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HomeMy WebLinkAbout101 VA 23 Packet 101 VA 23 BCC 1 LINCOLN COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS STAFF REPORT VARIANCE PERMIT APPLICATION HEARING TIME AND DATE: 10:00 P.M., MARCH 8, 2023 HEARING LOCATION: LINCOLN COUNTY COURTHOUSE, KEMMERER, WYOMING & VIA VIDEO CONFERENCE AT AFTON BRANCH OFFICE FILE # 101 VA 23 APPLICANTS: Craig and Jan Richards PROJECT NAME: Richards Subdivision Road and Bridge Variance COMMUNITY PLAN AREA: Upper Valley ZONING: Rural PLANNER: Robert C. Davis ______________________________________________________________________________ PROPOSAL: A Variance Request application of 10 feet for the bridge travel way from the 26-foot requirement of CH 6.18 Subdivision Road Design Specifications. The 26-foot travel way is required for the proposed three (3) lot subdivision because the length of the road serving the proposed cul-de-sac is over 500 feet but less than 1,000 feet. There is a bridge that is part of the travel way which is only 16 feet wide. LOCATION: 6 miles south of Town of Afton, WY, T3ON, RI 18W, Sections 6 & 7, Lot 2 of the Richards Ranch Amended Subdivision. _______________________________________________________________________________ ATTACHMENTS: 1. Applicants’ Application and Statement 2. Photos 3. Correspondence from County Engineer dated October 22, 2022 and from Covenant Engineering dated February 22, 2023. 4. Clarification of General Road Design Requirements _______________________________________________________________________________ PLANNING STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Planning Staff recommends to the Board of County Commissioners DENIAL of 101 VA 23 with: • Findings of DENIAL A. FINDINGS OF DENIAL: A. The requested variance request fails to show a unique circumstance as required by Lincoln County Land Use Regulations Section 3.2 A. 101 VA 23 BCC 2 1. A variance to the requirements of these regulations, relating to the design standards or improvement standards of land divisions, shall be granted only when it is determined that there are special circumstances applicable to the property, such as but not limited to size, shape or topographic conditions, or existing road alignment and width, and that the granting of the variance will not be detrimental to the public health, safety, general welfare or be damaging to other property in the vicinity. 2. A variance shall not be considered a right or a special privilege, but may be granted to an applicant only upon showing of undue hardship because of the characteristics of the site, and do not apply generally to land or buildings in the neighborhood, and have not resulted from any act of the applicant subsequent to the adoption of the regulation. BACKGROUND Jan and Craig Richards desire to eventually file for minor subdivision approval to separate three (3) two- acre lots from the northern most portion of a 27-acre property located at 625 Reeves Schwab Road (County Road 149) in Smoot. The Richards purchased the property in January 2012, a Simple Subdivision was approved in May 2012 and later amended in 2016. The applicants would seek to divide the property into three additional lots for their children for a total of four (4) lots thus classifying the proposed development as a Minor Subdivision and calling for the roads to conform with Land Use Regulations. The existing 16-foot access road/driveway extending south of County Road 149 would need a variance of 10’ for the road and bridge travel way from the 26-foot requirement of CH 6.18 Subdivision Road Design Specifications if the Minor Subdivision is to be approved. Because the length of the road and the proposed cul-de-sac is over 500 feet but less than 1000 feet, the road width with a cul-de-sac would need to be 26 feet wide. As such, the bridge would need to be 26 feet wide as well, thus calling for a variance of 10 feet. The requirement for a 26-foot-wide travel way stems from the March 11, 2022 Clarification of General Road Design Requirements (attached). The existing drive includes a 45-foot-long steel bridge resting on concrete piers, passing over the Salt River. The bridge was constructed by Wayne Baker in 2012. The requested variance is for the bridge to be approved as a single lane bridge at its existing 16-foot width. Staff is recommending denial of the variance request because there is not any evidence of undue hardship or practical difficulty associated with the site. In addition, the problem was self-created when the applicant built a 16-foot-wide bridge. The entire travel way should meet the 26-foot width requirement. The situation could be remedied by either widening the bridge or constructing a second span. The County Engineer states that more information is necessary for verifying the weight limit of the bridge as per the current standards and previously recommended further analysis of the bridge to meet the AASHTO’s Manual for Bridge Evaluation standards (see attached email Bridge Question on Weight Limit Sign). The applicant has provided a response to the County Engineer’s concern by having Covenant Engineering in a February 22, 2023 letter (attached) state: 101 VA 23 BCC 3 The undersigned has performed an analysis in accordance with the AASHTO Manual for Bridge Evaluation, and has determined that the residential bridge satisfies the requirements for HL-93 Design Truck Loads, with a minimum rating factor of 1.09. Planning Staff defers to the County Engineer’s analysis of Covenant Engineering’s findings. At a minimum, if the variance is approved or not, there needs to be an approved weight limit sign for the bridge. Staff discussed emergency access concerns with Jay Hokanson, Lincoln County Emergency Management Coordinator, who found that any safety concerns regarding the bridge could be dealt with if following conditions were applied: 1. There should be a weight limit sign placed on both sides of the bridge. The weight limit sign must be approved by the County Engineer. 2. There should be a narrow bridge with a one lane road sign at both sides of the bridge. 3. There should be reflectors placed on the bridge in the event of a large snowfall. 101 VA 23 BCC 4 Afton11 28 06 01 18 07 1315 31 22 24 12 3635 16 262130 14 25 33 34 19 27 23 31 34 3632 22 33 28 35 13 02 19 21 18 27 08 24 3231 30 2529 01 15 34 36 12071617 20 353231 36 12010604 07 03040601120507 31N 119W 32N 118W 31N 118W 32N 119W 30N 118W30N 119W³±1 5 0 ³±149 E.L.ClarkLane E. L. Clark L a n e STREET,BRETT & KIMBERLY HELM, SUE ETAL TRUSTEES EISCHEN, KENT A & NHORMAP, TRUSTEES HEDGES, GARY L REEVES, CLAYNE E & CHERYL A TRUSTEESBLAIR,IRENE ETAL CLARK, KEN,TRUSTEE BLAKENSHIP, STEVEN & RELDA WELCHMAN,DAVID A & ANNA C TRUSTEES CROCE,CHRISTOPHER C & JAMI CLARK COZIAH, JULIE TRUSTEE CLARK, KEN,TRUSTEE REEVES, CLAYNE E & CHERYLA TRUSTEESREEVES, CLAYNE E & CHERYL A TRUSTEES REEVESFARMS, INC REEVES FARM, INC REEVES, CLAYNE E & CHERYLA TRUSTEES RICHARDS, JAN SEILBACH, JAMES R &SHELLEY D HANSEN, BARBARA L TRUSTEE HEDGES, GARY L REEVES, CLAYNE E & CHERYL A TRUSTEES SEILBACH, JAMES R &SHELLEY D CROCE,CHRISTOPHER C & JAMI CLARK AULLMAN, LANDRA REEVESFARMS, INC HEDGES, LOGAN E & KRESTA K SEILBACH, JAMES R &SHELLEY D RICHARDS, JAN ENGLAND, ZACHARY L & MALLARIENGLAND, ZACHARY L& MALLARI TRAUNTVEIN, JASON & KEIRA Maxar, Microsoft Variance Application Projects US Highways WY Highways Township & Range Sections Municipalities Public Noticing Variance Application for One Lane Bridge Richards Ranch Craig & Jan Richards Prepared using available data by Destry Dearden, on 13 Dec. 2022. Map is for informational purposes only and in no way represents an official survey of land. PO Box 4260 || Bedford, WY 83112 || (o): (307-883-6515 || (c): 916.838.1973 merritt@covenantengineers.com || covenantengineers.com “WHEN INTEGRITY COUNTS…” || mail:PO Box 4260, Bedford, WY 83112 || ph:916-838-1973 or 307-883-6515 || || web:covenantengineers.com || email:merritt@covenantengineers.com || “WHEN INTEGRITY COUNTS…” © INDEX 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Load Case Cases Equation lb lb lb VisualAnalysis 12.00.0016 (www.iesweb.com) 17 ft ft ft ft ft ft lb/ft ft-lb/ft psf psf psf psf psf psf psf psf ft lb lb lb lb-ft lb-ft lb-ft Group/Mesh Elements Unity Design Shape Design Material Overstrength Specification VisualAnalysis 12.00.0016 (www.iesweb.com) 18 lb lb lb lb-ft lb-ft lb-ft VisualAnalysis 12.00.0016 (www.iesweb.com) 19 20 21 22 Amy Butler <amy.butler@lincolncountywy.gov> Fwd: Bridge Question on Weight Limit Sign 1 message Amy Butler <abutler@lcwy.org>Thu, Oct 27, 2022 at 8:32 AM To: Robert Davis <robert.davis@lcwy.org> I reviewed the letter provided by Covenant Engineering for the Richards Bridge. With my background in Bridge design and Structural Steel design I did not see the information necessary verifying the weight limit of the bridge as per the current standards. I did reach out to the WYDOT, Bridge Department for advice. Please see his comments below. I am recommending that a further analysis of the bridge meet the AASHTO’s Manual for Bridge Evaluation.  Amy Butler, P.E. County Engineer Lincoln County Engineering Office 925 Sage Ave, Suite 201 Kemmerer, WY 83101 (307)877-2104 ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Paul Cortez <paul.cortez@wyo.gov> Date: Thu, Oct 27, 2022 at 6:47 AM Subject: Re: Bridge Question on Weight Limit Sign To: Amy Butler <abutler@lcwy.org> Amy, The analysis performed by Covenant Engineering is not truly a load rating.  A load rating should be performed in accordance with AASHTO’s Manual for Bridge Evaluation, which defines several vehicles that represent actual vehicles on the highway such as the AASHTO Type 3 vehicles and Special Hauling Vehicles.   The analysis used a design vehicle (HS-20) that is not used for the Load and Resistance Factor (LRFD) design method.  The HS-20 vehicle is a design vehicle used for Allowable Stress (ASD) and Load Factor (LFD) design methods and the HL-93 vehicle is the design vehicle used for LRFD method.  Both the HS-20 and HL-93 vehicles are notional vehicles and do not represent actual vehicles on the road and therefore cannot be posted for. Let me know if you have any other questions, Paul __________________________________ Paul Cortez, P.E. Asst State Bridge Engineer, Operations Wyoming Department of Transportation 5300 Bishop Blvd, Cheyenne, WY 82009 ph 307-777-4049; fx 307-777-4279 paul.cortez@wyo.gov On Fri, Oct 21, 2022 at 10:29 AM Amy Butler <abutler@lcwy.org> wrote: Good Morning Paul, I recently was asked about signing a private bridge in Lincoln County. They provided a letter from an Engineer that I attached. I am trying to make sure that the signage is correct incase there is future development across the bridge. Does WYDOT have a recommendation for weight limit or load posting sign? I am making a request for the bridge to have proper bridge railing installed. Thank you for your time and help. Amy Butler, P.E. County Engineer Lincoln County Engineering Office 925 Sage Ave, Suite 201 Kemmerer, WY 83101 (307)877-2104 E-Mail to and from me, in connection with the transaction of public business, is subject to the Wyoming Public Records Act and may be disclosed to third parties. Office of Planning and Engineering Lincoln County, Wyoming 925 Sage Avenue Suite 201 421 Jefferson St. Ste 701 Kemmerer, WY 83101 www.lcwy.org Afton, WY 83110 307-877-9056 Updated: MARCH 11, 2022 307-885-3106 Clarification On General Road Design Requirements Dead End road designs should be avoided whenever possible. Where dead end roads are the only alternative, cul-de-sacs or turnarounds shall be provided using the following guidelines. ● 500’ Length and Under – Travel way 20’ – Gravel/Paved Surface w/ 60’ Radius cul- de-sac. ● 500’- 1000’ Length Roads – Travel way 26’from the primary road to the center of the cul-de-sac - Gravel/Paved Surface w/ 60’ Radius. ROW on cul-de-sac will need to be 70’ in Radius. ● 1000’+ Length Roads require a Loop Road – See 6.18 Subdivision Road Design Specifications. Design Preference: ● Bulb Type (Gradual Transition) - 120’ Diameter Gravel Surface ● Offset - 120’ Diameter Gravel Surface ● Hammerheads and Y designs are Not Allowed ● “Donut” design is highly discouraged Loop Road – (DEFINED) A road that has 2 access points from the primary road with a minimum 300’ between the access points. The travel way will be a 20’ graveled surface. Roadway system shall loop a minimum of 1 lot within the subdivision. The primary road origination point is determined by the Planning Staff. Provide adequate snow storage shall be provided to keep turnarounds clear. Dead end roads which do not have a turnaround are not allowed. 6.18 Subdivision Road Design Specifications The table of Road Types is still valid when identifying specifications. The travel way shall be adjusted if a dead-end road is proposed. Shoulders will be required pending on road grade. Office of Planning and Development Lincoln County, Wyoming / Kemmerer Office Afton Office 925 Sage Avenue Suite 201 421 Jefferson St. Ste 701 Kemmerer, WY 83101 www.lincolncountywy.gov Afton, WY 83110 307-877-9056 307-885-3106 fax 307-877-6439 NOTICE Tentative Board of Lincoln County Commission Meeting HEARING DATE: March 8, 2023 TIME: 10:00 a.m. LOCATIONS: Video Conference between the following locations: Lincoln County Courthouse, Commissioner Boardroom, 925 Sage Avenue 3rd Floor, Kemmerer, WY & Afton Planning & Engineering Office, Conference Room, 61 East 5th Avenue, Afton, WY All interested citizens are invited to attend the public hearing and to provide input. Those planning on attending should call the day before to see if the meeting is still scheduled as noted above or if changes have taken place. APPLICANTS: Craig and Jan Richards FILE No: 101 VA 23 COMMUNITY PLAN AREA: Upper Valley PROJECT NAME: Richards Subdivision Road and Bridge Variance COUNTY PLANNER: Robert C. Davis PLANNER: planning@lcwy.org PIN: 3018-063-00-063 PROJECT: A Variance Request application of 10 feet for the bridge travel way from the 26- foot requirement of CH 6.18 Subdivision Road Design Specifications. The 26-foot travel way is required for the proposed subdivision because the length of the road serving the proposed cul-de- sac is over 500 feet but less than 1,000 feet. There is a bridge that is part of the travel way which is only 16 feet wide. LOCATION: 0 6 miles south of Town of Afton, WY, T3ON, RI 18W, Sections 6 & 7, Lot 2 of the Richards Ranch Amended subdivision. THIS APPLICATION WILL BE REVIEWED ACCORDING TO STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES OF THE LINCOLN COUNTY LAND USE REGULATIONS (see Planning website at www.lincolncountywy.gov). Enclosed is a copy of the location map/site plan. Please respond with your written, faxed, or email (planning@lcwy.org) comments by February 27, 2023 no later than 5:00 pm. to be included in the planning staff report. Please note that only landowners within 300 feet of the proposed site are notified individually. Office of Planning and Development Lincoln County, Wyoming The Staff Report for this project will be available on March 1, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. for your perusal on the Planning website address: http://weblink.lcwy.org/WebLink8/Browse.aspx?dbid=0 Projects for Planning, and then click on the corresponding File Number noted above. Name Agency Address City, State, Zip Emails Phone Notice Board of County Commissioners commission@lcwy.org Always email Board of Planning & Zoning Commissioners planzonecommission@lcwy.org When going to PZC Amy Butler County Engineer 925 Sage Avenue Suite 201 Kemmerer, WY 83101 abutler@lcwy.org 307-877-2104 Always email Jay Hokanson Emergency Management 421 Jefferson Suite 416 Afton, WY 83110 jhokanson@lcwy.org 307-885-4925 Always email Rollin Gardner, Chairman Star Valley Conservation District P.O. Box 216 Afton, WY 83110 knield@starvalleycd.org; trish@starvalleycd.org 307-8857823 Notify if North Superintendent- Matt Erickson Lincoln County School Dist. #2 222 E. 4th Avenue Afton, WY 83110 merickson@lcsd2.org 307-885-7100 Notify for North Mark Baron Department of Environmental Quality 510 Meadowview Dr.Lander, WY 82520 mark.baron@wyo.gov 307-332-3144 District Engineer Torey Thomas Wyoming Transportation Department 3200 Elk Rock Springs, WY 82901 peter.stinchcomb@wyo.gov 307-352-3033? Groundwater Division Markus Malessa State Engineer's Office Herschler Bldg. 4th Floor East Cheyenne, WY 82002 markus.malessa@wyo.gov 307-777-6166 Alan Adams & Steven Greenwell State Fire Marshal's Office 140 Commerce Drive #C Green River, WY 82935 alan.adams@wyo.gov; steven.greenwell@wyo.gov Alan - 307-389-2376 Steven: 307-871-0035 Brandon Gebhart Wyoming Water Development Office 6920 Yellowtail RD Cheyenne, WY 82002 brandon.gebhart1@wyo.gov 307-777-7613 Surveyor Scherbel, Ltd Surveyor Scherbel P.O. Box 725 Afton, WY 83110 jamiessltd@gmail.com; marlowescherbel@gmail.com 307-885-9319 Lloyd Baker Associates, LLC Scott White P.O. Box 1047 Thayne, WY 83127 lloydbb@silverstar.com Angel Leavitt Lower Valley Power & Light P.O. Box 188 Afton, WY 83110 aleavitt@lvenergy.com 307-885-6109 Notify for North Chris Blayne, Christy Jenkins, Scott Schwab Silver Star Communications P.O. Box 226 Freedom, WY 83120 engineeringlcpz@silverstar.net, cjenkins@silverstar.net, sschwab@silverstar.net, knelson@silverstar.net, eacosta@silverstar.net 208-354-6710 Notify for North (email) Fire Chief Afton Fire Department P.O. Box 1294 Afton, WY 83110 denmcd@silverstar.com 307-884-8104 Volunteer Fire Dept.