WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP ZONING COMMISSION MINUTES
May 20, 2008

The Washington Township Zoning Commission met in regular session on May 20, 2008 in the Meeting Room of Washington Township Government Center.  Members of the Commission present were Mrs. Winwood, Mrs. Zobrist, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Berry.  Mr. Drain was excused.

Call to order at 7:00 p.m.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

MOTION – Mr. Berry moved the minutes of April 15, 2008 be approved with modification.

Motion seconded by Mrs. Winwood.

VOTE - Mrs. Winwood, yes; Mrs. Zobrist, yes; Mr. Anderson, yes; Mr. Berry, yes.

CASE Z-588K – Divided Ridge Associates, LLD (Social Row Academy)

Request is for approval of a final development plan for a child day care center located in a Planned Development Residential (PD-R) zoning district. This property is located on the west side of Sheehan Road approximately 800 feet south of Social Row Road.

Mrs. Zobrist – Advised applicant that there were only four Commission members present and gave applicant the option of tabling this case and have it heard by a full board.
Applicant represented by Greg Smith, Oberer, 2800 E. River Road.  Mr. Smith stated that he would like to proceed.

Jo Postle, Development Services Director, presented the case.

Mrs. Winwood – Asked if the employees were full time or part time.
Mr. Smith – Stated that there will be a combination of both.

Mrs. Winwood – How many employees would be there at a time?
Mr. Smith – Approximately 30 with the exception of more in association with special events.

Mrs. Postle reviewed the changes to a revised site plan submitted by the applicant today. There were changes to the private drive entrance to incorporate a wider drive apron and address concerns of the Fire Department, further details on the proposed temporary detention and an increase in the sign height. 

Mrs. Zobrist – Asked if the proposed access road is in line with the existing farm house?
Mrs. Postle – It is to the north of the farm house.
Mr. Smith – Stated that the south access point/curb cut of the daycare will line up with the farm house drive.

Mr. Berry – Asked if the proposed signs are illuminated?
Mr. Smith – No, only the freestanding sign will be lit.

Mrs. Postle reviewed the fencing issues and conditions.

Mr. Anderson – Asked if there is enough parking to handle the daycare and special events that they may have?
Mrs. Postle – There is a concern about special events and the number of people attending versus the number of cars.  There is also a concern with how frequent these events will occur.

Mr. Berry – Stated that his experience at similar facilities is that not every class is there at the same time during such events.  They typically stagger the times so that not everyone is there at the same time.

Mrs. Zobrist – Asked Mrs. Postle to review the accident report presented at the Trustee Meeting last night for Sheehan Road and Social Row Road.
Mrs. Postle – Reviewed the results of the study. There have been 23 accidents since 2005 at this intersection according to the Montgomery County Engineer’s office.

Mrs. Zobrist – Asked for the anticipated time for a signal at that intersection.
Mrs. Postle – It is scheduled to go out to bid in July and should be installed by the end of the year according to the County Engineer.

Mr. Smith made a presentation to the Commission.  The day care will have approximately four special events per year.  In the long term there will be a large church development with additional parking adjacent to this parcel. In the short term the Washington Trace development can offer overflow parking at the clubhouse across Sheehan Road where the bike trail connects.  There are approximately 300 students anticipated to attend the day care center but they are rarely there all at the same time. 

Mrs. Zobrist – Is the applicant still going to operate his existing day care facility?
Mr. Smith – Yes.  This proposal is an expansion of this business.

Mr. Smith continued and noted that the access points match up so there shouldn’t be a problem getting approval for the proposed curb cut from Montgomery County Engineering.  The Washington Trace clubhouse and amenity plan were reviewed.  The approved site plan for the overall development shows a permanent detention area that will be owned and maintained by the Homeowners Association (HOA) to be located in the northwest corner of this large parcel.  The church and the daycare will pay use and maintenance fees to the HOA which will give them rights to use the open space and detention area. The fees paid will contribute towards maintenance obligations also.  The church property and the day care center will be paying the HOA fees based on their respective acreage.

The short-term detention area is a dry detention area with an easement on the property adjoining the day care site. The runoff water will drain from that area to a swale that is part of the existing drainage system along Social Row Road.  They will not generate enough water from the day care to fill the larger future pond.  The revised plan shows the temporary detention basin.  When the church property develops, they will be required to provide detention associated with that development and the daycare will tie into it.

Mrs. Winwood – Asked when a church will be sited there.
Mr. Smith - Stated that there is no tenant for the church site and anticipates it could be 8-10 years before that happens.

Mr. Smith reviewed the traffic flow on the proposed site.  Traffic will enter the primary entrance at the north. Staff will park on the north side and patrons will park along the front of the building.  The exit is at the south access on to Sheehan Road.  It was suggested that the developer extend the private drive to the west along the property line and reserve the option to open the parking lot to drive on the west end to provide better circulation options for the parking lot.

Mrs. Winwood – Asked if the parking spaces are diagonal?
Mr. Smith – Yes.

Mr. Smith reviewed the Fire Departments turning radius requirements.  They have also extended the easement along the north line the width of the property for additional access.

There will be two playgrounds on the site; one on each side of the building.  They will be surrounded by green iron-look fencing. Examples of playground equipment were reviewed. The north and south building elevations will be “screened” by the extensive playground equipment. There will be larger equipment in the south playground area.

