HomeMy WebLinkAboutHARMONY RIDGE PUD, PHASE 2 (2ND FILING) - PRELIMINARY / FINAL - 49-95D - CORRESPONDENCE - RESPONSE TO CITIZEN (3)s
The current owner and developer of the property approached the City with a conceptual
plan (in December, 1999) for about 35 single family homes on this property. At that time
the developer was informed that the reduced density on this site would not comply with
the approved ODP. The property is now in the LMN - Low Density Mixed -Use
Neighborhood Zoning District, which requires a density range of 5 to 8 dwelling units
per acre. The City's Growth Management Lead Team discussed the developer's
request at a meeting in January, 2000. The determination made at this meeting was
that the land use and nature of development (123 townhomes on 15 acres, as set forth
on the approved ODP) is still valid and meets the principles and policies of the City.
Therefore, based on this determination, the developer has submitted a preliminary &
final PUD plan for the Harmony Ridge, Phase II. This plan is for 123 townhomes on
15.8 acres, at a density of 7.78 dwelling units per acre.
The Harmony Ridge PUD, Phase II - Preliminary & Final submittal includes a letter from
the developer's traffic engineer stating that this project has the same number of
dwelling units and access to Harmony Road via Seneca Street that was analyzed in the
Harmony Ridge Site Access Study of September, 1995. There have been various
subsequent memoranda to the access study, the last of which was dated September 1,
1998. Since this current submittal is in conformance with the approved ODP, the City's
Traffic Engineer has indicated that no further traffic analyses or reports are needed.
However, the Harmony Ridge development will be responsible for some improvements
to the Harmony Road and Seneca Street intersection and this intersection will be
signalized at such time that the traffic on these streets warrants it.
You expressed concerns about the environmental impact of this proposed development
and the neighborhood views. It is presumed that these concerns are regarding the
potential impact on the Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area and the views to the natural
area and foothills. These are issues that will be evaluated during the development
review process for the Harmony Ridge PUD, Phase II request. The project was given
extensive evaluation in earlier review stages, including computer generated simulations
of the view of the site from public lands.
Please contact me at 221-6287 if you have questions or would like to further discuss
your concerns.
Sincerely,
Greg Byrne,
Director of Community Planning
and Environmental Services
cc: John Fischbach, City Manager
Bob Blanchard, Current Planning Director
Steve Olt, City Planner
Commu y Planning and Environmental rvices
Current Planning
City of Fort Collins
February 3, 2000
Ms. Kim Pettine
1700 Briargate Court
Fort Collins, CO. 80526
Dear Ms. Pettine,
Thank you for your patience in waiting for this reply and for your concerns regarding the
proposed Harmony Ridge PUD, Phase II development plan. The proposal as presented
at the neighborhood information meeting of January 12, 2000 was for approximately
120 townhomes (multi -family dwellings) on 15 acres.
The Harmony Ridge Overall Development Plan (ODP) was approved by the Planning
and Zoning Board on September 23, 1996, and this plan showed potential land uses to
be townhomes, a church, or a retirement complex. The property was zoned RLP B Low
Density Planned Residential at the time of the approval of the ODP. Multi -family
residential was allowed within this zoning district, subject to compliance with the
regulations and requirements of the Land Development Guidance System (LDGS). The
Density Calculations on the ODP showed a total of 123 townhome units on 15 acres of
Phase II, for a density of 8.2 dwelling units per acre. The Residential Uses Density
Chart and the All Development Criteria in the LDGS supported this land use and the
proposed density.
A Site Access Study (Traffic Study) was done in September, 1995 as part of the review
of the Harmony Ridge ODP. This study was prepared by an independent traffic
engineer representing the developer. This study was submitted to the City and
evaluated by the Traffic Engineering and Transportation Departments. In the study
existing and future traffic conditions were assessed, including background traffic
(defined as the traffic that is and/or will be on the area streets that is not related to the
proposed development). In essence, this traffic study assessed all known
existing/future development in the area that would affect streets and intersections.
Conclusions were that the key intersections, including the intersection of "new"
Harmony Road and Seneca Street, would operate acceptably. By 2015, with full
development of Harmony Ridge (Phases I and II), the "new" Harmony/"old" Harmony/
Seneca intersection would also operate acceptably, except for delays that are typical
for minor street left turns into arterial streets. These conclusions were accepted by the
City.
281 North College Avenue • PO. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 • FAX (970) 416-2020