HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 06/04/2024 - Memorandum from Andy Smith re: North College UpdateSustainability Services
222 LaPorte Ave.
PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
970-416-2517
asmith@fcgov.com
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MEMORANDUM
Date: May 29, 2024
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Duputy City Manager
From: Andy Smith, Redevelopment Manager
Subject: NORTH COLLEGE UPDATE
This memorandum responds to a request for an overview of the strategy for the area and
engagement with the North College Avenue neighborhood.
BOTTOM LINE
Key projects and policy objectives in and around North College Avenue are advancing with
increased coordination amongst City departments and community stakeholders. Several
important milestones are coming into view on the near- to mid-term horizon, leading to
heightened conversations involving the community, City Council, and staff.
BACKGROUND
Community informed priorities for North College are described in plans including, but not limited
to:
• North College Community Investment Plan (2020)
• North College Avenue Urban Renewal Plan (amended 2015)
• North College Corridor Plan (updated 2007)
• North College Drainage Improvement District Project (updated 2017)
• North College MAX Plan (2023)
In 2020, URA staff worked with the Institute for the Built Environment (IBE) and The Family
Center/La Familia (TFC/LF) on a series of workshops to engage community members about
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how they would like to see the URA invest in the North College community. IBE's engagement
consisted of six workshops with participants representing neighborhoods, businesses, service
providers, City staff, and others. TFC/LF engaged with mobile home park residents and
convened three workshops, and these efforts resulted in the North College Community
Investment Plan that was finalized in November of 2020. The North College Community
Investment Plan identified four key categories of strategic investments:
• Complete, Vibrant Neighborhood
• Latinx Community Hub
• Stormwater Improvements
• Recreation and Connectivity
Specific advancements that promote these four priority areas include:
• Potential acquisition of former Albertson's property (pending)
• Development of Latinx community hub business plan (soon to commence)
• Significant progress towards solutions to challenges of the planned stormwater
improvements, including design and location clarity.
• Vision and framework for the future of transportation, connectivity, and related land uses
in the North College corridor.
The concept and desire for a community hub attracted a considerable amount of stakeholder
focus during the Community Investment Plan effort. As such, the Plan recommended that half
of North College’s remaining unpledged tax increment revenue be allocated to this effort, and
that stakeholders “forge development partnerships” in 2023-24 and then begin to develop the
community hub in 2025.
As steady progress continues, staff from PDT, Social Sustainability, and the Urban Renewal
Authority meet regularly to provide updates, align projects, and identify opportunities to
coordinate and leverage resources. The frequency of these discussions will increase in the
coming months.
Furthermore, staff has conducted (and continues to conduct) targeted community outreach to
stakeholders including The Family Center/La Familia, the North Fort Collins Business
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Association, the Health District, the Chamber’s Local Legislative Affairs Committee, the Institute
for the Built Environment at CSU, the Fort Collins Rescue Mission, and others.
On April 24, 2024, the North Fort Collins Business Association (NFCBA) requested a
comprehensive update from City staff at their monthly membership meeting, specifically
addressing stormwater improvements, right-of-way acquisitions, and the proposed 24/7 shelter.
Nine City staff members from Utilities, PDT, URA, FCPD, and Economic Health were present
and involved in the update. Several NFCBA members made it clear that they are opposed to
the proposed location of the 24/7 shelter and that the City is not listening to their objections.
Regarding the proposed 24/7 shelter planned by the Fort Collins Rescue Mission (“FCRM”),
recent approval of a certain land swap and associated ODP helped resolve a stormwater
challenge facing the neighborhood surrounding, and including, the proposed shelter location.
As part of the $60,000 of funding from the City, FCRM completed a traffic study, conceptual
review, due diligence, and a trauma-informed design assessment. Please see attached “Exhibit
A” for a summary of research findings reported by FCRM, and note the following text from the
2022 BFO offer for those funds:
Fort Collins Rescue Mission will conduct outreach, engagement, site planning, and/or other
activities necessary for the ongoing planning of the future 24/7 shelter facility. These activities
will aid in preparations for developing the future site with input from stakeholders and trauma-
informed site design. Recipient plans to conduct necessary next steps to move the future 24/7
shelter project forward, including:
• trauma-informed design interviews,
• geotechnical survey and report,
• conceptual review, and
• a traffic study
Finally, a Project Development Plan hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission is
scheduled for July 18, 2024.
NEXT STEPS
Staff will continue to coordinate efforts internally and conduct community outreach and
collaboration. Timely updates to Council will continue. In the meantime, staff are also available
to provide more detailed information on any of the specific plans, projects, and activities
described in this memo.
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CC: Josh Birks, Deputy Director – Sustainability Services
Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer
Caryn M. Champine, Director – Planning, Development & Transportation
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EXHIBIT A (FCRM Research Overview)
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
With a commitment to guest engagement, in July 2022, Shopworks Architecture initiated a trauma-
informed design assessment of this project, interviewing guests and staff of the Fort Collins Rescue
Mission as well as other local service providers and individuals served to understand the community’s
experience and needs. In total, the research team interviewed 96 members of the Fort Collins
community, including 42 persons served and 54 service providers.
Service providers and participants who engaged in this research were connected to the following local
agencies:
• Fort Collins Rescue Mission
• Catholic Charities (overnight shelter for women and families)
• Family Housing Network (day center serving families)
• Murphy Center (day center serving adults)
• Homeward Alliance (the parent org running the Murphy Center)
• Outreach Fort Collings
• La Familia (staff connected us to their participants, many of whom live in the Hickory
Village neighborhood)
• Heath District
• Family Medical Clinic
• Brittany Depew – Homelessness Lead Specialist for City of Fort Collins
Additionally, in April 2022, the TID research team carried out an assessment of the Denver Rescue
Mission, conducting interviews with 42 guests and staff. This organization-specific input as well as
learnings from Shopworks other overnight and day shelter projects have deeply informed the best
practices employed in the design of this development.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Rescue Mission: At the heart of the feedback heard by the research team was a deep commitment held
by guests and staff to the mission of the Rescue Mission. This is an organization that cares deeply about
the work they are doing and supports members of their community with life-saving services.
Additionally, everyone is appreciative that the Rescue Mission has continued to “make do” with what
was available and presented to them. Amidst a global pandemic, staff and guests alike understand and
appreciate that the Rescue Mission responded to the call to provide responsive shelter and wrap-around
services in the currently constrained physical setting as well as the temporarily shelter site. That said,
there is deep enthusiasm for the plan to build a new shelter and day center from the ground up that will
allow staff to have the space they need to do their work and offer programs to guests and for there to
be more space that will mitigate many of their current issues.
Community: Members of the community are excited about the possibilities of programming and
offerings in the new shelter/day center. There are many questions about what precisely Fort Collins
Rescue Mission is planning on offering and deep hopes for dedicated services, like a comprehensive
onsite healthcare center. There are also questions about how the day center will integrate with existing
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programs, such as those currently offered at The Murphy Center. Despite these questions, the
community is not concerned about duplication of services for the envisioned day center. In fact, more
services are needed, and concentrated services at the Rescue Mission could free up other service
providers to attend to other underserved groups (women, LGBTQ+ individuals, youth, families,
precariously housed, etc.). We encourage further conversations and close engagement with partner
service providers to strategically position this new project within the existing network of service
provision.
Neighbors: The research team also heard from members of the community voicing significant concerns
about the project, particularly neighbors of the selected site who have been historically underserved
and overlooked by the city. Many of those individuals who participated in this research expressed
feelings of anger and disappointment. They expressed a strong desire for increased safety measures and
greater communication from the City and Rescue Mission (offered in Spanish). Participants shared that
they are open to education about homelessness as long as those conversations are conducted in the
spirit of both communities hearing and learning from each other.
SPECIFIC TRAUMA-INFORMED DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
• The entrance plays a critical role in creating a calm, welcoming experience for guests
and supporting staff in anticipating and responding to circumstances that may arise. The
entrance was thoughtfully designed as a secure, single point for access with a large waiting
area and lobby where guests can move through the check-in process during inclement
weather and move indoors quickly upon approach to the building.
• Increased safety measures, emphasized by staff, guests, and neighbors at the new site,
will be employed, including indoor/outdoor camera and lighting coverage, a privacy fence
surrounding the site, open sightlines across the development, and 24/7 staff coverage.
Further, broad accessibility considerations in all areas will be critical to account for a variety
of health and mobility needs, including dorms that offer space for wheelchairs and oxygen
tanks.
• Guests named concerns about lack of sightlines in the current, retrofitted shelter. The
new development supports visibility throughout all spaces, including wide corridors, no
hidden corners, and strategic location of staff – allowing staff to have eyes on all spaces
within the building. Additionally, the bathroom is in the shape of a loop, so there are no
dead ends (requested by staff and guests alike).
• All materials utilized must be durable, accounting for the intense wear and tear of a
shelter setting. The envisioned design balances durability with warmth of materiality in
terms of a natural color palette and organic materials, like wood and stone. Sunlight is also
maximized in common areas to support alignment to circadian rhythms. Research shows
that attention to natural elements, including wood and daylighting, supports improved
mood, sleep, and overall somatic regulation.
• Outdoor areas were raised as an important feature for guests to find respite and
decompress from the expected stressors of service and housing navigation. As such, a large,
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covered porch has been designed to support year-round outdoor access and connection to
nature. The fenced area will allow guests a place to relax outdoors without being on public
property, as currently takes place.
• All spaces are intended to support flexible use. Guests and staff of the Rescue Mission
noted that their needs change over time. So the design includes features such as a movable
wall in the dining room to accommodate a range of uses.
• Ideally, the expanded shelter capacity will allow the Rescue Mission to provide
increased severe weather sheltering services (both during the day and overnight in the cold
winter and hot summer months).
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