It is suggested that the applicant
tie his data into the Luck Stone Quarry floodplain data at
Remington Road to show downstream impacts. Please be
advised that the analysis will likely show changes to the
existing floodplain and may result in houses/parcels within
the FEMA 100-year floodplain that have never been shown in
the floodplain before. If the County wishes to achieve
improvements to downstream flooding conditions, additional
flood control measures would be required with the
applicant’s project and should be considered as part of any
future rezoning application.
10. Traditional Neighborhood
Development
Traditional Neighborhood
Development is called for in the adopted Bealeton Plan and
was recently given greater emphasis in the amendment to the
Bealeton Plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors on
November 13, 2008 and further revised on January 8, 2009
(Attachment 8). Traditional neighborhood development is
based on a generally rectilinear pattern of blocks and
interconnecting streets and alleys. It includes a mix of
uses and a mix of housing types. The applicant has stated
the creative concepts for this project will include
Traditional Neighborhood Development, a downtown core, a mix
of uses and community civic space. While the details of
these elements will not be clear until the rezoning stage,
given the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan Amendment,
these would all be clear expectations of any future rezoning
in this area. This project could facilitate the type of
development long sought in the Bealeton Plan.
11. Text Changes
The applicant has proposed a
considerable number of text changes for the Bealeton Plan.
Many of these promote creative approaches to address
stormwater management and drainage problems in the service
district; this has been addressed elsewhere in this staff
report.
Other text amendments seek
to bolster and lay the ground work for the applicant’s
development proposal and future rezoning. They are clearly
self-serving. However, should the County support the
applicant’s Comprehensive Plan Amendment, these text changes
could be appropriate.
Comments on other text
changes are noted below.
In Section 2b. of the Vision
Statement, the applicant proposes text that moves the large
lot hard edge from inside the service district to outside
the service district. This is a point clearly worthy of
Board of Supervisors’ discussion, regardless of their view
of this particular application.
In Section 3.c.
Fire/Emergency Rescue/Police Center, the applicant will need
to verify with Emergency Services the practicality of shared
parking.
In Section 4.e. Service
District Buffer, the applicant proposes text concerning the
rural hard edge north of his property. Comments made
earlier in the staff report under
7. Retaining a Hard Edge to
the Service District
are relevant here as well.
The applicant attempted to
update Table BE-1 in the adopted Bealeton Plan to show the
impact of his proposed land use designations. However,
Table BE-1 is no longer accurate. Staff has prepared a new
table (Attachment 5) to reflect existing land use
designation as of February 2009. This data represents
actual measured acreages provided by the GIS Department.
The total acreage within the Bealeton Service District is
2307.16 acres. Staff also provided figures in the last
column to show the impact of the Mintbrook proposal on the
land use designations.
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