HomeMy WebLinkAboutRIGDEN FARM, 5TH FILING, TRACT I, SETTLERS GREEN - PDP - 56-98J - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT W/ATTACHMENTSJune 29, 2001
Troy Jones
Planner
City of Fort Collins
281 North College
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Dear Mr. Jones:
We are requesting an Alternative Compliance to the Land Use Code 3.2.1 (D)(3) (Minimum
Species Diversity) as it relates to Settler's Green P.D.P. Under a strict adherence to the code
we would be limited to only 15 Honeylocust canopy trees rather than the 18 Honeylocust that
are currently proposed to line both sides of Sitting Bull Way.
We feel that the currently proposed landscape plan will advance or protect the public interests
and purposes of the standard for which the alternative compliance is requested equally well or
better than a plan which complies with the standard. This alternative compliance is requested
for the following reasons:
NOT DETRIMENTAL TO THE PUBLIC GOOD
The purpose of the standard is to have species diversity in order to prevent insect or disease
susceptibility and eventual uniform senescence within a development site or district. When
Settler's Green is viewed as an isolated project, it does not meet the criteria by 3 trees. When
Settler's Green is viewed in light of the overall Rigden Farm development, it is well within
meeting the requirements of the standard.
ADVANCES OR PROTECTS THE PUBLIC INTERESTS
The currently proposed landscape plan was designed to give Sitting Bull Way a feeling of
continuity and connectivity. The street is designed to a narrow residential standard and will
have no driveways or garages. It is intended to have a continuous greenstrip and sidewalk.
The spacing of the street trees is such that as they grow and mature the street will have the
feel of a narrow canopied road. If we are required to replace three of the Honeylocust with
alternative trees it will have a detrimental impact on the streetscape and on the visual continuity
of Sitting Bull Way
ADVANCES OR PROTECTS THE PURPOSES OF THE STANDARD
We feel that our current landscape plan complies with all the standards and advances several
of the key items listed in the General Standard 3.2.1(C), such "enhances the appearance of
the development and neighborhood", and "enhances the pedestrian environment'.
Thank you very much for your consideration of this alternative compliance request.
Sincerely,
Robert T. Hand
Project Manager
Settler's Green, Registered LLLP
No Text
Rigden Farm Settler's careen (51h Filing), Project Development Plan, File #56-98J
June 21, 2001 Type 1 Hearing
Page 8
1. The Project Development Plan is subject to Type 1 review.
2. The Project Development Plan is consistent with the Rigden Farm Overall
Development Plan.
3. The Project Development Plan complies with all applicable district standards
of Section 4.4 of the Land Use Code, LMN zone district.
4. The alternative compliance request to Section 3.2.1(D)(3) satisfies the
purpose of the standard equally well as a plan that satisfies the standard
because this site is a small block of infill surrounded by the overall Rigden
Farm development, and when the site is viewed in context with the
surrounding blocks on the approved plans for Rigden Farm filing one, the
proposed 18 Honey Locust trees along Sitting Bull Way comprise far less
than 15% of the species in the immediate vicinity.
5. The Project Development Plan complies with all applicable General
Development Standards contained in Article 3 of the Land Use Code except
where the aforementioned modifications were granted by the Planning and
Zoning Board on February 15, 2001 and March 15, 2001.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the Rigden Farm Settler's Green (5th Filing), Project
Development Plan, File #56-98J.
Rigden Farm Settler's Ureen (5`" Filing), Project Development Plan, File #56-98J
June 21, 2001 Type 1 Hearing
Page 7
connecting walkway within 200 feet of a street sidewalk at the
time of building permit review.
b. Setback from Nonarterial Streets [3.5.2(D)(2)] — This standard
specifies a minimum 15 foot front yard setback along street
smaller than arterials. The applicant was granted a
modification to reduce the front setback along non -arterial
streets for all 27 lots in the Settler's Green P.D.P. from the
required 15 feet setback to a proposed 9 feet setback.
c. Side and Rear Yard Setbacks [3.5.2(D)(3)] — This standard
specifies a minimum side yard setback of 5 feet and a
minimum rear yard setback of 15 feet. The following two
modifications were granted to this standard:
• Section 3.5.2 (D)(3) requires that the minimum rear
yard setback for all alley loaded garages be at least 8
feet. The applicant was granted a modification to
reduce the rear yard setbacks between the alley -
garages and the rear property line from 8 feet to 6 feet.
• Section 3.5.2 (D)(3) requires the proposed alley loaded
garages to have a minimum side yard setback of 5
feet. The applicant was granted a modification to
reduce the required minimum 5 foot side yard setback
to a minimum zero setback for alley loaded garages at
Settler's Green.
In all other cases, the required side and rear yard setbacks will
be required to comply with the minimum 5 foot and 15 foot
requirements.
D. Division 3.6, Transportation and Circulation
Master Street Plan [3.6.1 ] —Rigden Parkway adjacent to this site is considered a
Collector on the Master Street Plan. The proposed project has been designed
consistent with this designation.
E. Division 3.8, Supplemental Regulations
Home Occupations [3.8.3] — This section requires that permitted home
occupation uses shall be conducted entirely within a dwelling. The applicant was
granted a modification to allow home occupations to be located in rooms built
above the detached garages in the rear yard of the lots at Settler's Green.
FINDINGS OF FACT/CONCLUSIONS
After reviewing the Rigden Farm Settler's Green (5th Filing), Project Development Plan,
File #56-98J, staff makes the following findings of fact and conclusions:
Rigden Farm Settler's Green (51h Filing), Project Development Plan, File #56-98J
June 21, 2001 Type 1 Hearing
Page 6
1. Plat Standards [3.3.1 ] — As required, the general layout of the lots, roads,
driveways, utilities, drainage facilities, and other services within the proposed
development are designed in a way that enhances an interconnected street
system within and between neighborhoods. Proper right-of-way has been
dedicated for public streets, emergency easements, and utility easements
have been provided as needed to serve the area being platted.
2. Water Hazards [3.3.3] — The Stormwater Department has reviewed the
application and has indicated that the application satisfies the requirements of
this standard.
C. Division, Building Standards [3.5]
Building and Project Compatibility [3.5.1 ] — A note has been added to the site
plan which defers the review of architectural elevations to the lot specific
building permit review. The note reads as follows, "no building permit will be
granted for construction of any multifamily lot until the architectural
elevations, site, landscape and utility plans for such construction have been
approved by the director." This process was established in Administrative
Interpretation #2-99 made on July 16, 1999 by Bob Blanchard who was the
Current Planning Director at the time (see the attached interpretation memo).
In accordance with the process established in said code interpretation, the
multifamily architectural elevation deferral process for qualifying lots is
outlined as follows:
• The applicant will request, and the Director will approve or deny, deferral
of the review of multifamily buildings.
• If approved, at the time of final compliance approval, the project planner
shall place a hold on the specific multifamily lots on the city's
Development Tracking System (DTS), which will not be removed until the
Director has approved the architectural elevations and utility plans. The
builder will not be able to obtain a building permit until this administrative
hold is removed.
• In order to remove the administrative hold on each multifamily lot, the
builder will submit architectural elevations and utility plans for each lot to
the Current Planning Department for routing and review.
• The Director may require changes to the proposed building elevations
and utility plans to ensure their compliance with the applicable standards
of the Land Use Code. Architectural elevations will be reviewed for
residential design and compatibility with existing or approved nearby
buildings.
2. Residential Building Standards [3.5.2]
a. Orientation to a Connecting Walkway [3.5.2(C)(1)] - Every
front fagade with a primary entrance to a dwelling unit will be
required to face either and adjacent street sidewalk or a
Rigden Farm Settler's Ureen (51h Filing), Project Development Plan, File #56-98J
June 21, 2001 Type 1 Hearing
Page 5
meets the standards of this section if the decision maker
finds that the proposed alternative plan accomplishes the
purposes of this section equally well or better than would
a plan which complies with the standards of this section.
The "purpose" of this standard is included in the language of
the standard itself, which is "to prevent uniform insect or
disease susceptibility and eventual uniform senescence on a
development site or in the adjacent area or the district."
Staff has determined that the alternative design satisfies
the purposes of this standard equally well as a plan that
satisfies the standard because this site is a small block of
infill surrounded by the overall Rigden Farm development,
and when the site is viewed in context with the
surrounding blocks on the approved plans for Rigden
Farm filing one, the proposed 18 Honey Locust trees
along Sitting Bull Way comprise far less than 15% of the
species in the immediate vicinity.
2. Access, Circulation and Parking [3.2.2]
a. Off -Site Access to Pedestrian and Bicycle Destinations
[3.2.2(C)(7)] — The on -site pedestrian/bicycle network connect
directly to the street sidewalks and on -street bicycle paths.
b. Transportation Impact Study [3.2.2(C)(8)] —The city Traffic
Engineer and the Transportation Planning Department have
reviewed the applicants update to the Rigden Farm Overall
Traffic Impact Study and have found that it meets the required
vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle, and transit Level of Service
requirements.
c. Access and Parking Lot Requirements [3.2.2(D)] — Pedestrian
areas are clearly differentiated from vehicular areas. All off-
street parking spaces will be required to have unobstructed
vehicular access to and from the public streets at the time of
lot specific building permit applications. This standard is
therefore satisfied.
