HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP-22-006 - Supplemental - 1459 Shelburne Road (25)
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TO: South Burlington Development Review Board
FROM: Marla Keene, Development Review Planner
SUBJECT: #SP-22-006 1459 Shelburne Road – Site Plan Application
DATE: April 5, 2022 Development Review Board meeting
Site plan application #SP-22-006 of Reperio Properties to demolish an existing light manufacturing and
retail complex and construct a 4,480 sf extension to an existing licensed care facility on the adjacent lot.
The subject parcel is an existing 0.71 acre lot, 1459 Shelburne Road.
The Board held a hearing on this application on March 2, 2022 and continued the hearing to address
outstanding issues. The remainder of this memo presents a summary of what Staff considers to be
outstanding issues requiring discussion with the Board. Outstanding items are organized into “above
the line” comments which Staff considers require a deeper discussion by the Board, and “below the
line” comments with which Staff considers the Board may wish to simply confirm the applicant’s
concurrence. The Board is encouraged to review the March 2 staff notes and discuss any items for
which they feel additional testimony is needed.
ABOVE-THE-LINE COMMENTS
13.04 Landscaping, Screening & Street Trees
G(3) Landscaping Budget Requirements. The Development Review Board shall require minimum
planting costs for all site plans, as shown in Table 13-4 below. In evaluating landscaping requirements,
some credit may be granted for existing trees or for site improvements other than tree planting as
long as the objectives of this section are not reduced. The costs below are cumulative; for example, a
landscaping budget shall be required to show a planned expenditure of three percent of the first
$250,000 in construction or improvement cost plus two percent of the next $250,000 in construction or
improvement cost, plus one percent of the remaining cost over $500,000. The landscaping budget shall
be prepared by a landscape architect or professional landscape designer.
The building cost is $1,400,000, requiring a minimum landscaping value of $21,500. The applicant has
calculated that they have provided $8,000 in trees and shrubs on the lot, and $1,500 in trees and shrubs
on the adjacent lot. There is no provision in the LDR for off-site landscaping to count towards the
required minimum landscaping value.
It appears there is an error in the applicant’s landscape cost, where they are proposing three maple
trees but have only accounted for the cost of two maple trees. Two maples are on the adjacent lot, but
Staff considers the value should be adjusted upward by $600 to include the inadvertently omitted
maple.
The applicant has requested the Board allow $7,100 of cost for the front brick walkway and brick patio
be allowed to count towards the required minimum landscaping value.
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1. The front brick walkway may add a limited amount of value to the site because of its limited visibility
and limited anticipated use. Staff recommends the Board consider whether to allow the front brick
walkway to contribute towards the minimum required landscaping value or whether other site
features, such at the planned playground, may be a better use of required value. If the playground
or other site features are used, full details and cost information are required.
2. For the brick patio (and brick walkway if allowed), Staff recommends the Board require the applicant
to provide a detailed cost breakdown demonstrating that the requested hardscape value is only the
value beyond the value of standard concrete.
The applicant has proposed a $3,600 value for retention of the existing 18-inch maple. They arrived at
this value by calculating the equivalent cost of six 3-inch trees. Staff supports this computation and
recommends the Board allow the proposed value for retention of the existing 18-inch maple. However,
Staff recommends the Board require the applicant to supplement the provided erosion and sediment
prevention plans with a detail for protection of the tree, subject to review and approval by the City
Arborist.
Taking into consideration the above listed landscaping values, including on-site trees, shrubs, hardscape,
and existing tree retention, the applicant is proposing $19,300 of the required minimum landscaping
value. The applicant has requested to include $2,700 in “installation and maintenance cost.”
Installation and maintenance cost are not allowed to be counted towards the minimum required
landscaping value. The applicant must provide an additional $2,200 in plants or hardscape. As noted
above, the applicant has proposed 2 – 3 inch caliper trees, while the minimum size is 2 ½”.
3. Staff recommends the Board require the applicant to increase the minimum tree size and recalculate
the proposed landscaping cost, adding on-site plantings as necessary to achieve the required
minimum landscaping budget.
As a reminder, the City Arborist reviewed the plans on 2/15/2022 and offered the following comments.
• Should provide Tree Protection Plan and Details for any existing trees to be retained. Leaving the
decision to preserve the existing 18 inch maple on the west side of the building should not be left
up to the contractor, if the tree is going to be retained the appropriate tree protection measures
must be on the plans and applied.
• Recommend continuous planting pits filled with loam/sandy loam soil to a depth of 2ft in parking
lot bump outs to provide adequate soils for tree/plant growth
• The landscape budget detailed on the plans may not meet minimum requirements. There is a
clause indicating that the city requirement is $20,000 but only $7300 is listed with a stipulation
that additional costs at the time of installation will meet the requirement
4. The Board on 3/2 supported the City Arborists suggestion to require the applicant to retain the 18-
inch maple. Staff continues to recommend the Board require the applicant to modify their erosion
prevention and sediment control plan to provide robust tree protection around the drip edge of the
existing tree.
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Staff continues to recommend the Board require the applicant to modifying their tree planting
details to incorporate the comments of the City Arborist. Staff considers this can be addressed as a
condition of approval.
B(2) In all parking areas containing twenty-eight (28) or more contiguous parking spaces and/or
in parking lots with more than a single circulation lane, at least ten percent (10%) of the interior of
the parking lot shall be landscaped islands planted with trees, shrubs and other plants. Such
requirement shall not apply to structured parking or below-ground parking.
5. The Board has historically applied this standard across parking lots regardless of property boundaries.
This criterion is not met for the parking lot shared by this and the adjacent parcel to the south. Staff
recommends the Board require the applicant to demonstrate how they will meet this criterion for the
shared parking lot prior to closing the hearing. Staff anticipates the actual interior landscaping will be
provided on the adjacent parcel to the south.
B(7) Snow storage areas must be specified and located in an area that minimizes the
potential for erosion and contaminated runoff into any adjacent or nearby surface waters.
6. The applicant has not proposed any on-site snow storage. Staff notes the applicant has indicated
three areas on the adjoining site plan as “additional snow storage.” One area contains a mature
tree between the parking and the indicated area. Staff recommends the Board ask the applicant to
describe how snow storage will be addressed for the subject property.
BELOW THE LINE COMMENTS
13.04 Landscaping, Screening & Street Trees
B. Except for parking spaces accessory to a one-family or two-family dwelling, all off-street
parking areas subject to review by the Development Review Board, shall be curbed and landscaped
with appropriate trees, shrubs, and other plants including ground covers, as approved by the
Development Review Board. Sections of recessed curb are permitted if their purpose is to allow
stormwater runoff from the adjacent parking area to reach stormwater collection, treatment and
management infrastructure. The Development Review Board shall consider the adequacy of the
proposed landscaping to assure the establishment of a safe, convenient, and attractive parking area
and the privacy and comfort of abutting properties.
(1) All off-street parking areas shall be landscaped around the perimeter of the lot with trees,
shrubs and other plants. Perimeter planting shall be set back from the curb sufficiently to allow for
snow storage. The purpose of perimeter planting shall be to mitigate the view of the parking lot
from the public way and from adjacent uses and properties, and to provide shade and canopy for
the parking lot. In some situations it may be necessary both for surveillance purposes and for the
perception of safety to install the size and type of plants that leave visual access between the
parking lot to the public way or other pedestrian areas.
In response to Staff comments, the applicant has augmented the landscaping screening of new
parking areas. Staff considers this criterion met to the extent feasible and necessary.
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(3) All interior and perimeter planting shall be protected by curbing unless specifically designed as
a collection and treatment area for management of stormwater runoff as per 13.04(B)(5)(c)
below. Interior planted islands shall have a minimum dimension of six (6) feet on any one side, and
shall have a minimum square footage of sixty (60) square feet. Large islands are encouraged.
Curbing is proposed except where stormwater is proposed to be addressed by sheet flow. 13.04B
above indicates that only small sections of curbing should be removed for stormwater. However,
the applicant has protected the planting by locating it on the far side of the stormwater swale,
which Staff considers as meeting this criterion. The applicant has revised the plans to remove
proposed curbing from one of the interior parking lot landscaping islands located on the adjacent
site at 1475 Shelburne Road. Staff notes that protecting this planting island with curbing will be a
requirement of the site plan application for the adjoining site.
(4) Landscaping Requirements
(a) Landscaping shall include a variety of trees, shrubs, grasses and ground covers. All
planting shall be species hardy for the region and, if located in areas receiving road runoff or
salt spray, shall be salt-tolerant.
The provided trees are a variety of species. Staff considers this criterion met.
(b) At least one (1) major deciduous shade tree shall be provided within or near the
perimeter of each parking area, for every five (5) parking spaces. The trees shall be placed
evenly throughout the parking lot to provide shade and reduce glare. Trees shall be placed a
minimum of thirty (30) feet apart.
There are 14 parking spaces proposed. The applicant is proposing two shade trees on the
adjacent lot, and proposing to retain an existing 18-inch maple and install one shade tree. Staff
considers these trees when taken together meet this requirement, provided the proposed site
plan on the adjoining lot proceeds as envisioned, with modifications to curbing and interior
parking lot landscaping noted above.
(c) Trees shall have a caliper equal to or greater than two and one-half (2 ½) inches when measured on the tree stem, six (6) inches above the root ball.
The applicant has proposed 2 to 3 inch caliper trees. This does not meet the standard.
7. Staff recommends the Board require the applicant to provide trees with a minimum of 2 ½ inches
at the time of installation.
(d) Where more than ten (10) trees are installed, a mix of species is encouraged; the
species should be grouped or located in a manner that reinforces the design and layout of the
parking lot and the site.
Fewer than 10 trees are proposed.
14.06 General Site Plan Review Standards
C. Relationship of Structures and Site to Adjoining Area.
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(1) The Development Review Board shall encourage the use of a combination of common
materials and architectural characteristics (e.g., rhythm, color, texture, form or detailing),
landscaping, buffers, screens and visual interruptions to create attractive transitions between
buildings of different architectural styles.
(2) Proposed structures shall be related harmoniously to themselves, the terrain and to existing
buildings and roads in the vicinity that have a visual relationship to the proposed structures.
The applicant has provided renderings and photographs showing how the proposed building relates
to the adjoining building containing the associated childcare to the south as View 3 (Exhibit F). The
adjoining building is Victorian in style while the proposed building is a modern craftsman style.
While this is a stand-alone site plan application, the applicant is proposing to share some site
features between the adjoining sites, therefore Staff considers compliance with these criteria to be
particularly relevant. The applicant provided the following narrative response to these criteria
Proposed materials are similar to adjacent preschool building using horizontal clapboard
siding & shakes. The aesthetics are also intended to compliment the adjacent preschool
building being more residential in nature and creating a campus like feel. There are other
buildings along Shelburne Rd of this vernacular, examples being the Shearer Acura
dealership and the Lakewood Commons buildings, not far north of the site, and Shelburne
Square building on corner of IDX & Shelburne Rd, which use more residential siding materials
& forms. Larger glazed openings and standing seam roof of proposed daycare building add
some modern elements & textures to a more traditional style. Other properties to the north
of the site are currently single story buildings with flat roofs. The gable roof of the proposed
daycare building will help in transitioning from these lower adjacent structures to the
existing 2 story Victorian style daycare building.
8. On March 2, the Board briefly reviewed these criteria and did not voice any opposition. Staff
recommends the Board confirm they are satisfied these criteria are met.
9. The proposed site layout is strongly integrated into the site layout for the adjacent property to
the south. Staff recommends the Board include a condition of approval that this project may not
obtain a zoning permit before a site plan approval for the adjacent site is obtained.
14.07 Specific Site Plan Review Standards
C. Access and Circulation. All proposed development shall comply with site access and circulation
standards of Section 15.A.14.
Much of 15.A.14 pertains to the construction of streets, which are not applicable to this application.
10. The March 2 staff report included the comment that the proposed one way signage was not in a
location which will be useful to users of the site. The applicant provided an additional one-way sign
on the curve of the driveway, but retained the one-way sign at the entrance on Shelburne Road.
Staff recommends that sign be relocated to be just east of the first five parking spaces, as that is the
first location where people could inadvertently go the wrong way. If the applicant wishes to retain
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the sign at the entrance, they may, but Staff still considers a sign east of the first five spaces to be
needed.
13.05 Stormwater Management
Stormwater standards apply when one-half acre or more of impervious surface exists or is proposed to
exist, and where 5,000 sf of impervious is created or reconstructed. The City Stormwater Section
reviewed the proposed plans on 2/22/2022 and offered a number of comments. On 3/24/2022, the City
Stormwater Section confirmed with Staff that their comments had been addressed.
13.07 Exterior Lighting & 13.13 Signs
The March 2 staff report noted that Fixture Type “G,” a flood light, is prohibited. The applicant clarified
to Staff that the fixture was for illuminating the sign. Signs, and sign lighting, is subject to separate
ordinance. Staff recommends the Board require the applicant to remove all proposed signage, including
callouts on the site drawings and signage on the architectural plans, as well as sign lighting, from the
plans as a condition of approval. Other lighting requirements are met.
13.11 Fences
11. The applicant has shown a fence on the plans but no fence details are provided. Staff recommends
the Board require the applicant to provide a fence detail demonstrating compliance with the LDR. If
the applicant can provide a general description of the fence, Staff considers provision of a detail can
be a condition of approval.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Board work with the applicant to address the issues identified herein.
Respectfully submitted,
Marla Keene, P.E.
Development Review Planner