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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPOUDRE SCHOOL DISTRICT 2004 HIGH SCHOOL - SITE PLAN ADVISORY REVIEW - 43-01A - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORTPoudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, File #43-01A February 21, 2002 P & Z Meeting Page 9 9. Findings of Fact/Conclusion: In evaluating the request, Staff makes the following findings of fact: A. The request is a Site Plan Advisory Review for recommendation to the Poudre School District Board of Education. The request is not a Project Development Plan or Subdivision. B. The location of the facility complies with the Fossil Creek Reservoir Area Plan and the land use is in compliance with the Low Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood zone district. C. The project complies with the applicable standards of Article Three. D. The public improvements have been reviewed by the appropriate City departments and agencies and found to meet utility and engineering standards. E. A neighborhood meeting was held on February 11, 2002. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Board advise the Poudre School District Board of Education that the location, character and extent of the proposed 2004 High School, #43-01A, is appropriate and conforms to the elements relative to the adopted master plan (City Plan) of the City. Poudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, File #43-01A February 21, 2002 P & Z Meeting Page 8 D. Parking There will be four parking lots. The two student lots are located on the south side of the campus. The faculty and staff parking lot is on the west side of the campus. There is an athletic event parking lot located in the northeast corner of the campus serving the soccer/track facility. The number of student parking spaces is based on the observed demand at the other three schools and the desire to not impact adjacent residential neighborhoods with student overflow parking. The parking is distributed as follows: Parking Lot Standard HC Spaces Total Spaces Spaces Northwest lot (staff) 169 6 175 Southwest lot 448 10 458 (student) Southeast lot 455 10 465 (student) Northeast lot (event) 121 6 127 Entry (visitor) 22 2 24 Private drive 46 2 48 (softball) 1261 36 1297 Total 8. Neighborhood Meeting: A City -sponsored neighborhood meeting was held on February 11, 2002. In addition, the District conducted several general public meetings as well as meetings with the District Advisory Board and the Board of Education. Poudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, File #43-01A February 21, 2002 P & Z Meeting Page 7 A network of private, off-street walkways are provided connecting the campus to these surrounding areas. The private east -west street will include a detached sidewalk. South of the tennis courts, the walkway ties directly into the local street serving the Willow Brook neighborhood. Crosswalks are provided at this intersection. B. Vehicular Circulation Primary access to the entrance and two student parking lots is gained via a private east -west street on the south side of the campus. This street is designed with a tee intersection as a traffic -calming device. The faculty/staff parking lot is served via Rock Creek Drive. All internal drives will be dedicated as emergency access easements in accordance with the standards of the Poudre Fire Authority. In keeping with the security needs of the District, there will be no other streets penetrating the campus with the exception of a remote parking lot serving only the soccer/track facility. C. Public Street Improvements There are three public streets that will be improved with development of the high school. These are Ziegler Road (collector), Rock Creek Drive (collector) and Cambridge Avenue (collector). In accordance with the Fossil Creek Reservoir Area Plan, Cambridge will curve to the southwest and tie into an extension of Trilby Road. Kechter Road borders the future park and is designated as a minor (two-lane) arterial. The three abutting streets and the affected intersections will be improved to their designated standards. Cambridge Avenue will not be required to be constructed north to Harmony Road. This improvement will be the obligation of the two adjacent developers to the north, Hewlett-Packard and Imago Enterprises. In the short range (2006), only the Timberline/Kechter/Willow Springs intersection warrants a traffic signal. In the long range (2020), the Ziegler/Rock Creek and the Ziegler/Kechter intersections will warrant traffic signals. Based on observations at the three existing high schools, a traffic calming measure in the form of a roundabout is proposed for the Cambridge/Access Drive intersection. Poudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, File #43-01A February 21, 2002 P & Z Meeting Page 6 One particular aspect that contributes to the context of the surrounding area is the treatment of the north elevation. This is the academic wing and directly faces the future Harmony Technology Park. This north elevation features a projecting building module, offset by 80 feet, which is in direct alignment with the terminus of Technology Parkway. This projection is designed to create a visual linkage with both Harmony Road and Harmony Technology Park and is considered an urban design element that ties the campus to the larger community. The performing arts and athletic wings feature matching wedge-shaped roofs that are designed to mitigate the mass and bulk of these two building forms. The gymnasium roof is raised in order to allow a four-sided bank of windows for day lighting. 6. Energy Conservation and Sustainable Design: The building and site include the following features to promote energy conservation and sustainability: • Generous use of glass for day -lighting; • Courtyard for day -lighting the classrooms; Bio-swales for treatment of stormwater; • Roof drains tied into bio-swales • Combination stormwater/raw water irrigation pond; The District design team has worked closely with the City Light and Power Department on promoting energy conservation features to reduce electrical consumption. 7. Transportation: A. Non -vehicular Circulation The campus is bounded on two sides by developing residential neighborhoods (Willow Brook, Harvest Park and Sage Creek), on the north by an employment park (Harmony Technology Park), and on the south by a future City community park. South of the future park is another residential neighborhood (Fossil Lake Estates). Poudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, File #43-01A February 21, 2002 P & Z Meeting Page 5 B. Building Height The highest points of the building are the two-story academic wing on the north (36-feet) and the gymnasium on the south (42-feet). (Unlike Fort Collins High, there will be no theatre fly loft.) The L-M-N zone district allows non-residential buildings to achieve a height of 2.5 stories and that up to 25 feet may be allocated per story for a total of 62.5 feet. The height of 42 feet for the gymnasium and 36 feet for the classrooms fits within the relative contextual height found in the approved Harmony Technology Park to the north which features six three-story office buildings. C. Landscaping The landscaping is intended to buffer the surrounding properties and provide a human scale to the large structure. Street trees will be planted in the parkway strip along all public roadways and the private access drives. D. Architecture The building consists of an administrative core with three wings radiating out from the center. These wings are the theatre wing (west), athletic wing (east) and academic wing (north). Each component conveys its own architectural character based on its function. What brings the various forms together is the consistent use of building materials. The exterior materials are a combination of brick, cultured stone/split- face block and synthetic stucco/metal panels. Final selection has not been made yet. These three basic exteriors, each with its own color and texture, are placed in a repeating pattern and found on all four elevations. In addition, there is generous use of glass for day -lighting offices and classrooms. Windows are varied based on function. The combination of view windows and clerestory windows adds variety to the elevations. The south entrance is highlighted by a circular building form that allows visitors to find the location easily and creates an interesting space for gathering and seating. The setting is accented by a series of free-standing columns that support sloping canopies over the windows designed to allow light but shield the glare of the southern exposure. Poudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, File #43-01A February 21, 2002 P & Z Meeting Page 4 4. Land Use: A. Fossil Creek Reservoir Area Plan As mentioned, the campus is contained within the northern portion of the Fossil Creek Reservoir Area Plan. The high school parcel is designated as "Low Density Mixed -Use Residential Neighborhood." Upon completion of the annexation process, the zoning will match this sub -area designation. Since schools are a permitted use within this zone district, the proposed high school conforms to the adopted sub -area plan. 5. Design: A. Site Plan The new High School will feature a 267,000 square foot, two-story building. As with all high schools, there will be specific areas devoted to academic classrooms, performing arts, athletics, administration, technology labs, media center (library) and common areas such as a food court. There will be a separate parking lot, with 175 spaces, for bus drop-off, faculty and staff located on the west side of the building with access gained via Rock Creek Drive. There will be two student parking lots, with a total of 923 spaces, on the south side of the building with access gained via a private street. The main entrance faces south. It is expected that the future City community park will act as a "front yard" providing a significant open space design feature as viewed from Ziegler and Kechter Roads. There are approximately 20 acres of athletic fields and tennis courts. Three of these fields will be illuminated for night competition. These are the soccer/track facility, the varsity baseball field and the junior varsity baseball/varsity softball field. In addition, the tennis courts will be illuminated. Discussion for joint use of these facilities (as well as future park facilities) between the School District and City Parks and Recreation are already underway. In fact, the stormwater detention pond will also act as a raw water irrigation pond for both entities similar to the pond serving both Fort Collins High School and Stewart Case Park. Poudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, File #43-01A February 21, 2002 P & Z Meeting Page 3 Technology Amended Overall Development Plan. This O.D.P. comprises 267 acres of mixed -use development. Projects approved within this O.D.P. include: • Celestica — 209,308 sq.ft. on 37 acres • Harmony Technology Park — 750,000 sq.ft. on 61 acres • Willow Brook — 369 d.u.'s on 100 acres • Brookfield — 298 d.u.'s on 37 acres. The Webster Farm features McClelland Creek running in a northwest to southeast direction. The City Parks and Recreation Department have agreed to purchase approximately 50 acres south of the high school campus and include this natural feature. Planned as a community park, it is not expected to develop in about six to eight years. 