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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 12/12/2017 - COMPATIBILITY AND CHARACTER CODE UPDATESDATE: STAFF: December 12, 2017 Cameron Gloss, Planning Manager WORK SESSION ITEM City Council SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Compatibility and Character Code Updates. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to provide Council a progress report on three interrelated Land Use Code amendment projects that together address the compatibility of new construction with the existing built environment. Those efforts include improved Historic Adjacency Standards (part of the current Historic Preservation Code review project), and potential amendments to design standards for downtown and within transition areas at the interface between downtown and the Old Town Neighborhoods. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED 1. Is it appropriate to create an expanded downtown zone district? 2. Is Council comfortable with staff’s intention to integrate compatibility requirements in the Land Use Code to improve overall clarity and predictability? BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Project Focus A series of amendments to Articles 3 and 4 of the Land Use Code are necessary to implement policies within the recently adopted Downtown Plan and the Old Town Neighborhoods Plan and direction provided through the on- going Historic Preservation code review project. In order to encourage high-quality new development and maintain a unique sense of place in Fort Collins, sensitive design solutions are required at the edges of downtown where commercial uses meet residential areas, at the interface between historic resources and new construction, and at the boundaries between Downtown Character Subdistricts. New compatibility standards will encourage seamless transitions in building scale and design at these interface areas. The project objective is to provide greater predictability in the Land Use Code regulations by clarifying standards that apply to new infill and redevelopment projects. The Code changes will provide form and performance-based metrics that augment existing design standards. The new standards need to be predictable, yet allow for creative building forms and site design options. This joint Code improvement effort will also align the goals and implementation efforts of the Historic Preservation code review project, the Downtown Plan, and Old Town Neighborhoods Plan. Project Management The Code analysis is being performed under three integrated projects that share staff and consultant resources, and joint community engagement. City Planning and Preservation staff is managing the project. December 12, 2017 Page 2 Consultant Assistance The consultant team is providing expert input on architecture, urban design, review processes, and historic preservation. Contracts for services have been engaged with Clarion Associates, Tryba Architects, and Peter Park, all of whom are located in Denver. Clarion Associates is leading the Historic Preservation Code review, while Tryba Architects and Peter Park lead the urban design process and architectural testing of Code options. Community Engagement Urban design policy direction underpinning the compatibility Code project was gathered through countless community engagement activities during the creation of the Downtown and Old Town Neighborhoods Plans. Engagement activities for both Plans were varied, from traditional open houses and workshops, listening sessions and surveys, to more interactive events like walking and bike tours, online wiki-mapping, and events at festivals. For the Downtown Plan, total outreach included 38 workshops, open houses, or general events, 36 working group meetings, 2 working group roundtables, 57 presentations to 17 City boards and commissions, numerous coffee discussion get-togethers, and thousands of individual interactions, survey responses, and comments. A key component of the Downtown Plan engagement included an email newsletter with over 900 subscribers. The Old Town Neighborhoods Plan included 21 listening sessions, workshops and open houses, and 10 neighborhood stakeholder group meetings. Most recently, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Colorado North Section, in partnership with the City and the DDA, presented two Community Workshops on Architecture and Design Standards for Infill and Historic Districts. The workshops, held on October 19 and November 2, were well-attended by members of the design and development community and featured highly-regard national and regional design experts as keynote presenters. Both of these events have helped to inform staff on the range of issues present and refinements to the more general policy direction provided in the Downtown and Old Town Neighborhoods Plans. Additional information about the community engagement platform is discussed under Next Steps. Timeline Phase I - Data Collection May - August 2017 Phase II - Evaluate Regulatory Options August 2017- January 2018 Phase III - Prepare DRAFT Land Use Code Amendments December 2017 - March 2018 Phase IV - Land Use Code Amendment Adoption Process April - June 2018 HISTORIC STANDARDS - Compatibility and Adjacency Infill and redevelopment projects must be determined to “protect and enhance the historic and architectural value” of historic properties on or adjacent to the development site. The current Land Use Code language does not provide the appropriate balance of flexible yet predictable guidelines to achieve this goal, and to ensure that Fort Collins receives high-quality new construction that represents its own time while integrating comfortably with existing historic resources and preserving their ongoing viability and value to the community. The proposed updates to the Land Use Code in both the historic preservation subsection of Article 3 and the zone district standards in Article 4 will clarify how new development can achieve compatibility with the existing character of the downtown subdistricts and transition buffer areas, as well as where there are specific compatibility considerations to protect the ongoing viability of nearby historic resources. A similar challenge lies with the definition of “adjacency” within the Land Use Code for purposes of reviewing development applications. The term “adjacent” is defined in Section 5.1.2: “Adjacent shall mean nearby, but not necessarily touching. The determination of ‘nearby’ shall be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the context in which the term is used and the variables (such as but not limited to size, mass, scale, bulk, visibility, nature of use, intensity of use) that may be relevant to deciding what is ‘nearby’ in that particular context. Adjacency shall not be December 12, 2017 Page 3 affected by the existence of a platted street or alley, a public or private right-of-way, or a public or private transportation right-of-way or area.” Development applicants have called for more uniform and predictable method to identify an “area of adjacency” that applies to historic resource compatibility requirements. The Historic Preservation Code update will include a predictable metric that will allow development applicants to anticipate in their initial planning process exactly where compatibility with nearby historic resources will be a consideration. Additionally, an effort to identify and map historic resources in the downtown and adjacent historic neighborhoods is already underway and will support the goals of predictability and transparency for development applicants. DOWNTOWN PLAN- Adding Taller and Larger Buildings The downtown skyline is expected to continue to evolve with a limited number of additional buildings that will rise above the tree canopy, in the 7-12 story range, mainly to the west and south of the Historic Core. Other larger new buildings, generally in the 4-6-story range, may continue to rise throughout the downtown area under zoning height limits in specific, appropriate subdistrict locations. Zoning regulations set maximum allowable heights on a given site, but other factors associated with Land Use Code requirements and development project needs often ultimately determine the height of a specific building. Maximum building heights are on a block-by-block basis, with the tallest portion of a building limited to these maximum heights. During the review process, a lower limit may be placed on a building based on design standards for compatibility. Although participants in the planning process differed in their opinions about building heights, it was agreed that limiting the overall bulk, mass and scale and using appropriate architectural design techniques to mitigate impact on surrounding buildings can make taller buildings acceptable. Currently, regulations include basic maximum height limits that work in conjunction with qualitative requirements to shape the size and design of new construction; with the emphasis placed on the qualitative requirements. This approach needs to shift to a more clearly stated regulatory framework to facilitate more efficient review of proposed development projects. The pedestrian experience, shadow impacts, and relationships to adjacent development should all be critical factors in evaluating the compatibility of new development downtown. Ultimately, revised regulations will result in greater predictability of outcomes in the development review process Urban Design Concepts Governing Building Height and Size (excerpt from the Downtown Plan) • Refine building height limits based on location and a height limits maps that aligns with the character subdistricts. • Continue to foster downtown’s traditional pedestrian scale and character through upper floor building stepback requirements. Define appropriate stepback parameters depending upon site context. • Augment stepback parameters to promote slender building forms that allow view corridors