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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOLORADO EARLY COLLEGES, 4800 WHEATON DR. - SPAR - SPA120002 - P&Z PACKET - MINUTES/NOTESPlanning & Zoning Board April 19, 2012 Page 11 A. The change of use to a public charter school within an existing facility triggers review by the City of Fort Collins. B. The use of the building for a public charter school complies with State Statute Section 31-23-209, C.R.S., in that the location, character, and extent of the charter school conform to the adopted Master Plan (City Plan) of the City of Fort Collins. C. The conversion of the first floor of the building continues to comply with the Oak Ridge Amended O.D.P. D. The Site Plan Advisory Review complies with the applicable General Development Standards of Article Three and the zone district standards of Article Four. Member Hatfield seconded the motion. Member Stockover asked if there would be another review if they moved into the second floor. He's trying to clarify that this is for the 1 st floor only. Shepard said he would interpret the Site Plan Advisory Review authority in such a way that the answer would be yes because what's been presented to us is 25,000 square feet for 240 students +/-, 15 staff, with the program described to the Board tonight. Deputy City Attorney Daggett concurred. Member Schmidt asked if the 2nd floor use was changed to something that is still an office use but was higher in parking needs; would that trigger a review? Shepard said it's governed by land use and right now the 2"d floor tenant is an office use permitted in the Harmony Corridor Zone. Hypothetically speaking, Enterprise moves out and a call center moves in. They have a large number of staff in tiny cubicles working 3 shifts; that would be something we'd have to monitor that because a call center is an office use. Shepard said if we start to get complaints from the neighbors, we'd rely on Neighborhood Services programs. Shepard said every charter/school program is unique —they have different parking and circulation patterns, and they are in different neighborhoods. He said it's hard to draw conclusions. Member Schmidt asked if it was written into their lease that they are entitled to a certain number of parking spaces. King said he thinks the obligation is to share the parking spaces. He wanted to add the information that this school meets 174 days a year. Motion was approved 5:1 with Member Carpenter dissenting. Member Schmidt said she hopes the neighbors understand that as Mr. Shepard said there is 'recourse if you have issues in the neighborhood. She hopes they'll follow up with that because that's the only way the school district will get the feedback. She said hopefully that situation won't occur. Kevin King said they'd do everything they could to be good neighbors. Vice Chair Campana thanked the neighbors for coming and providing feedback Planned Development Overlay District Project Description. s is a request to consider a,genenl statement in support of the Planned Deve o rw 4t Overlay Dish- awn alternative tool as a potential solution to provide Recommendation: flexibility for Written Comments and Other Evidence Planning & Zoning Board April 19, 2012 Page 10 She thinks because the applicant is only leasing the premises, they are limited in how the issues are mitigated. Vice Chair Campana said he is having a hard time seeing the paths from the aerial. Shepard said he'll have to rely on the residents to answer that. Barbara Roths, using the mouse, indicated the housing types on the streets bordering the school. She indicated where the open areas are. She indicated the cement ditches and the ponds. She indicated the area ready for development on the Mackenzie site. An audience member wanted to add comments and said on the weekend there is very little parking on Rule but mid -week it's very crowded. He suggested the topic be tabled until you're able to take a look at the streets during the week and then make their decision. Vice Chair Campana said if this is approved tonight and next school year people are parking in the cul- de-sacs and cutting through green space and unfenced duplexes; what's the next step. Shepard said the first thing we do is contact the school administrator and let them know we have a complaint. We also have staff in Neighborhood Services and Zoning who can help with complaints/enforcement issues. There is always an attempt to find resolution prior to taking a "harder" approach. If worse comes to worse, we have mediation services. Member Schmidt said if the open spaces are privately owned, then the HOA can also deal with trespass issues. Shepard said he'd like to remind the Board of the criteria on page 3 of the Staff Report should they need to rely on it in considering their decision. Member Schmidt asked the applicant what they anticipate for enrollment this Fall --do you think you'll have 100 9'h graders? King said they expect 100 9`" graders, 80 10'" graders. The school is configured for 10 classrooms. Schmidt asked the demand increases, would you look for a larger site? King said it depends on where the students come in —testing college ready. He said how a school grows depends on the school. Schmidt said in reality the plan is for 240 students to use the campus but