ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA County Board Agenda Item Meeting of February 25, 2017 DATE: February 7, 2017 SUBJECT: U-3479-16-1 USE PERMIT for a four week religious summer camp for up to 60 children; located at 3020 N. Pershing Drive () (RPC# 18-049-008). Applicant:, P.C.A. By: Dennis Stocker, Secretary and Officer of the Corporation 3020 North Pershing Drive Arlington, Virginia 22201 C.M. RECOMMENDATION: Approve the use permit for a summer camp subject to the proposed conditions of the staff report and with a County Board review in one (1) year (February 2018). ISSUES: This is a new use permit request to provide a four (4) week summer day camp for up to 60 children located at, and no issues have been identified. SUMMARY: The applicant has submitted a new use permit request for a four (4) week religious summer camp at, located at 3020 N. Pershing Drive. The summer camp would have up to a maximum of 60 children and operate from 7:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, when Arlington Public Schools is not in session. Since Christ Church of Arlington does not have an existing parking lot, the applicant is proposing to locate the required six (6) staff parking spaces off-site at nearby Lyon Park Fellowship (716 N. Barton St.), which will serve to satisfy the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO) requirement of one (1) parking space per staff member. This location meets the criteria set forth in Section 14.3.7.C.2. On-street parking will serve parents for pick-up and drop-off activities. The County s child care office and Lyon Park Civic Association are supportive of this use permit request, and County Manager: ##### County Attorney: ***** Staff: Mary (Molly) O Connell, DCPHD, Planning Division 14.
it is not anticipated to cause any undue adverse impacts to the public health, safety, or welfare. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the use permit subject to the conditions of the staff report, and with a County Board review in one (1) year (February 2018). BACKGROUND: The subject site is the, P.C.A., located at 3020 N. Pershing Drive. The church has been in operation for over two decades and serves the community through annual events like the Arlington Turkey Trot. The following provides additional information about the site and location: Site: The 24,426 square foot site is located at the intersection of N. Highland Street and Pershing Drive. Immediate site boundaries include: To the north: Single-family detached homes and Pershing Drive. To the south: Single-family detached homes and 4 th Street N. To the east: Single-family detached homes and N. Garfield Street. To the west: Single family detached homes and N. Highland Street. Zoning: The site is zoned R-6 One Family Dwelling District in the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance (ACZO). Land Use: The subject site is designated in the General Land Use Plan (GLUP) as Low Residential (1-10 units per acre). Neighborhood: The site is located within the boundaries of the Lyon Park Civic Association. The applicant contacted the civic association in November 2016 and conducted outreach to immediate neighbors. The applicant provided a letter of support from the civic association in their application. Staff contacted the civic association in January 2017 to confirm their support. U-3479-16-1-2 -
Figure 1: Aerial Site View 3020 N. Pershing Dr. NORTH Source: Google Maps DISCUSSION: The applicant is proposing to operate a four (4) week summer camp program for up to 60 school-age children. The maximum number of staff associated with the programs is 6 at any one time. Normally, the program would be exempt from the use permit process under Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) Religiously Exempt Child Day Center requirements, however the church seeks the option to offer the program to five (5) year olds in kindergarten, which requires a use permit and subsequent Certificate of Occupancy. The site has an approximately 3,405 square foot outdoor space on the east side, which will be used for most outdoor activities. The church will stagger play times to ensure the space criteria of 75 square feet per child is met and will use temporary fencing or other barriers or control methods to ensure they meet Arlington County Code 52-22 requirements for outdoor facilities. The church does not have a parking lot to accommodate any staff parking, and therefore is using off-site parking to meet the current standards for parking, which is one (1) space per staff person. The ACZO allows for the modification of the location of parking for child care centers provided that the criteria laid out in Section 14.3.7.C.2. are met. U-3479-16-1-3-
Section 14.3.7.C.2 allows the location of the required parking to be modified provided that: the off-site parking spaces at a site located near the day care use, owned or controlled by another party, are committed through written agreement with that party in terms acceptable to the County, and where the County Board finds that the off-site parking will not result in parking being unavailable for the primary use of the site on which the parking is provided, and that the off-site parking will be conveniently usable without causing unreasonable: (a) Hazard to pedestrians; (b) Hazard to vehicular traffic; (c) Traffic congestion; (d) Interference with safe and convenient access to other parking areas in the vicinity; (e) Detriment to the appropriate use of business property in the vicinity; or (f) Detriment to any residential neighborhood. Figure 2: Proposed off-site parking location NORTH 716 N. Barton St Offsite Staff Parking Source: Google Maps U-3479-16-1-4 -
Figure 3: Distance between Off-site Parking and Church Source: Google Maps The applicant has permission from nearby Lyon Park Fellowship (716 N. Barton St.) to use their parking lot during camp hours for staff parking. The location is within a reasonable walking distance from the church and is also located along ART Bus Route 4B. A total of 12 parking spaces would be available, satisfying the requirement of one (1) parking space per staff member. The Department of Environmental Services (DES) approves of the off-site parking, as described. On-street parking will serve parents for pick-up and drop-off activities. The applicant plans to use three parking spaces along the east side of North Highland Street currently reserved on Sundays for handicap parking for church services for pick-up and drop-off. The spaces will be reserved during camp hours, Monday through Friday, for the duration of the camp. The applicant and DES discussed a circulation plan to mitigate the effects of potential queuing and to ensure that pick-up and drop-off runs smoothly. DES is supportive of the applicant s plan, which will be submitted in their Certificate of Occupancy application (Condition #4). The applicant had previously contacted the Lyon Park Civic Association to discuss their pick-up and drop-off activities, and the civic association has no issues with the proposed plan. It should be noted that as of July 1, 2017, the parcel that the church is located on will become a Resource Protection Area (RPA) as a result of the latest Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area map update. This will effectively prevent the church from installing a future paved parking lot and will necessitate that alternative parking solutions, like the ones discussed above, be utilized for current and ongoing church programming. The church was notified in June 2016 of this impending change. The church has used on-street parking for Sunday services and other functions since its inception. U-3479-16-1-5 -
Staff notes that the number of children approved with the use permit is a maximum, and that the final number of children permitted in the use is subject to final approval by the County s Inspection Services Division during the review of the Certificate of Occupancy. The proposed use is in compliance with the applicable policies of the General Land Use Plan and the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance. Additionally, the Child Care Office is supportive of this application. As conditioned, it is not anticipated to cause an undue adverse impact to the public health, safety, or welfare. CONCLUSION: The proposed program will provide a valuable service to the community and is in compliance with the applicable policies of the General Land Use Plan and the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance, and the use is not anticipated to cause any undue adverse impacts to the public health, safety, or welfare. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the use permit subject to the following conditions, and with a County Board review in one (1) year (February 2018). Conditions (): 1. The applicant agrees to comply with all applicable requirements set forth in all applicable ordinances, codes, and regulations, including but not limited to the currently adopted editions of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, Parts I, II, and III, and its related regulations; the Virginia Fire Prevention Code; the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance; the Arlington County Health Regulations; and the Arlington County Child Care Center Regulations. Furthermore, the applicant agrees to actively and promptly pursue obtainment of all required associated building and operational permits and occupancy certificates from the various administrative and regulating agencies. 2. The applicant agrees that the summer day camp is limited to a maximum enrollment of 60 children, and operates from 7:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Monday through Friday when Arlington Public Schools is not in session, and is not to exceed a period of four (4) weeks. The applicant further agrees that the maximum total occupant load, inclusive of children and adults, shall be as determined and designated by the Inspection Services Division in accordance with the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, which may also be fewer than the maximum noted above. 3. The applicant agrees to designate a neighborhood liaison to communicate with nearby residents and neighbors to address concerns that may be related to this summer camp. The name, telephone number, and electronic mail address (if available) of the liaison shall be submitted by the applicant to the Zoning Administrator and the Lyon Park Civic Association prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy. 4. The applicant agrees to submit a parking plan and obtain the review and approval of such plan by the Zoning Administrator. The applicant agrees that the plan shall be approved only if it shows the location of a minimum of six (6) off-site staff parking spaces and a circulation plan with procedures for pick-up and drop-off activities. The 6 parking spaces shall comply with all requirements set forth in all applicable ordinances and regulations, including, by way of illustration and not limitation, those administered by Section 14 of the Arlington County Zoning Ordinance. The Zoning Administrator s approval of the parking plan shall be obtained prior to the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy. The U-3479-16-1-6 -
applicant further agrees that any change in the location of the off-site parking spaces or the location of pick-up and drop-off activities will be submitted to the Zoning Administrator for review and approval. 5. The applicant agrees to implement a circulation plan with procedures for pick-up and drop-off activities and will notify parents and camp instructors of this plan. U-3479-16-1-7 -
PREVIOUS COUNTY BOARD ACTIONS: There are no previous County Board actions on this site. U-3479-16-1-8 -
505 3117 500 501 3011 500 501 5TH ST N 3114 3108 3100 3016 3012 3008 3007 3117 3109 3103 420 3017 R-6 N PERSHING DR 3010 3006 3000 414 412 N GARFIELD ST 3003 3113 3020 3007 3102 N HIGHLAND ST 3013 3108 3017 3114 414 411 3025 3021 4TH ST N 3010 322 3124 3120 3101 405 3016 314 3024 304 ST 3125 3121 3111 3107 315 3007 300 NGARFIELD U-3479-16-1 3020 N Pershing Dr RPC # 18-049-008 Scale: ICase Location(s) 1:1,200 Note: These maps are for property location assistance only. They may not represent the latest survey and other information. Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development County Use Only Date Placard Posted By Removed