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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSD-22-04 - Supplemental - 0119 Tilley Drive (14) 1 The UVM Medical Center Outpatient Surgery Center Project City Sketch Plan Application Project Narrative February 7, 2022 I. Background The UVM Medical Center is planning to construct a new Outpatient Surgery Center (OSC) in order to replace the surgical capacity formerly available at the Fanny Allen Campus and handle a wider and more sophisticated variety of surgical procedures and increased projected future surgical volume anticipated over the next 10 years. Full replacement of the Fanny Allen facilities has been part of UVM Medical Center’s Facilities Master Plan for some time as Fanny Allen facilities are undersized, outdated, and cannot be efficiently or effectively renovated. Rather, they must be replaced with operating rooms (ORs) that support outpatient surgery today and in the future. As new technologies and techniques permit us to perform more types of procedures in an outpatient setting, outpatient surgery centers must be designed to accommodate these procedures. Due to the age and footprint of the Fanny Allen building, it could not be renovated to increase OR square footage or incorporate the mechanical equipment needed to support increased air flow. This proposed OSC facility will be designed to increase clinical team efficiency to maintain patient access in a challenging health care labor market. II. Outpatient Surgery Center Project Description The Building Site The proposed OSC will be located on Lot #6 of the Mountain View Business Park on Tilley Drive in South Burlington. The lot is approximately 13.5 acres with a protected Green Mountain Power (GMP) and Champlain Water District easements running east-west bisecting the building lot. Municipal water and sewer, and electrical power services are all available at this site. Access to the site is via Tilley Drive at the existing curb cut. UVM Medical Center has worked in collaboration with the Special Services Transportation Agency (SSTA) to ensure that patients have access to consistent, affordable, and reliable public transportation to access Tilley Drive health care services. The Building The building will be approximately 84,006 sf of space that includes the main building at ground floor main level and a partial basement at the lower level. The ground floor main level will provide twelve new operating rooms with as adjacent pre-surgery and post-operative recovery The UVM Medical Center Outpatient Surgery Center Project City Sketch Plan Application Project Narrative February 7, 2022 2 spaces. Convenient patient access features include a covered drop off area with a separation of ingress and egress paths for arriving and departing patients. A registration area with an adjoining waiting room will be provided immediately inside the building entrance. Discharged patients will leave through a discrete exit. The partial basement lower level will contain central sterilization and processing, mechanical and electrical rooms, shipping and receiving / loading dock, and environmental service equipment room. The site design incorporates a total of 270 onsite parking spaces located on the west and north sides of the building. The existing windmill will be relocated in a parking island. There are landscaping elements around the building, along the driveway to screen the site from abutting properties, and at parking islands. In addition, two elevated berms provide additional screening near abutting residential properties. A small exterior patio with outside seating located adjacent to family waiting which will be accessible through an exterior entrance door. A staff outdoor area is located on the northern side of the building. A future overlook with connection to a City multi-use path to the east is shown on the northern end of the site. Loading docks and MEP equipment are located on the northeastern side of the building and site at a much lower grade than the parking and abutting residential properties. Stormwater runoff will be collected and sent to gravel wetlands located on the eastern side of the site. III. City LDR Review Below is the zoning information along with project information based on the draft LDRs dated 2022-01-18. Zoning Information for Site Lot size: 13.53 acres Lot access: Tilley Drive Zoning District: Industrial and Open Space IO Overlay Districts: Transit Overlay District: Tilley Drive is designated as a transit route. A use shall only be allowed where a public sidewalk or rec path connects the use to a public roadway identified as a transit route. Sidewalks exist on Tilley Drive. Proposed Use: Medical Office – permitted use Lot Dimensional Standards Setbacks Minimum front yard setback: 50 feet √ The UVM Medical Center Outpatient Surgery Center Project City Sketch Plan Application Project Narrative February 7, 2022 3 Minimum side yard setback: 35 feet √ Minimum rear yard setback: 50 feet √ Setback between non-residential uses adjacent to Residential District boundaries: 65 feet √ This Lot is considered a corner lot – located at the intersection of 2 or more existing or planned streets. A corner lot shall have 2 front yards and 2 side yards and no rear yard. Building Height: Principal (flat) 35’ √ LDR Items for Review We have identified several items in the draft City LDRs that we are looking for DRB input and confirmation on how these would be handled under Site Plan review to this project. These items are listed below. 1. Master Plan Review  The proposed OSC project will not be phased. The entire building and parking will be built all at once.  Lot 6 is part of a 2 lot subdivision (Tilley 3 subdivision – created 2 lots) approved in 2010. In addition, it is part of several subdivision approvals. Estate of Russell Tilley subdivision plat from December 9, 2004 and Tilley III Subdivision approved October 10, 2008.  Lot 6 received Site Plan and PUD approvals in 2010 and 2012. The PUD approval was required for the use: medical office. This project was never built, and these approvals have since expired.  The draft LDRs no longer require PUD approval for medical office use in the IO District.  According to Section 15.B.02 Applicability of Master Plan Review, the following is required for approval: - Any major subdivision involving 4 or more acres. - Any site development proposed to occur over 2 or more phases, or 3 or more years. - A Planned Unit Development. - Multiple structures on a single-user lot. The UVM Medical Center Outpatient Surgery Center Project City Sketch Plan Application Project Narrative February 7, 2022 4 - The DRB may also require the submission of a Master Plan for any tract or parcel of land where there exists clear potential for future growth and development beyond that presented in an application.  