HomeMy WebLinkAboutSD-20-40 - Supplemental - 0500 Old Farm Road
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
January 22, 2021
South Burlington Development Review Board
C/O Ms. Marla Keene, Development Review Planner
City of South Burlington
575 Dorset Street
South Burlington, VT 05403
Re: O’Brien Farm Planned Unit Development of Remaining Lands; O’Brien Eastview
Dear Board Members:
As you know, O’Brien Eastview, LLC filed Preliminary Plat for the Eastview project in August
2020. After working with City staff and providing additional supplemental materials, the application was
deemed complete in an email dated October 26, 2020 from Marla Keene. The Project remains as
defined in previous submissions to the Board, except as altered by correspondence submitted since. As
discussions with City staff and committees continue, our project has, and will continue to evolve. Prior
to our first hearing, scheduled for February, we wanted to update the major plans and exhibits provided
to align with the most recent iteration of the project documents. Attached to this letter is an updated
Exhibit Table of Contents. This includes the date of submission or the last update to the submission for
each item listed. Items noted with the date of this letter are updated in this letter and are provided
today. Items that are listed with previous dates have already been submitted and are part of the record.
Per our conversations with staff, these items are not provided again at this time. We appreciate the
feedback on listing and tracking exhibit submissions, and are hopeful that this update aligns with
instructions we have been provided. All exhibits now have singular identification numbers, which will
remain consistent across all future submissions for this preliminary plat.
There are two major changes presented in this update. These changes are the addition of a one-
way alley access for Lot 31, as well as the reorientation of Legacy Farm Road to allow for a second city
right of way on Lot 34. Each change is discussed below in detail. Attached as Exhibit 034 please find an
updated density and project area sheet. We will look forward to discussing the project at our upcoming
hearing and we appreciate your review.
1. Lot 31 Alley Access: Discussions with staff have continued to encourage the elimination of
curb cuts on Old Farm Road. As outlined at Exhibit 005, the Eastview Project has been very
close to the overall coverage limits as calculated for the R1 district alone, with no
accommodation for other lands in the Project area, and with the coverage that will be
owned by the City in rights of way included. For this reason, it has been challenging to add
this secondary access alley while remaining within coverage constraints. However, by
narrowing the alley and making it a one-way road, in addition to removing impervious in
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other areas of the site, we have accommodated the request. It should be noted this
accommodation increased total coverage and has eliminated any available coverage for
other areas of the Project. The homes presented will have front porches orienting to Old
Farm Road, detached rear-load garages, and small private yards that will be framed in by
fencing and/or garages. Initial conversations with staff have viewed this change positively,
and we are pleased we could accommodate the request.
While we agree that this change will have a positive aesthetic impact on the development as
viewed from Old Farm Road, it is not without risk. Detached garages are not common in the
new-construction market and could potentially be viewed negatively by many customers.
There is a marketability concern associated with having a paved road on both sides of the
home, and with needing to go outside to access your garage area. While we are willing to
move this change forward in this limited area, it is important to note that our concerns
about marketability are very real, and we are therefore not comfortable with extending this
alley access to any more homes in the neighborhood as it is unclear what the marketability
and sales price impacts will be.
2. Lot 34 Access Easement and Barn Amenity Adjustment: In conversations with staff, it has
been repeatedly discussed that the area surrounding Lot 35 (the existing single-family home
at 100 Old Farm Road that is slotted to remain) was planned inefficiently, and that the
addition of another road connecting to Old Farm could allow for additional housing. This is
accurate, and was an issue with our initial project submissions. Because it is not clear if
additional coverage is available for these lands, or if it will become available in the future,
initial submissions of this project expanded the barn lot slightly, and did not include the
possibility of more housing along the southern border. During their review staff
recommended the addition of an easement that would allow for future expansion of the
neighborhood should the opportunity present itself. Effectively, enabling a future build-out.
This was good advice and we have developed the current plan which presents a 50’ ROW
that would allow for a double-loaded city street to be constructed at any future date when
either coverage ratios are amended for this area or a different perspective on coverage
related to the construction of new City streets is taken.
We believe that the addition of this easement creates a viable opportunity for a future
development that could extend Split Rock Court, and connect to Legacy Farm Avenue.
Doing so would require acquisition of only two properties, and would present the developer
with an opportunity to double-load all new infrastructure developed, which is essential for
project viability
The impact of this easement has been the reduction in the size of the event lawn that was
provided at the Barn amenity, however, a large and appropriately sized community amenity
space is still provided. We have also reconfigured the parking area to expand the space
even more. In response to staff feedback regarding the transition between the homes on
Lot 33 and the barn community area, we have updated the landscape concept sheets to
show a proposed landscape solution that will create a feeling of the public realm for both
homeowners and community amenity users. This updated landscape plan provides some
scale to the amenity at the barn, showing that a large event tent, cocktail tables, and other
amenities still fit very comfortably on the lot as adjusted to accommodate the new right of
way. These updated landscape concepts are attached at Exhibit 017.
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We appreciate your continued review and feedback on the Project and look forward to our next
conversation. Please note that the attached Exhibit Table of Contents indicates those exhibits updated
and provided with this supplemental cover letter. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Andrew Gill, Director of Development
Enclosures