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Home My WebLink AboutPALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL - PDP/FDP - 22-97 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT W/ATTACHMENTSFoothils Fashion Mall VICINITY MAP #22-97 Palmer Office Type I (LUC) PDP/FC 08/26/97 Building Remodel " 1"= 600' While some Commercial district areas may continue to meet the need for auto - related and other auto -oriented uses, it is the City's intent that the Commercial District emphasize safe and convenient personal mobility in many forms, with planning and design that accommodates pedestrians. This proposal complies with the purpose of the C - District as it is part of an existing community/regional shopping corridor along South College Avenue, a State highway. The nature of the existing and proposed uses on the two lots at 3636 and 3700 South College Avenue are generally more auto -oriented retail uses. A flower shop, men's clothing store, and video rental store are short term uses set in the context of a community/regional shopping center. The new use, an office space, would be the more long term use in the complex. As the proposed PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP development proposal is a Type I [administrative] permitted use, a neighborhood meeting was not required. 4. Findings of Fact/Conclusion: A. The PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP development proposal contains permitted uses in the C - Commercial Zoning District, subject to administrative review. B. The PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP development proposal meets all applicable standards as put forth in the LUC, including Division 3.2 - Site Planning and Design Standards and Division 3.5 - Building Standards. C. The PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP development proposal is compatible with the surrounding land uses. D. The PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP development proposal is located outside of the Residential Neighborhood Sign District. All signage must comply with the applicable LUC requirements. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP - #22-97 [Type I, Administrative Review in the LUC)]. 7 with a direct pedestrian connection to the street without requiring pedestrians to walk through the parking lot or cross the driveway, thus complying with the standard. Building materials. The existing structure is 26' in height and the remodel of the easterly portion of the building would consist of the following building materials: Synthetic stucco over concrete block to match the exisitng building. Aluminum window frame system. These materials comply with the standard (Section 3.5.1(F)(1)J which states: Building materials shall either be similar to the materials already being used in the neighborhood, or, dissimilar materials are being proposed, other characteristics such as scale and proportions, form, architectural detailing, color and texture, shall be utilized to ensure that enough similarity exists for the building to be compatible, despite the differences in materials. The height and scale of the building will remain the same as before the remodel. The facade materials will match the existing building. C. Division 3.8 Supplemental Regulations The subject property is located outside of the Residential Neighborhood Sign District and signage will be evaluated with the applicable LUC requirements in Section 3.8.7 by the Zoning Department at the time of building permit application. 3. Article 4, District Standards Plant nurseries and greenhouses, personal and business service shops, office and retail uses are permitted in the C - Commercial Zoning District, subject to administrative review. The purpose of the C - District is: Intended to be a setting for development, redevelopment and infill of a wide range of community and regional retail sales, offices and personal and business services. Secondarily, it can accommodate a wide range of other uses including creative forms of housing. 6 REMODEL, PDP, all of which are to be located on -site. The development proposal contains a mix of florist, clothing sales, movie video rentals, and office (such as office, retail, personal business and service shops) uses in the building. The breakdown of proposed land uses would indicate that a maximum of 118 parking spaces would be allowed to comply with Section 3.2.2(K)(a) of the LUC. With the 113 spaces as proposed, the development complies with this standard. The number of parking spaces for this development is calculated as follows: a. Retail and personal business and service shops at 4 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space. Moovies Video Rental & Men's Warehouse [clothing store] - 4 x 15 (14,930 square feet +/-) = 60 parking spaces b. General office at 3 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space. New office space on the east side of the north building 3 x 6 (6,000 square feet +/-) = 18 parking spaces C. Retail use at 4 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space. Palmer Flowers 4 x 10 (9,537 square feet) = 40 parking spaces B. Division 3.5 - Building Standards The PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP proposal satisfies all applicable Building and Project Compatibility standards (Section 3.5.1), including the following: Building orientation. This proposal complies with Section 3.5.1(D), which states that primary facades and entries shall face the adjacent street. Except as allowed in the Industrial zone district, a main entrance shall face a connecting walkway with a direct pedestrian connection to the street without requiring all pedestrians to walk through parking lots or cross driveways. The orientation of the proposed PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL building is such that it faces a connecting walkway 5 Screening. The proposal complies with the standard relating to the screening (Section 3.2.1(E)(6)] of areas of low visual interest or visually intrusive site elements (such as trash collection, open storage, service areas, loading docks, and blank walls) from off -site view. The trash enclosure for the two lots is located near the northeast corner of the Palmer Flowers building, between the two buildings. The loading zone for Palmer Flowers is also located at the northeast corner of the building. Both areas are screened from view by the buildings and new landscaping within the parking and driveway areas. The proposal satisfies the applicable Access, Circulation and Parking standards (Section 3.2.2), including the following: Bicycle parking. Bicycle parking is provided on site that meets or exceeds the proposal that specifies the required number of bicycle parking spaces, as well as the location, defined in the following standard (Section 3.2.2(C)(4)(a)]: A minimum number of bicycle parking spaces shall be provided, equal in number to at least five (5) percent of the total number of automobile parking spaces provided by the development, but not less than one. Pad sites for the placement of the bicycle racks are located