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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTHE GROVE AT FORT COLLINS - PDP - 16-10B - REPORTS - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGThe Grove PDP Exhibit C — Neighborhood Issues April 6, 2011 Page 11 of 11 A: Residential elevations were submitted with the application. Please contact Steve Olt, City Planner, to arrange an opportunity to look at the submitted elevations. Q: How likely is it that the students carry the trash to the centrally located receptacle? A: This system has been successfully implemented in 27 other operating Grove locations across the country of similar size and layout. The centrally located trash compactor is no longer being proposed. It has been replaced by 5 trash/recycling collection areas at the request of City staff and neighborhood residents. Q: In my opinion, it seems a lot of concerns can be addressed by a decrease in density. Q: Does each unit have their own washer and dryer? A: Yes, each unit has their own washer and dryer. Q: Please understand how difficult it is to have an area around the wetlands area destroyed. It looks like a little dense town, run by students, minimal control. I think it is very scary. I want to not hear again that "you are not perfect". Q: What is the security situation and does Fort Collins police service this area? A: The development will be monitored 24-7 by onsite staff and will of course be served overall by the City police. Q: What is the maximum height of building? A: The maximum height of the buildings is just less than 40 feet in compliance with the City building and development codes. Q: What is the maximum height of the light post in the parking lots? A: The maximum height of the light post is 12 feet tall in the parking lot. Lighting proposed for the public streets will be selected and maintained by the City's Light and Power Department. Q: Second story of bedroom, projecting down. Exterior lighting shown on 0 story in some renderings. A: There is no 4`h story. Q: What is the appeal process? A: Please contact Steve Olt, City Planner 11 The Grove POP Exhibit C — Neighborhood Issues April 6, 2011 Page 10 of I I neighborhood meeting? Tonight you presented an increase in bedrooms to 600. This is 12 dwelling units over what was last presented and I find it unacceptable. Q: Is this the only property you are leasing? A: Campus Crest is leasing land for two student housing complexes at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. AL. Q: Will the units pay property tax? A: Yes, Campus Crest is responsible to pay the real estate property tax. Q: If this project "fails" - i.e. there are lot of vacancies who will pick up the tab? A: Campus Crest has all necessary funding available upfront before a project begins. Therefore the project will not stop during construction due to funding. Campus Crest operates 27 locations across the country with an overall program occupancy rate of +91 %. Q: Can you tell us what you anticipate for revenue for each bedroom? A: We believe the reference is to proposed rent rates. The rent has not been set for this development. It will be priced in line and competitive with similar housing developments in the community. Q: What are the pet policies at this development? A. Campus Crest allows small pets with the requirement of an additional deposit, increased monthly rent and a weight limit. Our site design includes multiple spread out pet waste receptacles Q: I would like to request that the developer, Campus Crest, have their upper management available at hearing. Ted Rollins and Mike Hartnett, the Co -Chairmen of the Board of Directors for Campus Crest have made several trips to Fort Collins and plan to be at the Open House scheduled for April 27, 2011. Q: How will we mitigate informal trails from happening? i.e. natural "cutting" from parking lot to neighborhood. This plan needs to consider a greater barrier from project to neighborhood. A. There will be a fence along the northern property line to keep students and pets out of the wetland/drainage area that separates the neighborhood from the student housing project. Q: Rolland Moore neighborhood is threatened by this development. I feel that students living in houses in my neighborhood are a threat to property values. Please keep in mind that we need student housing in this city to protect residential property values. Q: When will the affected property owners know what the units will look like from the outside? 10 The Grove PDP Exhibit C — Neighborhood Issues April 6. 2011 Page 9 of 11 designed to work with students to increase bicycle safety You can contact D.K. Kemp at the City for further information. Striped bike lanes will be provided on Rolland Moore Drive as is the City standard for a collector street. The local street and commercial street in the project are designed to accommodate bicycle travel, however, the City will not stripe the bike lanes on these streets as is the City standard for streets in these classifications. Campus Crest is providing an 8-foot-wide bicycle/pedestrian path through the project on the outer edge of the internal local street to provide an off-street alternative. Q: CSURF should be concerned about the quality of life of the students. Campus Crests' other developments have had unfavorable reviews posted on the internet, Why is this? The manager lives on campus. The managers are college students and I believe that is appropriate for student housing. If this is an extension of the CSU campus, isn't this development hurting CSU's overall reputation? A: We operate through checks and balances with procedures in place to remedy problems and concerns of our residents as quickly as possible. Inherently you will always find more complaints than compliments online as most satisfied customers don't take the time to post compliments unfortunately. The fulltime onsite management staff is professionally trained and not comprised of undergraduate students. Q: Are the Community Assistants students? A. Yes, the Community Assistants are predominantly undergraduate students just like a Resident Advisor in a dormitory. However, the fulltime management staff is professionally trained and not comprised of undergraduate students. Q: Is there a training program for community assistants? A: Yes we have a corporate training program for all our community assistants Q: What is the relationship between CSU and CSURF? A: This project is owned by CSURF and CSU had no impact on this development The property (not the project) is owned by CSURF. Q: 1 would like to make a point that there is no student housing zone designation, per say. That is correct. The City does not distinguish between multi -family housing by whom it is rented to or who owns it. Q: Who owns the property to the southwest and what will happen here? A CSURF owns the property and the plans are unknown at this time. Q: CSU lists this area as an "Area of Advanced Technology"? I believe that is a misrepresentation with this development. CSURF has intended to have student housing constructed on this property since 2000 even though it was part of an area referred to as the Centre for Advanced Technology. Q: I believe 500 bedrooms was presented to the affected property owners at the last The Grove PDP Exhibit C— Neighborhood Issues April 6. 2011 Page 8 of system. The site plan has been changed Most of the parking is located to the interior of the project. Parking that is on the perimeter will be screened from view with a solid wood fence. Q: I am a proponent of 4 bedroom apartments. As far as calculating density, the number of units, not the number of bedrooms are a factor. Please look at increasing density yet decreasing units. A: Campus Crest has proposed twelve 4-bedroom units on the site. The current site plan proposes eighteen 4-bedroom units. Q: According to my internet research, only 8 % of students at University of Northern Colorado would recommend the development by this company in their area. A: Our University of Northern Colorado site is currently 99% occupied. When reviewing ratings on sites such as Apartmentratings.com, they must be looked at carefully to determine what number it represents. The rating number is usually determined by taking the number of total comments and what percentage of those comments is positive. This number does not represent the feelings of the entire complex through a poll of all residents, only the small number that took the time to write a comment. We operate through checks and balances with procedures in place to remedy problems and concerns of our residents as quickly as possible. Q: Please address the following issues: traffic, landscape plan. Height of structures. A: A Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) study has been submitted with the project. The TIA concluded that in both the short range future (2014) and long range future (2030) the key intersections operate acceptably during peak hours, All the proposed buildings are 3-story buildings, 40 feet in height or less in compliance with the city building and development codes. The landscape plan includes street trees forty feet on center, canopy shade trees and landscaped islands in the parking lots, foundation plantings for buildings and enhanced planting in courtyard areas. In addition, the project provides a significant amount of buffer plantings along the northern property boundary adjacent to the wetland and along the south parallel to the Larimer Number 2 Canal. These plantings are native and are intended to provide structural diversity to enhance wildlife habitat and to provide visual buffering Evergreen trees have been added to increase year round visual screening. Q: What about bike path improvements? A: Campus Crest will provide bicycle parking and bike lanes on internal streets in order to encourage bicycle commuting as an alternative mode of transportation. There are 6 foot bike lanes on Centre Avenue to encourage bicycle commuting as well. While safety is always a concern, we believe Campus Crest has done everything they can as the developer of a new project to fit into the City bicycle infrastructure. It is legal to ride your bicycle on the sidewalk although it is not recommended. The City has a program The Grove PDP Exhibit C — Neighborhood Issues April 6, 2011 Page 7 of 11 proceed without the lengthy analysis requirement. The City meets with representatives from CSU and CSURF monthly on a variety of topics and this drainage is one of the issues that is on their agenda. Since groundwater is the biggest issue, the City will be looking at the proposed discharge of groundwater from the Grove site carefully during Final Review to insure that it does not make the existing problem any worse. On the other hand, the City staff will also be looking to make sure that enough ground water is released to the wetland area in order to sustain the natural resource values of the wetlands. Steve Long, wetland consultant with Cedar Creek and Associates, along with Applegate. hydrologic specialists, will be working closely with City representatives from the natural resource, storm -water. and engineering departments to determine the most effective and sustainable design solution. Q: I am concerned about the quality of the architecture presented and also amenities that are promised here not being delivered. A: All amenities that have been proposed and approved will be installed. Due to the intricacies of new construction however, times do arise when certain amenities may be available shortly after the actual property move -in date. All approvals and codes will be adhered too as required by the City. Q: What are the stipulations of your lease? Down the road, if this community became financially infeasible, what would happen? A: Campus Crest has a long term lease in place with CSURF to maintain the upkeep and operation of this project. As one of what will be 34 operating Grove locations next year, there is a significant up front financial contribution to create this project and sustain it for the future That investment would and could not be made without the confidence that the project will be a success for many years to come. In order to maintain the high level we expect from our properties, we are incentivized to keep them in excellent condition from a maintenance standpoint. Q: What is proposed on the area to the west owned by CSURF? A: It is zoned MMN, Medium Density Mixed Use Neighborhood. There are no development plans at the present time. Since the last neighborhood meeting this area has been incorporated into the site plan. Q: Why would you design the parking lot like that? I am concerned with the area flooding. A: The parking lot is designed to provide safe and efficient vehicular circulation and convenient parking for residents. Putting the parking along the northern edge also allows the buildings and activity areas to be placed further away from the neighborhood thereby reducing visual impact and noise issues. The proposed development will have no impact to the mapped FEMA floodplain. All storm water will be handled and treated by a City approved storm water management The Grove PDP Exhibit C — Neighborhood Issues April 6. 2011 Page 6 of l I relate to this development. Additionally, does any current new construction have exemptions to this ordinance? A Campus Crest is requesting that the project be allowed to have twelve 4 bedroom units. The 4 bedroom units would replace twenty-four 2 bedroom units resulting in the same number of bedrooms and the same size of building originally proposed. The four bedroom units offer a more affordable and diverse lifestyle opportunity for students. The current proposal requests eighteen 4-bedroom units. The bedrooms in the 4- bedroom units are not less expensive than other bedrooms in the complex. Q: I am concerned with underground drainage and inflll. Primarily, there is a concern regarding the existing abutting building to wetlands. Additionally, property owners to the north's view will be decreased. A: Underground drainage is addressed below. It should be noted that there will be a significant natural buffer that will separate the new development from the existing neighborhoods. It is comprised of existing and newly constructed wetlands with covenants in place to ensure their survival. It is both rare and fortunate in today's development world to be able to maintain such a beneficial natural buffer. Only a small (.01 acre) wetland is being filled. The existing wetlands are proposed to be protected with an average 100-foot-wide buffer. The buffer zone will be enhanced with native grasses, shrubs and trees that will provide structural diversity and help visually screen the project from the neighborhood. No new wetlands are being created as part of the current proposal. Q: Property to the northwest's stormwater drains into the wetlands. Currently, however, the wetlands are not draining. I believe this is an opportunity to have CSURF to figure out the drainage. Will the City make CSURF address the drainage issues? (See answer below) Q: Could you tell me more about the property to the north and water treatment? A. Presently ground water does come to the surface in the drainageway that separates the Grove project from the residential neighborhoods to the north. Parts of the drainageway are clogged with cattails causing water to back up into the channels causing periodic problems for people with basements in the neighborhood. The problem is exacerbated by a naturally high ground water table in the area. The City along with CSURF understand the need to clear the drainage way so that the channel can flow again without backing up. One major reason this maintenance task cannot be completed now is that the area is currently within the FEMA floodway. In order to remove the cattails FEMA requires a lengthy and expensive hydraulic analysis. To complicate matters further, FEMA is now in the process of completing a map revision for Spring Creek. The map revision is in response to four storm drainage projects recently completed by the City both upstream and downstream of this drainage. It is anticipated that when the map revision is complete in a year or so that the clearing of cattails could The Grove PDP Exhibit C — Neighborhood Issues April 6. 2011 Page S of 1 Q: What are the code variances requested by this project? A: There are five areas where the applicant is requesting a variance, modification or alternate compliance. Request for Alternative Compliance for sub -arterial street connections every 660 feet. Essentially the Land Use Code would require the developer to put in more streets to connect to the existing neighborhood. The design team believes it's better to avoid the wetland disturbance and not allow traffic to go through the neighborhood, Request for a Modification to the Fort Collins Land Use Code, Article 4 Districts, Division 4.6 Medium Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood District, (E) Development Standards, (1) Block Requirements, (b) Block size, which requires all blocks to be a maximum size of seven (7) acres. Similarly this standard would require additional streets bisecting the project. Again the reason for seeking the Modification is to avoid wetland disturbance and keep the separation from the neighborhood. Additional streets would use more resources. increase heat gain and reduce open space. Request for a Modification to the Fort Collins Land Use Code, Article 3 General Development Standards, Section 3.5.2 Residential Building Standards, (D) Residential Building setbacks, Lot Width and Size, (2) Minimum 15-foot Setback from Nonarterial Streets. Nine buildings are proposed to be setback less than fifteen (15) feet from the right-of-way (ROW) of Rolland Moore Drive. Engineering variance request for the cross section of Rolland Moore Drive (RMD) to be different than the standard street cross section for a collector street; and Request for a Modification to the Fort Collins Land Use Code, Article 3 General Development Standards, Section 3.2.2 Access, Circulation and Parking, (L) Parking Stall Dimensions, to allow parallel parking stalls along Rolland Moore Drive to be 1 foot less than standard and in the case of compact stalls, 6 inches less than standard. Reasons for requesting a narrower cross section for RMD and narrower parking spaces along RMD is to protect natural resources, reduce speed for safety and provide a more pedestrian friendly streetscape The current site plan proposal does not require any Modifications. There is one Request for Alternative Compliance to avoid connecting to Northerland Drive on the north or to cross the Larimer Canal No. 2 with streets (see Exhibit B). In addition, three administrative Engineering Variances have been granted to allow alternative roadway standards for the three public streets. Q: Could you please tell me about the occupancy limits code and how this ordinance will The Grove PDP Exhibit C — Neighborhood Issues April 6.2011 Page 4 of 11 The courtyard site plan concept had to be abandoned in order to meet City standards which stipulate that buildings are to be oriented to face public streets with entrances close to public street sidewalks. While the building orientation has changed to accommodate Land Use Code requirements, the resulting site plan includes an interior green space, a spacious pool/clubhouse facility, an outdoor pavilion, a basketball court and a volley ball court to provide a variety of recreational opportunities. All the recreational activities and the parking is located to the interior of the project so that the buildings buffer the associated noise and visual impacts from the existing neighborhood. Q: Is the pool year round? A. The pool is not planned to be heated at this point and therefore not year round, but that could change in future. Q: Why does Rolland Moore Drive dead end? A: See first response regarding the alignment of Rolland Moore Drive. Q: I am concerned about building in wetlands and creating new, artificial wetlands. A: Buildings I and 2 are located at a pinch point on the site, meaning that at this location the plan must accommodate a significant grade change at a location where existing wetlands extend more to the south. The plan proposes to encroach into this wetland area approximately 65 feet resulting in the loss of approximately 0.45 acre of wetlands by direct placement of fill. To compensate for this wetland impact. Campus Crest Development will construct a 0 47-acre wetland in delineated uplands. The constructed wetland will be located immediately adjacent to the wetlands delineated along the drainage way within the borders of the project area (see Site Plan maps) The constructed wetland will comprise a one for one wetland replacement, on -site, in -kind, compensatory mitigation feature. A detailed wetland mitigation plan with management, monitoring, and site maintenance specifications will be prepared to conform to both City of Fort Collins and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements. Additional information regarding this encroachment and proposed mitigation measures can be found in the Ecological Characterization Study Report (ECSR). The site plan has been expanded to include more property to the west. The new site plan avoids all of the existing wetlands except for one small isolated area of .01 acres. Q: Have studies been done on the habitat in the area and what are the impacts, ecologically speaking, after the project is built? A The developer has prepared and submitted an Ecological Characterization Study Report (ECSR). Except for the one wetland encroachment described above, the project provides buffers from the wetlands along the north and from the Larimer Number 2 Canal on the south. The average buffer distance is greater than required and native plantings provide a visual buffer and enhance the wildlife habitat value. Q: Who owns the land? A CSURF owns the land. The Grove PDP Exhibit C — Neighborhood issues April 6. 2011 Page 3 off1 The site plan now includes 294 bicycle parking spaces conveniently located at the building entrances and at the clubhouse. Q: I am concerned with students riding bikes getting hit that must cross Centre Avenue to Rolland Moore Drive. A. Campus Crest will provide bicycle parking and bike lanes on internal streets in order to encourage safe. convenient, bicycle commuting as an alternative mode of transportation. There are bike lanes on Centre Avenue to encourage bicycle commuting as well. While safety is always a concern, we believe Campus Crest has done everything they can as the developer of a new project to fit into the City's bicycle infrastructure. Striped bike lanes will be provided on Rolland Moore Drive as is the City standard for a collector street. The local street and commercial street in the project are designed to accommodate bicycle travel; however, the City will not stripe the bike lanes on these streets as is the City standard for streets in these classifications. Campus Crest is providing an 8-foot-wide bicycle/pedestrian path through the project on the outer edge of the internal local street to provide an off-street alternative. Q: If you are constructing a community to support a student body that is striving to be truly "green" and "sustainable" —why not LEED certification? A. Campus Crest has included a variety of sustainable design solutions in their building design and construction practices as well as in their site design and landscape. They are currently in the process of exploring LEED valuation and have hired a specialized consultant to review existing design and recommend possible alternatives. The most important sustainable component of the project, in terms of energy savings has to do with site selection. By providing high density housing in a location where students can utilize alternative modes of transportation the project will reduce vehicle miles traveled thereby lowering fuel consumption and reducing air pollution. Campus Crest is continuing to pursue LEED Certification. More information about the specifics of their program will be made available at the Open House planned for April 27, 2011. Q: Where are the court yards for the six (6) buildings on the west side? A: Rolland Moore Drive is designed to go through the residential complex. In order to maximize livability and safety, the streetscape along Rolland Moore is designed to serve dual functions. In addition to being a transportation corridor for cars and bikes it also serves a pedestrian and social function. Campus Crest is providing plaza space, bicycle parking, street trees and a variety of plant material designed to enhance the streetscape and make it an attractive place to socialize. In addition there is quiet passive green space located on the south of these buildings where students can enjoy the sun in a quieter atmosphere near native vegetation. Regardless of where the students live, they can utilize any of the courtyards and amenities within the complex. The site is also conveniently located a short walk from Rolland Moore Park. The Grove PDP Exhibit C — Neighborhood Issues April 6.2011 Page 2 of 11 land costs, development costs, market demand, etc... If the developer waited until the project design process was 100% complete before meeting with the neighborhood, it would be difficult to make any adjustments in response to neighborhood concerns. The majority of the project is located in the MMN - Medium Density Mixed Use Neighborhood District which has 12 DU/AC as a minimum density and no maximum density, In this location the minimum density is 7 DU/AC. MMN Districts are typically located in areas where alternative transportation is readily available and there are a variety of opportunities to work, shop and recreate nearby. The City promotes higher density in these areas The density proposed for The Grove is comparable to other student housing projects in the areas near the University. Ram's Village on West Elizabeth Street 17.78 DU/AC Net Landmark Apartments 18.32 DU/AC Net Northfield 17.60 DU/AC Net The Preserve 15.18 DU/AC The Grove The Grove 7.93 DU/AC Gross (with Outlots A,B&C) 14.31 DU/AC Net (without Outlots A,B&C) Q: What is the traffic access like to the north and south? A: Rolland Moore Drive connects with Shields Street and also to Centre Avenue, providing access to the community. Q: Where is the trash located? A: There is one trash collection/recycling area, located on the north edge of the parking lot where it can be visually screened from the neighborhood. The centralized location provides reasonable convenience to students and maximizes the efficiency of trash removal and recycling. Campus Crest utilizes a trash compactor which is typically emptied several times a month. The centrally located trash compactor is no longer being proposed. It has been replaced by 5 trash/recycling collection areas at the request of City staff and neighborhood residents. Q: Where is the bike parking how much spaces are allocated to bikes? A: The City requires 1 bike parking space per 25 car spaces. resulting in a requirement of 22 bicycle parking spaces. Campus Crest recognizes that this number is insufficient given that this is a student housing project located within easy biking distance of Campus and Downtown Fort Collins. Campus Crest proposes to install 143 bicycle spaces located throughout the complex at building entries and at the clubhouse facility. In addition there is adequate hardscape space to double the number of bicycle parking spaces if needed. Students would also be permitted to keep their bicycles in their apartment if they choose to. Exhibit C Neighborhood Issues April 6, 2011 The Grove Neighborhood Meeting Notes July 20, 2010 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM (Applicant responses drafted after the neighborhood meeting.) (Applicant updated responses 04-06-11) Q: Do the community standards and policies make a difference in studies of peer communities? A: Yes, the standards and policies Campus Crest puts in place are working. These programs have evolved since our inception in 2004 and have enjoyed much success. Q: How extensive were your market studies? Did you take into account that there are other local, smaller properties with vacancies? A: Yes, we look extensively at all competitive properties in the area. We have a rigorous, proprietary underwriting study that must be completed before we will target a location. Fort Collins has met and/or exceeded all of our benchmarks for a successful new property. Q: Where does Rolland Moore Drive connect? A: Rolland Moore Drive currently exists as a street connection from Centre Avenue, extending approximately 450 feet along the south side of the City's horticulture center, known as The Gardens on Spring Creek. Rolland Moore Drive also exists as a street connecting to Shields Street north of centre Avenue. The City's Master Street Plan and the CSURF Overall Development Plan anticipated that the two existing portions of Rolland Moore Drive would ultimately connect to each other with the development of the intervening parcels of property. The most recent FEMA floodplain mapping along Spring Creek shows a portion of the proposed extension of Rolland Moore Drive being in the floodway. In addition, the proposed alignment would have resulted in the loss of a significant amount of existing wetlands with little opportunity for buffering what wetlands would remain. So early in the site plan design process for The Grove, City staff and the design team agreed that an alternative alignment for Rolland Moore Drive made sense. The new alignment connects the west end of Rolland Moore Drive to Centre Avenue further south where it aligns with the entrance to the Natural Resource Research Center campus. This alignment runs parallel to the Larimer Number 2 Canal along the south of the proposed development parcel between 400' and 500' from the neighborhoods to the north. Q: I have concerns regarding the density displayed by Campus Crests' project — there is 60 % more density illustrated in this iteration. Could you give me an example of a development with similar densities in the area? A: It is true that 12 units were added to the project after the first neighborhood meeting. It is common for projects and their economic performas to evolve in the early stages of the site design process. The density of a project depends on many factors including zoning,