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Home My WebLink AboutBENNETT ROAD BUNGALOWS - PDP - 42-01 - CORRESPONDENCE - CITY HALL (18)Steve Oltlt = Bennett Road Bungalows qi -tions Page 2 schools, churches, parks, etc., existing single-family subdivisions such as Fairview and Western Heights (both adjacent to the subject property) are included in the designated low density single-family residential areas and should retain their current RL - Low Density Residential zoning. This is on Page 6 of Chapter 3 of the WCNP. All of this lengthy answer basically says that, based on the direction given in the WCNP, the vacant property on the north side of Bennett Road could/should be developed as single-family residential or could/should be developed as a pocket park if the need and the appropriate funding mechanism can be established. I cannot say whether City Council has specifically said that this site will be a park. Question (Statement) 2 (11/6/01): That land has NOT been purchased yet. It is contingent upon the approval of this plan. Answer: Yes, I do think that Council member Tharp's statement is correct. My understanding is that the ownership of the land will be conveyed to the potential developers after the approval (if approved by an administrative hearing officer) of their development plan. Question 3 (11/6/01): Have we (the City) pursued purchasing the land jointly with the School District? We certainly should because the District will need to provide additional parking if houses are built on that street. Answer: I am not aware of any City and/or School District discussions about actively pursuing the purchase of the vacant property on the north side of Bennett Road. It is a fact that there presently are 44 diagonal parking spaces on the north side of Bennett Road that the City has said will be eliminated for safety reasons, whether or not development occurs on the subject property. Parallel parking only will be permitted. If the current proposal for single family homes were to be approved there would be space between the driveway locations for somewhere between 21 and 28 parallel parking spaces on the north side of Bennett Road. Question 2 (11/13/01): Do we have a staff report on the issues raised at the last Bennett Road Bungalows meeting? I do have some serious questions about how Council has dealt with the subarea plan for the WCNP and our (the City) commitment to a park in that area. Answer: There is no "staff report" yet available on the Bennett Road Bungalows. The recorded notes (questions, comments, concerns, and responses) from the recent (second) neighborhood information meeting of November 8, 2001, regarding the Bennett Road Bungalows project, are completed and available. These notes are attached to this e-mail. I am also attaching the notes from the August 22, 2001, neighborhood meeting. Please let me know if you need additional information regarding this Bennett Road Bungalows project. Steve Steve Olt -Bennett Road Bungalows questions Page From: Steve Olt To: Gregory Byrne; Patty Storm Date: Wed, Nov. 14, 2001 12:02 PM Subject: Bennett Road Bungalows questions Greg and Patty, In response to Council member Tharp's questions regarding the Bennett Road Bungalows project I would like to offer the following: Question 1 (11/6/01): If the WCNP, which assumedly was accepted by Council, has that area (proposed project site) as a "pocket park", then isn't it Council's decision, not the Parks Dept. or Park Board, as to whether that area would be a park? Unless Council has taken a specific action to say it is NOT appropriate for a park, and that they take it out of the WCNP, then isn't it still the City's plan to pursue that land for park use? Otherwise, it seems that this action being driven by the Parks Dept. and Board, against what Council accepted as a neighborhood plan as part of the City Plan. Answer The WCNP was adopted by Resolution 99-33, March 16, 1999 and amended by Resolution 99-61, May 18, 1999. Policy D1, under Neighborhood/Pocket Parks, states that 3 additional neighborhood/pocket parks should be developed within the planning area as follows: 1) .....; 2) across from Bennett Elementary School; and 3) ..... This is on Page 14 of Chapter 3 of the WCNP. Funding mechanisms for Parks and Open Lands is identified on Page 7 of Chapter 4 of the WCNP. Section A states that funding mechanisms should be identified for the development of 3 additional neighborhood/pocket parks for the planning area. Since new development activities will not likely generate sufficient parkland fee revenues to cover all land acquisition and development costs, the use of future capital improvement program funds will be necessary to complete implementation. Potential neighborhood/pocket park sites and the likely source(s) of funding are as follows: 1. ..... 2. Across from Bennett Elementary School (City capital improvement program funds and potentially Poudre School District capital improvement program funds); and 3. ..... Apparently the Parks Board has previously determined that this area of the City is adequately served with existing parks and that the funding through the Parks Department is not available to purchase land and development a park on the subject property. They also stated that "if more parks, which the City would maintain are desired, the Board would support a decision to use the property north of Bennett School, but funding should come from the neighbors or the General Fund". Policy Al, under New Development Areas, states that areas now essentially vacant that are available, or potentially available, for new development are discussed for planned uses of these areas in the WCNP. Two small parcels, one north of Bennett Road and the other east of Del -Mar Street, are parts of single-family neighborhoods and eventual development of these sites should be restricted to single-family residential uses. This is on Page 1 of Chapter 3 of the WCNP. Policy B1, under Low Density Single -Family Residential Areas, states that areas where the predominant residential use is detached single-family homes, but also include supporting uses such as Applicable provisions of the West Central Neighborhood Plan Visioning and Goals —Parks and Open Lands OL 2 Identify areas suitable for new neighborhood or pocket parks and sites where natural areas should be preserved or enhanced and acquire them. (WCNP, Chapter 2, p.7) Implementation Actions — Parks and Open Lands A. Funding mechanisms should be identified for the development of three additional neighborhood/pocket parks for the planning area Since new development activities will not likely generate sufficient parkland fee revenues to cover all land acquisition and development costs, the use of future capital improvement program funds will be necessary to complete implementation. Potential neighborhood/pocket park sites (see Map 5) and the likely source(s) of funding are as follows: 2. Across from Bennett Elementary School (City capital improvement program funds and potentially Poudre School District capital improvement program funds). (WCNP; Chapter 4; p.7) 1. k . Background for Neighborhood Information Meeting re: Bennett Road Bungalows — Nov. 8, 2001 Applicable City Plan provisions PRINCIPLE EXNA : Most existing residential developments will remain largely unaffected by these City Plan Principles and Policies. Policy EXN-1.1 Changes to Existing Residential Developments. No significant changes to the character of existing residential developments will be initiated by City Plan. Changes, if any, will be carefiilly planned and will result from initiative by residents or from a specific subarea plan prepared in collaboration with residents. Other changes may result from specific initiatives intended to improve the quality of existing neighborhoods, such as improving mobility and access to everyday activities and services, and the introduction of new neighborhood centers, parks, and small civic facilities. (City Plan, p. 161) Policy EXN-1.4 Infill Development and Redevelopment..................(over 20 acres) ...................... For parcels under twenty (20) acres, such infill and redevelopment activity will be supported if designed to complement and extend the positive qualifies of surrounding development and adjacent buildings in terms of general intensity and use, street pattern, and any identifiable style, proportions, shapes, relation to the street, pattern of buildings and yards, and patterns created by doors, windows, projections and recesses. Compatibility with these existing elements does not mean uniformity. Forms of potential infill development include: . The addition of new dwellings on vacant lots and other undeveloped parcels surrounded by existing residential development. Dwelling units added to existing houses (e.g., basement or upstairs apartments) Small detached dwellings added to lots of sufficient size with existing houses (e.g., "alley houses" or "granny flats. Redevelopment of properties. Neighborhood -related, non-residential development. (City Plan, p. 161) PRINCIPLE LU-4: More specific subarea planning efforts will follow the adoption of these City Plan Principles and Policies which tailor City Plan's city-wide perspective to individual neighborhoods, districts, corridors, and edges. Policy LU-4.1 Planning within the Contest of City Plan. City Plan establishes city-wide policies. Subarea plans are needed to help implement City Plan by applying its general, cit y-wide policies to a specific subarea. Trough the process of subarea planning, City Plan may be amended over time to respect differing subarea needs,and characteristics, incorporating new ideass that are consistent with City Plan's core values, vision and goals. Consistency between subarea plans and Citty Plan will be achieved through the process of adopting subarea plans. In adopting a subarea plan, the City Council determines the action that the City will take that stem from the subarea plan. City Plan can be amended by the City Council to reflect a change in policy recommended in a subarea plan. PRINCIPLE NOL-3. The City's parks and recreation system will include parks, trails, open lands, natural areas and urban streetscapes. These "green spaces" will balance active and passive recreation opportunities in an interconnected framework that is distributed throughout the urban area. Policy NOL-3.2 Urban Public Space. Small pocket parks, public plazas, and sidewalk gathering places should include "street furniture" such as benches, and be incorporated into urban designs for the Downtown District, Community Commercial Districts, Commercial Districts, and Residential Districts throughout the City. Discussion points for Neighborhood Information Meeting re: Bennett Road Bungalows — Nov. 8,2001 I am Hal Worth. I have lived of 1501 South Shields for over 32 years, approximately 300 feet from this site. I was also a member of the advisory committee that developed the West Central Neighborhoods Plan. Not present for August 22 meeting, but submitted a letter to Planning Director Gloss with some insight I gained from 5 years of working on the West Central Neighborhood Plan, specifically with the part of the Plan that deals with use of this site. 1 recognize that this meeting is not the most appropriate place to debate whether or not the site should be reserved for a neighborhood park. Should have been a separate issue taken up by the staff and the neighborhood before this development was considered. • But after reading the minutes of August meeting and talking with some who attended, appears that this issue was discussed and that all the facts were not necessarily considered. • First, there seems to be some confusion regarding the role of the West Central Neighborhoods Plan in the City's governance and planning process. • It is not an advisory document. When it was adopted in 1999, it became a part of the City's Comprehensive Plan and is as much so as City Plan, the Land Use Code or, for that matter; the Parks and Recreation Plan. Subarea plans, like the West Central Neighborhoods Plan, are fiu-ther elaborations, refinements, and definitions of City Plan and the Land Use Code. As such, they state the intent and policies of the City Council. As I understand it, it was portrayed that the Parks staff and advisory board decided that this site is not feasible for park use and therefore didn't consider that use further. • If that is the case, then 1 think they exceeded their authority and didn't do their job, as prescribed in the West Central Neighborhoods Plan. • In the process of developing the WCNP we carefully analyzed the need for parks and open space in the subarea. We concluded that the northwest quadrant of the subarea (west of Shields, north of Prospect) was seriously deficient in neighborhood park facilities, based on the Park Plan's criteria. We recognized that there was not sufficient vacant land anywhere in the quadrant to build a full-scale neighborhood park, which could be justified under the Park Plan's population and distance criteria. Instead, we settled for the large pocket park that was specified for this site. Before we included the proposed pocket park in the WCNP that was adopted by Council, we received strong support for the concept from the Poudre School District, including the possibility of vacating Bennett Road as a through street and connecting the pocket park with the school ground, also in keeping with the City's policy of collaborating with the School District to create multiple use open space. • I won't take more time to argue the point here, but I do have with me specific citations from the City Plan, West Central Neighborhoods Plan, and Parks and Recreation Plan that support what I have discussed. I did feel it was important to elaborate on where the policy of creating a park on this site fits into the planning process. • I will be pleased to try to answer any questions either now or after the meeting. NOTES/TO DO To: Aliliation: o CURRENT Phone#: PLANNING Fax#: 224• &IVI Re: tC"V,Ck � FA( IMILE Date: �'IoI��.Ox.�r 27 Z.Z'�l t Pages: to (induding this cover sheet) M i City of Fort Collins JZ" ot ► A. tom• lam, ,�' Remarks: z4rgent Eoryour view Reply ASAP Please Comment From the desk of... Steve Olt City Planner Direct Phone: 970.221.6341 E-mail: SOlt(@fCgOV.COM City of Fort Collins - Current Planning 281 North College Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80524 Phone: 970.221.6750 Fax: 970.416.2020