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HomeMy WebLinkAboutELEMENTARY SCHOOL AT RIDGEWOOD HILLS ( COYOTE RIDGE) - SITE PLAN ADVISORY REVIEW - 28-06 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORTElementary School at Ridgewood Hills Site Plan Advisory Review - #28-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting December 7, 2006 Page 6 Students from the Registry Ridge neighborhood will be bussed to the school, due to the fact that no sidewalks currently exist along Trilby Road west of the Ridgewood Hills subdivision to connect the two neighborhoods. Four busses are proposed and will be separated from the pick-up/drop-off and parking area with a separate bus turnaround area. A Transportation Impact Study was prepared for this proposed school and is attached. In summary, the extent of the projected impacts of the elementary school on the street system in the vicinity of the proposed development are acceptable, the site layout can accommodate the drop- off and pick-up activity at the school and an acceptable level of service will be achieved for pedestrian, bicycle and transit modes. 4. Neighborhood Response A neighborhood meeting was held on October 25, 2006 at the Good Samaritan Village Chapel. Approximately 30 people attended this meeting. A meeting summary of questions, responses, comments and concerns is attached. CONCLUSIONS After reviewing the Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills Site Plan Advisory Review - #28-06, staff offers the following conclusions: The location of the proposed Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills is appropriate. 2. The character proposed building is adequate, but the proposed landscaping treatment is inconsistent with the character of the surrounding neighborhood. 3. The extent of the proposed Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills is acceptable. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Board disapprove the Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills Site Plan Advisory Review - #28-06. Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills Site Plan Advisory Review - #28-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting December 7, 2006 Page 5 landscaping along the southern edge. Staff recommends that an additional row of trees be planted along Avondale Road to screen the parking lot from the street. Landscaping along the southern edge of the parking lot should also be provided to adequately screen the automobiles and service areas from the residential uses. The lack of landscaping and screening along the southern edge of the parking lot is an issue that several neighbors mentioned at the neighborhood meeting, and is required for developments subject to the Land Use Code. Finally, staff recommends that several more parking lot landscape islands be added to provide shading, visual variety and quality to the development. The proposed elementary school landscaping lacks the level of quality evident in the landscaping throughout the Ridgewood Hills neighborhood, by failing to adequately screen and shade the parking area and add interest to the school building. Given the proposed landscape treatment, staff has determined that the project is inconsistent with the character of the surrounding residential area. C. Extent The proposed school is for grades kindergarten through fifth grade, plus Early Childhood Education and will accommodate up to 400 students. Four additional classrooms may be added as a future addition to serve 100 students, if necessary. Students from the Ridgewood Hills neighborhood will walk, bike or be dropped off at the school by car. The school's sidewalk system will connect to the existing neighborhood pedestrian facilities to provide safe routes for children to access the site from both the north and south. It will be the responsibility of the Ridgewood Hills Homeowner's Association to connect the existing greenbelt pathway to the school site, if desired. Bicycle parking is proposed on the south and west sides of the building for 42 bicycles, which satisfies the bicycle parking standard in the Land Use Code. The parent pick-up/drop-off and parking area will have a separate entry and exit, and is configured so that students do not have to cross traffic when getting out of cars. The parking lot will contain 83 parking spaces, which is compliant with the minimum parking standards contained in the Land Use Code. The applicant has indicated that the drop-off and parking lot area will feature only one landscape island due to ease of maintenance and budget constraints. City staff has recommended installation of landscape islands not only to improve the character of the school and but to also define circulation routes and physically separate the parking and drop-off areas. Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills Site Plan Advisory Review - #28-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting December 7, 2006 Page 4 optimize daylighting and is located at the center of the site to separate the play area from the parking and drop-off area. Staff finds that the proposed location for the elementary school is appropriate and compatible with the existing neighborhood. B. Character The school property is approximately 7.69 acres and will feature a 56,000 square foot, partial two-story school building. The north wing of the building will be for classrooms, with only the fourth and fifth grade classrooms on the second floor. The Early Childhood Education, kindergarten and first grade classrooms will be in a separate wing on the first floor, with access to a separate, fenced play area. The gym and cafeteria areas will be located in the south wing and will open to the play area and fields. The building entrance will be visible from the administration offices for security purposes. Play areas will be located on the west and north sides of the building, with play equipment located on Fibar safety surfaces. Sports fields will be located on the southwest portion of the property. The property will feature a six foot chain link fence along the south property line. The building facade is divided into smaller planes to break down the large building mass, and the materials, while basic, are varied for visual interest. Exterior materials, primarily brick and metal panels, will feature natural colors including warm beige, light grays and blue, and will be treated with graffiti repellant. Maximum building height in the LMN — Low Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood District is two and one-half stories. The maximum height of the proposed school is two stories, approximately 30 feet 8 inches. The proposed landscaping is minimal. The existing street trees along Avondale Road will be preserved, with the exception of two Purple Ashes that will be removed for the parking lot entrance and exit. The property will be seeded with Kentucky Bluegrass along Avondale Road, fading to Fine Fescue Lawn Mix, Dryland Seed and Sportsfield Seed Mix further west. Shrubs will be located at the building entrance, along the drop-off area and along Avondale Road. Trees will be planted along the asphalt play area and on the north edge of the building near the bus turnaround loop. Building foundation treatment consists of crusher fines mulch with steel edging. Staff has recommended that the applicant reconsider the proposed foundation treatment, and provide plantings or treatment that will offer greater visual interest. As proposed, the parking lot features only one internal landscape island, minimal perimeter landscaping along Avondale Road, and no perimeter Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills Site Plan Advisory Review - #28-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting December 7, 2006 Page 3 such planned section and district until the location, character, and extent thereof has been submitted for approval by the commission. In case of disapproval, the commission shall communicate its reasons to the municipality's governing body, which has the power to overrule such disapproval by a recorded vote of not less than two-thirds of its entire membership. If the public way, ground space, building, structure, or utility is one the authorization or financing of which does not, under the law or charter provisions governing the same, fall within the province of the municipal governing body, the submission to the commission shall be by the governmental body having jurisdiction, and the planning commission's disapproval may be overruled by said governmental body by a vote of not less than two-thirds of its membership. The failure of the commission to act within sixty days from and after the date of official submission to it shall be deemed approval." This proposal will be evaluated per these two statutes on the basis of the proposal's location, character and extent. The Planning and Zoning Board may review and comment on the proposal, and if the Planning and Zoning Board is not satisfied with the applicant's response to those comments, a hearing may be requested before the Thompson School Board. 3. Location, Character and Extent A. Location The proposed elementary school at Ridgewood hills is located at 7115 Avondale Road, south of Trilby Road, between South College Avenue (Highway 287) and South Shields Street. The school site was designated as part of the Ridgewood Hills PUD 3`d Filing in 2000 and is located directly south of Homestead Park. In addition to serving the Ridgewood Hills neighborhood, the school will also serve students from the Registry Ridge neighborhood, which is located on the south side of Trilby Road between Shields Street and Taft Hill Road. Students from the Registry Ridge neighborhood will be bussed to the school. The property is zoned LMN — Low Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood District, in which private and public schools for elementary education are permitted uses, subject to Planning and Zoning Board review. While the site is located within the City of Fort Collins, it falls within the boundary for the Thompson School District. The site is organized with the parking and drop-off area to the east of the building along Avondale Road, play areas to the west that will border the existing neighborhood greenbelt, and a bus turnaround loop along the northern property line adjacent to the park. The building will be situated to Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills Site Plan Advisory Review - #28-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting December 7, 2006 Page 2 S: LMN and MMN — existing single-family residential W: LMN — existing single-family residential This property was designated as a future school site and platted as Tract U of the Ridgewood Hills PUD Third Filing in 2000. 2. Process The City of Fort Collins has agreed with the Thompson School District to process this application under Section 22-32-124, Colorado Revised Statutes, which states: "Prior to the acquisition of land or any contracting for the purchase thereof, the board of education shall consult with and advise in 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 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. The planning commission or governing body may request a public hearing before the board relating to the proposed site location or site development plan. The board shall thereafter promptly schedule the hearing, publish at least one notice in advance of the hearing, and provide written notice of the hearing to the requesting planning commission or governing body. Prior to the acquisition of land for school building sites or construction of any buildings thereon, the board also shall consult with the Colorado geological survey regarding potential swelling soil, mine subsidence, and other geologic hazards and to determine the geologic suitability of the site for its proposed use. All buildings and structures shall be constructed in conformity with the building and fire codes adopted by the director of the division of oil and public safety in the department of labor and employment, referred to in this section as the "division". Nothing in this subsection (1) shall be construed to limit the authority of a board to finally determine the location of public schools within the district and construct necessary buildings and structures." In addition, the City of Fort Collins processes all Site Plan Advisory Review proposals under Section 31-23-209, Colorado Revised Statutes, 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 ITEM NO. MEETING DATE /06 STAFF Shelby Sommer City o - Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: Elementary School at Ridgewood Hills Site Plan Advisory Review - #28-06 APPLICANT: Bennett Wagner & Grody Architects c/o Anne Weber -Williams 1301 Wazee St. Denver, CO 80204 OWNER: Thompson School District R-2J 800 South Taft Avenue Loveland, CO 80537 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Thompson School District requests a Site Plan Advisory Review of a proposed elementary school in the Ridgewood Hills neighborhood, located south of Trilby Road and west of South College Avenue. The school site is located at 7115 Avondale Road, on the south side of the existing Homestead Park. The property is zoned LMN —Low Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood District, in which schools for elementary education are permitted uses. RECOMMENDATION: Disapproval EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This request for review from the Thompson School District is submitted to the Planning and Zoning Board as a Site Plan Advisory Review pursuant to State Statute Section 22- 32-124, which permits the City to review and comment on the proposal with respect to its location, character and extent. COMMENTS: 1. Background The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: RL — Homestead Park and existing single-family residential E: LMN — existing single-family residential COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box580 Fort Collins, CO80522-0580 (970)221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT