HomeMy WebLinkAboutPAWS OF THE ROCKIES - PDP - 29-06 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - MODIFICATION REQUESTcrosses the vehicular drive, plantings will be low to ensure pedestrian -driver
safety and cautionary signage will be placed to maximize safety.
b) There are exceptional physical conditions unique to this property; including
abnormal site shape and CDOT access limitations which hinder the owner's
ability to meet the strict application of the standard requested to be modified
in modification #1, #2, and #3, namely, the implementation of the CDOT
access management plan requires a drive aisle to be located such that there is a
large quantity of land on the site north of the drive aisle. Because of this
exceptional physical condition, any pedestrian interaction of development
north of the drive aisle would have to cross a drive aisle, and any parking
associated with said drive aisle would naturally need to be located between the
building and the street, and the setback for any building in this area would
naturally be greater than 25 feet.
c) Granting the requested modification #4 would not be detrimental to the public
good because the proposed plan still continues to provide berms and oak trees
with a meandering sidewalk, as required in the Harmony Corridor Plan.
d) The abnormal site shape creates exceptional physical conditions unique to this
property that hinder the owner's ability to meet the strict application of the
standard requested to be modified in modification #4, namely, the property is
part of a series of shallow lots along the north side of Harmony, which
physically don't have enough space to provide the fu1180 foot setback.
We sincerely appreciate your consideration in this matter, and look forward to discussing
the rits of the request as part of the Type 1 hearing.
Si cerely, I
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deepest, can be placed behind the veterinary building. To the east, however, the
site is much more shallow, and drive access must remain much closer to Harmony
Road. To adhere to the LUC in this case would leave the piece of land in the back
center of the site un-usable. These physical conditions of the site and the Colorado
Department of Transportation's requirement that this site serve as an access point
for the adjacent properties limit the ability to provide a "connecting walkway" to
this building where "pedestrian oriented streetfronts with no vehicle use area
between building faces and the street" can exist. In order to mitigate the inability
to provide a connecting walkway to the proposed building, the applicant proposes
a design that addresses these issues as follows:
a) Where the walkway crosses the vehicle use area, the walkway will be
delineated with colored concrete;
b) Signs will be posted to warn vehicle users to yield to pedestrians;
c) Pedestrian lighting will be provided;
d) Landscaping, will be provided to allow an unobstructed view between the
driver and the pedestrian;
e) Bicycle facilities will be provided;
f) The walkway connects the sidewalk along Harmony Road directly to the
entryway of the proposed building.
Additionally, the 80 foot Harmony Road setback is unfeasible for all the
properties from Timberline Road including our site, because the narrow depth of
the lots. Providing the full 80 foot depth wouldn't leave enough land on this row
of lots to provide a practical development plan.
Modification Procedure.
Section 2.8.2 of the Land Use Code allows the decision maker to grant a
modification of standards only if it finds that the granting of the modification
would not be detrimental to the public good, and that;
"by reason of exceptional physical conditions or other extraordinary and
exceptional situations. unique to such property, including, but not limited
to, physical conditions such as exceptional narrowness, shallowness or
topography, or physical conditions which hinder the owner's ability to
install a solar energy system, the strict application of the standard sought
to be modified would result in unusual and exceptional practical
difficulties, or exceptional or undue hardship upon the owner of such
property, provided that such difficulties or hardship are not caused by the
act or omission of the applicant. "
Suggested Findings
a) Granting the requested modifications #1, #2, and #3 would not be detrimental
to the public good because the sidewalk will be distinctly colored where it
Modification #1) Section 3.5.3(B)(1) of the LUC, "Relationship of Buildings to
Streets, Walkways and Parking/Orientation to a Connecting Walkway" states:
"At least one (1) main entrance of any commercial or mixed -use building
shall face and open directly onto a connecting walkway with pedestrian
frontage." By definition in Article 5 of the LUC, "connecting walkway"
shall mean: "(1) any street sidewalk or (2) any walkway that directly
connects a main entrance of a building to the street sidewalk without
requiring pedestrians to walk across parking lots or driveways, around
buildings or around parking lot outlines which are not aligned to a logical
route. " We propose to have building 2 face an open directly onto a
walkway tFat is A`not a connecting walkway, but rather it is a walkway that
requires pedestrians to walk across a drive aisle.
Modification #2) Section 3.5.3(B)(2) of the LUC, "Orientation to Build -to
Lines for Streetfront Buildings " states: "Build -to lines based on a consistent
relationship of buildings to the street sidewalk shall be established by
development projects for new buildings and, to the extent reasonably
feasible, by development projects for additions or modifications of existing
buildings, in order to form visually continuous, pedestrian -oriented
streetfronts with no vehicle use area between building faces and the
street. " We propose to have a vehicle use area between building 2 and
Harmony Road.
Modification #3) Section 3.5.3(B)(2)(c) of the LUC, "Relationship of
Buildings to Streets, Walkways and Parking/Orientation to Build -to Lines
for Streetfront Buildings" states: "Buildings shall be located at least ten
(10) and no more than twenty-five (25) feet behind the street right -of --way
of an adjoining street that is larger than a two-lane arterial that does not
have on -street parking. " We propose for building 2 to be approximately 1 L
feet behind the street right-of-way of Harmony Road.
Modification #4) Section 4.21(D)(1) of the LUC, "Land Use Standards /
Harmony Corridor Land Use Standards states that: "All development in the
H-C Harmony Corridor District shall comply with the Harmony Corridor
land use and locational standards as adopted by the city. " The Harmony
Corridor Standards and Guidelines, Section III., Harmony Road Setback,
states: "Developments located along the Harmony Road frontage, east of
Boardwalk Drive, shall provide a minimum 80 foot setback from the future
edge of pavement, as determined by the City. " We proposed to provide a 40
foot setback b= between the closest building and the Harmony Road setback.
Justification of Modifications.
In order to provide eventual cross access to the adjacent properties along
Harmony Road, drive aisles must extend from the site's access point to both the
east and west edges of the property. Cross access to the west, where the site is
2
October 25, 2006
City of Fort Collins
Planning & Zoning Board
281 North College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Subject: Request for Modification for Paws of the Rockies PDP
Dear Decision Maker,
Background
The property at 2000 East Harmony has been owned by the Fort
Collins Loveland Water District for quite some time as a pipe and
fitting storage yard. The applicants wish to develop the property in
order to construct a building to operate a small animal veterinary
business, as well as two future speculative office buildings.
The site is a 1.66-acre triangle of land on Harmony Road, just west of
Timberline Road. At it's deepest point along the west property line,
the site extends back 292 feet from Harmony Road, however at the
east corner of the property line, the property comes diagonally down to
a point at Harmony Road. This odd shaped parcel, with a rear
property line that is far from parallel to the adjacent street (Harmony
Road) makes it difficult to fully utilize the site while also satisfying the
"Relationship of Buildings to Streets, Walkways and Parking"
standards in the LUC and the building setback requirements of the
LUC and Harmony Corridor Plan. Furthermore, according to the
Harmony Road Access Control Plan, access for this site must
eventually serve the properties to the east and the west as well, which
add additional complexity to our layout constraints. Our site design
must reflect this need, providing drive aisles that can one day be
extended when the adjacent properties are redeveloped.
The Modifications
We have 4 modification requests:
204 Walnut Street, Suite 0
Fort Collins, CO 80524
970.416.7431
Fax: 970.416.7435
303 South Santa Fe Avenue
Pueblo Colorado 81003
719.542.7432
877.416.7431
Fax: 719.542.A436