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Home My WebLink AboutSEVEN GENERATIONS (FORMERLY EASTBROOK) OFFICE PARK - PDP - 4-06 - DECISION - MINUTES/NOTESEastbrook Office Park PDP Administrative Hearing Findings, Conclusions, and Decision May 11, 2006 Page 2 of 5 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING: Evidence presented to the Hearing Officer established no controversy or facts to refute that the hearing was properly posted, legal notices mailed and notice published. PUBLIC HEARING The Hearing Officer, presiding pursuant to the Fort Collins Land Use Code, opened the hearing at approximately 6:00 p.m. on May 11, 2006 in Conference Room A at 281 North College Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado. HEARING TESTIMONY, WRITTEN COMMENTS AND OTHER EVIDENCE: The Hearing Officer accepted during the hearing the following evidence: (1) Planning Department Staff Report; (2) application, plans, maps and other supporting documents submitted by the applicant and the applicant's representatives to the City of Fort Collins; (3) a sign up sheet of persons attending the hearing; and (4) a tape recording of the hearing. The LUC, the City's Comprehensive Plan (City Plan), and the formally promulgated policies of the City are all considered part of the evidence considered by the Hearing Officer. The following is a list of those who attended the meeting: From the City: Steve Olt, City Planner From the Applicant: Jim Sitzman Joanna Frye, V.F. Ripley From the Public: Ralph Dorland, 1980 Massachusetts Street Anne Beavan, 1980 Massachusetts Street Written Comments: Copy of e-mail message from Jim Sell, resident of 1737 Norwood Lane City of Fort Collins Commu.,ity Planning and Environmental bzrvices Current Planning CITY OF FORT COLLINS ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING OFFICER TYPE I ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND DECISION ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING DATE: PROJECT NAME: CASE NUMBER: APPLICANT: OWNER: HEARING OFFICER: PROJECT DESCRIPTION: May 11, 2006 Eastbrook Office Park Project Development Plan VF Ripley c/o L. Joanna Frye 401 W. Mountain Avenue, Suite 201 Fort Collins, CO 80521 Sitzman Inestments, LLLP 3500 JFK Parkway Fort Collins, CO 80525 Cameron Gloss Current Planning Director This is a request for P.D.P. approval for an building office park composed of four buildings totaling 48,000 square feet (ranging from 10,960 to 12,388 square feet per building) located on the southwest corner of Eastbrook and Vermont Drives. The buildings will be a combination of one and two stories and range from 22 to 36 feet in height. SUMMARY OF HEARING OFFICER DECISION: Approval ZONING DISTRICT: E- Employment 281 North College Avenue • PO. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 • FAX (970) 416-2020 I Steve Olt - Eastbrook Office Park Page 1; From: "Jim Sell" <jims@jimselldesign.com> To: <solt@fcgov.com> Date: 05/11/2006 3:59:38 PM Subject: Eastbrook Office Park Steve, As I mentioned yesterday, I would very much appreciate it if the developer would provide a similar level of screening on the West boundary of his project as he is doing on the North and South. This would soften the impact of the building mass from the City of Fort Collins 'Power Trail" and the Foothills Basin open space to the West. There is already extensive public use of the informal trail along the existing creek and pond that is on axis with this trail and it would be appropriate to provide some screening. In addition, there are single family neighborhood to the West and North of the office park. I think the scale of the buildings and land use are appropriate for this location but I would encourage the developer to use earth tone colors on the stucco facade and add some Blue Spruce and/or Pines to blend with the adjacent residential neighborhood. Thanks for your consideration, Jim Sell 1737 Norwood Lane. Fort Collins, CO 80525 CC: "Ted Dedolph" <TedDedolph@comcast.net> * 104 - , / �</ hlld � %� ° � � n � � s �' d'4 � � 'tom •cii ice,-vr.c, JJ�' ��-✓ �, Eastbrook Office Park PDP Administrative Hearing Findings, Conclusions, and Decision May 11, 2006 Page 5 of 5 Dated this 16th day of May 2006, per authority grante? Sections 1.4.9(E) and 2.1 of the Land Use Code. Current Plannifiq Director Eastbrook Office Park PDP Administrative Hearing Findings, Conclusions, and Decision May 11, 2006 Page 4 of 5 the City Planning staff and will be communicated with the Traffic Operations Department. Requests were made to the Hearing Officer by area residents to consider the impacts on the quality of life that might arise due to the existence of the office development near a residential area. One related issue is the effectiveness of landscape materials to screen the office buildings, on -site lighting and the parking area from view. Neighbors expressed concern in testimony at the hearing, as well as through an electronic mail message, about the impact to views from properties located immediately to the north and the west. The applicant is amenable to incorporating additional Evergreen Trees into the landscape plan to provide further screening and buffering to properties to the west and located in a manner that will permit adequate on -going maintenance of the adjacent drainage channel. Since this is not a Land Use Code compliance issue, the Hearing Officer has no authority to condition the approval on the additional landscaping; however, it was acknowledged in the applicant's testimony that additional landscape materials in this location will help to screen parking and lighting from nearby properties and that a good faith effort will be made to provide such plant materials. The Project Development Plan complies with all other applicable requirements of Article 3. No evidence was presented to contradict the statements and conclusion of the staff report concerning compliance or to other refute the compliance with Article 3. SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS A. The Eastbrook Office Park, Project Development Plan is subject to administrative review and the requirements of the Land Use Code (LUC). B. The Eastbrook Office Park, Project Development Plan satisfies the development standards of the E zoning district. C. The Eastbrook Office Park, Project Development Plan complies with all applicable General Development Standards contained in Article 3 of the Land Use Code. DECISION The Eastbrook Office Park, Project Development Plan #4-06, is hereby approved by the Hearing Officer. Eastbrook Office Park PDP Administrative Hearing Findings, Conclusions, and Decision May 11, 2006 Page 3 of 5 FACTS AND FINDINGS The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: E; RL; vacant, existing single family residential S: E; existing and residential E: E; vacant, existing office and industrial W: E; RL railroad track, single-family residential The property was annexed into the City of Fort Collins in June 1977 as part of the Nelson Second Annexation. The property was platted in August 1980 as Lot 2 and Part of Lot 4 of the New Hampshire Subdivision. No development plan had previously been reviewed and approved for this property. 1. Compliance with Article 4 and the E Zoning District Standards: The Project Development Plan complies with all applicable requirements of Article 4 and the E Zoning District. In particular, the proposed office use is permitted within district subject to Administrative Review. The Staff Report summarizes the PDP's compliance with these specific standards and no specific evidence was presented to contradict the statements and conclusion of the staff report concerning compliance with Article 4 or the E District Standards. 2. Compliance with Article 3 of the Land Use Code — General Development Standards Testimony was offered at the hearing by neighboring residential landowners concerning the anticipated or feared impacts of the proposed development and its design upon nearby residential land uses. These impacts included increased traffic and visual quality. The potential for adverse traffic conditions was raised during the public testimony. Concerns were two -fold: one related to the additional volume of traffic circulating through the site, and another with regard to signal timing at the Timberline and Vermont intersection and the perceived inequity in cycle times between east -west and north -south movements. Based on the Applicant's Transportation Impact Study (TIS) and evidence presented on the issue of traffic volumes affecting the transportation system, the Hearing Officer is convinced that vehicular conflicts will not increase in any significant manner by the traffic generated by the Project. The issue of traffic signal timing was acknowleged by