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CITY OF ROCKVILLE PLANNING DIVISION
STAFF REPORT
MAY 18, 2000
SUBJECT:
Special Exception Application SPX2000-00285
Applicant:
Montgomery County Public Schools
5701 Grosvenor Lane
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Property Location:
Rockville Senior High School
2100 Baltimore Road
Rockville, Maryland 20850
Planning Commission Review Date: May 24, 2000
Board of Appeals Public Hearing Date: June 3, 2000
PREVIOUS RELATED ACTION:
Use Permit Application U-350-67, Montgomery County Public Schools, development proposal to construct a public senior high school in the R-90 (single family detached, restricted residential) zone, approved by the Planning Commission on September 13, 1967.
Use Permit Application U-544-71, Montgomery County Public Schools, development proposal to construct a building addition onto an existing high school located in the R-90 zone, approved by the Planning Commission on October 6, 1971.
Special Exception Application S-210-93, Devrouax & Purnell for Montgomery County Public Schools, a request to expand an existing public high school located in the R-90 zone, i.e., a second gymnasium addition, granted by the Board of Appeals on September 11, 1993.
Use Permit Application U-511-93, Devrouax & Purnell for Montgomery County Public Schools, development proposal to construct a second gymnasium addition onto an existing public high school, approved by the Planning Commission on October 13, 1993.
REQUEST:
The applicant submits the subject special exception request in accordance with Section 25-296 of the City of Rockville Zoning Ordinance. The applicant proposes to fully renovate, expand, and modernize Rockville Senior High School located at 2100 Baltimore Road.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approval is recommend subject to the following conditions:
1. Proposed site improvements and building construction activity must be conducted in substantial accordance with site development and building plans submitted by ADTEK Engineers, Inc. and Eddy & Eckhardt Architects respectively.
2. Amend site plan and clearly denote/identify location of student, staff, visitor, and school bus parking spaces.
3. Show the location of the new site identification sign on the site plan. An elevation drawing of the sign should be also provided on the site plan.
4. As identified per the application requests traffic study, traffic control devices such as fluorescent yellow-green Advanced School signs, flashing school zone signs, and crosswalks, should be installed to enhance pedestrian safety. A crosswalk and School Signs should be installed at the east driveway to allow students to cross Baltimore Road, from the pedestrian path located on the east side of the roadway.
5. Where possible, the site distance at both site entrances must be improved as recommended in the traffic study.
6. The applicant must work with the Citys Department of Public Works (DPW), to acquire necessary easements from neighboring property owners, to improve and widen the pedestrian/bike path located across the street, on the east side of Baltimore Road, the length of the sites frontage.
7. The location of proposed bike racks and/or lockers must be shown on the site plan.
8. If lights are proposed or contemplated for the new athletic fields and football stadium, denote the locations on the site plan. Prior to installation, a lighting plan must be submitted for review and approval by the Chief of Planning or as part of the projects use permit. Lights should be positioned so as to not create glare or excessive light spillage onto neighboring residential and institutional land uses.
9. At the projects use permit stage the applicant must work closely with DPW to address stormwater management requirements for the site.
ANALYSIS:
Property Description
The subject property is located on the north side of Baltimore Road, approximately fifteen (15) feet east of the streets intersection with Twinbrook Parkway. The school was originally constructed in 1968 and later expanded in 1972 and 1994. The existing building is approximately 201,216 square feet in size, two stories in height, and consists of three wings. The schools existing building capacity is for 1,219 students. The current student enrollment is 1,189 students.
The school is located on approximately 30.3 acres and is accessed by pedestrians and vehicles via Baltimore Road. The site currently has three (3) vehicular entrances on Baltimore Road. Students or persons walking to the site use the pedestrian path located on the west side of Baltimore Road which extends from Twinbrook Parkway to the schools western-most vehicular entrance or they use the pedestrian/bike path located across the street along the eastside of Baltimore Road.
The school is somewhat centrally located on the site, with on-site surface parking facilities located in the front, rear, and east-side yard areas surrounding the building. Wells & Associates, LLC, the applicants traffic consultant affirms that there are currently a total of 340 parking spaces on-site. There are 87 parking spaces in the student lot located on the west end of the site, 44 spaces in the teacher/staff and visitor lot in the middle of the site, 209 spaces in the student, teacher/staff, and visitor lots on the east and north ends of the property, and 16 spaces (currently unmarked) for school buses. Located in the rear area of the property is the football field and outdoor running track. West of the football field are the schools four (4) tennis courts, with baseball and open space play fields located to the east (See Exhibit 2).
The subject site is bound to the north by woodlands and floodplain that are part of Civic Center Park and the Rock Creek Regional Park, east by a religious institutional use and parkland, and south and west by Beth Tikva Synagogue, Francis Asbury United Methodist Church, and the recently developing Ashleigh Woods Townhomes. The sites topography is relatively flat with gentle, but pronounced sloping, i.e., site surface grades began to gradually fall from the west side of the site downward towards the front northeast area of the site. The site contains an array of mature trees, shrubs, and hedges, flowering and non-flowering plantings, all ranging in species and size. Due to its close proximity to wooded public parkland, it is well screened on its rear and side yard areas. There are also a significant number of large mature hardwood trees located along the sites Baltimore Road street frontage
The applicant (Montgomery County Public Schools MCPS) plans to fully renovate, expand, and modernize the existing public high school. During the proposed modernization, the school will be housed in the Northwood Center during the 2001 and 2002 school years. When completed the newly expanded and modernize school is expected to reopen by September 2003. Approximately 50 percent (i.e., 99,864 square feet) of the existing school will be demolished and reconstructed. The school size will increase by 93,136 square feet (46 percent), from 201,216 square feet. to 294,352 square feet. It is projected that school capacity will increase by approximately 391 students (32 percent), from 1,219 to 1,610 students. The core capacity of the newly modernize facility will accommodate 2,000 students.
Due to the limited amount of developable area on site, approximately 99,864 square feet of the existing facility is being demolished to make way for a three-story addition. The new three-story addition will house foreign language, social studies, English, and science programs. A new two-story structure will be built to house the media center, student dining facility, administrative offices and special education support space. The existing auditorium and physical education spaces will be modernized.
The two-story structure that now houses the auditorium, main gymnasium, art and music programs on the first level and the math department and second gymnasium on the second level will be maintained and modernized. The remainder of the building will be demolished. A new, major circulation spine will be built adjacent to the existing two-story building and the new three-story building will replace the demolished structure. The new wing is organized around a large courtyard that allows light to be introduced into all perimeter classrooms. It also provides outdoor dining space directly adjacent to the student-dining hall. The second floor of the new wing will align with the second floor of the existing modernized structure. The building will be handicapped accessible from three (3) major entries on the first level. Three (3) elevators will provide internal accessibility to all areas.
The planned site modernization will incorporate a number of improvements, such as improved vehicular access to the site from Baltimore Road. Site access will be consolidated, one of the three (3) existing entrances, the middle site entrance will be eliminated on Baltimore Road (See Exhibit 3). Access to the student and visitor parking and parent drop-off area will be provided from the west driveway. The east driveway will provide access to a bus loop and parking, and staff parking. The parking lots will be redesigned to separate and facilitate bus, auto drop-off, and student vehicular on-site circulation.
Approximately 391 on-site parking spaces are to be provided and allocated as follows: a) 172 spaces in the student and visitor lot, b) 76 spaces for staff opposite the bus parking along the east side of the school and c) 143 spaces for staff in the rear of the school and adjacent to the track and football/soccer stadium. There will also be a new bus parking area designed to accommodate 20 buses, which also can be converted to 38 parking spaces for use during off-peak hours for special school functions. Currently, 11 regular student buses and seven (7) special education buses serve Rockville High School. The proposed plan call for 20 buses. The new proposed bus loop and single lane chevron loading pattern will be provided on the east side of the site. This bus area would be separated from the student pick-up/drop-off and parking areas.
The applicants traffic consultant estimated that approximately 225 students walk to or from school, based on counts taken during the month of March 2000. The school currently issues 160 student parking permits each semester. As the school year progresses, more students acquire such permits. School staff note that the additional permits granted during the school year are normally issued to students who transfer from other schools during the course of the year, who meet established criteria to drive a private vehicle to school. It is noted in the traffic impact study submitted with the subject special exception request, that since student capacity is expected to increase by approximately 35 percent, an additional 56 student permits would be issued for the modernized high school, bringing the total to 216 permits issued.
Other new facilities and site improvements proposed, include a new athletic stadium with bleachers having a seating capacity for 1,900 spectators, a new concession building and toilet facilities, five (5) new tennis courts, and improvements to the baseball, softball, and practice fields. A new site/school freestanding identification sign is proposed which will be double sided and approximately 42 inches in height and 6 feet in length (See Exhibit 1). However, in order to modernize the school property as proposed the applicant requests that the special exception be granted, as submitted.
In accordance with Section 25-296 of the Ordinance publicly owned and operated buildings (public schools) are permitted in the R-90 zone by grant of special exception. In accordance with Section 25-338 of the Ordinance, the Board of Appeals shall not grant any petition for special exception unless it finds from a preponderance of the evidence of record that:
1. The proposed use does not violate or adversely affect the Master Plan (the Plan), Zoning Ordinance, or any other applicable law; and
The subject property was developed 30 years ago for use and operation of a public senior high school. The applicants request to renovate and modernize the school would not be adverse to the zoning ordinance or the Plan. The Plans land use designation of the site is for public buildings and facilities usage. It is inferred from the Ordinance that special exception land uses are deemed appropriate in respective zones if it can be demonstrated that the requested use will not adversely impact neighboring land uses. Based on all available information, the application request and accompanying site development proposal do not violate or adversely affect the Ordinance, the Plan, or other applicable law. At this initial stage in the proposed development review process, there is no evidence the planned building and site improvements building setbacks, lot coverage, or height restrictions, applicable thereto.
2. The proposed use at the location selected will not: a) Adversely affect the health and safety of residents or workers in the area; or b) Overburden existing public services, including water, sanitary, sewer, public roads, storm drainage and other public improvements; c) Be detrimental to the use or development of adjacent properties or the neighborhood; and d) Change the character of the neighborhood in which the use is proposed, considering services currently required, population density, character, and number of similar uses; and
The subject school is located at the eastern edge of the city, surrounded by public parkland to the north and west, multifamily and single family dwellings to the southeast, and single family attached dwellings and religious institutional uses to the east. The site is currently served by public water and sewer services provided by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). The sites water and sewer, electric, gas, and other relevant utilities will all be upgraded and/or retrofitted in order to serve the planned new site and building improvements. The applicants consultants are currently working with the Citys Department of Public Works to determine what stormwater management techniques will be utilized to accommodate stormwater generated by the planned site redevelopment.
As recommended in the traffic impact analysis presented in the traffic study prepared by Wells and Associates, LLC, several street frontage improvements are proposed in conjunction with the planned school modernization project. These improvements include but may not be limited to the following: a) elimination of the existing middle site entrance, b) installation of a new right turn/decel lane, c) installation of a lengthened left turn lane that provides greater stacking area for vehicles accessing the eastern most site entrance, and d) dedication of additional right-of-way for future roadway improvements. These improvements were deemed necessary to insure that vehicular traffic flow along the site segment of Baltimore Road is not aversely impacted by site generated vehicular traffic.
Wells and Associates, LLC conducted traffic counts in early March 2000. It was discovered that Baltimore Road, in front of the high school, presently carries 1,315 vehicles during the AM peak hour of adjacent street traffic, 700 vehicles during the school PM peak hour, and 1,067 vehicles during the PM peak hour of adjacent street traffic. The consultant, for the purpose of the traffic study, determined that the AM school peak hour occurred between 6:45 a.m. and 7:45 a.m., when 18 buses and 549 autos entered the site, and 17 buses and 275 autos exited the site. This coincided closely with the 7:15 to 8:15 AM peak hour of adjacent street traffic, as measured at the Twinbrook Parkway/Baltimore Road intersection.
The PM school peak hour occurred at 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., when 7 buses and 83 autos entered the site, and 19 buses and 290 autos exited the site. This was significantly earlier than the 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. peak hour of adjacent street traffic, as measured at the Twinbrook Parkway/Baltimore Road intersection. It is anticipated that the newly renovated and expanded school would generate an additional 304 trips during the school AM peak hour, 141 trips during the school PM peak hour, and 41 trips during the PM peak hour of adjacent street traffic.
The consultant concluded that the Baltimore Road/Twinbrook Parkway intersection is forecasted to operate at a Level of Service (LOS) E, 91 percent capacity during the AM peak hour; at LOS A, 39 percent of capacity during the school PM peak hour; and at LOS C, 70 percent of capacity during the commuter PM peak hour. While the applicant has identified several site frontage improvements that will be constructed to help mitigate impacts site generated traffic will have on the neighboring street intersection, more detailed designs of those improvements will be reviewed during the project's use permit review stage.
As previously noted, the subject school has existed at the subject location for 30 plus years and staff found no evidence the school has been or will be detrimental to abutting land uses or the neighborhood in which it is located. The proposal to expand and modernize the facility will insure that the school continues to be a viable institutional member of the community and that the character of the neighborhood will not be altered. The newly renovated and expanded high school also reduces the need to build new high schools within close proximity of the subject school. A newly expanded and modernized Rockville High School also insures that those students living in the Rockville Cluster area as defined by Montgomery County Public Schools, are less likely to be reassigned to other schools outside of that cluster designation.
3. The proposed use complies with the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance that are applicable thereto.
The subject special exception request is submitted in accordance with Section 25-296 of the Ordinance. All county schools are deemed to be publicly owned and operated buildings, which are allowed in the R-90 zone by grant of special exception. The applicants proposal and request to renovate, modernize, and expand the subject high school which is located in the respective residential zone, reflects the applicants attempts to comply with this fundamental requirement of the Ordinance. Also, based on the application as submitted, the proposal complies with all known and applicable requirements of the Ordinance, at this initial stage in land use and the development review process.
Based on all of the afore noted factors, staff finds adequate justification to recommend Special Exception SPX2000-00285 be approved subject to the conditions referenced on page two of this staff report.
COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION PROCESS
Notification cards were sent to 277 property owners within the subject site area, informing them of the application request and pending Planning Commission meeting and Board of Appeals public hearing, where the request will be publicly heard and considered. A list of addresses is contained in the projects application file for public review and inspection.
List of attachments:
Attachment A Scope of Traffic Study
Exhibit 1 Proposed Site I.D. Sign
Exhibit 2 Existing Site Plan
Exhibit 3 Proposed Site Development Plan
Exhibit 4 Propose Site Frontage Improvements
Exhibits 5 & 6 Proposed Building Elevation Drawings