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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST - PDP/FDP - 18-97 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVESU Thorp Associates, P.C. Architects and Planners FORT COLLINS WHOLESALE FLORIST WAREHOUSE LANDSCAPE PLAN OBJECTIVES July 23, 1997 The objective of the landscape design for the Fort Collins Wholesale Florist Project is to provide a safe and beautiful natural buffer between the proposed structure and the public way. The landscape plan is also designed to soften the apparent connection between the building and the natural .grade. The plan includes site amenities, such as a bike rack and several benches for pedestrian use. Partially due to the fact that the major tenant on the property will be a wholesale florist, the interior landscape area amounts to approximately fifteen percent of the total landscape area, somewhat above what the City requires. These interior islands are also used to buffer the building from neighboring properties to the east beyond the pedestrian -scaled landscaping next to the building. The building has been situated on the site to front onto Caribou Drive, with major landscaping areas providing different textures and colors along the street frontage, as well as direct access for pedestrian and bicycle linkage to the building, without crossing the parking area. The service side of the building faces the rear of existing storage units of the Timberline Storage PUD. Since there is very little public visibility or access to this area and .there is presently considerable landscaping behind the existing storage unit building, the intent of this plan is to supplement the existing landscaping with lower level shrubs and mulched areas. There is, however, considerable large scale landscaping proposed on the south side of the property to visually separate the greenhouse and dock area from future development in that area. In an effort to conserve resources, sod areas alone will be sprinkled above grade. Mulched areas with trees and/or shrubs will be irrigated with drip irrigation systems. Likewise, all topsoil on the site will be stockpiled for reuse in the landscaped areas. 131 Stanley Ave.* P.O. Box 129 • Estes Park, CO 80517 • Local:970.586.9528 •Metro:303.534.1378 •Fax:970.586.4145 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. Fa 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 • Local:970.586.9528 •Metro:303.534.1378 •Fax:970.586.4145