Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 02/15/2022 - STRAUSS LAKES METRO DISTRICT CONCEPTUAL REVIEW Agenda Item 25 Item # 25 Page 1 AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY February 15, 2022 City Council STAFF Clay Frickey, Redevelopment Program Manager John Duval, Legal SUBJECT Strauss Lakes Metro District Conceptual Review. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY WITHDRAWN The purpose of this item is to conduct a Conceptual Review for the proposed Strauss Lakes Metropolitan District (Strauss Lakes District). Metropolitan Districts (Metro Districts) must provide public benefits in a variety of categories to gain approval. Staff evaluates the Metro District’s proposed public benefits with a scorecard. To provide early direction to applicants, the City’s Metro District Policy requires a Conceptual Review meeting with Council. This Conceptual Review meeting allows for Council and members of the public to provide feedback and direction on the Metro District and the proposed public benefits required by the Metro District Policy. Also, as stated in the Metro District Policy, this meeting provides the Council with the opportunity to consider a motion at the conclusion of the meeting to express its opinion whether the application for the service plan of the Strauss Lakes District, as proposed, should be brought forward to Council for its formal consideration. That motion may also include any recommendations Council may have concerning what should or should not be included in the applicant’s formal application. However, the Policy also clearly states that such motion adopted and any comments, suggestions or recommendations made by any Councilmember concernin g the proposal, do not bind or otherwise obligate the Council or any Councilmember to any decision in the subsequent formal application. Sample motions are provided. Strauss Lakes is a proposed mixed-use development at the northeast corner of Horsetooth Road and Ziegler Road. Strauss Lakes submitted a Letter of Interest outlining the proposed public benefits in conformance with the Metro District Policy. Staff finds the applicant’s proposed public benefits to generally conform with the requirements of the Metro District Policy with one exception. The current proposal for providing affordable housing would not meet the requirements of the Metro District Policy. Furthermore, many elements of the proposed public benefits will require more analysis by staff to confirm they meet the requirements of the Metro District Policy. Staff will provide a final assessment and recommendation on the Strauss Lakes District upon formal submittal. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends Council consider adopting a motion addressing whether Council believes the applicant’s application for Council’s consideration of the service plan for the Strauss Lakes Metro District, as proposed, should proceed to Council for formal consideration. Based on the information provided in and with this agenda item summary, the applicant's proposed Metro District appears to satisfy the requirements of the City’s Metro District Policy apart from the affordable housing element. Therefore, the Council should also consider whether it wishes to include in its motion any recommendations Council may have for how the applicant might satisfy this element in its formal application. Agenda Item 25 Item # 25 Page 2 Sample Motions: • I move that the City Council recommend to the applicant that it not proceed with its formal application for Council’s consideration of the proposed service plan for the Strauss Lakes Metro District unless that application includes the following: [Describe recommended modifications or additions to the formal application]. • I move that the City Council recommend to the applicant that it proceed with its formal application for Council’s consideration of its proposed service plan for the Strauss Lakes Metro District. BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Policy Context Council adopted Resolution 2008-069 in July 2008 to establish policies and guidelines related to forming and reviewing Metro Districts (2008 Policy). Metro Districts are a special district providing at least two types of governmental services. Typically, developers form a Metro District to facilitate building, fi nancing, and maintaining infrastructure. A Metro District service plan is the document that authorizes the establishment of a Metro District and grants to it the powers it may have to issue debt, impose taxes and fees, construct public improvements and provide certain governmental services (Service Plan). The Service Plan for a Metro District to be organized within the City must first be approved by Council. The 2008 Policy provided the City would not consider Service Plans that proposed Metro Districts to serve only residential development, but instead would only consider Service Plans for “predominately commercial” developments, meaning developments having an estimated assessed value for “non-residential uses” of no less than 90% of the entire development. Since adopting the 2008 Policy, Council has adopted a series of amendments to this policy in 2018, 2019, and 2021. With Resolution 2018-079, Council permitted consideration of Metro Districts that were predominately residential. Residential Metro Districts must provide public benefits that are secured through Public Benefits Agreements. Resolution 2018-079 also contained Model Service Plans that served as templates for new Metro Districts. Resolution 2019-016 amended the Metro District Policy to refine the Council approval process and add workforce and attainable housing as public benefits. Council most recently adopted Resolution 2021-045 approving an amended Metro District Policy on April 20, 2021. This new Policy applies to Metro Districts where more than 10% of the estimated assessed value of the project is residential. To gain approval, applicants must score a certain number of points on a scorecard. Applications gain points by providing public benefits in a number of categories. As part of this a pproval process, the new Metro District Policy requires a pre -application meeting with Council called a “Conceptual Review”. This Conceptual Review meeting allows Council and members of the public the opportunity to provide direction and feedback on the Metro District’s proposed public benefits prior to submitting a formal application. Process Overview The process for reviewing and considering approval of Metro Districts proceeds as follows: 1. Applicant submits Letter of Interest 2. Staff reviews Letter of Interest and provides response 3. Council Conceptual Review, where Council considers and discusses the public benefits proposed in the Letter of Interest 4. Applicant submits formal application for Metro District along with Service Plan 5. Staff reviews application and Service Plan 6. Council Finance Committee reviews submittal and provides feedback to applicant 7. Council considers application and Service Plan at a public hearing Agenda Item 25 Item # 25 Page 3 Staff received the Letter of Interest from the applicant on December 28, 2021. After reviewing the Letter of Interest, the applicant team and staff review team met to discuss staff’s initial comments on January 11, 2022. Staff compiled their comments and submitted a formal response to the applicant team on Januar y 14, 2022. The applicant amended their Letter of Interest based on staff’s feedback and submitted a revised Letter of Interest on January 26, 2022. Development Overview Strauss Lakes is a proposed mixed-use development at the northeast corner of Horsetooth Road and Ziegler Road. As the applicant states in the Letter of Interest: Cottonwood’s proposed development plans for the Property contemplate a mixed-use development with a variety of housing options. While Cottonwood is envisioning a mix of hi gh-quality single-family, and multi-family residences, it also anticipates that these options will be offered with a diversity of price points accommodating both market rate attainable housing, as well as affordable housing, all of which will be made economically feasible through a metropolitan district financing structure. In addition to the housing outlined above, the mixed-use development proposed would support a diverse array of business and commercial utilizations, including neighborhood support ser vice uses. Because Cottonwood’s goal for the development is to create a community where employment and housing options are harmoniously integrated, these business and commercial uses would be intentionally developed to complement the surrounding housing options. Letter of Interest The applicant’s Letter of Interest contains all of the necessary sections in conformance with the Metro District Policy. The Letter of Interest indicates that the Strauss Lakes District anticipates meeting the requirements o f the evaluation scorecard in the following ways: Category Min. Points Required Points Expected Proposed Public Benefits Housing 5 5 · 2(A) - 10% affordable rental housing - 2 points · 2(B) - Does not utilize competitive process funding - 3 points Energy Conservation and Renewables 10 10-11 · 1(A) - DOE Zero Energy Ready (ZER) Home Performance Path Certified with balanced mechanical whole dwelling ventilation - 4 points · 2(C) - Air-tight homes with balanced · whole dwelling ventilation with heat or energy recovery - 1 point · 2(E) - Installing qualified connected thermostats - 2-3 points · 3(A) - Installing solar to meet 50-75% of overall energy need - 2-3 points Indoor Water Conservation 3 3.5 · 4(A) - WaterSense fixtures performing above Code - 2 points · 4(C) - Sub-metering - 1.5 points Outdoor Water Conservation 7 7 · 5(A) - Efficient residential irrigation systems - 2 points · 5(B) - Water efficient landscaping for residential front yards - 2 points · 5(C) - Separate drip systems for trees within parkways and medians - 2 points · 5(D) - Common area water use performing above Code - 1 point Neighborhood Livability 5 7 · 1(A) - Off-site trail connections - 1 point · 1(C) - Level 3 EV charging stations - 1 point · 1(D) - Trail connection provided to a school - 1 point · Agenda Item 25 Item # 25 Page 4 2(B) - Vertical mixed-use buildings - 2 points · 2(C) - Community gathering spaces - 1 point · 3(A) - Access to parks & open spaces - 1 point Staff Comments The applicant’s proposed means of accumulating points meets the requirements of the evaluation system in concept with one exception. Section 2(A) under Housing requires 10% of the total units within the development to be rental units that meet the City’s definition of affordable housing. The Letter of Interest indicates that only 10% of the total units within the CSU portion of the project will be rental units that meet the City’s definition of affordable housing. As presented, the proposed Strauss Lakes District would not meet the minimum points threshold for Housing. As such, staff would not be able to recommend approval of the Strauss Lakes District if presented in its current form. All methods of scoring points proposed for the Strauss Lakes District will be subject to review by staff upon formal submittal. Some areas of note include: • To achieve the points for providing solar energy to the development, Strauss Lakes will have to achieve the energy generation targets for the development, not just certain phases of the development. • Staff will require more detail on the proposed air source heat pump water heaters to determine if Strauss Lakes will score points. • As the project moves forward, staff will want to understand the size, amenities and qualitative aspects of each park and open space to ensure each qualifies as a park or open space. Additionally, staff will evaluate access through an equity lens to ensure all residents have equal access to parks and open space through an interconnected system of sidewalks, trails, pedestrian bridges, and bike lanes. ATTACHMENTS 1. Evaluation Table (PDF) 2. Letter of Interest Resubmittal, January 26, 2021 (PDF) 3. Letter of Interest Response (PDF) 4. Powerpoint Presentation (PDF) ATTACHMENT 1 William P. Ankele, Jr. Jennifer Gruber Tanaka Clint C. Waldron Kristin Bowers Tompkins Robert G. Rogers Blair M. Dickhoner George M. Rowley Of Counsel: Kristen D. Bear K. Sean Allen Trisha K. Harris Zachary P. White Heather L. Hartung Megan J. Murphy Eve M. G. Velasco Audrey G. Johnson Carey S. Smith V Erin K. Stutz Jon L. Wagner 1 January 26, 2021 Economic Health Office City of Fort Collins Attention: Clary Frickey, Manager Via Email: cfrickey@fcgov.com LETTER OF INTEREST Strauss Lakes Metropolitan Districts Dear Mr. Frickey: Our firm represents Cottonwood Land and Farms, LLC (“Cottonwood”) with respect to its interest in organizing the proposed Strauss Lakes Metropolitan Districts (the “Districts”). As required under Section 3.B. of the City of Fort Collins’s (the “City’s”) Policy for Reviewing Service Plans for Metropolitan Districts (the “Policy”), Cottonwood submits this Letter of Interest for the City’ review. 1.Summary Narrative of Proposed Development and District Cottonwood currently owns approximately 185 acres at the northeast corner of Horsetooth Road and Ziegler Road (the “Property”), in the City, which is proposed to be included in the Districts. In the past, the Property has been used for sand and gravel mining, as well as a concrete batch plant. In conjunction with and supported by the proposed Districts, Cottonwood is proposing to redevelop and change the use of the Property in a way that will have significant community-wide benefits. Cottonwood’s proposed development plans for the Property contemplate a mixed- use development with a variety of housing options. While Cottonwood is envisioning a mix of high-quality single-family, and multi-family residences, it also anticipates that these options will be offered with a diversity of price points accommodating both market rate attainable housing, as well as affordable housing, all of which will be made economically feasible through a metropolitan district financing structure. ATTACHMENT 2 In addition to the housing outlined above, the mixed-use development proposed would support a diverse array of business and commercial utilizations, including neighborhood support service uses. Because Cottonwood’s goal for the development is to create a community where employment and housing options are harmoniously integrated, these business and commercial uses would be intentionally developed to complement the surrounding housing options. The proposed development also represents a prime opportunity to increase the community’s access to recreational opportunities as well as utilization of the City’s open space. Multimodal transportation options will be highly emphasized. Cottonwood envisions transforming the property into a walkable and bikeable community with multiple connections from the housing, business, and commercial uses to the surrounding open spaces, community parks, and trail systems. Cottonwood will collaborate with the City to coordinate efforts around trail and road connections to provide appropriate access to these amenities, responsibly maximizing their use and their beneficial impacts on the community, including the possibility of making this area an alternative transportation hub for residents with convenient bus access to and from the park and Colorado State University. Cottonwood is proposing a multiple metropolitan district structure to accommodate the diversity of uses within the Districts, as well as the multiple planned phases of development. As detailed herein, Cottonwood anticipates that the Districts will conform to the City’s Model Service Plan. 2. Sketch Plan – Please see attached Exhibit 1 for the current sketch plan. 3. Why Districts Are Needed The development within the Districts (the “Project”) involves and necessitates construction of significant public infrastructure, including as an example the reconstruction of the intersection at Horsetooth and Zeigler and several bridges over the Fossil Creek Reservoir Inlet Ditch (“FCRID”). Considering the extensive investment into public infrastructure required, the Project would not be workable using solely private financing methods. The organization of the Districts would enable the development to provide the necessary capital infrastructure through the issuance of tax-exempt bonds for the Project. The financing structures that the Districts may access to finance construction of the public infrastructure make the Project as a whole economically feasible, including the additional Public Benefits that are only included in the Project because of the Districts. Access to lower cost public financing enables provision of additional public improvements and extends the project’s capability to provide valuable public benefits, as described in more detail below. Additionally, in financing the public improvements through metropolitan district financing, residents and property owners of the Districts ultimately pay their proportionate share of the public improvements over a 30 year period of time, as opposed to having those costs front- loaded through lot prices or premiums or through assessments imposed by a homeowners’ association. Further, those property owners within the Districts itemizing their taxes are able to deduct their tax payments for the capital infrastructure on their individual tax returns. Further, any public infrastructure owned, operated, and maintained by the Districts will realize benefits through the Districts, as opposed to a homeowners’ association or other entity, by means of enhanced transparency and accountability above and beyond that which is required in the HOA context, the ability to collect operational revenues through taxes (resulting in the same deduction benefits referenced above), and reduced, more cost-efficient operational costs. 4. Explanation of Public Benefits and Satisfaction of Residential Evaluation Points System The planned development within the Project is anticipated to provide significant public benefit to the City and the community at large. The dynamic mixed-use ecosystem contemplated by Cottonwood would directly generate substantial public benefit by increasing the number of employment opportunities available in the City, as well as potentially decreasing motor vehicle traffic as compared with the City’s more traditional zoning designations because residents can work in the same community in which they live. Cottonwood has also pledged to collaborate with the City to coordinate efforts around trail and road connections to provide appropriate access to both the new recreation and open space amenities to be created on the Strauss Lakes Property, as well as existing City resources in the vicinity. In addition to the substantial public benefits provided by the critical public infrastructure and extensive public improvements outlined above, the Project will also meet and exceed the City’s Residential Evaluation Points System (“REPS”) requirements, as detailed below: a. Housing – 5 Points Minimum - 5 Points Expected Cottonwood is exploring the conveyance of approximately 24 acres of the Property to the Colorado State University System (“CSU”). If accomplished, Cottonwood anticipates this portion of the Property will be developed by CSU in such a way as to satisfy the City’s Affordable Rental Housing REPS metrics. The goal for the CSU portion of the Project will be to include at least 10% of the total dwelling units for the project as affordable rental units serving an income average that does not exceed 60% AMI, as prescribed under the City’s affordable housing regulations. While the average within the affordable rental housing category would not exceed 60%, it is expected that individual units would have AMI ranges between 40% and 80%. This affordable housing commitment would be accomplished without utilizing competitive funding grants or other sources in an effort to preserve those financial resources for future affordable housing opportunities in other parts of Fort Collins. b. Energy Conservation and Renewables – 10 Points Minimum – 10 or 11 Points Expected Cottonwood is also in negotiations with a well-known national homebuilder to construct homes within the Project. The homebuilder has indicated that it would likely be able to incorporate the following Energy Conservation and Renewables benefits into the residential units within the Project: (1) DOE Zero Energy Ready (ZER) Home Performance Path Certified with balanced mechanical whole dwelling ventilation (4 points); (2) air tight homes with balanced whole dwelling ventilation with heat or energy recovery (1 point); (3) qualifying connected thermostats (1 point); air source heat pump electric water heaters and potential utilization of Fort Collins Utilities Peak Partners connected air source heat pump water heaters in some phases (2-3 points); and (4) installation of 50-75% of total energy need in solar, depending on the phase of the project and associated housing type (1-2 points). The development team acknowledges that a total of 10 points are required in this category, and is planning on a combined total of 4 or more points between water heater efficiency and solar. However, a number of potential design shifts are anticipated as the development team and the builder work with city staff through development application process, and at this stage a final allocation determination between these two categories has not been made. The development team will have a clearer feasibility picture by the time the proposed service plan for the metropolitan districts is submitted to the City for consideration, and a more definitive design and allocation commitment between these two categories will be incorporated into the proposed service plan at that time. c. Indoor Water Conservation – 3 Points Minimum – 3.5 Points Expected Within the Project, Cottonwood intends to include WaterSense fixtures performing above code, which will include WaterSense toilets that use one gallon or less per flush and shower heads that will use 1.5 gallons or less per minute throughout the development (2 points) and sub- metering for individual condo and multi-family units throughout the development (1.5 points) to promote indoor water conservation. d. Outdoor Water Conservation – 7 Points Minimum – 7 Points Expected To achieve the required outdoor water conservation REPS points, Cottonwood plans to include efficient residential irrigation systems, including WaterSense certified pressure reducing heads and weather-based irrigation controllers throughout the Project (2 points), water efficient landscaping for residential front yards, with an average of 10 gallons or less of water usage per square foot, including high efficiency nozzles, flow sensors and master valves (2 points), separate drip system for trees in all landscape areas (2 points), common area water use performing above code, with an average of 14 gallons per square foot or less across the community common areas (1 point). e. Neighborhood Livability – 5 Points Minimum – 7 Points Expected Cottonwood’s plans for the Project are anticipated to exceed the City’s REPS requirements in the category of Neighborhood Livability. The Project is anticipated to include numerous off-site trail connections to the Poudre Trail and existing city trails, and the Project will include trails along William Neal and the two irrigation canals that run through the project, as well as bike lanes on Ziegler Road (1 point); level 3 EV Charging Stations in the mixed- use area (1 point); connection to on-street and off-street trails to Fort Collins High School (1 point); vertical mixed-use buildings anticipated in mixed use area (2 points); neighborhood parks as discussed in more detail below (1 point); and access to parks and open space through East Community Park (1 point). The open space plan for the Project is one that the development team is very proud of. It has been designed to ensure that every residential unit within the community is located within 1320 feet (a five-minute walk) or less from at least one of the Project’s four parks. This design feature is illustrated in Exhibit 2 to this submittal. The four parks within the Project will be the Silver Poplar Park, Flat Iron Pond Park, Cottonwood Park, and Pollinator Park, and the Project will include numerous pedestrian and vehicular connections to the City’s East Community Park. Silver Poplar Park, will be centrally located and named for one of the oldest popular tree groves in Fort Collins, and silver poplars will be propagated and incorporated prominently into the landscape design. Flat Iron Park, a site that would qualify for fill and development, would instead serve as an active recreation site for fishing, canoeing and paddle boarding, and would include walking trails for residents and the general public. Cottonwood Park will be designated for more passive recreation, while Pollinator Park will include plants and gardens that are intended to support pollinator species within the community. Other qualitative aspects of the Open Space Plan include a plaza/outdoor gathering space in mixed-use area, a number of tree-lined trails, and intentional placement of landscape along streets with ornamental grasses, low water, and low maintenance native plants as opposed to traditional turf in tree lawns. 5. Service Plan Specifics Cottonwood anticipates that the Districts’ powers, purpose and maximum mill levies will conform to the corresponding provisions outlined in the City’s Model Service Plan. Likewise, the term of the Districts will conform to the parameters in the City’s Model Service Plan. Cottonwood anticipates that one or more of the Districts will operate certain of the Public Improvements not dedicated to other governmental entities, so such Districts would continue to operate those Public Improvements until such operations are no longer necessary. The build-out period for the Project is estimated to be twenty (20) years. Cottonwood hopes to work with the City for approval of the Districts’ Service Plan in time to proceed with an organizational election on May 3, 2022. As mentioned above, the property within the Project is currently zoned industrial, and development approvals related to re-zoning of the property for the Project are proceeding through the City’s review processes concurrently with the City’s review of the proposed Districts. The Project will require significant public infrastructure, both off-site and on-site. Based on current plans, and subject to revisions based on discussions with the City’s Planning and Zoning team, on-site public infrastructure is anticipated to include water, storm and sanitary sewer (including a lift station), streets, landscaping, parks, recreation, and trail improvements. Off-site improvements are expected to include reconstruction of the Horsetooth and Zeigler intersection; demolition and replacement of the Horsetooth Road, Environmental Drive and Percheron Drive Bridges over FCRID; sidewalk and road improvements to Zeigler Road, Horsetooth Road and Environmental Drive; construction of two additional bike and pedestrian bridges over FCRID; and construction of bike and pedestrian trails connecting to the Poudre River Trail and to Rigden Farm. Based on current plans, and subject to revisions based on discussions with the City’s Planning and Zoning team, Cottonwood currently estimates the cost of the public improvements related to and required for the Project will be approximately $68,400,000. We appreciate the City’s time in reviewing this Letter of Interest and look forward to answering any questions that you may have. Concurrently with the submittal of this Letter of Interest, Cottonwood will deliver to the City the Letter of Interest Submittal Fee in the amount of $2,500. Under the City’s Policy, Staff is anticipated to provide a written response to the Letter of Interest within 30 days of receipt of the Letter of Interest and related Fee. Please let us know as soon as possible if the City anticipates that additional time may be needed. Should you have any questions or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, Robert G. Rogers WHITE BEAR ANKELE TANAKA &WALDRON Attorneys at Law Enclosures Exhibit 1 Strauss Lakes Sketch Plan 0’200’400’300’ 2 12/28/2021 STRAUSS LAKES LIVE / WORK LOTS LARGE TOWNHOMES UBE LOTS CARRIAGE HOME LOTS SMALL TOWNHOMES STRAUSS LAKE CONDOS EXECUTIVE STUDIOS CSU APARTMENTS PAIRED HOMES 8-PLEXES / 6-PLEXES STRAUSS LAKES OVERALL MASTER PLAN RIGDEN RESERVOIR 50’ SETBACK FROM DITCH (TYPICAL) BOXELDER DITCH PERCHERON DRIVE (COLLECTOR) WILLIAM NEAL PKWY. (COLLECTOR) MIXED USE FLATIRON POND FOSSIL CREEK INLET DITCH 50’ SETBACK FROM WET- LANDS (TYPICAL) FOSSIL CREEK PARK EAST COMMUNITY PARK DETENTION DETENTION HORSETOOTH ROADZIEGLER ROADPOPLAR PARK 44 257 82 127 156 228 32 TBD 144 72 1,142TOTAL LOT SUMMARY Exhibit 2 Strauss Lakes Open Space Plan 0’200’400’300’ POLLINATOR PARK FLATIRON POND PROPOSED TRAILS 1,320‘ RADIUS PROPOSED CONNECTION COTTONWOOD PARK EAST COMMUNITY PARK POPLAR PARK Economic Health Office 300 LaPorte Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.416.2170 970.224.6107 - fax fcgov.com Dear Robert, Thank you for submitting the Letter of Interest for the proposed Strauss Lakes Metro District. We submit this letter to you in accordance with Section 3 (B) of the City’s Metro District Policy. Our staff team has reviewed the Letter of Interest and seeks clarity on the following elements of the Letter of Interest. We request a revised Letter of Interest that substantially addresses these comments. We will submit the revised Letter of Interest for City Council’s consideration as part of their pre-application meeting for the proposed Metro District on February 15, 2022. Housing 1.Please clarify how many units out of the total development will be deed restricted and affordable. To obtain points in Section 2 for rental housing, 10% of the total units in the development (not just on the proposed CSU parcel) will need to be deed restricted and affordable for a minimum of 20 years. 2.Thank you for stating the intention to income-average the affordable rental housing to 60% of Area Median Income (AMI). Please include the AMI range you anticipate for the affordable component of the project as well (for example, units ranging between 30-80% AMI, income-averaged to 60% AMI). 3.To obtain points in Section 1(B), only single-family detached and single-family attached units would qualify. Energy Conservation and Renewables 4.Two of the noted options to meet the point total allow for an additional point (air source heat pump water heaters utilizing Utilities Peak Partners connected water heaters, and between 50-75% of the total energy need being met with solar PV). Please provide more details on which option will be chosen to obtain the required 10 points. Allowing for the minimum points within the sections noted above would only score 9 points. 5.Energy Services can be available to further discuss and provide more explanation on the options chosen and/or how the development can best meet the required 10 points. Indoor Water Conservation 6.Please confirm that all buildings throughout the development will use WaterSense toilets that use 1.0 gallons or less per flush 7.Please also confirm that you plan to use shower heads throughout the development that use 1.5 gallons of water per minute or less. 8.To obtain points for sub-metering, all condos and multi-family units that are not individually metered, should be privately sub-metered. Please confirm this is your approach for obtaining points in this category. ATTACHMENT 3 Outdoor Water Conservation 9. WaterSense (WS) Certified pressure reducing heads and weather-based irrigation controllers are required for all residential irrigation systems. Equipment not certified by WS, including high efficiency nozzles, flow sensors and master valves, are also required. Staff will send more details on these standards to you. 10. Staff will calculate the average water use in shared/common space across the entire development. The average water use of the total common space may be no more than 14 gallons of water per square foot to score 1 point. Additional points may be earned if average gallons per square foot is less. Estimated water-use for various plants and plant types may be found on the City’s Recommended Plant list at fcgov.com/vegetation. 11. For residential front yards, staff will calculate the average water use on a lot-by-lot basis. All residential lots throughout the entire development may use no more than 10 gallons per square foot to score 2 points. 12. In addition to drip system for trees in parkways and medians, staff encourages drip systems on trees in all landscape areas to mitigate loss of high-value trees in the event of water shortage. 13. It is unclear how you plan to score points for stormwater innovation. Please clarify how you plan to obtain points in this category and how the plan exceeds the City’s existing stormwater standards. The standard is that development treats 75% of the stormwater it generates through some sort of filtration device, known as Low Impact Development (LID) or Green Infrastructure. Staff will evaluate the proposal and determine whether it is worth 1 or 2 points. Neighborhood Livability 14. For all of the measures listed in this section, staff encourages the development team to consider how it plans to guarantee these public benefits through a Public Benefits Agreement. 15. The purpose of the Metro District Policy is to demonstrate the public benefits of the project. Based on information provided thus far, it is unclear how you are achieving this requirement. Please provide additional information under categories in this section that clearly demonstrate how you are going above and beyond code requirements. 16. Access to Parks and Open Spaces: Please show on a map how all residents are located within 1320’ of a park and open space. Two access points to East Community Park does not go above basic requirements. While East Community Park will be an excellent amenity for the community, the Letter of Intent should demonstrate how the metro district goes above and beyond providing access to parks and open space within the development. For example, what contemplative spaces are provided throughout the development? What are the qualitative aspects of the access routes? Will there be educational signage? Wider sidewalks? Pollinator gardens? Benches? What is the experiential qualities of the pedestrian circulation system? How are all residents served through this access network in an equitable way? Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns on the above. We look forward to receiving your updated Letter of Interest. Thanks, Clay Frickey Strauss Lakes Conceptual Review02-15-22Clay Frickey, Redevelopment Program ManagerATTACHMENT 4 2Background• Council adopted new Metro District policy in 2021• Residential Metro Districts require public benefits• Conceptual Review with Council required• Direction and feedback on proposed public benefits 3Process OverviewLetter of Interest submittalStaff reviews Letter of InterestCity Council Conceptual ReviewFormal submittal of Metro DistrictStaff reviews application and Service PlanCouncil Finance reviewCouncil considers Metro District Development Overview4 5Proposed Public BenefitsCategoryMin. Points RequiredPoints ExpectedProposed Public BenefitsHousing552(A) – 10% affordable rental housing – 2 points2(B) – Does not utilize competitive process funding – 3 pointsEnergy Conservation and Renewables10 10-111(A) – DOE Zero Energy Ready (ZER) Home Performance Path Certified with balanced mechanical whole dwelling ventilation – 4 points2(C) – Air-tight homes with balancedwhole dwelling ventilation with heat or energy recovery – 1 point2(E) – Installing qualified connected thermostats – 2-3 points3(A) – Installing solar to meet 50-75% of overall energy need – 2-3 pointsIndoor Water Conservation33.54(A) – WaterSense fixtures performing above Code – 2 points4(C) – Sub-metering – 1.5 points 6Proposed Public BenefitsCategoryMin. Points RequiredPoints ExpectedProposed Public BenefitsOutdoor Water Conservation775(A) – Efficient residential irrigation systems – 2 points5(B) – Water efficient landscaping for residential front yards – 2 points5(C) – Separate drip systems for trees within parkways and medians – 2 points5(D) – Common area water use performing above Code – 1 pointNeighborhood Livability571(A) – Off-site trail connections – 1 point1(C) – Level 3 EV charging stations – 1 point1(D) – Trail connection provided to a school – 1 point2(B) – Vertical mixed-use buildings – 2 points2(C) – Community gathering spaces – 1 point3(A) – Access to parks & open spaces – 1 point 7Staff Comments• Conforms to policy generally• Exception: Housing• 10% affordable rental for CSU portion only• Must apply to whole development• More detail required for numerous elements• Energy & Renewables• Neighborhood Livability 8RecommendationStaff recommends Council adopt a motion proceeding with the proposed Strauss Lakes Metro District. Based on the information provided at this meeting, the applicant's proposed Metro District appears to satisfy the requirements of the Metro District policy with the exception of the affordable housing element and with any recommendations Council has for the applicant to satisfy this element in its formal application.