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HomeMy WebLinkAboutUNION PLACE - PDP - 15-09 - MINUTES/NOTES - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGSteve Olt - Neighborhood Meeting.doc Page 1 Neighborhood Meeting — Union Place Union Place will be an innovative template for future sustainable developments in Fort Collins. This community is striving for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Neighborhood Development accreditation through the U.S. Green Building Council and will consist of market rate, affordable housing, and three mixed -use buildings. The site is located on 10.2 acres behind the McDonalds/Shell Gas Station at the South West corner of North College and West Willox. This diverse 58-unit community will include eight single-family homes, ten duplex units, forty multi -family townhouse style units, and three mixed -use commercial buildings with an undetermined amount of additional residential units above. Units will range in size from 1,200 to 2,600 sq. fit, and have 2 or 3 bedrooms. The amount of permanently affordable housing units at this time could be as high as 44 units (4 being single family) and will be provided by two separate non-profit groups. The remaining units and the residential above the commercial will be market rate. The site will also include two public parks, a public plaza, sidewalks throughout and ample bicycle parking. Union Place will consist of private roads and alleys with two points of access to public roads. The first connection will be off of West Willox to the north and the second will be to the east tying into the future Mason Street extension. This section of Mason Street will be the beginning of a new north -south corridor to linking Union Place to Mason Street south of the river and into Old Town Fort Collins as show in the Master Street Plan. This new community strives to be a leader of the sustainable movement in Fort Collins; and all new construction will be supplied with electric geothermal heating and cooling (which can be powered either by wind or solar). The site will not have gas — thereby lowering the carbon footprint of the development while simultaneously increasing overall safety by eliminating combustion -based equipment and appliances that could have otherwise produced carbon monoxide. Other systems planned for the site include storm water management by infiltrating water into the ground through permeable pavement; bio- swales; and rain gardens instead of all the water running off into the City's storm pipe and detention ponds. We hope many of you will be as excited about this project as we are in seeing the City of Fort Collins continue to become a leader in sustainability. I'..♦♦..♦ I '�♦♦♦♦♦♦♦. \1 Slim �1� Nor �IPA Wdi 'PAN, � OI 1 • � \1 e i r I P. - , VE .yam ... Site Plan "I NO RTH Neighborhood Information Meetin Project: vkn % W\ � 0.0 0 1 Meeting Location: 2-15 MgY� on \ Date: 313c� f n PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY to receive a copy of meeting summary ame Address Zip Phone Email (via email) mi d3au ��+JS o�,v z-�/moo �7- Z % L' `r'y�l �y d lu cam- �Z,-111 .ssr.�1.37, �_ �, ��.` `� ��- _, ter- ` %, 495 ���9 �eQ �7�FS®ll,Cos� ✓ 1 % l7 HR - 3 y ipGiryley z55 MS ✓� . �i.rv) ✓ of Fort Collins 30. Question: (Citizen) Will there be landscaping along Willox? Answer: (Applicant) Yes, landscaping will meet City standards. 31. Question: (Citizen) Will there be sidewalks along the north side of Willox? Answer: (Applicant) Unsure. 32. Question: (Citizen) What will be the price of these homes? Answer: (Applicant) They will start at $120K to the mid $200K. 33. Question: (Citizen) How will water be used from the ditch west of the property? Answer: (Applicant) We hope to use it for some irrigation of landscaping, but realize that we will only have access to it when it is free flowing. 34. Question: (Citizen) What do you mean by free flow? Answer: (Applicant) We understand that we can not store the water on site, so we can only use it as it passes through naturally. We don't know all the details at this point. 35. Question: (Citizen) Will the mixed use buildings be 3 stories? Answer: (Applicant) They will most likely be 2 stories. 36. Question: (Citizen) What type of commercial will you have? Answer: (Applicant) There is a wide variety allowed in the CN zone, but it will most likely be professional uses. 37. Comment: (Citizen) A library branch would be a great fit for this location Answer: (Applicant) We would love to have a library branch locate in Union Place. 38. Question: (Citizen) What does the timing look like for this project? Answer: (Applicant) Our goal is to begin infrastructure by. mid summer and vertical development by mid 2010. 39. Comment: (Citizen) Want to emphasize the importance to the neighborhood to the north that Cedar Street be realigned. 40. Question: (Citizen) Will the irrigation ditch be tiled or closed? Answer: (Applicant) No, we don't believe it is even on this property. 3 City of Fort Collins 18. Question: (Citizen) Do the streets meet width requirements for emergency and school bus access? Answer: (Applicant/City Staff) Poudre Fire Authority and the school district are review agencies in the Development Review Process and will make sure the streets meet the requirements. 19. Question: (Citizen) Will the units have garages and onsite parking? Answer: (Applicant) The intension is to have at least 2 off street parking spaces per unit in either garages or carports. 