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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCITY OF FORT COLLINS VEHICLE STORAGE BUILDINGS - PDP - 23-03A - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORTCity of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Buildings, Project Development Plan #23-03A Type I Administrative Review Page 7 permit, or adequate security posted for any such improvement not in place prior to the issuance of a building permit. 4. Neighborhood Information Meeting A neighborhood meeting was held for this project on November 19, 2003 at the Service Center. There were approximately 10 neighbors in attendance at this meeting. Several issues and concerns raised include: Providing adequate screening of the facility from adjacent residential, Make sure there is adequate landscaping, berms and fences; Traffic pattern within the area, Will there be an option to provide direct access to Shields Street to bypass the neighborhood? Concern of how detoured traffic is handled, especially when Wood Street was closed this summer; Concern with diesel exhaust from the vehicles; Is it necessary to remove the community garden? Can it remain? Would like to make sure lighting levels do not spill off the property; Hours of operation, concern with running and idling vehicles late at night. FINDINGS OF FACT/CONCLUSIONS After reviewing the City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Buildings Project Development Plan #23-03A, staff makes the following findings of fact and conclusions: 1. The proposed land uses are permitted in the Employment zone district. 2. The Project Development Plan complies with all applicable district standards of Section 4.21 of the Land Use Code, Employment zone district. 3. The Project Development Plan complies with all applicable General Development Standards contained in Article 3 of the Land Use Code. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Building Project Development Plan, #23-03A. City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Buildings, Project Development Plan #23-03A Type I Administrative Review Page 6 wooden fence and extensive plantings of evergreen trees will adequately screen area for temporary vehicle parking and material storage. There is an existing three foot berm behind the sidewalk along Vine Drive. This will remain and help provide additional buffering as well. 2. Section 3.5.3, Mixed Use, Institutional and Commercial Buildings The building mass is divided into smaller elements, both horizontally and vertically. The building includes CMU block, synthetic stucco and precast concrete finish details. The roof is designed to maximize solar radiation for heating the buildings. Building projections have been included to break up the face of he building and material change above the doors visually break the mass of the building into smaller segments. E. Division 3.6, Transportation and Circulation 1. Section 3.6.1, Master Street Plan This PDP is in substantial compliance with the City of Fort Collins Streets Master Plan. 2. Section 3.6.4, Transportation Level of Service Requirements A traffic study was not completed for this project. This project will not increase vehicle trips from the Service Center site, as the buildings provide enclosed storage for vehicles currently stored outside at the Service Center site. The project will not increase employment at the Service Center and does not include office space for employees. 3. Section 3.6.6, Emergency Access This project will allow for adequate emergency access to the building within the site. All of the building walls are within 150 feet of a public street. F. Division 3.7, Compact Urban Growth Standards 1. Section 3.7.2, Contiguity The overall site is located within the infill area of Fort Collins, and is 85 percent contiguous to existing urban development. 2. Section 3.7.3, Adequate Public Facilities The provision of adequate public facilities for transportation, water, wastewater, storm drainage, fire and emergency services, and electrical power will be in place prior to the issuance of a building City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Buildings, Project Development Plan #23-03A Type I Administrative Review Page 5 4. Section 3.2.4, Site Lighting A photometric plan has been submitted in conjunction with the PDP. This plan shows four freestanding lights to illuminate drive areas as well as building mounted lights. The lighting plan shows that illumination levels of 0.0 will be achieved well within the boundaries of the project. This is consistent with the criteria in this Section of the Land Use Code. B. Division 3.3, Engineering Standards Section 3.3.2, Development Improvements The final compliance plans will represent the improvements to be completed. Such improvements will be completed with the development of the project. 2. Section 3.3.5, Engineering Design Standards The PDP has been reviewed pursuant to the adopted design standards in place for water, sewer, storm drainage, electric, walkways and streets which will serve this development. C. Division 3.4, Environmental, Natural Area, Recreational and Cultural Resource Protection Standards Section 3.4.1, Natural Habitats and Features The property is not included or adjacent to a mapped natural area as identified on the City of Fort Collins Identification of Natural Areas, nor does the property contain any natural wetlands or wet meadows. Storm run-off from the site will follow historic quantity,and patterns before entering into public storm drainage system. D. Division 3.5, Building Standards Section 3.5.1, Building and Project Compatibility The project is adjacent to existing commercial buildings, to the north, east and west of the site and residential to the south of the site. The surrounding commercial buildings are single story in height as well as the adjacent residential. The proposed buildings are also single story in height. The proposed building includes a variety of building materials, many of which are found in the adjacent buildings, especially to the north and west of the site. The buildings are less than 40 feet in height, and are not subject to the special height review modifications. The use of a 6-foot solid City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Buildings, Project Development Plan #23-03A Type I Administrative Review Page 4 The landscape plan has been reviewed with the City of Fort Collins Water Conservation standards and found to comply with those regulations. The proposed landscape plan includes a number of trees, shrubs and perennials that are native or are adaptable to our climate, which will further reduce the water demand. All new landscape plantings will follow utility separation requirements and street light separation. The existing landscaping provides adequate separation from public utilities and street lighting as well. The site gains vehicular access from Wood Street. The site has two access points, and is intended to have a looped circulation pattern within the site. Sight distance triangles have been calculated at these entrances. Landscape plantings have been kept out of the sight triangles. 2. Section 3.2.2, Access, Circulation and Parking The site plan includes public sidewalks along Vine Drive and Wood Street. Due to the nature of the land use, there are no pedestrian sidewalks from the garage buildings to the adjacent sidewalk. The site plan does not include any designated surface parking areas, since all long-term parking will occur within the storage buildings. There is a gravel area south of the buildings which may be used for temporary trailer or vehicle storage. All vehicle drives accessing the storage buildings and the street will be paved. This facility will serve the adjacent Civic Center, which is immediately west of this site across Wood Street. The proposed buildings include a total of 23,500 sq.ft. which will be used for vehicle storage. These uses are subject to a maximum number of off-street parking spaces. Vehicle storage has a maximum of 5 spaces/1,000 sq.ft. of floor area. This will yield a maximum of 118 off-street parking spaces. These spaces will be included within the buildings, and will include approximately 47 bays. This is less than the maximum permitted by this Section. 3. Section 3.2.3, Solar Access, Orientation, Shading The proposed buildings are 27 feet to the peak of the roof. The project occupies the land west of Wood Street and North of Vine Drive. There are no other structures immediately north of the site which would be affected by the potential shading of these structures. City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Buildings, Project Development Plan #23-03A Type I Administrative Review Page 3 height. This is slightly more than the existing buildings. Given the increased setback, these buildings are not out of character with the adjacent residential area. E. Section 4.22(E)(2) Building Design Industrial Buildings shall provide a primary entrance that opens and faces onto the adjacent street to the extent reasonably feasible. Due to the nature of the use, it is not feasible to provide a direct pedestrian connection to the adjacent street sidewalk. The proposed use is vehicle oriented, and requires vehicle access around the buildings (the primary building has "pull through" vehicle bays. This requires a drive surface around the building. To require a pedestrian connection, would not permit the full function of the building. The buildings do not contain any personnel office space and are not open to the public. 3. Article 3 of the Land Use Code — General Development Standards The Project Development Plan complies with all applicable General Development Standards as follows: A. Division 3.2, Site Planning and Design Standards 1. Section 3.2.1, Landscaping and Tree Protection Landscaping will be provided around the perimeter of the site. An extensive planting of evergreen trees will occur along Vine Drive to provide screening of the facility. There are already several evergreen and deciduous trees along Vine Drive which will remain as part of the project. Shrub and perennial beds will be incorporated along the landscaping along Vine Drive and Wood Street. Due to the nature of the use, the applicant has submitted an alternative compliance plan for landscaping required within the interior of the site. Landscaping that would normally be required within parking areas and around building foundations has been relocated out to the perimeter of the site to help provide additional screening. All plant materials are of adequate size and diversity as required by this section. Canopy street trees currently exist along Vine Drive. Canopy trees will be planted along Wood Street along the southern portion of the site. There are several existing trees along Vine Drive. These trees will remain and help provide additional screening of the facility. City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Buildings, Project Development Plan #23-03A Type I Administrative Review Page 2 The process located in Division 2.1 — General Procedural Requirements, Division 2.2 — Common Development Review Procedures for Development Applications, and Division 2.4 — Project Development Plan located within Article 2 — Administration; and the design standards located within Article 3 — General Development Standards; and the standards located in Section 4.22, Employment (E) of Article 4 — Districts. COMMENTS: Background The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: E — Vehicle Maintenance Building S: NCM — Single Family Residential E: E — Vehicle Storage W: E — Fort Collins Service Center 2. Division 4.21 of the Land Use Code, Employment Zone District The use of public facility is permitted within the E zone district subject to Administrative Review (Type 1). The PDP meets the applicable Development standards as follows: A. Section 4.22(D)(2) Secondary Uses The proposed PDP does not include any secondary uses, which may occupy no more than 25% of the land area of the PDP. B. Section 4.22(D)(4)(a) Building Height. The proposed buildings within the PDP are single story in height. This is less than the maximum four stories permitted within the zone district. C. Section 4.22(D)(4)(b) and (c) Leasable Floor Area. Buildings greater than 50,000 sg.ft. in leasable floor area are subject to review by the Planning and Zoning Board. The proposed PDP includes three individual buildings, all of which have an individual gross floor area of less than 50,000 sq.ft. D. Section 4.22(E)(1)(b) Site design Industrial uses abutting residential areas shall not have a drastic change in height or scale of the buildings. While the site is not directly adjacent to residential, there is established single family south of the site across Vine Drive. These residential buildings are generally single story in height. The Vehicle Storage Buildings area also single story, about 27 feet in total ITEM NO. MEETING DATE STAFF fX& City of Fort Collins HEARING OFFICER STAFF REPORT PROJECT: City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Buildings, Project Development Plan - #23-03A [Type I Administrative Review] APPLICANT: BHA Design C/o Russel Lee 4803 Innovation Drive Fort Collins, CO 80524 OWNER: City of Fort Collins Operation Services Department 117 North Mason Street Fort Collins, CO 80524 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The City of Fort Collins Vehicle Storage Facility is a project development plan for three individual vehicle storage buildings on 5.3 acres of land located at the northwest corner of Vine Drive and Wood Street. The storage buildings total 23,500 sq.ft. of floor area, and will include approximately 47 interior vehicle bays. The buildings will store trucks and other heavy equipment used by the City's Utility Department for maintenance and installation work. These vehicles are currently stored outside behind the City Service Center Building (East of Wood Street). The project also includes gravel storage and loading area. This will be located north of the garage buildings, and will be sunken into the ground to reduce noise and make gravel loading and unloading more efficient. A 6- foot solid wooden fence along Vine Drive and a portion of Wood Street will screen the site. Additional evergreen trees will also be planted around the perimeter of the site to help provide additional screening. The site currently has a community garden at the corner of Vine Drive and Wood Street. This garden will be moved to the new Community Horticulture Center. The property is currently zoned E — Employment. RECOMMENDATION: Approval EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This project has been reviewed in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Land Use Code (LUC) and was found to be in substantial compliance with the following: COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 (970) 221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT