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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRIGDEN FARM (CSU) ZONING - 56-98/A - CORRESPONDENCE - RESPONSE TO APPLICANTPage 3 the property owned by the First Assembly of God Church) is a logical southern boundary. We would, of course, review any other boundary you wish to propose that implements the policies of City Plan. UE-Urban Estate zone district As part of the City Plan planning process, a study was undertaken known as the Cache La Poudre River Land Use Study to evaluate the zone districts and potential land uses located in close proximity to the River. Generally, the boundaries of this planning effort are located along the top of the ridge of the River. In addition to forming the boundary of the special study, the top of the ridge line generally forms the boundary for the Urban Estate district on the property owned by CSU. Strict interpretation or the City Structure Plan would require that the land located to the east of the top of the ridge be zoned as UE- Urban Estate zone district. LMN-Low Density Mixed Use Neighborhood The recommended zoning for the remainder of the land within the Rigden Farm site would be LMN-Low Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood. Such a designation is consistent with the adopted comprehensive plans and policies of the City. Since a portion of the site is currently zone T-Transition zone district, the request submitted for the lands therein would be classified as a rezoning. The lands owned by Colorado State University are essentially not zoned, and the process to change that status would require an initial zoning. The development review process and fees for both a rezoning and an initial zoning are identical, and both efforts could be submitted concurrently for review by the City of Fort Collins. I spoke briefly with Jim Sell this week to let him know that the staff is sponsoring a proposed amendment to the City Land Use Code which would re-evaluate the land use requirements in the block standards. These changes could certainly affect your project design. We invite your participation in the review of those standards, and the effect that they may have on the success of your project. Please feel free to contact me or Bob Blanchard if you have any questions regarding our interpretation of the proposed zone districts. Sincerely, Greg Byr Director Page 2 • Designation on the City Structure Plan; • Specific sizing and location requirements outlined in City Plan Principles and Policies; • Average size (in acreage) of NC zone districts throughout the community; • Topographic lines and natural features that form district boundaries. The City Structure Plan indicates that proposed land uses for the Rigden Farm site would contain Low Density Mixed Use Residential Neighborhoods, Medium Density Mixed Use Residential Neighborhoods, Urban Estate Neighborhoods, and a Neighborhood Commercial Center. Therefore, these types of land uses, for the zoning to be consistent with City Plan, would translate into the NC, MMN, LMN, and UE zone districts. NC -Neighborhood Commercial zone district We reviewed the Zoning Map to highlight all the areas zoned NC -Neighborhood Commercial. An average acreage of all these areas is roughly 20 acres. According to the City Structure Plan, the "red dot' indicating a neighborhood center is split by Drake Road and includes land both to the north and south of Drake. Thus, it was determined that 10 acres of the NC zone district is appropriate on both sides of Drake Road. These sizes are consistent with prior development patterns associated with the Land Development Guidance System. The LDGS defined a Neighborhood Service Center as "a shopping and service center, approximately fifteen (15) acres in size, designed to meet consumer demands from an adjacent neighborhood." MMN-Medium Density Mixed Use Neighborhood zone district City Plan Principles and Policies specifies the location of the MMN neighborhoods. Policy MMN 2-1 Size states that the MMN district should: ...extend an average of X mile from the edge of the adjacent Neighborhood Commercial Center of Community Commercial District, subject to adjustment for site -specific or pre-existing circumstances such as a major street, major drainageway, or existing development. As a starting point, the staff suggests the MMN zone district designation be located so that it essentially encircles the NC zone and is located in such a manner that it is an average of % mile in distance from the NC land uses. This would place the boundary line approximately % mile from the intersection of Timberline and Drake Roads to the east. The property line to the south (along Community Planning and Environmental Services Office of the Director City of Fort Collins July 30, 1998 Mr. Bill Neal 1015 West Horsetooth, Suite 200 Fort Collins, Colorado 80526 Dear Bill: This letter is a response to an issue that was brought up at a meeting held on July 7 regarding the Rigden Farm site. At that time, the question was raised as to whether the City would support a request to place the portion of the Rigden Farm site in a zone district other than Urban Estate. The Urban Estate zone district is consistent with the City Structure Plan; however, at that meeting, we stated that we would support zoning other than Urban Estate under certain conditions. Such conditions would include adequate setbacks from natural areas and features and buffering from the River, as well as an evaluation of the effect of zoning other than Urban Estate on adjacent property owners. In addition, any zoning that is not consistent with the City Structure Plan would require amendments to that Plan. The Cache La Poudre River Land Use Study indicates that the River Conservation zone district may be more appropriate for certain areas located to the east of the ridge. As part of our review of a proposed zoning action, we would want to evaluate how the proposal relates to the RC zone district. The remaining zone districts consistent with City Plan include the NC - Neighborhood Commercial zone district, MMN-Medium Density Mixed -Use zone district, and LMN-Low Density Mixed -Use zone district. If the City were proposing zone districts for the site, our analysis to determine the possible boundary locations for these zone districts would include review of the following; 281 N. College Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 (970) 221-6601 • FAX (970) 224-6177 • TDD (970) 224-6002