20. Question: (Citizen) Will there be covenants requiring this development stay cleaned up? Answer: (Applicant) Yes and the HOA will do this. 21. Question: (Citizen) Will there be landscaping? Answer: (Applicant) Yes. 22. Question: (Citizen) How will the mixed -use building be developed? Answer: (Applicant) We are not planning on developing it ourselves so it will depend upon who does develop it. 23. Question: (Citizen) Why does this development need such a large detention pond? Answer: (Applicant) The City has designated this site for a regional detention pond; it is not only for this development. This development is taking extra precautions to limit the need for detention by using pervious pavement, bio swales and other natural features throughout the site. 24. Question: (Citizen) Will the HOA manage the geothermal aspects of the site? Answer: (Applicant) Each house will have individual systems and the condos will have community geothermal infrastructure. The mixed -use building's geothermal infrastructure will not be built until the use is determined to make sure that it meets the needs of the potential use. 25. Question: (Citizen) Will drilling through the rock underneath this property be possible? Answer: (Applicant) We are working with engineers that are very familiar with this type of project, so they will let us know what is possible on this site as we get further into this project. 26. Question: (Citizen) How will the geothermal be installed? Answer: (Applicant) It will be installed just like any other utility. We will bore into the ground creating the geothermal piping and then have a stub for each lot. 27. Comment: (Citizen) Several citizens complimented the applicants on the geothermal aspect of the project. 28. Question: (Citizen) Are you developing the homes? Answer: (Applicant) No but we are very interested in creating a high quality community with quality architecture. 29. Question: (Citizen) How is this project being financed. Answer: (Applicant) The URA is funding some infrastructure and we have several lots under contract already. The project will have 100% financing before we break ground. 7. Question: (Citizen) Will there be a light at Mason or Cedar? Answer: (Applicant) This will be determined by City staff after review of this proposals traffic study. 8. Question: (Citizen) Will the developers pave Mason on their lot? Answer: (Applicant) Yes. 9. Question: (Citizen) What kind of lighting will be used for the mixed -use building? Answer: (Applicant) The City's Land Use Code (LUC) requires all developments meet its Lighting Standards; all lights need to be downward facing to limit lighting of the night sky. 10. Comment: (Citizen) Cedar Street dead -ends north of this project and it is common for people to drive through our neighborhood expecting it to connect to the trailer park to the north. We are concerned that because Union Place has a road aligning with Cedar Street that this will increase. We would like to see other alternative street alignment here. Why can't it be offset? (comment/question reiterated various times) Answer: (Applicant) We originally proposed a different alignment but the City determined it was unsafe to have these streets offset. We may be willing to add signage to discourage traffic from entering this neighborhood via Cedar Street. 11. Question: (Citizen) Will there be street lighting? Answer: (Applicant) Yes. 12. Question: (Citizen) Will the City maintain the new streets? Answer: (Applicant) The City will maintain Mason and Willox but will not maintain the interior streets, they are proposed as private streets, which will be maintained by the HOA for this development. 13. Question: (Citizen) Where will the detention pond be? Answer: (Applicant) In the lower east corner of the site, just west of the Mason extension. This area is planned to be landscaped so it can be used when it does not have water in it. 14. Question: (Citizen) Could Cedar Street be used only as an emergency access? Answer: (Applicant/City Staff) This development needs 2 access points; it is unlikely that this is a viable option. 15. Question: (Citizen) There is an emergency access like this at the development at Mulberry and Taft. How did it happen there if it can't happen here? Answer: (Applicant/City Staff) We were not involved with that development so we can't answer that question. 16. Question: (Citizen) Is there an occupancy expectation? Answer: (Applicant) 80 units with approximately 160 people. 17. Question: (Citizen) Will you have a play ground area? Answer: (Applicant) There will be several open space areas within the development, but we are not sure about that yet. I - Fort Collins NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION MEETING PROJECT: Union Place DATE: March 30, 2009 APPLICANT: Merten Homes CITY PLANNER: Emma McArdle Current Planning Current Planning 281 North College Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6750 970.224.6134 - fax fcgov, com/current planning The potential development proposal is known as Union Place. The applicant proposes an 80-unit community that would include 8 single-family homes, 20 duplex units, 38 condominium units and 14 mixed - use residential units above 3 mixed -use commercial buildings. There could be as many as 44 affordable housing units associated with this proposal. The site is 10.2 acres on the south side of West Willox Lane, just to the west of the McDonald's Restaurant/Shell Gas Station on the corner of West Willox Lane and North College Avenue. Access to the site would be from West Willox Lane and a future Mason Street extension. The property is zoned CN, Commercial North College. Eleven (11) neighbors and interested parties, the applicant, their associates and 2 City Staff attended the meeting. There were 350 notification letters sent to Affected Property Owners with in 800 feet of the property. QUESTONS, CONCERNS, COMMENTS AND RESPONSES 1. Question: (Citizen) Do you have LEED Certified Architects? Answer: (Applicant) Yes 2. Question: (Citizen) Will the King Soopers project do street improvements first? Answer: (Applicant) We don't know their timing, but Union Place will improve Willox and Mason to the edges of this project's boundaries. 3. Question: (Citizen) Will there be a turn lane on Willox onto College? Answer: (Applicant/Staff) We think so but that will be determined by a traffic study and. City Engineers. 4. Question: (Citizen) Will you make improvements from McDonald's boundary to your development? Answer: (Applicant) Yes. 5. Question: (Citizen) Where will Mason Street connect? Answer: (Applicant) It will meet up with Willox Ct to the north of Willox Ln. 6. Question: (Citizen) Will Mason dead end at the existing trailer park to the south? Answer: (Applicant) Yes, we will improve all of Mason on our property and have a barricade on Mason at Merten Street.