HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOOPER HOME (1309 NEWSOM ST.) - SPAR - SPA120001 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORTPoudre School District, Cooper Home Transition Program - Site Plan Advisory Review, #SPA120001
March 15, 2012 P & Z Meeting
Page 5
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Board approve the Poudre School District, Cooper Home
Transition Program - Site Plan Advisory Review - #SPA120001, with one condition:
"Poudre School District must provide one additional on -site parking space. This can be
accomplished by widening the existing driveway by 9 feet to bring it to a width of 27 feet, enabling 3
vehicles to park side -by -side."
Attachments:
• Submittal documentation from the applicants
• Vicinity Map
• Colored photos of the property
• Neighborhood Information Meeting Notes
• Communications received from citizens
Poudre School District, Cooper Home Transition Program - Site Plan Advisory Review, #SPA120001
March 15, 2012 P & Z Meeting
Page 4
6. Environmental Assessment
There are no known environmental issues associated with a change -of -use from single family residential to
school on this property.
Estimated Project Schedule
Poudre School District currently does not own the property. Therefore, a project schedule has not yet been
provided and remains unknown.
8. Location. Character and Extent:
A. Location — The location of the proposed Cooper Home Transition School is in the middle of
an existing single family neighborhood in the RL, Low Density Residential District. Schools
are permitted in this district, subject to review by the Planning & Zoning Board.
B. Character — The character of the Cooper Home Transition School is consistent with the
character of the existing single family neighborhood in University Acres. Normally there will
be about 10 students at the facility part of each day during the week. These students will not
be driving personal vehicles, the outdoor activities are minimal, and the traffic and parking
needs generated by this facility are also minimal.
C. Extent — The extent to which this proposal affects the City's ability to carry out City Plan and
other adopted plans is minimal. The existing building (house) will be utilized by Poudre
School District as a non-traditional transitional school for youth 18 — 21 years of age. The
purpose is to provide life skills for these youth as they transition into their next phase of life
by gradually increasing responsibility in order for them to gain independence.
CONCLUSIONS:
After reviewing the Poudre School District, Cooper Home Transition Program - Site Plan Advisory Review,
staff offers the following conclusions:
The location of the proposed Cooper Home Transition School is in the middle of an existing single
family neighborhood in the RL, Low Density Residential District. Schools are permitted in this
district, subject to review by the Planning & Zoning Board.
2. The character of the Cooper Home Transition School is consistent with the character of the existing
single family neighborhood in University Acres. Normally there will be about 10 students at the
facility part of each day during the week. These students will not be driving personal vehicles, the
outdoor activities are minimal, and the traffic and parking needs generated by this facility are also
minimal.
3. The extent to which the Cooper Home Transition School proposal affects the City's ability to carry
out City Plan and other adopted plans is minimal. The existing building (house) will be utilized by
Poudre School District as a non-traditional transitional school for youth 18 — 21 years of age. The
purpose is to provide life skills for these youth as they transition into their next phase of life by
gradually increasing responsibility in order for them to gain independence.
Poudre School District, Cooper Home Transition Program - Site Plan Advisory Review, #SPA120001
March 15, 2012 P & Z Meeting
Page 3
wheelchair will be picked up and dropped off at the 1309 Newsom address. In addition, the
Cooper Home Program has a small white 14 passenger white school bus that will be parked at
nearby Lesher Middle School at certain times. The 4 staff members each have a personal
vehicle. Traffic generated by this non-traditional school is considered to be nominal and,
therefore, the City's Traffic Engineering Department has not required that a traffic study be
prepared.
Parking:
The off-street parking needs for this school are related only to the 4 staff members that will be
present on -site. The City's Land Use Code requirement for schools is set forth in Section
3.2.2(K)(1)(h). This section requires 2 parking spaces per 3 employees, or a total of 3 on -site
parking spaces for the 4 staff. Currently there are only 2 unencumbered parking spaces in the
driveway and, therefore, one additional parking space must be provided. The garage will not
count since those spaces would be blocked by vehicles in the driveway. Staff is recommending
a condition of approval stating:
"Poudre School District must provide one additional on -site parking space. This can be
accomplished by widening the existing driveway by 9 feet to bring it to a width of 27 feet,
enabling 3 vehicles to park side -by -side."
Noise:
The Cooper Home Program provides transition services to approximately 15-22 students each
school year. The facility is used Monday — Friday from approximately 7:45am to 3:OOpm.
Because the program is community based, the students are not on site for the full school day,
but rather learning how to use public transportation, or transported to internships, community
activities and jobs in the white school bus. Students attend generally 2.5 days per week — this
result is 10 students or fewer arriving at Cooper Home Tuesday - Friday. On Monday's all of the
students will attend. The outdoor activities on -site at this facility are minimal, with only an
occasional outdoor barbecue or something of that nature occurring a few times during the school
year. Therefore, noise will not be a factor.
• Setbacks:
The width of the lot at 1309 Newsom Street is 75 feet. The side yard setbacks on either side of
the existing house are 6 feet. Sections 4.4(D)(2)(a) & (d) of the Land Use Code set forth the
requirements that the lot width for a school shall be 100 feet and the side yard setback for a
school shall be at least 25 feet. Based on the use and function of the property by the Poudre
School District for the proposed non-traditional school, the potential impacts created are
determined to be minimal. Also, PSD is not subject to the requirements set forth in the Land Use
Code.
