PCAGENDA

A. Preliminary plan for 24-unit PRD at 27-29 Roscoe Court in the R-2 District, by Jim Dousevicz, agent for the Trombley Estate, owner.

B. Major amendment of site plan approval to change entry drive configuration and parking at 58 - 80 Pearl Street in the TOD District, by Pearl Street Partners, LLC, owner.

This meeting will be held in the conference room of the Essex Junction municipal building at 2 Lincoln St., Essex Jct., VT. Reasonable accommodations will be provided upon request to the Village, 878-6950, to assure that Village meetings are accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.

This is the only notice you will receive from the Essex Junction Planning Department. For information on subsequent meetings on the above mentioned applications, please contact the Planning Department from 8 – 4:30 at 878-6950 or the website www.essexjunction.org.

Re: Preliminary Planned Residential Development Review for 24 units at 27-29 Roscoe Court by Jim Dousevicz, agent for the Trombley Estate, owner.

Project Description: Proposal includes the demolition of an existing three unit apartment building. The applicant requests planned development approval to construct 18 single family homes and 6 duplex units on a 4.91 acre parcel. The development parcel is 4.91, increased from the current 4.09 acres by virtue of a boundary adjustment between 19 and 27-29 Roscoe Court to facilitate an increase in the size of the subject parcel which is part of this application. This is a relatively compact site design with narrow streets (20’ wide), duplex units and clustering of buildings around open space on the interior of the lot. Different architectural styles will be incorporated in the project.

The proposed project is accessed from a single entrance from West Street via a 20’ public street to the interior of the development. Access within the development will be via 20’ wide private streets. A 14’ wide emergency access is proposed from Oneida Avenue as a second means of ingress/egress in the event of an emergency. Stormwater will be managed on-site through stormwater infiltration basins.

The project is being reviewed as a Planned Residential Development, which must exhibit unique and superior qualities over standard subdivision design in order to be approved.

1. The owner of record for the subject property at 27-29 Roscoe Court is the Trombley Estate.

2. The subject property is approximately 4.91 acres, located at 27-29 Roscoe Court in the Residential-2 District, where the minimum lot size is 7,500 square feet.

3. The project includes 18 single family homes and 6 duplex units on one 4.91 acre parcel

4. The overall density for the project is within the maximum permitted density in the R-2 District of 7,500 square feet per unit.

5. The project lot coverage is 37.4%, lot coverage of 40% is permitted in the district.

6. The subject property is adjacent to small lot single family homes to the east, larger lot single family homes to the west and commercial development to the north of the railroad tracks.

7. The applicant is proposing all streets to be 20’ wide with the main entrance being a public street and the interior streets being privately owned and maintained.

9. All stormwater will be managed on-site via two stormwater infiltration basins.

10. The plans submitted were prepared by O’Leary-Burke titled Roscoe Parcel and consist of Sheets 1 through 12, S1, and PL. All Sheets were most recently revised 11/06/07, with the exception of Sheets 4 and 11 which relate to landscaping and were revised 12/18/07.

11. Neighbors Eric and Beth Aubin share the ROW that will access the property and joined in the application July 1, 2008 to; facilitate access to the ROW for the proposed development, and the proposed boundary adjustment that will increase the subject parcel from 4.09 acres to 4.91 acres.

A 4.91 acre parcel can accommodate approximately 28 units based on a minimum lot size of 7500 square feet per unit. Therefore, the 24 units proposed are under the density limit in the R-2 District for this size lot. The maximum permitted lot coverage in the R-2 District is 40%, but buildings cannot exceed 25%. The lot coverage for the project is 37.4% and the lot coverage for the buildings is 15.3. All buildings shall not exceed 3 stories or 35 feet, whichever is less.

All curb cuts and driveways shall be less than 20’ in width and comply with Appendix A: Public Works Specifications.

All units will have individual curb cuts from the new private streets. All curb cuts shall be between 12’ and 20’.

No individual accessory structures are proposed. Each unit will have a front porch, but no back deck or patio space has been shown on the plans. The house locations would preclude rear decks and/or patios from being added in the future to most properties (except #12-13) because of setback limitations. The applicant and the commission should give careful consideration to any approval that would preclude these additions.

The project shall comply with the visibility triangle requirements in Section 707.

No multi-family units are proposed as part of the project. Therefore, no screening or buffering is required.

The Planning Commission may approve private streets as part of a Planned Development. However, the principal entry into the Planned Development must be provided as a public street in accordance with Section 709.6.a unless a waiver is granted upon determination that the waiver would be consistent with Section 917.

The proposed plan shows the main entrance into the project from West Street being a public street and the interior streets being private. The private streets must be built with the same cross section as a public street. Homeowner’s association documentation, which outlines maintenance responsibilities, shall be provided with any final application. Staff find the private streets proposal acceptable.

The site is relatively flat and there are no known drainage problems in the project area. The applicant is proposing to manage all stormwater on site through two stormwater infiltration basins. Stormwater calculations must be provided with a final application. The Village Engineer and Public Works Superintendent will review the final plans for compliance with Section 713.

Street trees spaced every 40’ on center must be provided on all new streets. The applicant has shown street trees spaced every 40’ on center on all private streets.

Plantings are shown on the most recent 30 Scale Landscape Plan revision dated 12/18/07. Waiver requests in writing for any species not on the approved planting list that will be located near streets and driveways and require salt tolerant species should be provided with the final plans.

Standard subdivision design in the R-2 District would consist of single family homes on individual lots of at least 7,500 square feet. Section 724 authorizes the Planning Commission to approve alternate design configurations if it is determined to utilize “unique design and land planning techniques.” Section 724.C.5 clearly states the commission shall not approve any proposal which does not clearly meet the above stated intent of the district.

Section 724 lists several unique design and land planning techniques including clustering of homes, preservation of open space, the preservation of solar access, zero lot line development, the construction of bike paths, and the provision of affordable housing which is deeded to a non-profit to guarantee the continued affordability. It appears that affordable housing is proposed in this application. Details of the method of delivery of the affordable housing is recommended. Purchase price and income limits for affordable housing in Chittenden County is outlined below.

There has been discussion of this project entering the Vermont Neighborhoods Program. To be accepted in the Program affordable housing must meet the Programs definition of affordable housing:-

Rental Housing: 20% of the units must be allocated to people earning no more than 60% of the area median income for 30 years after construction.

Owner Occupied Housing: 20% of units must be sold at a price less than 90 percent of the VHFA purchase price limits or 15 percent of owner occupied units must be sold at a price less than 85% percent of the VHFA purchase price limits (in most areas around $250K).

If the Vermont Neighborhoods standards are met the development will be exempt from Act 250 regulations.

A few design features distinguish this project from a standard subdivision. The project includes duplex units and the clustering of homes to provide for common open space. The compact site design and relatively short front setbacks add to the pedestrian experience within the project site. Architectural styles of the buildings will also be an important consideration at subsequent project reviews. The memo from the project architect indicates that they plan to use varied architectural styles. No site specific elevations have been received that would give a sense of the varied architectural styles at this time.

A bike path has not been provided, but under the existing conditions, it would not lead anywhere because there is not a legal crossing of the railroad tracks to the north, or another means of entering or exiting the development. However, since the project will not carry any through traffic, bicycles could use the shoulder of the street. It has come to the attention of the planning department that there may be a legal easement across the railroad track that runs with the project site and its owners. The applicants should investigate this issue to see if a legal crossing of the railroad tracks could be possible as it would provide an important pedestrian and bicycle connection for the surrounding neighborhood. No feedback regarding the potential for pedestrians and cyclists to legally cross the railroad tracks has been received from the applicant.

In accordance with Section 724.C the commission may approve the construction of multi-family units not to exceed 30% of the number of units permitted by the underlying zoning district if the following conditions are met:

While Section 724 authorizes the commission to approve multi-family housing, which is defined as buildings with 3 or more units, staff believes the intent was also to allow duplex units even though they aren’t necessarily classified as multi-family housing. The duplex units are not located on the interior of the site, but do meet the 20’ buffer requirement between multi-family and single family housing. Private yards have been shown on the most recent plans as required in #1 above.

The site is relatively flat and suitable for development based on the fact that there are no known drainage problems in the area.

The subject property has significant areas of mature trees. However, it does not appear as though any of the mature trees will be saved as part of the project. The Planning Commission should carefully consider the appropriateness of the preservation of existing mature trees. The open space area would be the most appropriate place to preserve the mature trees. However, the open space is a relatively small area and the preservation of significant portions of mature trees may limit recreation options. A more detailed landscaping and tree plan has been received for the open space. No proposed recreation amenities have been received.

The land adjacent to the new public street has dense mature vegetation, which provides screening to adjacent properties. The applicant should address the limits of tree clearing necessary for the new public street and determine if any vegetation can be preserved. The applicant is encouraged to limit tree cutting, where possible, along the periphery of the property to enhance any screen between proposed and current development.

Section 905.F states that double frontage lots shall be avoided whenever possible. The existing alignment of Roscoe Court has been shifted to the interior of the lot to avoid double frontage lots.

Right-of-Way (ROW) Width - The proposed public street from West Street is located within a 50’ right of way, which complies with Section 906.C. The proposed private streets are on private land and will not be located within a ROW.

Engineering - The Village Engineer will review the final plans for compliance with the engineering requirements for a new street.

Street Width - Section 906.C requires 28’ wide public residential streets and 20’ wide private streets. The applicant has shown all streets at 20’ wide. Therefore, a waiver must be granted to decrease the street width on the public street to 20’. Staff supports the waiver request to narrow the public street to 20’. The street will not accommodate through traffic, 20’ is sufficient for emergency vehicles, and the narrower width will slow traffic and make the site more pedestrian friendly.

Access – The Planning Commission may require more than one access point for any project with more than 10 lots or units. The project, as proposed, has only one access point from West Street. No other public right- of-way/street is adjacent to the subject property, which makes a full connection impossible without acquiring private land. However, while a full connection would have benefits, staff believes the project will function adequately in terms of traffic flow without a second full connection. The fire chief has recommended a secondary emergency access be provided from the east.

A 14’ emergency access has been shown on the plans from Oneida Avenue. The applicant shall provide appropriate easement documents, a maintenance plan and the method used to restrict access. The homeowners association shall be responsible for maintenance of the easement. The fire chief will review all final plans.

All existing and proposed easements must be shown on the final plans. No delineation of 8’ easements on all side and rear lot lines to the Village for drainage and utility purposes are shown on the most recently received plans.

Within any subdivision the Planning Commission may require up to 15% of the land to be preserved for open space. Approximately 1/3 of an acre has been provided on the plan as open space, which is approximately 6.8% of the project site.

Five foot sidewalks have been located on only one side of the streets on the most recently received plans as requested by staff. Greenbelts have been shown between the sidewalks and street in the public and private realms as requested by staff.

New sewer and water mains are proposed to serve the development. All improvements shall meet the standards listed in Appendix A: Public Works Specifications.

Lot corners must be shown on the final plat and placed in the field prior to construction.

Street lights have been included on the plans at 400 foot intervals between intersections. The street light poles and fixtures shall be approved by the Planning Commission and designed to be harmonious with their surroundings. The street light configuration shall comply with the provisions of Section 912 and included on the final plans.

The proposed project will not cause any adverse impacts on neighborhood compatibility, adjoining undeveloped land, public infrastructure or the general public health, safety and welfare.

The Village Engineer and Public Works Superintendent will review the final plans to determine the adequacy of public infrastructure to accommodate the project. However, it is anticipated that the village has adequate existing infrastructure to accommodate the project.

The area surrounding the project site consists mostly of single family homes. In fact, the area is almost exclusively single family homes south of the railroad tracks. The Indian Acres neighborhood to the east is a dense single family neighborhood with lot sizes as small as 5,000 square feet. To the west are large lot single family homes ranging in size from approximately 20,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet. Staff finds the proposed project is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.

No adverse impacts on public health, safety and welfare will result from the proposed project.

The applicant has submitted a preliminary statement on traffic. Based on the information submitted, it does not appear the project would have a significant effect on traffic generation in the surrounding area. The project would not add more than 75 peak hour trips to any surrounding intersection, which is the threshold utilized by the State of Vermont in determining if more analysis is warranted.

Staff recommends the Planning Commission have the applicant address the following issues:

Re: Major Site Plan Review to change the entry drive and parking arrangements at 58-80 Pearl Street in the TOD District by Gardner-Kilcoyne Architects, agent for Pearl Street Partners, LLC, owners.

Project Description: The Transit Oriented Development District aims to increase transportation choice with particular emphasis on pedestrian friendly design. The subject property consists of a one story shopping center to the east and a two story section on the western portion of the property. The application involves, among other things, changes to the width of the eastern curb cut to Pearl Street. This increases the length of the Pearl Street sidewalk and converts the current separate entry and exit points to two way traffic access with one entry and two exit lanes which is consistent with the western curb cut. At the western curb cut to Pearl Street the western, interior, walkway is removed and replaced with a planting bed. Changes to internal parking layouts include line striping, a one way circulation pattern and the erection of stop signs on the western most parking area.

The proposed changes will enhance the pedestrian experience within the district by increasing the amount of sidewalk on Pearl Street, while decreasing the width of the eastern most curb cut.

207 parking spaces are required per Section 608.I.1 of the Essex Junction Land Development Code (EJLDC). Currently there are 454 spaces on the site. This proposal will increase the number of spaces by one through restriping and reconfiguration of the existing parking areas. The site is required to have nine accessible parking spaces. The current proposal has twelve. The proposed one way system through the western most parking area should be discussed regarding benefits of the change. The size of the entry to this area has been reduced as part of the proposal. However, drivers are likely to ignore the signs and exit through the entry point as it is closer to the Pearl Street curb cut.

Purpose: To promote the smooth and efficient flow of vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic and to minimize safety hazards.

The eastern curb cut with Pearl Street is reduced in overall size. This facilitates an increase in the length of the Pearl Street sidewalk and brings the proposed curb cut treatment into line with the existing western curb cut. The curb cut will be more pedestrian friendly and bring some continuity to the curb cuts on the Pearl Street edge of the site. The proposed reconfigured eastern curb cut is thirty three feet side. The new curb cut and parking configuration has parking spaces immediately adjacent to the exit lanes from the site. This is similar to the current eastern parking/access arrangement in terms of ingress and egress for vehicles, but different from the western curb cut where curbs, and planting beds or walkways separate the access road from the parking areas. The proposed arrangement at this point of the site could result in conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians exiting or entering the site and vehicles wishing to move from their parking space, especially during busy periods. A similar conflict currently exists in the restricted entry configuration. Consideration should be given to a design that minimizes or removes such possibilities, including the creation of a sidewalk for pedestrians. This would make the reconfigured entry more pedestrian friendly.

The project will result in a slight reduction of impervious surface through the creation of a planting bed in an existing walkway, and an increase in the size of a planting island. Both of these changes occur in the western parking area along the edge of the western entrance and exit to Pearl Street. No change in stormwater is anticipated.

The existing Entry Only and Exit Only signs at the eastern curb cut are to be removed. It is unclear if a new sign is to be erected in place of the removed signs.

The project is in conformance with the required performance standards. The increase in plantings along the edge of the western curb cut with Pearl Street will improve the entry.

One tree is to be removed as part of the eastern curb cut reconfiguration. Replacing this tree with an approved species by creating a planting bed where the line striping is proposed at the western edge of the reconfigured curb cut would enhance this location. Providing a planting bed on the opposite side of the same curb cut where striping is also shown would have a positive visual effect. Internally a walkway is to be converted to a planting bed at the western entry to the site and an existing planting island is to be moved and replanted.

No adverse impacts on public or private infrastructure as a result of the project are anticipated.

The proposed project will be compatible with the existing neighborhood and improve the aesthetics of the Pearl Street corridor. Speeding through the site from the Cherry Street access to the property is an issue with neighbors. Although not part of this application consideration should be given to speed calming design at this point on the property.

No adverse impacts on the public health, safety and welfare will result from the proposed project.

The project does not involve an increase in square footage and will not result in any adverse impacts on traffic congestion.

Staff recommends the planning commission approve this application and consider the following:

Existing homes	New homes	Existing 2-family
$275,000	$275,000	$275,000

2 or fewer persons		3 or more persons
$ 70,500		$ 81,000