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Home My WebLink AboutREIDER DUPLEX, 720 WEST MYRTLE - MODIFICATION OF STANDARD - 13-02 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORTModification of Standards for the Reider Duplex, 720 W. Myrtle, File #13-02 May 18, 2000 P&Z Meeting Page 5 The purpose of section 3.2.2 with regard to parking is "to ensure that the parking and circulation aspects are well designed with regard to safety, efficiency and convenience for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians." Staff finds that the proposed plan satisfies the purpose of the standard equally well or better than a plan that satisfies the standard as follows: • Safety for vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians — There is no inherent additional danger to the vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians associated with parking cars on the street versus off the street. • Efficiency and convenience for vehicles —The proposed design provides more parking opportunities in a smaller area, and is therefore more efficient and convenient. • Efficiency and convenience for bicycles and pedestrians —The bicycle and pedestrian circulation is unaffected by the request. 5. FINDINGS OF FACT/CONCLUSION: A. The requested Modification of Standards for Reider Duplex, 720 W. Myrtle, File #13-02 is subject to review by the Planning and Zoning Board. B. Staff finds that the granting of modification would not be detrimental to the public good because the impact of the addition of two bedrooms to the site is successfully mitigated by increasing the parking capacity from one existing on -site parking space to three tandem spaces. C. Staff finds that the plan as submitted will promote the general purpose of the standard for which the modification is requested equally well or better that would a plan which complies with the standard for which the modification is requested because: there is no inherent additional danger to the vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians associated with parking cars on the street versus off the street; the proposed design provides more parking opportunities in a smaller area, and is therefore more efficient and convenient, and the bicycle and pedestrian circulation is unaffected by the request. 6. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the modification request. Modification of Standards for the Reider Duplex, 720 W. Myrtle, File #13-02 May 18, 2000 P&Z Meeting Page 4 adjacent neighbors have of this lot will be negatively impacted both in the reduction of green and the addition of headlights: into the back yard. On the other hand, if the applicant provides fewer than the required number ofr parking off-street spaces, the residents of this project will be expected to park on the,street, which will impact the neighborhood in that fewer on -street parking spaces will be:generally available for the general use of the neighborhood. Staff finds that the granting of modification would not be detrimental to the public good because the impact of the addition of two bedrooms to the site is successfully mitigated by increasing the parking capacity from one existing on -site parking space to three tandem spaces. The applicant will be allowed to construct this building addition regardless of whether or not this modification is granted. Denial ..of this modification request will not cause the building addition to be disallowed, but rather would only result in the construction of the rear yard parking lot. To that end, when determining whether or not to grant the modification request, the Board must decide between impacts that a rear yard parking lot would have to the character of the neighborhood and the impacts that additional on -street parking demand would have on the neighborhood. The "Urban Design Plan" portion of the West Side Neighborhood Plan (an element of the Comprehensive Plan) states that the urban design goal for the neighborhood is as follows: "In public and private development, rehabilitation, and maintenance of the West Side Neighborhood (WSN), every effort should be made to establish an image and identity and enforce standards which characterize the WSN as a unique historic, Fort Collins neighborhood." The West Side Neighborhood Plan goes on to state in it's Policy UD-1 on page 7-3 of the plan that one of the considerations that should be taken into account with regard to the maintenance of residential design standards in the neighborhood is "protection of yards from vehicle intrusion.":The avoidance of introducing a parking lot into the rear yard of this lot substantiallyrp0dres,ses this important community need specifically and expressly defined in an element of the City's Comprehensive Plan. Staff finds that the granting of the modification from the, strict,application of the requirement of four off-street parking spaces would result in a substantial benefit to the city by reason of the fact that the proposed project would substantially: address the important community need of protecting a yard on a property located within..the;_boundaries of the West Side Neighborhood from vehicle intrusion, which is a an important community need specifically and expressly defined in the West Side Neighborhood Bari, which is an element of the Comprehensive Plan. Modification of Standards for the Reider Duplex, 720 W. Myrtle, File #13-02 May 18, 2000 P&Z Meeting Page 3 ; 3. APPLICANT'S REQUEST 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 applicants 4. ANALYSIS OF MODIFICATION REQUEST Section 3.2.2 (K)(1) requires that multifamily dwellings provide 1.75 parking spaces for each two bedroom dwelling unit, and 2.0 parking spaces for each three bedroom dwelling unit. The applicant could satisfy the standard by constructing a driveway along the west side of the building and a new 4-space parking, lot in the back yard of the lot. Some of the motivating reasons the applicant wishes to avoid building the 4-space parking lot is to preserve existing large mature trees,, and to presence the character and amount of usable space within the back yard. The existing duplex presently has one off-street parking space provided. Once the building addition converts the existing duplex from two -bedroom units into three -bedroom units, the site will be required to have a total of 4 off-street parking spaces. Myrtle Street is rather wide, and is in an older neighborhood with existing diagonal parking. The applicant claims that although the university campus is a block away, the academic core of the campus (where the classes are conducted) is far enough away from the site that the on -street parking in this block (between Loomis and Grant on Myrtle) is not generally affected by short-term student parking (while students are in class). The applicant proposes to locate a long driveway along the west side of the building in order to accommodate some of the required off -site parking. This driveway is designed to accommodate three vehicles parked, in tandem. The Land Use Code section 3.2.2(D)(2) states, "unobstructed vehicular access=to and from a public street shall be provided for all off-street parking spaces." This requirement will only allow one of the three tandem parking spaces to be counted toward the required number of off-street spaces, although the reality of the situation is that three cars caWeasily be parked on the site. This being the case, the official request from the applicant is.to.reduce the required number of off-street parking spaces from four spaces to one space. Because the reality of the tandem parking configuration proposed by the applicant is such that three parking spaces can physically work in the proposed driveway, the site goes_from providing one space (as it currently does) to providing three. The extra impact of the addition of two bedrooms to the site is thereby successfully mitigated. Staff acknowledges that there are two sides of the argument to consider. On the one hand, if the applicant builds a 4-space parking lot in the back yard, several mature trees will be lost, the residents will no longer have a useable back yard, and the view the Modification of Standards for the Reider Duplex, 720 W. Myrtle, File #13-02 May 18, 2000 P&Z Meeting Page 2 S: NCM — Existing Neighborhood (Westlawn Subdivision circa 1920), Myrtle Street, Laurel Street, CSU (not zoned) — Colorado State University main campus. W: NCM — Existing Neighborhood (Westlawn Subdivision circa 1920), Grant Avenue. The property is west of Loomis Avenue, east of Grant Avenue and north of Myrtle Street, and was annexed into the City as part of the Westlawn Addition Annexation in May of 1920. For illustrative purposes, the applicant submitted two illustrative site plan options: (1) The "Proposed Site Plan" (Exhibit A) depicting the applicants proposed modification requests. (2) The "Compliant Site Plan" (Exhibit B) depicting what the site would look like if it satisfied the code without any modifications. The applicant intends to submit a building permit application for a building addition. The proposed building addition is a permitted use in the NCM zone district subject to building permit review. The addition will not add any new dwelling units to the site, but will rather add one additional bedroom to each;of the;two existing dwelling units. 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 proposediproject would, without impairing the intents and purposes of the'LUC, substantially address an important community,ineed,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. ITEM NO. 2 - •�- p'\ MEETING DATE 4/4/02 -�1 STAFF Troy Jones Citv of Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: Modification of Standards for the Reider Duplex, 720 W. Myrtle St., File #13-02 APPLICANT: Mika[ S. Torgerson 223 North College Fort Collins, CO 80524 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The owner of the existing duplex building at 720 W. Myrtle Street intends to convert both units within that duplex from 2 bedrooms to 3 bedrooms. In order to do so, the site is required to have 4 off-street parking spaces on the lot. There is presently one off-street parking space provided on the property. The applicant is requesting to reduce the required number of off-street parking spaces from 4 spaces to 1 space. 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 2.0 parking spaces for each three bedroom dwelling unit. COMMENTS 1. BACKGROUND The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: NCM — Existing Neighborhood (Westlawn Subdivision circa 1920), E: NCM — Existing Neighborhood (Westlawn Subdivision circa 1920), Loomis Avenue, COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 (970) 221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT