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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPROMONTORY - PDP - 32-99 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - MODIFICATION REQUESTC. Furthermore, this plan substantially achieves important community needs including: Aesthetic and attractive in -town housing immediately approximate to work places. ii. Excellent new architectural and planning concepts - step-down buildings, office - driveway - courtyard - green space, innovative and sensitive use of topography, interesting building siting, aesthetic frontages and unique central park -courtyard concept. iii. Residential neighborhood with a sense of community and sensitivity to quality of life. iv. Pedestrian needs are paramount in this project. This is the guiding principle in our unique courtyard design, which integrates vehicles, bicycle, pedestrian needs virtually seamlessly together with hardscaping and landscaping. We respectfully request your favorable consideration and approval of our requested modifications. Thank you. Sincerely, r WouVPresident Enclosure /jl:kw quality and character of this project's proposed office buildings, which will be similar to those in Landings Office Park. ii. Would not be detrimental to existing retail uses. In fact granting of modification will benefit existing retail use by providing needed housing for some retail employees within walking and biking distance of their work. iii. Would not be detrimental to existing residential uses. In fact granting of modification will benefit existing residential uses. iv. Would not be detrimental to public good in general also for the reasons described above. v. Would not impair the intent and purposes of the LUC. In fact granting modification will achieve the intent and purposes of the LUC as is outlined in the Statement of Objectives and Purposes, a copy of which is attached. B. And our FDP proposal as submitted will advance the public interests and the purposes of the standard equally well or better than a plan that complies with the standard. i. The purpose of the standard was to assure that residential buildings not be planned in a way which makes access from them to street sidewalk inconvenient. ii. Because of the unusual and difficult shape of this in -fill site plus no access from the west and south, increase of standard from 200 feet to 300 feet for buildings C and D will achieve sidewalk accessibility as well or better than any other alternative. iii. Furthermore increase of standard to 300 feet for buildings C and D permits this creative project to manifest itself with unique attributes and benefits, as are described in attached Statement of Objectives and Purposes. iv. The housing use that we propose is complementary to and supports adjacent workplace uses. V. Plan achieves the purpose to promoting excellence in design and construction of planned office parks, buildings, outdoor spaces, an streetscapes. vi. Plan achieves the purpose of continuing the vitality and quality of life in the adjacent High Pointe residential neighborhood. iv. Plan achieves the purpose of continuing the vitality and quality of life in the adjacent High Pointe residential neighborhood. C. Furthermore, this plan substantially achieves important community needs including: i. Aesthetic and attractive in -town housing immediately approximate to work places. ii. Excellent new architectural and planning concepts - step-down buildings, office - driveway - courtyard - green space, innovative and sensitive use of topography, interesting building siting, aesthetic frontages and unique central park -courtyard concept. iii. Residential neighborhood with a sense of community and sensitivity to quality of life. iv. Pedestrian needs are paramount in this project. This is the guiding principle in our unique courtyard design, which integrates vehicles, bicycle, pedestrian needs virtually seamlessly together with hardscaping and landscaping. Modification Request #2 It is our strongest wish that the courtyard portion of the residential project be successful as a pedestrian friendly - vehicle way - pedestrian way - courtyard - landscape area - hardscape area. In addition to other design features, we feel it is imperative to not introduce ugly, white painted parking stall lines into this scored colored concrete courtyard area and the environment we are creating. Also we do not want red fire lane lines to be painted in either the residential courtyard or the office parking lot. Accordingly we respectfully request your approval to allow us to use variations in the parking lot scoring as our method for defining these parking stalls and signage to designate fire lanes. Modification Request #3 The Residential Building Standards provisions of the LUC require that "every front facade with a primary entrance to a dwelling unit shall face a connecting walkway with no primary entrance more than 200 feet from a street sidewalk." We hereby request that this standard be modified and increased to 300 feet with respect to buildings C and D. A. The granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good or impair the intent and purposes of the LUC. i. Would not be detrimental to existing office uses. In fact granting of modification will be beneficial to the existing office use to the north by assuring the a. By assuring transitional uses, namely office -residential as proposed in our project, between retail, banking, post office to the west and existing single-family residential to the east. b. By assuring that no possible incompatible business uses (including taverns, warehouses, light industrial) will be constructed. iv. Would not be detrimental to public good in general also for the reasons described above. v. Would not impair the intent and purposes of the LUC. In fact granting modification will achieve the intent and purposes of the LUC as is outlined in the Statement of Objectives and Purposes, a copy of which is attached. B. And our FDP proposal as submitted will advance the public interests and the purposes of the standard equally well or better than a plan that complies with the standard. i. The standard proposes that a residential project in the E District not have more than 25% of the gross project area occupied by residential or commercial / retail (office). The purpose of this standard is to assure that there is the benefit of mixed use in employment districts without skewing the character of the district to primarily residential, which would be inappropriate in most cases. Our project achieves the purpose of the standard that the use be mixed, namely business and residential, however in our project residential is weighted more heavily than office. This is eminently appropriate for this situation because: a. This project is not located in the middle of a well -established area of E District type uses or in an area where mostly primary E type uses will probably occur or be appropriate in the future. b. This odd -shaped E District infill property is strategically positioned between retail, banking and post office to the west and residential development to the east and south. Our plan will better achieve the objective of mixed use in this situation coupled with sensitive transition between retail, banking and post office, and existing residential than would a plan, which was required to comply with the standard. ii. The housing use that we propose is complementary to and supports adjacent workplace uses. iii. Plan achieves the purpose to promoting excellence in design and construction of planned office parks, buildings, outdoor spaces, and streetscapes. Lagunitas Park Place, Inc. 3307 S. College Avenue, Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO 80525 970-226-5000 9 FAX 970-226-5125 November 24, 1999 Planning and Zoning Commission City of Fort Collins 281 North College Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80525 Re: Park Place/Modification Requests Dear Planning and Zoning Commission Members: Introduction Park Place is a unique transitional project encompassing five small office buildings and five townhouse -flat residential buildings. The offices buffer the residential from adjacent commercial uses and provide supplemental parking spaces for the residential on an easement basis, however, in all other respects the residential neighborhood is separate and autonomous from the offices portion of the project. The property's zoning is E District (employment). Modification Request #1 The land use standards for E District require that residential uses shall occupy no more than 25% of the total gross area of the development plan. We hereby request that the residential uses (building coverage, parking and drives) proposed for this property be allowed to occupy approximately 53% of the total gross area of the development plan for the reasons described below: A. The qrantinq of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good or impair the intent and purposes of the LUC. i. Would not be detrimental to existing office uses. In fact granting of modification will be beneficial to the existing office use to the north by assuring the quality and character of this project's proposed office buildings, which will be similar to those in Landings Office Park. ii. Would not be detrimental to existing retail uses. In fact granting of modification will benefit existing retail use by providing needed housing for some retail employees within walking and biking distance of their work. iii. Would not be detrimental to existing residential uses. In fact granting of modification will benefit existing residential uses.