if you had another 100 students who tested college ready they may never need to come to campus. King said correct, they enroll but they do not attend the school at this location. King said the 10 classrooms determine the maximum at this school. Member Schmidt asked if they would have video or actual professor college accredited classes on campus. King said there are two types of courses. One would be some limited college level courses (professors have to be fully qualified with a Masters degree and 20+hours in the discipline). The teachers that are teaching the college prep courses are typical high school type teachers —many of whom have Masters degrees. The students have a very high interest. in academics. Students are "choicing" into this school because they want to take advantage of the opportunity and the attitude of the students is qutp different than those at a traditional high school. The average number of college credits they receive by graduation is 46. Member Schmidt asked what events would be planned at the school. Will there be a high school graduation? King said there will be educational meetings on how the school works on Friday evenings or Saturdays. He said it's not likely the graduation will be on campus. Member Stockover moved for approval of the Colorado Early Colleges Public Charter High School Site Advisory Plan Review, # SPA120002. He'd also like to adopt the Findings of Fact and Conclsions A-D on page 6 of the Staff Report: Planning & Zoning Board April 19, 2012 Page 9 campus". When he considers the Board's purview though, he sees how it can fit. He will be supporting it. Member Carpenter said she's troubled by it but for different reasons than Member Stockover. She thinks the Board does have purview over parking and whether they think there's enough parking. She thinks we already have a tenant (Enterprise) which by definition has a need for a high number of parked cars. She thinks kids in 10", 11 and 12'' grade and cars go together. Carpooling is great if it happens but she thinks kids are going to have cars and they're going to be parking there. She thinks there a compatibility issue with the neighborhood —it doesn't really fit. She just isn't seeing there are going to be enough parking places and its going to overflow into the neighborhood. She thinks if you do the math for Heritage Christian K-12 parking, it would be a whole lot less. She can't support it. Member Schmidt said she admits she's still in the middle. She thinks the concept of the school and people who want to get involved with this school are going to be very driven/motivated students — pursuing college as quickly as they can. She thinks it's true that 11t' and 12'" graders are pretty much going to be taking their courses at Front Range or CSU and not spend very much of their time here. .It being a new concept, it's pretty hard to tell. She would have a greater comfort level if they had the whole building or at least all the parking spaces. Member Stockover said if the students are not going to spend much time there, the applicant wouldn't pay for that much space. If we're hearing they're not going to use the school, why are they paying for this much parking? Schmidt said she thinks they're paying for what they need in square footage for graders. Member Kirkpatrick said like Member Schmidt she is on the fence. She has some trepidation about the lack of solid planning around transportation in general. She thinks a bus is a good idea but its contingent upon grant funding —it's difficult to make a decision based on that. She thinks we don't really have any firm information to base a decision and that makes it hard to make one. Vice Chair Campana said Shepard said it well. Oakridge is a master planned subdivision that has mixed -uses in it. When we look at this project before us tonight, we're not looking at a new building; we're looking at a building that exists there and in context with what's already built so we're looking at compatibility. He thinks the intent of the neighborhood was to allow this use to be compatible with that neighborhood. It's uncomfortable to have changes once we live in a neighborhood but if, we go back to the original intent, he thinks this falls in line. He doesn't have issue with this particular use. Campana said with regards to parking, as you know we are a community which has decided years ago that we're not going to provide a parking place for every single citizen that goes to every single business. We actually have a maximum amount of parking places you can have at commercial buildings/commercial uses. He believes for an office its 3 spaces per 1000 (square feet). This is actually 5 per 1000. Although the parking seems like its rather short, it probably is kind of heavy for a commercial use. He feels the discomfort of the current residents with the potential of having 240 new drivers in their neighborhood but he also thinks we also have to step back and look at what we have decided as a community. He thinks this project accomplishes that and he'll be supporting it. Member Schmidt said she agrees with what Vice Chair Campana said about mixed use. She also agrees with Member Kirkpatrick about the limited amount of information. She wonders if the 11t' and 12 graders have to come in for the start of day —how will the whole setup work. She does have some concerns about shortcuts through the open space. She thinks trespassing can be managed with wrought iron fences that have open fields of vision. She can understand their concem about not only parking in front of your home they are also cutting comers to go the shortest route to their destination. r. Planning & Zoning Board April 19, 2012 Page 8 building owner relative to 2nd floor tenant Enterprise Car Rental, the information that was provided by the school. It's his estimation there is sufficient parking for both Enterprise Rent -a -Car and Colorado Early Colleges as the program has been described to him. Vice Chair Campana asked with regard to the off-street parking, what's the right-of-way on the surrounding streets where there's concern about on -street parking. Shepard said all public streets have on -street parking. They are all local/public streets. The local street cross section has two travel lanes and two parking lanes. Shepard said there is a fluctuation of on -street parking there. What was referred to as the Alzheimer's facility is really the Lemay Health and Rehab Center. It does have an Alzheimer's wing. He said their parking needs fluctuate based on events. He said there is a lot of turn over parking at the facility and not 8 hour shift use. Vice Chair Campana said the local streets are designed to have on -street parking. He said although we may not enjoy having cars park on our streettin front of our homes; that's the way public streets are designed. There is no code violation in doing so. Shepard said given when Oakridge was built, it was probably a 36' flow line to flow line roadway on a 54' right of way —which is two travel lanes and two parking lanes. The newer standard is now a 57' right of way. Wheaton is a collector street with parking and it has 76' of right of way —in addition to the two travel and parking lanes, it has two bike lanes. Member Stockover asked about the neighborhood streets. Shepard those are "a 36 on a 54 or a 36 on a 57" Member Carpenter asked Shepard what information he was given about how many parking spaces Enterprise Rent -a -Car would be using. Shepard said he did not get an exact number. The owner of the building is a bank taking the property through foreclosure. He said that is not the most active property management/landlord entity situation when trying to receive information. Shepard said that Enterprise had 30 reserved parking spaces per the lease. That number fluctuates in terms of usage. It's not an active rental location but a "back office" where they deal with collision claims. Vice Chair Campana said that many times when leases are put together there are a certain number of spaces reserved for that tenant and the rest are first come -first served for all the tenants. Member Schmidt said she gets the impression from some of the green space area concerns expressed is that people can park along the street and cut across the green space. Is there any way to consider fencing? Shepard said he would recommend we not do that. Part of the character of Oakridge (one of our original master plan communities) done by a single, unified developer was the vision in the Harmony Corridor and it will have a business park and it will have residential. It's rather dramatic in that the transition from the non-residential land uses isn't tapered as it might be by multi -family (townhomes). It goes right to single family. The drainage conveyance channels are grassy swales with concrete drainage pans. They are privately owned by the HOA and provide green belt living. Part of the character and charm of the whole area for both business and residents is the open character. He thinks fencing would significantly detract from that. Vice Chair Campana asked if it is specifically a drainage easement or a public access/drainage easement. Shepard said that he doesn't know but back in that era, he would suspect that it's just drainage Member Schmidt asked what is to the north of the site. What is back behind the residences from Wheaton? An unidentified audience member said its part of the Mackenzie complex — new patio homes. Member Stockover said he understands how the residents feel —he imagines how it would feel if this was his neighborhood. What is troubling, him is the property is in foreclosure. He has concerns about "closed Planning & Zoning Board April 19, 2012 Page 7 Member Hatfield asked if Transfort has a route nearby. Shepard said there is a bus route on Harmony Road and it has stops along Wheaton and McMurray. Member Hatfield asked if the parking spaces will be assigned to students. Is it first-come/first served? King said they don't assign parking spaces to faculty or students. Students will have parking stickers. Member Hatfield asked if non-residents were eligible to attend and will they pay out-of-state tuition. King said no, this is a free public high school. The Per Pupil revenue generated by the State is the source of funding. Students from Fort Collins and surrounding areas are eligible to come to the school. Hatfield asked if it is required they be residents of the United States? King said if he was asking if they verify that a student is a legal citizen; they do not. He said per federal law they do not verify whether students are legal citizens for a K12 