3. Right of Advisory Review: Colorado Revised Statutes provide two specific references, which allow the City to review the planning, and location of school sites. A. Section 22-32-124, C.R.S., as amended, addresses the right of the School District to construct schools within a municipality and the location or manner of construction of such schools. The statutes specifically limit the municipalities' participation in the process to a limited right of review and appeal to the Board of Education. B. Section 31-23-209, C.R.S. provides that no public building shall be constructed or authorized in a city until the "location, character and extent thereof' has been submitted for approval by the Planning and Zoning Board. In the case of disapproval, the Planning and Zoning Board shall communicate its findings to the School District. The disapproval of the P & Z Board may be overruled by the School Board by a vote of not less .than two-thirds of its membership. Under Section 31-23-209, C.R.S., the Planning and Zoning Board should make a finding as to the location, character, and extent of the public building relative to the adopted Master Plan (City Plan) of the City. Such findings help ensure that the proposed project conforms to the adopted plan of the City of Fort Collins. Poudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, File #43-01A February 21, 2002 P & Z Meeting Page 2 B. The location of the facility complies with the Fossil Creek Reservoir Area Plan and the land use is in compliance with the Low Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood zone district. C. The project complies with the applicable standards of Article Three. D. The public improvements have been reviewed by the appropriate City departments and agencies and found to meet utility and engineering standards. E. A neighborhood meeting was held on February 11, 2002. COMMENTS: 1. Background: The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: H-C; Vacant (Harmony Technology Park) S: FA-1 (County); Agricultural and Rural Residential (Fossil Lake Ranch) E: L-M-N; Residential (Willow Brook P.D.P. — under construction) W: L-M-N; Residential (Harvest Park and Sage Creek) W: FA-1 (County) Agricultural and Rural Residential The high school campus is the northerly portion of the 156-acre Webster Farm. This entire parcel is presently going through the annexation and zoning process to be zoned L-M-N and is expected to be annexed on second reading by City Council on February 19, 2002. Direct descendants of the original settlers in the Harmony Agricultural District have historically farmed the Webster Farm. The property is located within the Fossil Creek Reservoir Area Plan, jointly adopted by both the City and County in 1998. 2. Context Within the Section: The campus lies within the southwest quarter of a section bounded by Harmony Road, Ziegler Road (C.R.#9), Kechter Road (C.R.#36) and Strauss Cabin Road (C.R.#7). This is a rapidly developing area and includes the Harmony ITEM NO. 4 ell MEETING DATE 2/21/02 STAFF Ted Shepard Citv of Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: Poudre School District 2004 New High School, Site Plan Advisory Review, #43-01A APPLICANT: Poudre School District Planning, Design and Construction Department 2407 LaPorte Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80521 OWNER: Same PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a request for a Site Plan Advisory Review. The 2004 High School consists of a 94-acre campus located on a portion of the Webster Farm that lies north of McClelland Creek. This parcel is south of Rock Creek Drive, east of Ziegler Road (C.R49), north of Kechter Road (C.R.36), and west of Cambridge Avenue (extended). The new high school is being planned for 1,800 students in grades ten through twelve. The multi -story building would include approximately 267,000 square feet. There would be roughly 20 acres of athletic fields, three of which would be illuminated. As planned, there would be 923 student parking spaces and 175 spaces for faculty and staff. The area south of the private access drive and including McClelland Creek consists of approximately 50 acres and is being considered for purchase by the City of Fort Collins for a future community park. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: A. The request is a Site Plan Advisory Review for recommendation to the Poudre School District Board of Education. The request is not a Project Development Plan or Subdivision. COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box580 Fort Collins, CO80522-0580 (970) 221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT