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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/15/2003 - MinutesROANOKE COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WORK SESSION MINUTES - APRIL '15, 2003 Present: Mr. Don Witt, Chairman Mr. Al Thomason Mr. Steve Azar (arrived after the approval of agenda) Ms. Martha Hooker Ms. Janet Scheid, Secretary Mr. David Holladay Mr. John Murphy Ms. Tammi Wood Mr. Chris Lowe Mr. Anthony Ford Ms. Susan Carter, Recording Secretary Guests: Mr. Steve Chapin, Star Solutions Ms. Trixie Averill, Star Solutions Ms. Anne Marie Green, Director of General Services Ms. Nancy Duval, Solid Waste Manager Mr. Garland Kitts, Lamar Advertising Mr. Bill Lodzinski, Lamar Advertising Absent: Mr. Todd Ross WORK SESSION: Session opened at 3:30 p.m. by Mr. Don Witt. Approval of Agenda Mr. A( Thomason moved to approve the agenda as amended. Motion passed 3 -0. Discussion of Star Solutions 1 -81 Proposal Presented by Steve Chapin. HSMM Mr. Chapin narrated a slide presentation explaining the plan to improve 325 miles of the 1 -81 corridor. He stated one in eight traffic fatalities involves a collision with a large truck. He explained the plan would separate large trucks from other vehicles by building a center lane for through truck traffic. He stated the project would take an estimated 15 years to complete. He stated Texas reported 68% decrease in accidents on highways where trucks and cars are separated. He explained financing would come from tolls, bonds, VDOT 1 -81 Allocation, and Federal Earmarks. He stated some Virginia firms would be used for the project. He stated legislative action would be needed in order to collect tolls from regular vehicular traffic. He invited the group to visit the project website at www.improve8l.com if more information is desired. Mr. Witt inquired as to the reason they plan to rebuild existing lanes. Mr. Chapin stated VDOT already plans to 'redo' the stressed areas plus this will allow them to offer the 20 -year warranty on the entire project. Ms. Scheid asked about the barriers separating the trucks from other vehicles. Mr. Chapin stated they plan to use standard concrete barriers, which may be slightly higher due to the truck traffic. Mr. Murphy asked if the warranty would include routine resurfacing. Mr. Chapin affirmed it would include resurfacing. Mr. Thomason asked when construction would begin. Mr. Chapin stated it is dependent upon the required environmental impact study. Mr. Holladay asked about'toll tags' for the heavy trucks. Mr. Chapin stated they would be able to acquire these tags in various locations. He stated Virginia would coordinate this program with other states. Ms. Scheid asked about considerations regarding the topography of the region. Mr. Chapin stated currently no climbing lanes are planned. Issue of Garbage Pick-up in the Count - Martha Hooker Ms. Hooker stated she has received several comments from citizens regarding Roanoke County refuse trucks littering the Glenvar area. She stated the trucks are apparently full since they are near the end of the route. She stated she understands the issue is difficult to solve. She stated she would like to discuss options in order to resolve this problem. Ms. Anne Marie Green, Director of General Services, said that a large part of this problem is that some citizens do not bag their garbage. The County is in the process of reviewing an ordinance that will require that garbage be bagged. She stated that the older truck does not have hopper covers but that the newer trucks with hopper covers do work in preventing the trash from falling from the truck. Ms. Hooker asked if more frequent trips could be made to the transfer station. Ms. Green stated it would be very costly — price of gasoline and wear and tear on the large vehicles. Ms. Hooker asked about enforcement provisions if the "bagging" ordinance is adopted. Ms. Green stated habitual offenders would receive warning tags. She stated when new trucks with hopper covers replace the older trucks this problem should diminish. Ms. Nancy Duval, Solid Waster Manager, stated it would take approximately 3 -4 months to receive the new refuse trucks. Ms. Green stated other jurisdictions share this problem. Ms. Scheid noted the entire valley has a litter problem. She suggested designing a public awareness program. Mr. Witt stated children are the best tools for education. Ms. Green stated the Clean Valley Council does try to educate the children in the schools. Mr. Thomason stated he has seen trash bag liners for the large trashcans in a jurisdiction in Northern Virginia. He suggested furnishing the citizens with these bags. Mr. Lodzinski suggested purchasing trashcans with a latch for the lid. Ms. Duval stated they are currently looking at a new container design. Mr. Azar stated when he moved to the County, he was told to bag his trash before placing it into the trashcan. Ms. Hooker asked if citizens were receiving the same quality of service with the One -Armed Bandits as they received with the former system. Ms. Green stated the cost to the County is less with the One -Armed Bandits. She noted a significant decrease in Workers Compensation claims. Ms. Hooker expressed concern litter falling from the trucks would be an ongoing issue. Mr. Witt suggested the PC create a resolution of support for the ordinance. Ms. Hooker also noted it is mandatory for other trucks carrying trash and debris to be covered but not the County trash trucks. Discussion of Sign Ordinance Revisions Ms. Scheid explained twirl time and dwell time restrictions were added to the ordinance. Mr. Holladay stated a high average was used to establish the dwell time. The Commissioners, Mr. Kitts, and Mr. Lodzinski all agreed on the twirl time. Ms. Scheid noted it could be possible to see all messages on the tri- vision boards if a vehicle was stopped at a traffic light in view of the signage. Mr. Witt expressed concern Tri- vision signs may create traffic hazards. Mr. Azar stated 10 seconds should be the minimal dwell time. He stated it is important to write the ordinance to cover all signs to prevent revisiting this issue for individual signs. 