Mrs. Zobrist – Asked if the dumpster area will have wood gates?
Mr. Smith – Yes, the intention is to paint them green to match the fence.
Mrs. Zobrist – Noted that wood does not wear well.
Mr. Smith – Stated that they can install vinyl fencing in white or beige.
Mrs. Zobrist – Beige would be the preferred color.

Mrs. Zobrist - Asked when applicant would expect approval from the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office for the curb cut?
Mr. Smith – Hoped to hear from them soon. He would expect approval but realizes that the zoning approval is for the location of the proposed curb cut even though it has not been approved by the County.

Mrs. Winwood – Stated the revised location for the day care is quite appealing. The north building elevation faces the private road and will have the sign and the west elevation is one of the prettiest and faces nothing.  Any consideration given to re-orienting the building?
Mr. Smith – Noted that in the future the west elevation will face the church development.  Visibility is from Social Row Road near the Paragon Road extension which also provides view of the western elevation.
Mrs. Winwood – Would like to see the nicer elevation at the north side along the drive.
Mr. Smith – The location of the proposed future detention pond and the Paragon Road extension will provide an unobstructed view of the western elevation from the intersection of Paragon and Social Row Roads.  He indicated that the parking and playground equipment will obstruct the north and south views.
Mr. Anderson – Asked why the zoning requirements for parking were not met?
Mr. Smith –They designed the building, including it’s orientation, for the needs of the daycare.  They did not realize it was an issue until they received the staff comments.  Thought there were five more spaces being provided on this plan versus the previous site.  The day care operator is pleased with the parking provisions for operating.  They feel that they have more parking than what will be needed to accommodate the operation.

Mr. Anderson – Does the drive extend to the easement?
Mr. Smith – No.  They do not want to extend it and have cars parked along it and as a result create a need for a turn around.

Mr. Anderson – Will there be clubhouse parking for staff?
Mr. Smith – It seems logical and we will work with the business operator on that.

Mr. Anderson – Is there allowance to exit at the north end of the lot?  There is only 20’ between the curb and the bike path that would allow vehicles to park there.  Is this an issue and has the County approved this.
Mr. Smith – There is full service access to the site from both curb cuts.  In the past, the County Engineer’s Office has been very vocal on interior roads.  He expects that they will comment.
Mr. Anderson – Stated there is a concern that there is not proper design allowing necessary width for safe maneuvering.
Mr. Smith – Suggested doing signage and require a one-way/entrance only design at the north access.

Mr. Anderson – Questioned if the curb in front of the building will be designed for handicap accessibility?
Mr. Smith – Yes.  There will also be two ramps.

Mr. Anderson – Concerned with the trees along Sheehan road that are 40’ to 50’ apart.  The zoning code requires trees to be 25’ apart.
Mr. Smith – Stated that they attempted to follow the established planting pattern.  However, they can add two trees to meet the 25’ requirement.

Mr. Anderson – Indicated there are gutters with down spouts on the plans.  Will they tie into the storm sewer?
Mr. Smith – Yes.  They will be tiled along the back of the building into the storm sewer.

Mr. Berry – Will the private drive be used by the church in the future?
Mr. Smith – Yes, and it is recognized that we will only get two access points on Sheehan Road.  The church will also have access on the future Paragon Road extension.
Mrs. Zobrist opened the public hearing. There were no citizens voicing concerns, questions or comments.

Commission remarks, concerns and comments included: 

Mrs. Zobrist – Does not like the fact that there is a lot of paperwork that has been submitted recently that staff has not had the opportunity to review. County approval for curb cut, fire department approval, landscape review, staff parking at clubhouse, dumpster gates, limited access at north access, downspouts tied into storm sewer, are all left for final review and need to be signed off on before forwarding any action to the Board of Trustees.

Mr. Anderson – Stated he is in favor of approving the proposal; however, there is a need to do final site plan revisions.

Mr. Berry – Also stated that he is in favor of approving the plan with the conditions as discussed.

Mrs. Winwood – Stated she is okay with going ahead with the recommendations but typically would like to see the finished product before sending it on to the trustees.

MOTION – Mr. Anderson moved in Case Z-588K to approve applicant’s request for approval of a final development plan for a child day care center located in a Planned Development Residential (PD-R) zoning district in accordance with the plans submitted (including those dated April 28, 2008 and May 20, 2008), including staff comments, and subject to:  1) vinyl gates on dumpster enclosure to be in beige or taupe color; 2) fire department approval for the turning radius; 3) additional 2 trees along Sheehan Road; 4) directional signage at the north end of the parking lot to limit access; 5) curb cut approval from Montgomery County Engineer’s Office; 6) landscape reviewed and approved by the Township VIP Consultant; 7) staff parking at clubhouse during special events at the day care; 8) 47 spaces for parking; 9) seven foot (7’) ground sign; and 10) building downspouts to be tied into the storm sewer.

Motion seconded by Mr. Berry.

VOTE - Mrs. Winwood, yes; Mrs. Zobrist, yes; Mr. Anderson, yes; Mr. Berry, yes.

Case Z-588K approved with modifications.

In other business:
Mrs. Postle informed the Commission that zoning amendments are continuing to be worked on for the June meeting.  There will be a rezoning case to be heard at the next meeting as well as the zoning amendments.

Mrs. Postle reminded the Commission of the training session to be held tomorrow.

The closing of the O’Neys salon was also mentioned.

Meeting adjourned.  A tape recording of this proceeding is on file in the Zoning Office.

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Patty Zobrist, Vice Chairperson
Washington Township Zoning Commission