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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCONNELL-ROGERS ANNEXATION & ZONING - 2-99 - CORRESPONDENCE - (3)T iJ. f M: r x .4 r DESIGN * Develop design guidelines for development in the gateway. * Design a gateway entry feature and develop a funding mechanism. * Develop a conceptual plan for an open space network and recreational trail system. COORDINATION * Coordinate with the City's river management program. * Coordinate with the Natural Resources Department both in regards to the environmental management plan and the prioritization of wetlands. * Coordinate with the long range planning efforts of other City departments — Transportation, Parks and Recreation, Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Utilities. * Coordinate with Larimer County and the Town of Timnath, in regards to existing plans and policies and expectations for the future. * Coordinate with the State Division of Highways in regards to future design of the interchange, frontage roads, and landscaping in the highway right -of --way. CITIZEN PARTICIPATION * Work directly with land owners to understand their values and plans for the future. * Develop a systematic process for developing informed consent. • Identify potentially affected interests. • Identify the issues. • Determine citizen participation objectives and select techniques to achieve the objectives. • Develop substantial effective agreement on a course of action. 5-15 2. GATEWAY PLANNING PHASE TWO The City should continue the gateway planning effort through the following research, design, coordination and citizen participation activities: RESEARCH * Analyze both short term and long term costs associated with development in the floodplain. * Research funding sources for acquisition of open space * Investigate what implications gravel mining operations have on future development of the area: State statutes. Reclamation standards and practices. Value of mineral rights. Ownership of mineral rights. Time frame for extracting gravel resources. Development restrictions for mined land. Open water and wetlands. Water rights. * Investigate how the area can be serviced with water and sanitary sewer. * Explore the potential for using wetlands in the gateway as stormwater filtering systems. * Analyze the need for and best layout for frontage roads. * Investigate how car-pooling can be provided for in future development plans. * Investigate economic development opportunities. 5-14 %,TEWAY PLAN Shape the future of the gateway area, so that scenic qualities are emphasized and natural resources are protected. Enable the community to take advantage of recreational and educational opportunities associated with the Cache La Poudre River, lakes and wetlands. POLICIES GW-1 Establish a well -planned and attractive gateway entrance to Fort Collins at the I-25 interchange, emphasizing the natural scenic qualities of the area. GW-2 Protect and enhance the natural resource value of the Cache La Poudre River. GW-3 Encourage master planning efforts in the gateway area. GW-4 Establish design guidelines for development in the gateway area that emphasize scenic and natural resource values. GW-5 Discourage development from encroaching upon the bluffs that define the edge of the floodplain. GW-6 Create networks of open space and trail systems, that incorporate wetlands and wildlife habitat. IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS The following actions need to be taken by the City to ensure that the gateway section of the Plan is implemented. 1. PLAN ADOPTION The Planning and Zoning Board and City Council should adopt the Plan. 5-13 LOCAL VALUES Alternatives A and B only scratch the surface of a multitude of possibilities for the gateway area. The alternatives were used to clarify distinct directions and courses of action. Both options, along with the "null" alternative were displayed at a series of public open houses. Staff held numerous meetings with affected interests and work sessions with boards and commissions. The feed- back overwhelmingly supported Alternative A. Responses indicated that people are not totally comfortable with the ability of existing City policies to coordinate and guide development in this area. They are concerned that natural resource value will be lost and important opportunities will be missed if we do not put forth a conscious effort to coordinate and plan this area with community values in mind. Staff has studied the natural and scenic resource value of the gateway area, and speculated on the types of recreational and educational opportunities that the area can provide. The citizen participa- tion component of the planning process has helped determine a direction. Additional work is required to develop a strategy for shaping the future of this important segment of the community. The vision described in Alternative A is the starting point for the next work phase. 