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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOURTYARD COMMONS - PDP - 38-98 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVESindustrial, etc.) not occur. The office portion of the project proposed will gain access solely off JFK and/or Boardwalk and therefore will not impact Landings Drive or the Landings Drive residential neighborhoods. The residential portion of this project will generate traffic consistent with residential use which traffic will proceed west out of project onto JFK or east out of project onto Landings. Such traffic will occur in a way consistent with existing residential traffic patterns in the neighborhood and will have less impact than would be the case if certain other E District uses were to occur. Applicant will continue to meet with existing Landings residential neighbors address matters of mutual interest and neighborhood concern. Vill. Name of Project Courtyard Commons PUD. 3. Given the zoning of this property and its market value, it is a challenge to create a transitional use which is mostly residential but still achieves the paramount objectives of economic feasibility and edifying aesthetics, as well as other LUC goals. These goals can be realized with development comprised approximately one-third of small office buildings and approximately two-thirds of innovative eight-plex residential buildings fronting on a private drive -courtyard. 4. Project design should not be beholden to a priority requirement to meet the needs of vehicles. While the needs for vehicular access should be accommodated, the primary emphasis should be on pedestrian and bicycle circulation. Accordingly three- quarters of the garages are accessed at the rear of units off alleys or are detached, and vehicle, bicycle, pedestrian needs have been met by a concept which merges front yards, sidewalks, parking, bikeways, roadways into an innovative internal courtyard. This benefits pedestrians, provides a sense of neighborhood, and enhances quality of life. 5. Establish and confirm the primary residential character of Landings Drive in a way which in consistent with current residential uses on Landings Drive and supports the wishes of the existing Landings Drive residential neighbors. 6. Provide an attractive enclave of residential housing in town immediately adjacent to major commercial uses, (retail along College, the Square, Foothills Shopping Center). The ability to locate attractive housing adjacent to employment achieves the goals of reducing reliance on motor vehicles, encouraging the use of bicycles, and enhances residents -employees overall quality of life. VII. Land use Conflicts and Natural Area Disturbances This project eliminates the potential of major conflicts of land uses which could occur if certain permitted E District uses were to be developed (such as tavern, warehouse, light industrial) and such uses were immediately adjacent to existing residential uses to the north and the east. The transitional and complementary uses which this project embraces eliminates the potential for such land use conflicts. No natural area disturbances presently exist or are proposed. Vill. Neighborhood Meeting Concerns The primary neighborhood meeting concerns were that traffic on Landings Drive be minimized and that possible incompatible E District uses (tavern, warehouse, light IV. Ownership and Maintenance of Public and Private Open Space The office and the residential portions of this project will each have their own Owners Association and Covenants and will be totally separate autonomous neighborhoods and entities except for the parking easement being granted by the Office Owners Association (OOA) to the Home Owners Association (HOA). Office ownership will be in the nature of townhouses with each building owner or half building owner owning the portion of the building pad under his building / half building. The balance of the office park will be owned in common by the OOA which will be responsible for all maintenance both private common and public (along JFK). Residential building ownership will be the nature of condominium ownership with each eight-plex building owner owning an undivided interest in the underlying building pad. Statutory requirements with regard to condominium legal descriptions will be strictly followed. All residential front yards, backyards, side yards, , private drives, sidewalks, courtyard, and canal and detention pond open space will be maintained by the HOA. All public open space along Landings and JFK shall also be maintained by the HOA. V. Number of Employees The estimated number of employees for the office portion of this project is between 40 and 50, based on half the number of employees in similar office buildings located at Landings Office Park located immediately to the south. VI. Rationale behind Assumptions and Choices 1. The office portion of project is designed to meet the needs of small office owners who need in the range of 3000-6000 square feet of office space and desire an aesthetic, upscale high quality office park environment. These needs are not being met elsewhere in the community. 2. Notwithstanding the property's E District zoning which permits such uses as light industrial, taverns and warehouses, it is very important that a thoughtful and sensitive transition occur between the retail and office uses at the west and south and the existing residential uses to the north and east of this project. 7. Pedestrian Oriented Streetscapes As described above. 8. Variety and Visual Interest in Exterior Design As describes above. 