PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD REPORT
GOOD HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH
Building and Parking Addition
P&Z Comment:
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the major special use request.
Staff also recommends approval of the plan to add a new church sanctuary
building and to add additional parking to the site as proposed. Staff does not,
however, support allowing nine existing parking spaces located north of the
existing church building to remain in the 30’ streetscape
Staff Comment:
Much of the existing parking will be reconfigured to support
the new sanctuary building and new parking areas. Based on the amount of
existing parking being reconfigured to support the new sanctuary building and
new parking areas, staff can find no justification to support allowing existing
parking to encroach into the 30’ streetscape.
Review Summary:
General Zoning Requirements
Staff Contact: Planner
Bob Benfield, 469-4045
Email: bbenfiel@ci.cary.nc.us
Zoning & Land Use Plan Compliance
Description:
Excluding a proposal to reduce a portion of the 30’ streetscape to 10’ along Good Hope Church Road, the plan complies with all zoning requirements
The Good Hope Baptist Church was originally
approved and constructed while under the jurisdiction of Wake County. Wake
County subsequently granted Cary approval to expand its Extraterritorial Zoning
Jurisdiction boundary to include the area of Good Hope Baptist Church, and Cary
rezoned the area to PEC and R-30. Normally a church would need major special use
approval to develop in the PEC district, but Good Hope Baptist Church was
present on the property at the time Cary established zoning in the area.
Therefore, the church is considered a valid non-conforming use. Any expansion or
alteration to the church would require approval of a major special use by the
Town Council. Because the major special use is normally associated with the
development of a church in the PEC district, however, major special use approval
will not be required for any additional future modifications to the church site,
if this major special use is approved.
The staff has received and is processing an annexation petition for the 0.78
acre portion of the site that is currently outside Cary’s town limits. The
area not annexed is in a non-critical area of the site and, therefore, will
proceed on a different time line for annexation.
Landscape
Description:
Excluding the proposed reduction in the streetscape width as
mentioned above, the plan complies with all landscape requirements and will save
several large existing trees located on the site
Building Elevations
Description:
The existing church building and parsonage (which will be used
as church office space) are constructed of red-brown brick with off-white trim
and dark gray asphalt shingled roofs. Though the new sanctuary building addition
will be two-story in appearance, it will contain only one occupied floor. The
new sanctuary building will use similar materials and colors; but the roof
system will utilize a Hunter Green standing seam metal.
Staff Conclusion:
The new sanctuary building will be architecturally compatible
with existing structures on the church site and surrounding area.
Traffic
Staff Contact: Dick Moore Phone: 462-3937
Email: dmoore@ci.cary.nc.us
Description: A
Sanctuary/Education building of 18,340 sq.ft. will generate 167 weekday trips.
The morning peak hour will generate 13 peak hour trips and the afternoon peak
hour will generate 12 trips. This addition will increase the Sunday trips by 672
trips and the Sunday church peak hour by 174 trips.
Staff Conclusion:
No traffic impact study required.
Roadway Design
Staff Contact: Tammy Mitchell Phone: 462-3933
Email: lmitchel@ci.cary.nc.us
Description: Morrisville Carpenter Road: The
Town of Cary Thoroughfare Plan designates Morrisville Carpenter Road to be
realigned through this area. The functional alignment of Morrisville Carpenter
Road as approved by Town Council in April 1998 is shown on the plans. The church
proposes to dedicate right-of-way to allow for future construction of the road.
Due to the realignment, only a small triangular section of the new Morrisville
Carpenter Road will be within the church’s property lines, therefore, the
church does not propose to install any of the widening as part of this plan.
Morrisville Carpenter Road realignment/widening has been designated to take
place in FY 2007 according to the latest version of the Towns CIP summary.
Good Hope Church Road: Per standard
Town requirements, the church is proposing to widen Good Hope Church Road to
allow for three full lanes of traffic (one lane in each direction with a
continuous center turn lane) from their northern property line to their
southernmost access. Good Hope Church Road, from the southernmost access to the
existing Morrisville Carpenter Road intersection, will be removed with the
construction of realigned Morrisville Carpenter Road and the associated
intersection redesign.
Staff Conclusion: Staff feels
that the widening and right-of-way dedication as proposed with this site plan is
sufficient considering the road realignment and intersection reconfiguration
that is proposed to take place in approximately 6-7 years. Any additional
widening that the church would do along their current road frontages would be
removed as part of the Morrisville Carpenter realignment/widening project. In
addition, the small portion of realigned Morrisville Carpenter Road would be a
traffic hazard if installed at this point.
Utilities
Staff Contact: Tammy Mitchell
Phone: 462-3933
Email: lmitchel@ci.cary.nc.us
Description: Water: The church is proposing connection to an existing 8" public water line located within Good Hope Church Road right-of-way. Sanitary sewer: The church is proposing to install a private pump station to serve their property. The force main is proposed to discharge into an existing manhole at the intersection of Morrisville Carpenter Road and Saunders Grove Lane.
Storm Water
Staff Contact: Tom Horstman
Phone: 469-4347
Email: thorstma@ci.cary.nc.us
Description: The project
is located in the Jordan Lake watershed and meets the requirements of the
Reservoir Watershed Protection ordinance through the low-density option. The
project has riparian buffers associated with it but stays out of the buffers
with the proposed development.
Staff Conclusion: This
project meets all the Stormwater requirements of the Town of Cary.
Appearance Commission Recommendations
Ensure that the streetscape is planted in
a continuous fashion as required by Chapter 14 of the zoning code. (Upper
story-tree every 40’ and an ornamental every 20’.).
Staff Observations:
The streetscape planting scheme was adjusted to address this recommendation.
