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Home My WebLink About701 WAGNER (CLOCK TOWER APTS.) - MODIFICATION OF STANDARD - 37-02 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT701 Wagner Drive, Modification of Standard, File #37-02 September 19, 2002 Planning & Zoning Board Meeting Page 5 5. FINDINGS OF FACT/CONCLUSION: A. The granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good. B. The request for a modification to the Land Use Code is subject to review by the Planning and Zoning Board. C. Granting of the modification would substantially address an important community need expressly defined in the City's Comprehensive Plan and adopted policy by providing a residential affordable housing project. 6. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the modification request to Section 3.2.2(K)(1)(a) of the LUC for 701 Wagner Drive, File #37-02. 701 Wagner Drive, Modification of Standard, File #37-02 September 19, 2002 Planning & Zoning Board Meeting Page 4 maximize the potential land available for development of housing and thereby positively influence housing availability. c. Special Needs Housing, Policy HSG 1.5 — The housing needs of all special populations within the community should be met. Residential care facilities, shelters, group homes, elderly housing and low-income housing should be dispersed throughout the Fort Collins urban area and the region. d. Incentives, Policy HSG 2.2 — The City will support and encourage the private development of affordable housing by offering incentives and reducing local government barriers to the construction of additional units. e. Distibution of affordeable housing, Policy HSG 2.5 — The City will encourage a community -wide distribution of affordeable housing in all neighborhoods to promote diverse neighborhoods. Additional City Policies that will be supported by this modification are included within the report, Priority Affordable Housing Needs and Strategies. This report concluded the need for additional affordable housing units for low-income family households, first time homebuyers and the identification of regulations which create barriers for the implementation of affordable housing units. 4. EVALUATION OF MODIFICATION REQUEST A. Staff's Evaluation of 3.2.2(K)(1)(a) (1) Substantial Benefit to the City. Staff has reviewed the materials submitted as part of the modification request. The policies within City Plan do promote the addition of affordable housing stock within the City of Fort Collins. The plan also recommends that if there are specific regulations, which are hindering the implementation of these policies that, the City consider granting such modifications necessary to fulfill the intent of City Plan. The Priority Affordable Housing Needs and Strategies report adopted by the City Council identifies a number of affordable housing needs for all segments of the population. This report also states the need for the continued support of efforts to add affordable housing stock to the City of Fort Collins. The granting of this modification in no way grants approval for a multi -family residential project which must be approved through a project development plan. 701 Wagner Drive, Modification of Standard, File #37-02 September 19, 2002 Planning & Zoning Board Meeting Page 3 3. "... granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good, and that. the plan as submitted will advance or protect the public interests and purposes of the standard for which the modification is requested equally well or better than would a plan which complies with the standard for which a modification is requested; or The granting of a modification from the strict application of any standard would, without impairing the intent and purpose of this Land Use Code, substantially alleviate an existing, defined and described problem of city-wide concern or would result in a substantial benefit to the city by reason of the fact that the proposed project would substantially address an important community need specifically and expressly defined and described in the City's Comprehensive Plan, adopted policy, ordinance or resolution of the City Council, and the strict application of such a standard would render the project practically infeasible; or By reason of exceptional physical conditions or other extraordinary and exceptional situations, unique to such property, including , but not limited to, physical conditions such as exceptional narrowness, shallowness or topography, or physical conditions which hinder the owner's ability to install a solar energy system, the strict application of the standard sought to be modified would result in unusual and exceptional practical difficulties, or exceptional or undue hardship upon the owner of such property, provided that such difficulties or hardship are not caused by the act or omission of the applicant. " APPLICANT'S REQUEST A. Applicant's Justification for 3.2.2(K)(1)(a) Substantial benefit to the City. The applicant is proposing the project be a designated affordable housing project. The City of Fort Collins Advanced Planning Department has determined that the project will qualify by having 10% of the units affordable to households at 80% and below Area Median Income (AMI). The following City Plan Principles will be supported by this modification: a. Housing Supply, Policy HSG 1.2 — The City will encourage public and private, for profit and non-profit sectors to take actions to develop and maintain an adequate supply of single and multiple family housing, including mobile homes and manufactured housing, that is proportionally balanced to the wages of the labor force. b. Land for Residential Development, Policy HSG 1.4 — The City will permit residential development in all neighborhoods and districts in order to 701 Wagner Drive, Modification of Standard, File #37-02 September 19, 2002 Planning & Zoning Board Meeting Page 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The applicant is requesting a modification to Section 3.2.2(K)(1)(a), Required Number of Spaces for Type of Use, of the Fort Collins Land Use Code. This section requires that all multi -family residential projects provide a minimum number of spaces, based on the number of bedrooms for each residential unit. A one -bedroom unit would require 1.5 spaces be provided and a two bedroom unit would require 1.75 spaces be provided for each unit. The applicant is proposing three, one bedroom units and twenty-seven, two bedroom units. This will yield a total of 52 spaces, two of which must be handicap spaces. The site is the former Sigma -Nu fraternity house. This fraternity had 32 dorm rooms, each with two beds. The site that the fraternity house is located does not include any off-street parking spaces. Parking for the fraternity house occurred almost entirely along the adjacent street frontages, and with a common gravel parking lot located immediately south and east of the lot. Since the site is located at the corner of Birch Street and Wagner Drive, a fair amount of on -street parking is available for use by the project. The applicant will provide 37 parking spaces on the site, generally located along the western edge and behind the building. The remaining parking would be accommodated along the frontages of Birch Street and Wagner Drive. FINDINGS and ANALYSIS BACKGROUND The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: LMN — Chi Omega Sorority; E: MMN — vacant (CSU); S: MMN — Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity W: MMN — Delta Delta Delta Sorority. The property was annexed into the City as part of the College Addition First Annexation in June, 1956. 2. MODIFICATION REQUEST Division 2.8 MODIFICATION OF STANDARDS As specified in the LUC Section 2.8.2 Modification Review Procedures (H) (Standards), the Planning and Zoning Board shall review, consider, and approve, approve with conditions, or deny an application for a modification based upon: ITEM NO. 7 MEETING DATE 9 19 02 STAFF Bob Barkeen City of Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: 701 Wagner Drive —Modification of Standard - File #37-02 OWNER: Jupiter -Bar, LLC P.O. Box 1613 Fort Collins, CO 80522 APPLICANT Mika] Torgerson Architects 223 North College Ave Fort Collins, CO 80524 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a request for a modification to Section 3.2.2(K)(1)(a) of the Land Use Code to grant a reduction to the minimum number of off-street parking spaces required for a multi -family residential project. The applicant is proposing a reduction of the minimum number of 52 off-street parking spaces to 37, a difference of 15 spaces. The adjacent section of Wagner Drive and Birch Street can provide the additional 15 on -street spaces. The property contains the former Sigma Nu fraternity house. The applicant is proposing to redevelop the site and existing building to a 36 unit multi -family residence. The property is located at 701 Wagner Drive and is zoned MMN — Medium Density Mixed - Use Neighborhood District. This request is limited to a modification to minimum number of off street parking required for multi -family residential project. The applicant will be submitting a Project Development Plan, which will be reviewed as a Type I, Administrative Review. RECOMMENDATION: Approval COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 (970) 221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT