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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCape Fear Academy NHC TRC Comments #1Project Name: Submittal Type: Comments Received: Jurisdiction: Jurisdiction Project #: WR Project #: DEPARTMENT COMMENT # COMMENT SHEET # RESPONSE Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 1 a. This site is zoned R-15, Residential. b. As stated in the application the intended use is Cape Fear Academy School Expansion. The primary use of the site is The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) defines the use as i. Elementary & Secondary School: An educational institution that offers a program of high school, technical high school, middle school (or junior high school), and/or elementary school (including kindergarten, pre-k, pre-k-8, or nursery school) instruction meeting State requirements for a school. Such uses include classrooms laboratories, auditoriums, libraries, cafeterias, after school care, athletic facilities, dormitories, and other facilities that further educational mission of the institution. c. The Planning and Land Use Department’s review of the site is for compliance with the UDO and use specific requirements of the specified land use. Any other activity that might occur on the property beyond the definition above should be noted on the application and site plan for additional review and comment. The use for this project is an education institution and that is to remain for this project and its foreseebale future. Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 2 UDO Section 5.1, Parking and Loading a. Parking Requirements for Elementary and Secondary Schools are based on student capacity. Those calculations are broken down as follows: i. Elementary and Middle School: 1 parking space per 6 students design capacity ii. High School: 1 parking space per 4 students design capacity b. Can you please confirm the below items?: i. Current student capacity: ii. Number of parking spaces currently on the campus: iii. Is the expansion designed to accommodate more students? If so, please confirm how many and we’ll run those numbers against how much parking is already on the campus to make sure there is enough. This information can be found on the Cover Sheet within the Site Data Table. a. 1. Parking capacity is based on the code referenced and per our calculations results in the school needing a minimum of 153 parking spaces. b. 1. Current student capacity is 786 2. 332 parking spaces are currently on campus. 330 spaces are proposed as we are removing 2 parking spaces from the campus. 3. Yes, this expansion is designed to accomindate 68 additional students. We believe the existing parking is sufficient to support the additional students per the calculations shown on the Site Data Table per the UDO. Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 3 UDO Section 5.2, Traffic, Access and Connectivity a. Please note that no building permit for any structure shall be issued which requires NCDOT approval for a Driveway Permit until NCDOT has issued the permit approval. Evidence of approval shall accompany the application for building permit. b. Include the WMPO’s estimated AM and PM traffic generation. If either AM or PM peak hour exceeds 100 trips, state a TIA is required. a. Noted, thank you. We will be in pursuit for NCDOT permits this Spring. b. A TIA for the entire campus including future expansions are in process. Per the traffic engineer, the expansions proposed in this phase do not exceed 100 trips for AM or PM peak hours. We are including this list of responses to comments received on 3/26/2026 and 4/1/2026. Each of the comments are repeated below, followed by our response. Attached to this response, please find the following: - Delineation Exhibit - Updated Plan Set COMMENTS AND COMMENT RESPONSES Cape Fear Academy NHC TRC 3/25/2026 New Hanover County SITECN-26-000014 25-0686-A Page 1 of 6 Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 4 UDO Section 5.3, Tree Retention a. As we discussed, there will be some trees removed for this project. Please apply for a Tree Removal Permit prior to any site development. You can follow this link here for the application: https://www.nhcgov.com/DocumentCenter/View/1239/TreeRemoval-Permit-PDF b. Note: Land disturbance permits can be issued by county Engineering before a Tree Removal Permit is approved by Planning. However, any trees removed before the Tree Removal Permit is issued may result in enforcement action under Section 5.3.2 of the Unified Development Ordinance to include prohibiting any development of the site for 3 to 5 years. a. Thank you, we have applied via the Coast Portal for the Tree Removal Permit. b. Noted, thank you. We are pursuing the Erosion Control Permit via the Coast Portal . Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 5 UDO Section 5.4, Landscaping and Buffering a. UDO Section 5.4.2.B requires 15 trees planted or retained per acre disturbed. Please confirm the total acreage being disturbed so we can calculate this number. b. Current parking lot landscaping looks good, if there are additional required parking spaces then those will need to be landscaped in accordance with UDO Section 5.4.5. c. Civic uses like schools require Transitional Landscape buffers where they abut singlefamily residential. There is already one around most of the perimeter of this campus. i. Do you know the width of the landscape buffer along the northern edge of the site? It appears to be 20 feet, just need that confirmation. L-100, L101 and L-303 a. Plans are updated to reflect acreage (8.0 ac.) and trees retained. See sheets L- 100, L101 and L-303 b. No additional parking should be required for this project. c. To confirm, yes the northern edge buffer is atleast 20 feet and dimensions have been added to the Landscape Plans. We agree there are already existing buffers around the campus Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 6 UDO Section 5.4, Landscaping and Buffering d. I’m interpreting the foundation plantings provided as in significant excess of what’s required. Is that correct?L-300 - L-305 d. Correct. Required plantings are identified on the revised plans. Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 7 UDO Section 5.4, Landscaping and Buffering e. Street yard is required for this use in this zoning district. This number is calculated at 12 square feet per linear feet of street frontage, minus driveways. This is different than the entry way plantings that are shown on the site plan. i. On GIS, I estimated 710 linear feet of street frontage. This comes out to 8,520 sq ft of street yard landscaping. ii. UDO Section 5.4.6.B states that for every 600 square feet of street yard on average, the following landscaping shall be provided: 1. One canopy/shade tree or if overhead power lines are located above the street yard, three understory trees; and 2. Six shrubs, 12 inches in height at time of planting. iii. It does appear there is already some street yard on this site, however I don’t see it represented on the site plan. Can you please confirm the number of trees and shrubs along the street frontage so we can make sure this requirement is being met? f. All planting materials must comply with the approved planting materials listed in the New Hanover County Tree & Landscaping Manual. The species and size must be listed in the final landscape plan indicating compliance with the manual. Or evidence the proposed plant species are acceptable from the county Agricultural Extension office. L-300 - L-305 e. i. 465 LF of street frontage exists. ii. Thank you for the code references. The landscape sheets have been updated accordingly to meet street yard standards. iii. This is correct, but existing plant material will be removed to install the stormwater pond. Revised plans show required street yard plantings. f. Plant material complies with approved materials or is appropriate for the area and does not include an invasive plant material. Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 8 UDO Section 5.5, Lighting a. Reviewing the lighting plan, it does appear that the lighting at the new northern entrance to the site may cause an issue. b. Per UDO Section Table 5.5.4.B, the maximum illumination level at lot line (foot candles) where the abutting lot line is a single-family detached, is 0.5. i. It looks like there are some foot candles in excess of that limit near that entrance. SL1.00 Light pole has been adjusted to reduce the offsite illumination to the below the maximum illumination level Page 2 of 6 Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 9 UDO Section 5.6, Signs a. Are there any new signs proposed for the site? b. For any signs on the site, a separate sign permit must be submitted and reviewed by the county for compliance with Section 5.6 of the UDO for standards at or after the submittal of the separate zoning compliance and construction permits for the primary building or use. Any approvals granted by the TRC for the site design is not an approval for the ultimate size or placement of the sign. With the exception of roadway signage, there are no new signs proposed for the project site to our knowledge. Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 10 UDO Section 5.7, Conservation Resources a. Per the New Hanover County Conservation Resource map, there are no Conservation Resources on this part of the property. b. There does appear to be an area of Freshwater Marsh near the tennis courts. c. This is outside the development envelope and doesn’t need to be addressed right now but if there are plans to renovate the area around the tennis courts as part of the school’s expansion, a delineation by a surveyor or an engineer will be necessary. A wetland delineation has been performed and we found potential wetlands behind the tennis courts. The potential wetland found is much smaller than that shown on the map. This area is reflected on the plan sheets. See attached wetland delineation exhibit. We are pursuing a jurisdictional determination in which we anticipate these wetlands being deemed non-jurisdictional. As noted, this project does not impact any of this area. Zach Dickerson Senior Planner NHC 11 UDO Article 9, Flood Damage Prevention a. No part of the campus is in the floodplain.Noted and we agree, thank you! David Stone 910-798-7458 NHC Fire Services 12 1. No comments Noted, thank you! Galen Jamison 910-798-7072 NHC Engineering 13 A County stormwater and land disturbing permit issued by the County is required for this project. Please digitally submit the permit applications documentation with requisite review fees to the COAST online permit portal (https://newhanovercountyncenergovpub.tylerhost.net/apps/selfservice#/home). Applicable forms can be found at https://www.nhcgov.com/251/Stormwater-Permitting and https://www.nhcgov.com/249/Sediment-Erosion-Control. Permit submittal in progress Galen Jamison 910-798-7072 NHC Engineering 14 Please contact the State for their stormwater permit requirements. It is anticipated a major modification to SW8971221 will be required.Major modification to permit is in progress Dustin Fenske 910-798-6732 NHC Environmental Health 15 Site is on public water and sewer. Proposed infrastructure does not violate setbacks to any well or septic systems. Noted, thank you! The site is on public water and sewer. Page 3 of 6 McCabe Watson 910-798-7068 NHC Addressing 16 Please contact me for address assignments following TRC approval. Noted, thank you. We will reach out after TRC approval for addressing of the new field. Bernice Johnson 910-332-6620 CFPUA 17 Utility Plan Review required by CFPUA. CFPUA is moving toward becoming paperless. When ready to submit plan review package, upload all documents to https://www.cfpua.org/FormCenter/Engineering-3/Engineering-Plan-Review-103.Noted, thank you! We will pursue utility plan review via the link provided. Bernice Johnson 910-332-6620 CFPUA 18 The water service must be permitted with NCDEQ-PWS since it appears it will meet the definition of a public water system that serves more than 15 service connections or regularly serves 25 or more individuals. Noted, thank you! We will pursue NCDEQ-PWS permitting in conjunction with our permitting with CFPUA. Bernice Johnson 910-332-6620 CFPUA 19 Please also note, the existing services will need to be abandoned at the main. This work will require a NCDOT Encroachment. Noted, thank you! We will pursue NCDOT Encroachment permitting in conjunction with our permitting with CFPUA. Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 20 A TIA is under review, once it is approved additional comments will be provided by NCDOT. Thank you! Please note that the TIA is for the campus full build out while we are currently in Phase 1 of the project. Per the traffic memo submitted, we do not believe there should be any traffic improvements associated with the project at this time. Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 21 Driveway Plan Requirements: Provide comprehensive survey within the existing R/W on both sides of the road for a distance of 500’ in all directions from the development’s property lines. Provide additional hydraulic survey data to the nearest storm water inlet/outlet including ditch lines and storm water pipes, if located outside of the 500' distance. Show grades at the centerline, edge of pavement, and within the proposed driveway. Show the driveway profile with the proposed storm drainpipe. Driveway Profile - In shoulder sections, maintain minimum 2% fall from edge of travel way for required shoulder width distance (6’ minimum). Noted, thank you. Appropriate information will be submitted in association with the driveway permit submittal to DOT. Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 22 Driveway Radius: All radii should be a minimum R30. Provide auto turn templates for the largest proposed vehicles. C2.01 All radii are 30 feet or greater Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 23 Internal Stem Protection: Label the internal protection stem length for the proposed driveway connection. Measured from the right-of-way line.C2.01 Stem length of new driveway access is shown on the updated site plan. Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 24 Gated Entrances: Show and label any proposed gates with distances to the right of way line. C2.01 A access control gate label has been added to Sheet C2.01. Page 4 of 6 Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 25 Drainage/Stormwater Conveyance: If the drainage does not naturally flow to the NCDOT right of way the historic drainage pattern should be maintained. Select the appropriate type of drainage pipe for the amount of available coverage. o Pipe Cover Minimums (measured from top of pipe to subgrade): High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): 24” | Corrugated Aluminum (CAP): 12” | Reinforced Concrete (RCP): 12”. Mailing Address: NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DIVISION OF HIGHWAYS 5911 OLEANDER DRIVE, SUITE 101 WILMINGTON, NC 28403 04-11-03 COURIER Telephone: 910-398-9100 Customer Service: 1-877-368-4968 Website: ncdot.gov Location: 5911 OLEANDER DRIVE, SUITE 101 WILMINGTON, NC 28403 All sizes, types, and invert elevations of existing/proposed pipes and drainage structures must be shown. Provide spot elevations along frontage of driveway (at EOP and centerline). Provide grades and spot elevations for existing and proposed ditches. Show how drainage will be accommodated along property frontage. Hydraulic calculations and associated plan sheets will need to be submitted for the site. Noted, thank you! Existing drainage patters were maintained as much as possible. We will include any hydraulic calculations associated with runoff from the project in the NCDOT Right of Way as a part of our Driveway Permitting that will be submitted soon. Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 26 Roadway Improvements: Full width typical sections must be shown (paved shoulders to match the typical section of the adjacent roadway). Pavement overlay is required if modification of existing pavement markings and/or lanes is necessary. The grinding of pavement markings will not be allowed. All taper lengths and deceleration lengths should be appropriately designed for the given design speed. All turn lanes should be designed according to the Driveway Manual and Roadway Standard Drawings. Provide a typical section for the proposed improvements within the right of way. Travel lanes, paved/earth shoulders, and ditch sections (fore slope and back slope). Ditch Slopes: front and back slopes should be a minimum 3:1 or flatter. Traffic control plans are required Noted, thank you. We believe there will be no turn lanes with this phase of the project. Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 27 NCDOT Standard Drawings: Include/update the NCDOT Standard Drawings (2024) that are applicable to the development. C9.00,C9.01, & C9.05 NCDOT standard drawings (2024) are located on sheet C9.00,C9.01 and C9.05, Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 28 Sight Triangles and Sight Distance: Show and label the 10’ X 70’ NCDOT sight triangles. No obstructions shall be placed within the NCDOT sight triangles. Show and label the stopping sight distance. No obstructions shall be placed within the stopping sight distance C2.00 & C2.01 10" x 70" sight triangles are shown and labeled on sheets C2.00 and C2.01 Nick Drees 910-343-3915 NCDOT 29 Identification Signing and Landscaping: Identification signing or landscape vegetation within the median and the sight distance triangle must not obstruct the driver’s line of sight. No landscaping or signing will be allowed to exceed 42 inches in height, measured from the Edge of Pavement (EOP) within the median or sight triangle. All pylon signs in the median or sight distance triangle must provide a vertical clear sight zone between 3 feet-6 inches and 10 feet-0 inches measured from the EOP. Signing located within a clear recovery area shall be of a “breakaway design.” Only low growing shrubbery, consistent with the NCDOT’s landscaping policies, as contained in the publication “Guidelines for Planting Within Highway Right of Way,” will be allowed within a landscaped median and the sight distance triangle at the entranceway to a development, whether the street or driveway connection to the State Highway System is designated as a public facility or not. Landscaping within the rightof-way and sight distance triangles may require additional approval by the District Engineer. Noted, thank you. Appropriate information will be submitted in association with the driveway permit submittal to NCDOT. Luke Hutson 910-343-3915 WMPO 30 A TIA for Cape Fear Academy is currently under review by the WMPO, NCDOT, and New Hanover County planning staff. Once the TIA is approved, all improvements outlined in the TIA approval letter will be required. Please reach out to Caitlin Cerza (Caitlin.Cerza@wilmingtonnc.gov), the WMPO’s Transportation Planning Engineer, if any questions arise related to the TIA. Thank you! Please note that the TIA is for the campus full build out while we are currently in Phase 1 of the project. Per the traffic memo submitted, we do not believe there should be any traffic improvements associated with the project at this time. Page 5 of 6 Brad Shaver 910-251-4611 Army Corps of Engineers 31 No comments. Thank you! Page 6 of 6