Alexandria Planning Commission unanimously approved a planned $1.8 million expansion of the James M. Duncan Library. The construction of an additional 5,300 square feet will bring the library's overall square footage to 13,130.
In approving the application for the facility at 2501 Commonwealth Avenue, the Commission also authorized the reduction in required on site parking which would normally accompany such an expansion. This was based on the staff's analysis that the library and the Mount Vernon Elementary School, which share the 35,082 square foot site, can also share parking due to different peak hours of need.
"All the proposed parking for the library is located on the adjoining Mt.Vernon Elementary School or on the adjoining public streets," the staff report stated. "The parking study indicates that because of different hours of peak usage ... there is an opportunity for shared use of the 24 spaces on the school site after school hours and that there is a significant amount of available parking within reasonable walking distance."
Amy Slack, speaking for the Del Ray Citizens Committee, said, "We had no discussion about parking with this project. We are very excited about having such an excellent facility in our area. And, we do want to see this project go forward."
DUNCAN LIBRARY is one of four library facilities located throughout the city. It currently serves approximately 550 patrons per day. It registered a total of 166,263 patron visits during fiscal year 2002, according to the staff report.
Its original collection of 45,000 volumes has grown to 75,000 volumes, "stacked on densely packed shelves in many sections of the library, with limited reading areas," staff noted. "In addition, patron and library staff circulation ... is overly constricted due to space limitations."
THE COMMISSION denied an appeal by Claude Stansbury to remove two trees located on his property in the Kings Cloister development. They are two of the 35 trees designated to be saved when the cluster development was approved.
Stansbury, owner of the historic home in the central portion of the development, maintained that the trees were diseased and a threat to public safety. He proposed to replace them with a 42 young trees.
However, the staff report stated, "Based on a June 11, 2003, site visit by the City Arborist, it has been determined that the trees are healthy and not in a state of decline and therefore, warrant preservation."
Several other residents of the development, located between King Street and Taylor Run Parkway, urged the Commission to "consider safety as well as preservation." They maintained that the new trees would preserve the intent of the original approval for the cluster type development well into the future.
"If we follow the staff proposal to preserve all the trees on the original plan there won't be any trees at all in 20 years," Stansbury argued. "The trees I propose to plant will be large mature trees in 20 years."
Commissioner H. Stewart Dunn, Jr, moved that Stansbury's proposal be approved stating, "We can approve this without setting a precedent. Based on these facts we have only a positive precedent."
His motion was defeated on a vote of four to two. Commissioner John Komoroske then moved for denial stating, "I think these trees are irreplaceable." It passed by the same vote of four to two with Dunn and Commissioner J. Lawrence Robinson voting against.
IN ITS FINAL ACTION, the Commission chose to override a staff recommendation of denial and voted to approve a special use permit to change the ownership of an automobile repair garage at 1008 Madison St.
Staff's recommendation was based on their contention that "there have been violations of the previous special use permit." Some of the items listed were work being done after closing, vehicles being worked on in the public right-of-way, and that the permit had been grant to someone other than the present applicant, Kevin Hernandez.
It was determined that Hernandez's lease expires on December 31, 2004, and that an extension to that time would allow him to seek another site for his business. The Commission directed staff to lend their support in helping him to find a more suitable location.