HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda 04_SD-20-37_105 Swift St_Ninety Nine Swift St_PP FP
575 Dorset Street South Burlington, VT 05403 tel 802.846.4106 fax 802.846.4101 www.sburl.com
TO: South Burlington Development Review Board
FROM: Marla Keene, Development Review Planner
SUBJECT: SD‐20‐37 105 Swift Street Preliminary and Final Plat Application
DATE: December 15, 2020 Development Review Board meeting
Ninety Nine Swift Street Associates, LLC has submitted preliminary and final plat application #SD‐20‐37 to
create a planned unit development of two lots at 99 Swift Street and 105 Swift Street and construct a three
story, 6,800 sf, 20‐unit mixed rate residential building, and associated site improvements on the lot at 105 Swift
Street, 105 Swift Street.
The Board reviewed the application on November 17 and December 1, 2020 and continued the hearing to allow
Staff research and Board deliberation on the proposed driveway access to the site. Since the hearing, the
applicant has also made revisions to their plans to address the identified issues with the potential for
groundwater intrusion into the subsurface stormwater filter. These topics are discussed below.
Stormwater
The applicant has modified the subsurface stormwater system by adding a liner, surrounded by washed stone
for drainage relief at the outlet structure. The applicant testified that the washed stone also serves to
counteract heaving of the liner by buoyant forces below the system. The City Stormwater Section indicated
that with these improvements, the system is satisfactory, but there are still concerns about where dewatering
will occur without discharging directly into the wetland or buffer. In order to facilitate closing the hearing, Staff
recommends the Board include a condition requiring the applicant to submit a proposed dewatering plan that
respects the proposed limits of disturbance and is approved by the City Stormwater Section, prior to issuance
of a zoning permit for the project.
Access
The applicant is proposing a planned unit development in order to take advantage of the combined residential
density of the two properties. Without a PUD, the project would be limited to seven units (1.04 acre at 7 units
per acre), while as a PUD, and including the affordable housing density bonus, the project can provide twenty
units of housing.
As a PUD, the applicant is required to show innovation and infill. At the 12/1 hearing, it was noted that the
property at 99 Swift St was originally required in 1989 to share a driveway access with Farrell Park. This design
advanced a City objective to consolidate curb cuts and reduce conflict points along a collector road in the
vicinity of a traffic signal.
The redevelopment of 105 Swift Street creates a new and better opportunity to further advance this same
objective, and also to also improve sub‐par access and visibility to Farrell Park. As noted by Recreation and
Parks Director Holly Rees, this driveway has become a major entrance to a significant network of connected
recreation paths, stretching from Spear Street at I89, along Farrell Street, through Farrell Park, UVM lands, and
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Szymanski Park, and connecting the Orchard, Baycrest and Stonehedge neighborhoods. In addition to
providing connectivity, Farrell Park provides a ball field, a playground, and a dog park.
The shared driveway is approximately 30‐feet wide and is owned by the City. The project is proposing a new
access off Swift Street, as recommended by their traffic study, to alleviate safety concerns at the existing
driveway. Staff supports this new access directly onto Swift Street, but also strongly recommends that the
existing shared access be closed. Closing this curb cut would eliminate the need for large vehicle turning
movements on the shared driveway, thus allowing the City to potentially better delineate the bicycle and
pedestrian access, either via low‐impact improvements like bollards, or more permanent solution like a
separated bicycle and pedestrian path. The current entry has no clear delineation between space for cars and
for pedestrians and bicyclists. Closure of the curb cut would create an opportunity for improved pedestrian
access for over 500 homes in the Farrell Street neighborhood.
The Board on 12/1 noted that they would like to know if fire truck access issues are created if the shared Farrell
Park entry were closed. The applicant and Staff agreed to review this question and provide feedback to the
Board at the next meeting.
As requested by the Board on 12/1, the applicant has prepared turning movement exhibits showing how a fire
truck would serve both 99 and 105 Swift Streets via the new curb cut. These exhibits show that in order to
serve both properties, two existing parking spaces would need to be eliminated.
The Fire Chief expressed on 12/7 via email his acceptance of the configuration with removal of the shared
Farrell Park access conditioned on removal of the two impacted parking spaces. Resulting parking space counts
are tabulated below.
Existing Parking Spaces, 99 Swift 82
Proposed Parking Spaces, 99 Swift,
retain shared Farrell Park access1
76
Proposed Parking Spaces, 99 Swift,
close shared Farrell Park access
74
Proposed Parking Spaces, 105 Swift 22
1. The parking lot at 99 Farrell Street is proposed to be reconfigured in order to accommodate
relocation of the dumpster and the new connection between 99 and 105 Swift street.
Acknowledging that parking demands will change with addition of 20 housing units, Staff considers the
reduction of 2 parking spaces from the initial proposal to be warranted compared to the benefits of removing
the shared Farrell Park access. Staff, furthermore, is happy to review any proposal by the applicant to replace
these two parking spaces elsewhere on the site that is consistent with the LDRs. Staff notes that the current
layout includes an unusable paved area at the southwest corner of the site where the applicant could explore
reconfiguration.
The applicant has prepared two exhibits of possible solutions to the shared Farrell Park access question. The
first exhibit shows a reduced driveway width to 99 Swift Street with a mountable curb for fire truck access. This
narrowed width would provide discouragement for users of the site to ignore posted “DO NOT ENTER” signage
and exit the site via the shared Farrell Park access. The second shows how the shared Farrell Park access could
be closed and still retain an apron for the existing parking lot.
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Staff recommends the Board review the two alternatives and identify any questions they have before closing
the hearing. Staff reminds the Board that they may make their ultimate decision in deliberative session, but
they may not receive new information from the applicant or staff after the hearing is closed.
In addition to the above, the provided fire truck turning analysis identified the necessity for a slight
modification of the connection between the parking lots of 99 and 105 Swift Street, which the applicant has
incorporated into the attached turning movement exhibits. Staff recommends the Board include a condition of
approval requiring the applicant update their remaining plan sheets to reflect this change. The Fire Chief also
requested the applicant provide cobble pavers and signage in the “no parking” area at the 99 and 105 Swift
Street connection. The purpose of cobble pavers would be to indicate no parking even when snow covered.
Staff recommends the Board discuss whether to require this or some other demarcation to prevent parking in
the lane needed for fire truck access.
Respectfully submitted,
Marla Keene, Development Review Planner