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Location, Zoning and
Current Land Use:
The property is located on
Brookside Parkway, north and east of its intersection with
Groupe Road and zoned for Planned Residential Development (PRD).
This portion of the parcel is currently used as open space
for the residential portion of the Brookside Development.
Surrounding
Zoning and Current Land Use:
Adjoining parcels to the
north are also zoned PRD. Adjoining parcels to the east,
west and south are zoned a combination of PRD and
Residential (R-1). Most land in this area is currently
undeveloped.
Comprehensive Plan/Land Use:
The properties are located
within the New Baltimore Service District. This area is
slated for Low Density Residential (up to two dwelling units
per acre) in the New Baltimore Service District.
Comprehensive Compliance
Analysis:
Per §15.2-2232, Code of
Virginia, Comprehensive Plan Compliance Review,
the Planning Commission is required to make a finding that
the proposed library (a public facility feature) is
substantially in accord with the adopted Comprehensive Plan
at this location. Chapter 9 of the Fauquier County
Comprehensive Plan, Public Facilities and Utilities, lists
public facilities as “schools, parks recreational
facilities, libraries, health and human services, and public
safety.” The Planning Commission’s finding is then
forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for confirmation.
“The County’s primary goal
for community facilities, services, and utilities is to
provide for the physical, cultural and public safety needs
of the County.” The following goals as outlined in Chapter
1 of the Comprehensive Plan relate to public facilities:
Goal #6, “To plan for
necessary public facilities and utilities through public and
private cooperation within those areas presently containing
services, and to establish priorities for service
implementation in those areas presently not served.”
Goal #8, “To effect
economical and efficient use of public funds by planning for
a rate growth which will achieve the goals of the County and
will not exceed the ability of the County to provide
services to its citizens.”
Chapter 9 of the
Comprehensive Plan is the Public Facilities and Utilities
Chapter. Public Facilities policy guidelines are recommended
to guide the facility and utility planning for the County.
Some of the general guidelines are listed below:
·
Public
facilities and services should be sited in a manner which
will efficiently and economically serve the greatest number
of residents while keeping within the plans for County
growth as presented in this Plan.
·
All public
facilities and utilities should be designed and developed so
as to limit environmental degradation.
·
Facilities
should be appropriately planned to provide adequate levels
of service.
The guidelines for libraries
are as follows in Chapter 9 of the Comprehensive Plan:
·
Expand the
library system capacity at a rate which parallels the
population growth.
·
Where
possible, the County should locate future library branches
in, or in close proximity to, satellite government
facilities.
Chapter 9, Public Facilities
and Utilities, includes a library plan, and includes the
recommendation for a one (1) to three (3) acre branch
library to be planned and sited within New Baltimore (page
18). The plan indicates that the Library Board is
responsible for developing criteria and location preferences
for such a site. This implementation strategy is also
included in the New Baltimore Service District (NBSD) Plan.
Staff and Review Agency
Comments:
Staff
and appropriate referral agencies have reviewed this request
for conformance with the Comprehensive Plan. Findings,
comments, and recommendations are summarized below:
Planning Division
There are two sections of
the Comprehensive Plan that reference adopted public
facility policies, the NBSD plan and Chapter 9.
The New Baltimore Service
District Plan (pg. 32) recommends that “a five (5) acre
branch library be planned and sited within New Baltimore.
Such a facility could serve multiple purposes, including
meeting space for civic organizations and clubs. “The NBSD
plan also recommends that “where possible, the County should
locate future library branches in, or in close proximity, to
satellite government facilities.”
Chapter 9 (pg. 3) states
that “Public facilities and services should be sited in a
manner which will efficiently and economically serve the
greatest number of residents while keeping within the plans
for the County growth as presented in this Plan.”
In light of the absence of
detailed maps and policies prescribing a precise location of
a proposed NBSD library site, the proposed library site may
be found to be in substantial accord with the adopted
Comprehensive Plan per the NBSD policies. However, the Board
of Supervisors may wish to have more information about
potential site costs and environmental implications
associated with development at this site below a farm dam to
determine whether the proposed site would “efficiently and
economically” serve the greatest number of residents.
In addition, the following
information is needed from the Applicant:
·
The Statement
of Justification provided does not specifically identify
reasons as to why the proposed location of this public
library is substantially in accord with the Comprehensive
Plan.
·
At the
Pre-Application meeting on March 31, 2009, there was
discussion as to what was to become of the original library
site, which is currently adjacent to Auburn Middle School.
It appeared that the consensus was that the original site
was to remain as a back-up location (i.e., not to be
abandoned completely), should this proposed location not be
feasible for development, or should the Comprehensive
Compliance Review be denied. It is unclear from the
Statement of Justification what the applicant plans to do
with the original library site.
Per discussion with the
Applicant, it appears their intent is to retain the Riley
Road site as an alternative library location.
Zoning
1.
The area where
the library is proposed to be located is shown as open space
on the approved concept plan for Brookside. As a library
may be counted toward open space pursuant to the open space
Special Exception for Brookside (SE01-S-14), the placement
of the library at this location is not inconsistent with the
rezoning concept plan approval for Brookside.
