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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1516 REMINGTON, REMINGTON HOUSE GROUP HOME - PDP - 11-00 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - MODIFICATION REQUESTPage 4 Troy Jones 3. This project meets the Comprehensive Plan of Housing, Policy HSG-1.5, "special Needs Housing" for young adults that would most likely be running the streets if they were not placed in a Group Home Setting. 4. Appendix A of the City of Fort Collins Consolidated Plan states that one of the Key issues is "expansion of homeless services in the community, in particular, prevention services, rehabilitation services and services for the homeless families". In the section on "Needs of homeless and persons threatened with hopelessness" it is stated that there is a need for additional assistance. Young adults that run away from home or are kicked our of their homes become threatened with hopelessness if their are not services to address these needs. It is also stated that based on discussions with agencies directly involved with providing services to the homeless and an assessment of homeless data provided by these groups there is a need in Fort Collins for "coordination of treatment, counseling, training and eduction programs and services to address the prevention of hopelessness". Our proposal will be able to coordinate these services. 5. Appendix A of the City of Fort Collins Consolidated Plan also states that facilities that are currently working with young adults that are threatened with hopelessness are not able to keep up with the demand. Turning Point continues to expand their programs to meet the needs and are on a waiting list to get young adults into programs. Youth S.A.F.E. is always on a waiting list and is closing its 20 bed facility because of financial problems. The need for these services is growing as our city is growing and at this time we are unable to meet the growing need. If you have any questions regarding this project please feel free to contact me at 484-8427. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Jo ?�C .Painter Clinical and Program Page 3 Troy Jones in the property before. 4. Article 1.2.2 (1) of the Land Use Code states that another one of the purposes of the Land Use Code is "minimizing the adverse environmental impacts of development". Our proposal does not negatively impact this purpose because we will not be changing any of the existing structure of the building. Also, using an existing building which is very well laid out to be a Group Home prevents us from having to build a new building. It is a recycling plan for housing. 5. Article 1.2.2 (M) of the Land Use Code states that another one of the purposes of the Land Use Code is "ensuring that development proposals are sensitive to the character of existing neighborhoods". Our proposal does not negatively impact this because we will not be changing anything structurally to the building. We do have plans to bring parking up to code specified by the city, improve and pave the alley way and clean up the trash that has accumulated in the neighborhood. 6. The Jacob Center believes that the proposed modification meets the criteria outlined in section 2.8.2 (H) of the Land Use Code. Failure to grant this modification will cause this project practically infeasible. The Jacob Center is unable to operate this facility at 8 beds and this would not meed the community's need of finding homes for the 20 young adults that are currently at Youth SAFE which is closing. 7. Article 1.2.2 (L) of the Land Use Code states the encouragement of development of vacant properties within established areas. This property was vacant when we secured a lease. They were unable to find another fraternity to move into this property and it might have remained vacant with out our lease. C. Modification will substantially address important community needs specified and expressly defined and described in the City's comprehensive plan, adopted policy, ordinance or resolution. 1. The granting of this modification would substantially address the important community need of young adults needing placement because of the closure of Youth S.A.F.E. effective March 31, 2000. At the date of this writing, Youth S.A.F.E. has all of its 20 beds filled and there is not a clear plan of where these young adults are going on the closing date. The Jacob Center's foster care program has been inundated with referrals of these young adults but is currently on a waiting list of 16 young adults and is not able to help Youth S.A.F.E. residents. A community resource is being lost and needs to be replaced because the need for care for young adults is still present. 2. The granting of this modification would substantially address the important community need of serving young adults that are having problems. It is a city wide concern having young adults in our community that are struggling with growing up. For some young adults, if their developmental needs are not addressed they usually go out and creates problems in the community until their behavior has to be addressed. Social Service does not have enough resources to meet the community's need to serve young adults that are struggling. Page 2 Troy Jones 2. This Group Home will protect public interest because it will give young adults an alternative to being on the streets. If young adults to not have options to turn to they continue to cause problems for the community until their needs are addressed. It is a detriment to the public good to have young adults in the community without supervision and a place to live. 3. About 60% of young adults that are placed in Group Homes are placed out of county. This makes it difficult for families to complete needed family therapy in order to bring their children back home. Having a place in Fort Collins for the young adults to receive services decreases length of stay because their parents are more easily accessed. Currently the need for these services considerably outweighs our ability to provide services. 4. This property is being leased from Osprey Investments, LLC which is based here in Fort Collins. The prior owner was out of state and was not on site to address issues that arose. Local ownership will increase investment and responsibility for this property and the behavior of its residents. 5. The use of the property is no different in function then what was being used before. The fraternity had residents living there, meetings conducted and social functions. We plan on doing the same thing with the exception of the social functions and that the residents will be closely monitored by adults 24 hours a day. B. The modification does not impair the intent and purpose of the Land Use Code. 1. In the Staff report regarding group home zoning dated June 5, 1980 it states that group homes must meet the legitimate concerns of the city. I believe we meet the concerns by properly running the group home. About 70% of the staff that were running Youth SAFE will be running our facility and we have been managing these facilities for over 11 years. The size, scale, and overall appearance of the group home is consistent with the general character of the neighborhood in which it is located. This group home is physically compatible with the neighborhood because the only thing changing about the residents in the property is the age and purpose of being there. We are decreasing the dwelling units rather then increasing them. We believe that the group home is a solution for the existing problems that fraternity's cause. 2. Article 1.2.2 (C) of the Land Use Code states that one of the purposes of the Land Use Code is "fostering the safe, efficient and economic use of the land, the city's transportation infrastructure, and other public facilities and services". Our proposal does not negatively impact this purpose because young adults residing at 1516 Remington will be efficiently and economically utilizing the transportation infrastructure and other public facilitate and service because they will be centrally located to access bus routes, bike routes and sidewalks close to down town. 3. Article 1.2.2 (F) of the Land Use Code states that another one of the purposes of the code is to "encourage patterns of land use which decrease trip length of automobile travel and encourage trip consolidation". Our proposal does not negatively impact this purpose because are residents are not allowed to drive, trips that are planned from this property will be in groups transported by a van decreasing single vehicle use, and residents will have access to the bike and bus lanes. We believe there will be a considerable decrease in travel compared to the fraternity that was residing Jacob Family Services Licensed Child Placement Agency March 15, 2000 Mr. Troy W. Jones City Planner Jacob Center North 281 North College Avenue 633 Remington Street P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80524 Fort (970) 48"427 Collins, Colorado 80522-0580 Fax: 482-8713 RE: Request to modify Section 3.8.6 (A) of the Land Use Code to allow a maximum of 20 residents (instead of 8) in the group home located at 1516 Remington St. Jacob Center East Dear Troy: 1116 9th Street Greeley, CO 80631 (970) 352-2852 The Jacob Center is a non-profit organization that provides Foster Care and Group Home Fax: 3524428 services to young adults in the Fort Collins area that are in need of out -of -home placement. We have been in business for about 11 years and have managed Foster Homes and Group Homes along the front range region, from Colorado Springs to Wellington. We have a good Jacob Center Longmont track record of serving young adults for Social Service in Colorado. There is a growing need 380 Main Street #221 for services that address homeless issues for young adults. We have developed a Group Home Longmont, 83 80501 (303) 774-9837 at 1516 Remington to help address this growing need. The property at 1516 Remington g p g g P p Y g Fax: 774-9837 currently only allows 8 residents to be in a Group Home at this address. We are requesting that 20 be allowed to reside at this address. We believe that all 20 beds will not be filled and that there will be an average of 10 to 16 residents at the group home. This number is comparable to Turning Points, formally Larico, Group homes that manage 44 residents at 614 Mathews and their new project of 36 residents at 801 S. Shields street that was approved December 16, 1999 by the City Planning and Zoning Board. Youth Safe is closing on March 31, 2000 and there will be 20 young adults that will need to find a place to live. We are trying to meet their housing needs by having this project approved by the Planning and Zoning Board. We believe that this is an acceptable modification and should be granted because it is not detrimental to the public good, doesn't impair the intent and purpose of the Land Use Code, and would address an important community need specifically and expressly defined and described in the City's Comprehensive Plan, adopted policy, ordinance or resolution. Support for the modification is as follows: A. Modification is not detrimental to the public good. 1. This property was being used as a fraternity house that held about 30 residents. Many of the neighbors can speak the ongoing problems that are associated with having a fraternity located in your neighborhood. These problems would be, but not limited to, large unsupervised alcohol parties on a consistent basis, loud music, trash, beer cups in your front yard, people urinating in your front yard, fights and a high volume of people coming in and out of the property. Our proposed group home would not allow any of the above mentioned problems because the residents will have 24 hour adult supervision and will be held accountable for their behavior. They will complete community service projects that increase the cosmetic value of the neighborhood.