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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBELLWETHER FARM - PDP - 46-04 - REPORTS - PLANNING OBJECTIVESGiven the design constraints of the site, the internal street system in Bellwether is ideal for traffic calming. The short block lengths and 90 degree turns will help alleviate any excessive speeding through the neighborhood. Policy AN4.3 Single -Family Housing Characteristics Bellwether will have three different housing model types to provide diversity along the street frontage. Prepared by: The Applicant Lester M. Kaplan, Pres. Imago Enterprises, Inc. December 21, 04 5 Policy LU-2.2 Urban Design The Bellwether Farm development is an infill project that is bounded on three sides by existing neighborhoods. The project will achieve the vision of the City Structure Plan for infill development. PRINCIPLE T-6: Street crossings will be developed to be safe, comfortable and attractive. Policy T-6.1 Street Crossings The development will have one major street crossing located at the entry to the - subdivision. This crossing will have a striped crosswalk, comer sidewalk directional ramps and a landscaped median refuge. The corners have street lighting incompliance to the city standards. Policy T-9.2 New and Existing Roadways All new streets will be designed and constricted to the Larimer County Urban Area Streets Standards and provide and acceptable level of service to the development. PRINCIPLE CAD-1: Each addition to the street system will be designed with consideration to the visual character and the experience of the citizens who will use the street system and the adjacent property. Together, the layout of the street network and the streets themselves will contribute to the character, form and scale of the city. Policy CAD-1.4 Street Tree Design The development will include a variety of canopy shade trees within a tree lawn located between the curb and sidewalk. PRINCIPAL ENV-3: Drinking water provided by the City's Water Utility will meet or exceed customer expectations for quality, quantity, and reliability. Water conservation will be strongly encouraged. Policy ENV-3.3 Water Demand Management Policy Bellwether Farm will maximize water efficiency by utilizing dryland seed in the detention areas and in the open space south of the ditch. PRINCIPLE AN-1: New neighborhoods will be integral parts of the broader community structure. Policy AN-1.3 Traffic Calming In addition to the objective of overcoming obstacles to developing this infill property, e second project objective is reconciling the City's land use objectives, as indicated by existing zoning, with the detached, single family character of the surrounding neighborhoods. In this regard, a primary asset of the property in that it is not along an existing through street with an established streetscape but is somewhat of an enclave at the end of the extension to N. Briarwood Drive. The existing L -M-N zoning would allow up to 115 dwelling units on this property (8 d.u, /ac.) and 143 units as an affordable housing project. Under existing zoning, housing types could include multi -family dwellings (i.e., townhomes, condominiums and apartments) and group homes. The proposed project consists of only 44 single-family lots for detached houses, all accessed from a public street and having the City- required minimum lot width of 50 feet. There will be at least three single-family models. While not identical to neighboring lot sizes and residences, some built over 30 years ago, the character of the proposed development is certainly compatible and,. in some respects, an upgrade to the area. The extension of N. Briarwood dead ends in Bellwether Farm, so that the project's internal streets will receive local traffic only. The looped street configuration and the non -through street condition are ideal for creating the feel of an individual neighborhood, one backing up to cottonwoods along New Mercer Ditch and having a view to the west. A landscaped median in a separate tract is proposed in the right-of-way where N. Briarwood intersects with the perpendicular street in the project. The purposes of this median are traffic calming for vehicles entering the neighborhood and a location for a "Bellwether Farm" identification entry sign. The project has excellent pedestrian and bicycle connections to surrounding neighborhoods and trails. A sidewalk along N. Briarwood ends at the north side of the property. This sidewalk will continue throughout the project and connect to the east -west Pedestrian trail. The proposed trail connects to the neighborhoods and Irish Elementary School to the west and bike trail striped along Taft Hill Road to the east. In summary, the objectives of the Bellwether Farm proposal are to overcome the many obstacles associated with infill development and to design a project that reconciles the existing L-M N zoning with the character of surrounding neighborhoods. The applicant believes that through the cooperation to date from City staff and the proposed design approach, the Bellwether Farm P.D.P. proposal is both a feasible infill project and compatible with the surrounding area. City Plan Principles and Policies achieved by the proposed Bellwether Farm Project Development Plane PRINCIPLE LU-2: The city will maintain and enhance its character and sense of place as defined by its neighborhoods, districts, corridors, and edges. between Cherry Street and Taft Hill Road, traversing the south portion of this property. There is an existing right-of-way in the County at the Cherry Street/ Impala Drive intersection for this purpose, 60 ft. wide and 150 ft. deep. This right- of-way extends to the southwest comer of Bellwether Farm The City has determined that this street connection is both unnecessary and impractical. Such a street would undermine the greater public need for the storm drainage channel and would require filling the floodplain/ floodway south of the Ditch. In lieu of a street, the City's Transportation Department has opted for a pedestrian trail connection and is requiring that the applicant construct this trail. David Averil with the Transportation Department has agreed to have the City require from the developer of the property to the south a 50 percent cost reimbursement. 3. Bisecting Ditch: The New Mercer Ditch runs southeast to northwest through the property, leaving approximately 9.3 acres to the north and 5 acres to the south. The south portion is in the City's floodplain/ floodway and has 145 ft. frontage along Taft Hill Road. The proposed project design has no lots south of the Ditch. The public trail is located as far south as possible and over an existing City sanitary sewer line easement so as to facilitate connection by the property to the south and to avoid conflict with the eventual storm water channel. The secondary detention area for the project outflows to the east to Latimer Channel No. 2. 4. Emergency Access: Briarwood Road is the only public roadway to the property and is a City local street with minimal traffic. Mercer Drive in the County runs south from Vine Drive and dead ends at the property. Its' alignment is on top of the ditch rider road; it has an unacceptable surface for emergency vehicle use, and is not optimally -spaced from Briarwood for secondary access. The applicant has resolved with Ron Gonzolas from Poudre Valley Fire Authority the design for a 20 ft. wide emergency access fire lane utilizing the Cherry Street extended right-of-way and connecting to the proposed public street system at the southwest comer of the property. Within this 150 ft. of right-of-way, the trail would share surface with this emergency fire lane. The balance of the 60 ft. right- of-way width would be designed to handle the storm water demands from neighborhoods to the west. 5. Bisecting City Water Line: A 20 inch city water main running southeast to northwest bisects the north portion of the property and is an impediment to optimal site design. Roger Buffington with the City's Water and Sewer Department has suggested and the applicant has agreed to relocate a major portion of this main into the proposed public street. This creates a win -win situation. 2 Bellwether Farm Infill P.D.P. Planning Objectives Named after the greenhouse herb farm that operated on the property for 35 years, this 14.3 acre property is located in Northwest Fort Collins, just west of Taft Hill Road and south of Vine Drive. The approximately 9.3 acres proposed for development are approximately one -eighth mile south and west of the intersection. Primary access is from the extension of North Briarwood Road that runs south from Vine Drive and dead ends at the property. The Planning Objectives for the property are in two categories: First, in order to develop the property to City standards, a myriad of obstacles need to be addressed, many typical of in -fill projects. Second, as a property bounded on three sides by existing neighborhoods (both City and County), but Zoned in the City for a considerably higher density, the project design seeks to be consistent with City land use policy for today's density while still being compatible with surrounding neighborhoods. The following are the major impediments to developing this property and the solutions that have been reached through cooperative efforts between City staff and the applicant: 1. Storm Water Outflow: There is not a comprehensive regional system in Northwest Fort Collins to channalize and detain storm water. What exists are City and County incremental and piecemeal methods, some long-standing in the County, but not a regional system. The City's Storm Water Department is in the process of implementing its regional storm water master plan for this area. An important component of this plan is a proposed storm drainage channel running west to east through the portion of this property south of New Mercer Ditch. To compensate for the inadequacy of the storm drainage system and as directed by staf, this project will over -detain to 200 percent of the typical requirement. One hundred percent of the typical requirement occurs on the -north side of New Mercer Ditch where lot development is proposed and the second 100 percent is on the south side. The south detention area is designed to be replaced by the City's storm drainage channel once it is operational. In support of the City's objective to secure a location for this regional storm drainage channel, the applicant is working with the Storm Water Department to establish an alignment through this property for the entire width of this channel. The applicant's September 24, 2004 letter to Susan Joy with the City's Engineering Department outlines a method for the City to secure the necessary property for this channel. 2. Access from Cherry Street to Taft EN Road: Over the years, the City and County have had discussions about providing an east to west street connection