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Home My WebLink AboutNORTHERN COLORADO ACADEMY OF ARTS & KNOWLEDGE - SITE PLAN ADVISORY REVIEW - 8-06 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORTCommu__ry Planning and Environmental, .vices iiA Current Planning City of Fort Collins TO: Planning and Zoning Board FROM: Shelby Sommer, Associate Planner DATE: April 17, 2006 RE: Staggered Schedule Agreement — Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Charter School Staff has prepared this memorandum to the Planning and Zoning Board in response to questions about a potential staggered schedule agreement between the Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Charter School and Poudre School District's Kruse Elementary School. Several members of the Planning and Zoning Board have expressed concern about traffic impacts from the proposed Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge (NCAAK) Charter School, especially if the schools operated on similar daily starting and ending time schedules. Specifically, there are questions and concerns about enforcement of the staggered school schedules. The City of Fort Collins has approached the NCAAK School applicants about a potential long-term agreement with the City of Fort Collins to guarantee operation of this school on a schedule that is staggered from the nearby Kruse elementary school's schedule. The NCAAK School has declined this request, due to concerns over future scheduling decisions by the Poudre School District. They have also stated that the flexibility of their school schedule would be dependant upon protecting the integrity of the overall education program, and the logistics of such an agreement would be complicated due to the fact that it involves three separate governmental agencies. However, the applicant has proposed that the NCAAK Board adopt formal policy stating that their schedule for the upcoming year will stagger with the Poudre School District's Kruse Elementary School schedule, and that they will make reasonable efforts in the future to avoid having similar school day starting and ending times. 281 North College Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 • FAX (970) 416-2020 Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Site Plan Advisory Review - #8-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting April 20, 2006 Page 5 CONCLUSIONS After reviewing the Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Site Plan Advisory Review - #8-06, staff offers the following conclusions: The location of the proposed Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge charter school is appropriate. 2. The character of the existing building and proposed site improvements for the schools are compatible with the surroundings and existing buildings. 3. The extent of the proposed Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge is appropriate because of the adequacy of existing infrastructure and staggered starting and ending times for the neighboring schools. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Board approve the Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Site Plan Advisory Review - #8-06. Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Site Plan Advisory Review - #8-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting April 20, 2006 Page 4 building will remain predominantly the same as the existing layout, except several parking spaces on the west side will be removed to make room for bicycle racks (54 total). A student loading area will replace existing parking stalls on east edge of the site. Maximum building height in the HC — Harmony Corridor Zoning District is six stories for all non-residential buildings. The existing building at 4512 McMurray Ave. is three stories. C. Extent The proposed school will is for grades K through 8 and will accommodate up to 550 students. A single room preschool is also proposed inside the existing building, with separate playground area. Hours of operation will be from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm, with students on -site 200 days per year. Students will be present on the site from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm with extracurricular activities before and after school for some students. The nearby Kruse elementary school begins at 8:30 am and ends at 3:00 pm, so the peak traffic periods will not conflict for these adjacent schools. A Traffic Impact Analysis was prepared for this proposed school and is attached. In summary, the proposed earlier start time would put the concentration of vehicles 15 minutes earlier than the Kruse traffic concentration, and the existing infrastructure can accommodate this school use. Also, a one -lane inbound access lane from McMurry Ave. and a left and right turn outbound access point onto Monte Carlo are recommended to maintain efficient operation. When a school is adjacent to uses such as retail, office, employment and/or industrial, and staggered peak periods of parking do not exist with those adjacent uses, the maximum number of parking spaces allowed is four spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area. The school proposes 68 parking spaces, which is well below the maximum number allowed for this site. 4. Neighborhood Response A neighborhood meeting was held on March 20, 2006 at the Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church. There was one person in attendance at this meeting. A summary of the key issues is included below, and a more detailed summary of all concerns is attached. • Concern over the traffic impacts from this school • Questions about facilities for students (gym, cafeteria, playground etc.) Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Site Plan Advisory Review - #8-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting April 20, 2006 Page 3 proceed with its site development plan unless prohibited from doing so by state school board resolution." 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 such planned section and district until the location, character, and extent thereof has been submitted for approval by the commission." 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 Colorado State Board of Education. 3. Location. Character and Extent A. Location The proposed Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge building is located at 4512 McMurray Avenue, just north of Harmony Road. The existing building was formerly used as an office building for the US Forest Service. The proposed school is south of the existing Kruse elementary school. The property is zoned HC, Harmony Corridor District, in which private and public schools for elementary, junior high and high school education are permitted uses, subject to Planning and Zoning Board review. B. Character The school is not proposing any exterior changes to the existing building. The existing building is approximately 44,955 square feet and the total site area is 2.24 acres. The building will undergo an interior remodel to meet the needs ofithe school, and other site improvements are proposed. The northwestern portion of the existing parking lot will be resurfaced with hard surface play area material to make room for a student play area. A basketball court and gravel playground areas are also proposed on the north side of the building. The entire play area will be surrounded by chain link fencing. The existing perimeter landscape will not be altered. The parking lot and drive aisles along the west and south sides of the Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Site Plan Advisory Review - #8-06, Planning and Zoning Board Meeting April 20, 2006 Page 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This request for review from the Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge 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: Background The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: HC (Harmony Corridor District) — elementary school, and RL (Low Density Residential District) — single-family dwellings E: HC (Harmony Corridor District) — warehouse and commercial uses S: HC (Harmony Corridor District) — retail and commercial uses W: HC (Harmony Corridor District) — grocery store and commercial uses This property was formerly an office building for the US Forest Service. 2. Process The City of Fort Collins has agreed with the Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge to process this application under Section 22-32-124, Colorado Revised Statutes, which states: " Prior to contracting for a facility, a charter school shall advise in writing the planning commission, or governing body if no planning commission exists, which has jurisdiction over the territory in which the site is proposed to be located. The relevant planning commission or governing body may request the charter school to submit a site development plan for the proposed facility, but must issue such request, if any, within ten days after receiving the written advisement. If requested by the relevant planning commission or governing body, the charter school, shall submit such a site development plan. The relevant planning commission or governing body may review and comment on such plan to the governing body of the charter school, but must do so, if at all, within thirty days after receiving such plan. The relevant planning commission or governing body, if not satisfied with the response to such comments, may request a hearing before the state board of education regarding such plan. Such hearing shall be held, if at all, within thirty days after the request of the relevant planning commission or governing body. The charter school then may ITEM NO. 4 MEETING DATE4/20/06 STAFF Shelby Sommer Citv of Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge Site Plan Advisory Review - #8-06 APPLICANT: Bob Sutter Architectural Horizons P.O. Box 271217 Fort Collins, CO 80527 OWNER: Ted R. Paul L� nchburg, LTD 8 h and Martha Street Munhall, PA 15120 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Northern Colorado Academy of the Arts and Knowledge requests a Site Plan Advisory Review to convert an existing office building at 4512 McMurray Ave. to a charter school facility. The property is zoned HC —Harmony Corridor District. RECOMMENDATION: Approval COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box580 Fort Collins, CO80522-0580 (970)221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT