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City of Rockville Planning Commission

CITY OF ROCKVILLE PLANNING DIVISION

STAFF REPORT

 

June 18, 1999

 

SUBJECT:

Comprehensive Planned Development Detailed Application CPD98-001F, Tower Oaks North Gateway Building

Applicant: Tower Dawson LP

11501 Huff Court

North Bethesda, Maryland 20895

Date Filed: December 15, 1998

Property Location: Northwest corner of Wootton Parkway and Tower Oaks Boulevard North (See Attachment A - Location Map)

Planning Commission Review Date: June 23, 1999

REQUEST:

The applicant seeks Detailed Application approval for a 276,600 square foot office building and related parking and site improvements, to be built as part of the Tower Oaks Comprehensive Planned Development, at the northwest corner of Tower Oaks Boulevard and Wootton Parkway.

PREVIOUS RELATED ACTION:

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:

Approval, subject to the following conditions:

  1. Submission, for approval of the Chief of Planning, of eleven (11) copies of the site plan, revised according to Planning Commission Exhibit A, to show the following:

    2.  

    1. Location and amount of handicapped parking spaces on the plaza level; and

    2. Extension of paving and 8-inch water main through future intersection of access road and on-site driveway near existing culvert formerly carrying Monroe Street.

  2. Submission, for the approval of the Chief of Planning, of eleven (11) copies of a detailed landscaping plan, revised according to Planning Commission Exhibit B, to show the following:

    1. Addition of landscape hedge adjacent to the surface parking lot closest to Wootton Parkway;

    2. Addition of landscaping and screening around the above ground transformer installation; and

    3. Changes to final landscape plan planting choices per City Forester directives.

  3. Submission, for approval of the City Forester, of seven copies of a Final Forest Conservation Plan for the site in accordance with the Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance. This plan should be coordinated with the landscape plan, public and private improvements and sediment control plans.

  4. Submission, for the approval of the Department of Public Works, of the following detailed plans and studies:
    1. Public water and sewer plans with profiles, service connections and sewer easements adjusted per Public Works Department requirements, on City standard base sheets;
    2. Plans for stormwater management, sediment control and storm drainage for adequate conveyance of stormwater, all with computations and proposed easements;
    3. Public storm drain and paving plans, including profiles, on City standard base sheets;
    4. All engineering, storm water management, water and sewer plans on 24" x 36" size sheets; and
    5. Grade establishment plans for future access road for review and approval prior to issuance of any permit from the Department of Public Works.

  5. Submission, for the approval of the Mayor and Council, of a waiver from the road code to allow a reduced right-of-way width of 50 feet and paving section of 36 feet for the proposed public street serving the site and property to the north.

  6. Submission of a Final Record Plat application for the property, showing all necessary easements and dedications, for the approval of the Planning Commission. If the plat includes incorporation of the City-owned right-of-way formerly controlled the State Highway Administration, it shall be with the concurrence of both entities. The 6-foot public improvement easement along the access road must be shown.
  7. That the architectural treatment and materials of the parking garage exterior be compatible with the building façade.
  8. That all construction traffic enter the site via the right-in, right-out entrance on Wootton Parkway, with the exception of heavy equipment and activities needed to access the site to construct the Wootton Parkway entrance and the entrance road from the Tower Oaks Boulevard North cul-de-sac and other very limited circumstances.
  9. That all structures meet the requirements of the City’s construction codes, the Fire and Life Safety Codes, Maryland Building Code for the Handicapped and Federal ADA requirements.
  10. That permits for any signs be obtained from the Division of Inspection Services, according to guidelines established in the approved Concept Plan requiring a comprehensive sign package approved by the Sign Review Board.
  11. That bonds be posted and permits obtained from the Department of Public Works, FEMA, Water Resources Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Maryland Department of the Environment, as necessary.

BACKGROUND:

The Mayor and Council adopted the governing Master Plan (Planning Area 12 Neighborhood Plan) in 1985. That Plan established the future development pattern for what was then a large tract of vacant land and recommends office park development on this site. The property is in the O-3 (Restricted Office) Zone, where a Comprehensive Planned Development is permitted when recommended by the Master Plan. A Comprehensive Planned Development requires a review process composed of two stages. The first stage is a Concept Plan application, which is a conceptual proposal establishing the land uses and densities and timing of public improvements for the development. This stage requires a public hearing and action by the Mayor and Council, upon recommendation of the Planning Commission. In 1987, the Mayor and Council approved the Comprehensive Planned Development Concept Plan Application (CPD-1-85), authorizing development of the 192-acre Westmont Tract (now known as Tower Oaks) as an office park containing 2.5 million square feet of floor area and a residential component of up to 275 dwelling units.

