|
Project
Background:
Cross Creek
Investments has been working toward the development of a
business/retail center on its 30+ acres of commercially
zoned land in New Baltimore for approximately four years.
This work has included the engineering of a public road
(Cross Creek Drive) which connects Route 15/29 (Lee Highway)
to Route 600 (Broad Run Church Road). The County and the
Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) have recently
approved Cross Creek Drive for construction.
The Board of
Supervisors approved a Special Exception for the floodplain
crossing for the public road on August 13, 2003. A
floodplain study was approved by the Department of Community
Development and a CLOMR was approved by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2006. This process
was quite lengthy as the applicants worked to ensure they
were not impacting off-site properties.
Project
Update:
For the last
month the applicant has met weekly with staff and the Scott
District Supervisor to discuss several traffic issues that
continue to cause concern. The applicant has prepared an
update to their SYNCHRO presentation, showing the traffic in
and around the site if the Cross Creek Special Exception
application were to be approved versus the traffic if a
by-right development were to occur on the property. (The
data used in this analysis is provided in Attachment #6.)
VDOT is currently reviewing this analysis and will provide
written comment to the Board prior to the November meeting.
At the October 2, 2007 worksession, additional information
was requested on the breakdown of road improvements for the
rezoning and special exception applications and for the
Costco and by-right scenarios. (See Attachment #5) Charts
showing the average door counts for four Northern Virginia
Costco stores to illustrate their peak customer hours are
provided in Attachments #7.
Land Area, Location and Zoning:
The
properties are located south of Lee Highway (Route 15/29)
and north of Broad Run Church Road (Route 600), adjacent to
the New Baltimore Business Park, in the New Baltimore
Service District. A map of the properties is shown below:
New Baltimore Land Use Plan
Neighboring Zoning/Land Use:
The property
is zoned Commercial – Highway (C-2) with the exception of
8.5 acres along Route 600, which is zoned Residential (R-1)
and shown in the Comprehensive Plan as Neighborhood Center.
The properties to the north (across Route 15/29) are zoned
Rural Agricultural (RA), to the south is Residential (R-1)
zoning, to the east is the New Baltimore Business Park and
C-2 and R-1 zoning, and to the west is C-2 and R-1 zoning.
The future
land use plan designates the properties to the north,
northeast and west for Commercial Business use. Property to
the east and southwest are designated as Neighborhood
Center. The property south of Route 600 is designated for
low density residential, in two classifications -- up to 1
dwelling per acre and up to 3 dwellings per acre.
Planning
Commission Recommendation:
On August
30, 2007, following several months of review and public
hearing, the Fauquier County Planning Commission voted
unanimously to recommend:
1) Approval
of the Rezoning request REZN07-SC-007 for the rezoning of
8.5 acres from Residential (R-1) to Commercial – Highway
(C-2), with proffers, recognizing the need for economic
development and finding it to be consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan and the citizens’ planning committee
vision for the area;
2) Denial
of Special Exception request SPEX07-SC-013 for a shopping
center containing more than 50,000 square feet and Special
Exception request SPEX07-SC-014 for additional signage, due
to traffic concerns and inconsistency with the Comprehensive
Plan recommendation precluding a “big box” store within the
Service District.
Project
Information:
1)
Rezoning Proposal – Along Route 600 Frontage:
The
applicant is requesting to rezone approximately 8.5 acres
along the north side of Broad Run Church Road (Route 600)
from R-1 to C-2, with a proffered limitation of no more than
45,000 square feet. The applicant’s Statement of
Justification expresses compatibility with the recently
adopted New Baltimore Service District Land Use Plan. Their
reasoning is that this C-2 rezoning request is proposing to
develop its Route 600 frontage with low-scale,
neighborhood-styled building facades serving commercial
uses. Cross Creek is proposing architectural design
features including brick facades and gable roof lines that
historically represent compatibility with such centers
adjacent to residential uses. To further ensure
compatibility with the residential character along Route
600, proffers are included to limit building heights to 35
feet, maintain a minimum number (no less than 4) of smaller
structures (less than 12,000 square feet) and to maintain a
minimum spacing between buildings (no less than 70 feet).
In addition, the applicant has proffered out typical uses
associated with the Commercial Highway (C-2) zoning
district, limiting uses to neighborhood commercial type
businesses. The most recent Proffers (Attachment 2), dated
August 30, 2007, are applicable only to the 8.5 acres being
rezoned.
The specific
design elements also proffered that complement and provide
this land use character also include the following
performance standards: (1) all commercial uses are proposed
for access internal to Cross Creek, (2) no “drive-thru”
operations are proposed for this rezoned area, (3) increased
setback is provided along Route 600, (4) free-standing
signage shall be monument-style and, (5) the number of rear
loading drive aisles has been limited to only one building.
A meandering
trail system is proposed to connect these uses with adjacent
properties and to support pedestrian activity along Route
600. Additionally, a broad 30-foot landscape buffer is
provided along Route 600. The applicants state in their
Statement of Justification that this will establish a
positive image for the motorist on Route 600 and serve as an
important keystone for upgrading the visual character along
this local collector.
The
applicant has indicated they will be incorporating low
impact development practices into the site design.
Currently, the applicant has proffered to work with
Community Development to determine the physical and economic
feasibility of implementing LID techniques and to install
such features where the Director and applicant deem it
feasible to do so. No specific LID proposals for this
property have been made.
Cross Creek
has proffered the design of the roundabout at the
intersection of Route 600 and Route 676 and a $100,000
contribution to the New Baltimore Transportation Fund
(proffer IV.3), to be paid within 90 days of VDOT’s approval
of the roundabout design. The funds may be used for any
traffic improvement in the New Baltimore Service District as
determined by the Board.
2)
Special Exceptions – Cross Creek Shopping Center and
Additional Signage:
Shopping
Center: The applicant is requesting approval of a Category
12 Special Exception for a shopping center containing more
than 50,000 square feet. The planned center will have up to
255,000 square feet of commercial development. A total of
218,000 square feet (or 86%) of the shopping center
development is proposed within the existing commercial
business, C-2 zoned portion of the site. The remaining
37,000 square feet is shown within the Neighborhood Center
planned portion of the site that is the subject of the
rezoning request. (Up to 45,000 s.f. would be allowed as
outlined above.) The commercial development will be phased,
with the first phase encompassing the twenty-five acres to
the east of Cross Creek Drive to include the proposed Costco
site and ancillary retail along the east side of Cross Creek
Drive. The proposed Special Exception encompasses the
proposed Costco site and the ultimate square footage
proposed for Cross Creek. The shopping center and Costco
will have direct access to Route 15/29 by way of the newly
designed Cross Creek Drive.
The
applicant will provide a common architectural style and
pedestrian linkages between the shopping center (existing
C-2 zoning district) and the Route 600 neighborhood retail
uses. Such a diversity of commercial uses between Route
600 and Route 15/29 will provide a transition between
“highway commercial” uses near Route 15/29 and the lower
scale neighborhood retail uses recommended along Route 600.
The project
addresses two other key principles in the New Baltimore
Plan, which include vehicular access between parcels and
pedestrian access within the site. The Concept Development
Plan shows the location of an interparcel connector to the
properties located to the east and west of the shopping
center site, providing the opportunity for future connection
as those adjoining parcels are developed. A pedestrian
route has been shown on the Concept Development Plan to
facilitate walking between Costco and other stores on the
east side of Cross Creek Drive. Similar facilities will be
provided on the west side of Cross Creek Drive as that
section of the project is further refined.
While
specific users, with the exception of Costco, have not been
identified, the types of uses will include general and
specialty retail, personal service uses such as dry cleaning
pick-up and hair salons, business services such as a copy
center and financial institution, small medical, dental and
veterinary offices, and restaurants. The Costco store
includes a tire center and gasoline sales. Some uses, such
as heavy equipment sales or repair, and telecommunications
towers which would otherwise be allowed by-right in the C-2
zoning district have been excluded by the draft Development
Conditions included in Attachment 5 (reference 6a – s).
Those conditions specifically identify the use limitations.
Additional Signage: In addition to the
Special Exception request for a shopping center, the
applicant has filed a Special Exception request for
additional signage. The Board of Supervisors can authorize
additional building signage on buildings larger than 100,000
square feet with a Special Exception. The applicants are
requesting 675.04 square feet of total building and gas
station signage area. The signage square footage represents
only the area actually covered by the channel lettering.
There are two proposed building mounted signs along its
north and west building elevations which would be
approximately 222.74 square feet each. Two smaller versions
of the same building mounted signs are proposed along the
same elevations on the canopy and they measure approximately
73.06 square feet each. No signage is proposed along its
southern elevation, which is adjacent to residentially zoned
land. One tire center sign of 9.92 square feet is included
in the package. The total building signage area requested
is 601.52 square feet. The applicant is proposing four
Costco Gasoline signs of 18.38 square feet each for a total
signage of 73.52 square feet. The specific details and
drawings of signage proposed for Costco is included as
Exhibit A in the “Architectural, Landscaping, Signage,
Parking, and Transportation Exhibits dated June 27, 2007”
included as Attachment 6.
Even though
it recommended denial of both Special Exception requests,
the Planning Commission did forward a draft list of
Development Conditions for consideration should the Board
wish to approve the applications. Below is a summary of the
conditions included in Attachment 5.
Special
Exception Conditions
-
Conditions are included regarding road improvements at
Kelly Road, Route 600 and 29, and Route 600 and Route
676.
- To
address a recorded conservation easement on delineated
and non-delineated potential wetlands, a requirement is
made for a jurisdictional determination by the Corps of
Engineers and that all vegetation within the easement
areas be protected unless approved by the Board in
writing.
- The
square footage reflects no more than 148,000 square feet
of retail space, with ancillary office space not to
exceed 2,500 square feet and associated gas facility not
to exceed 12 pumps.
- A
condition has been included to require a sign
instructing primary construction traffic to enter and
exit the site via Route 29.
- The
amount of building versus the amount of landscaped area
shown in the rezoned area has been clearly addressed to
ensure the ultimate build-out will generally conform to
the concept plan. Buildings in the rezoned area shall
not exceed 45,000 square feet with no fewer than four
buildings not less than 70 feet apart.
-
Various landscaping conditions have been included.
- The
hours for deliveries to Costco require tractor trailer
deliveries between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. so as not to
impede the flow of traffic.
- The
hours of operation for the Costco store and associated
gas pumps are set at 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday –
Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
with the hours of operation for the associated gas pumps
from 6:00 a.m. to one hour after closing. A condition
has been included to allow some flexibility for
holidays, provided the applicant does not exceed 30
“flexible” hours in any one calendar year.
- A
36-foot wide interparcel connector road with a public
access easement is provided for inter-parcel access to
adjoining parcels to the east and west.
There are a
few areas where the Planning Commission’s recommendations
and that of the applicant continue to differ:
- The
Planning Commission recommended the number of allowed
drive-through facilities be reduced from four to three
which still allows for a bank, pharmacy, or similar use
with a drive through. The applicant continues to
request four drive- throughs.
- The
Planning Commission recommended signage condition
reflects the removal of the two seven-foot signs
measuring 222.74 square feet each, and to allow for
three of the four-foot signs measuring 73.06 square feet
each as measured by the recently adopted Zoning
Ordinance text amendment to Section 8-1500.1.
- The
Planning Commission recommends prohibiting a fast food
restaurant and repair garage on site. The applicant
wants to include these uses.
Staff and
the applicant are currently working on two other issues
which may be resolved:
- A more
specific condition to address LID elements;
-
Alternative layouts for the traffic circulation within
the gas pump facility.
Comprehensive Plan and Land Use
Considerations:
The land use
and transportation plans for the New Baltimore Service
District represent the community’s vision and recommended
blueprint for full build-out. A mix of neighborhood
commercial and commercial business uses are planned for the
triangular area bordered between U.S. 15/29, Route 600 and
Route 676. The commercial business uses are primarily
oriented along Route 15/29, while the neighborhood
commercial and residential uses are planned along Route 600
and to the north on Route 676.
The New
Baltimore Service District Plan outlines a series of
commercial land use objectives, a number of which are
relevant to the proposed rezoning and special exception
requests. For each objective, a brief response is noted on
the relationship of these applications, as follows:
-
Promote development that increases the non-residential
tax base and does not impose a fiscal burden on New
Baltimore or the County.
-
The applicant projects substantial contribution to
the County’s tax base with the development of this
project.
-
Encourage investment in community-oriented,
pedestrian-friendly commercial activities in designated
growth areas and discourage additional strip development
along Route 29.
-
This project is primarily located within an area
designated for commercial business and is internally
focused along Cross Creek Drive, with only a single
point of access onto Route 29.
-
Develop Route 29 as a “Gateway Corridor” to Fauquier
County and the Piedmont Region by providing a visual
experience commensurate with the County’s high quality
environment and historic significance.
-
This project is located behind the low-scale
commercial development currently fronting along
Route 29. There will be some visibility of the
project from this gateway corridor; however,
additional architectural information is needed to
determine the amount of visibility and potential
impact on the visual quality.
-
Provide commercial uses along the south and east sides
of Route 29 with vehicular access to service roads and
limited access along Route 29. Provide local retail at
Vint Hill, and neighborhood business uses in a manner
which precludes the creation of a destination retail
concentration or “big box” store within the Service
District.
-
Access to Route 29 is limited to the single point at
Cross Creek Drive. The Costco store, at 148,000
square feet in size, is classified as a “big box”
store. The remainder of the shopping center will
likely have uses that provide goods and services to
the New Baltimore community and that can capitalize
on the proximity to an “anchor” store. A credible
anchor is normally needed to ensure the viability of
a commercial center of this nature, particularly
when the center is not located along a major
roadway.
The New Baltimore Service District has a limited amount of
buildable land for commercial business of this size and
scale. (As will be discussed later, the Neighborhood Center
classification attached to a majority of the vacant
commercial land in New Baltimore is intended for smaller
scale projects – with a zoning ordinance limitation of
50,000 square feet.) The commercial business land to the
east has floodplain and sites that are especially
problematic to develop at a large scale. An anchor of this
type will likely serve as a stimulant for the redevelopment
of other smaller commercial properties, as well as a
potential market stimulator that will allow the community to
get more of the desired neighborhood commercial style
development on other properties. An outright prohibition on
“big box” stores does not recognize the market and economic
forces at play, particularly in regard to encouraging
quality in the other portions of the project and with
development on other properties. An unanswered question is
whether the County wants to maintain a continuation of
standard commercial strip development in the currently C-2
zoned properties in this area or want an anchor of this
nature to stimulate the redevelopment of other surrounding
commercial properties.
There are
four types of commercial areas planned within the New
Baltimore Service District. The 30+ acres associated with
the Cross Creek Shopping Center that are currently zoned C-2
and located on the northern portion of the subject property
with direct access to Route 15/29 are designated “Commercial
Business,” which contains general commercial uses “where
vehicle access is the norm.” The New Baltimore Service
District Plan states that this area is intended to serve the
needs of both the local community and the motoring public.
The 8.5
acres proposed for rezoning are located on the southern
portion of the property adjacent to Route 600 and are
designated as “Neighborhood Center”. In the New Baltimore
Service District, the “Neighborhood Center” classification
consists of about 135 acres, principally centered along
Culver Drive, the intersections of Riley Road (Rt. 676) with
Route 15/29 and Broad Run Church Road (Rt. 600), and then
extending to the west along the north side of Route 600.
This category is planned to provide a limited range of
commercial retail, service and office uses, as well as civic
and residential uses. These uses should generate
traffic/parking impacts characteristic and compatible with
local neighborhoods and schools. This designated area of
New Baltimore should be built to serve the existing and
planned neighborhoods. The following elements comprise the
neighborhood vision for the area: walkability, mixed-uses,
residential density, workforce housing, building scale and
general design.
The plan
envisions an area designed and built with the pedestrian in
mind, complete with sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian
connections to surrounding neighborhoods. A neo-traditional
mixture of commercial, business, institutional and
residential uses is strongly encouraged. Apartments and/or
condominium units are encouraged above commercial space.
Workforce housing should be present in this neighborhood.
Building footprints should not exceed 12,500 square feet and
not exceed a total of 25,000 square feet. The maximum
height should not exceed 35 feet. As for the general design
of sites - rear, side and below-grade parking, as well as
shared parking should be considered. Low Impact Development
(LID), green building design, landscaped streets, parking
lots with street trees and sidewalk trees should be
addressed in each site design. Reduced setbacks are
encouraged where appropriate using flexibility in the Zoning
Ordinance to help achieve a pedestrian-friendly,
neo-traditional design.
Some
examples of optional allowed uses in the neighborhood center
include commercial uses such as eating establishments,
florist, convenience/food store, pharmacy; service uses such
as barber/beauty salon, education services, financial
institutions; and institutional/business uses to possibly
include business or professional office, museum, health
club, or post office.
The New
Baltimore Service District contains a number of
environmental features which are critical to the character
and quality of life of the community. The Plan calls for
the sound management of wetlands, floodplains, streams and
water bodies, establishing identifiable and attractive focal
points for the community of New Baltimore, preserving the
dark night sky, and minimizing the impact of night lighting
to preserving the dark sky environment.
Transportation Considerations
Comprehensive Plan Transportation Policies
The Fauquier
County Comprehensive Plan recommends steps to redirect
business area access between Route 15/29 intersections with
Route 600 and Route 676. This designated area is
constrained with the elimination of unsafe crossovers on
Route 15/29 and 100-year floodplain which present long-term
access and safety issues along this area planned for
significant commercial growth and development. Cross Creek
Drive provides the north-south connection between Route
15/29 and Broad Run Church Road as recommended in the Plan.
To address safety issues and improve the street grid
network, the Comprehensive Plan also calls for a local
east-west road providing interparcel access between
commercial parcels parallel to Route 600. As previously
stated, conditions have been included as part of the Special
Exception approval addressing the design of this east/west
connector. The layout restricts the number of entrances
into the parking lots from the connector on the east side of
Cross Creek, with at least 40 feet between the entrances and
with at least 60 feet between any entrance and Cross Creek
Drive. The width of the entrances shall meet VDOT
commercial entrance requirements.
The New
Baltimore Transportation Plan also orders community roads
into an integrated hierarchy that will protect existing
neighborhoods, serve the business community and provide
better long-term access. The Comprehensive Plan names Route
600, Broad Run Church Road, as one of the key community
roads in the New Baltimore Service District. The objective
of the New Baltimore Transportation Plan is to maintain and
enhance accessibility to community services and facilities,
improve the level of travel safety along Route 15/29 and
Route 600, minimize traffic impacts from new development on
established communities and improve the level of pedestrian
and bicycle safety of New Baltimore residents when traveling
within the community. The Plan calls for sidewalks on both
side of a roadway in new commercial centers, with pedestrian
crossings clearly marked or with specialty paving.
Additional transportation aspects mentioned in the
Comprehensive Plan include pedestrian circulation, special
screening requirements, signage and building and parking
setbacks.
Traffic
Studies
A Traffic
Impact Analysis (TIA) was prepared by Patton Harris Rust on
May 12, 2007. Since that time, the applicant and their
traffic engineer have worked closely with VDOT developing a
SYNCHRO model to address the technical issues raised during
the review of the TIA.
The Scott
District Planning Commissioner hosted a community meeting on
July 11, 2007, at C. Hunter Ritchie Elementary School in New
Baltimore to review the traffic impact analysis and the
SYNCHRO model for the proposed Cross Creek Shopping
Center/Costco applications.
The SYNCHRO analysis provides an
animated picture of traffic flows on nearby roads, and
considers existing conditions, the site at build-out, and
the combined impacts that this project, along with the
Goodland East and Lone Star rezoning applications, could
have on the area if approved. The traffic study included
trip generation based on current traffic volume, a growth
rate of 4% per annum through 2012 to account for general
development, specific approved development such as Bishop’s
Run, as well as supplemental data of planned developments of
Lone Star and Goodland East to derive a future build-out
condition. The following intersections were evaluated:
·
Route 29/15 (Lee Highway) and Route 600 (Broad
Run Church Road)
·
Route 29/15 (Lee Highway) and Route 676 (Riley
Road)
·
Route 29/15 (Lee Highway) and Cross Creek
Drive
·
Route 29/15 (Lee Highway) and Commerce Court
·
Route 215 (Vint Hill Road) and Route 600
(Broad Run Church Road)
·
Route 600 (Broad Run Church Road) and Route
676 (Riley Road)
The background development considered
in the analysis included build-out of the Bishop’s Run
residential and commercial projects, Vint Hill, Brookside,
Mill Run Business Park, Jamison Tract, Suffield Meadows,
Goodland East and Lone Star. While the development it will
serve was included, the traffic study did not anticipate the
completion of Brookside Parkway before 2012.
The SYNCHRO traffic analysis
considered access to the development by way of approved
Cross Creek Drive, connecting Route 29/15 to the north and
Route 600 to the south. For the evaluation, the proposed
development east of Cross Creek Drive included 33,000 square
feet of retail, 154,000 square feet of discount club, two
(2) 4,900 square foot restaurants, a 3,200 square foot
fast-food restaurant with drive-thru and a 12-pump gas
station. The proposed development west of the proposed
Cross Creek Drive included 32,000 square feet of retail,
14,000 square feet of pharmacy store with drive-thru, a
6,400 square foot drive-in bank, a 4,900 square foot
restaurant, and a 5,000 square foot automated car wash.
This amount is somewhat higher than the total amount
currently being considered in the special exception
request. Build-out of the development was projected to
occur by the year 2012.
Traffic
comparisons for three development scenarios (a discount club
and the same amount of square footage used for a grocery and
general retail center, and general retail excluding an
anchor) are shown below in order to assess the traffic
impacts of the Costco use in comparison with potential
by-right C-2 shopping center use. The following table
outlines the projected average daily trips and the peak hour
trips for a weekday and Saturday for the three development
scenarios.
CROSS CREEK/COSTCO TRAFFIC COMPARISONS
|
Cross Creek Dev.
Scenarios |
Weekday
ADT* |
P.M.
Peak Hour |
Saturday
ADT* |
Saturday
Peak Hour |
|
Costco (148,000 s.f.**) |
6,186 trips |
628 trips |
7,955 trips |
1,014 trips |
|
Grocery (49,000 s.f. &
99,000 s.f. retail) |
11,382 trips |
1,152 trips |
17,885 trips |
1,432 trips |
|
General Retail (148,000 s.f.) |
8,762 trips |
800 trips |
11,828 trips |
1,110 trips |
*ADT=
Average Daily Traffic
**While
the TIA was based on 154,000 s.f., proposed store is
148,000.
Data
computed using trip equations, where available, from ITE
Trip Generation, 2007.
As shown,
the grocery and associated retail produce more frequent
trips than the trips generated by a discount club in the
weekday peak hour (83% higher) and in the Saturday peak hour
( 41% higher). General retail use, excluding an anchor,
generates 27% more than the discount club in the weekday
peak hour and is very close (1% higher) to the amount
generated by the discount club in the Saturday peak hour.
Cross
Creek Proposed Improvements
The
following bulleted lists include transportation improvements
that are to be completed by the applicant.
The items
listed under “Route 29 and Cross Creek” are approved with
the Cross Creek Drive major site plan for the road
infrastructure. These five site plan improvements the
applicant will complete and are required separate and apart
from any action taken on the proposed special exception and
rezoning applications discussed in this staff report.
Route 29
and Cross Creek
-
Construct four hundred (400) foot dual left turn lanes
on southbound Route 29.
-
Relocate one existing median cross-over and close two
cross-overs.
- Design
and construct the traffic signal at the new
intersection.
- Modify
existing entrances in vicinity of the site along Route
29 for improved access management.
-
Construct Cross Creek Drive from Route 29 to Route 600.
The following improvements the
applicant has agreed to complete and are associated with the
current rezoning and special exception application(s):
Route 29
and Route 600
- Widen
intersection to accommodate the turning radius for dual
left turn movements.
-
Restripe lanes on Route 600 to accommodate two left turn
movements.
- Extend
the existing left turn lane on southbound Route 29 to
increase capacity.
Route 600
and Kelly Road
-
Increase turning radius on southeast corner and relocate
utility pole.
- Widen
the Kelly Road approach to Route 600 for dedicated left
and right turn lanes, if right-of-way can be obtained
through best efforts in cooperation with County.
-
Provide necessary signage for an all-way stop, including
“rumble” strips on westbound approach, if warranted by
VDOT.
Route 600
and Cross Creek Drive
-
Construct frontage improvements, including sidewalk
along the Cross Creek side of Route 600.
-
Construct right and left turn lanes.
Within
the Property
-
Construct 36-foot wide Interparcel Access Road to
connect Cross Creek Drive to adjoining commercial
properties to east and west as outlined in the
Comprehensive Plan.
The Route
600/Kelly Road improvements, Route 600/676 improvements and
the frontage improvements are proffered with the rezoning.
All other proposed improvements are included in the
conditions of approval for the Special Exception requests.
(See Attachment #5 for specific breakdown.)
Improvements Identified by VDOT
The
following are additional improvements that have been
identified by VDOT to enhance the traffic flow, reduce delay
and improve system operations in the vicinity of the Cross
Creek site. None of these items have been proposed to be
completed by the Cross Creek applicant with either the
Special Exception or Rezoning applications.
Route
29/600 Intersection
-
Provide additional pavement and reconfigure the lanes on
both Route 600 approaches (dual left and through
right). Requires additional right-of-way.
Route
600/676 Intersection
-
Construct round-about or install traffic signal and turn
lanes.
Other
Improvements
Partial
funding is potentially possible for some of the following
through the New Baltimore Transportation Fund, VDOT’s
Six-Year Plan, and funding from surrounding approved
developments such as Bishop’s Run, White House, Vint Hill,
and Brookside:
- Design
and construct signal at Route 29 and Route 676 (Riley
Road).
- Extend
existing left turn lane from Route 29 onto Route 676.
-
Turning radius improvements at Route 29 and Route 676 to
allow optimum signal timing configuration.
- Widen
and improve Route 215 (Vint Hill Road) and its
intersection with Route 29. (This improvement is in the
six-year plan.)
Fauquier
County has established a New Baltimore Transportation Fund
to use for traffic improvements needed in the New Baltimore
area brought on by increased development. Currently, the
approved Vint Hill, Brookside, and Bishop’s Run developments
have contributed to this fund. The proposed Goodland East
and Lone Star developments are proposing to contribute
$337,500 and $670,500 respectively, plus the design and
construction of frontage improvements along Route 600 if the
proposals are approved. According to Community
Development’s Proffer Budget Report, $826,083 had been
collected as of June 8, 2007, in the New Baltimore
Transportation Trust Fund. Some of those funds are
currently being allocated to the turn lane and traffic
signal improvements scheduled for the intersections of Route
605/676 and Route 605/602. |