and solar access to be maintained. Separate any new towers from existing towers in order to maintain view corridors. • Explore the use of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) limits to mitigate the bulk of new buildings. FAR is the ratio of a building's total floor coverage to the size of the parcel upon which it is built. • Set buildings back from streets based upon the streetscape classification for the character subdistricts. DOWNTOWN PLAN- Preserving the Unique Qualities of Subdistricts Downtown encompasses much more than the memorable “Old Town” core, with differing areas of varied and complex character. For example, “Campus North,” the part of downtown directly north of Colorado State University has a much different character and function than the area north of the river along Vine Drive, yet both contribute to the downtown. December 12, 2017 Page 4 To acknowledge this complexity, to customize policies and action items and to better plan for the entire downtown, the following nine character subdistricts were recognized through the planning process: • Innovation Subdistrict • Poudre River Corridor • River Subdistrict • North Mason Subdistrict • Civic Subdistrict • Canyon Avenue Subdistrict • Historic Core Subdistrict • Campus North Subdistrict • Entryway Corridor Staff is proposing an expansion of the Downtown (D) zone district to encompass all areas that function within the sphere of downtown, and to craft Land Use Code standards that recognize unique qualities and opportunities that define each subdistrict and encourage new development that supports and contributes to subdistrict character. OLD TOWN NEIGHBORHOODS PLAN- Increasing Density at the Neighborhood Edges The Old Town Neighborhoods Plan (OTNP) calls for the development in 2017-18 of transition compatibility standards that apply to the Neighborhood Conservation Buffer zone district (NCB), located at the edges of the existing neighborhoods where they interface with downtown and Colorado State University. The existing NCB Land Use Code standards are insufficient to ensure future compatibility for transition areas with new development adjacent to existing neighborhoods and historic buildings or blocks. The new design standards will focus primarily on multi-family residential and non-residential uses since present standards address the design of single family housing. The intent of new standards is to support higher density in transition areas without compromising neighborhood character. Compatibility issues considered under the Code changes: • Shading impacts of new taller buildings • The height, setback, scale, massing and detailing of adjacent commercial and multi-family buildings should respond to existing homes and scale • Permitted land uses mostly appropriate, but need to focus more on design elements such as building height, building materials, setback/stepbacks, roof form, ground-floor character, site design, and on-site parking The OTNP included specific policy direction for developing new design compatibility standards for the land use and transition areas in the NCB zone district. Policy LUT 2: Improve transitions between the established single-family neighborhoods and downtown/CSU. Strategies: LUT 2.1 Explore options to create new or expanded Neighborhood Conservation Buffer (NCB) zoning between downtown and the neighborhoods. LUT 2.2 Develop new design guidelines and standards for neighborhood transition areas and the Neighborhood Conservation Buffer (NCB) zone district to improve compatibility between residential blocks and more intense nearby development. December 12, 2017 Page 5 During Plan outreach efforts, many stakeholders expressed that the existing land-use mix in the transition areas of low to medium density residential, professional offices, medical clinics, and community and civic institutions represented an appropriate mix. Most concerns centered on building design, scale, and materials, parking, and the relationship of rear facades and alleys to single-family homes. Given this set of issues, site and building design should be the focus of new transition-area standards. Opportunity exists to explore new standards relating to building mass, bulk, and scale, roof form, building materials, ground floor character, and more. The new standards could also be specifically tailored to the individual context between the neighborhoods and the new Downtown character areas established as part of the Downtown Plan. NEXT STEPS Community Engagement activities will continue where the Fall AIA Workshops left off and includes the following key dates and timeframes: • December 12, 2017-Developer Forum with local business, real estate, and development professionals to talk about current conditions, trends, and issues/opportunities on the business and development environment as part of the City Plan update. • January 2018-Interviews with key area property owners, developers, and historic preservation interests regarding possible regulatory concepts. • February 2018-Testing of regulatory options through the computer-generated model • March 2018-Interactive Public Workshops eliciting response to regulatory options • April 10, 2018-Update to City Council in conjunction with Historic Preservation Code Review • May-Planning and Zoning Board and Landmark Preservation Commission consideration and recommendation • June 5, 2018-City Council consideration of Code changes ATTACHMENTS 1. Public Engagement Summary (PDF) 2. Architecture and Design Standards Community Workshops Invitation (PDF) 3. Powerpoint presentation (PDF) PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT SUMMARY PROJECT TITLE: DESIGN COMPATIBILITY AND CHARACTER LAND USE CODE AMENDMENTS OVERALL PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT LEVEL: C BOTTOM LINE QUESTION: How do we create regulations that result in compatible new construction within Downtown, surrounding interface areas and adjacent to historic resources? KEY STAKEHOLDERS: DDA, DBA, Downtown and Old Town Neighborhood property owners, and the Development Community (developers, architects and related design professionals) TIMELINE: *2016 - June 2018 Phase 1: *Downtown and Old Town Neighborhoods Plan Community Engagement Timeframe: 2016 – March 2017 Key Messages: Establish Urban Design Policies governing Downtown and the interface at the Old Town Neighborhoods Tools and Techniques: traditional open houses and workshops, listening sessions and surveys, to more interactive events like walking and bike tours, online wiki-mapping, and events at festivals. PHASE 2: Community Workshops on Architecture and Design Standards for Infill and Historic Districts Timeframe: October-November 2017 Key Messages: Discuss the range of options available for regulating infill and redevelopment that encourage high-quality development and protect our sense of place. Tools and Techniques: Community Workshops PHASE 3: Interviews with key property owners, developers and historic preservation interests Timeframe: January 2018 Key Messages: Share the results of design testing and confirm community perspective and additional work needed. Tools and Techniques: Interviews and presentation materials. PHASE 4: Interactive Public Workshops Timeframe: March 2018 Key Messages: Develop an understanding of the preferred regulatory option. Tools and Techniques: Presentations, 3-D computer modelling, keypad polling. ATTACHMENT 1 You are invited to attend a series of Community Workshops on Architecture Design & Standards For Infill and Historic Districts October 19th and November 2nd 5:30pm Registration & Networking 6pm to 8:30pm Program & Presentations Rio Grande – Agave Room located on the 2nd floor 143 W. Mountain Avenue in Downtown Fort Collins Thursday October 19, 2017 - Fundamentals, Principles and Challenges Featuring a keynote presentation by Annie Levinsky, Executive Director of Historic Denver Thursday, November 2, 2017 - Case Studies: Applying principles and finding solutions. Featuring a keynote presentation by Reed Kroloff, Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum, and a nationally known commentator in the world of architecture and urban design Snacks provided. Cash bar. Free to attend. Registration required. Register online: https://ArchitectureattheRio.eventbrite.com Presented by: AIA Colorado North Section, The American Institute of Architects Supporting Partners: City of Fort Collins & The Fort Collins Downtown Development Authority ATTACHMENT 2 1 Compatibility Code Updates Cameron Gloss 12-12-17 ATTACHMENT 3 Three Interrelated Focus Areas 2 Downtown Neighborhood Conservation Buffer (NCB) Historic Preservation Recent Guiding Plans 3 Downtown Plan Policy 4 Old Town Neighborhoods Plan Policy 5 Code Update Objectives 6 • Retain and enhance our sense of place • Strengthen compatibility and transition standards • Promote individual subdistrict character • Increase clarity and predictability; simplify standards when possible • Strengthen graphic representation • Strengthen standards geared towards pedestrians Downtown Zones 7 Downtown Zones 8 Downtown Subdistricts 9 River Subdistrict 10 River Subdistrict 11 River Subdistrict 12 Transitions 13 “Compatibility does not mean the same as. Rather, compatibility refers to the sensitivity of development proposals in maintaining the character of existing development.” 14 All of the Land Use Code shapes compatibility Transitions 15 Between Downtown and the abutting neighborhoods Transitions 16 Between character subdistricts Transitions 17 Between development and historic resources Transitions 18 Key Concept 19 Street Character Types 20 Organizing Principles 21 Current Height Limits 22 Example Graphics 23 Key Questions Is it appropriate to create an expanded Downtown zone district? Is Council comfortable with staff’s intention to integrate compatibility requirements in the Land Use Code to improve overall clarity and predictability? 24 Next Steps Public events & stakeholder outreach in February