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CITY OF ROCKVILLE PLANNING DIVISION
STAFF REPORT
July 20, 2000
SUBJECT:
401 9th Street NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20004
Property Location: East side of the future Preserve Parkway just south of Wootton Parkway (See Attachment A - Location Map)
REQUEST:
The applicant seeks Detailed Application approval for a 185,000 square foot office building and related parking and site improvements, to be built as part of the Tower Oaks Comprehensive Planned Development, on the east side of Preserve Parkway just south of Wootton Parkway.
PREVIOUS RELATED ACTION:
· Comprehensive Planned Development Application CPD-1-85, (Concept Plan) - to determine the land uses and development potential for the Tower Oaks development; approved by the Mayor and Council on October 12, 1987.
· Comprehensive Planned Development Application CPD-1-85, Amendment - to delete planned lake from site plan and reallocate development densities; approved by the Mayor and Council on September 27, 1993.
· Comprehensive Planned Development Detailed Applications CPD-1-88A through CPD2000-0001G for approval of roads, 136 townhouses and two office buildings
· Schematic Design Plan for office building development covered by CPD2000-0001H; presented to the Mayor and Council on May 8, 2000.
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:
a. Additional sidewalk to be located along the north side of the right-in, right-out entrance to connect to the Preserve Parkway public sidewalk;b. Designation of an on-site shuttle stop site; andc. Redesign of the loading area to minimize the amount of pavement necessary.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:
a. Addition of landscape hedge adjacent to the surface parking lot closest to Preserve Parkway;b. Changes to the paving pattern in the drop-off/courtyard area so that the pattern does not appear to be marked parking spaces;c. Additional landscaping around the loading dock to reduce its visual impact to the front of the building; andd. 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 approved Preliminary Forest Conservation Plan (PFCP), landscape plan, public and private improvements and sediment control plans, and include the location of trees identified as part of the approval for CPD2000-0001G.
4. Submission, for the approval of the Department of Public Works, of the following detailed plans and studies:
a. Public water and sewer plans with profiles, service connections and sewer easements adjusted per Public Works Department requirements, on City standard base sheets;b. Plans for stormwater management, sediment control and storm drainage for adequate conveyance of stormwater, all with computations and proposed easements;c. Public storm drain and paving plans, including profiles, on City standard base sheets;d. All engineering, stormwater management, water and sewer plans on 24" x 36" size sheets; and
5. Submission of a Final Record Plat application for the property, showing all necessary easements and dedications, for the approval of the Planning Commission.
6. Install traffic signals and associated installation facilities at the Preserve Parkway/Wootton Parkway and Preserve Parkway/Tower Oaks Boulevard intersections when requested by the City.7. That 50 carpool spaces be designated within the garage.8. That the water service to the building be a private system, with the water meter located in or adjacent to the Preserve Parkway right-of-way.9. That the architectural treatment and materials of the parking garage exterior be compatible with the building façade.10. That, the applicant provide, at the request of the City, a bus shelter or an equivalent amount of cash contribution toward installation of a future bus shelter along Preserve Parkway.11. That all structures meet the requirements of the Citys construction codes, the Fire and Life Safety Codes, Maryland Building Code for the Handicapped and Federal ADA requirements.12. 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.13. That bonds be posted and permits obtained from the Department of Public Works, or other agencies, 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, the 185,000 square foot office building at 2600 Tower Oaks Boulevard being developed by Boston Properties, Inc. and the 276,600 square foot Tower Building, now under construction at 1101 Wootton Parkway.
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 May 8, 2000.
ANALYSIS:
Property Description:
The subject property is a 10.83-acre site located on the east side of the future Preserve Parkway, south of its intersection with Wootton Parkway. The site is completely wooded with second growth forest and begins to slope gradually downward to a tributary of Cabin John Creek. Adjacent to the site to the east is the Woodmont Country Club, located in the R-E (Residential Estate) Zone, while to the north is the tributary stream valley and Wootton Parkway. Further north is the Hungerford Stoneridge neighborhood. To the south is future office development area within Tower Oaks that is also owned by Boston Properties. Across Preserve Parkway is Development Area 6, approved for 10,000 square feet of restaurant use in the Concept Plan.
Development Proposal:
The applicant proposes to construct a seven-story, 183,000 square foot office building, two-level parking garage, surface parking lots and related site improvements. In addition, a portion of an access road that will eventually be extended to serve Development Area 1 to the south of the subject site will be constructed as an access road to the parking garage. Two vehicular entrances into the site will provide access to the building and the parking garage from Preserve Parkway. A full movement entrance will be located opposite the northern median break on Preserve Parkway, while a right-in, right-out entrance will be located further north on Preserve Parkway. A visitor drop-off area with landscaped plaza will be located directly outside the main entrance.
Architectural Analysis:
The building is planned to be seven stories or about 100 feet in height to the top of the roof, not including rooftop structures. The majority of the building will be precast concrete and glass, with a seven story expanse of glass and metal that highlights the entrance of the building. This projecting glassed area will be crowned by a series of metal trellis panels that will project above a glazed screen wall. A large pole on the north side of the building provides visual interest. These features will ensure that this structure continues the visually distinctive office building designs in Tower Oaks. A benefit of this orientation is that the narrow portion of the façade is oriented toward the Hungerford Stoneridge neighborhood. The two-level parking garage to be built into the slope of the property will be screened from view from Preserve Parkway by a landscaped area and meets the maximum height limitation of 17 feet. The architectural plans are in substantial conformance with those reviewed by the Mayor and Council during the schematic design review, with the exception of the roof trellis features. These features replace the wing originally proposed.
Another design concern is the location of the loading dock, which is tucked between the building and the parking garage on the front elevation of the building. Staff recommends that the design of this facility be revised to minimize the impervious area created and to enhance the landscaping in the vicinity to more effectively screen the loading area.
Staff notes that the application complies with the relevant setback requirements for CPDs adjacent to residentially-zoned property, which are 100 feet for all structures and 220 feet for all structures above 17 feet in elevation. The application also complies with the height limitation for the Tower Oaks CPD, which is 125 feet.
Parking Analysis:
As noted above, the applicant proposes to construct a two-level parking garage adjacent to the building. The garage will contain 505 of the total 639 parking spaces to be provided. According to Zoning Ordinance requirements, a total of 610 spaces are required, resulting in an excess of 22 parking spaces provided. The resulting parking ratio will be 3.45 per 1,000 square feet, as compared to the 3.3 spaces per 1,000 square feet resulting from the Ordinance requirement. Thirteen 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. 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.
Environmental Guidelines
The development as proposed does not include any construction or disturbed area within the stream buffer located along the northern edge of the site. Staff notes that, as a mitigation measure for the stream valley encroachment by the roadway for Preserve Parkway, a condition of approval was approved to provide for preservation of two specimen trees in this area identified in the approved FSD for the property. Staff recommends a condition of approval that these trees be shown for preservation on the Final FCP for the property.
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 the original developers of the project, Tower-Dawson Limited Partnership, and no further on or off-site improvements are required.
However, the application has been reviewed to improve the sites accessibility to transit users and alternative transportation modes. Staff recommends that at least 50 carpool spaces be designated within the garage for carpooling. Although there are no current plans for transit service on Preserve Parkway, given the buildout potential of approximately 900,000 square feet of office development accessed from this road, future transit service in the form of buses or shuttles is likely. For this reason, staff recommends that the applicant either provide a bus shelter or contribute an equivalent amount to the City for a shelter, upon the Citys request. Staff also recommends that the applicant designate a potential Metro shuttle stop near the entrance to the building, such as on the paved plaza or in the lobby, should such service become reality.
The site plan includes numerous sidewalk connections between the building and its attached parking garage and the parking garage access road and the public sidewalk along Preserve Parkway. City staff is working toward some modifications to the median in Preserve Parkway to allow for enhanced pedestrian and bicycle connections at the median break opposite the entrance to this building. Staff recommends that a small segment of sidewalk be added along the right-in, right-out site entrance to provide for three direct pedestrian connections to the site from the Preserve Parkway sidewalk. All internal sidewalks shown are directly against the curb, and it is recommended that these be separated from the vehicular travelways by a grass strip to enhance pedestrian safety. To enhance other modes of transportation such as bicycles, staff recommends that bicycle lockers and shower facilities be provided in the building to encourage bicycle use for commuting. An enhanced bikeway connection to the bicycle lockers should be provided along the parking garage access road.
Stormwater Management/Utilities:
The stormwater management concept plan for this building has been approved by the Department of Public Works in conjunction with Concept Plan approval for Preserve Parkway. Quantity control will be provided through underground storage pipes beneath the surface parking lot behind the building, while quality control will be provided by two underground sand filters beneath the surface parking lots. Staff notes that site constraints prevent the installation of stormwater management facilities for the road until the sediment trap associated with the office building is removed.
Public Works has recommended that water service to the building be a private system, and that the water meter be located in or adjacent to the right-of-way for Preserve Parkway. Permanent electrical service to the building will be provided via underground conduit along Preserve Parkway from the Montrose Road area. Electrical service and transformers for this project will be placed underground.
Notification:
Staff sent approximately 1,500 notification postcards to the following Citizens Associations: North Farm, Hungerford Stoneridge, New Mark Commons, and The Villages at Tower Oaks. Residents of Hungerford-Stoneridge south of West Edmonston Drive and residents of the southern portion of New Mark Commons, the Villages at Tower Oaks, and North Farm were notified, in addition to adjacent property owners, of this Planning Commission meeting date.
Conclusion:
The proposal conforms to all pertinent requirements of the Zoning Ordinance, the guidelines and conditions contained in the approved Concept Plan, and the Schematic Design Plan. Therefore, staff is recommending approval of Detailed Application CPD2000-0001H, subject to the recommended conditions of approval.
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Attachments
1. Vicinity Map
2. Application
3. Site and Landscaping Plan