If the Concept Plan is approved, the second stage, or Detailed Application, must be filed for Planning Commission review and action. The Planning Commission has approved several Detailed Applications within Tower Oaks, including the construction of various infrastructure improvements such as Tower Oaks Boulevard, the 136 unit townhouse community known as The Villages at Tower Oaks, and a 185,000 square foot office building at 2600 Tower Oaks Boulevard being developed by Boston Properties, Inc.

The original Concept Plan approval for Tower Oaks was modified by the Mayor and Council in 1993 to delete the original lake. Development staging was also established by the Mayor and Council in the approval. If development proceeds in accordance with the terms and conditions of the approved Concept Plan with regard to density and land use mix, no further traffic impact studies are necessary. As part of the resolution of approval, the Mayor and Council retained approval authority over schematic building designs prior to submission of the Detailed Applications for any development in Tower Oaks. The Mayor and Council approved the schematic building design for this office proposal on October 12, 1998.

ANALYSIS:

Property Description:

The subject property is a 14.5-acre site located in the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Tower Oaks Boulevard North and Wootton Parkway and adjacent to Interstate 270. The site slopes gradually downward to a tributary of Cabin John Creek from Wootton Parkway. It is completely wooded with second-growth forest. The site is currently vacant and includes floodplain and wetlands. Adjacent to the site to the west is I-270, while to the north across the stream valley is the Villages at Tower Oaks community and a portion of Development Area 1 of the Tower Oaks development, which is the residence inn site. Further to the north is the New Mark Commons neighborhood. To the south across Wootton Parkway is Development Area 3, approved for 500,000 square feet of office in the Concept Plan. To the east across Tower Oaks Boulevard North is the Villages at Tower Oaks townhouse community.

Development Proposal:

The applicant proposes to construct a ten-story, 276,600 square foot office building, four-level parking garage, surface parking lots and related site improvements. In addition, a section of the access road that will eventually be extended to serve Development Area 1 to the north of the subject site will be constructed as a public street. Two vehicular entrances into the site will provide access to the building and the parking garage. A public street entrance will be from the cul-de-sac at the end of Tower Oaks Boulevard North and will provide access to the lower levels of the parking garage and both surface parking lot areas. A right-in, right-out entrance proposed from Wootton Parkway will provide primary access to the upper level of the parking garage as well as access to the main building entrance, lower garage levels and service entrance. A visitor drop-off area with landscaped plaza will be located directly outside the main entrance.

Architectural Analysis:

The building is planned to be ten stories or about 125 feet in height. It will feature dramatic curved expanses of glass and metal panels facing east and west that will ensure that this structure is a signature building for Tower Oaks and the I-270 corridor. An added benefit of this orientation is that the narrow portion of the façade is oriented toward the New Mark Commons neighborhood. The parking garage to be built into the natural slope of the property will not be visible from adjacent streets due to the fact that it will be lower than the level of Wootton Parkway and will be screened by a landscaped area. In discussions with the Villages at Tower Oaks neighborhood, the applicant has agreed to face the garage with precast concrete to increase the architectural quality of the parking structure. The architectural plans are in substantial conformance with those approved by the Mayor and Council during the schematic design review.

Site Circulation:

Prior to submitting the application, the applicant worked closely with the Villages at Tower Oaks neighborhood to address concerns about traffic impacts from the office building on Tower Oaks Boulevard North, which serves the residential neighborhood. Some modifications were adopted as a result of these discussions, including the extension of the median in Tower Oaks Boulevard to the cul-de-sac and the addition of the right-in, right-out entrance from Wootton Parkway. Both of these should help distribute trips to and from the site and relieve some of the pressure from Tower Oaks Boulevard North. Staff is also recommending that construction traffic access the site primarily from Wootton Parkway. However, the most significant circulation element is the combined access road for this site and the residence inn site. Previously, the Concept Plan had shown a road leading directly from the cul-de-sac northward to the residence inn site. Based on significant impacts to the existing Villages neighborhood and environmental concerns regarding tree preservation and buffer encroachment, the access road is now located on the North Gateway site as a public street so that the public can access the northern properties.

Parking Analysis:

As noted above, the applicant proposes to construct a four-level parking garage adjacent to the building. The garage will contain 783 of the total 1,060 parking spaces to be provided. According to Zoning Ordinance requirements, a total of 924 spaces are required, resulting in an excess of 136 parking spaces provided beyond Ordinance requirements. The resulting parking ratio will be 3.8 per 1,000 square feet, as compared to the 3.3 spaces per 1,000 square feet resulting from the Ordinance requirement. Twenty handicapped spaces are required, all of which are located in the parking garage. Staff has recommended that some of the spaces be indicated on the plaza level. The surface lots are divided into two areas, with one behind the building to the west and the other east of the parking garage. Visitor parking is planned to be provided on the plaza level of the parking garage.

Forest/Tree Preservation and Landscaping:

The City Forester has accepted the Forest Stand Delineation and Preliminary Forest Conservation Plan for the overall Tower Oaks property. As a requirement for site grading permits, the applicant has submitted a detailed Forest Conservation Plan for this site along with the required maintenance, management and preservation agreements. The subject site will include approximately 2.79 acres devoted to tree preservation, primarily adjacent to the stream valley and the eastern portion of the site closest to Tower Oaks Boulevard North. The limited amount of surface parking, underground stormwater management and building siting has helped the applicant to preserve a portion of the site in forest. Staff notes that the reforestation requirements for the site cannot be met on-site, but will be accounted for on other portions of the Tower Oaks property. In addition to including a tree preservation area, the applicant has proposed an extensive landscape plan that will complement the extensive building design. The landscaped areas will also serve to enhance the visual separation of the parking garage from the street. Staff is recommending the addition of a low hedge to screen views of a small surface parking lot adjacent to Wootton Parkway to satisfy a requirement of the Comprehensive Planned Development regulations.

The applicant has requested a waiver from Section 25-437(b) requiring underground installation of transformers to permit installation of three above-ground transformers near the service entrance to the building. Staff supports the location, as it is hidden from view from adjacent properties and roadways, subject to the approval of a detailed landscaping and screening plan.

Environmental Guidelines

The draft Environmental Guidelines allow for flexibility when dealing with previously approved developments such as Tower Oaks. The amount of development proposed was approved as part of the original concept plan. The applicant has made substantial modifications to the original detailed application proposal in an effort to reduce environmental impacts. In applying flexibility to the review of the development staff and the applicant sought to avoid locating the building and parking garage in the proposed 125-foot wide City buffer. In addition, grading, driveways and were located outside of the County's 100-foot wide buffer, except for stream crossings. Where grading is proposed in the 100-foot buffer it will be replanted. Combined with the elimination of the driveway on the north side of the stream, the environmental impacts of the development are less than the Concept Plan envisioned.

Traffic and Transportation:

The transportation impact for the Tower Oaks development was evaluated during review and approval of the concept plan application. The amendment to the original concept plan approval sets forth the staging of development and the triggering mechanisms for transportation improvements. Most of these improvements have been completed by Tower-Dawson, and no further on-site improvements are required of the developer. The applicant has evaluated the traffic impact of this building, primarily on the Tower Oaks Boulevard/Wootton Parkway intersection (See attachment). This intersection currently operates at Level of Service B and A in the am and pm peak hours, respectively, and this project is not expected to degrade the intersection to an unacceptable level of service. Tower Oaks Boulevard itself is currently underutilized based on its remaining capacity. Staff notes that a traffic signal is programmed for the coming fiscal year at the intersection of Tower Oaks Boulevard and the I-270 off ramp.

Stormwater Management/Utilities:

The stormwater management concept plan for this development has been approved by the Department of Public Works. Stormwater quantity control will be provided by the retention pond located near the Villages at Tower Oaks. This pond was designed to accommodate stormwater flows from development on this parcel. Quality control will be provided on site by two underground structural sand filters that will manage the impervious area for both the development and the public street on this site.

Electrical service and transformers for this project will be placed underground. However, the overhead electrical lines adjacent to Wootton Parkway are transmission lines that are not permitted to provide permanent electrical service to any building in the Tower Oaks development. These lines must be relocated closer to Wootton Parkway in order to allow this construction. The Zoning Ordinance permits the relocation of existing overhead electrical lines only by approval of the Planning Commission. Staff expects PEPCO to file a request to allow the above-relocation in the near future to resolve this issue so that the development can proceed.

Notification:

Staff sent approximately 1,500 notification postcards to the following Citizens Associations: North Farm, Hungerford Stoneridge, New Mark Commons, Markwood, Falls Orchard, Orchard Ridge and The Villages at Tower Oaks. Residents of Hungerford-Stoneridge south of West Edmonston Drive and all residents of New Mark Commons, Markwood, the Villages at Tower Oaks, North Farm and Waddington Park were notified, in addition to adjacent property owners, of this Planning Commission meeting date. In addition, the applicant supplied the versions of the plan to the affected associations, including Hungerford-Stoneridge, New Mark Commons, Villages at Tower Oaks and North Farm, during the review process.

Conclusion:

Over the past six months, the applicant and the City's staff Development Review Committee have reviewed and discussed the subject proposal extensively. Substantial modifications have been made to address concerns raised by staff, most relating to the preservation of stream buffers in the northern portion of the site. The recommended conditions of approval relate to minor site engineering issues. In general, the proposal conforms to all pertinent requirements of the Zoning Ordinance, the guidelines and conditions contained in the approved Concept Plan, and the approved Schematic Design Plan. Thus, staff is recommending approval of Comprehensive Planned Development CPD98-001F, subject to the recommended conditions of approval.

/rjw

Attachments