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HomeMy WebLinkAboutREDTAIL PONDS - PDP - PDP130030 - CORRESPONDENCE - RESPONSE TO CITIZENSafety and Security As stated in the Good Neighbor Statement of Operations, preference is being given to Fort Collins residents who have a track record of working with LOCAL service providers. There are hundreds of permanent supportive housing units around the state, so there is no reason for in -migration to Fort Collins for the 40 units being provided specifically to serve individuals experiencing homelessness in Fort Collins. Thank you for full consideration of all these factors; I am very interested and eager to hear responses to these concerns. What is the time frame for the respective departments/agencies to respond to public comment? When and where will responses be available to review? Also, will there be another neighborhood meeting? How will information about that meeting be distributed? If there is not another neighborhood meeting, what are the next steps? If there is more public comments or concerns, do we continue to contact you? I am unsure of the process, but I would like to make sure that I am being proactive in learning more about as this is something that I feel strongly about. I think we've covered the process and meeting questions above as the proposal has been discussed at additional meetings and with email updates. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or comments. The review of the project is ongoing and I really appreciate your concern and patience as the proposal has been formally submitted and discussed. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the proposal is tentatively scheduled for a P&Z hearing on November 2155. It will be the first item on the discussion agenda. I'll send you a copy of the hearing notice as the date gets closer. There's a really helpful guide on the P&Z proceedings that you might want to look at here: http://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/pdf/boards/pzbrochure.pdf Thanks again for your full consideration, Dana Spanjer 6 The City of Fort Collins has committed approximately $1 million to this project through CDBG and HOME monies for start-up. How much more will the City contribute on an ongoing basis to ensure that this project remains safe and successful, especially as the homeless population grows? The market study states that "no in -migration from outside Larimer County is anticipated" (page 55), however there are no data, statistics, surveys, studies from elsewhere, etc. to support this statement. Before the development proceeds, the public deserves a more in-depth study on the migration of transient individuals as a result of large-scale publicly funded projects. The rest of the project's financials (and the FCHA's overall balance sheet) are heavily dependent on Federal housing vouchers and other HUD money, which is far from guaranteed as a result of the vagaries of the political climate in Washington. Though it offers "Permanent" supportive housing, what will happen to the project's success, security and daily operations in the event that Federal funding dwindles? From Kristin Fritz, FCHA: Hi Jason, I believe the GNSO addresses a number of the comments, but below is a general response to some of the themes I heard in the letter. Let me know if there is anything else you need for your response. Location South Fort Collins has many amenities that make it an attractive location for many people to live and thrive, and we believe the same will be true for our residents. There is a full service grocery and pharmacy, several small restaurants, and walking trails easily accessible from our building site. The South Transit Center with MAX rapid transit and numerous bus routes is less than a 3 minute walk from the front door of Redtail Ponds. With buses arriving every 10-15 minutes, transit will be easily accessible and very convenient, even for a potentially aging and disabled population. TransFort has committed to transit system education and training programs for Redtail Ponds residents. Providing needed services on site as well as convenient access to transit and trails will promote independence and livability. Perception of Concentration One apartment community of 60 units does not equate to a concentration, and there are not saturation concerns with this area of Fort Collins. Instead, 60 units of mixed -income affordable housing in south Fort Collins will help promote a healthy balance and distribution of affordable housing in the community. This is in alignment with CityPlan goals and the Corporation for Supportive Housing. recommendations. No additional services are being moved to south Fort Collins as part of this project. Staff members from Touchstone, VA, and FCHA will be located onsite at Redtail Ponds just to serve the residents. There will not be satellite offices, and only residents of Redtail Ponds can access the staff and services being provided onsite. The Good Neighbor Statement of Operations spells out the visitor/guest policy, and consequences for lease violations, including loitering. The Redtail Ponds staff will have the ability to identify problematic behaviors and properly address them. Residents and guests will not simply be kicked out to the street without any resources. Funding for Operations The operational funding for Redtail Ponds is not provided by the City. The funding is being provided by a (committed) federal Housing and Urban Development Continuum of Care grant, voucher income, and tenant rent. The analysis shows that these are sustainable sources of income and adequately cover the services and operations being provided at Redtail Ponds. 5 • Between 2007 and 2010, there were more than 10 major accidents at the intersection of Fossil Creek Parkway and College Ave, and nearly 30 accidents at the intersection of Harmony Rd and College Ave [City of Fort Collins 2011 Traffic Safety Summary] • The traffic on US 287 is projected to increase steadily with the opening of the MAX south transit station and the increase in population in the Fort Collins/Loveland area. Part of the logic behind selecting this site was to distribute homeless individuals away from Old Town and North Fort Collins, where there is a high concentration, to South Fort Collins, where there has historically been none. But does gathering the homeless population up in a new area actually resolve the high - concentration problem or benefit the City as a whole? • The Fort Collins City Plan encourages the integration and distribution of affordable housing. It recommends affordable housing to be part of individual neighborhoods and the larger community rather than creating larger concentrations