January 19, 2001
SUBJECT:
Special Exception Application SPX2000-00294
Applicant:
Montgomery County Public Schools5701 Grosvenor Lane Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Property Location:
Lakewood Elementary School2534 Lindley Terrace Rockville, Maryland 20850
Planning Commission Review Date: January 24, 2001
Board of Appeals-Public Hearing Date: February 3, 2001
PREVIOUS RELATED ACTION:
Special Exception SPX97-0258, Kenwood Park Children's Center, Inc., a request to install a new modular building facility on the subject elementary school site, in order to continue operating the applicant's private day care center. The school site is zoned for R-E (Residential Estate) land usage. Approved by the Board of Appeals on October 4th 1997.
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 raze the exiting elementary school, construct a new school, relocate the private child care provider now located on site, and provide new vehicular site entrance onto Glen Mill Road. The subject school is located in the R-E (Residential Estate) Zone
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approval is recommended subject to the following conditions:
1. Proposed site improvements and building construction activity must be conducted in substantial accordance with the site development and building plans as submitted.
2. Amend site plan and clearly denote/identify location of staff and visitor, and school bus parking spaces. Note, in order to accommodate afforestation requirements, the applicant must work with the City Forester to identify and eliminate a number of surplus parking spaces so as to create open space that can accommodate on-site planting requirements of the City's Forest and Tree Preservation Ordinance.
3. The site plan's parking tabulation under the "site analysis" must be amended to reference parking requirement applicable to the private day care uses when located within residential zones, i.e., (ref. Section 25-395a. of the Zoning Ordinance).
4. Applicant will work with the City of Rockville's Department of Public Works' Traffic & Transportation staff, to determine if/when a pedestrian signal is warranted at the intersection of Wootton Parkway and Lindley Terrace. The signal assessment must be completed at the project's use permit stage and if found to be warranted, the applicant and the City will work together to formulate a "shared cost" agreement for the signal and its installation.
5. Additional trees and vegetative plantings are to be installed along the site's southeastern and southern property lines, to serve as a physical screen and buffer between the school site and the neighboring residential properties and the Lakewood County Club to the south. Applicant will work with the City Forester in determining what species of trees and plantings are to be installed along said lot line.
6. Applicant must acquire all permits and approvals from Montgomery County Department of Public Works & Transportation (MCDPWT) in order to access and make the proposed roadway improvements (as shown on site plan) onto Glen Mill Road. Also, at the project's use permit stage, the applicant must provide detailed engineering plans that demonstrate the proposed Glen Mill Road entrance as designed will not pose safety hazards to vehicular traffic entering and exiting the subject and neighboring Rockville Assembly of God site, i.e., ample site distance, vehicular storage capacity of the proposed left turn lane, illustration of site ingress-egress turning movements, etc.
7. If lights are proposed or contemplated for the new athletic fields, denote the location of the lights 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 project's use permit. Lights should be positioned to not create glare or excessive light spillage onto neighboring residential and institutional land uses.
8. At the project's use permit stage, the applicant will continue to work closely with the City's Department of Public Works staff to address stormwater management and sediment erosion control requirements for the planned site development.
ANALYSIS:
Property Description
The subject school site is located on the west side of Lindley Terrace, approximately 125 feet south of its intersection with Wootton Parkway. The existing elementary school was constructed in 1967, is one story in height, of masonry in construction, and approximately 43,504 square feet in size. The school has a current enrollment of 560 students and a staff of 59. Located at the rear southeast side of the existing school building are a series of seven modular classroom buildings, one of which is occupied by a private day care center provider.
Prior to its current site location, the child care center (the Kenwood Park Children's Center, Inc.) was located in the existing school, operating out of surplus classroom space it leased from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). In the spring of 1997, due to an increase in student enrollment, the school's principal informed the day care center's operator the surplus classroom space that the center was occupying, would no longer be available. With the concurrence of MCPS, the operator of the daycare center filed a special exception request to install/construct a modular building on the school site, in order to house and continue its day care center operations (ref. SPX97-0258). At its October 4th 1997 meeting, the Board of Appeals approved the referenced application request. The modular building in which the day care center is now located is approximately 2,450 square feet in size. There are 60 children enrolled at the day care center, which is staffed by five employees.
The subject school property approximately 13 acres in size, with vehicular access provided via Lindley Terrace. Pedestrian access to the site is provided via the pedestrian bridge which crosses Wootton Parkway to the north of the site and by way of grade level sidewalks located on Lindley Terrace and Wootton Parkway. The property has frontage on three public roadways/streets, Wootton Parkway to the north, Lindley Terrace to the southeast, and Glen Mill Road to the west (See Exhibit "3"). The property is bound to the north by a church, the Rockville Assembly of God, to the west, east, and southeast by single family detached dwellings, and south by the Lakewood Country Club.
Today, all site vehicular traffic enters and exits the site via Lindley Terrace. The school's existing on-site parking facilities are located primarily in the front (northern) area of the site, comprising a total of 80 parking spaces. School bus drop-off and pick-up occurs at the front of building, in the area of the main entrance to the school. The staging and queuing area for school bus arrivals and departures is via the on-site circular bus loop (See Exhibit "2"). The school is currently served by thirteen (13) school buses. All buses enter the school site from Wootton Parkway via Lindley Terrace. According to the applicant's project engineers, under existing conditions and depending on the time of year and weather conditions, between 50 to 75 students walk to school, and between 25 to 50 students arrive and depart school by private vehicle.
The school's outdoor play fields are located primarily in the western area of the site and established playground areas containing play equipment located within closer proximity to the area near the west side and rear areas to the existing school building. The site's topography is relatively flat with gentle, but pronounced sloping in the western and southern areas of the site. Site surface grades began to gradually fall from the west side of the site, along the site's Glen Mill Road street frontage, downward and level out where the play fields are located. Surface grades in and around the base of the school building and existing parking areas are relatively level. The site contains an array of mature trees, shrubs, and hedges, flowering and non-flowering plantings, all ranging in species and size.
Site Use & Project Proposal
The applicant (Montgomery County Public Schools - MCPS) plans to fully redevelop the school site, i.e., demolish the existing one-story, 43,504 square foot school and construct a new two-level 60,950 square foot school. Also under the subject request, MCPS also seeks special exception approval for the following site development related activities: a) site relocation and continued operation of the existing private child care center, b) designation of specific site area (as shown on site plan) to accommodate four (4) new modular classroom buildings, installed if/when needed at a future date, c) reconfigured staff and visitor site parking facilities, d) construction of new outdoor ball fields and play areas, and e) construction of a new site entrance on Glen Mill Road, designed for use primarily (during normal school hours) by school buses and site delivery vehicles.
Although, the proposed Glen Mill Road site entrance and accompanying new bus loop are designed to serve school buses and service delivery vehicles during normal school hours, it is anticipated this new entry way and bus loop will also be used for overflow parking during after-hour activities. As proposed, the new school's administration suite will be located in the front area of the building to allow visual control of the main entrance and the new school bus drop-off and pick-up area. The school has a current enrollment of 560 students with a staff of 59 employees (teachers, administrative and support personnel, etc.). The schools enrollment is projected to increase to 794 students, with a staff of 67 employees.
The school's new parking facilities have been designed to create a total of 83 surface parking spaces, which cannot be accessed via the site's proposed Glen Mill Road entrance. The new proposed school bus loop which is to be accessed via Glen Mill Road, has been designed to maintain physical separation between the bus lop and new staff/visitor site parking lot drive aisle. Such physical separation of the site's new staff/visitor parking lot and the new bus loop, insure that school bus and service delivery vehicles do not interfere with or pose a safety concern to the on-site traffic flow movement of staff/visitor passenger vehicles.
As previously noted, the school is currently served by 13 school buses. Dependent on the level of future residential development west of Glen Mill Road, the applicant projects that the number of school buses and their current routes will remain unchanged. During the proposed new school reconstruction, students will be transferred to the North Lake Center (on Bauer Drive) during the 2001 and 2002 school years. The newly expanded and modernize school is expected to reopen by September 2002.
A new gymnasium wing of approximately 6,709 square feet has been included in the proposed new school's design, as well as a future four (4) classroom addition, which would accommodate an additional 100 student and four (4) additional staff/teachers. The new building facility will be handicapped-accessible for three (3) entries on grade. An elevator will provide internal accessibility to all areas of the building. All classrooms will have computer outlets on the walls to allow multiple group teaching areas within a classroom. Individual classrooms will be designed to provide flexible teaching space, i.e., small group sessions or lecture sessions.
However, in order to modernize the school property as proposed the applicant requests that the special exception be granted, as submitted.
Applicable Sections of the Zoning Ordinance & Staff Assessment
In accordance with Section 25-296 of the Ordinance "publicly owned and operated buildings" (public schools) are permitted in the R-E 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 school was constructed in 1967 and has be operational at the subject location for 34 years. The applicant's request to demolish the existing school and rebuild a new school would not be adverse to the zoning ordinance or the Plan. The Plan's 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, the site development proposal as submitted complies with applicable development standards of the Ordinance, i.e., building setbacks from lot lines, building lot coverage, building height restrictions, etc.
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 in the southwest area of the City, surrounded by institutional, residential, and private recreational land uses (e.g., Lakewood County Club). The site is currently served by public water and sewer services provided by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC). The site's 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 applicant's consultants are currently working with the City's Department of Public Works to determine what stormwater management techniques will be utilized to accommodate stormwater runoff generated by the planned site redevelopment. At this initial stage in the proposed land development and review process there is no evidence the planned site redevelopment will overburden existing public utility services within the site area.
As noted the site has frontage on three public roadways/streets, i.e., Wootton Parkway, Lindley Terrace, and Glen Mill Road. The proposed redesign of the site's school bus drop-off and pick-up area and staff/visitor parking areas accomplish the following: a) separates school bus and service delivery vehicles from staff/visitor vehicular traffic, b) Reduces and limits the amount of site generated vehicular traffic on Lindley Terrace by assigning buses and services delivery vehicles to enter/exit site via the proposed Glen Mill Road site entrance, with staff and visitors restricted to use of the site's Lindley Terrace site entrance.
Once completed, the new school will operate much as it has over the past several years, i.e., hours of operation, academic offerings to its students, parent-teacher conferences, student extra curricular activities, etc. The school day begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:05 p.m. Students are not allowed to arrive at school prior to 8:35 a.m. Teachers and staff arrive prior to student arrivals and are free to leave after student departures. As per the information provided, teacher and staff arrivals and departure times vary depending on assigned responsibilities and based on "before and after" school commitments.
Although the new two-story school will be approximately 18,000 square feet larger than the existing one-story school (43,504 sq.ft. vs. 60,950 sq.ft.), the character of the neighborhood is unlikely to change. As a condition of approval, staff has recommended that additional trees and plantings be installed along the site's southern and southeastern side yard lot lines, to serve as natural buffers between the new school use and the neighboring homes and the country club. The requested supplemental plantings are intended to limit any adverse visual and physical impacts that the newly redeveloped school site might have on the abutting properties to the south and southeast.
While the applicant has identified site frontage and roadway improvements it plans to construct in conjunction with the installation of the site's Glen Mill Road street entrance, more detailed designs of those improvements will be reviewed during the project's use permit review stage. Since, the site frontage segment of Glen Mill Road is located in the County, the applicant is required to obtain formal approval from Montgomery County's Department of Public Works & Transportation (MCDPWT) in order to access Glen Mill Road. The applicant is currently working with both City and County staff in the design of the planned roadway improvements.
As previously noted, the subject school has existed at the current site location for 34 years and staff found no evidence the proposed new school, as designed, would be detrimental to abutting land uses or the neighborhood in which it is located. MCPS's proposal to demolish the existing school and construct a new larger modernized 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 applicant affirms that the new school is being constructed to accommodate the projected growth in the elementary school student population living within the Wootton High School Cluster area. The new larger and modern school reduces the need to build new elementary schools within the subject site area and also insures that those students living in the "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-E zone only by grant of special exception. The applicant's submission of the subject special exception request and development proposal reflects the applicant's attempts to comply with this fundamental requirement of the Ordinance. Based on the development proposal submitted with application, 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 noted factors, staff finds adequate justification to recommend Special Exception SPX2000-00294 be approved subject to the conditions referenced on pages one and two of this staff report.
COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION PROCESS
Notification cards were sent to 406 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 project's application file for public review and inspection.
List of attachments:
Attachment "A" - Transportation Statement
Exhibit "1" - Map of Student Walking Area
Exhibit "2" - Existing Site Layout
Exhibit "3" - Proposed Site Development Plan
Exhibit "4" - Proposed Landscape Plan
Exhibits "5" - Proposed Building Elevation Drawings
Exhibit "6" - Proposed Building Floor Plans