3. Solar Access, Orientation, Shading [3.2.3] — The layout of the project does
not cast unreasonable shadows within the site or on adjacent properties so
as not to impair the access to sunshine for potential solar energy systems or
for solar -oriented rooftop surfaces. The Rigden Farm Filing One P.D.P. was
granted alternative compliance for the Solar Oriented Lot standard, and
because the street configuration for this P.D.P. was set by the layout of
streets from Filing One, this standard is satisfied.
B. Division 3.3, Engineering Standards
Rigden Farm Settler's Ureen (5'" Filing), Project Development Plan, File #56-98J
June 21, 2001 Type 1 Hearing
Page 4
this PDP site across Custer Drive at the southeast corner of Rigden
Parkway and Custer Drive. This standard is therefore satisfied.
4. Small Neighborhood Parks [4.4(D)(7)] —There is a qualifying
neighborhood park that is part of the neighborhood center provided in the
first filing. This park is located within 1/3 mile of 100% of the units in this
proposed PDP, and thereby satisfying this standard.
B. The PDP meets the applicable Development Standards [4.4(E)] as follows:
1. Streets and Blocks [4.4(E)(1)] — The local street results in blocks of
developed land that are smaller than 12 acres in size. This PDP
therefore satisfies this standard.
2. Maximum Residential Building Height [4.4(E)(3)] — The LMN zone has a
maximum height limit of 2.5 stories. This standard will be enforced at the
time of building permit review.
4. Article 3 of the Land Use Code — General Development Standards
The Project Development Plan complies with all applicable General Development
Standards as follows:
A. Division 3.2, Site Planning and Design Standards
1. Landscaping and Tree Protection [3.2.1 ]
a. Street Trees [3.2.1(D)(2)] — As required, the proposed PDP
provides street trees within the landscaped parkway between
the curb and the street sidewalk at 30 to 40 foot spacing
intervals (averaged along the entire front and sides of the
block face).
b. Minimum Species Diversity [3.2.1(D)(3)] — The P.D.P is
entirely surrounded by streets that were approved as part of
Rigden Farm First Filing. There are 27 trees proposed as part
of this P.D.P. The approved trees (from Rigden Farm First
Filing) on Rigden Parkway, Custer Drive, and Des Moines
Drive, add another 32 street trees to the block for a total of 59
trees. No more than 15% of the trees can be a single species.
Given the total proposed number of trees, the applicant would
be allowed to have up to 15 trees of a single species.
The applicant requests alternative compliance to this section
of the code to exceed the maximum allowable number of trees
of a single species by three so that the proposed 18 Honey
Locust trees on Sitting Bull Way can be allowed. Section
3.2.1(N) Alternative Compliance states that upon the request
by the applicant, the decision maker may approve an
alternative landscape plan in lieu of a landscape plan that
Rigden Farm Settler's Green (51h Filing), Project Development Plan, File #56-98J
June 21, 2001 Type 1 Hearing
Page 3
• Section 3.5.2 (D)(3) requires the proposed alley loaded garages to have a
minimum side yard setback of 5 feet. The applicant was granted a modification
to reduce the required minimum 5 foot side yard setback to a minimum zero
setback for alley loaded garages at Settler's Green.
2. Compliance with the Overall Development Plan
The Rigden Farm Overall Development Plan was approved on April 15, 1999.
The Settler's Green Project Development Plan is a 4.54 acre portion that is part
of a 34.36 acre parcel identified on the ODP as "parcel H." The proposed use
and density are both consistent with the use and density specified on the ODP.
Parcel H was identified to consist of at least 150 but no more than 200 multi-
family and/or single family dwelling units. This is the final proposed development
within the land identified as parcel H on the ODP. The Rigden Farm Filing One
P.D.P. had 90 dwelling units approved within parcel H. The Rigden Farm
Parkside East P.D.P. had 38 units approved within parcel H. Because Settler's
Green is the last remaining undeveloped portion of the ODP's parcel H, the
P.D.P. must include at least 22 units and no more than 72 units to be consistent
with the ODP. The Settler's Green P.D.P. provides between 39 and 54 units
(depending on the number of lots that will have "carriage house units," therefore
the P.D.P. complies with the Overall Development Plan.
3. Division 4.4 of the Land Use Code Low Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood Zone
District
The proposed uses of single-family detached and multi -family dwellings are
permitted in the LMN zone district subject to administrative review.
A. The PDP meets the applicable Land Use Standards [4.4(D)] as follows:
1. Density [4.4(D)(1)] — There are 39 to 54 dwelling units proposed on 4.54
gross acres of residential land, making the development density a range
between 8.6 and 11.9 dwelling units per gross acre. The proposed
development exceeds the minimum density requirement of 5 dwelling
units per net acre. Because this development was part of the Rigden
Farm ODP which distributed the LMN density over a larger area, this site
is allowed a maximum density of 12 acres per gross acre of residential
land. The proposed development does not exceed this maximum density
limitation.
2. Mix of Housing [4.4(D)(2)] — Because the Project Development Plan
contains less than 30 acres, only one housing type is required. The
proposed design does however provide the following three housing types:
(1) standard lot single-family detached dwellings (lots containing 6,000
square feet or more), (2) small lot single-family detached dwellings (lots
containing less than 6,000 square feet), and (3) multifamily dwellings.
This standard is therefore satisfied.
3. Neighborhood Centers [4.4(D)(3)] — A qualifying neighborhood center has
already been provided in the Rigden Farm 1 s` filing. It is directly south of
Rigden Farm Settler's Green (5'h Filing), Project Development Plan, File #56-98J
June 21, 2001 Type 1 Hearing
Page 2
COMMENTS:
1. Background
The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows:
N: LMN — Des Moines Drive, Parkside East at Rigden Farm P.D.P., Canby Way, a
portion of Rigden Farm filing 1,
T — Drake Road, Cargil Research Farm, historic barn, farm land,
NW: LMN - LaGrange Multifamily Housing at Rigden Farm P.D.P. (under final
compliance review), Parkside West at Rigden Farm P.D.P. (under final
compliance review),
MMN & NC — Undeveloped phases of the Rigden Farm Development,
E: LMN, approved filing 1 of Rigden Farm (under construction), Rigden Farm filing 6
P.D.P. (under review),
S: LMN — Custer Drive, a neighborhood center (under construction) including
relocated Johnson Farm structures, undeveloped phases of the Rigden Farm
Development,
RL — existing Dakota Ridge and Stone Ridge Residential Developments,
W: LMN — Rigden Parkway, LaGrange Multifamily Housing at Rigden Farm P.D.P.
(under final compliance review)
MMN & NC — undeveloped phases of the Rigden Farm Development.
The property is east of Rigden Parkway, north of Custer Drive, south of Des Moines
Drive, and was annexed into the City as part of the Timberline Annexation in November
of 1997.
The following two modifications were granted by the Planning and Zoning Board on
February 15, 2001.
• Section 3.5.2(D)(2) requires that every residential building be set back fifteen
(15) feet from a street right-of-way. The applicant was granted a modification to
reduce the front setback along non -arterial streets for all 27 lots in the Settler's
Green P.D.P. from the required 15 feet setback to a proposed 9 feet setback.
• Section 3.8.3 (1) requires that permitted home occupation uses shall be
conducted entirely within a dwelling. The applicant was granted a modification to
allow home occupations to be located in rooms built above the detached garages
in the rear yard of the lots at Settler's Green.
The following two modifications were granted by the Planning and Zoning Board on
March 15, 2001.
• Section 3.5.2 (D)(3) requires that the minimum rear yard setback for all alley
loaded.garages be at least 8 feet. The applicant was granted a modification to
reduce the rear yard setbacks between the alley -garages and the rear property
line from 8 feet to 6 feet.
ITEM NO.
a MEETING DATE &/9.1I
STAFF
Citv of Fort Collins HEARING OFFICER
STAFF REPORT
PROJECT: Rigden Farm Settler's Green (5th Filing), Project Development
Plan and Replat, Current Planning File #56-98J
OWNER/APPLICANT:
Robert Hand
Settler's Green LLLP
1901 Avery Court
Fort Collins, CO 80525
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This is a request to develop 7 standard single family detached lots (6,000 square feet or
more), 18 small lot single-family detached lots (less than 6,000 square feet), and three
multifamily lots. Each the single family lots will have at least one single family detached
dwelling and have an optional additional unit in the form of a "carriage house unit." All
three multifamily lots will have five dwelling units. The minimum number of proposed
dwelling units is 39, but may be as many as 54 depending on how many of the single
family lots end up with "carriage house units." All lots are served by rear lot vehicular
access from public alleys. The request includes a replat of lots 8 through 15 and Tract I
of Rigden Farm Filing One.
RECOMMENDATION: Approval
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The proposed land uses are permitted in the LMN — Low Density, Mixed -Use
Neighborhood zone district. The land uses are consistent with the Rigden Farm Overall
Development Plan. The Project Development Plan complies with all applicable district
standards of Section 4.4 of the Land Use Code, LMN zone district. The Project
Development Plan complies with all applicable General Development Standards
contained in Article 3 of the Land Use Code except where 4 modifications were granted.
COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO80522-0580 (970) 221-6750
PLANNING DEPARTMENT