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#43-02 Trailhead
Annexation and Zoning
Type II (LUC)
10/17/02 N
1 inch : 1000 feet
Trailhead Annexation and Zoning, #43-02
April 15, 2004 P & Z Meeting
Page 6 of 6
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Board recommend that City
Council approve the Trailhead Annexation and Zoning #43-02 with initial zoning
to the Employment (E) Zone District and deny the requested Mountain Vista
Subarea and Structure Plan Amendments.
Trailhead Annexation and Zoning, #43-02
April 15, 2004 P & Z Meeting
Page 5 of 6
B. The proposed plan amendment will promote the public welfare and
will be consistent with the vision, goals, principles, and policies of
City Plan and the elements thereof.
One of the key goals of the Mountain Vista Sub Area Plan amendment is
to maintain a balance of land available for Employment and residential
uses in the northeast part of town and community -wide. The City is
currently in the process of looking at some possible amendments to the
Mountain Vista Subarea Plan and Structure Plan that may permit shifting
of land uses, while maintaining the current balance of land uses. These
amendments affect several property owners in the area, particularly
Anheuser-Busch. There are issues yet to be resolved in the plan
amendment. Staff expects that the subarea plan amendment will be
brought foreword within 2004. Until the location of the Employment land
can be resolved, the Structure Plan amendment is not supported by City
Plan policies, including ECON-1.3 Infrastructure and Capitol Facilities and
ECON-1.4 Jobs/Housing Balance.
3. Neighborhood Response:
A neighborhood meeting was not held for this application. A formal neighborhood
meeting will be held for the Trailhead project when a Project Development Plan
application is filed with the City.
FINDINGS OF FACT/CONCLUSIONS
After reviewing the Trailhead Annexation and Zoning, File #43-02, staff makes
the following findings of fact and conclusions as explained above:
A. The annexation of this area is consistent with the policies and agreements
between Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins as contained in the
Intergovernmental Agreement for the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area.
B. The area meets all criteria included in Colorado Revised Statutes to
qualify for a voluntary annexation to the City of Fort Collins.
C. The requested zoning by the applicant of Low Density Mixed Use
Residential (LMN) is inconsistent with the adopted Mountain Vista Sub
Area Plan and the City of Fort Collins Structure Plan.
D. The Employment zoning recommended by staff is consistent with the
adopted Mountain Vista Sub -area Plan and the Structure Plan.
Trailhead Annexation and Zoning, #43-02
April 15, 2004 P & Z Meeting
Page 4 of 6
A. The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows:
N: FA1(County) Undeveloped
S: LMN Proposed Witham Farms ODP
E: LMN Single Family Residential
W: FA1(County) Undeveloped
2. Structure Plan Amendment
The City of Fort Collins Comprehensive Plan, City Plan, may be amended
pursuant to Appendix C of City Plan. All City Plan amendments shall be
considered by the City Council, after recommendation by the Planning and
Zoning Board and City staff. Such amendment shall demonstrate compliance
with the following criteria:
A. The existing City Plan and/or related element thereof is in need of
the proposed amendment.
The existing land use designation for this parcel was assigned during the
development of the Mountain Vista Sub Area Plan. Several factors were
present which led to the Employment designation, which still exist today.
The property is directly adjacent to Vine Drive, a four lane arterial street,
with close by access to 1-25 via a proposed interchange at 1-25 and Vine
Drive. The site also has truck access to two existing interchanges at
Mulberry and Mountain Vista Drives via the existing frontage road system.
There are existing and future residential areas and shopping opportunities
to support future employment uses on the property.
Some conditions have changes since adoption of the Plan. For instance,
Vine Drive had once been considered to be a viable "truck bypass" route;
there is no longer considered a viable option. Also, the Burlington
Northern Railroad line is directly west of this site. It was originally thought
that the Employment uses could take advantage of this line by adding
spurs off the main line for railcar deliveries. However, since the adoption
of the Mountain Vista Plan, the Larimer and Weld Ditch has been
relocated from its previous location, which bisected the property, to the
edge of the property adjacent to the railroad tracks. This new location has
effectively eliminated the possibility of tying into the existing rail lines.
Trailhead Annexation and Zoning, #43-02
April 15, 2004 P & Z Meeting
Page 3 of 6
Anheuser-Busch has expressed an interest in developing their land in the
future with non-residential uses, such as Employment.
Even with the 30 acres removed from the flooding area, there still remains
a net loss of Employment land of 60 acres with this proposal. Additional
improvements could be made on Anheuser-Busch property to further
reduce the ponding area, however, without the consent of Anheuser-
Busch to proceed with such plans, staff can not evaluate what impact this
may have. Staff remains of the opinion that this loss is too great to justify
the zoning of the Trailhead property to LMN without additional
Employment land dedicated elsewhere.
Storm drainage issues on the Anheuser-Busch property have been an
obstacle in the adoption of the staff initiated amendments to the Mountain
Vista Subarea Plan. This purchase of the property by the City for a
regional detention pond could be the catalyst to re-enter into negotiations
with Anheuser-Busch and continue the Mountain Vista Subarea Plan
amendment. The amended plan relocates Employment uses off of the
Trailhead property and onto adjacent Anheuser-Busch property. The
resulting designation on the Trailhead property is LMN.
The negotiations are nearly complete for the 30 acres on the northwestern
portion of the Trailhead property. Stormwater would like to acquire the
property, since it is a key piece in the drainage improvements necessary
to serve this portion of Mountain Vista. Staff however does not feel the
purchase will justify the zoning of the Trailhead property to LMN, without
the further support of Anheuser-Busch to pick up additional Employment
uses lost from the Trailhead property.
FINDINGS and ANALYSIS:
1. Background:
The property is located within the Fort Collins Growth Management Area (GMA).
According to policies and agreements between the City of Fort Collins and
Larimer County, contained in the Intergovernmental Agreement For The Fort
Collins Growth Management Area, the City has agreed to pursue annexation of
property within the GMA which is eligible for voluntary annexation according to
Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS). The CRS requires 1/6 of the property to be
contiguous with the existing City limits. As proposed, 5,116 feet of the total 9,084
feet of the property boundary is contiguous to the existing City limits. This is
greater than the 1,514 feet required to achieve 1/6th contiguity.
Trailhead Annexation and Zoning, #43-02
April 15, 2004 P & Z Meeting
Page 2 of 6
pond. The philosophy behind this approach is to build a regional detention pond
on the parcel north and west of the Trailhead site, which is designated as LMN
and unsuitable for Employment use and free up area further north and west of
the Trailhead site which is currently encumbered by a large area of ponding and
floodplain, primarily on land owned by Anheuser-Busch. This property is suitable
for Employment use.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Planning and Zoning Board recommend that City
Council approve the Trailhead Annexation and Zoning #43-02 with initial zoning
to the Employment (E) Zone District and deny the requested Mountain Vista
Subarea and Structure Plan Amendments.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
1. The annexation of this area is consistent with the policies and agreements
between Larimer County and the City of Fort Collins as contained in the
Intergovernmental Agreement for the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area.
2. The area meets all criteria included in Colorado Revised Statutes to
qualify for a voluntary annexation to the City of Fort Collins.
3. Requested Structure Plan:
The removal of Employment designation from the Trailhead property
represents a net loss of 90 acres within the City's vacant Employment
designated land inventory. A recent study completed for the Harmony
Corridor Plan Amendment concluded that the current supply of
Employment - designated land is adequate, however, any future removal
of Employment lands will begin to create a significant shortfall in the City's
inventory.
With the most recent proposal, the applicant and the City have re-entered
into negotiations for the property north and west of the Trailhead site for
use as a regional detention pond. This concept would relocate a portion of
the water ponding on adjacent Anheuser-Busch property (estimated to be
around 90 acres) to this adjacent property. Preliminary grading plans have
been completed by the applicant which will determine the capacity of the
new detention pond. With the most recent design, it is estimated that
approximately 30 acres of the 90 acres of area encumbered by floodwater
on the adjacent Anheuser-Busch property would be removed from
flooding. The 30 acres would be available for future development.
ITEM NO. 4
MEETING DATE 4/15/04
STAFF Bob Barkeen
City of Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
STAFF REPORT '
PROJECT: Trailhead Annexation, Zoning, Mountain Vista Plan
Amendment and Structure Plan Amendment, File #43-02
APPLICANT: VF Ripley Associates
401 West Mountain Avenue, Suite 201
Fort Collins, CO 80521
OWNERS: Waterglen Holdings, LLC
PO Box 337600
Greeley, CO 80633
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This is a request to annex and zone approximately 91.25 acres of land located
along the north side of East Vine Drive, south of the Burlington Northern
Railroad, west of the Waterglen Subdivision. The project is located within the
Mountain Vista Sub -Area Plan. The proposed zoning is LMN — Low Density
Mixed -Use Neighborhood. The Mountain Vista Sub -Area Plan and the City of
Fort Collins Structure Plan designate this property as E — Employment. An
amendment to the Mountain Vista Sub Area Plan and Structure Plan is
accompanying the annexation and zoning request. The requested plan
amendment would designate this property as LMN. The anticipated land use
would be single and multi -family residential, consistent with the standards in the
LMN zone district.
The annexation, zoning and plan amendments were initially presented to the
Planning and Zoning Board on February 19, 2004. Staff recommended adoption
of the annexation with initial zoning to the Employment district, consistent with
the Mountain Vista Subarea Plan. The recommendation from the Planning and
Zoning Board to the City Council was also the adoption of the annexation with
initial zoning to the Employment District.
Since the February meeting, staff has continued to work with the applicant to
resolve the primary issue of the proposed Mountain Vista Plan Amendment,
which is the net loss of Employment designated land. The applicant has
proposed a possible solution to this issue, which includes the purchase of a
portion of the property immediately northwest of the Trailhead site owned by the
applicant. This property would be used for a future storm drainage detention
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