5-12 ALTERNATIVE B This crossroads is not only a gateway to the Harmony Corridor and to Fort Collins, it is also where the Cache La Poudre River and the edge of the Urban Growth Area boundary intersect. How this area is planned and developed will impact the value of the river as a natural resource. This alternative recommends public acquisition of the gateway area for open space. Publicly owned open space at this location serves several purposes. It offers opportunities for unstructured recreation such as hiking, biking, jogging, or fishing and provides opportunities to relax and enjoy nature. The Cache La Poudre River floodplain, wetlands and wildlife habitats are environmentally sensitive areas the open space would protect. Public awareness of the river and its floodplain would be enhanced and educational programs could extend this awareness to learning about a variety of environmental issues. Lastly, having scenic open space at the front door to our community speaks loud and clear about the community's values and emphasizes our appreciation and concern for the natural environment. Although the area is largely unde- veloped, there is some highly visible commercial development which exists just west of the interchange. This scenario proposes purchase of the commercial developments. The cost of eventually removing the structures is added to the acquisition cost. The total cost for acquiring the land at fair market value plus the cost of removing the commercial structures is estimated to be in the magnitude of 3.6 million dollars. This scenario takes maximum advantage of the recreational, educational and aesthetic opportunities offered by the gateway area. It would be fair to the land owners as well as to the public. This solution is less complex than Alternative A, requires less coordination and therefore would be easier to implement. Unfortunately the price tag associated with this solution is high. Alternative B proposes purchase of the gateway area for public open space 5-11 Alternative A proposes development that is well integrated into the natural setting of the gatetvay area ALTERNATIVE A This development scenario places certain development restrictions upon the property, in order to take advantage of some of the recreational, educational and aesthetic opportunities the gateway offers. In exchange for having to comply with additional land use and/or design restrictions, developers gain the advantage of more predictability and the economic edge provided by a spacious and well -planned gateway. The intent is to create a gateway entrance that integrates quality development with the natural characteristics of the existing landscape. Wetlands, lakes and floodway areas are left undeveloped and become the focus of an elaborate open space network. The open space areas are laced with an extensive system of trails. The character of the gateway area as a whole is naturalistic with heavy emphasis on native plants and wildlife habitat. The challenge for development is to blend into the natural scheme of things with as little visual disruption as possible. Although more work is required to determine how this development scenario could be implemented, the following is suggested as a starting point for discussion purposes. Light industrial and office uses are encouraged. Commercial land uses are discouraged unless they can be shown to blend unobtrusively into the naturalistic setting. Setbacks would be in the magnitude of 80-100 feet from the right- of-way, creating a significant greenbelt around the interchange. Both the architecture and landscape plans would be subject to design standards and guide- lines that emphasize the naturalistic character of the gateway area. Open space and a trail system associated with the floodway, wetlands and lakes would be for public use. Ownership, maintenance and liability issues would have to be negotiated. Retaining significant amounts of open space may require the expenditure of public funds or a re -investment of tax dollars created by the development. Property owners may be willing to dedicate some non - developable land to the City as open space. The primary goal of Alternative A is to preserve the naturalistic character of the landscape and ensure that development projects are well integrated and contribute to the visual quality of the gateway area. 5-10 Development in the floodway is not allowed, however, developers may propose to realign the floodway, narrow it's dimension by channelizing it and generally change the character of the landscape to create more developable land as long as capacity and flow requirements are met. Filling in areas of the floodplain is also acceptable and creates more developable land. The wetlands located on the north side of Harmony Road are protected by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers will sometimes grant permits to fill wetland areas if wetlands of equal value are being created elsewhere. Although the constraints caused by the floodplain and wetlands will make development more expensive in this area, positive locational aspects of the site coupled with a lower initial land cost will probably make it cost effective to eventually develop most of the land in the gateway area west of Harmony Road. The lakes and some of the more mature vegetation would probably be retained. A substantial number of the cottonwood trees are likely to be lost because of the fill necessary to develop the land. Through the LAND DEVELOPMENT GUIDANCE SYSTEM review process, staff can encourage open space, public: access and trail systems, but it would be difficult to create effective open space networks and trail systems without a conceptual master plan for the gateway area. This scenario is filled with " unknowns. The only certainty is that the gateway area will continue to change. Since the area is still largely undeveloped, we have an opportunity to affect the future of this gateway to our community. Two alternative approaches were developed. Alternative A assumes urban level development and emphasizes design guidelines and intergovernmental coordination, while Alternative B controls the future of the area through acquisition and emphasizes recreational and educational opportunities. Existing commercial development in the galetvay. 5-9 WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS THE NULL ALTERNATIVE If the governmental agencies which have jurisdiction over land in and adjacent to the gateway area continue to operate under current policies, we can make some predictions about the future of this area. The following development scenario is based on current trends and development patterns of interchange locations in other communities. Properties on the east side of the interstate would develop under County regulations. The area north of Harmony Road but east of I-25 is currently being mined for gravel resources. It is anticipated that the area will be mined for at least ten more years before the gravel resources are depleted. The lan- downer's plans for the future of the property after the resources are removed are not determined. The land is zoned for agricultural use, but could conceivably be rezoned to allowed commercial or industrial land uses. Land located south of Harmony Road and east of I-25 is zoned C-Commercial in the county. This zoning district allows a variety of highway business uses such as gas stations, fast food restaurants and motels. Large scale commercial uses such as automobile sales, mobile home sales and storage warehouses are also permitted. Land on the west side of I-25 is within the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area (UGA) and is subject to Larimer County land use regulations and to the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area Intergovernmental Agreement. Development proposals on land not eligible for annexation, would be reviewed by the Urban Growth Area Review Board, with representatives from both Larimer County and Fort Collins. This board makes a recommendation to the Larimer County Board of Commissioners. Land that is eligible for annexation must annex prior to development. Property is zoned at the time of annexation. The City Council typically places a planned unit development condition on the zoning, meaning that development of the property must satisfy the criteria of the LAND DEVELOPMENT GUIDANCE SYSTEM (LDGS). Under existing City or County regulations, we can reasonably anticipate a mixture of land uses that would include highway business oriented uses near the interstate, more commercial development along Harmony Road and office and/or industrial land uses both north and south of Harmony Road. The prominence of the interstate highway coupled with floodplain restrictions make residential uses unlikely in this area, although it is a possibility for land areas closer to the bluffs. 5-8 OTHER FACTORS A variety of other influences, beyond the physical ones, affect how land use decisions are made. Property ownerships and land values are also key factors. There are approximately 6 different landowners represented in the area. Properties have been bought and sold with the expectation that highway business and/or other types of development would occur here in the future. The result has been an increase in land values. Governmental jurisdictions in the gateway are overlapping and com- plicated. While the gateway planning area is within the cty's Urban Growth Area boundary, only a small part of the area is currently within the city limits. The governmental jurisdictions and the development review procedures and processes are defined in the Inter- governmental Agreement for the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area. Generally speaking the City's jurisdiction applies to properties within the city limits and those eligible for annexation. A joint review procedure has been established for property outside city limits but within the UGA. The County has jurisdiction over properties located east of I-25. The Larimer County Land Use Plan has designated this area as "Rural" meaning that it should be protected for agricultural use or other low intensity uses, however the County zoning, ordinance contradicts this designation. Property at the southeast corner of the I- 25/Harmony Road intersection is zoned C-Commercial, which allows a wide range of land uses including highway commercial. Significant portions of the gateway area are state highway right of way and subject to rules and regulations of the State Division of Highways. Planning and development of the gateway area will require special coordination efforts. Blue berons are commonly seen near the Cacbe la Pbudre River. - 5-7 The Cacbe la Poudre River and numerous lakes in the gateway area could provide opportunities for recreational fisbing v good and could be enhanced further. Existing groves of cottonwood trees add to the visual interest -and create sheltered areas for picnicking. The area may also hold potential for more active recre- ational uses such as golfing, field sports, and camping. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE VALUE Resources for learning about history and the environment are abundant in the gateway area. The Cache La Poudre River floodplain with the Front Range as a highly visible backdrop creates an opportunity to learn about Colorado landforms and ecological systems. A diversity of vegetation and wildlife habitat is there to be observed. In addition, there are opportunities to learn about mining operations and reclamation as well as drainage basins, stream flows and water quality. There are a variety of ways to take advantage of these educational opportunities. Preserving all or part of the area as open space and providing an interpretive center is one example. Simply providing interpretive markers along a bike trail system would be another way to increase environmental awareness. WILDLIFE HABITAT VALUE Significant portions of the gateway area have been identified as having wetland, wildlife or vegetative interest. These areas include the open water created by old quarries left from mining operations, wetlands, groves of cottonwood trees and the riparian