Greenbrier Town Meeting held December 2, 2014

Following are responses to issues, grouped under headings, raised at the Greenbrier Town Meeting.

Median at Greentree and Kempsville Roads

Concern was expressed regarding recent roadway improvements on Green Tree Road constructed in conjunction with Green Tree Market Place. The concern is that the median on Green Tree Road prohibits left turns at this entrance creating an unsafe condition, and a request was made that the median be removed or U-turns be limited.

When the 7-Eleven was first proposed, Green Tree Road was two lanes and carried approximately 6,000 vehicles per day. During the review of the 7-Eleven use permit, the City identified future traffic considerations along Green Tree Road. The following stipulation was included as part of the use permit:

“9. .... The owner/applicant acknowledges that sometime in the future, the City may make improvements to Green Tree Road to accommodate increased traffic and that such improvements may have the effect of rendering the entrance right-in/right-out only.”

In 2004 when 7-Eleven was developed, Green Tree Road was a two lane road. As development occurred along Green Tree Road, road improvements have been made. A double left turn lane was constructed at the Kempsville Road intersection with the development of multi-family property. The median was added to Green Tree Road with the construction of the new Green Tree Market Place. It now has as many as five lanes in the vicinity of the 7-Eleven entrance. Traffic volumes have also increased considerably, resulting in traffic backing up from the Kempsville Road signal beyond the 7-Eleven entrance. With the completion of Green Tree Market Place, traffic on Green Tree Road is projected to increase to 12,000 vehicles per day. The roadway design standard for crossover/entrance spacing for this type of road is 650 ft. The 7-Eleven entrance is approximately 260 ft from Kempsville Road. These traffic conditions make it unsafe to have left turn maneuvers so close to the Kempsville Road intersection.

As with typical corner sites at major intersections, access is more convenient to different approach directions for each site. While you can no longer make a left turn into the Green Tree Road entrance, you can make a legal U-turn at Kempsville Road and enter through the Kempsville Road entrance. Anytime you change a traffic pattern, there is an adjustment phase for existing drivers.

The Department of Development and Permits has contacted the design engineers for the 7-Eleven and the Wawa. We requested their professional assessment of the new Green Tree Road median. Both engineers agreed with the City's analysis, that permitting left turn maneuvers at the Green Tree Road entrances would create an unsafe condition. The City has also received a letter from the 7-Eleven corporate office that confirms they still support their initial concurrence to prohibiting left turns at the Green Tree Road entrance.

Potbellied Pigs as Pets within Residential Districts

The Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance permits Vietnamese potbellied pigs as pets, with restrictions (Chesapeake Zoning Ordinance Section 14-903). Among other things, the restrictions include limitations on the number of pigs kept in a residence, where the pig can be kept, the species of pig allowed, and other limitations aimed at mitigating any impact to the residential community.

Leash Law

The City of Chesapeake has a leash law, which can be found under Chapter 10, Animals, of the City Code, Section 10-42. It states in part:

It shall be unlawful for any dog, cat, or other domestic, companion animal, livestock, fowl, exotic, or wild animal held under captivity, to run at large in the City. For the purpose of this section, a dog, cat, or other domestic animal, or any such companion animal, livestock, fowl, exotic, or wild animal held under captivity, shall be deemed to be running at large while roaming, running or self-hunting off the property of its owner or custodian and not under its owner's or custodian's immediate physical control. Physical control shall mean confinement of the animal by a fence, chain or leash.

25 MPH speed limit on Fairway Drive

Officers from the Fifth Precinct and the Traffic Enforcement Unit were assigned to monitor speeding violations on Fairway Drive utilizing stationary and moving radar for a five-day period. The results were very minimal, which suggests that the speeding on this roadway is very sporadic. The Traffic Enforcement Unit will monitor the area to collect accurate data to determine the dates and times when speeding is occurring the most. Once the data has been collected, officers will concentrate their efforts on those dates and times for better utilization of resources and enforcement.

Sidewalks Needed

City Park to Volvo Parkway Multi-Use Path – A citizen indicated that he would like to see a multi-use path constructed along the Norfolk-Southern Railroad from City Park to Volvo Parkway. This suggested project is incorporated in the 2050 Trails Plan – a component of the 2035 Comprehensive Plan. The designation of the suggested bike path/walking trail on the Trails Plan allows for the project to be considered when development occurs along the alignment or if grants/local funds become available to construct the facility. It should be noted that most of the area does not belong to the City but is owned by Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad. The City does own a portion at the southern node of the trail at City Park.

Crosswalk/sidewalks at Byron Street and Volvo Parkway – Public Works recently installed marked crosswalks for all four approaches at the Volvo Parkway and Byron Street intersection. Pedestrian crossing warning signs were also posted in advance of the intersection to alert motorists. Adding new sidewalks along Byron Street from the Volvo Parkway intersection to the Oak Grave Lake Park entrance is shown in the current Capital Improvement Budget as an unfunded project.

Sidewalk/ Multi-Use Path at railroad tracks along Volvo Parkway – The request was for Public Works to extend the existing multi-use path along Volvo Parkway from Mayor Ward Road to the existing sidewalk just west of the Norfolk-Southern railroad tracks. Connecting the multi-use path to the existing sidewalk is anticipated to generate high pedestrian use and is planned for in the current Capital Improvement Budget as an unfunded project. Due to the safety considerations with a pedestrian crossing at the railroad tracks, this project will require a gate system that will prevent pedestrian/bikes from use during train crossings. A mutual agreement with Norfolk-Southern Railroad will also be required to install a sidewalk and gate system at the tracks.

Lane Striping at Volvo Parkway and Independence Parkway

Public Works will follow up on this request in January.

Flooding at Mapleshore Drive and Fernwood Farms Road

The Assistant City Engineer reports that the existing area experiences occasional tidal flooding. As the tide rises, water from the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River rises over Mapleshore Drive and continues to back into the existing stormwater system. Our staff engineer has determined that this minor flooding does not adversely affect the community's ability to exit the subdivision as there are several points of ingress/egress.

Lighting – Oak Grove Lake Park

All Chesapeake City parks are open from sunrise to sunset, and the Parks and Recreation Department has been advised by the Police Department that lights in closed parks appear to attract additional undesirable activity at night. Current practice is that only parks that have evening activities have lights in the parking areas. In addition, those lights are only utilized during scheduled evening activities. Construction of an expansion of the parking lot at Oak Grove Lake Park will begin within the next 6 to 8 months. This project will add approximately 30 additional parking spaces to the current capacity of 29 spaces. This parking lot expansion will also allow for increased visibility in and around the parking lot.

Road Widening Project on Butts Station Road

Public Works does not have any immediate plans to widen and/or add any additional lanes as shown on the City's Master Transportation Plan. There are, however, several roadway improvements planned for Butts Station Road that will be constructed with the new residential subdivisions approved along this road. These improvements include the construction of new turn-lanes along Butts Station Road at entrances to the new subdivisions and a new traffic signal at Butts Station Road and Elbow Road.

Traffic Light at Butts Station Road and Clearfield Avenue

Traffic Engineering reports that staff will perform a signal needs study for the above referenced intersection. Traffic counting devices will be placed on Butts Station Road and Clearfield Avenue in January to collect the necessary data to support the study. A complete report will be provided by January 31, 2015.

School Lunch Policy

School Food Service officials have made direct contact with the concerned citizen and are working with her regarding the issue.

Loudoun County Proffer Policy

Interest was expressed in a comparison of the Loudoun County and Chesapeake proffer policies. The Loudoun policy is structured geographically, into three segments of the county: East, Central, and West. There are different cash proffer amounts for each of those areas, based on density. The eastern portion of the County is more densely populated and has more development activity being located closer to the Washington D.C. suburbs. The amount of the recommended proffers for a single family detached home in the eastern portion of the County is approximately $59,000 and $45,923 in the western portion of the County compared to single family detached homes in the City of Chesapeake's recommended cash proffer of $4,000.

Misplaced Signage in Riverwalk Area

Traffic Engineering continues to attempt to contact the citizen for detailed information regarding the locations of the misplaced signs.