HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Read Before Packet - 12/7/2021 - Memorandum From Clark Mapes Re: Planning And Zoning Commission Minutes For Fort Collins-Loveland Water District Addition Of Permitted Uses (Apu) - Agenda Item 16Community Development & Neighborhood
Services
Planning & Development Services
281 North College Avenue
P.O. Box 580
Fort Collins, CO 80522.0580
970.221.6376
970.224.6111- fax
MEMORANDUM
Date: December 6, 2021
To: Mayor Arndt and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, Interim City Manager
Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manager
Caryn Champine, Director of Planning, Development, and Transportation
Paul Sizemore, Director of Community Development and Neighborhood Services
Rebecca Everette, Planning Manager
From: Clark Mapes, City Planner
Re: Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes for Fort Collins-Loveland Water District
Addition of Permitted Uses (APU)
This memo is to provide minutes from the October 21, 2021 P&Z hearing on this item. The minutes were
only recently completed and are attached.
The Commission was required to make a recommendation to Council regarding the APU, as noted in
Agenda Item Summary report. The Commission recommended Council approval on a 5-0 vote.
The Commission also approved the Overall Development Plan (a master plan for future expansion of
facilities on the property), subject to the APU.
Staff will carry these minutes from the P&Z hearing forward, along with any other pertinent information
from the record, to be included in any future development plans under the Overall Development Plan.
Attachments:
Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes
1
Planning and Zoning Commission Hearing DRAFT Minutes
October 21, 2021 Hearing
Fort Collins-Loveland Water District
Fort Collins Loveland Water District (FCLWD) Overall Development Plan with
Addition of Permitted Uses
Project Description: This is a proposed Overall Development Plan (ODP), #ODP210001, for
future expansion of Fort Collins/Loveland Water District (FCLWD) office and operations
facilities. The ODP is to enable expansion of existing outdoor storage and adding another
accessory garage building associated with the water district office headquarters on Snead Drive
in south Fort Collins.
The FCLWD property comprises four parcels. Three of the parcels are within the Low Density
Residential (RL) Zone District, which does not list the proposed uses as Permitted Uses; and
thus the plan includes a request for Addition of Permitted Uses (APU) under the Land Use
Code. The fourth parcel, along Snead Drive frontage, is zoned General Commercial (CG).
Recommendation: Approval
Secretary Manno reported that there were no additional citizen emails received.
Staff and Applicant Presentations
Planner Mapes gave a brief verbal/visual overview of the project and the history of the unique
situation where FCLWD operations already overlap onto RL-zoned parcels. He mentioned the
need for APU for master planning for long-term expansion. The uses in question
are outdoor storage and an accessory building which would be accessory to the office
headquarters.
The applicant team comprising land planner Mike McBride, architect Rebecca Spears and
FCLWD representative Jason Pauley then provided a presentation.
They explained that the existing facility was established on the property in 1999, in an approved
plan on the CG-zoned parcel. The district provides clean water in south Fort Collins, Timnath,
Windsor, and unincorporated Larimer County over 60 square miles, serving 45-50,000 people.
They need the proposed master plan for approximately the next 20 years to allow the facilities to
keep up with growth in the area. This plan gets the uses tied to the property so the district can
follow this with actual development plans over time for the improvements that are shown here.
They noted that they personally visited three residences of adjoining neighbors, who had
attended the two neighborhood meetings and requested the visits.
They benefitted from the perspective and discussion. They changed the plan to move the
perimeter screen fence away from the perimeter inward to the edge of the future construction,
2
and put a landscape buffer area external to that. They saw that neighbors have three-rail fences
and so the neighbors will really get the benefit of the landscape buffer instead of just seeing a 6-
foot fence. Also, seeing the views to the west over the district property helped with
understanding of future design of landscaping to work with those views while providing
screening and buffering of the facility.
Planner Mapes added a few more observations about the components shown on the plan, the
history of the existing development on the property, and the context of neighboring lots in the
abutting subdivisions.
He summarized the code provisions and criteria for APUs and ODPs,
regarding those.
Public Input (3 minutes per person)
Neighbor Lori Scott spoke. She thanked the applicant team that came out to visit and hear
concerns, and for revising the plan to show landscaping buffers based on the
discussion.
One of the concerns is lighting for the drive-through bays that will be facing homes.
Another is the building being contemplated as a metal building and wondered if it could be
faced with something other than metal, at least on the sides facing neighbors. Neighbors
always knew that this land could be developed, but it was always thought of as becoming a
neighborhood,
Another concern was noise at the water-filling station from trucks coming and going in the
morning. Neighbors understand the need, and just wonder what could be done to mitigate
the noise from that. They understand that these things are in the future, and so they would
like to see if any of these changes could be put as conditions of approval.
Applicant Response
The applicant responded to concerns. The district is aware of which existing
lights are the most offending they are mostly building-mounted lights that do not have the
appropriate shielded type of fixture. The team is committed to making sure that they are
intentional with the lighting in future plans, which will comply with code requirements, to
avoid lighting issues on neighboring properties.
The team has discussed treatments for the metal building, and when they come to a
development plan, it will include architectural elevations which will comply with code
requirements for compatibility, and the team will make sure that it fits in with the
neighborhood.
The pull-through bays on the new proposed building, with garage doors on both sides, is
important for the district as a safety element. The less backing out required during
operations, the safer the facility is. It is also an efficiency element in addition to safety. With
the landscape treatment, and building treatment, the team will try to mitigate what that looks
like.
3
The water filling station is for individuals who are registered users of that filling station with a
credit card or an ID card, so it is not just anybody driving through town that can fill up there.
This limits some of the traffic through that water filling station.
Commission Questions
Vice Chair Shepard asked if at the time of a development plan, will there be the ability to provide
an analysis with some cross sections showing topographic slope, as to what the headlights
would look like as they pull through? Planner Mapes responded yes, this is typical of concerns
we have that will be addressed in any development plans.
Vice Chair Shepard also confirmed that that there would be another neighborhood meeting
when a development plan comes forward for the building.
Commission Deliberation
Member Katz commented that the District has been using the site for a long time, and it
would be very difficult for him personally to deny the APU, but what is interesting and
difficult, is part of the APU criteria that Clark shared, for impact mitigation.
But yet, this is paired with an ODP, and not a PDP, so the Commission cannot really get into
that. So, he was kind of struggling with that aspect. He appreciated the applicants working
with neighbors on screening and views.
Member Hansen had a similar concern, but noted that the other option was to do a rezone,
. That would add a whole list of other permitted
uses with no relation to the d and he thinks it is appropriate that there are
just two permitted uses specific to the plan. It gives a lot more predictability to the
neighbors.
Several members discussed their thoughts that it is important that the record from the
Commission hearing, and these minutes particular, should be included and highlighted in
any future development plan reviews of any type, to address the record of concerns and
discussions.
To ensure this, members discussed whether to include a condition with their motion;
whether to ask for notes on the ODP; or whether file maintenance and institutional
and that
they will be raised and addressed in any future development.
In the end, the Commission directed staff to ensure that it happens, but without any specific
condition or direction for how to ensure it.
Member Hansen made a motion that the Fort Collins Planning and Zoning
Commission recommend that City Council approve the Addition of Permitted Uses for
outdoor storage and accessory garage for the office associated with the Fort
Collins/Loveland Water District Overall Development Plan, ODP #210001. Member
Katz seconded.
4
Vice Chair Shepard reiterated to the applicant team and to the applicant, that there will be
scrutiny and the burden of proof at the time of future development plans. There will be a lot
more detail needed and that's something that he just wants reflected in the minutes, that this
is a skeletal APU, but there is a lot of potential for compliance.
But the burden is on the applicant and the consulting team to comply with all the applicable
standards of the land use code, and not in a minimal fashion. And so he just wanted to
make that a comment.
Vote: 5:0.
Member Katz made a motion the Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Commission
approve the Fort Collins/Loveland Water District Overall Development Plan, ODP
#210001 with the following conditions: The addition of permitted uses associated with
this Overall Development Plan must be approved by City Council. Should City Council
deny the Addition of Permitted Uses, this approval shall be nullified and the overall
development deemed denied, because it will not be consistent with the permitted
uses for the RL Zone District.
Member Hansen seconded.
Vote: 5:0