HomeMy WebLinkAbout1979-092-10/02/1979-ADOPTING A BUILDING HEIGHT REVIEW CRITERIA 7 1
RESOLUTION 79-92
OF THE COUNCIL OF THL CITY OF FORT COLLINS
ADOPTING A BUILDING HEIUHT REVIEW CRITERIA
WHEREAS, heretofore Section 118-82 of the Code of the City of Fort
Collins has been amended to preclude buildings of a height greater than
forty feet —(40' ) unless they ,are located in a Unit Development Plan as
defined, processed, and approved according to Section 118-83 of the Zoninq
Ordinance, and
WHEREAS, it is necessary end appropriate that a review criteria be
established for Planned Unit Development review concerning the development
of buildings over forty feet (40' ) in height and to guide the
review of proposals for such buildings under the P U D Ordinance
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FJRT
COLLINS that the building height review criteria, a true copy of which is
attached hereto as Exhibit "A", be, and they hereby are, approved and
adopted
Passed and adopted at a regular ireeting of the Council of the City
of Fort Collins neld this 2nd day of 0,,eSober 1
rl
ST
C Clerk
PROPOSED
CITY of FORT COLLINS
PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT
BUILDING HEIGHT REVIEW CRITERIA
A Put pose and Objectives
Sec 118-82(c) of the City of Fort Collins Zoning Ordinance (as proposed
to be amended) precludes buildings of a height greater than forty feet
(40' ) unless they are located in a unit development plan as defined,
processed and approved according to Sec 118-83 of the Zoning Ordinance
(i e the P U D Ordinance) The purpose of these criteria is to
establish a framework for the discretionary review of building heights
in excess of forty feet in a P U D proposal The intent is to encourage
creativity and diversity of architectural and site design within a con-
text of harmonious neighborhood planning and coherent environmental
design
The primary objectives of the City of Fort Collins in regulating building
heights ate the follo�iing
1 to preserve the character and stability of existing residential
neighborhoods by precluding the development of buildings which
by their height are intrusive to the established character of
the neighborhood Some of the external costs imposed by intru-
sive height include visual incompatibility due to differences in
building scale, loss of views, loss of sunlight on adjacent pro-
perty, and loss of privacy in adjacent yards,
2 to define and reinforce the downtown area as the high intensity
focal point in the community wlhile preserving the historic
character of the "old torn" area,
3 to allow for maximum utilization of other areas zoned for high
density residential , commercial and industrial use, but witnout
substantially altering the urban form of the city through building
heights which conflict wit'i the general scale of development in
the district or community as a whole,
4 to generally protect access to air and sunlight for active and
passive utilization of solar energy,
5 to provide conscious direction to the development of the urban form
of the city through placement of nigh rise buildings This direction
would generally allow high rise development in the downtown area as
per Objective 2, discn,rrage hign rise development in or adjacent to
low and medium density neighborhoods as per Objective 1 , and expect
no more than mid-rise de�Plopment elsewh-te as oer Objective 3,
6 to allow fur %aviation of cnese general eypectaLi ons wneie justified
through the discretionary reviewr of planned unit development
proposals
Page 2
re Proposed City of Fort Collins
P U D Building Height Review Criteria
B Information to be Submitted
Section 118-83, E, (2) , (b) , [141 of the Zoning Ordinance requires a
P U D preliminary plan suomittal to include "any additional informa-
tion as required by the review authority necessary to evaluate the
character and impacts , both fiscal and environmental , of the proposed
planned unit development"
P U D proposal which ential building heights in excess of forty feet
(40' ) should include the following
1 a snadow analysis which indicates on the preliminary site plan
the location of all shadows cast by the building (with associated
dates of the year) ,
2 a visual analysis which identifies existing views to be blocked,
from where, of what, and to whom, and wnich depicts in graphic form
views before and after the project utilizing photographs of the area
or neutral drawings derived from them with proposed buildings drawn
in Deoictions should be made from at least two points from which
the proposal will be commonly viewed, one of which should be a vista
towards the foothills These points of observation should be indi-
cated on an inset mao or plan of the area (see Exhibit One for example) ,
3 the P U D statement of planning objectives should evaluate the shadow
and visual analysis , and specifically address the review criteria
below
C Review Criteria
1 Height Districts The purpose of the height districts as indicated
on the attached map is to establish a general policy of benchmark
expectations concerning building heights in the community as a whole
The height district boundaries are based on the objectives listed
above The districts are, however, intended as guidelines rather than
absolute limitations Given the specific characteristics of a site
and proposal , the City Council might approve a building of whatever
height above the benchmark which it felt was justified by the other
criteria By the same toEen, the Council might limit building height
to less than the benchmark expectation where it deemed this to be
necessary
The policy for benchmarE criteria concerning building heights in
P U D ' s for each height district are as follows
Height District 1 - 40 feet
Height District 2 - 55 feet
Height Oistr ict 3 - io spec f r, ll n
See Exhibit Two for a map indicating the location of these height
districts (as currently proposed)
Page 3
re Proposed City of Fort Collins
P U D Building Height Review Criteria
2 Views A building of greater than benchmark height should not
substantially alter the opportunity and quality of desireable views
within the community 1 Particular enphasis will be given to pre-
serving views of the foothills from city parks and public spaces
Adverse effects may derive from buildings above benchmark height
which block widely perceived vices of the mountains , or which compete
for attention with significant landira0 s or features of
the skyline (e g Long' s Peak, Horsetooth HOUntain, Fort Collins High
School cupola, church steeples , mature treeline silhouette in historic
residential neighborhoods, etc ) Beneficial effects may derive from
screening existing objectionable vistas and creation of new viers ,
particularly from public spaces Viers may be preserved (and other
criteria listed below nay be enhanced) by increasing building height
while reducing building mass , changing the orientation of long high
buildings , and increasing open space
View Impact Evaluation Guide
A+ The project provides significant additional views
from public spaces
A The project does not alter the opportunity and quality
Of public views
B The project impinges on widely perceived views but
planned mitigative action can reduce this effect
C The project impinges on widely perceived views , and
no mitigative action is possible or is planned
D The project substantially blocks significant views
3 Light and Shadow A building of greater than benchmark height should
not have a substantial neaative effect on the distribution of natural
and artificial light on adjacent public and private property Nega-
tive effects include casting shado,rs on adjacent property sufficient
to precludes functional use of solar energy, or creating intense glare
(sunlight reflection or nightime lighting) Beneficial effects in-
clude the provision of desireable shade with landscaping or arcades
and artificial lighting which improves the nightscaoe (e g along
downtown streets)
Light and Shadow Evaluation Guide
A+ The project improves the distribution of light and
sradow on adjacent property
A The project does not affect the distribution of lignt
and shadow on adiri(-ent property
1 The eroectatron is that buildings of benchmark height Mould neet
this and the following criteria
Page 4
re Proposed City of Fort Collins
P U D Building Height Review Criteria
B The project Impinges upon the potential for adjacent
property to utilize solar energy, but mitigative
action can reduce this effect
C The project impinges upon the potential for adjacent
property to utilize solar energy, and no mitigative
action is possible or is planned
D The project casts shadows which preclude the functional
use of solar energy on adjacent property
4 Privacy_ A building of greater than benchmark height should be
designed so as not to intrude on the privacy of adjacent residential
uses Negative impacts occur Mien windows and balconies directly
overlool adjacent residential outdoor living spaces , (backyards,
patios , balconies) Positive effects are provided by landscaping,
fencing and building orientation which add to the level of privacy
in a neighborhood
Privacy Impact Evaluation Guide
A+ The project improves the level of privacy in a
neighborhood
A The project does not affect the existing level of
privacy in a neighborhood
B The project impinges to some extent upon the privacy
of adjacent property, but planned alterations can
mitigate this effect
C The project impinges upon the privacy of adjacent
property, and no attempt to mitigate this effect is
possible or as planned
D The oroject entails windows and balconies which
directly overlook immediately neighboring outdoor
living spaces
5 Scale A building of greater than benchmark height should be com-
patible with the scale of its neighborhood Adverse effects derive
from buildings which depart from established coherent patterns in an
area with respect riot only to height, but to mass, type of land use,
the intensity of use (coverage, density, open space configuration) ,
setbacks and distance between buildings , exterior treatment and
materials , oroportions of ooenings (doors and windows) , facade
variety, exterior artificial lighting, etc Beneficial effects
derive from buildings which help to visually and functionally inte-
nt ate a site with its eurr oundr, o natural end built emnr onmert
Such building pr oblde Jai 1ecy am di _t S ! =y 0` dc� gn t0 in Bred
in a manner which is sympathetic to or reinforces established coherent
neighborhood patterns
Page 5
re Proposed City of Fort Collins
P U D Building Height Review Criteria
Scale Impact Evaluation Guide
A+ The project' s scale and detail will add variety of
deisan to the area while reinforcing coherent neigh-
borhood patterns
A The project's scale and design detail are sympathetic
to coherent neighborhood patterns
B The project' s design conflicts with or is overly
repetitious of some established neighborhood patterns ,
but these effects can be reduced
C The projects design conflicts frith or is overly
repetitious of some established neighborhood patterns
and no mitigative action is possible or is planned
D The project' s scale is incompatible with its
surroundings
EAlblt Ors \ / n I ► 1
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September 10, 1979
Nanning & Zoning Boa, u Meeting
18 #120-79 Ordinance Amendment and Review Criteria to Implement Building
Height Regulations
Deibel Stated he would answer questions on the proposed amendment
Wells Asked how the impact of the hospital would be evaluated
Delbel Peplied that the "evaluation guides" were designed to make it easier
for decision makers to come to a consensus in evaluating each of the
criteria The drawing of the hospital is only an illustration of
a portion of a visual analysis In answering the specific question
of the impact of the hospital , it probably would rate an A on all
criteria except view impact Viewed as in the drawing, it would
probably rate a C, but it would most often be viewed from Lemay in whicn
case it would rate an A
Wells Read a comment from Paul Eckman stating he would like to encourage
greater density within the core area
Deibel Stated that was wnat the amendment should do and that it was designed
to trigger a special review
Wells Asked how the Spring Creel proposal would rate
Smith Stated it should not be discussed as a law suit is pending
Wells Asked when Council would review the amendment
Smith Replied the first week in October, and that Council would have two
hearings on it
Les Kaplan Stated that energy efficiency should be considered when evaluating
building height
Wells Stated that energy efficiency should be considered in all developments
Van Driel Motion to recommend approval of the proposed amendment with the sugges-
tion that Council seek expert advice regarding energy efficiency
Evans Second
Deibel Stated that energy was not inulueed only because staff <<3s trying
to address height exclusively and energy should apply to all development,
not just high-rise buildings 'rlorl is in process on energy criteria
for all da✓elDpr"^nt
Van Driel Withdrew the condition concerning energy from the motion
Vote Motion carried, 5 - 0
Wells Adjourned meeting