AGENDA DATE: 9/2/2020
TITLE:
Title
Reservoir Road and Wesley Chapel Road Rural Rustic Road Designations
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Resolutions recommending that Route 702, Reservoir Road, and a .10-mile segment of Route 671, Wesley Chapel Road, be designated as Rural Rustic Roads
ITEM TYPE: Consent Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Richardson, Walker, Kamptner, Herrick, Filardo, Rapp, McDermott, Butch
PRESENTER (S): N/A
LEGAL REVIEW: Yes
REVIEWED BY: Jeffrey B. Richardson
BACKGROUND: A .97-mile segment of Route 702, Reservoir Road (from the end of state maintenance to .97 mile east of the end of state maintenance), and a .10-mile segment of Route 671, Wesley Chapel Road (from Route 668, Chapel Spring Road to Route 668, Fox Mountain Road), are fully funded for paving as Rural Rustic Roads in FY 2021. Before paving these roads under the Rural Rustic Road program, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) requires that the governing body adopt a resolution designating the roads as Rural Rustic Roads.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Infrastructure Investment: Prioritize, plan, and invest in critical infrastructure that responds to past and future changes and improves the capacity to serve community needs.
DISCUSSION: Each spring, the Board approves the Secondary Six-Year Plan (SSYP), which includes funds dedicated to paving unpaved roads in the County under the Rural Rustic Road (RRR) Program. The RRR Program is VDOT’s preferred approach to paving low-volume roads. The goal of the program is to keep traditional rural lane ambience, while improving the road surface within the current right-of-way. In FY 2021, Albemarle County received approximately $770,000 in funds toward paving unpaved state-maintained roads, including the funds to pave Route 702, Reservoir Road, and Route 671, Wesley Chapel Road.
The process for identifying and prioritizing RRR paving projects in Albemarle County begins with an evaluation of submitted paving requests to identify eligibility and need. The Board then approves the prioritized list of projects and the SSYP that reflects those priorities. Prior to a road being designated as an RRR and being paved, adjacent landowners are notified and given an opportunity to comment. Following that comment period, the Board is presented with a proposed Resolution to designate the road as RRR.
With these two roads, property owner notifications were sent out requesting any comments for Reservoir Road or Wesley Chapel Road’s .10-mile segment. Three people responded in support of paving Reservoir Road, but shared concerns about potential speeding and an increase in traffic, with specific concerns about the steep turns and animal crossings with higher speeds.
The .10-mile segment of Wesley Chapel Road is in an area of the County designated by the Comprehensive Plan as Rural Area and zoned accordingly. The Rural Area designation discourages new homebuilding and subdividing, and supports low intensity uses such as agriculture, forestry, and protection and preservation of natural resources. There is no pending development and it is unlikely that any future development would be of an intensity that would increase traffic on this segment of road. The Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) in 2018 for this segment of road was 270 vehicles per day and is unlikely to increase significantly in the future, due to the Rural Area designation.
Reservoir Road is in an area of the County zoned both as Rural Areas (through the Heyward Community Forest) and R1 Residential (elsewhere), and also provides access to Ragged Mountain Reservoir. Reservoir Road is designated by the County within the Comprehensive Plan under the Southern & Western Urban Neighborhoods as Neighborhood Density Residential and Parks and Green System. The most recent Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) in 2015 for this segment of road was 255 vehicles per day.
BUDGET IMPACT: Adoption of these Resolutions will have no impact on the County budget. These resolutions authorize VDOT to expend state funds on a project for which the Board has previously recommended state funds be allocated through the SSYP.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board adopt the attached Resolutions to designate both Route 702, Reservoir Road (Attachment A) and a .10-mile segment of Route 671, Wesley Chapel Road (Attachment B) as Rural Rustic Roads.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A- Reservoir Road Resolution
Attachment B- Wesley Chapel Road Resolution