education. Member Carpenter asked if student do not drive; how will they get there. Will parents bring them in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon? King said yes, that's typical. She asked if a circulation pattern been developed. King said in Colorado Springs there's a lot of carpooling. He doesn't believe 100 students will yield 100 cars of traffic especially if they are able to obtain a bus. He thinks'/2 will use the one bus they are trying to obtain by a recently submitted grant application. He said one bus is designed for 71 passengers. Member Kirkpatrick asked staff member Shepard him to explain why a traffic impact study was not provided. Shepard said it was primarily based on previous uses of the building (Comlinear and Heritage Christian School). The proposed use is roughly comparable. The traffic study would probably result in minor changes to the trip generation information. Member Schmidt asked Shepard how many students attended Heritage Christian School. Shepard said Heritage Christian School was there from Fall 2004 to Spring 2007. There were 500 students plus faculty and staff serving grades K-12. Schmidt asked if they used the entire building. Shepard responded he did not know. The applicant (King) said they used the whole building. Vice Chair Campana asked how much square footage was on the 2nd floor? King said 25,000 square feet of the total 50,000 square foot building. Member Schmidt said their materials noted they expect a significant percentage of the school population from Windsor and Greeley. What does that mean? Is there a cut-off plan if you do hit 100 9t' graders — will that be your limit? King said the capacity of the building restricts what they can do. King said the maximum is 240 students. He said this type of school is very enabling for parents who can't afford to give their children a college education. He said in Colorado Springs they come from all over the county -many carpool. He thinks it's a pretty dramatic educational opportunity of which many people try to avail themselves. . Member Schmidt asked if the college credit then counts toward meeting the high school graduation requirements. King said Early College has a special authorization in State statute because its design is not typical —what you'd find in a traditional high school. "Concurrent enrollment" means the students who do the college level work as well as satisfy their high school requirements. Board Discussion Vice Chair Campana asked for this type of use is there a LUC maximum or minimum parking situation. Shepard said the Code has a minimum parking requirement as they do for churches. Campana asked if that had been calculated. Shepard said yes but with the nature of this school it's pretty hard to nail down a figure. Shepard said his estimation is based on available parking, the information he got from the Planning & Zoning Board April 19, 2012 Page 6 She said her neighborhood is mostly retired people. She has grandchildren who stay and she's very concerned about young drivers mixing in with grandchildren and those of them who don't walk so well. She finds the response on parking has been contradictory and not very encouraging. She said the email said most of their juniors and seniors would be off campus but it sounds as if they be in both places. She asked if the city can do anything to protect the neighborhood during a sudden growth of use in residential streets —parking and traffic. Can you do anything to enforce the students use their lot? She thinks it will lower the quality of living there. Barb Roths, 1418 Red Oak Ct., said her husband is on the Board for Armsley Court (the little cul-de-sac just south of where the school is going to be). She does share all the concerns about parking. She said there is no real fencing so you can easily run though all the duplexes. Right now there is not a lot of parking there because people tend to park on the main streets but she can see where it could become quite handy for the students to park. She said there is green space around the building (a cement drainage area) but this really is not public land —its green space owned by the neighborhood. It was never meant to be a park. One last thing —there is a large retaining wall on Armsley Court and the neighbors are concerned the students sitting on that wall will damage it.. End of Public Input Kevin King said of the 240 students; 100 will be 91h graders. They don't drive and they will get there either by parents or by bus. There will be 80 - 10"' graders and they may start to drive. There will be 40 - 111" graders and 20 -12' graders. He said there's plenty of parking for faculty and students who will be parking in the lot. He said in Colorado Springs where the numbers are greater, parking is not an issue — they use a lot less than what is available to them. King said it will be a closed campus. The students will not be in the neighborhoods. If they want to go outside, they will stay on the property. He said the usage is typical and its use is not different from when it was Heritage Christian School. Member Schmidt asked if there is an agreement between them and Enterprise on how many parking spaces they use and how many parking spaces the school is allocated. King said they have 120 available spaces. Member Stockover asked about the attrition rate from 9t' to 12t'. If you start with 100 — 9t' graders, in four years you'd have 100 seniors. Why are you losing so many people each year? King said as the students become more college ready, they go to college level courses off campus. King used the Colorado Springs campus as an example. He said of the 600 students, 170 are taking courses full-time at Pikes Peak Community College. Approximately 25 students take UCCS (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) classes. Probably 100 students take courses at Colorado Technical University — which is in the same office park as them. He said as the students get more college ready in Math and English they go off campus. Stockover asked on how many years experience are the statistics based on. King said 5 years. Member Stockover asked for Mr. King's definition of a closed campus. King said they provide a full lunch program so the students will stay on campus for lunch. All the a and 1& graders taking college prep courses will all stay on campus/eat lunch there. Member Stockover asked what the likelihood is of I Vh and 12t" grade students starting their day at this campus, leaving, and then coming back. King said it would be very seldom but it could happen. He said some students test college ready in English before becoming college ready in Math so in that case they could be on campus until they test college ready in Math. Member Hatfield asked what percentage of students will be using bicycles. King said he doesn't know — they don't have many students who ride bikes in Colorado Springs. Maybe they will in Fort Collins. Planning & Zoning Board April 19, 2012 Page 5 He said the early college program is designed for students to start and complete an associate degree while they are in high school. Funds for the school come from the State's 'per pupil' revenue. This is the fourth charter school. Others have been Colorado Springs Charter Academy and Colorado Springs Early Colleges. They've also been charged to replicate this particular school both in Fort Collins and Douglas County. The concept is unique in that it is a high achieving type of school where kids are placed after testing with the 'Acuplacer'. The curriculum is based on the community college curriculum model. He said once the kids are ready for college, they (Colorado Early Colleges) pay for their college tuition. In Colorado Springs this year they are spending over $900,000 on college tuition. 170 of the Colorado Springs students are going to Pike's Peak Community College full time. Member Schmidt asked how much time students will be at the Early College campus. King said it'll be a combination —the kids start and get college ready at the location on Wheaton. As they progress through their associate's degree program, they will be going to Front Range Community College (FRCC) or CSU. Vice Chair Campana said the Board's purview is what impact the school has on the surrounding neighborhood so if we can understand a little better what a typical day would be; he thinks that would be helpful. He'd like to know how many students will be there and what the impact the school and its parking needs will have on the surrounding neighborhood. King said the school is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. They have submitted a grant application to the Daniel's Fund for a bus. They anticipate a number of students coming via bus. He said as they progress and start to go to college courses; they arrive and leave as needed. He said the traffic pattern is dispersed compared to a typical school because some students will start their day at FRCC. The flow would more like what you'd see on a college campus. King said they the students will not participate in sports. Public Input Jim Kelly, 1224 Silk Oak Ct., said he commends what they're trying to do. What he opposes is the location of the school. He believes it's already a done deal given that a sign went up today saying the school .would be there. He thinks there is not enough parking —this morning 111 of the 230 available spaces were being used. He attributes that to the addition of a two-story building for Harmony Rehab Center and to the parking needs of many businesses in the area. He also had concern about increased recent vandalism in the area and the fact that a large number of young people will be coming to the area. He said his major concern is the additional traffic in that area. John Schaer lives on Silk Oak Drive. He has the same concerns. The overflow is significant going all the way to Silk Oak Court. He said cars park on both sides of Oak Park Drive from Oakridge to Wheaton. He was assured by school staff that either parents will drive them or there will be some type of transportation provided. He thinks if you have 240 kids and they shuttle between schools; they'll be looking for parking continuously during the course of the school day. He said the school is a great concept but as long as Enterprise Car Rental has the second floor; he thinks there will not be enough parking. He thinks there's a shortage of parking that is being glossed over quite significantly. He believes that overflow will spill into the neighborhoods. Schaer said the area is full of trails and little concrete streams and the houses do not have fences around them. He said this is supposed to be a residential area —not a commercial or industrial area; not a high traffic/high volume area so he'd like to hear some legitimate firm assurance they will keep the kids out of the neighborhood. Ann Schmidt lives at 1230 Silk Oak Court. She said she communicated with the school and she's hearing different things tonight from what she got in her email response. She was told it was going to be a closed campus. She took that to mean that students wouldn't be able to come and go. The email said that some students would be attending college and they would be separate from the students attending the Colorado Early Colleges school. She said the parking that the gentleman before her mentioned is terrible. She said Fort Collins parking requirements either are being ignored or they are not adequate. Planning & Zoning Board April 19, 2012 Page 4 Board Discussion Member Schmidt said she'd like it to be on the record that these conditions be recognized just so that if something does happen (the neighbors have a problem with arena dust, etc.); they can call for enforcement. She believes because of the proximity of the neighbors, the county approved the application with condition and she believes the city should recognize them. Member Kirkpatrick agreed. Member Schmidt moved the Planning and Zoning Board recommend approval of the Wild Plum Farm Annexation and Zoning No. 1, # ANX110001 making note of the conditions that were put in place at the time the County Commissioners approved the Special Review. Also, the zone should be UE — Urban Estate. Member Kirkpatrick seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6:0. Member Schmidt asked if she should just go forward with the motion for No. 2, #ANX110002. Daggett said if you'd like to make the same motion with respect to No. 2. Schmidt asked if there needed to be public comment for No.2. Daggett asked if they intended the discussion to cover both items because it appeared to be the case. Schmidt and Campana said yes. The Chair confirmed that there were no requests for public input on No. 2. Member Schmidt said she'd like to make the same motion for Annexation & Zoning No. 2, # ANX110002 as for the No. 1. Member Kirkpatrick seconded the motion. Motion was approved 6:0. Project: Colorado Early Colleges, 4800 Wheaton Drive, Site Plan Advisory Review, # SPAR120002 Project Description: This is a request to convert the entire first floor of 4800 Wheaton Drive for a public charter high school with an estimated total enrollment of 240 students served by 15 teachers and staff. There would be no building additions, no modifications to the exterior or changes to the site or to the physical parking lot. The first floor contains 25,000 square feet and already features classrooms and an auditorium. A was setup that way by a previous tenant —Heritage Christian Academy. One existing tenant will continue to occupy the second floor. Originally, the project was approved as Oak Ridge Business Park, Second Filing, Lot One in 1984 for Cornknear Corporation. The site contains 4.05 acres and is zoned H-C, Harmony Corridor. Recommendation: Approval Hearing Testimony, Written Comments and Other Evidence Chief Planner Ted Shepard said the conversion to a public school charter is governed by Colorado State Statutes. The conversion is in conformance with the Oak Ridge Amended O.D.P. and permitted in the H- C zone. The Site Plan Advisory Review complies with State Statutes as to the location, character and extent of the project. Further, the project complies with the applicable General Development Standards, Zone District Standards and is in conformance with City Plan. Shepard added the parking spaces are not 212 as previously noted. It's been field verified at 230 spaces. Staff recommends approval. Applicant's Presentation Keith King said he's a State Senator from Senate District 12, Colorado Springs and the Administrator of the Colorado Springs Early Colleges. With him tonight is Sandy Brown, Academic Dean for Fort Collins. Vice Chair Campana called the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. Roll Call: Campana, Carpenter, Hatfield, Kirkpatrick, Schmidt, and Stockover Excused Absences Smith Staff Present: Kadrich, Daggett, Levingston, Shepard, Bolin, Ex, and Sanchez -Sprague Agenda Review Interim CDNS Director Laurie Kadrich reviewed the agenda Citizen participation: None Vice Chair Campana asked if there were any audience or Board members who wanted to pull items from the Consent Agenda. Member Schmidt asked that Wild Plum Farm Annexation and Zoning Nos. 1 and 2 be placed on the Discussion Agenda. Consent Agenda: 1. Minutes from the February 16, 2012 Planning and Zoning Board Hearing. 4. Waterglen PUD Self Storage, Extension of Final Plan, # 71-93D Member Schmidt made a motion to approve the minutes from the February 16, 2012 Hearing and the Waterglen PUD Self Storage Extension of Final Plan, # 71-93D. Member Stockover seconded the motion. The motion was approved 6:0. Discussion Agenda: 2, Wild Plum Farm Annexation and Zoning No. 1, #ANX110001 3. Wild Plum Farm Annexation and Zoning No. 2, #ANX110002 5. Colorado Early Colleges, 4800 Wheaton Drive, Site Advisory Plan Review, #SPAR120002 6 Planned Development Overlay District 7, Land Use Code Change Proposal related to Urban Agriculture