HomeMy WebLinkAboutDowntown Development Authority - Minutes - 02/11/1997DOWNTOWN 0
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� DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY
ONE WEST CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER Telephone (970) 484-2020
201 SOUTH COLLEGE AVENUE, FORT COLLINS, CO 80524 Telefax (970) 484-2069
DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Special Directors' Meeting
MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 11, 1997
SPECIAL MEETING
The Board of Directors of the Downtown Development Authority
met in special session at 4:00 p.m., February 11, 1997 in
the Third Floor Conference Room at 201 South College Avenue,
One West Art Center.
PRESENT There were present:
Stephen Slezak, Chair presiding
Bonnie Bixler Szidon, vice Chair
Mary Brayton, Secretary
Carey Hewitt, Treasurer
Bill Attwooll
Jason Meadors
Chuck Wanner
Greg Belcher
Absent:
Kermit Allard
Staff:
Chip Steiner, Consultant
Anne Garrison
Lucia Liley, Counsel
CALL TO ORDER Mr. Slezak called the meeting to order and stated the
purpose of the meeting which was to discuss the City Plan as
it relates to downtown, and arrive at a consensus on the
issues outlined in Mr. Steiner's memo.
RIVER CORRIDOR The meeting of the DDA special committee, Planning personnel
and Mike Powers, Parke and Recreation which took place on
February 10, 1997 was recapped for the Board by Mr. Steiner.
DDA MINUTES
PAGE 2
His concern lay with the fact that the document is too
prescriptive in its design requirements. So following some
discussion by the special committee, Counsel made the
suggestion that we leave the verbiage as is, but add to the
zoning code requirements, as an option, the ability to go
through the PUD process. This takes the project out of the
zoning code restrictions and places it in a more
discretionary review process. It is a workable process
which allows a designer to be creative without being bound
by too stringent a code. In the meantime, it allows
opportunity to see if the City Plan will work. One thought
was that if the PUD option could be applied only to those
zones which affect the central business district, it would
allow flexibility, and become an incentive for infill and
other considerations.
Ms. Liley added another aspect to this overview. It seems
everyone feels that, long term, the City should look at a
separate Sub -Area Plan for the downtown and the river and
put it all together, but there is not time to do this in
conjunction with the City Plan. So pending that, this would
be a good process to use for the downtown.
The other item of concern to Clark Mapes had been the 'use
by right' properties, i.e. Wayne's Bicycle Shop and the
Juicy Lucy type operation. The solution would be for the
City to do the rezoning and put a PUD condition on every
downtown property, so the the existing use by right would go
away, leaving no more unregulated, unrestricted
developments. Thus everything would have to come in as a
PUD, if the City agreed to do that, or under the new City
Code provisions, in a shortened administrative process. It
was explained that under the PUD you can do more than the
City requires, but never less.
Ms. Liley concluded by saying that the City will have to
operate under a PUD system for several years in regard to
many projects anyway, so in essence it would not be for
downtown alone.
Mr. Belcher moved that the Board request Mr. Steiner to
prepare a Resolution to City Council, and authorize the
Chair to sign it, requesting that the downtown portion of
the central business district retain the PUD option within
the framework of the City Plan. This was seconded by Ms.
Szidon and carried unanimously.
ARBITRARY SET Mike Powers addressed the issue of arbitrary set backs from
BACKS the river at the DDA retreat last year. After much
discussion since that time, what began as 300' set backs,
now appear to be more in the range of 100' on either side of
the bank, at least as far as the downtown area is concerned.
The point of reference for measurement is the high water
mark. A lengthy discussion ensued which encompassed codes,
models, personal preferences, use and change of existing
structures, etc.,
Me. Brayton posed the question regarding the possibility of
extending the PUD to the river corridor, and thus return to
the old land use, and permit development closer to the river
in certain instances. It was determined that there are
currently places on the river where proximity is acceptable,
and therefore it makes sense to extend the PUD to the river
corridor and offer site specific options. The entire culture
of the City is predicated on the river path.
DDA MINUTES
PAGE 3
ADJOURN
Mr. Steiner's counsel was that we not argue separately the
set back issue with Council, and it appears that the same
resolution covers both issues.
Mr. Slezak thanked the Board for their time and attention to
this issue. There being no further business, the meeting
adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
Mary Brayton, Secretary