HomeMy WebLinkAboutROCKY MOUNTAIN RAPTOR PROGRAM - ODP & FIRST FILING PDP - 7-06 - REPORTS - PLANNING OBJECTIVESNo Text
The Rocky Mountain Raptor Program Board of Directors includes the following:
Judy Scherpelz
President
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program
2519 S. Shields St. #155
Fort Collins, CO 80526
297-0398
Jerry Craig
Raptor Biologist, Retired
Colorado Division of Wildlife
1409 S. Summfiriew Dr.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
484-9417
Tom Vosburg
Assistant City Manager
City of Fort Collins
300 LaPorte Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80521
224-6107
Rocky Mountain Raptor PrOpam 9' rmrP•org (pjschape@colostate.edu 6
2519 S. Shields St. #155 ip Fort Collins Colorado 80526 (p 970-297-0398
Legal Description of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program Property.
The Overall Development Plan Parcels A. B and C of this property is
described as:
A tract of land situate in the Southeast % of Section 1 and the Northeast % of
Section 12, Township 7 North, Range 69 West of the 6th P.M., in the County of
Larimer and State of Colorado, which, considering the North line of the Northwest
% of Section 12 as bearing N. 89046' West and with all bearings contained herein
relative thereto: Begin at the North quarter comer of said Section 12; thence
South 48.90 feet to a point on the North right-of-way line of County Road; thence
along said North right-of-way line 832.56 feet to the true point of beginning;
thence North 1°08' West 177.56 feet; thence North 82016'30" West 50.6 feet;
thence North 83004' West 151.9 feet; thence South 88030' West 70 feet; thence
South 87031' West 66.5 feet thence North 550M West 253.9 feet; thence South
77°21' West 267.95 feet thence North 298.21 feet; thence North 4201815" East
133.72 feet thence North 18050'30" East 159.21 feet thence easterly 1499.19
feet more or less to the Northwest comer of Lot 27 of Alta Vista Subdivision;
thence East 610 feet to the East line of said Subdivision; thence South to the
North right-of-way line of County Road; thence westerly to point of beginning;
except all land in said Alta Vista Subdivision and except land described in Book
2024 at Page 845, Book 2024 at Page 847 and land described in deed dated
January 14, 1985 to Board of County Commissioners of the County of Larimer,
State of Colorado, original Reception No. 85002614, re -recorded Reception No.
85004389, all exceptions being in the records of the office of the County Clerk
and Recorder of Larimer County, Colorado.
ODP Parcel D site located on Lemay Avenue is legally described as:
Commencing at the Southeast comer of Section 1, Township 7 North, Range 69
West of the 6th P.M.; thence North along the East line of said Section 1 a
distance of 808.1 feet to a point in the center of the County Road, which is the
true point of beginning; thence West 331 feet to a point; thence South 100 feet to
point thence East 331 feet to a point thence North 100 feet to the point of
beginning.
These properties are owned by the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program a
Colorado 501c3 nonprofit corporation located at 2519 S. Shields St. #155,
Fort Collins, CO 80526
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program q nnip.org Tjscherpe@cologaw.edu 5
2519 S. Shields St #155 (p Fort Collins Colorado 80526 q) 970-297-0398
Included with this ODP and PDP submittal are the detailed engineered 14-page design
diagrams of Flight Cages, the ODP site plan describing Parcels A, B, C and D, the Project
Development Plan Phase 1 site plan and the Vicinity Map of the RMRP project area.
The Rocky Mountain Raptor Program requests that the Planning and Zoning Board and City
Staff approve and permit RMRP to construct these Temporary Flight Cages at this site, while we
continue the process of design planning of the permanent Rocky Mountain Raptor Center. It is
our goal to enhance the quality of life in Fort Collins, to help the local economy through
increased tourism and visitorship to north Fort Collins. The RMRP can set an example of
environmental and sustainable land stewardship, while providing educational, cultural,
entertaining and economic opportunities. Help us become a model for eco-tourism and an
inspiration for our community.
Thank Youl
C\� 14
J y Sche Iz
President
Rotary Mountain Raptor Program
2519 S. Shields St. #155
Fort Collins, CO 80526
297-0398
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program T mup•org Tjschope@colostate.edu 4
2519 S. Shields St. #155 (p Fort Collins Colorado 80526 q) 970-297.0398
machinery. The temporary cages will not include hardscape such as concrete sidewalks or
driveways. Once cage construction is complete, the caging is compatible with wildlife activity in
the area, and will have limited disturbance to local wildlife populations. There will be no public
access to this site. Long-term plans of the center will include wildlife habitat enhancements as
part of the interpretive displays.
RMRP has had involvement in neighborhood meetings in May and August 2005 to discuss the
overall project with residents from Alta Vista, Buckingham, and Andersonville in attendance.
The attendees have expressed support for construction of the RMRC with its educational and
volunteer opportunities that it will bring to the community. No concems or issues about the
proposed center have been raised. We are on the agenda for the Spring Combined Community
Meeting for these neighborhoods on March 16, 2006 to update them on our progress and plans.
This project was part of a conceptual review presentation to City Staff in December 2005 that
also included planning for the development of a &6-acre portion of the site that is not part of this
PDP submittal. The comments from staff that refer to the construction of temporary flight cages
on this site have been addressed in multiple follow-up meetings with City Staff during January of
2006. These meetings related primarily to land use zoning, transportation planning, floodway
issues and overall RMRC facility timelines, which do not apply to this submittal. The City staff
has been great to work with and very accommodating in exploring creative solutions to allow for
the RMRP temporary flight cages while protecting the goals, principals and policies of the land
use code. When there was no permitted use in either zoning type for RMRP, they worked with
us to request an administrative addition under LUC Section 1.3.4. The traffic and transportation
staff helped identify solutions for current traffic issues in this area while agreeing to create a
plan to remedy future traffic complications as the RMRP permanent facility matures. RMRP
feels confident that working with the City of Fort Collins planning staff will yield the optimal
benefits for our community.
The timeline for Temporary Cage Construction is planned as follows:
April —
Begin material acquisition
May —
Site Prep
Remove Russian olives
Level or Re -contour site
Dig post holes
May — June
Jig Construction — inside 720 E. Vine building
July — September
Assemble modular walls - inside 720 E. Vine building
Install columns and beams on site
September — October
Construct outdoor cages
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program T mvp org �jwlape@wloaate.edu
2519 S. Shields St. #155 q) Fort Collins Colorado 80526 T 970-297-0398
This 27-acre property is zoned as 1- Industrial and LMN- Low Density Mixed -use
Neighborhood and is located within both the Latimer County Enterprise Zone and the
Downtown Development Authority boundaries. Currently there is no birdleducation center
definition within the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code. Therefore the Current Planning Staff
has suggested that the RMRP submit a formal request to the Community Planning and
Environmental Services Director per the procedures outlined in Section 1.3.4 of the Land Use
Code to add this new use to the Industrial and LMN permitted Land Use Designations for the
RMRP property. The RMRP has submitted a request to the Community Planning Director that
the permitted uses of these zones include the following suggested definition: "a facility that
provides shelter servwes for the rescue, cafe and display of birds and other small wildlife with
associated education and research if located within 1000 feet of east Vine Drive" The future
proposed facility will include the medical care and rehabilitation of injured birds of prey for
release to the wild, and the care and display of permanently non -releasable birds of prey and
other small wildlife in a park -like setting for the purpose of public education. Current permitted
uses in these two zones include parks, recreation, open lands, education, and veterinary care,
which are all very closely related to the proposed use.
The long-term planned use for the RMRP on this site meets the principles and policies as stated
in the City of Fort Collins Comprehensive Plan, the City of Fort Collins Master Transportation
Plan, the Northside Neighborhood Plan, the Mountain Vista Subarea Plan, and the Refill Fort
Collins Plan. The future RMRP facility will follow the stated Fort Collins Community Values
including Sustainability (through the RMRP's support of environmental stewardship); Fairness
(by making the facility available to people of ail cultural, social, and economic groups); Choices
(through providing educational and cultural services); and Fulfillment (through interconnection
with the natural environment and parks and open lands via public trails and pathways).
The property is currently being used as private open space with an agricultural land use
harvesting hay twice a year. The RMRP will be responsible for maintaining the site under its
present condition as a private open space and agricultural use. There will be no additional
landscaping, street circulation, or transition areas added to the site at this time.
The RMRP will maintain ownership and maintenance of this facility and intends to operate the
property as the Rocky Mountain Raptor Center. We intend to build a 30,000 — 50,000 square
foot building that will include a raptor rehabilitation clinic with associated offices for the RMRP
and at least two other bird -related environmental groups, and public educational facility with
classroom and interpretive displays. Grounds will include walking paths and habitats with
interpretive displays about Colorado ecosystems. The facility will also include permanent flight
caging, convalescent caging, and housing for permanently disabled education birds. RMRP
currently has five full-time employees, 3 part-time work study students, and up to 5-10
volunteers wonting at any one time.
Most of the property designated for temporary cage construction is currently agricultural land
vegetated by grasses. The other portion is a lightly wooded area that includes some
cottonwood trees, alders, and Russian olive trees. The caging will be constructed on the grassy
area and within the lightly wooded area. We intend to keep as many trees as possible; the
majority of the trees that we intend to remove are Russian olive trees, which are considered a
no)aous plant. There are no identified wetlands on the property and the location for the
temporary cage construction is outside of the FEMA Floodway designated area. There could be
minor disturbances to local wildlife populations during construction activities. Most of the
construction activities will be limited to small crews of people, with little to no noise -producing
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program T rn rp•org TjscherPc@colostate.e"
2519 S. Shields St #155 q) Fort Collins Colorado 80526 (p 970-297-0398
i O U N T A I N
RAPTOR
PROGRAM
I SECOND CHANCE
FREEDOM
City of Fort Collins
Planning and Zoning Board and
Current Planning Department
281 North College Avenue
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
March 8, 2006
Subject: Overall Development Plan (ODP) and Project Development Plan (PDP)
Application Submittal for the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program
Statement of Planning Objectives:
This is an Overall Development Plan (ODP) and Project Development Plan (PDP) application
submittal for the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program (RMRP) property on Vine Drive. The RMRP
organization has operated as a part of Colorado State University for 25 years providing raptor
rehabilitation and environmental education for the public from a small facility on the campus of
the CSU Veterinary Medical Center. The RMRP will be separating both physically and
administratively from CSU on December 31, 2006. The RMRP purchased 27 acres on Vine
Drive for the purpose of developing a center that will provide medical care, rehabilitation, and
release for injured birds of prey, offering volunteer opportunities to the Fort Collins community to
be involved in caring for wildlife. In addition, the center will include a series of interpretive
displays representing the habitats of Colorado, demonstrating the ecological and historical
values of our region through an emphasis on birds of prey.
In preparation for our move from CSU, we need a building for offices/bird care and flight caging.
We signed a 3-year lease (beginning January 2006) for 8,000 square feet of the building
immediately west of our property (formerly the Platte Valley Lumber facility, recently purchased
by Wayne Schrader of Schrader Oil, with 20,000 sf leased to a small cabinet company). This
building will be used for offices, cage construction and as a bird clinic to continue the RMRP
operations during planning, design, and construction of the permanent facility. We will need to
build caging in a temporary location on the property, on the west side near the Schrader
building, in order to continue the care of injured birds of prey until our new permanent facility is
complete. This caging will be built in panels so that it can be easily dismantled, moved, and
rebuilt on the final permanent location. It will include a 60'x100' flight cage complex and a
60'x100' convalescent cage and education bird complex. The RMRP is submitting this ODP
the permanent caging is complete.
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program q) rmrp.org q) jschcrpe#dcolostate.edu
2519 S. Shields St. #155 9' Fort Collins Colorado 80526 (p 970-297-0398