• Other permitted uses:
Child care centers are permitted in the RL, Low Density Residential District. A child care center,
by definition in the Land Use Code, may provide day care for 7 - 15 children in the RL, Low
Density Residential District. This use would require a larger outdoor use/play area than the
proposed Cooper Home Transition School. Potential noise generated by this use would be
significantly greater than by Cooper Home. Also, there would be parents dropping off and
picking their children up right at the property, which would generate a significant amount of traffic
on Newsom Street both early in the morning and late in the afternoon.
Poudre School District, Cooper Home Transition Program - Site Plan Advisory Review, #SPA120001
March 15, 2012 P & Z Meeting
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2. Process
The Poudre School District has agreed with the City of Fort Collins to process this review under Section 31-
23-209. C.R.S.. which states:
"When the commission (Planning and Zoning Board) has adopted the master plan of the municipality
or of one or more major sections or districts thereof, no street, square, park, or other public way,
ground or open space, public building or structure, or publicly or privately owned public utility shall be
constructed or authorized in the municipality or in such planned section and district until the
location, character and extent thereof has been submitted for approval by the commission. "
Under the statute, if the Fort Collins Planning & Zoning Board disapproves the site plan such disapproval
may be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the Poudre School District Board members.
Section 22-32-124, C.R.S., states:
"Prior to the acquisition of land for the purchase thereof, the board of education shall consult with
and advise writing the planning commission, or governing body if no planning commission exists,
that has jurisdiction over the territory in which the site is proposed to be located in order that the
proposed site shall conform to the adopted plan of the community insofar as is feasible. In addition,
the board of education shall submit a site development plan for review and comment to such
planning commission or governing body prior to construction of any structure or building. "
Poudre School District has submitted a development plan to the City of Fort Collins for Site Plan Advisory
Review. A review meeting has been held with City Staff members in affected departments to identify
potential issues and enable preparation of a Staff Report and Recommendation to the Planning & Zoning
Board based on the regulations set forth in the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code.
3. Neighborhood Meeting
There was a neighborhood meeting conducted by the Poudre School District on February 21, 2012. This was
a City -facilitated neighborhood meeting. The neighborhood meeting notes and sign -in sheet are included in
the Site Plan Advisory Review documentation that is being provided to the Planning & Zoning Board for
review.
Purpose and Need
Poudre School District [PSD] is currently looking for a replacement for the current'Cooper Home' located at
740 East Stuart Street. PSD has determined that the multi -level Stuart Street house is not able to meet the
varied program and ADA requirements of the students. PSD intends to sell the current facility once the
replacement facility has been purchased.
PSD currently has placed under contract a residential house located at 1309 Newsom Street. This house
was built in 1959, is a one-story, frame, ranch style house containing 1,350 square feet. The property is
zoned RL, Low Density Residential. The lot is 8,718 square feet in size.
Neighborhood Compatibility/Impacts
Traffic:
Vehicle traffic — PSD designated Cooper Home 14 passenger white school bus arrives in the AM
(7:45 — 8:15) to drop students off at Lesher Middle School and return to Lesher School in the
afternoon (2:45 — 3:00 PM) to pick students up to return home. Any student needing a
City of
ort Collins
ITEM NO
MEETING DATE 1l—
STAFF 1W
PLANNING & ZONING BOARD
PROJECT: Poudre School District, Cooper Home Transition Program - Site Plan Advisory
Review - #SPA120001.
OWNER: Margaret Koplin
1309 Newsom Street
Fort Collins, CO 80524
APPLICANT: Poudre School District
c/o Brad Knutson
2407 LaPorte Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80521
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Poudre School District, Cooper Home Program, to be located at 1309 Newsom Street, will provide
transition services to approximately 15 — 22 students, ages 18 to 21, each year. The facility will be used for
the transition program Monday — Friday from about 7:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the PSD calendar year.
The school district will maintain the property year-round. The program is community based and, therefore,
students are not on -site for the full school day. Students attend generally 2.5 days per week, resulting in 10
students or fewer being at Cooper Home Tuesday — Friday. On Mondays all of the students will attend.
There will be 4 staff on -site: 1) a special education teacher; 2) 2 para-educators; and, 3) an employment
specialist. The students will use PSD school buses to be brought to Lesher Middle School in the morning
and picked up there to be taken home in the afternoon. The property is in the RL, Low Density Residential
zoning district.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff has concluded that the proposed facility location, character and extent of impacts on the neighborhood
in which the property is located are appropriate and recommends approval.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This request for review from the Poudre School District is submitted to the Planning & Zoning Board as a Site
Plan Advisory Review pursuant to State Statute Section 31-23-209, which limits the City's review to the
location, character and extent of the proposed school, and State Statute Section 22-32-124.
COMMENTS:
1. Background
Surrounding zoning and land uses are:
* Zoning ........ RL, Low Density Residential in the City of Fort Collins to the east, west, north and
south.
* Land Uses ... Single family residential to the east, west, north and south known as University Acres.
Current Planning 281 N College Av PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580
fcgov.com/currentplanning 970.221.6750