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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST - PDP/FDP - 18-97 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT W/ATTACHMENTSI The walkways proposed for the project will meet all City requirements, and will eventually tie into transit stop links along Timberline Avenue and Horsetooth, as the business park is fully developed. These design elements meet the Policy requirements of ED-2.1 through ED-2.4 as called out in the "City Plan" document. For the above reasons it should be apparent that the Fort Collins Wholesale Florist Site Development Plan achieves the general "City Plan" principles and policies as called out for this specific district. While the Fort Collins Wholesale Florist Site Development Plan is for a single site, and therefore does not provide extensive public open space, the plan does provide significant landscaping and natural buffering to the public way and surrounding neighborhood properties. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic is encouraged by the use of bicycle racks and pedestrian benches within the landscape plan. Safe pedestrian access to the right of way is provided without having to cross any parking or traffic way. All maintenance of any landscaping and open space on the site will be done by the Owner as a service to occupants of the project and their patrons. It is estimated at this time that there will be approximately twenty-eight to thirty-five employees working within the development at any given time. It should also be mentioned that there will be no anticipated usage of hazardous materials of any kind within the project. The wholesale business uses all natural materials and will provide on -site separation of natural and storage wastes and incorporate composting of natural materials and recycling to the extent possible. 2 TA Thorp Associates, P.C. Architects and Planners PLANNING OBJECTIVES FOR FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST BUILDING DEVELOPMENT July 17, 1997 It is the objective of the developers of the Fort Collins Wholesale Florist Building to meet all applicable community wide planning principles and policies as set forth in "City Plan" recently adopted by the City of Fort Collins as a planning guide to help the City achieve the values and ideals expressed in the "Community Vision and Goals 2015" document. The Fort Collins Wholesale Florist site is located within the E-Employment District and has been designed to specifically meet the principles and policies called out for this specific use district. For example, Principle ED-1 calls for Employment Districts to be major employment centers in the community, allowing a variety of complimentary uses. As designed, the Fort Collins Wholesale Florist site, although anchored by a wholesale florist business, will also incorporate 6,984 square feet of leasable space for uses of other companies meeting the requirements of the Employment District. The Wholesale Florist Building Project will particularly encourage a limited auto traffic in the area, as called out under Principle ED-1, since minimal retail facilities will be located in the building. Employee van pooling will be encouraged, and public transit sites are well within walking distance of the property, along Timberline Avenue. Policy ED-1.1 has been accommodated in the design of this facility, as possible with the limited site size, since the building will be rentable to small business concerns, as well as the larger wholesale florist business. Furthermore, the light industrial uses anticipated for the site meet well with Policy ED-1.2 of the "City Plan' document. As indicated earlier, the Fort Collins Wholesale Florist site is located well within walking distance of present and future public transit sites along Timberline Avenue, making the property a walkable destination, as called out in Policy ED-1.5. The E-Employment District, in which this project is located, is also within walking distance of residential sites to the east and northwest of the property. The Fort Collins Wholesale Florist Development also meets the requirement of Policy ED-1.8, as the design character of the structure and landscaping will be complimentary to the general business park setting present in the area. Parking areas will be fully landscaped and building edges buffered to minimize the scale of the overall development. To an extent, Policy ED-1.7, referring to infill of presently developed areas, is being met by this development, since the building will be located in the Collindale Business Park area, which has present business facilities in place. The design of the Fort Collins Wholesale Florist Development also meets the principle ED-2 for providing accessibility to community multi -modal transportation systems. The interior street system of the Collindale Business Park has been designed with a width to allow vehicular and bicycle transportation, and parking will be provided for both automobiles and bicycles on the site. 131 Stanley Ave.• P.O. Box 129 • Estes Park, CO 80517 • Loca1:970.586.9528 •Metro:303.534.1378 •Fax:970.586.4145 VICINITY MAP 07/10/97 #18-97 Fort Collins Wholesale Florist " (LUC) PDP/FC 1"= 600' This proposal complies with the purpose of the E - District as it is part of an approved, establishing business, office, and industrial park (Collindale Business Park). This business park is within safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian walking distance of several residential neighborhoods in all four directions. The Horsetooth East Business Park, an approved and establishing area directly to the north, is within safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian walking distance. Potential uses in these business parks consist of industrial, office, convenience stores, restaurants, and financial facilities. As the proposed FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST, PDP development proposal is a Type I [administrative] permitted use, a neighborhood meeting was not required. Development Standards. This development proposal complies with the standards in Sections 4.22(E)(2)(a)(b) in that the building provides a primary entrance that has direct linkage to the street sidewalk without requiring pedestrians to cross any intervening driveways or parking lots. Also, the building is oriented to face the adjacent street with no intervening front yard parking. The parking is being provided on the west side of the building. 4. Findings of Fact/Conclusion: A. The FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST, PDP development proposal contains permitted uses in the E - Employment Zoning District, subject to administrative review. B. The FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST, 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 FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST, PDP development proposal is compatible with the surrounding land uses. D. The FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST, 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 FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST, PDP - A Portion of the Collindale Business Park, ODP - #18-97 [Type I, Administrative Review in the LUC)]. 7 Building materials. The proposed structure would be a maximum of 23' in height and would consist of the following building materials: Tilt -up precast concrete panels. Aluminum storefront window frame system. These materials comply with the standard (Section 3.5.1(F)(1)] 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. C. Division 3.8 Supplemental Regulations The subject property is located outside of the Residential Neighborhood Sign District and will be evaluated with the applicable LUC requirements in Section 3.8.7 by the Zoning Department. 3. Article 4, District Standards Offices, plant nurseries and greenhouses are permitted in the E - Employment Zoning District, subject to administrative review. The purpose of the E - District is: Intended to provide locations for a variety of workplaces including light industrial uses, research and development activities, offices, and institutions. This District also is intended to accommodate secondary uses that complement or support the primary workplace uses, such as hotels, restaurants, convenience shopping, child care, and housing. Additionally, the Employment District is intended to encourage the development of planned office and business parks; to promote excellence in the design and construction of buildings, outdoor spaces, transportation facilities and streetscapes; to direct the development of workplaces consistent with the availability of public facilities and services; and to continue the vitality and quality of life in adjacent residential neighborhoods. 6 a. FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST (low intensity retail, repair service, workshop and custom small industry) - 2 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area. 2 x 10 (10,000 square feet) = 20 parking spaces b. Future flex space (undetermined, other than allowable uses in the E - Employment Zoning District) - 3 to 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space. - 3 x 7 (7,000 square feet) = 21 parking spaces, or 5 x 7 (7,000 square feet) = 35 parking spaces The development proposal indicates a mix of wholesale florist, greenhouse, and future flex space (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 41 to 55 parking spaces would be allowed to comply with Section 3.2.2(K)(a) of the LUC. With the 42 spaces as proposed, the development complies with this standard. B. Division 3.5 - Building Standards The FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST, 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 FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST building is such that it faces a connecting walkway 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. 5 The trash enclosure, service area, and loading dock are all located on the west side of the building, facing the existing Timberline Self -Storage facility to the west. The building and site landscaping serve as appropriate screening materials between the potentially intrusive site elements and the street and adjacent properties to the north, west, and south. 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 wholesale florist and future flex space, on the east side of the building. The amount of bicycle parking in these two locations will exceed 2 spaces, which is the minimum required relative to the 42 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)]. The walkway provided will be 6' in width and is located along the east side of the building. It provides direct pedestrian movement from the building entries to the sidewalk along Caribou Road without having to cross the parking lot. Required number of parking spaces. The applicant requests a total of 42 parking spaces to be associated with the FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST and future flex space, all of which are to be located on -site. The number of parking spaces for this development is calculated as follows: 4 Standards, and Division 3.8 Supplemental Regulations. Further discussions of these particular standards follow. 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 40' on -center in a 9' wide parkway strip between curb and 6' wide detached sidewalk. 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 forty (40) lineal feet along a side lot line parking setback area. Trees may be spaced irregularly in informal groupings or be uniformly spaced. Trees are being provided in the 5' to 15' wide perimeter setbacks along the west and south property lines, adjacent to the driveway and service/loading area, at a spacing of 40' on -center. 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 42 spaces. 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. 3 Offices, plant nurseries and greenhouses are permitted in the E - Employment Zoning District, subject to administrative review. The purpose of the E - District is: Intended to provide locations for a variety of workplaces including light industrial uses, research and development activities, offices, and institutions. This District also is intended to accommodate secondary uses that complement or support the primary workplace uses, such as hotels, restaurants, convenience shopping, child care, and housing. Additionally, the Employment District is intended to encourage the development of planned office and business parks; to promote excellence in the design and construction of buildings, outdoor spaces, transportation facilities and streetscapes; to direct the development of workplaces consistent with the availability of public facilities and services; and to continue the vitality and quality of life in adjacent residential neighborhoods. This proposal complies with the purpose of the E - District as it is part of an approved, establishing business, office, and industrial park (Collindale Business Park). This business park is within safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian walking distance of several residential neighborhoods in all four directions. The Horsetooth East Business Park, an approved and establishing area directly to the north, is within safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian walking distance. Potential uses in these business parks consist of industrial, office, convenience stores, restaurants, and financial facilities. COMMENTS: 1. Background: The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: E; vacant (Collindale Business Park, ODP) S: E; vacant (Collindale Business Park, ODP) W: E; existing self -storage facility (Timberline Storage PUD) E: E; vacant (Collindale Business Park, Fourth Filing) This property was annexed into the City as part of the Harmony No. 2 Annexation in September, 1977. 2. Article 3, General Development Standards This FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST, 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 2 Commi. .y Planning and Environmental rvices Current Planning City of Fort Collins PROJECT: FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST - A Portion of the Collindale Business Park, Overall Development Plan (ODP) - #18-97 [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 FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST business located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Caribou Road and Automation Way in the Collindale Business Park; being south of East Horsetooth Road, and west of Timberline Road. The applicant proposes a 1-story building, containing 16,993 square feet on a 1.72 acre lot, to be used for a wholesale florist and greenhouse business, and leasable floor space for future businesses. There are a total of 42 parking spaces on -site to serve the proposed development. The property is in the E - Employment Zoning District. RECOMMENDATION: Approval EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This Project Development Plan complies with the applicable requirements of the Land Use Code (L=, 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, and the applicable district standards located in Article 4 - District Standards of the LUC (Division 4.22 E- Employment Zoning District). 1 281 North College Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 • FAX (970) 416-2020