ARB recommends changes to Rye Road wholesale‑plumbing storage plan; asks for revised SUP concept showing limits on tall storage

The Albemarle County Architectural Review Board on Jan. 21 reviewed a conceptual plan for a wholesale plumbing distributor proposing outdoor storage, display and sales at 400 Rye Road West and recommended changes to the concept and draft conditions before Planning Commission review.

Staff described the site as containing a brick‑faced building at the front and a large metal shed in the rear. The entrance‑corridor guidelines call for storage areas to be sited or screened to minimize visibility; staff noted the existing layout gives unobstructed views of stored items, and recommended a plan or diagram showing where outdoor display and storage would be located and suggested design conditions, including a 45‑foot setback from the fence (approximately 100 feet from the entrance corridor) in one draft condition. The staff report also observed that a solid screen fence of the length proposed would itself have visual impacts and that the proposed planting exceeds minimum requirements but would not completely screen the storage given an open western entrance.

Valerie Long of Williams Mullen, representing applicant BND Holdings, said the property historically has been used for storage, that the rear area already has permitted outdoor storage and that the applicant plans a berm, an 8‑foot black aluminum picket fence to replace chain link, and a three‑foot berm with mixed deciduous and evergreen plantings along the frontage. Long said the tenant requires flexibility to rearrange materials for business operations and was not comfortable with a rigid plan designating exact storage locations by product; the applicant said they would agree to a plan note or condition limiting tall stored materials to a defined rear area and to restore and retain existing plantings along the boundaries. The applicant indicated the maximum stored material height would be about 12 feet and said they would provide gate details in later submittals.

Board discussion and direction: Board members praised the proposed landscaping and berm and said they were generally supportive of the applicant’s willingness to keep taller items toward the rear. Members asked whether a clear regulatory line — for example a construction section or a line on the plan beyond which storage above a given height would be restricted — could be added to the concept plan; staff and the applicant agreed a line and a condition limiting storage above a specified height would be appropriate. The gate design was also discussed; members asked for more detail but agreed that final gate materials and details could be resolved later with the site plan or SUP conditions.

Motions and outcomes: The ARB moved to recommend revisions to the SUP concept plan as listed in the staff report and specifically to revise the concept plan to show the area suitable for storage of materials and equipment taller than 8 feet; the motion included considering elimination of the Rye Road entrance and adding gate details for later review. The motion passed on a roll call (ayes recorded for Mr. Vanderwerf, Mr. Hancock, Mr. Henningsen and Mr. Stoner). The board then voted to support staff’s recommended draft conditions for the SUP and site plan with the adjustment to strike the draft condition requiring a rigid layout plan, and to align the draft conditions with the revised concept plan; that motion also passed by roll call.

Next steps: The applicant will revise the concept plan to show the line or area where storage above 8 feet is allowed, provide gate details and updated landscape and screening information, and return to ARB staff and the Planning Commission as part of the SUP and site‑plan review process.