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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/15/2008 - MinutesROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MINUTES JULY 15, 2008 Roanoke County Commissioners Present: Mr. Steve Azar Ms. Martha Hooker Mr. Gary ,Jarrell Mr. Rodney McNeil Mr. David Radford Roanoke County Staff Present: Mr. Philip Thompson, Secretary Mr. Joe Obenshain, Senior Assistant County Attorney Mr. David Holladay Ms. Megan Cronise Ms. Nicole Gilkeson Mr. Chris Patriarca Mr. Tarek Moneir CALL TO ORDER: Mr. McNeil called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Approval of Agenda Mr. Jarrell moved to approve the agenda. Motion passed 5 -0. Zoning Ordinance Amendment Mr. Thompson went over a draft memo to the Board of Supervisors in response to its request that the Planning Commission review Zoning Ordinance Section 30 -91 -2, General Regulations for Parking, related to the parking of recreational vehicles, boats, and utility trailers on corner lots. Based on the June 17, 2008, joint work session with the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Planning Commission recommended the existing ordinance remain unchanged. Commissioners felt the memo was thorough and approved it for submission to the Board of Supervisors. Hollins Area Plan Update Ms. Cronise gave an update on the Hollins Area Plan. A presentation on the Planning Commission's field trip will be given at a meeting with the administration of Hollins University on August 29, 2008. Hollins University's financial commitment needs to be confirmed for the parking lot at Hollywood's Restaurant to be shared with the greenway. A perc test is required and a stormwater management plan needs to be implemented. The commissioners felt knowing the history of the area and seeing the different architecture helped with information for the plan. There was discussion of new businesses following the Hollins guidelines. Dharmendra Patel is constructing a new hotel in the area. He and his builder have worked with staff and have been very receptive to the guidelines. Walgreen's has also spoken with staff about developing a store in the area. They are willing to go above and beyond the development regulations and install sidewalks and landscaping on the adjoining lot owned by the Virginia Page 1 of 3 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES JULY 15, 2008 Department of Transportation. The question was raised whether the county should wait for the "right" developers or get just settle for "junky" buildings. It was noted that we do not want to have so many requirements that it creates an economic hardship on developers. New buildings could be constructed by the new guidelines as much as possible, without making all components (i.e. paint, brick, etc.) a requirement. The lack of connectivity between the Hollins University campus and the intersection of Williamson Road and Plantation Road was discussed. This is considered the "gateway" to the community. Funding is an issue to the upgrades. The subject of requiring sidewalks for new developments was raised. A meeting has been scheduled with VDOT to determine what and/or how much they are willing to do on the project. Ms. Cronise distributed Future Land Use maps representing three (3) possible scenarios for the Hollins area. The first of which was the current land use with no changes. A suggested revision was for a University District to cover the various types of structures that may be developed on campus, such as a bookstore, dormitories, a library, or a stadium. There was discussion of rezoning of the Huffman Farm. A Transition designation was also proposed for the frontage at Hollins University to allow for office parks that could be developed by the guidelines. Ms. Cronise will research zoning designations for other similar university locations. The new plan will require an appropriate core designation. The next community meeting is scheduled for July 31, 2008, which may or may not be the last one. Route 221 Corridor Study Update Ms. Gilkeson updated the Planning Commission on the progress of the Route 221 Corridor Study. Dates for the next community meetings at Back Creek Elementary were considered. Staff would like for the Planning Commission to tour the Route 221 study area. Darren Jones of the county's GIS Department will develop a viewshed presentation for the area. A suggestion was made to overlay the various viewsheds for the Route 220 area to determine the commonalities. It was noted that the viewshed from the top of a mountain cannot be protected. Ms. Gilkeson discussed a program under consideration that would use traffic trip counts to calculate the impact on a community. The information could be used for reviewing rezoning petitions and site plan review. This program would also determine if any change to the Comprehensive Plan would trigger a Section 527 review. The method will be verified by VDOT, who will be asked to sign off before implementation. Face -to -face stakeholder interviews have been conducted with key people (school board member, civic league officer(s), school principal, etc.) in the community. The information obtained has been in line with the written survey information received. There Page 2of3 ROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES JULY 15, 2008 have been a lot of questions regarding the Poage Farm and the VDOT road widening project. Other Comments Mr. Thompson stated that site viewing for the meeting on August 5, 2008, will be for the Starkey Medical petition only. With no further business or comments, Mr. McNeil adjourned the meeting at 7:33 p.m. Respectfully Submitted: Becky Mead Recording Secretary, Roanoke County Planning Commission 6a 'd� F Secrotary, Roanok County Planning Commission Approved: � �V Rodney McNeil Chairman, Roanoke County Planning Commission Page 3 of 3