near the front entryways to the businesses, on the east and west sides of the building. The amount of bicycle parking in these two locations will exceed 6 spaces, which is the minimum required relative to the 113 automobile parking spaces. Directness and continuity of walkways. The proposal satisfies the standard that walkways within the site shall be located and aligned to directly and continuously connect areas or points of pedestrian origin and destination, and shall not be located and aligned solely based on the outline of a parking lot configuration that does not provide such direct pedestrian access (Section 3.2.2(5)(a)]. A direct pedestrian access is being provided between South College Avenue and Mitchell Drive along the south side of the Men's Warehouse, Moovies Video, office building. The access will consist of a 6' wide sidewalk with driveway crossings clearly marked with different surface material or striping. Required number of parking spaces. The applicant is providing a total of 113 parking spaces to be associated with the PALMER OFFICE BUILDING H A. Division 3.2 - Site Planning and Design Standards The proposal satisfies the applicable Landscaping and Tree Protection Standards (Section 3.2.1), including the following: Street trees. The proposed street tree planting is in accordance with Section 3.2.1(D)(2)(b), providing trees at 25' on -center behind the attached sidewalk along Mitchell Drive. Existing street trees at 35' on -center were planted along the South College Avenue frontage when the northbound right -turn lane was constructed on College Avenue. Parking lot landscaping --perimeter and interior. Parking lot landscaping is in accordance with the standards, including those related to Parking Lot Perimeter Landscaping (Section 3.2.1(E)(4)(a)] and Parking Lot Interior Landscaping (Section 3.2.1(E)(5)]. The first standard referenced states that: Trees shall be provided at a ratio of one (1) tree per twenty-five (25) lineal feet along a public street. Trees may be spaced irregularly in informal groupings or be uniformly spaced. Perimeter landscaping along a street may be located in and should be integrated with the streetscape in the street right-of-way. Existing or proposed trees are being provided along South College Avenue at 35' on -center and along Mitchell Drive at 25' on -center. The trees along College Avenue were installed by the City with the completion of the northbound right -turn lane. This meets the standard for Parking Lot Perimeter Landscaping. The second standard referenced states that: Six (6) percent of the interior space of all parking lots with less than 100 spaces, and ten (10) percent of the interior space of all parking lots with 100 spaces or more shall be landscape areas. This development proposal meets the standard for Parking Lot Interior Landscaping, providing a minimum of 6% interior landscaping in the parking lot with less than 100 spaces. Each of the two separate lots (one being the Palmer Flowers and the other being Men's Warehouse, Moovies Video, and new office space) contains no more than 59 parking spaces. 3 Intended to be a setting for development, redevelopment and infill of a wide range of community and regional retail sales, offices and personal and business services. Secondarily, it can accommodate a wide range of other uses including creative forms of housing. While some Commercial district areas may continue to meet the need for auto - related and other auto -oriented uses, it is the City's intent that the Commercial District emphasize safe and convenient personal mobility in many forms, with planning and design that accommodates pedestrians. This proposal complies with the purpose of the C - District as it is part of an existing community/regional shopping corridor along South College Avenue, a State highway. The nature of the existing and proposed uses on the two lots at 3636 and 3700 South College Avenue are generally more auto -oriented retail uses. A flower shop, men's clothing store, and video rental store are short term uses set in the context of a community/regional shopping center. The new use, an office space, would be the more long term use in the complex. COMMENTS: 1. Background: The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: C; existing retail/commercial (The Square Shopping Center) S: C; existing retail/commercial (Wendy's [fast food] Restaurant, et.al.) W: C; existing retail/commercial (Cottonwood Shopping Center) E: C; existing retail/commercial and office This property was annexed into the City as part of the Horsetooth South Second Annexation in December 1973 and the Horsetooth South Third Annexation in August, 1974. 2. Article 3. General Development Standards This PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP development proposal meets all applicable standards in Article 3 - General Development Standards, of the LUC. Of specific note are Division 3.2 Site Planning and Design Standards, Division 3.5 Building Standards, and Division 3.8 Supplemental Regulations. Further discussions of these particular standards follow. 2 Commi y Planning and Environmental rvices Current Planning City of Fort Collins PROJECT: PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL, PDP - #22-97 [Type I, Administrative Review in the Land Use Code (LUC)] APPLICANT: Roger M. Thorp, Architect Thorp Associates, P.C. P.O. Box 129 Estes Park, Colorado 80517 OWNER: Spiro Palmer 3636 South College Avenue Fort Collins, CO. 80525 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a request for Project Development Plan (PDP) approval for the proposed PALMER OFFICE BUILDING REMODEL located near the southeast corner of South College Avenue and Horsetooth Road. The applicant proposes to remodel the rear portion of the existing 1-story building (containing a total of 20,930 square feet on a 1.46 acre lot) to be used for offices, and reconfigure the parking and landscaping on this lot (3636 South College Avenue) and the rear of the 1.16 acre lot to the south (3700 south College Avenue). Approximately 6,000 square feet of floor space is being remodeled and the use is changing from storage for the wholesale florist to office space. No changes are being made to the existing Palmer Flowers building on the south lot. There are a total of 113 parking spaces on the two lots to serve the existing and proposed uses. The properties are in the C - Commercial Zoning District. RECOMMENDATION: Approval EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This PDP complies with the applicable requirements of the Land Use Code (LUC), specifically the standards located in Division 3.2 - Site Planning and Design Standards, Division 3.5 - Building Standards, and Section 3.8.7 - Signs located in Article 3 - General Development Standards. Plant nurseries and greenhouses, personal and business service shops, office and retail uses are permitted in the C - Commercial Zoning District, subject to administrative review. The purpose of the C - District is: 1 281 North College Avenue • PO. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 • FAX (970) 416-2020