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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLARIMER COUNTY COURTHOUSE - ODP - 37-98 - DECISION - MINUTES/NOTESPlanning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 11 Bob Davidson addressed the setback of the courthouse of 20 feet from the street. He expressed a concern regarding safety and lack of landscaping such as that in the parking structure separating street and pedestrian traffic. City planner Ted Shepard responded the T.I.S. recommendation for the left-hand turn lane will take away any parallel parking but that a bicycle lane will separate the pedestrians from street activity. Downtown zoning does not require plantings up to buildings; this structure is considered to be an extension of the downtown pattern of bringing the sidewalk to the curb, emphasizing that this is an institutional civic building. Item No. 8: Jerry Gavaldon moved for approval of the Larimer County Courthouse Block 31 ODP 37-98. Karen Weitkunat seconded the motion based on compliance with Land Use Code. Roll call vote is unanimous. Concerning the advisory review, Karen Weitkunat asked if it was appropriate to include conditions on Board approval. Bob Blanchard responded conditional approval was not appropriate and could be overruled by a two-thirds vote of the County Commissioners. Item No. 9: Karen Weitkunat recommended advising the Larimer County Commissioners of Planning and Zoning approval of the advisory review as to the location, character and extent of the courthouse. Seconded by Sally Craig. Motion passed unanimously. Other business: Work session January 15. Board members to consider committee assignments. Meeting is adjourned. Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 10 were applicable in the structure to be a civic -minded facility. The top of the courthouse is set back from the base. The base of the courthouse is 34 feet; tallest height is 75 feet. Materials used are masonry and stone; the entrance is stone. Two colors of brick materials will be used to create arches and expressions of columns on the base of the building. The top of the building is again the two colors of brick. The very top design element is stucco. The approach for the design of the building is for a specific base, middle and top. Metal roofing and canopies are planned to be civic in nature and character. Primary entry to the courthouse is at the intersection of LaPorte and Mason Street. The entire building is secured with security checkpoints situated inside the entrances. An additional entrance is on the opposite side of the building with the entrances internally connected by a corridor. The building contains 170,000 square feet, 155,000 square feet above street level; the remainder is for the secured parking and a sallyport located below street level. On the first floor will be County traffic court, clerks, law library and probation offices. The second floor will house municipal court, the offices of the district attorney and a food court facility intended to be a functional differentiation and overlooking the park. The 3`d 4th and 5th floors will house district court, 4 courtrooms per floor, public circulation, judges and staff. The greatest amount of public circulation occurs on the lowest levels. No citizen input. Discussion as to ODP: Sally Craig requested pedestrian issues to be discussed, specifically the crosswalk. Staff informs the Board that the street crossing requirement will be direct on -site access to pedestrians and bicycle destinations. Ms. Craig pointed out the street crossings were not been included from the entrance corner to the parking structure across the street. Staff addressed the concern, stating that each project has segments of improvements attached. The courthouse project is governed by an intergovernmental agreement between the City and County, with the County funding responsible for "curb in" and City funding for "curb out." Completion of the courthouse will be approximately 2.5 years creating the opportunity to coordinate efforts during construction to complete specific projects such as for utilities, a storm drainage project and also the enhanced crosswalk. There is a funding gap between the City and County for enhanced crosswalks. Staff advised Board funding will be provided by the City with possible resources from the Street Oversizing Program and a Pedestrian Program. The enhanced crosswalks will be provided for at staff level whether or not attached as a condition to the ODP. 10 Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 9 eastern facade show architectural articulation, showing enhanced design characteristics as noted in Section 3.5.3 (D)(2)(A)(3) which pertains to facade treatments. Jerry Gavaldon seconded the motion. Discussion with applicant that the team understands the intent of the committee that the east side visually compliment the facades of the buildings on the east side of College. Roll call vote passed unanimously. In discussion, Jerry Gavaldon voiced that he felt the south side of the structure should be included, recognizing that the east side was the view from Old Town and the south side having limited view. He supported the motion, expressing it is his belief the traffic reports should have been furnished to the Board in a more timely manner and traffic should be considered more of a concern than presented. Comments from the board included complimenting the team efforts in accomplishing a pedestrian -friendly facility reflecting the spirit of the Civic Center as originally intended, the presentation of the project and willingness to consider the Board's concerns. Ted Shepard, City Planner, presented two items for Planning and Zoning Board consideration: (1) The Larimer County Courthouse Block 31 Overall Development Plan containing the proposed Larimer County Justice Center located on 4 acres in the Civic Center subdistrict and (2) the site plan advisory review for the Larimer County Courthouse which will be situated in the northeast corner of Block 31 on property owned by Larimer County. Other proposed uses for the Justice Center are a city park, parking lot, future office buildings together with some existing office buildings which will remain. A small park is planned in conjunction with the project and will be adjacent to the courthouse. The consulting and design teams are the same as for the parking structure. The Board will be voting on (1) the Overall Development Plan in accordance with the Land Use Code; (2) the site plan review as to location, character and extent of the project in accordance with the City's comprehensive plan. The courthouse is located on property owned by the County. Ownership of the rest of the block is by City, County and jointly held City and County property subject to parks review. The structure will be five stories above grade; one floor below grade which is secured parking and a sallyport. The project was approved in a general election. The overall master plan included landscaping, unit paving and scored paving. Urban design principles 9 Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 8 onto College and the downtown area, which is not desirable. A traffic study indicates that traffic volume has stabilized to 7000 vehicles per day. Cherry Street on the master street plan is a collector street. Mr. Gavaldon pointed out it is now behaving as an arterial street, indicating that efforts thus far are not working. Staff reports that redistribution of traffic, whether noticeable or not, is probably not because of growth. The population density of the city is to the south, east and west; the west arterials being LaPorte and Mountain. As the northeast grows, the south will also grow thus traffic will increase as the city grows. Karen Weitkunat requested an explanation regarding the request modifications. Two modifications are being requested: (1) modifying the length of parking stalls from 19 feet to 17 feet; (1) modifying the width of the drive aisles from 24 feet to 18 feet 3 inches. Engineering analysis addressed the issue. In order to maximize usage of the site, the requested modifications will allow for maximum usage without increasing the floor area. Field tests were performed by the staff in conjunction with the parking consultant indicating a 90 degree angle for head on parking requires a 9 feet stall width. Angled parking requires 8 feet 4 inches as designed for this parking structure. The requested modification for reducing the parking stall length from 19 feet to 17 feet will not hamper any drive aisle traffic due to the one-way flow. The requested modification for drive aisle width is from 24 feet to 18 feet 3 inches. The facility is designed for mainly one-way drive aisles; the Land Use Code is written for two-way traffic on drive aisles. In effect, the width of the proposed drive aisles is greater than that required by Code. The middle drive aisle will be 18 feet 3 inches; the west side drive aisle is a planned 20 feet width. The Land Use Code will be revised in the Spring to accommodate this type of situation. Item No. 7: Jerry Gavaldon made the motion to approve the modifications of standards requested of PDP 35-98 with findings that it is neither detrimental to the public good nor impairs the intent and purpose of the Land Use Code. Specific modifications are the requested decrease of the drive aisle width and parking stall length as presently set forth in the Land Use Code as noted in a memorandum received by the Board from Steve Olt. Karen Weitkunat seconded the motion. Discussion followed that the motion is strictly as to the modification requests. Roll call vote unanimously approved. Item No. 7: Karen Weitkunat recommended approval of PDP 35-98, the Civic Center Parking Structure, as modified with the condition that the 8 Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 7 Bob Blanchard advised the committee that this being a PDP, it must either be made a condition of approval or allowed to pass as presented. The windows shown on the drawings are identical and extend to ground level on the west side, or retail side of the structure, which Bob Davidson questioned being too modern for the architecture and perhaps visually fighting the design of the historic Old Town architecture. The Board was advised the windows in the final product will be different and left to tenant discretion, and with different lighting effects and merchandising efforts will create the variety needed for the streetfront. The goal is to find tenants who are pedestrian -oriented. Suggestions from the Board are to encourage tenants to break planes by bricking, setback and forward projection. There will be two colors of baked enamel aluminum options for storefront systems. Stainless steel signs of