habitat along the river itself. (See Maps 2 and 3) The result of the habitat is a significant community of wildlife species which include birds, mammals, reptiles and fish. Bald eagle, great blue heron, homed owl and peregrine falcon are important bird species known to occur along the river. Mule deer and white -tail deer are also commonly found along the river corridor. Wi WATER QUALITY CONSIDERATIONS Wetlands have historically been considered to have little value and generally good for nothing unless they could be filled and put to productive use. Only recently have wetlands come to be appreciated for the vital role they play. Besides providing wildlife habitat, wetlands have a unique capability to filter and enhance water quality. Located at the edge between land and water, the plant and animal life found in the satu- rated soil conditions of wetlands creates an environment that naturally breaks pollutants down into harmless substances. Portions of the gateway area hold potential for being utilized to clean up stormwater run-off before it reaches the Cache La Poudre River. GRAVEL RESOURCES Gravel mining operations will affect the future of this area. Parts of the gateway have already been mined, parts are currently being mined and still other areas have gravel resources that could be mined in the future. All of these areas are presently outside of the city limits. Larimer County has a permit process for extraction of mineral resources that requires provisions for safety during the extraction operations and for reclamation. Both the City and County encourage. the removal of gravel resources prior to development. There has been a recent trend in other areas of the community for property owners to donate land to the City after the gravel resources are depleted. This practice has advantages for the owner and provides opportunities for the City to acquire open space at minimal cost. RECREA77ONAL OPPORTUNITIES The Parks and Recreation Department has developed a rating system used to evaluate property in order to determine whether or not acquisition of the property fulfills the City's objectives in regards to open space. Scenic qualities of the site combined with development limitations make land in the gateway area a viable candidate for public acquisition. Close proximity to the Strauss- Cabin and the Northern Colorado Nature Center is important and the ease of accessibility is also a plus. The rating system also prioritizes acquisition of land based on development pressure, meaning that land most likely to be developed should be acquired first. The fact that there are man-made structures on the site and an interstate highway is located adjacent to the property are negative factors when evaluating the area as public open space. In addition to the property's value as open space, the area also provides opportunities for various forms of both active and passive recreation. A series of old quarries and lakes associated with gravel mining operations provide opportunities for fishing, swimming, boating and skating in winter. Quarries, lakes, wetlands, the river, and scenic views combine to make the area ideally suited for bicycling, leisurely hiking and cross country skiing. Opportunities for viewing wildlife and bird watching are 5-5 v development to locate in the Harmony Corridor versus other Front Range communities. Quality development can create jobs and generate tax revenues that pay for a variety of public services. A favorable first impression can give Fort Collins an edge and help put the community in the driver's seat when it comes to selecting business and industry that is consistent with local values, as opposed to merely reacting to development when it comes. SCENIC RESOURCE VALUE The setting, being located in the floodplain of the Cache La Poudre River, is what makes the gateway area unique in the Harmony Corridor and significant in the community. The area is bounded by I-25 on the east and the bluffs on the west. The bluffs, known as the Poudre River Valley Wall, are a result of the river's down -cutting action as it meandered and migrated within its floodplain for thousands of years. The bluffs are a dominant visual element that identifies the river's floodplain while mature riparian vegetation seen in the distance defines the meandering path of the river. The resulting visual quality of this area is significant. Standing in the gateway area, one can see the whole spectrum of local ecosystems, from snow capped peaks in the far distance, to forested mountain tops, to chaparral foothills, to grass covered plains, down to the wetlands and the riparian vegetation associated with the river valley. To have such a sweeping vista at the front door to our community can be a valuable asset. THE FLOODPLAIN The 100-year floodplain is- the most significant development constraint in the gateway area. Most of the property in the gateway area lies within the 100 year floodplain, and significant portions of the area are within the floodway. Land located in the 100 year floodplain has a one per cent chance of flooding in a given year. The floodway is the land area that must be reserved in order to discharge the base flood without cumulatively increasing the water surface more than six inches. Under current policies, no development is allowed within the floodway. The areas between the floodway and the 100-year floodplain have some potential for development if flood -proofing is addressed. .Since serious land development restrictions are associated with the floodplain and natural resource areas, the gateway is an excellent resource for alternate, less intensive land uses. The river and its floodplain along with associated wetlands and wildlife habitat is an integrated system. The ability to manage floodplain lands for appropriate uses is important to the river's natural resource value. 5-4 INTRODUCTION The gateway area located between I-25 and the bluffs east of Hewlett-Packard, has many unique physical qualities including open water, wetlands, wildlife habitat and spectacular mountain views. The area is underlain with high quality gravel resources. Past, present and future mining operations have changed and will continue to change the character of the landscape. Most of the area lies within the 100 year floodplain of the Cache La Poudre River and significant portions are located in the floodway. These physical conditions create a variety of development constraints and at the same time offer many recreational and educational opportunities. Located at the crossroads of an interstate highway and a state highway, this major gateway entrance to Fort Collins has a great deal of development potential despite the constraints mentioned above. The commercial development that already exists in the gateway, as well as the kinds of development that interchange locations typically attract, do not mesh well with the scenic and natural resource values of the area. This combination of circumstances challenges the community to find a way to balance natural resource assets with economic development. s ISSUES ECONOMIC CONSIDER477ONS The gateway area is literally the "Front Door" to this community. The psychology of arrival is important. If a newcomer's first impression is marred by sights and sounds that are distasteful, those irritations will linger no matter how wonderful the rest of the visit to Fort Collins might be. How this area is planned makes a statement about the people of this community — what our values are and the pride we take in our community. This is why it is important to establish a particularly well -planned and attractive gateway entry. From an economic standpoint, a positive first impression can encourage quality View of the 1-25 intecbange at Harmony Road looking north 5- 3 - GATEWAY STUDY AREA BOUNDARY *%POUDRE VALLEY WA -7 0 � I/ MIN mmmm Fr. COLLINS UGA TIMNATH CITY LIMITS 5-2 E ALTERNATIVE MWAY CONCEPTS The psychology of arrival is more important than you think If it is not obvious where to part; if there is no room to park when you get there, if you stumble into the back door looking for the front entrance, or if the entrance is badly lighted, you will have sub- jected your guests to a series of annoy- ances which will linger long in tbeir subconscious No matter bow warm your hearth or how beautiful your view, the overall effect will be dimmed by these first irritations THOMAS D. CHURCH Harmony Corridor Plan f- Growth Management Lead Team Comments 4/6/99 (Notes taken by Troy Jones) Issue #1 — Consistency with the Structure Plan • The east half of the property is designated as Rural/Open Lands and Stream Corridors (ROL). • The intent in putting the eastern part of the property in ROL on the Structure Plan was to provide a gateway into the city as specified in the Harmony Corridor Plan. • If development occurs in accordance with their proposed concept layout, they will be filling in the western edge of some of the existing ponds and developing on that filled area. This area is within the ROL designation on the Structure Plan Map. • Joe Frank feels their proposed development layout would in fact warrant a structure plan change in order to build it as proposed. Issue #2 — Recommended Zoning • The eastern pond area could be zoned specifically to preserve it as open space in the RC zone, or the open space could be preserved as a "green corridor" in a variety of zoning districts. • There are three possibilities discussed for zoning the eastern ponds area, HC, RC, or T. The site will undoubtedly have some combinations of HC with the above. Appropriate boundaries between the zones will be affected by the following: a. What the existing reclamation plan says, b. Current and future floodway alignments, c. Can the proposed development parcel be moved to the west (fill the western lake rather than the eastern lakes), d. Whether or not the gateway issues are being addressed, e. The final and future alignment of I-25 access ramps. Issue #3 — Gateway concept — see attached excerpt from the Harmony Corridor Plan. Issue #4 — Plan of Action from this point on • Confirm that the proposed plat includes all ROW to be dedicated for the I-25 access ramp. a. The client says the plat reflects the ROW recently acquired from CDOT in the vicinity of the access ramp. b. Find out if any the CDOT acquisition of ROW is the final necessary acquisition for that intersection, or if there is still some other Transportation Department acquisition to take into account. • Make sure all gateway issues are being adequately addressed (according to Joe Frank). • Coordinate citywide floodway policy with specific Poudre River policies about what is allowed in the floodway, and whether or not floodway locations can be moved (their proposed design would require a shift to the west of the floodway). • Check if the floodway and floodplain information being used takes the new rainfall standards into account. • Check what the gravel mine reclamation plan states about the future of the site. • Check feasibility of filling a portion of the western lake rather than the two eastern lakes. • Compare the three possible sewer service choices, City's Water Wastewater, Boxelder, or South FC. John Fishbach and Greg Byrne prefer the City of Fort Collins to provide the sewer service, which would require a lift to the line in Harmony at the top of the valley wall. • Staff comments are due Wed. April 14ih.