10 September 8, 2010 Public Hearing APPLICANT: OLD DOMINION SOCCER CLUB

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1 10 September 8, 2010 Public Hearing APPLICANT: OLD DOMINION SOCCER CLUB PROPERTY OWNER: BROOK BAPTIST CHURCH REQUEST: Conditional Use Permit (outdoor recreational facility) STAFF PLANNER: Carolyn A.K. Smith ADDRESS / DESCRIPTION: 4397 Wishart Road GPIN: ELECTION DISTRICT: BAYSIDE SITE SIZE: 4.9 acres AICUZ: Less than 65 db DNL SUMMARY OF REQUEST The applicant requests a Conditional Use Permit to allow the Old Dominion Soccer Club to utilize the church s open space for lighted soccer fields. The soccer club began with three teams in the late 1990s. Now this travel soccer club has 34 teams with approximately 500 kids, ages 9 to 18. The Old Dominion Soccer Club markets itself as being the affordable alternative to travel soccer programs in Virginia Beach. According to the applicant, this club offers a low cost alternative to disadvantaged children, or simply those who cannot afford the higher fees of other travel clubs in the City. This field, on church property, is used to rotate teams in to receive coaching from the Director of Coaching. The soccer club s need for lights is typically during the weekday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the months of March through May and then again in the Fall, months August to November. The club uses other non-lit fields in the City, however, at this time there are no lighted, publicly owned, City fields available for the club s use. Based on complaints received concerning the lights and the noise from the generators, the Zoning Office issued the church a notice that a Conditional Use Permit is required for an outdoor recreational facility. Neither the church nor the club realized the need for such a permit and has now submitted this application for consideration. Page 1

2 EXISTING LAND USE: church with parking lot and open field SURROUNDING LAND USE AND ZONING: North: Wishart Road Wooded area, single family dwellings / R-40 Residential District South: Lake East: Single family dwellings / R-20 Residential District West: Single family dwelling, Lynnhaven House historic property / R- 20 Residential District NATURAL RESOURCE AND CULTURAL FEATURES: The site is located within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: This property is located with the Suburban Area with general planning principles that focus on preserving and protecting the overall character, economic value, and aesthetic quality of the stable neighborhoods. The purpose of these planning principles is to reinforce the suburban characteristics of commercial centers and other non-residential areas that make up part of the Suburban Area. This can be accomplished by having both new residential and non-residential development or uses maintain compatibility with the surroundings; propose high quality and attractive buildings and sites; employ environmentally responsible practices; and, establish adequate buffers between residential and nonresidential uses with consideration to the type, size and intensity of the proposed use and its relationship to the surrounding uses. IMPACT ON CITY SERVICES MASTER TRANSPORTATION PLAN (MTP) / CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP): The site is located on the south side of Wishart Road, a two-lane local street that runs east/west between Independence Boulevard and North Witchduck Road. Wishart Road is not shown on the MTP Map nor are any CIP projects planned for this roadway. TRAFFIC: Street Name Wishart Road Present Volume No Data Available Present Capacity Generated Traffic 6,200 ADT 1 (Level of Existing Land Use 2 86 Service C ) - 9,900 weekday ADT ADT 1 (Level of Service Proposed Land Use D ) ADT 1 Average Daily Trips 2 as defined by 9,400 square foot church 3 as defined by the addition of 2 soccer fields Page 2

3 EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATION The Old Dominion Soccer Club markets itself as being the affordable alternative to other, more expensive travel soccer programs in Virginia Beach. With over 34 teams, the club uses the field at the church to rotate teams in to receive specialized coaching from the Director of Coaching. The soccer club and the church were unaware of the need for a Conditional Use Permit for use of the property for organized soccer play. Several complaints were received and a Zoning Inspector informed the church for the need for the Conditional Use Permit. As a result, the soccer club resorted to renting fields at the National Field Hockey Training center at a significant cost. Staff has coordinated with the Department of Parks and Recreation to assist the club in finding lighted fields to suit their needs but, unfortunately, the City does not have any available lighted fields for the club to use at this time. The soccer club fears that they will have no choice but to increase fees in order to continue to offer evening practices under the lights during the Spring and Fall months. The portable lights used at the church field are 30 feet high when fully extended. In an effort to thwart the noise from the diesel generators, bales of straw were placed around the base of the lights, however, according to neighbors this did little to mitigate the noise. Several neighbors also claimed that when the lights were on, they were distractive and hazardous to passing motorists. Staff has not been able to substantiate this as the lights are now removed and practically unnecessary this time of year. Staff was hopeful that perhaps the lights could be relocated away from existing dwellings and even modified with light guards or shields to alleviate the spillover, however, due to the size of the field and the type of lighting this does not seem likely. Unfortunately, due to the growing popularity of soccer, the City simply cannot accommodate the needs of every club. In this case, the result is spillover into a neighborhood that has caused inconvenience and according to several neighbors, a reduced ability to enjoy their properties. Based on this evaluation, Staff recommends that the Conditional Use Permit for the outdoor recreational facility without the lights be approved with the following conditions. CONDITIONS 1. No lighting fixtures, portable or permanent, shall be utilized for outdoor recreational purposes for the soccer club or any other organized recreation league. 2. All parking for activities associated with the soccer club shall be accommodated on site. NOTE: Further conditions may be required during the administration of applicable City Ordinances and Standards. Any site plan submitted with this application may require revision during detailed site plan review to meet all applicable City Codes and Standards. All applicable permits required by the City Code, including those administered by the Department of Planning / Development Services Center and Department of Planning / Permits and Inspections Division, and the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, are required before any uses allowed by this Use Permit are valid. The applicant is encouraged to contact and work with the Crime Prevention Office within the Police Department for crime prevention techniques and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) concepts and strategies as they pertain to this site. Page 3

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5 FIELD LAYOUT Page 5

6 /09/02 Subdivision Variance Granted CUP (open space promotion) 2 12/12/00 CUP (museum, art gallery) Granted ZONING HISTORY Page 6

7 DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Page 7

8 DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Page 8