The planning period for the city’s updated Comprehensive Plan has come to an end, and the Planning Commission will decide whether to recommend the final draft at its Wednesday meeting. Last week, council approved a plan to switch a development from condos to townhouses and approved four zoning ordinance changes.
Planning Commission to Consider Recommendation of Plan
The Planning Commission will consider recommending the 2012 Comprehensive Plan update at its Wednesday meeting.
The vote caps more than a year of work that began in March 2011, when the commission reviewed the city’s 2006 Comprehensive Plan at a work session. Since then, the commission has met 24 times to update the Comprehensive Plan, which serves as a guiding document for land development and usage within the city.
The development process was, for the first time, conducted concurrently with James City County and York County as their planning commissions updated their respective comprehensive plans.
The plan includes proposals for future land use designations, residential density changes (including increased density in the downtown and midtown areas), potential for more housing (the city estimates room for 3,600 new dwelling units), transportation improvements and public facility improvements, including a new Stryker Center and the addition of Capitol Landing Park and College Creek parks.
If the commission votes to recommend the plan, it will then be delivered to City Council for approval. For a full list of proposed changes and development plans, click here.
The commission will meet at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Stryker Building.
Council Approves New Proffers for Parkway Townhouses
Council approved Dec. 13 amended proffers for a development approved in 2003 to go from condos to townhouses.
The property, located at 222 Parkway Drive, was rezoned to High Density Multifamily Residential Conditional in August 2003 for a 46-unit condo building with underground parking. The zoning proffers included one building with buffers and a brick exterior, condos and a covenant providing that no more than 15 percent of the units may be rented at one time. The project has not been built.
Now, Parkway Partners LLC proposes building a townhouse subdivision of 30 townhouse lots, with buffers and setbacks that meet the RM-2 zoning requirements. The proposal doesn’t require new zoning. Limited grading could be allowed within 10 feet of the rear buffer adjacent to the guest parking area. Minor disturbances could be allowed for the installation of stormwater management piping and other utilities. Both of those proffers would be subject to Planning Commission approval in the site review process.
In addition, the new proffers included a covenant that wouldn’t allow more than 10 townhouses to be rented at any one time. This represents 33 percent of the total townhouses.
Council Approves Zoning Amendments
Council approved four zoning ordinance revisions at its Dec. 13 meeting. The changes were mandated by the Code of Virginia following the 2012 General Assembly session.
The first revision allows single helicopter landings and departures in the B-2, ED, ED-2 and MS districts, and repeated landings and departures of noncommercial helicopters for private use in all zoning districts with a special use permit.
Another amendment updates provisions for the demolition of buildings located in the Architectural Preservation District, clarifying that a building may be demolished without Architectural Review Board approval if it is determined to be a hazard by the code official. This is also mandated by the Code of Virginia.
A third Virginia Code-mandated change amends the ordinance to extend the sunset date for approved land uses from July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2017, and to stipulate that until then, cash proffers for residential developments are not collected until after completion and final inspection but before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
The final Code-mandated change revises the voting procedures for the Board of Zoning Appeals to allow the applicant, in the case of a tie vote, to request that the matter be considered until the next meeting.
