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Home My WebLink AboutCAMBRIDGE HOUSE APARTMENTS - MODIFICATION OF STANDARD - 6-03A - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORTModification of Standards for the Cambridge House Apartments, File # 6-03A August 21, 2003 P&Z Meeting Page 6 The general purpose of the minimum parking requirements is to ensure that the residents parking needs are satisfied on the development site rather than impacting the surrounding neighborhood with overflow parking. Staff finds that the granting of the modification would satisfy the general purpose of the standard equally well or better than a plan that satisfies the standard because it has been successfully shown that the Cambridge House Apartments have a lower demand for parking than typical apartment complexes, and that the future anticipated site expansion's parking demand will be fully accommodated on the site. The staff report and attachments that went to the Planning and Zoning Board for the previous modification request (approved on February 20, 2003) are attached to this staff report for reference purposes. 5. FINDINGS OF FACT/CONCLUSION: A. The requested Modification of Standards for Cambridge House Apartments, File # 6- 03A is subject to review by the Planning and Zoning Board. B. Staff finds that the granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good because City Plan has identified that reduced parking standards should be applied to Community Commercial Districts in recognition of their proximity to walkable environments and mix of uses. C. Staff finds that the granting of the modification would satisfy the general purpose of the standard equally well or better than a plan that satisfies the standard because it has been successfully shown that the Cambridge House Apartments have a lower demand for parking than typical apartment complexes, and that the future anticipated site expansion's parking demand will be fully accommodated on the site. 6. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the modification request. Modification of Standards for the Cambridge House Apartments, File # 6-03A August 21, 2003 P&Z Meeting Page 5 4. ANALYSIS OF MODIFICATION REQUEST This application is a request to further reduce the number of required parking spaces from 175 to 160. Unanticipated Loss of Existing Parking Spaces: On February 20, 2003, the Planning and Zoning Board approved a modification to the required number of off-street parking spaces. The required number of spaces for the proposed PDP was reduced from 213 to 175 spaces. After the modification was approved, the applicant brought a proposed PDP layout for the project to a Conceptual Review meeting in anticipation of preparing the detailed PDP submittal. At the Conceptual Review stage, it was determined that in order to expand Cambridge House Apartments as proposed, the entire site would be required to be brought into compliance with the Land Use Code. As a result of this some existing parking spaces will be required to be removed for the following reasons: (1) parking spaces are required to be set back from the Plum Street right-of-way, and (2) landscape islands are required at least every 15 parking spaces. The requirement to remove these parking spaces was not anticipated by the applicant when the original modification request was presented to the Planning and Zoning Board, and therefore the applicant only asked for a reduction from 213 parking spaces to 175 parking spaces. Now that the loss of these parking spaces is apparent, the applicant is requesting to reduce the minimum number of required off-street parking spaces to 160. Parking Demand: The site currently has 102 two -bedroom apartments. Based on parking counts conducted May 3 to May 9, 2002, December 11 to December 19, 2002, and January 29 to February 2, 2003 the most cars that were counted at any one time in the lot was 105. This equates to the parking demand for the existing apartment units to be 1.03 spaces per two -bedroom unit. The proposed PDP is planning to expand the apartment complex to a total of 120 units (108 two -bedroom, and 12 three -bedroom). Assuming that all 108 two -bedroom units will have a parking demand of 1.03 spaces per unit, and assuming that the three -bedroom units will have a parking demand of 2.0 spaces per unit (consistent with the Land Use Code), then there will be a demand for 136 parking spaces. The applicant is proposing to provide 93 standard parking spaces, 61 compact spaces, and 6 handicap spaces for a total of 160 parking spaces. Staff finds that the granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good because City Plan has identified that reduced parking standards should be applied to Community Commercial Districts in recognition of their proximity to walkable environments. and mix of uses such as the CSU main campus and the Campus West retail, restaurant, and service uses. Modification of Standards for the Cambridge House Apartments, File # 6-03A August 21, 2003 P&Z Meeting Page 4 c. Large -surface parking lots will be visually and functionally segmented into several smaller lots, if practical. Land devoted to surface parking lots should be reduced, over time, through redevelopment and/or construction of structured parking facilities. 2. THE MODIFICATION PROCESS (A) Section 2.8.2(H) of the LUC specifies that in order to approve a modification the Planning and Zoning Board must find that: (1) the granting is not detrimental to the public good, and that (2) the plan as submitted would satisfy one of the following: (a) the general purpose of the standard is satisfied equally well or better than a plan that satisfies the standard, or (b) the proposed project would, without impairing the intents and purposes of the LUC, substantially address an important community need specifically and expressly defined and described in the city's Comprehensive Plan, adopted policy, ordinance or resolution, and that the strict application of such a standard would render the project practically infeasible, or (c) strict application of the standard sought to be modified would result in unusual and exceptional practical difficulties or exceptional or undue hardship due to exceptional physical conditions unique to such property. 3. APPLICANT'S REQUEST The applicant requests a modification to Section 3.2.2(K)(1)(a) of the Land Use Code to. further reduce the required number of off-street parking spaces from 175 to 160. The applicant has proposed that the modification request meets the requirements of LUC 2.8.2 Modification Review Procedures (H) Step 8 (Standards). Please see the attached written justification by the applicant. The applicant submitted the attached drawing titled "Cambridge House — Conceptual Site Plan" (Exhibit A) depicting the configuration of the proposed 160 space parking lot. Modification of Standards for the Cambridge House Apartments, File # 6-03A August 21, 2003 P&Z Meeting Page 3 • "Most sites maximize parking, with lacking or substandard setbacks, landscaping and sidewalks. Thus parking hinders, rather than supports, the pedestrian realm. This is contrary to the approach of the City's Comprehensive Plan." • "Multi -story redevelopment would apparently depend on structured or shared parking provided by a parking district or the City. This would likely introduce fees or permits for the first time in Campus West." City Plan's Principles and Policies for Community Commercial Districts provide additional guidance to consider in the evaluation of the modification request as follows: • Principle CCD-1: "Community Commercial Districts will be community -wide destinations and act as hubs for a high -frequency transit system offering retail, offices, services, small civic uses, and higher density housing. The physical environment will promote walking, bicycling, transit and ridesharing, as well as provide a high quality urban life for residents. Vertical mixed -use will be encouraged." • Policy CCD-1.10: "Relationship of Buildings to Public Spaces. Buildings will reinforce and revitalize streets and public spaces, by providing an ordered variety of architectural features that may include entries, windows, bays and balconies along public ways. Buildings will have human scale in details and massing. While vertical mixed -use is encouraged, maximum building height will be limited to 5 to 6 stories." • Policy CCD-1.18: "Parking. Reduced parking standards should be applied to Community Commercial Districts in recognition of their proximity to high - frequency transit service and their walkable environment and mix of uses. On - street parking should be maximized. Parking structures should be encouraged, including ground floor retail or service uses. All parking must provide for visibility, personal safety and security. Other parking considerations include the following: a. Shared parking is encouraged for nearby uses in quantities reflecting staggered peak periods of demand. Retail, office and entertainment uses should share parking areas and quantities. A portion of any project's parking requirements should be satisfied by on -street parking. b. Parking lots will not dominate the frontage of pedestrian -oriented streets or interrupt pedestrian routes. Lots should be located behind buildings, in side yards, or in the interior of blocks to the greatest extent practicable. Modification of Standards for the Cambridge House Apartments, File # 6-03A August 21, 2003 P&Z Meeting Page 2 COMMENTS 1. BACKGROUND The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: CC — Existing neighborhood comprising mainly of multi -family housing, fraternities, and sororities, NE: CC — Existing Church, existing four-plex residential, existing group home at the .southwest corner of W. Plum and Shields, E: CSU (not zoned) — Colorado State University main campus, S: CC — Existing Commercial businesses abutting Shields Street and West Elizabeth Street, Existing Church, W: CC — Existing neighborhood comprising mainly of multi -family housing, and single family detached housing. The property is west of Shields Street, east of Scott Street, south of W. Plum Street, and was annexed into the City as part of the Twelfth South Shields Street Annexation in July of 1965. The applicant intends to submit a Project Development Plan application to convert the existing swimming pool building to 6 two -bedroom apartments, to construct a new 5-story building abutting Shields Street with 12 three -bedroom apartments, and to reconfigure the parking lot so that 181 parking spaces are provided, rather than the existing lot's configuration that provides 175 spaces. The multifamily dwelling units anticipated to be proposed in the future PDP are permitted uses in the CC zone district subject to Type 1 review. The Campus West Community Commercial District Planning Study Report was a public planning process conducted by the City between Fall, 1999 and Fall, 2001. This report was the result of the Campus West Subarea Plan process, that was originally anticipated to be an adopted plan, however it was determined that the process did not result in policies or recommendations that warranted such adoption. The report proclaims itself to be "open- ended on a number of key questions, offering explanations and information from the planning process that may be useful in future policy discussions." Elements from the report that may be useful in this analysis include the following: • "Both the City and CSU are confronting the negative impacts of escalating car traffic on the visual and pedestrian environment. Both are looking for ways to support alternatives to car driving, and to repair decades of neglect of urban .considerations such as the pedestrian realm and storm drainage." ITEM NO. S MEETING DATE 8/21/03 ia STAFF Troy Jones Citv of Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: Modification of Standards for the Cambridge House Apartments, File # 6-03A OWNER: Chris RayzcJ Cambridge House LLC }' 1113 W. Plum Street O Fort Collins, CO 80521 ' APPLICANT: Don Brookshire Eastpoint Studio 3207 Kittery Court Fort Collins, CO 80526 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The owner of the Cambridge House Apartments (currently 102 two -bedroom units) intends to submit a Project Development Plan to add 18 dwelling units (comprised of 6 two -bedroom units, and 12 three -bedroom units). Such an expansion would require the site to have a total of 213 off-street parking spaces. On February 20, 2003, the Planning and Zoning Board granted the owner a modification to Section 3.22(K)(1)(a) of the Land Use Code to reduce the required number of off-street parking spaces from 213 to 175. This application is a request to further reduce the number of required parking spaces from 175 to 160. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the modification request to section 3.2.2(K)(1)(a) of the Land Use Code. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This is a request for modification to the following section of the Land Use Code: 3.2.2 Access, Circulation and Parking (K) Parking Lots — Required Number of Spaces for Type of Use (1) Residential and Institutional Parking Requirements (a) Attached Dwellings - This section of the Land Use Code requires that multifamily dwellings provide 1.75 spaces for each two -bedroom unit, and 2.0 parking spaces for each three - bedroom unit. COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. PO. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO80522-0580 (970) 221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT