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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMALDONADO SUBDIVISION - PDP - PDP120021 - CORRESPONDENCE - CORRESPONDENCE-HEARINGMy situation is unique and worthy of approval: • these lots will look on the block face, the same width as 2 to the north • the 50' width will average the same width as the ones across the st • it works for my neighbors and for my neighborhood ... they are have been 100% supportive for all these 7 months. They have also gone one step beyond and have shown their support in many letters and their presence at the Hearing. • I've worked in the NH Resources office, I know it's unique to have this much NH support for any project. And as the Hearing Officer said, it is rare to have so many show up at a meeting to show support. Usually it is just those who have concerns. • The adjacent neighbor is fine with it so much that he has offered to buy it • The HA supports it as my east neighbors closest to the garage, as proposed —that is unique :) • It is supported by standards and the heart of the LUC • I have respectfully followed the City protocol in all details in asking for these modifications • I have addressed every concern of every City staff person and every Department so that they are all but ready to have me go to mylar upon approval. • This meets every requirement the City has for structures, • It fits the mission and vision of the City of FC for building community. I ask that you grant these modification requests to do something good and appropriate for my lot. Christine Maldonado October 15, 2012 I even talked to some people who vigorously opposed the Laurel St proposal a few years back, and they agreed my project was different. I contacted Victor Day, who owned all of Lot 7 back in 1978 before it was divided front/back into my current Lot 7 west 90' Block 64. He had owned all of Lot 8 to the south of me as well. I had looked up the deed and found him in the phone book. I asked him why he divided it at 90' on the front on Whitcomb and 100' on the back to the alley......... when the 2 lots to the north of me, which were already subdivided front/back, were divided at 102' in the front. He said there was no particular reason. I asked him how he felt about me subdividing the lot this way. He said I could quote him on this "That lot was designed to be changed. The City needs to do it." So ... I knew I would need help to go through the PDP process. I chose to hire Denny Sovick. Denny has done 2 additions and one new home, and was the builder on the CoHousing and the adjacent homes.... all starting within 2 blocks of me. He is greatly respected and trusted by the neighbors. I wanted someone the neighbors trusted and felt good about, to add to the project working really well Denny has created many homes in Old Town, new homes that look like Old Town. We have worked on the 3 possible/footprint homes, and small ideas for this lot. I also have talked extensively with Kevin Murray, who does all of the City's Historical Preservation work and is known for preserving the character of Old Town. And I've talked a lot with Terence Hoaglund, who was on and chaired the Landmark Preservation Committee All in an effort to do something that would fit in and fit the character of my neighborhood. I would really love to see an old house, that may be scraped, moved on to there! I don't know if it would be financially feasible for someone, but that would be a great use of that property. As I attached in my Statement of Objectives, there are at least 3 lots/block all around this area, that are less than 5000 sq ft. They have been this way for many years. In the neighborhood, we see them as part of the fabric and character of where we live. Some, like my neighbor Gerry Mortellaro, who came to the Hearing, likes the small yard for the ease in care. Helen Everhart, who also came in support of the project, loves her big 2 lots that corner on mine. We who live in Old Town like the variety here. We don't want to live in an area where lots are all the same size, even if all the houses look like Old Town. We like the variety, we like that different people fit different sizes. The vision statement of the City of FC is: "We are passionate about creating a vibrant, world -class community." The mission statement is: "Exceptional service for an exceptional community." The stated goal of the City of Fort Collins is to create exceptional, world -class community. Community is created by neighbors. Strong community, the goal of all our taxpayer dollars (and your jobs:), is to create community. And that is created by people, not standards. Jason Holland took this project on because he believed that projects should be looked at for their own merits and not lumped into one big pot. Not in fear that a precedent could be set, but believing that precedent should be set for treating each citizen and project fairly and on its own merits. I want to do something here that works for me, for my house, for my neighbors. Something I can be proud of. These neighbors sitting here have supported me not only in this project, but in my life in so many ways. I want to do something they can be proud to have supported me for. M separate lots. I was proposing a small, appropriate house. I have lived here for almost 18 years, so people know and trust me to say and do what I'm saying I will do, whereas they felt like this new owner was coming into just make money off the neighborhood. So, I knew I could move ahead with this as my neighbors were all supportive. The concerns that they talked to me about were NOT the size of my lot, but that a potential house might look huge, not in Old Town character, and out of proportion like the homes on Wood St that dwarf the small homes that have been there for 100 years. They don't like that these small homes no longer get southern sun because of the size of these new homes. That in building, the neighbors aren't taken into account. All this is just referred to as "Wood St", and we know what that means. The modern development at Maple and Grant has some similarities/concerns as well. Its hard for them/us to understand how some of this other stuff could happen on legal lots...... that seems to undermine the very character and feel that the City says it wants to preserve. And hard to understand how my project could go through such scrutiny when it is all about doing the thing that neighbors are happy about. So, the neighborhood concern is preserving the character of Old Town! Not, the size of the lot. All this, PLUS, my house is going to be the most affected. I live to the north. 85% of the southern part of my house is windows. I also don't like "Wood St". Even if the PDP weren't requiring the Old Town character and smaller size ........ I would be. I am even more conservative tfian what is written into the PDP. I have lived here almost 18 years and this is like my family house to me. Regardless of how long I'm here, I am not going to sell this lot to someone who is going to do something that will dwarf my house or cut off my sun or make the block face look weird, or affect my neighbors badly. While I believe in appropriate urban infill instead of sprawl, I was one of many neighbors who fought an 180 crappy apt proposed for an empty lot 2 blocks from where I live. We fought it and won. I was part of a very small group that became me and one other person for a year, who made a deal with the Railroad to come up with a development the neighborhood would agree to and not fight. We came up with the CoHousing, a community oriented development, and 10 adjacent homes, almost all owner occupied, which brought much more stability to our neighborhood. It's appropriate infill. Over my 22 years in FC, I've heard the City repeatedly talk about valuing infill over urban sprawl. I agree....... but I do think it needs to happen appropriately. Jason Holland has really been rigorous about reviewing this project. So have all the other City staff. It has taken 7 months so far, but I have done everything that they have asked. And now, basically every department says, based on the Hearing results, I am ready to go straight to mylar. I am not doing this because I am developer or want to make extra money. I worked in the City's Neighborhood Resources Office when it was brand new. After a year and a half I became basically bed ridden ill, had cancer and more diagnosis than you can count. I had to leave my work, and have been recovering ever since. I am doing this to pay towards my huge debt load as a result. If this gets turned down, I need to put a "For Sale" sign out on my house the next day. I have had 100% support during this whole project from my immediate neighbors, as you can tell from the letters and phone call and people that showed up at the Hearing. The 3 folks that came to object do not even live in the neighborhood, although Jerry does not, his family does. `x+ Itf ed � 4 O &zr oN Oc�hK 194, 612 I would like to submit the notes below from which I spoke at the Hearing, October 15, 2012. These requested modifications are not detrimental to the public good, in fact they are supported by all the neighbors that live in my surrounding area. The lot shape is consistent with the surrounding area as shown in my Statement of Objectives. I will talk here extensively about how I have worked to seek compatibility with the Neighborhood. The City owns 90' of Right of Way on North Whitcomb St., according to the early 1900's City plat. According to Rick Richter, City Engineer, the average amount of Right of Way in most of today's City's subdivisions is 50' (occasionally 60') from the curb to. the inside of the sidewalk, with 10' easements into the property from there. He said that in today's City standards, North Whitcomb would fit the 50' standard. It's not exact as to how it's broken down from property acros the street to property. In my case, from the curb into my property, it is 20' 15". 12' 11" from the curb to the east side of the sidewalk. And another 8'4" into my property. If this 8'4" were easement instead of Right. of Way, as it is in the rest of the City today, the property would belong to me. That would add another 833.32 sq ft to my lot, making it a total square footage of 9826.32 sq ft. Lot #1 would then be 4913.66 sq ft and Lot #2 would be 4912.66 sq ft. Regardless of whether this extra square footage is defined as easement or Right of Way, it exists on this lot. This is why the public experiences this lot as a normal sized lot in the City. Because they see this as basically meeting the City standard for lot size. • First thing I did when pursuing this was talk to my neighbors about this idea • My adjacent southern neighbor first. He offered to buy it. • My 3 adjacent eastern neighbors, all long term renters in HA property, they agreed • The HA has looked at the garage setback modification and the project and supports it • Several neighbors had already seen this property as 2 separate lots I was not required to have a Neighborhood Meeting. But I chose to, wanting to get more feedback from the neighbors about the evolving ideas for a potential house footprint. 2 weeks prior to my Neighborhood Meeting, there was another Neighborhood Meeting for a property a block from mine. This single family property had just been purchased. The property is 13,000 sq ft, and the owner wanted to do a front/back lot split, the back being on the alley. His house proposals did not fit the neighborhood character, and he had not met with nor worked with any neighbors prior to this. He . talked about getting the City to "clean up" things in the alley that were "eyesores". The adjoining neighbors were furious about the proposal and the effect it would have their homes .... the proposed homes were very large. I went to this meeting for two reasons. One, I wanted, like my other neighbors, to see what was being proposed. And I wanted to see how neighbors were feeling about a lot split. I made note of every neighbor who was against the lot split. After the meeting and before my Neighborhood Meeting, I went and talked to each of those neighbors about the project I was proposing to see what concerns they might have. To a person, they all said my project was different. Mine is side to side. It's the same width as the 2 lots to the north. My house is so solidly in the north part, it would naturally look like 2