Developers propose 53,000-sq-ft office, shared parking and four modifications for Thomas Johnson Drive campus

Andrew Welker, representing Oshman Properties, opened the Planning Commission workshop presentation for the Thomas Johnson Drive proposal and described plans to subdivide an existing 21.4-acre parcel into a professional-office campus. “We are creating another entrance into kind of a main entrance off of the shared access drive,” Welker said, adding that Lot 4C would contain a 53,000-square-foot, three-story professional office building and Lot 4D a 10,000-square-foot single-story building.

Mary Patton of Fox & Associates walked commissioners through four requested modifications: exceeding the maximum parking on Lot 4D while keeping the two lots within the overall min/max parking range; reducing a large required loading space to a small loading space; revising lighting so there will be no spillover onto the adjacent north property line; and relaxing lot-line planting requirements along the northern easement area where a 20-foot public sewer easement, a private sewer easement and a stormwater facility constrain tree planting. “We are requesting a modification for those reasons,” Patton said, noting the combination of easements leaves limited space for screening along the north property line.

Commissioners asked detailed follow-up questions about whether reconfiguring parking could eliminate the need for some modifications, how lighting photometrics treat vegetation and whether the shared-campus approach would preserve green space. Commissioner Valencia suggested planting in place of some requested parking to reduce modifications; the applicants replied that the photometric calculations do not credit vegetation for reducing measured spillover and that internal landscaping could make the parcels look visually separate rather than a cohesive campus. Patton emphasized that the team intends shared parking and pedestrian connectivity across the parcels and that stormwater and forest conservation work were already addressed through prior approvals.

Commissioners also asked about tenant types and active transportation amenities. Planning staff confirmed applicants met applicable forest conservation requirements and that APFO certificates from the preliminary plat remain vested but need engineering verification for the current proposal. Patton confirmed there will be ten bike racks on each lot and said the 10,000-sq-ft Lot 4D is being held for a future tenant rather than a specific prelease. The presentation closed with no public comment and a staff note that these kinds of modifications are common for business parks where ownership is parcelized.

The commission did not take formal action at the workshop; staff and applicants said technical revisions (lighting plan and ADA route details) will be provided in the next submittal ahead of the hearing.