HomeMy WebLinkAboutSIENA (OVERLAND RIDGE) PUD - FINAL - 39-95A - MEDIA -Growth
Council
stands by.'
Siena plan
The C4maoan
A west Fort Collins family's
plan to build a housing develop-
ment on land that it has owned
for 75 years will move ahead.
The Fort Collins City Council
decided Tuesday to uphold the
city Planning and Zoning Board's
approval of the Siena develop; I
ment proposed for a 28-acre site
south of West Elizabeth Street at
Rocky Road.
The planning board approved
the development plan March 6',
but an appeal of that decision
from neighbors of the site brought
the plan before the council. 11
Council members said they ap-
preciated. the Minatta family's X
forts to develop the land in a way .
that matches the city's goals for
new housing developments.
This is the kind of in -fill devel
opment we're looking for," said
council member Chris Kneeland : '
The council upheld the plan-
ning board's decision on a 61`
vote. Council,member Will Smith
dissented, saying he thought the
city and the developer "could havd
done better" with the plan. 1,
John Minatta, who is leading
the efforts to develop the land,
said Siena's 116 single-family
homes would incorporate ele-
ments of the "neo-traditional"
urban design city planners favor.
Minatta said most of the new
houses would have deep font
porches, detached sidewalks and
access to garages through alleys.
Planners say those and other de-
sign elements, which were com-
mon to urban development before
World War 11, help add a sense of
community to a neighborhood.
Judy Harrington, a neighbor of
the site who brought the appeal to
the council, said the development
would add too much traffic to ad-
jacent neighborhood streets.
She also said neighbors were.
concerned that houses on the de-
velopment's south side, which:
would border a path leading to
Overland Trail Park, would be
only 20 feet from the property line
and overshadow the path.
Minatta agreed to the councirs.
stipulations that houses on the
site's south side be set back at
least 30 feet. He also agreed to
plant at least two trees on each
lot bordering the path.
Following the council's decision,'
Minatta said he hoped to break
ground on the project by July;'
Construction on the first houses
would begin in the fall, he said. ,
Minatta said he viewed the via,
tory with "mixed emotions."
"I'm glad we're finally going toi
moving on this," he said. `But it's
frustrating that just a few people
could cause a two -month delay." .