Information for the
Applicant.
2.
The Brookside
proffers required an approximately 7-acre site to be
provided to the County for a library or other public use
(Proffer II.B.6.A). The prior site approved for the
library at Brookside was 4.75 acres. While no acreage was
provided for the proposed new site, from the concept
submitted, staff estimates a lot approximately 2.75 acres in
size. The actual size of the Library site ultimately
proposed will need to be increased to meet the proffer.
Information for the
Applicant.
3.
As the library
layout shown on the application is conceptual in nature and
details have not been provided, staff has not provided a
detailed zoning review of the library layout shown. Staff
would note, however, that the layout shown does not appear
to comply with minimum Zoning Ordinance requirements related
to the location of parking and loading, setback of parking
and provision of buffer/landscaping yards along streets, and
access into the site. Note that the site may need
significant redesign to meet these and other Zoning
Ordinance requirements.
This information pertains to
the Major Site Plan stage of development.
Library
Thank
you for the opportunity to comment on Brookside Communities,
LLC request for a Comprehensive Plan Compliance Review to
place a branch library on a 4.4-acre site located in Phase 8
of the Brookside Community development. The site is in the
Scott magisterial and the New Baltimore service districts.
Chapter
9 of the Fauquier County Comprehensive Plan states that “Public
facilities and services should be sited in a manner which
will efficiently and economically serve the greatest number
of residents.” The New Baltimore area is the primary
population and economic center for eastern Fauquier County.
The site under review also appears to be consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan’s goals of concentrating and guiding
growth around designated growth areas and providing for the
physical, cultural, and safety needs of the county.
The
site is nicely situated and would be a good location for a
branch library if the surrounding area is developed as
proposed by Brookside Communities, LLC. The Library Board
would like to note that the current five-acre site for the
New Baltimore branch library located next to Auburn Middle
School on Riley Road is attractive, as well, and represents
the County’s first effort to collocate public facilities.
The Phase 8 site under review, thus, should be considered as
an additional possible library site rather than as a
replacement for the one on Riley Road.
In the
end, the Library Board’s goal is to provide a library to
serve the residents of eastern Fauquier County as soon as
possible. The need for a branch library in the New
Baltimore service district has been apparent since around
1991. It has been explicitly in the Capital Improvement
Plan since 1995. Construction, originally planned to begin
in FY ’06, has been postponed several times. The draft FY
’10-’15 CIP delays funding for the library until FY
’12-’13.
Virginia Department of
Transportation (VDOT):
1.
Brookside
Parkway is designed to ultimately be a 4-lane divided major
collector road, and the entrance to the library shown on
Brookside Parkway should be eliminated.
2.
Identify who
is intended to maintain the trail within the right-of-way of
Brookside Parkway. VDOT will only maintain the trail if it
is completely within the right-of-way, and meets all of our
standards.
3.
Plans should
clearly identify that the proposed trail is not within the
area of the future
widening of Brookside
Parkway.
4.
Provide
traffic generation information.
5.
Further review
of the changes to Brookside Parkway and Boathouse Road will
need to be done separately.
Comments pertain to the
Major Site Plan stage of development.
Summary and Recommendation:
Staff believes that based on
the guidelines in the Comprehensive Plan that there may be
justification that this proposed library site is in
Conformance with the Comprehensive Plan:
·
Adding a
library to the New Baltimore Service District would
implement a service that is currently not readily accessible
to residents (Goal #6, Chapter 1).
·
The location
of this public facility serves a large number of residents
while keeping within the plans for County growth as
presented in this Plan. (Guidelines, Chapter 9)
·
Adding a
library to this area would expand the library system at a
rate which parallels the population growth, as the
development of the Brookside Community will add to the
population of New Baltimore, which is an area that is
already underserved by public utilities. (Library Policy
Guidelines, Chapter 9)
The Board of Supervisors may
want the applicant to provide assurances that a library can
be provided “efficiently and economically” on this site.
Planning Commission Summary
and Action of April 30, 2009:
The Planning Commission
discussed this item at their work session. The Planning
Commission held a public hearing on this item. The Planning
Commission made a statement that while this site may be an
appropriate location, the Riley Road site (the current
library site), as well as other similarly situated sites
might be just as suitable. The Planning Commission voted
unanimously to forward this item to the Board of Supervisors
with a recommendation of approval with the following
statement made a part of the official minutes:
“The Planning Commission
finds that the proposed location of a library in Phase 8 of
Brookside along the Brookside Parkway is in conformance with
the Comprehensive Plan, as it would implement a service that
is not readily accessible to residents, and could serve a
large number of residents while keeping within plans for
County growth as per the Comprehensive Plan. The Planning
Commission finds that the Riley Road site is also an
appropriate location for a library, and that other similarly
situated sites within Brookside, Vint Hill or other New
Baltimore locations could also be appropriate locations. The
Planning Commission further finds that the ideal location
for a library would be in the heart of a thriving community
with adjacent residential, commercial, and recreational
uses.”
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