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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05-14_SP1 NARRATIVE_W AGENCY EXEMPTION REQUEST May 14, 2020 (Updates in blue bold type , below) City of Bozeman – Planning Department 20 East Olive Street Bozeman, MT 59715 Reference: Gallatin County Fairgrounds Surface Improvements Application No. TBD SP1 Application Project No. BOZ-13005.04 Dear Planning and Engineering Review Staff: We are happy to submit the following SP1 Application for the Gallatin County Fairgrounds Surface Improvements project. The purpose of this narrative is to describe the extent of this project. We recognize and acknowledge that City reviewing staff has recommended the submittal of an MSP for the Fairgrounds property but Sanderson Stewart has not been authorized by Gallatin County to produce Master Site Plan materials at this time. With this submittal, the Gallatin County Fairgrounds requests agency exemption for the following code sections. City comments in the informal application #20026 are provided below with resonses: · 38.410.080 - Gallatin County Fairgrounds requests exemption from the above-requirement to make stormwater facilities into landscaping amenities due to limited funding and the fairgrounds serving a unique and special function. The stormwater facility is intended to be a french drain system that can sustain vehicular traffic driving over it, so the surface is proposed to be gravel. 2 · 38.520.040 - Gallatin County Fairgrounds requests exemption from the above-requirement, related to non-motorized circulation and design. It is beyond the scope and budget of the proposed project (surface improvements in various parts of the fairgrounds) to provide access to all buildings, or to delineate pedestrian circulation routes between all buildings and through parking lots. The intent of the improvements is to improve surface conditions, which will in some ways improve the pedestrian experience during certain events relative to the current, existing conditions. 3 · 38.540.020 - Gallatin County Fairgrounds requests exemption from the above-requirement, related to parking lot design. The Fairgrounds has specific and unique needs in their exhibition areas for maximum flexibility in staging various events, uses, shows, and fair activities. Delineations such as curbing, landscape islands, striping, etc. will lessen flexibility and minimize the Fairgrounds ability to efficiently and effectively stage and manage Fairgrounds activities. · 38.540.050.C - Gallatin County Fairgrounds requests exemption from the above- requirement, related to landscaping. As described in previous code section exemption requests, the unique uses that occur within Fairgrounds property means that full compliance with this Landscaping ordinance would limit the Fairgrounds’ ability to effectively stage and manage Fairground activities. Site Background & Tie-in to Previous Asphalt Pathways Project The Gallatin County Fairgrounds Surface Improvements project is at the Fairgrounds complex located off West Tamarack Street in Bozeman, Montana. Plans are provided in the attachments of this application, which show the extents of each of the desired areas of surface improvements. The intent is to use an on-site stockpile of recycled asphalt pavement material to “clean up” the identified areas. Stormwater facilities proposed in the previous “Asphalt Pathways” project were sized conservatively, assuming the entire area upstream (to the south) could be improved to asphalt paving. Calculations from the previous “Asphalt Pathways” project are included in this submittal. Currently, the Fairgrounds are permitted to construct the Asphalt Pathways project (Application #19158) that was approved by the City of Bozeman on January 10, 2020. The Gallatin Fairgrounds Asphalt Pathways project included paving and stormwater improvements to existing gravel travel ways within the Fairgrounds Complex. The project will include re-grading and new asphalt paving of existing gravel areas to the south and west of the Haynes Pavilion building and south of the rodeo grandstands. The project includes modifications to existing stormwater structures and surface grades to improve drainage around buildings. It also proposes improvements to existing drainage paths and installation of new drywells and a detention pond in order to reduce the amount of runoff that flows into the City right-of-way. An underground boulder pit will also be constructed along the southern edge of asphalt of the new paved pathway. This proposed boulder pit was sized with the assumption that further paving improvements could be constructed (to the south), as proposed in this SP1 Application. The proposed surface improvements are described below: Proposed Surface Improvements West and East Grandstand Improvements – Sheet C3.3 As shown on Sheet C3.3, surface improvements are proposed to the east and west side of the Anderson Arena grandstands. The hatch shows the approximate extents of the improvements, which will include re-surfacing the area with recycled asphalt material that is stockpiled on the site. 4 Increased runoff to the west will be directed towards the existing drainage swale located along the southern and western edge of the proposed improvements. Increased runoff to the east will be sheeted towards the drainage swale and retaining pond to the north that will be constructed with the Asphalt Pathways project. RV Parking Between 1st and 2nd Entrances – Sheet C3.3 Currently, RV parking is provided between the 1st and 2nd entrances along West Tamarack Street in the gravel lot. The proposed hatch shows the extents of re-surfacing this RV parking area with recycled asphalt material. RV Parking Between 3rd and 4th Entrances – Sheet C3.3 RV parking is also provided between the 3rd and 4th entrances along West Tamarack Street in the Tamarack Parking Lot. Similar to the previously proposed improvements, the proposed hatch shows the approximate extents of re-surfacing the RV parking with recycled asphalt material. Main Entrance Parking – Sheet C3.3 Handicap parking is provided at the main entrance to the fairgrounds, which is to the south of the indoor shooting range and County Weed Department office. This parking area is currently gravel and is proposed to be re-surfaced with recycled asphalt material. This will help to improve drainage in this area, and also bring the area up to ADA standards. Exhibition Area – Sheet C3.4 Sheet C3.4 shows the approximate extents of the proposed surface improvements to the exhibition area. This area is largely used for booth setups during fairground events and is rarely used for parking. Again, it is the intent to utilize the recycled asphalt material to re-surface the area, but stormwater facilities were sized assuming a full pave out. If you need any additional information for this SP1 Application, please let me know. Sincerely, Mike Russell, PE, MBA Project Manager Sanderson Stewart