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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP-24-39 - Decision - 0575 Dorset Street#SP-24-39 - 1 - CITY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ZONING CITY OF SOUTH BURLINGTON – 575 DORSET STREET SITE PLAN APPLICATION #SP-24-39 FINDINGS OF FACT AND DECISION The City of South Burlington, hereinafter referred to as the applicant, is seeking to amend a previously approved plan for a 23,662 sf municipal building that presently houses the Fire Department and School District offices. The amendment consists of constructing a 320 sf addition to the primary structure and associated site improvements, 575 Dorset Street. Based on the plans and materials contained in the document file for this application, the Administrative Officer finds, concludes, and decides the following: FINDINGS OF FACT 1. The applicant is seeking to amend a previously approved plan for a 23,662 sf municipal building that presently houses the Fire Department and School District offices. The amendment consists of constructing a 320 sf addition to the primary structure and associated site improvements, 575 Dorset Street. 2. The owner of record of the subject property is the City of South Burlington. 3. The subject property is located in the Municipal (MU) zoning district and the Transit Overlay District. Portions of the subject property not proposed to be impacted by this application are located within the Interstate Highway Overlay District. 4. The application was received on October 8, 2024. The City Council published notice of a public hearing on draft amendments to the land development regulations on August 22, 2024. Pursuant to 24 VSA 4449(d), any new application filed after the date of the notice shall be reviewed under the proposed amendment and applicable existing bylaws and ordinances pending Council action on the amendment. Where they differ, both sets of standards are identified herein. In all cases, compliance with the more restrictive standard applies. 5. The plans submitted included one sheet entitled “575 Dorset Street – Temporary Office Trailer”, prepared on October 11, 2024 by the City of South Burlington. Only the standards below are affected by this application. All other standards will continue to be met. DIMENSIONAL REQUIREMENTS Existing Zoning & Draft Zoning Amendments – MU Zoning District Required Existing Proposed  Min. Lot Size n/a 5.31 acres No change  Max. Building Coverage 30% 10.23% 10.36%  Max. Overall Coverage 70% 47.2% No change  Max. Front Yard Coverage 30% Not calculated No change  Min. Front Setback 40 ft Not calculated No change  Min. Side Setback 15 ft ~240 ft 213 ft  Min. Rear Setback 30 ft Not calculated No change  Max. Building Height (pitched roof) 40 ft Not calculated No change  Zoning Compliance #SP-24-39 - 2 - SITE PLAN REVIEW STANDARDS Only the standards below are affected by this application. All other standards will continue to be met. 14.06 General Standards A. Relationship of Proposed Structures to the Site 1) The site shall be planned to accomplish a desirable transition from structure to site, from structure to structure, and to provide for adequate planting, safe pedestrian movement, and adequate parking areas. The proposed building addition will be located to the rear of the existing building. The applicant is not proposing to impact the existing pedestrian walkways, which allow for safe pedestrian movement, or the existing vehicle parking areas. The applicant is proposing to install supplemental landscaping, which is discussed under 13.04 below. 2) Without restricting the permissible limits of the applicable zoning district, the height and scale of each building shall be compatible with its site and existing or anticipated adjoining buildings. The proposed building addition will increase the footprint of the building by approximately 1.4% and is proposed to have a flat roof with a calculated height of 12’. The proposed addition will be one story and will be no taller than the existing principal structure to which it will be attached. The Administrative Officer finds the scale and height of the proposed structure to be compatible with the structures on site and in the area. 3) Parking No new off-street parking areas and no modifications to the existing off-street parking areas are proposed. B. Relationship of Structures and Site to Adjoining Area. (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. The proposed building addition will not be readily visible from the public right of way. The Administrative Officer finds that no buffering or screening is required for this building addition since it will not have an effect on the perceived architectural style of the existing principal structure. (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. As noted above, the proposed building addition will not have an effect on the perceived architectural style of the existing principal structure. The Administrative Officer finds this criterion met. (3) To accomplish (1) and (2), the DRB shall consider: (a) Pattern and Rhythm. Update or maintain or extend the overall pattern of development defined by the planned or existing street grid, block configurations, position and orientation of principal buildings, prevalence of attached or detached #SP-24-39 - 3 - building types. The proposed addition has no impact on the pattern of development in the area, and thereby maintains the existing pattern. (b) Architectural Features. Respond to recurring or representative architectural features that define neighborhood character, without adhering to a particular architectural style. The proposed building addition will not be readily visible from the public right of way The Administrative Officer finds that the proposed addition therefore will have no impact on the neighborhood character or architectural style of the exiting built environment. (c) Privacy. Limit impacts and intrusions to privacy on adjoining properties, including side and back yard areas through context sensitive design. No changes impacting the privacy of adjoining properties are proposed. C. Site Amenity Requirement This non-residential expansion adds fewer than 5,000 square feet to the building area. As such, this criterion is not applicable. 14.07 Specific Review Standards D. Transportation Demand Management. Transportation Demand Management analysis is required for all site plans. See Section 13.01. See analysis of TDM standards under Section 13.01 below. This standard is part of the proposed LDR amendments applicable to this application. I. Disposal of Wastes The applicant has testified that the existing dumpster is enclosed in a manner that meets all standards of the LDR. The Administrative Officer finds this criterion met. OTHER APPLICABLE STANDARDS 13.01 Transportation Demand Management A. Purpose. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a strategy to increase the overall efficiency of the transportation system by diversifying transportation options and reducing single- occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips and/or vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The primary objectives of TDM are to mitigate traffic congestion, reduce vehicle emissions, provide users mobility choice, and improve community livability. B. Applicability. (1) TDM requirements shall apply in all zoning districts and to land development as follows: (a) Master plans shall apply TDM requirements to the entire area of land development, or to each phase if the project includes phasing. (b) Site Plan Review shall apply TDM requirements. This application for Site Plan review triggers applicable TDM requirements. C. Calculation Of Trips Generated. #SP-24-39 - 4 - (1) Reference Materials. Trips generated will be evaluated using the methodology established in Appendix B. Using the methodology established in Appendix B, the Administrative Officer finds that the proposed building addition will not create any additional vehicle trips beyond that which have already been approved. The property is presently approved for a 23,662 sf municipal building, which includes both ‘general office’ use (occupied by the South Burlington School District) and ‘Fire & Rescue’ use (occupied by the South Burlington Fire Department). The proposed expansion would add an additional 320 sf of ‘Fire & Rescue’ use to the property. As per the most current edition of the ITE Trip Generation Manual, the proposed addition is not calculated to have any impact on trip generation at this property. As such, the remainder of Section 13.01 does not apply to this application. 13.03 Bicycle Parking & Storage Including the proposed building addition, the use of the property consists of a 23,982 sf municipal building, requiring a minimum of 5 short-term bicycle parking spaces. The property has 10 existing short-term bicycle parking spaces, provided by three ‘inverted-U’ racks on a concrete pad in proximity to one building entrance, and two ‘inverted-U’ racks on a concrete pad in proximity to another building entrance The applicant is not required to provide any long-term bike parking, as the proposed building addition does not impact more than 50% of load-bearing elements in the existing building. The Administrative Officer finds this criterion met. 13.04 Landscaping, Screening & Street Trees B(7) Snow Storage The applicant has indicated the snow storage areas on the associated plans. The Administrative Officer finds this criterion met. C. Screening or Buffering Landscaping, fencing, land shaping and/or screening along property boundaries is required when two adjacent sites are dissimilar and should be screened or buffered from each other, or when a property’s appearance should be improved. The Administrative Officer finds that the existing municipal use is not dissimilar enough from adjacent uses to require additional screening beyond that which already has been provided and continues to exist today. The Administrative Officer finds that the proposed screening is sufficient and finds this criterion met. 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 cost of the proposed building addition is $26,910, requiring a minimum of $807.30 worth of landscaping plantings. The applicant has proposed three 2.5” caliper black gum trees. The value of this landscaping is $900, which exceeds the minimum required landscaping value of #SP-24-39 - 5 - $807.30. The applicant is not required to post a landscaping surety since the value of the proposed landscaping is less than $10,000. 13.07 Exterior Lighting Lighting requirements are summarized as follows. (1) Fixtures must be downcast and shielded. (2) Illumination must be evenly distributed. (3) Fixtures must be placed to minimize lighting from becoming a nuisance. (4) Poles shall be rustproof metal, cast iron, fiberglass, finished wood or similar structural material, with a decorative surface or finish. (5) Poles & building mounted fixtures may be no higher than 30 feet. (6) Poles must be located in safe locations. Specific requirements for maximum illumination levels are included in Appendix A and are limited to 3-foot candles average at ground level. The applicant has indicated that no changes to existing exterior lighting fixtures and no new exterior lighting fixtures are proposed. DECISION Based on the above Findings of Fact, the Administrative Officer hereby approves site plan application #SP-24-39 of the City of South Burlington, subject to the following conditions: 1. All previous approvals and stipulations which are not superseded by this approval shall remain in effect. 2. This project shall be completed as shown on the plan and shall be on file in the South Burlington Department of Planning and Zoning. 3. The Administrative Officer concurrently issues ZP-24-369. 4. The applicant shall obtain a Certificate of Occupancy from the Administrative Officer prior to use of the building addition. 5. Temporary structures used in conjunction with construction work shall be permitted only during the period that the construction is in progress. 6. Any exterior lighting must be installed or shielded in such a manner as to conceal light sources and reflector surfaces from view beyond the perimeter of the area to be illuminated. 7. The applicant must continue to maintain the approved landscaping in a vigorous growing condition throughout the duration of the use. 8. Pursuant to Section 15.13(E) of the Land Development Regulations, any new utility lines, services, and service modifications must be underground. 9. The proposed project must adhere to standards for erosion control as set forth in Section 16.03 of the South Burlington Land Development Regulations. In addition, the grading plan must meet the standards set forth in Section 16.04 of the South Burlington Land Development Regulations. 10. Bicycle racks must meet the minimum requirements of 13.14 and Appendix G. 11. Any change to the site plan shall require approval by the South Burlington Administrative Officer or the Development Review Board, as allowed under the Land Development Regulations. #SP-24-39 - 6 - Signed on this 23rd day of October, 2024 by Marty Gillies, acting Administrative Officer PLEASE NOTE: Pursuant to 24 VSA §4465, an interested person may appeal this decision by filing a Notice of Appeal with the secretary of the Development Review Board. This Notice of Appeal must be accompanied with a $233 filing fee and be filed within 15 days of the date of this decision. The applicant or permittee retains the obligation to identify, apply for, and obtain relevant state permits for this project. Call 802.477.2241 to speak with the regional Permit Specialist.