COUNTY OF ALBEMARLE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND:

At its November 7, 2007 meeting, the Board authorized staff to proceed with planning a regional stormwater management system to serve a portion of downtown Crozet (Attachment A).  The objectives of this project are:

• to facilitate denser downtown development envisioned by the Crozet Development Area Master Plan by providing a regional stormwater management system for future growth
• to protect sensitive downstream water resources and the community’s water supply by addressing much of the downtown’s existing built areas

Staff has subsequently refined the project concept now that construction drawings and calculations developed by the County’s engineering consultant are 70 percent completed, held community meetings, communicated with property owners regarding drainage easements, and begun negotiations to purchase property for the facility.

STRATEGIC PLAN:

Goal 2: Protect the County’s natural resources.

Goal 2.2: By June 30, 2010, the County, working in cooperation with Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority and others, will increase the quality, supply, and protection of the County’s water resources.

Goal 3: Develop policies and infrastructure improvements to address the county’s growing needs.

Goal 4: Effectively manage the County’s growth and development.

DISCUSSION:

Now that the design has been solidified, a specific property has been identified for locating the proposed facility, and implementation challenges have been identified and addressed, the project cost estimate has been revised.  The table below provides for a comparison between the planning-level cost estimate of 2007 and the present cost estimate for various elements of the project.  The estimated net cost of the project is indicated at the bottom of the table.

Various justifications can be made as to why the cost estimate has increased:

• the original estimate for land was based on the need for approximately 3 acres at the cost of $60,000 per acre; the preferred parcel is 5 acres in size and cannot be partially acquired due to various site constraints
• the original design estimate was a “best-guess” based on believed project complexity; the variance includes change orders for the re-location of a sanitary sewer system and the re-alignment of a storm sewer
• the planning-level construction cost estimate was done without the luxury of any specifics and was based on generalized cost equations as a function of facility size; the revised estimate, provided by our contractor, Kimley-Horn Associates, is derived from a detailed breakdown of the work, including specific quantities and unit costs
• no contingency was included in the original estimate

The revised construction cost estimate is based on average construction costs over a five year period.  The current construction climate is favorable to the procuring activity and we believe costs will be 10 to 20 percent less than projected if we go to bid within the next 6 months.

It is important to note that, without this project, the Crozet Streetscape project would have to include channel improvements that are not currently part of this project.  In addition, future development within the proposed stormwater service area – including the proposed Jarmans Gap roadway improvements and Crozet library – would have to provide stormwater quantity control onsite; this would have the effect of increasing the cost of those projects and, thereby, discouraging the intended density of downtown development.

It is worth reiterating that one of the primary functions of the water resources program is to address stormwater-related impacts to water resources through the implementation of capital projects.  The mixture of features of the downtown Crozet area – high-value downstream water resources, a development area located within a water supply watershed, a dense existing development footprint, a desire for addition density, and exempted water quality requirements – have lead staff to consider this area a top priority for a capital project.

BUDGET IMPACT:

Funding for the project is available from the following sources: a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ($120,000), available Grayrock proffer funds ($74,880), and the Stormwater Control Improvement Fund ($844,176).  The Stormwater Control Improvement Fund has grown over the last few years while the capital program was maturing and its balance after the completion of this and another pending large capital project (Woodbrook lagoons) will be over $1,000,000.  Future in-lieu-of fees and, possibly, savings related to library stormwater management will offset the project cost.

Although the revised cost estimate for this project may seem high, this is a major capital project with virtually no County equivalent.  The most recent County water resources project of this scale was Birnam Basin, a relatively simple detention basin constructed in 2004 within and adjacent to Charlotte Humphris Park, at a total cost of approximately $720,000.  For additional context, the total cost of the proposed Crozet project will be approximately $30,000 per acre of impervious area served by the project.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Staff recommends that the Board approve the revised expenditures as presently estimated, authorize staff to proceed with property and easement acquisition, appropriate the grant and proffer funds and allocate the Stormwater Control Improvement Funds to this project.

ATTACHMENTS

A – November 7, 2007 Executive Summary “Downtown Crozet Stormwater Management”

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