perforated metal panels, back -lighted will create backdrop for lettering in the daytime and have a translucent effect at night. There are three stairways and two elevators planned for the parking structure. A pedestrian on the top floor of the building can access a stairway to the Opera Galleria ground floor which is a pedestrian safe zone, interior walkway between the alley proper and the building. The second level has a connecting pedestrian bridge to the mezzanine level of the Opera Galleria. Sally Craig asked the engineer to address the question of placing stairs to break the solid plane. The engineer recommended this not be done due to bicycle lanes. The building had to be raised to comply with the 100-year flood plain; the 1.5-foot wall with landscaping will encourage north and south pedestrian travel. A midblock walkway was discussed. Employees of the courthouse across the street from the parking structure will be using the southwest corner intersection for entrance into the courthouse. The stairway located on the southeast side of the courthouse will not be egress stairs, therefore, employees will not be using those stairs for entrance, which might have led to midblock crossing. Staff informs the Board that PUC does not allow midblock crossing. Pedestrians must be directed to signalized intersections. Jerry Gavaldon voiced his overall concern for the Martinez Park neighborhood and the increased traffic pattern of city and private vehicles and asked if there was any mitigation that could be done to keep Cherry Street from becoming a No. 1 constraint street. Staff advised that speed limits have been reduced and crosswalks enhanced. City staff is working with the utility department in an effort to limit city vehicles from using Cherry Street. Signal lighting at Wood Street and LaPorte Avenue would result in rerouting city trucks Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 6 The street fagade of the parking structure will be a combination of stone and block wall with a streetside planter to discourage midblock pedestrian crossing. Citizen input. Kermit Allard, chairman of the Downtown Development Authority, urges the Board to pass the item as presented. Board input and questions: Jennifer Carpenter questioned the parking structure visibility from the Northern Hotel. Standing on the street level, people will see the top of the parking structure with more of the structure being visible as a person ascends the stairs of the Northern Hotel. To make the structure more eye appealing, a textured opaque coating over concrete will be a buff color similar to the stone color on the west side of the building. Openings are planned for natural ventilation. Metal grates and screens such as the pedestrian bridge leading to the Opera Galleria will be painted metal green. A specific reference to the Walrus Ice Cream shop indicates that a person seated outside the ice cream shop probably will not see the structure. Jerry Gavaldon questioned the T.I.S. recommendation for a left-hand turnout of the structure onto LaPorte Avenue and is advised that left turns in and out will be minimal or approximately 40 per hour. Eric Bracke confirms that this left-hand turn can be eliminated. Jerry Gavaldon questioned the view of the parking structure from the backside of Opera Galleria. Similar material will be used as is presently on the alley side of the Opera Galleria. City had conversations with representative from the Opera Galleria who sees the structure as an asset with the walkway from the parking structure to the Opera Galleria. Tenants of the Opera Galleria will be using the parking structure per the agreement. The greater concern for Opera Galleria will be tenants moving to the Justice Center. Bob Davidson questioned the materials proposed for the east side of the parking structure as will be seen from the Northern Hotel. The three buildings across the street from the Northern Hotel are 19 feet tall with one to be increased to 33 feet, which will leave a large part of the parking structure visible from the Northern Hotel. Vertical treatments of this side of the structure would lessen visual impact. Jennifer Carpenter felt the design team needed to look at bringing architectural articulation to the side of the structure visible from the Northern Hotel. The Board was assured the applicant was making notes on their request for a more pleasing appearance of this portion of the building. 6 Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 5 Design and construction teams were given six specific design objectives for the parking structure from the City by virtue of RFP: (1) Enhance downtown urban environment (2) Stimulate a pedestrian -friendly environment (3) Create vibrant, active streetfront walkway system (4) Compatibility with adjacent buildings (5) Provide pedestrian linkages to other proposed projects (6) Comply with Land Use Code in downtown District a. maximum front setback of 15 feet; b. continuity of facades c. promote and accommodate outside activities to extent reasonable d. 7- foot minimum sidewalk for outdoor cafe settings e. 25 feet from the curbline to front of buildings. f. retail usage of parking structure on ground level g. architectural design compatible with adjacent buildings h. maximum height of 12 stories allowed The team was challenged to accommodate 903 vehicles in a pedestrian - friendly area. An analysis of existing buildings show straight edge alignment with staggered cornice lines which design element has been incorporated into the parking structure by changing brick materials used. Recognizable elements of the area include the spire on the St. Joseph Church, corner entries and vertical elements. The resulting proposed building the parking structure is architecturally recognizable and fits into the architectural design of the area. Building mass: Sight line studies 1. East side of College Avenue, line of sight over Opera Galleria building. Parking structure not visible. 2. East side of College Avenue, line of sight further north: Three buildings at the north end at least 24 feet, that being the height necessary to block the view of the parking structure from this sight line. 3. Southeast corner of College and Mountain: Looking diagonally northwest, the Opera Galleria is visible. The parking structure is obscured. 4. Mountain Avenue, south side: Most of the existing buildings are tall enough to block the view of the parking structure. Five feet 9 inches of the parking structure will be visible over the buildings. The proposed courthouse will also be five stories but is a more massive building due to higher ceiling requirements per floor. The parking structure has 10-foot floor to floor; whereas, the courthouse will have up to 16 feet floor to floor. The courthouse also has screens and rooftop elements adding to the more visual mass of this building as compared to the parking structure. 5 Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 4 Plans include re -striping to accommodate bicycle lanes, LaPorte Avenue having no bicycle lane from Howes east. A proposed plan will do away with one of the two travel lanes in each direction, move parking and create bicycle lanes in front of the Justice Center. Eric Bracke assured the Board that Mason Street and LaPorte Avenue can handle the peak traffic patterns, emphasizing that Mason Street is a one-way street. Jerry Gavaldon renewed his motion for a recess to study the traffic report. Bob Davidson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. A recess was taken. Brian Chaffee, applicant for the project, introduced the design and introduced the construction team members present in the audience, including the landscaping team, project manager and the civil engineer. An overview of the proposed building was presented through the use of diagrams, slides, site line models, and a three dimensional exhibit of the proposal, including the Justice Center which is to be built across the street -from the parking structure. Circulation patterns of vehicles: There are three lanes of entrance at each access location on Mason Street and LaPorte Avenue. The center lane will be reversible to adjust for need of ingress and egress at peak hours to create two lanes of directed traffic. T.I.S. recommends a left-hand turn on westbound LaPorte Avenue into the structure. Once in the parking structure, there are three aisles of parking; a circulation up ramp and one way lanes for a total of five stories. Circulation patterns of pedestrians: T.I.S. recommends focusing pedestrian crossing at intersection of LaPorte and Mason. To accomplish this, the project has the primary vertical circulation elements centralized, that being the stair tower and elevator to encourage intersection crossing in lieu of mid - block crossing. Circulation patterns of bicycles: T.I.S. recommends implementation of bicycle lanes along Mason on either side of the tracks. The project includes one of two bicycle lanes that will be on either side of Mason Street by moving the curb inward 6 feet to create a bicycle lane on the east side of Mason. The project incorporates streetscape improvement plan and existing streetscaping with the downtown area. Design efforts were coordinated to continue pedestrian access from College Avenue to points west. S Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 3 The parking structure proposed will displace current parking lots used for downtown commercial located behind Opera Galleria along Mason Street. The City has developed temporary surface parking to absorb the loss of parking for commercial retail use in downtown Fort Collins during the course of construction. The parking structure has 16,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor level facing Mason Street for multiple tenants on the west side of the building. There is a planned 20 to 25 feet separation from the storefronts to the curbline on Mason Street. This pedestrian area is raised 8 inches from street level. Pedestrian movement will be confined to 16 to 20 feet along the storefronts, with landscaping placed between the pedestrian area and the street. Access to the parking structure is off Mason Street (one way north street) and LaPorte Avenue. The parking structure is located directly across the street from the proposed Justice Center. A vacant lot on the corner of LaPorte Avenue and College has been approved for the construction of a 33-foot high multi -use commercial building. Traffic studies indicate that 700 trips will be generated from the retail portion of the parking structure. The traffic study is entitled "Civic Center Project' and will be further explained by Eric Bracke. Glen Colton requested a summary of the traffic impact analysis stating it was not included in Board information prior to this meeting. Jerry Gavaldon moved to take a fifteen -minute recess to review the traffic report dated September of 1998. Discussion followed regarding Eric Bracke presenting a summary of the traffic report before any vote is taken on the motion for a recess. Eric Bracke informed the Board that the traffic study included all projects in the Civic Center. Land use includes City buildings, library, office of transit center, retail transit center, retail parking structure, the St. Joseph school expansion and the Justice Center. The proposed parking structure will not generate trips, only accommodate the parking demand. Twenty intersections in the downtown area were studied as to vehicle numbers, pedestrian numbers and bicycle numbers. One intersection failed the level of service standard at noon peak, that being the intersection of Magnolia and College Avenue. Reasons for the failure are the needs for protected northbound and southbound turns and the progression break. Long-term plans include signalizing the two intersections of Maple and Magnolia and Mason Street within five to six years as part of this project. Planning and Zoning Board Meeting of December 17, 1998 Page 2 Evergreen Park Block 5, Lots 1 & 2 — Project Development Plan Staff presentation for item No. 4, the Evergreen Business Park located in Block 5, lots 1 and 2 at the southeast corner of Bristlecone Drive and Blue Spruce Drive. Zoning is I Industrial. To the north of the site is multi -family apartment buildings zoned residential requiring an 80-foot setback from the property line for which modification of this requirement is being requested. A substantial amount of landscaping is planned to the north for further screening of the building. A ditch is located on the north property line. East of the site is a regional detention pond which creates a natural separation of the residential subdivision to the east. The east elevation is in excess of eighty feet. To the South are vacant lots for future industrial uses. The property across the street is zoned I Industrial. An existing foundation on the property will be removed. Based on the usage proposed, commercial building standards are not applicable. Staff feels that the addition of stucco accents will facilitate compatibility with residential issues. Stucco will be on the street -facing fagade. Metal siding on the remainder of the building will be earth toned colors as required by Code. The building is consistent with the development of the Industrial Park in the area. Item No. 4: Karen Weitkunat recommends approval of the Evergreen Park replat of Block 5, Lots 1 and 2 and approval of the modification of standards finding it is not either detrimental to the public good nor impairs the intent and purpose of the Land Use Code. Jerry Gavaldon seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Civic Center Parking Structure — Project Development Plan, #35-98 PDP request for a parking structure located on 1.75 acres located at the southeast corner intersection of LaPorte and Mason Street just west of North College Avenue, zoned D, downtown zoning district. Steve Olt presented an overview of the parking structure which is the first of four sites planned for the Civic Center Project in the next two years, extending to Cherry Street and Mountain Avenue. The proposed structure is 305,600 square feet, five stories containing 903 parking spaces. The maximum height of the building is approximately 55 feet with tower elements at the corners. The dominant portion of the building is 45 to 50 feet in height. PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD MINUTES DECEMBER 17, 1998 6:30 P.M. Council Liaison: Scott Mason Staff Liaison: Bob Blanchard Chairperson: Glen Colton Phone: (H) 225-2760 (W) 898-7963 Vice Chair: Jerry Gavaldon Phone: (H) 484-2034 (W) 278-8876 The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Chairperson Colton. Roll Call: Davidson, Gavaldon, Meyer, Craig, Weitkunat, Carpenter and Colton. Staff Present: Eckman, Shepard, McCallum, McNair, Wamhoff, Ludwig, Schlueter, Bracke, Olt, Edminster, Phillips, Baker and Deines. Agenda Review: Chief Planner Ted Shepard reviewed the consent and discussion agendas: 1. Minutes of the September 4, September 18, October 2, October 16 (Continued), November 6 (Continued), November 20 (Continued), and December 18 (Continued), 1997 Planning and Zoning Board Hearings. 2. Resolution PZ98-32 Easement Vacation. 3. Modifications of Conditions of Final Approval. 4. #24-96 Evergreen Park Block 5, Lots 1 & 2 — Project Development Plan. 5. #53-85AR Centre for Advanced Technology P.U.D., 201h Filing, 90- Bed Rehabilitation Facility — Preliminary & Final. 6. #21-83M Heart of the Rockies Christian Church — Overall Development Plan. Discussion: 7. #35-98 Civic Center Parking Structure — Project Development Plan. 8. #37-98 Larimer County Courthouse and Block 31 Overall Development Plan. 9. #37-98A Larimer County Courthouse — Site Plan Advisory Review. Karen Weitkunat requested pulling the minutes of September 18 to correct the dates on the minutes and the affidavit to be consistent. Staff will correct the error. Bob Davidson requested that item No. 4 be pulled to address compatibility concerns. Jerry Gavaldon moved to approve items No. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. Karen Weitkunat seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.