As noted above, this project is not phased. There is only one structure proposed for this site with no future structures or development proposed. The lot is part of a subdivision but does not need major subdivision or PUD approval. Therefore, the OSC project does not meet the requirements for Master Plan Review. We are looking for confirmation that Master Plan Review will not be required for this project. 2. Traffic Overlay District  This project will have a driveway connection onto Tilley Drive. Tilley Drive is not specifically located in the Traffic Overlay District, but the text in Section 10.01 Traffic Overlay District Traffic Zone 3 notes: "Zone 3 regulations only apply to parcels with private driveways or cul-de-sacs." It is unclear if this refers to just private cul-de-sacs or public cul-de-sacs. However, Tilley Drive is a cul-de-sac. In the previous approval of Lot 8 (Red Barn Deli) in January 2020, the DRB found that while the property is located within the Traffic Overlay Zone 3, ” Zone 3 regulations only apply to parcels with private driveways or culs-de-sac. The applicant is proposing to access this property via Tilley Drive. The street which is subject to the Traffic Overlay Zone regulations is Hinesburg Road. The Board finds the Traffic Overlay District regulations do not apply to this project because it is accessed from Tilley Drive.” Because the proposed development is accessed from Tilley Drive, we are looking for confirmation that the Traffic Overlay District regulations would not apply. 3. Wetlands  There are two small Class III wetlands located on the site. Wetland A is under 5,000 sq. ft. and is not regulated by the City as noted in Section 12.06 Wetland Protection Standards. Wetland B is over 5,000 sq. ft. and is regulated by the City.  Development in Class III wetlands and associated 50 ft buffers are generally prohibited with a few exceptions as noted in Section 12.06 Wetland Protection Standards. One exception allowed is an applicant can seek approval to bifurcate a Class III wetlands or The UVM Medical Center Outpatient Surgery Center Project City Sketch Plan Application Project Narrative February 7, 2022 5 buffers exceeding 5,000 sq. ft. for a restricted infrastructure encroachment (private driveway crossings) as long as it meets one or more qualifying criteria in Section 12.02.C Restricted Infrastructure Encroachment and according to Section 12.06.D and 12.06.F Wetland Protection Standards shall be no wider than 24’ and proposes appropriate mitigation such as reduction or elimination of curbing and installation of cross culverts to enable wildlife passage.  The proposed roadways and sidewalks crossing Wetland B and its buffer meet this requirement. The proposed access drive provides safe access from Tilley Drive to the site through a shared access with Lot 8 known as the Red Bard Deli site that was previously approved with this connection in mind. We believe the proposed roadways and sidewalks impacting Wetland B would qualify as a restricted infrastructure encroachment.  The cantilever of the drop off building canopy at the front entry is within the Wetland B buffer though not physically touching it. The drop off building canopy does not have any columns associated with it. The drop off building canopy is above the proposed project access driveway. The access driveway physically impacts the Wetland B and its buffer. There is a provision to request a modification in writing to the DRB from the rules for development in a Class III wetland exceeding 5,000 square feet within all districts as noted in Section 12.06 F. It seems the DRB can consider the Class III wetlands impacts and would be reasonable as it meets the modification standards in this Section and is not physically touching the wetlands. We are looking for the DRB’s input and confirmation that these Class III wetlands impacts for the proposed roadways and sidewalks can be handled as restricted infrastructure encroachment and the proposed cantilevered building canopy can be addressed under the request for a modification. 4. MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) Equipment  The oxygen tanks, chillers, generator, transformer, and fuel cell are all necessary MEP mechanical equipment for the OSC project.  In Article 2 Definitions, there is nothing clear that refers to MEP equipment. In the definition of Accessory structure or building, it refers to “utility cabinets that meet the The UVM Medical Center Outpatient Surgery Center Project City Sketch Plan Application Project Narrative February 7, 2022 6 requirements of Section 13.18 shall not be considered accessory structures.” However, there is no Section 13.18 in the regulations. In the definition of Structure, it refers to utility sheds. The MEP equipment are not utility sheds. The MEP equipment does not meet the definition of Utility, private or public either. In the definition of utility cabinet, it refers to electric infrastructure which would cover the transformer. In Section 13.12 Utility Cabinets and Similar Structures, the DRB may grant site plan approval under this section. When reviewing the specific standards in this section, it refers to utility cabinets and similar structure serving public utilities, which is not the case for this project. The necessary MEP equipment for this project do not fit the definition of a private utility, utility cabinet, or an accessory structure. With the regulations not specifically addressing MEP equipment, we are looking for DRB guidance on how these MEP mechanical equipment can be handled under the site plan application. 5. Handicapped Accessible Parking in Front Yard  There are proposed handicapped accessible parking spaces shown surrounding the front entrance to the OSC building. This is necessary to meet the needs of the patients who will be accessing this facility. Due to the physical limitations of Class III wetlands to the west of the building, several of these handicapped accessible parking spaces are located within the front yard.  There is a provision in Section 14.06 General Review Standards, A. Relationship of Proposed Structures to the Site, (2)(b) Parking states the DRB may approve parking located between a public street and a building if it finds that it meets one of more of 7 criteria. One of the criteria in this section states: (i) The parking area is necessary to meet minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It that the DRB shall approve only the minimum necessary to overcome the conditions. The proposed parking in this location is needed to provide handicapped accessible parking close to the front entrance to the OSC. We are looking for DRB confirmation that this would be applicable for the proposed handicapped accessible parking within the front yard.