9. Streetscape / De-emphasize Garages The impact of garage,doors on the streetscape has been radically reduced by virtue of the fact that only one -quarter of the garages will front on the courtyard while the balance of garages access from the rear of units off an alley or are detached. III. Open Space, Buffering, Landscaping, Circulation, Natural Areas The existing open space in the form of Larimer County Canal #2 and the detention pond will be maintained and enhanced as per the proposed landscape plan so that it is an attractive visual amenity, so that it is pleasant to walk along the canal and detention pond banking, and furthermore so that this existing open space/natural area continues to provide habitat and food source in particular for song birds and occasional waterfowl. The office portion of the project together with related landscaping buffers the residential portion of the project from office and retail uses to the west and south. Extensive landscaping within the residential project as well as extraordinary courtyard design buffer buildings from opposite buildings across courtyard and from pedestrians walking through courtyard. Primary traffic, bicycle and pedestrian circulation through the project meanders by private drive -courtyard from the east entrance at Landings Drive generally northwest to the west entrance at JFK. Circulation internally between buildings, courtyard, garages, open space, guest parking, and supplemental easement parking (in office parking lot) is accomplished by interconnecting concrete sidewalks. Buffering of project from existing residential is achieved by means of large existing trees along the canal along north of project as well as additional landscaping along detention pond, canal, JFK, and Landings Drive. 2. Mixed Use This project is a mixed use project comprised of approximately one third office and two-thirds residential. 3. Sense of Community / Quality of Life Our design goal has been to keep both the office and residential portions at a human scale with the step-down of buildings as they proceed down the hillside, attractive street fronts with architectural diversity and setbacks, and a "central courtyard" which integrates vehicle roadway, bicycle way, guest parking, pedestrian sidewalk, crosswalks, hardscape and landscaping. The Courtyard concept in this project is our commitment to pedestrian sensitivity, sense of community and quality of life. 4. Access This project has very good access with entrances both off JFK and Landings Drive, and being located only one-half block from Boardwalk. Boardwalk and JFK provide access to College Avenue and near -by commercial and retail locations, and most - importantly Landings Drive provides a very attractive access for pedestrians north to the Square and Foothills shopping centers via a relatively pedestrian -friendly, low traffic roadway. 5. Architectural Character The LUC goal of achieving exceptional architectural character is realized by this project in terms of a) sensitive small office architectural style, b) step-down building siting making innovative use of the topography, c) differentiated and interesting architectural elements of the residential building frontages, d) architecture -design considerations present in the courtyard-hardscape-landscape areas, and e) complementary inter -relationship between all the foregoing. 6. Active Living Spaces The townhouse living spaces front onto the courtyard and the smaller flats access by pedestrian walk from the rear of buildings to the courtyard. These active living spaces line the street, that is the courtyard, to create the probability of vibrant community with the opportunity for interactions between neighbors, quality of neighborhood and sense of community. COURTYARD COMMONS STATEMENT OF PLANNING OBJECTIVES 1. Introduction Courtyard Commons is a unique transitional project encompassing five small office buildings and eight small townhouse -flat residential buildings. The offices buffer the residential from adjacent commercial uses and provide seventy-eight 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 residential project is characterized by sensitive use of its adjacency of Larimer County Canal #2 and the detention pond to the north, edifying design and aesthetics, sense of community, and innovative courtyard concept. The residential buildings front onto a central courtyard which a aesthetically merges vehicle roadway, bicycle way, guest parking, pedestrian sidewalk, crosswalks, hardscape and landscaping, while still meeting necessary functional requirements for access. Furthermore the project makes maximum use of the site contours allowing for more aesthetic interest and views as buildings step down (office to uphill row of residential, to downhill row of residential, to canal and detention pond bank). II. City Plan Principles and Policies Achieved 1. Transitional This project is complementary to and transitional in relation to the disparate adjacent uses (big box retail to the west, banking to the southwest, offices to the south, multi- family to the north, and residential to the east.) This project proceeds transitionally from west to east with approximately one quarter of the site small offices, one half of the site residential, and the balance of the site open space, canal and detention pond. This transitional mix of uses as proposed is economically feasible, aesthetic, sensitive to topography and open space, and creates unique infill development which provides buffer for and transition to existing adjacent residential neighborhoods. �a. Ancillary to the foregoing is The Landings residential neighborhood's goal of maintaining the residential character of their neighborhood.