|
Summary
Staff Report:
Committee Appointment. Pursuant to §15.2-2230 of the
Virginia Code, the Comprehensive Plan must be reviewed by
the Planning Commission to determine whether it is
“advisable to amend the plan.” The Board of Supervisors
appointed the Citizen Planning Committee on November 10,
2004 to review and provide recommended changes to the New
Baltimore Service District Plan adopted in 1999.
Even though major changes were not expected, the Board of
Supervisors requested the Committee examine and provide
recommendations regarding: (1) the type and scale of
development that has occurred within the Service District
and preferred changes; (2) remaining and planned sewer and
water capacity to support future growth and any adjustments
needed for full development; (3) necessary transportation
improvements and access management; and (4) methods to
establish a clearer open space/rural edge at the perimeter
of the Service District.
The Committee review commenced on January 20, 2005 and
concluded on May 4, 2006 with its submission of the
recommended draft plan to the Planning Commission for
initiation of the public hearing and adoption process.
The Citizen Planning Committee effort represented the
culmination of a 16-month effort with over 18 meetings, open
to the public, and conducted primarily at the Auburn Middle
School.
The Planning Commission held two public hearings on the
amended Plan proposal on July 27 and September 28, 2006 to
allow for additional public input, including a work session
on August 31, 2006.
New
Baltimore Service District Plan (Draft Dated: May 4, 2006):
Public Review Copies. The draft plan is linked to
this agenda item through the Department of Community
Development web page:
http://www.fauquiercounty.gov/documents/committees/NewBaltSvcDist/minutes/nbsdrd092806/NBSDrDraft_09-28-06.pdf
Paper copies of the Plan Amendment have been provided to the
Board of Supervisors for its review. Copies are also
available for public review in the Planning Division (10
Hotel Street, Warren Green Building, 3rdFloor).
Summary of Key Plan Elements. The Draft Plan is
organized into eight basic sections, with deleted and
newly added or refined sections marked accordingly
for ease of reference: (1) Executive Summary; (2)
Historical Development of the New Baltimore Service
District; (3) Future Land Use; (4) Objectives, Policies and
Implementation Strategies; (5) Public Utilities; (6) Public
Facilities; (7) Transportation; and the (8) Trails and Park
Plan.
1.
Future Land Use.
a.
Historic Resources. Buckland Farm and its
environs were associated with civil war engagements, as was
the Village of New Baltimore, which has National Register
and Virginia Landmarks status. The “Buckland Races” or
“Buckland Mills” cavalry battle was duly noted and described
briefly within Chapter 6 Service District (New
Baltimore).
Special Notes:
1)
Text Amendment to Chapter 2 of the Comprehensive
Plan: Physical Characteristics & Natural and Historic
Resources. The County’s Architectural Review Board (ARB)
has completed a proposed amendment to the Comprehensive Plan
which adds a section that identifies eleven civil war
battlefields within Fauquier County. This draft is being
scheduled for presentation to the Planning Commission during
its November work session and for public hearing in
December. This Plan element is better suited in Chapter 2
because it comprehensively treats all known and major civil
war engagements countywide.
2)
Buckland Races or Buckland Mills. This
Calvary engagement has been described generally within the
New Baltimore Service District Plan, and in more detail in
the pending Chapter 2 amendment described herein. Prince
William County has yet to recognize this engagement within
its Comprehensive Plan, nor is there any plan amendment
scheduled to be initiated.
b.
Utilities Phasing. This section along with
the Public Utilities section proposes that the Service
District no longer be organized into two discrete and phased
sewer service areas (AB-1 and AB-2, which represents Phase
2: Post 2010). Due to restricted sewer capacity at the Vint
Hill Wastewater Treatment Facility (950,000 gallons/day),
the District is organized basically into areas with and
without planned WSA sewer. Refer to the Public Utilities
section for a more detailed summary.
c.
Vint Hill Redevelopment. As in the 1999
adopted plan, the proposed text amendment again recognizes
that the New Baltimore focal point for business development
has been directed to Vint Hill with added general
guidelines. Along with the FAA and industrial uses, plan
expectations include a village mix of restaurants, theater,
retail, office space, mixes of 2nd and 3rd
floor apartments and condominium units, single family
attached units (with some provision for workforce housing),
a stream valley park connected to the overall Vint Hill park
and open space elements, linked to internal and perimeter
trails as well as to the Brookside/Waterfield trail system.
It becomes more of a “main street” for New Baltimore with
cultural activities, shopping, employment, services, and
recreational opportunities.
d.
Business Development. The revised plan
presents more refined definitions and guidelines for the
Commercial Business, Commercial Neighborhood and
Neighborhood Center designated areas. The Neighborhood
Center (formerly “Mixed Use Neighborhood”) received
significant Committee review, debate and refinement. This
category now includes guidelines for walkability, mixed
uses, residential density, workforce housing, building scale
and general design. Table 2 within the plan also provides a
list of uses to which a rezoning should be limited in any
area designated Neighborhood Center.
e.
Commercial Access (U.S. 15/29). With future
development and the 50,000 vehicle trips daily on U.S. 15/29
growing daily, the plan amendment emphasized the critical
principle that interparcel access and service drives must be
planned and are essential for the commercial properties
along this federal highway which is targeted to become
limited access far into the future. Secondly, Chapter 10 –
Transportation incorporated the VDOT Safety Improvement
Plan for Crossovers along U.S. 15/29 (October 30, 2003).
In New Baltimore, interparcel connections, service drives
and signalized crossovers become critical to local and
future businesses, as median cuts that pose safety hazards
are closed.
2.
Public Utilities.
a.
Vint Hill Wastewater Treatment
Plant (WSA). Public sewer capacity continues to be the
major limitation to development in New Baltimore. In the
original Service District Plan, this facility had an
estimated capacity of 1.0 million gallons/day (gpd). The
actual capacity has been decreased and is now 950,000 gpd;
with 600,000 gpd state approved and currently under
construction. This module will be operational in the late
spring of 2007. The remaining 350,000 gpd is still pending
design and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ) approval. Occoquan watershed standards make any
further expansions economically prohibitive at this time.
1)
Background Information. The area marked AB-1
in Figure 3 (Water and Sewer Service) attached to this staff
report is the area in the adopted Comprehensive Plan now
planned for both WSA sewer and water, while area A is
planned for public water only. AB-2 in the original plan
represents the second phase for sewer service and targeted
“Post-2010”. The AB-2 area in the adopted Plan is zoned
Rural Agriculture (RA) and delineated “lower density
residential” with allowable densities subject to the sliding
scale (1 unit per 10 acres to 30 acres). This area was
expected to be re-planned if there was remaining sewer
capacity post 2010.
As a result
of its effort to deliver public sewer to the business
community on U.S. 15/29 in AB-1, the WSA pre-sold sewer taps
and received Board of Supervisors financial support. The
Department of Community Development included the location of
the pre-sold sewer taps for Citizen Committee consideration
(refer to the attached Figure 3). At the Citizen Planning
Committee level, the WSA stated that it was not restricted
to pre-selling taps to just AB-1 and sold taps in the
post-2010 AB-2 area. The Committee was advised that public
sewer service was allocated on a first come first serve
basis. The property owner and/or developer are responsible
for the cost of design and construction of any line
extensions per WSA standards and approval.
2)
Committee & Planning Commission Recommendation.
The Citizen Committee analyzed AB-1 for its potential sewer
demand from two perspectives. One based on existing zoning
and the second on the proposed land use plan at build-out.
Both options included committed service to the Vint Hill
EDA, existing and planned public schools, pre-sold taps and
approved projects (e.g., Bishops Run,
Brookside/Waterfield). The resulting and estimated sewer
demand for build-out in AB-1 was as follows: Existing
Zoning: 923,000 gallons/day; and Proposed Land Use Plan:
1.13 million gallons/day.
Table 3
attached to this staff report describes commitments already
placed on the 950,000 gpd wastewater treatment facility.
400,000 gpd is allocated to the Vint Hill EDA, 350,000 gpd
for pre-sold taps (U.S. 15/29 project), and approved
rezoning projects of Brookside/Waterfield and Bishops Run.
The initial 600,000 gallon/day WSA module, which will be
operational in the Spring of 2007, is committed as
represented in the referenced table. When the second
expansion module of 350,000 gallons/day is constructed in
the future, it will have approximately 200,000 gallons of
remaining capacity for new projects (business, residential,
institutional) and older subdivisions that may experience
failing drainfields in the future.
Since
estimated sewer demand in AB-1 (1.13 mgd) exceeded the Vint
Hill Wastewater Treatment Plant’s planned capacity, the
Citizen Committee considered any further County sewer
commitments to AB-2 questionable. The Committee had
considered three options: a) No change; b) Change the AB-2
area to public water service only; or c) Recommend removal
of AB-2 and that area from the New Baltimore Service
District Plan. The No-Change option was not considered as
realistic with the looming demand already in AB-1.
Before any
recommended position was taken, the Citizen Committee
transmitted letters to all 30 property owners on record for
the properties in AB-2. The October 11, 2005 letter
explained: the Committee’s assignment to update the plan,
sewer treatment facility capacity constraints, and two
options being considered with the reasons for each. The
letter included a copy of the New Baltimore Service District
Water and Sewer Service Map, and invited comments by
November 15th to be discussed at the Committee’s
November 17th meeting. The Doores family came to
the one of the Committee public meetings concerned that
their pre-purchased taps investment in AB-2 would be
affected. If AB-2 is removed from the Service District,
the Committee and Planning Commission both recommended that
a note be included in Table 3 that indicates pre-purchased
sewer taps are grandfathered.
b.
Public Water Supply. Emory & Garrett
Groundwater, Inc. (EGGI) studies for New Baltimore were
considered. Concern was voiced that not all of the EGGI
groundwater areas had been subject to test well and yield
studies for New Baltimore and Warrenton Service District
build-out requirements, especially with emergent residential
irrigation demands, nor are the EGGI designated areas
protected. As a result, the Committee included more
resource information and presented more extensive
recommendations and implementation strategies regarding
groundwater resources since it represents the only WSA
source relied upon for public water supplies. Examples of
the implementation strategies recommended focus on water
supply management, HOA education (usage/conservation), WSA
well testing for new production wells and continued
monitoring of any withdrawal impacts on individual home
owner wells, and adoption of a well head protection
ordinance. Refer to the Public Utilities section for the
details.
3.
Public Facilities. The Kettle Run High
School location and that site’s capacity for additional
schools and uses, as well as school site locations at Vint
Hill are identified.
4.
Transportation.
a.
Background Information. The adopted New
Baltimore Service District Plan included a transportation
plan for full build-out and a 5-Year Action Plan for Primary
and Secondary Roads, with associated priorities and listed
improvements. The latter action plan has served as the
basis for: 1) review of the VDOT 6-Year Plan for Primary &
Secondary Roads; 2) the incremental design and construction
of the Brookside Parkway which will eventually connect to
Route 215; 3) signalization at the U.S. 15/29 and Route 215
intersection; and 4) the placement of the Route 215
realignment and its planned interchange with U.S. 15/29 as
the County’s number one transportation priority.
The County’s transportation consultant, Kellerco, completed
a thorough Traffic Impact Analysis in 2001 for the
entire New Baltimore Service District, to assist in the
Brookside - Waterfield rezoning amendment assessment and any
upcoming Comprehensive Plan Updates. The study was
coordinated with VDOT for traffic growth rates, traffic data
and also integrated development information regarding Vint
Hill, Brookside/Waterfield and development known at that
time. This information did not anticipate the 3rd high
school and elementary school site on Rt. 602 nor Bishop's
Run community. Plus, development projections were
constrained since the wastewater treatment facility was not
designed or funded at that point in time.
Attachment 3 summarizes the Kellerco Study results for Level
of Service (LOS) in 2001 and 2006 projections (including
signals expected to be in place by 2006; some have not
been installed and are so noted. As a result, the
associated turning movements and through traffic operations
through the intersections at peak hours are probably
functioning worse than predicted); 2009 and 2015 were
also done as part of the study but not included here. U.S.
15/29 traffic volumes continue to escalate.
b.
Prince William County. The Prince William
County Comprehensive Plan has certain information of
interest that needs to be included in this staff report:
1)
U.S. 15/29 from Fauquier County to the Route 234
Bypass is planned and scheduled to be a 6-lane divided
highway, with the bridge improvement at Broad Run programmed
for 2009;
2)
Adopted I-66/Route 29 Sector Plan: calls for a grade
separated interchange at the intersection of Route 29 and
Route 15;
3)
Route 215 from Fauquier County to Route 28 is planned
to be constructed as a 4-lane divided highway; and
4)
Rollins Ford Road (planned terminus on Route 215 near
the Prince William County Golf Course) is designated to
become a four lane divided roadway connecting to University
Boulevard.
c.
Updated New Baltimore Service District Plan.
The draft plan offers several significant transportation
refinements due to changes within the overall community.
Examples are as follows:
1)
New Baltimore Transportation Trust Fund. The
text provides more detail on how this fund is the repository
of proffered cash contributions from rezoning applications.
Those funds are used as a source for constructing some of
the street improvements reflected in this plan element; an
objective is to use these funds as a principal source for
VDOT revenue sharing grants for public road improvements.
2)
Secondary Roads: Key Transportation
Corridor (Route 605 – Brookside Parkway – Route 215).
This corridor has become the number one secondary road
funding priority due to school locations and emerging
development. Table 5 in the Service District Plan presents
transportation priorities and general project descriptions.
3)
Primary Roads. This section focused on
crossover access management, reconfiguration of Old
Alexandria Pike intersection with U.S. 15/29, redirection
of business access along U.S. 15/29, and setting primary
road improvement priorities. The U.S. 15/29 and Route 215
interchange remains the number one priority primary road
project.
4)
Countywide Recommendation. It is recommended
that the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors
consider consulting services, in conjunction with VDOT, to
complete an Access Management/Corridor Study along U.S.
15/29 from the Culpeper County line to Prince William
County. If the objective is ultimately to have freeway
status (limited access), then significant work needs to
commence. This study will identify how to achieve limited
access for this corridor, including proposed interchange and
bridge locations, interparcel connection options, service
roads, recommended phasing of essential improvements, and
other associated topics that need consideration in such a
complex project. Without such a plan, the objective of
limited access becomes more difficult, costly and
impractical. One only needs to observe the existing
development realities for Route 29 in Prince William County.
5)
Buckland Bypass Study. The referenced
technical study and the proposed alignment connections
between U.S. 15/29 to I-66 are not part of the New
Baltimore Service District Plan. The referenced $100,000
preliminary NEPA study has been funded through the Northern
Virginia VDOT and the Culpeper District VDOT, with both
Fauquier and Prince William Counties participating. The
technical report will assess the environmental, historical
and development constraints of several limited access
alignment options passing through both jurisdictions and
present their associated costs. The study is expected to
become public in the November timeframe, along with future
public meetings to be scheduled in both jurisdictions. The
completion and results of this multi-jurisdictional study
will require extended far more debate and cost analyses;
therefore, is not included for consideration in this
Comprehensive Plan amendment.
5.
Trails and Park Plan. This element has
been updated for clarity. Parks and Recreation has been
involved in this section to provide better definition for
the trail categories.
|