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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLARIMER COUNTY COURTHOUSE - SITE PLAN ADVISORY REVIEW - 37-98A - MINUTES/NOTES - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGWhat is proposed for the block north of LaPorte, directly across the street from the Parking Garage? A. This is known as Block 22. The City owns the west half of this block which includes the Freight Depot and the long loading dock. The City also owns 281 North College at the corner of College and Maple. Future plans call for a Transit Center. As mentioned, the west half of this block will also feature temporary parking during the Parking Garage construction phase. 6. What is the status of the new Performing Arts Center and the new Library? A. The latest capital improvement plan, known as Building Community Choices, authorizes City Council to acquire sites for a new Performing Arts Center and a new Library. The direction from Council is that these two facilities should be located in the downtown area. Funding is for site acquisition only. What will be the impact on downtown parking for customers? A. The City is very concerned about providing sufficient temporary parking during the construction phases of both projects. This is why the new Parking Structure is being constructed, and will be completed, prior to completion of the Justice Center. There will be at least as much temporary parking provided as is being displaced. Temporary parking will be primarily on the west half of Block 22 by the Freight Depot, on the east half of Block 32 by the old Nightwalker building, and on Block 33 by the old Trolley Car Barn. In addition, parallel parking along sections of Olive, Mathews and Meldrum will be converted to diagonal parking to increase the number of parking spaces close to downtown merchants. 8. Will employees in the new City Administration Building park in the new Garage? If so, will there be enough parking for the public? Could the Garage be expanded in the future by adding another level? Will City and County employees hog all the parking? A. City employees in the future building will park in the new Garage. The new garage will hold about 900 spaces over the existing 600 spaces in the present lot which should accommodate future employees. No, the Garage is not designed to be expanded by adding another level. There will be a mix of public and permit parking in the Garage such that employees do not take up all the parking. 9. Are we looking far enough into the future? Won't the parking demand increase over time as the Justice Center, City Administration Building, and Transit Center become operative? Will 900 spaces be sufficient in the long term? r w r, A. Yes, as you would expect, a lot of thought has been put into security. The concept is that the public and those under custody will never mix except in the courtroom. Those under custody will enter the building by special Sheriff/Police van or bus into a "sally -port" which is an underground garage with two doors, with only one door open at a time. This area is served by a secured elevator within the core of the building. At the entries for the general public, there will be metal scanning devices. Basically, the general public will circulate on the perimeter of the building and have views to the south and west. Those under custody will be in secured areas in the internal areas of the building. 0 Downtown Civic Center Master Plan for the conceptual vision for the 12 block area bounded by Oak Street, Meldrum Street, Cherry Street and College Avenue. 15. Is there any housing associated with the Plan? A. Yes, two of the three blocks north of Maple Street are designated for housing. 16. Is the Trolley Car Barn considered historic? Will it -be preserved? A. Yes, the Car Barn is historic and will be preserved. We are currently putting on a new roof and masonry work is scheduled. It is used for storage of miscellaneous materials and impounded vehicles. 17. Is there any daycare associated with any of the projects on the "four corners?" A. No. 18. Is there any pedestrian connection through the middle of the blocks over to Martinez Park? A. Yes, the Civic Center Master Plan indicates a pedestrian connection from Mountain Avenue to Cherry Street. 19. Will the temporary parking by the Freight Depot be paved? A. No, we are planning to use recycled asphalt which compacts better than gravel and can be striped. 20. Who will maintain the temporary parking lot? As you know, the parking lots in the area get heavy usage on weekend evenings. A. The City Streets Department is responsible for maintenance just as they are now for the public parking lots. 21. What is the City's timeline for acquiring sites for the Performing Arts Center, Library and Police Building? A. The timeline is 1998-1999 but the Police Building concept has been dropped in favor of district station somewhere in the southeast part of the City. 22. Will there be adequate security for the Justice Center? 5 A. Keep in mind that according to the Civic Center Master Plan, each re -developed commercial block in the plan area will feature its own parking garage. 10. What is the time frame for the future City Administration Building? A. Our best estimate at this time is that the building will be designed in 1999, constructed in 2000, and occupied in 2001. 11. I'm concerned about increased traffic in the neighborhood north of downtown. It appears that an intense activity is shifting north from Mountain Avenue closer to the nearby residential area. A. Keep in mind that the County is not adding any new employees, in the short term, for the Justice Center. Many of the current employees park in the lot across from St. Jospeph's School. Also, the County and the City have hired a traffic engineer to prepare a traffic impact analysis to assess the new traffic patterns based on all four legs of the intersection re -developing. This is loosely referred to as the "four corners study" and will help us get a handle on the anticipated traffic impacts in the immediate area. This traffic impact analysis will be available to the public upon its completion. 12. As far as County staffing goes, is it not possible that each department within the Justice Center could add employees incrementally over time as their functions expand? A. Yes, each department could add employees over time. The key point, however, is that new departments will not shift over other than the ones originally assigned to the new Justice Center. 13. What about encouraging alternative modes? A. The Transit Center will be the northern terminus for all bus routes, just as it is now in the open parking lot. Our hope is that a transit center will encourage downtown employees to take the bus to work. Also, the Parking Garage will feature bicycle lockers so bike commuters can secure and protect their bikes. 14. So, will all of Block 32 (north of the Justice Center) be converted to government functions? What about mixed -use? I'm afraid of the abandonment of downtown due to government workers going home on nights and weekends and leaving a void in the downtown. This happens in a lot of cities and is undesirable. A. Presently, the City owns only the east half of Block 32 and portions of the west half. Other private businesses include Poudre Valley Creamery, Poudre Feed Supply, Ricker Brothers Distributing, and Haiston Oil. The City Council may or may not authorize City Staff to begin negotiating with these private owners for acquisition. Please refer to the 2. City of Fort Collins Downtown Parking Garage The new parking garage will contain about 900 parking spaces and 15,000 square feet of ground - floor retail along Mason Street. The structure will be four stories high with parking on the roof. Total square footage is about 304,000 square feet. Stairwells are located on opposite corners from the driveways. There will be a mix of permit and public parking. The request will be processed as a Planning and Zoning Board Review (Type Two) under the Land Use Code. QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, COMMENTS Will there be temporary parking provided during the construction phase of the parking garage? A Yes, temporary parking will be provided directly north on the same block as the Freight Depot (Block 22). This parking will be for both permit holders and the general public. Temporary parking will also be provided on portions of Block 32 by the former Nightwalker building and Block 33 by the old Trolley Car Barn. 2. Where will construction parking and construction equipment be located? A. Construction parking and equipment will be located on the east half of the block directly north of the Justice Center (Block 32). This area presently contains old warehouses such as the Nightwalker drop-off building. The City owns this east half of the block. Presently, crews are removing these buildings. 3. When is the start date for these two projects? A. The Parking Garage (and temporary parking lot) will begin in November of 1998 and is expected to be completed in September of 1999. The Justice Center will begin in January of 1999 and is expected to be completed in July of 2000. It is important that the Garage be completed prior to the opening of the Justice Center. 4. What is proposed for the block north of LaPorte, directly across from the Justice Center? A. This is known as Block 32. As mentioned, the City presently owns the eastern half of this block. Future plans for the east half include a new City Administration Building that would contain about 60,000 to 70,000 square feet in a four-story office building directly on the northwest comer of LaPorte and Mason. NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING MINUTES PROJECTS: Larimer County Justice Center City of Fort Collins Downtown Parking Garage DATE: June 29, 1998 CONSULTANTS: Brian Chaffee, Fentress-Bradburn, Architects Brent Mather, Fentress-Bradburn, Architects Greg Billingham, Fentress-Bradburn Architects Jana McKenzie, EDAW Eldon Ward, Cityscape Urban Design Don Monahan, Walker Parking Consultants COUNTY REPS: Dave Spencer, Director of Facilities Neil Gluckman, Assistant County Manager CITY REPS: Jack Gianola, Special Projects Manager Suzanne Edminster, Transportation Manager Carol Champion, Parking Supervisor Wally Piccone, Parks Planning Director Ted Shepard, Senior City Planner CONSTRUCTION: Jerry Pault, Hensel -Phelps Construction Company John Murphy, Hensel -Phelps Construction Company Alan Bleismer, Hensel -Phelps Construction Company The meeting began with an introduction of the design and construction team and County and City representatives. Mr. Brian Chaffee, lead architect, described both projects in detail. Larimer County Justice Center The new Larimer County Justice Center will be a five story building above grade with one story below grade for secured parking. There will be a total of about 150,000 square feet. The facility will accommodate 13 courtrooms and offices for the State of Colorado Eighth Judicial District, Larimer County Court, Traffic Court and the City's Municipal Court. In addition, there will be offices for the District Attorney and Probation Officers. The underground parking area will feature a "sally -port" and a non-public, secured elevator for transporting those who are under the custody of the Larimer County Sheriffs Department. A small outdoor civic park in proposed for the internal area of the site. There is a small parking lot along Howes across from St. Joseph's School. The request will be processed as a "Site Plan Advisory Review" and forwarded to the City of Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Board.