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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOLLINWOOD NORTH, MAJOR AMEND. - 24-07 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVES (3)Legal Description: Lot 1, Oakridge West P.U.D., First Filing, Fort Collins, Colorado Name and address of each owner of property within the boundaries of the development plan area: Bethesda Foundation 15475 Gleneagle Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921 List of names of all general and limited partners and/or officers involved as either applicant or owners: Dana Rasic, President Bethesda Foundation Applicant. (vi) Variances • If required, we may need to request a variance to the standard design for street sidewalks. As an infill project, applying the standard sidewalk offsets would result in the loss of several mature trees along the perimeter of the property. We are proposing sidewalk designs that following the general alignment of existing walks and reconstructing and/or widening these walks when required in order to save as many existing trees as possible and to tie into the adjacent neighborhood sidewalk pattern. (vii) How Conflicts Between Land Uses and Disturbances to Wetlands and Natural Areas are Being Avoided • There are no wetlands or natural areas on the site. (viii) Neighborhood meeting • A neighborhood meeting was held on July 12, 2007. Key issues included concerns about parking numbers, and parking lot screening. The following is a list of key issues raised and how these issues have been addressed: Concern: Will the parking shown be adequate? Concerns that parking will spill into the nearby neighborhoods. Response: The number of parking spaces is limited by the maximum amount allowed by the Land Use Code. Based on our proposed use and building size, we are allowed 112 spaces, and we have provided 100. Parking is also available on Rule Drive adjacent to the site and is rarely used. In addition, the adjacent parking lot to the south used by Collinwood Assisted Living is underutilized. It is available for shared parking between the two uses and is much closer to the proposed building than any neighborhood parking. 2. Concern: Visual screening of parking lot and trash receptacles from nearby neighborhoods. Response: We have indicated planting screening along the perimeter of the parking lot to buffer impacts to nearby residences to the west. In addition, a perimeter fence exists west of our property adjacent to the residential neighborhood. (ix) Project name and previous project names. • The project name is Collinwood North. This is an amendment to the previous Oakridge West 1 st Filing PUD. Statement of Planning Objectives Page 3 of 3 these facilities providing services for residents, staff and the surrounding neighborhoods within easy walking distance. The building will be designed to be attractive in appearance to serve as a distinctive, attractive addition to the district. (ii) Open Space, Buffering, landscaping, Circulation, Transition Areas, Wetlands and Natural Areas Open Space and Buffering • The existing parcel is partially developed with underutilized surface parking lots. It was previously approved to house this parking as well as two medical office buildings. The proposed building has been sited along the north and east property lines adjoining Lemay Avenue and Rule Drive. Surface parking is proposed along the south and west sides of the (- shaped building. Landscaping will be installed around the perimeter of the parking areas to buffer them from adjacent properties. Landscaping • Appropriate landscaping will be installed in the parking areas, around the buildings, and at the building entrances. Circulation: • There will be two entrances to the proposed facility: a north entrance from Rule Drive and a south entrance that connects to the existing Collinwood Assisted Living parking lot, which has existing access onto Lemay Avenue. Wetlands and Natural Areas: • There are no wetlands or natural areas on site. (III) Proposed ownership and maintenance of public and private open space areas. • The owner will be responsible for the maintenance of the site. (iv) Estimate of Number of Employees for Commercial and Industrial Uses • Since the tenant mix for the building has not yet been finalized, an estimate of the number of employees is not available at this time. (v) Description of rationale behind assumptions and choices made by the applicant • This project will comply with all applicable city standards in an effort to create a high -quality addition to the city. Statement of Planning Objectives Page 2 of 3 Statement of Planning Objectives Collinwood North The proposed project includes a 1-story 28,000 s.f. multi -tenant building to be located at the northeast corner of the existing Collinwood Assisted Living site. The building is intended to house shops and services that will serve the Collinwood residents and staff as well as the surrounding community. The tenant uses will be restricted to those 'personal and business service shops' as allowed in the MMN District of the Land Use Code. This project is being submitted as a Major Amendment to the Oakridge West First Filing PUD approved initially in 1987. The previous plans indicated two medical office buildings and parking in this general location. (i) Statement of appropriate City Plan Principals and Policies achieved The proposed project is a part of an approved PUD. As an infill project, it promotes a compact development pattern (LU-1.1). The project maintains the multi -modal transportation opportunities within this area. Existing multi -modal streets are maintained and improved with the proposed project improvements (T-2). The proposed development will incorporate bicycle parking to encourage both custormers and employees to commute by bicycle (T-4). Pedestrian connections and street crossings will be designed to be safe and effective (T-6). Existing pedestrian street crossings will be maintained, and on -site circulation will connect pedestrians directly from these crossings to the service buildings and the adjacent residences. The buildings and streetscapes will be designed to enhance the pedestrian scale of this environment (T-7). The new Medium Density Mixed Use Neighborhood is a place for denser, attached, small -lot, and multiple -family housing built around a Neighborhood Commercial Center or a Community Commercial District which will include a grocery store and a primary transit stop. Secondarily, these neighborhoods may also contain other moderate intensity uses which can help to form a transition and a link between surrounding Low Density Mixed -Use Neighborhoods and the commercial area. The proposed project is a part of the adjacent Collinwood Assisted Living campus, but also is a link and transition between the surrounding neighborhoods and the nearby commercial uses and transit stops along the Harmony Corridor to the north (MMN-2.2). The land uses immediately adjacent to the site include the Collinwood assisted living facilities to the south and southwest, Sterling House assisted living to the north across Rule Drive. East of Lemay are existing duplex residences in Oakridge village, and the Columbine Health System rehab facility currently under construction. The proposed project is a complementary use to Statement of Planning Objectives Page 1 of 3