2 Mr. Holladay presented an overview of the legislative history regarding replacement value of billboards. He reported on his consultation with Mr. Paul Mahoney, Roanoke County Attorney. Mr. Witt stated it is important to have a basis for replacement cost. Mr. Thomason stated since the replacement value is nebulous, it is necessary to have legal language to back up the term 'value.' Mr. Lodzinski stated Lamar Advertising includes the revenue value when calculating replacement value of signage. Mr. Thomason stated he prefers replacement cost since it indicates a finite amount. Mr. Witt and Mr. Azar agreed. Ms. Scheid gave a brief history of the Off - premise Signs revision. Mr. Kitts stated a 1 for 1 signage swap would be acceptable. Ms. Scheid reviewed the 2 for 1 Cap & Replace revision. He expressed dissatisfaction with the 2 for 1 Cap & Replace revision. He stated this is unfair since it is increasingly difficult to find conforming areas for signage. He stated this would have a negative monetary effect on the signage industry and its employees. Mr. Witt stated the Planning Commission's objective is to reduce the number of non - conforming billboards. Mr. Lodzinski stated the sign companies only want to maintain the number of signs they have at current locations. Mr. Kitts expressed concern regarding the loss of current signs with the proposed Cap & Replace revision. Ms. Scheid reiterated since it will be more difficult for new competitors, it will be a better market for existing sign companies. Ms. Scheid stated approximately 50% of the current billboards are conforming. She noted the Tri- vision regulation would allow the sign companies to get 3 signs for 1. Mr. Lodzinski stated only certain sites will be appropriate for Tri - vision signs. Mr. Azar asked how many conforming and non- conforming signs Lamar Advertising manages. Mr. Kitts was unsure of the exact number of signs. He stated with both the loss of billboard property leases and the Cap & Replace regulation, his company will be negatively impacted. Ms. Scheid stated the intent of the revised ordinance is to phase out non - conforming billboards. Mr. Thomason reiterated this was the PC original purpose when revising the sign ordinance. Mr. Thomason moved to forward the Sign Ordinance Revisions as presented to the PCPH on May 6, 2003: AYES: Witt, Azar, Thomason NAYS: None ABSENT: Hooker, Ross Discussion of Community Plan Ms. Scheid stated she would consult Mr. Mike Chandler regarding assisting staff with organizing citizen involvement in the revision process. She stated he might be available to offer his assistance in June or July. Ms. Scheid discussed the Town of Vinton's planning program, which Mr. Chandler conducted. She stated it was designed to educate the area citizens about the planning process. Mr. Azar stated he has spoken with some citizens in his area who are interested in participating in the program. Mr. Witt stated it would be beneficial for developers to attend the program. Ms. Scheid stated Bedford is currently conducting a Citizens Planning Academy for which they are charging each participant a $15.00 fee. Ms. Scheid stated Vinton had good participation by their citizens. She suggested having public Camp Plan sessions immediately following the completion of the Citizens Planning Academy sessions. Mr. Witt suggested overlapping the two sessions. Mr. Holladay stated he would have more updates on the Comp Plan at the next Planning Commission meeting. 3 Comments of Planning, Commissioners and Planning Staff Mr, Thomason stated a member of the Roanoke County School Board has expressed a concern to him that more housing will Ibe needed for an influx of'families when the 1-81 Corridor improvements begin. He stated the temporary workers would relocate to the valley for 5-7 years. He stated it has been suggested the large number of workers will create a need to rezone some areas in order to develop mobile home parks to house the construction workers. He stated Roanoke would be a logical center for the workers. He stated the areas suggested for the mobile home parks are iin Southeast County including Mount Pleasant and the Windy Gap areas. Mr. Azar suggested the workers, utilize existing real estate and integrate into the community. The Commissioners and Ms. Scheid discussed varying meeting times for PC Worksessions,, The Planning Commission and staffdiscussed the Star Solutions 1-81 presentation. Adjou,rnment The meeting was adjourned at 5:45 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Approved: Secretary, Roanoke County Planning Commission Cl