of affordable units in isolated areas. • The Corporation for Supportive Housing's recommends avoiding saturation concerns, especially where neighborhoods can claim that they are impacted by having an unequal share of the city-wide homeless services and programs. • In the 2013 application for Low Income Tax Credits, FCHA states that the project will "bring residents to the south side of the city where the number of homeless individuals is much smaller." • In a small city like Fort Collins, a project of this size will effectively transplant, not disperse, a significant percentage of the existing population to a new area of town, creating a new imbalance. • This project will support on -site services by providing either new or additional offices to services such as: Homeless Gear, Hand Up Cooperative, and Touchstone Health Partners, all of which are currently located in North Fort Collins. Moving these services and/or adding additional offices also creates a new imbalance. • Residents and businesspeople along South College are reluctant to accept such a large-scale migration for the same reasons that the residents and businesspeople of Old Town and the River District are excited to see them moved. Neighbors have been repeatedly unsatisfied with the FCHA's lack of a safety action plan in the event that unauthorized guests or intoxicated residents arrive at the Supportive Housing Project. FCHA has been clear that there will be tighter security to turn these offenders away —but where will they go from there? • If unauthorized guests or intoxicated individuals are not allowed inside the building, they will not wait around to be collected by the police, they will either hide in the nearby neighborhoods and office developments, along the trail, in the parks and natural areas, or they'll re -board the MAX. Simply turning people away is not an acceptable approach. • The FCHA has said regarding a similar, prior project that there is a culture of conflict between the currently housed residents and "...the homeless individuals they formerly associated with. They often felt obligated to house their friends, who were still on the streets. This led to unauthorized people in the building and many behavior problems from residents and their guests. Residents often talked about the pressure they felt to be loyal to their former community. Some were victims of being bullied or threatened if they didn't provide 'favors' to former friends, such as allowing them into their units. There were also residents using their units to prostitute." • If this describes the culture of Retail Ponds' target clientele, and if the FCHA will have tighter security to expel people demonstrating undesirable behaviors, there needs to be a much more detailed solution to manage the overflow and ensure the safety of the surrounding area, not just the security of the building itself. What is the long-term financial commitment from the City to keep this property, its residents and their programs at the same high level of operations expected in year one? 4 • This natural area is currently designated as "sensitive." According to the City's natural management plan, these sites "support rare plants, unique native plant communities, concentrations of large raptors, rare nesting birds, concentrations of migratory bird species, and key areas for wintering deer, as well as fragile rock outcrops or other geological features that can be impacted by high visitor use. This designation carries with it the understanding that the primary function of management is the maintenance and protection of those sensitive species and features." • Eighty one species of birds have been seen here including its namesake, red-tailed hawks (which nest here), ferruginous hawks, northern saw -whet owls, and yellow -bellied sapsuckers. One of the management's objectives is to protect nesting and feeding habitat for red-tailed hawks and other raptors and one strategy for accomplishing this is to minimize the threat of human activity within 1/3 mile of hawk nesting trees during breeding season March 1-July 15 [Fossil Creek Natural Areas Management Plan page 24], yet the proposed project is located approximately 850 feet from the entrance trailhead to the Redtail Grove Natural area. • The proximity and the size of this building (allowed to be a full two stories higher than any existing due to the TOD overlay changes in code), along with such an increase in human activity, would most likely be in conflict with the management goals of the natural area and may have long term negative effects on the natural area. Many residents, according to information provided by the FCHA, will be elderly and/or disabled. Is this location appropriate for them? • A market study commissioned by the FCHA on this site shows a poor walkability score: 43 out of 100. This is 13 points below the average score of the City. • The study states that the location is "car dependent" while the FCHA states that most residents won't have cars. • While it is projected that the MAX will increase the site's walkability, it will also increase the walkability score of the city overall, leaving the site still ranking below average. • The walkability score is also based on able-bodied pedestrians. This project gives preference to individuals who are disabled, and statistics from the Homeward 2020 study show that 46% of disabled homeless have a walking disability. • The market research study also indicates that the most vulnerable homeless (the ones the project hopes to target) are older. • Of the population that will live at Redtail Ponds, many will have difficulty getting around independently, but this living situation will force them to rely on walking trails to mass transit, their only way to access services located elsewhere in the city. • For 9 months of the year, Fort Collins' climate is not ideal for elderly, walking -challenged pedestrians, who are already at risk of injury from falls. • Expecting physically disabled and elderly residents to navigate the trails and transit on foot is unrealistic and unfair. How will they carry their groceries? How will they call for help if they get in trouble, have a medical emergency, or fall on the bike path? How will they get around to services that aren't located near MAX stops? • The FCHA is aware of these risks, and has suggested that public case workers make trips for those who are not able-bodied, or dedicating tax -funded dial -a -ride resources for resident use, but those who need help could amount to half or more of the project's residents. Is it the best use of taxpayer dollars to use case workers as errand -runners because the location depends so heavily and unrealistically on walking to transit? Is this location physically safe to live for disabled, elderly and mentally ill residents? • The Redtail Ponds site abuts a state highway on the east, and is within several hundred feet of a major railroad. • US 287 handles a large volume of traffic with a posted speed limit of 55 mph. • In 2012, a pedestrian attempting to cross 287 within blocks of the proposed project was accidentally struck (and killed) by 3 different vehicles traveling southbound. 3 For this proposal, there are no adjacent residential homes and the closest residential lots are a significant distance away —we do have a new provision in the code in which multi -family dwellings that are adjacent to single family or two family homes must have a buffer yard of 25'. For density, there is no maximum density ratio stated in the code for multi -family projects, generally density is limited by the conditions of the site and by providing for adequate parking and transition space where appropriate. For some perspective on this, they are proposing about 20 units per acre, which is up from the 17 units per acre that was proposed with the previous plan approved plan in 2008. Jason • A four-story building, situated on a hill, is not in keeping with the 2- and 1-story office buildings or low -density residential acreages and natural lands in the area. The closest four-story building (that I could think of) is 2 miles away, at 3711 JFK Parkway. • With frontage directly on College Ave, this building will represent a dramatic contrast with all other developments, old and new, between Fort Collins and Loveland. • The top of the building's parapet will be 46' from the top of the finished floor, which is almost double the allowable height under the land use code for shading, if it was not exempted from this standard (as a result of the commercial zoning). The height of the building combined with the site's topography will result in a structure that towers over neighbors on every side including the street. • Current residential density in the immediate area, a business park, is 0 people per acre. Current residential density in nearby neighborhoods is between 1 and 2 people per acre. Residential density of this project will be approximately 20 people per acre. • The City of Fort Collins' City Plan has a strong emphasis on compatibility between new and existing character for both residential and commercial developments.The Redtail Pond's building massing and relationships to streets, sidewalks and adjacent buildings does not seem compatible with the existing character of the current residential neighborhood or commercial area. The adjacent Redtail Grove Natural Area has long been a community priority. Is the City's ongoing investment in protecting this resource compromised by a development of this size? Comments for Karen Manci, Senior Environmental Planner: Red-tailed hawk hasn't nested for at least 5 years on Redtail Grove, but the birds still use it for feeding area and the natural area is rich in fossils. New location of project will not affect redtail hawks should they return to nest in tree where they used to nest since there is plenty of existing development between this site and Redtail Grove. The trail use is not likely to increase substantially due to this development and should the hawks return, they would do so already under the conditions of high trail use. In my opinion, this development does not compromise the City's ongoing investment in protecting Redtail Grove Natural Area. --Karen. Mark Sears, Natural Areas Manager, has also reviewed the current proposal and does not for see any impact problems related to the use, particularly since the proposal is not immediately adjacent to Redtail. Jason Holland From: Jason Holland Sent: Tuesday, October 22, 2013 10:44 AM To: 'Dana Spanjer' Subject: RE: Public Comment Regarding Redtail Ponds Development (#91) Dana, I wanted to follow up with you and let you know that staff has looked at and considered your questions and comments during the course of the review. The review and input process continues and we appreciate your input on the project. Staff has put together some feedback in blue text below. Thanks Jason Jason Holland, PLA I City Planner City of Fort Collins 281 North College Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.224.6126 iholland @fcqov.com From: rad.bag@gmail.com [mailto:rad.bag@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Dana Spanjer Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2013 1:56 PM To: Jason Holland Subject: Public Comment Regarding Redtail Ponds Development (#91) Hi Jason, Following is a list of questions and observations I have had in response to the FCHA's Redtail Ponds Development (#91). 1 hope planning and zoning will consider all of the following factors during the review process: While the proposed project satisfies the zoning requirements of this site, is a building of this size appropriate for the surroundings? Ultimately the question of appropriateness will be up to the decision maker, but I can offer some feedback for your consideration based on the current plans. Building height in the code for this district is measured in stories and the 4 story building proposed is consistent with the permitted height. Because this building is taller than 40', FCHA was required to submit the height and shadow analysis. Buildings that are larger and taller are a likely component of new infill development and redevelopment in this zone district, particularly in the TOD overlay zone. New building design proposals do need to reflect a high standard of quality. The code speaks to achieving compatibility in this context through the provision of buffer yards and passive open space in order to enhance the separation between uses when land uses with significantly different visual character are proposed abutting each other and where gradual transitions are not possible. The FCHA's site plan proposes to cant the building at a 45 degree angle relative to the north and south property lines, so that more separation is achieved than would be achieved if buildings were lined up parallel to the adjacent property lines. Separation is also proposed east to west. The 45 degree canting of the building is also intended to help mitigate shading and visual impact. Some dimensional information from the plan here: the existing 2 story office building to the south is about 21' away from the adjacent FCHA property line. The FCHA building proposes that the closest points of the 4 story corners of the building are about 83' and 62' away from the south property line. The plan also proposes other portions of the building that are one story along the south between 83' and 43'.