Recap of Planning Commission Meeting
held February 6, 2018
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Please note that this alert has been updated to reflect the correct date of the February City Council Public Hearing. Due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, the public hearing will be held on Saturday, February 24th.
Last night, the Planning Commission held their regular monthly meeting, where they discussed a Development Special Use Permit (SUP) 203, 205, 211 Strand Street – The Strand project and SUPs for new Old Town restaurants Urbano 116 and Sancerre.
The Commission also considered a Zoning Ordinance text amendment addressing allowable and special uses in the NR- Neighborhood Retail- zone, found in Arlandria.
Item: Sancerre Restaurant Special Use Permit (SUP)
Action: Unanimous vote to recommend approval of the SUP to City Council (from the consent calendar)
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote at their Saturday, February 24, 2018 public hearing
Description: Proposal to operate a French & American cuisine restaurant with outdoor dining, live entertainment, and off-premises alcohol sales.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Two-level restaurant space within the King Street Station office development, including outdoor courtyard dining
– 212 indoor and 100 outdoor seats
– Restaurant will host events such as weddings, graduation parties and baby showers in the courtyard space as well as the indoor portion of the restaurant
– Restaurant will pursue valet parking approval at a later date through an administrative SUP
– Hours of operation- 11 a.m. – 1 a.m. (M-F), 10 a.m. – 1 a.m. (Sat), 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. (Sun)
Item: Urbano 116 Special Use Permit (SUP)
Action: Unanimous vote to recommend approval of the SUP to City Council
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote to adopt the new standards at their Saturday, February 24, 2018 public hearing
Description: Proposal to operate a Mexican cuisine restaurant and a full-service bar at 116 King Street, vacant retail space most recently used as pop-up retail.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– This application was pulled off of the consent agenda- three speakers expressed concerns about parking impacts and hours of operation
– 163 seat restaurant with full-service bar and limited live entertainment such as acoustic guitar solos
– Hours of operation- 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. (M-W), 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. (Th-Sat), 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. (Sun)
Item: The Strand
Action: Unanimous vote to recommend approval of the Development Special Use Permit and related approvals
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote on these items at their Saturday, February 24, 2018 public hearing
Description: The IDI Companies will demolish the existing 211 Strand Street retail building to construct a new residential building with ground floor retail, and renovate and expand an existing retail building at 205 Strand Street to add residential units above.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Three speakers supported the project, with caveats about not providing on-street parking for future residents of the condominiums
– 18 new condominiums in two buildings
– 10,000 SF of ground floor retail, including Chadwick’s restaurant, which will remain on site
– Approval for additional restaurant uses in new ground floor retail spaces
– The Board of Architectural Review has endorsed the height, mass and scale
– Residential parking provided at 2 spaces/unit
Item: Text Amendment- Additional Uses in the Neighborhood Retail (NR) Zone found in Arlandria
Action: Unanimous vote to initiate a Text Amendment to the Zoning Ordinance, with amendments to the staff recommendation
Next Steps: City Council will hold a public hearing and vote on the Text Amendment at their Saturday, February 24, 2018 public hearing
Description: The Zoning Ordinance recognizes health and athletic clubs as well as private commercial schools that specialize in athletic and exercise classes as permitted, administrative Special Use Permit, or Special Use Permit uses in several commercial zones. This amendment will add these uses, in addition to other uses from the Mount Vernon Overlay area (the Del Ray commercial area along Mount Vernon Avenue), to the NR/Neighborhood Retail zone (Arlandria) to provide consistency among the two adjacent neighborhood-serving business districts.
Details & Issues of Interest:
– Staff recommended the addition of health and athletic club, if located in a shopping center and operating hours are limited from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. as a by-right use
– Planning Commission removed the limited operating hours for the health and athletic clubs, allowing for 24/7 operation, as is allowed in other commercial zones
– Amendment also adds animal care facility with no overnight accommodation as by-right use
– Medical laboratories and office uses have been removed as permitted uses- office remains permitted on second floors
– Adds the following uses, with an SUP:Outdoor garden center; Private school, commercial, with more than 20 students; Social service use; Bus shelter on private property; Public parking lot; Congregate housing facility; Home for the elderly; and Public building
Weigh in on these issues!
Contact the Planning Commission – PlanComm@alexandriava.gov
Contact the City Council – Call.Click.Connect.