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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHORSETOOTH EAST BUSINESS PARK, BIGHORN OFFICE BUILDING (LOT 2) - PRELIMINARY/FINAL - 43-94E - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT0 As the proposed BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal is a Type I [administrative] permitted use, a neighborhood meeting was not required. 4. Findings of Fact/Conclusion: A. The BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal contains permitted uses in the E - Employment Zoning District, subject to administrative review. B. The BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal meets all applicable standards as put forth in the LUC, including Division 3.2 - Site Planning and Design Standards and Division 3.5 - Building Standards. C. The BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal is compatible with the surrounding land uses. D. The BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal is located outside of the Residential Neighborhood Sign District. All signage must comply with the applicable LUC requirements. E. The BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal requires that a modification of building height limits be granted by the Director of Community Planning and Environmental Services Area. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PLAN, being a Portion of the Horsetooth East Business Park, Overall Development Plan - #43-94E. 8 style, such as peaked roof sections, corner turrets, belvedere or cupolas. 2. Allowing rooftop building extensions to incorporate HVAC equipment. The purpose of the proposed building height in excess of 40' is to provide a peaked roof section to incorporate and fully screen the rooftop mechanical equipment from view. C. Division 3.8 Supplemental Regulations The subject property is located outside of the Residential Neighborhood Sign District and will be evaluated with the applicable LUC requirements in Section 3.8.7 by the Zoning Department. 3. Article 4. District Standards Light industrial, research and development, and office uses are permitted in the E - Employment Zoning District, subject to administrative review. The purpose of the E - District is: Intended to provide locations for a variety of workplaces including light industrial uses, research and development activities, offices, and institutions. This District also is intended to accommodate secondary uses that complement or support the primary workplace uses, such as hotels, restaurants, convenience shopping, child care, and housing. Additionally, the Employment District is intended to encourage the development of planned office and business parks; to promote excellence in the design and construction of buildings, outdoor spaces, transportation facilities and streetscapes; to direct the development of workplaces consistent with the availability of public facilities and services; and to continue the vitality and quality of life in adjacent residential neighborhoods. This proposal complies with the purpose of the E - District as it is part of an approved, establishing business, office, and industrial park (Horsetooth East Business Park). This business park is within safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian walking distance of several residential neighborhoods in all four directions. The Collindale Business Park, an approved and establishing area directly to the south, is within safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian walking distance. Potential uses in these business parks consist of industrial, office, convenience stores, restaurants, and financial facilities. 7 walk through the parking lots or cross the driveway, thus complying with the standard. There will be a narrowed driveway connection between the parking lots on the north west sides of the building to discourage, but allow, vehicular traffic between the parking lots. Building materials. The proposed structure would consist of the following building materials: Predominantly brick facade, with a portion of the 1-story section of the building in the service area being a concrete block. Aluminum glazing window system. Concrete roof tiles. These materials comply with the standard (Section 3.5.1(F)(1)] which states: Building materials shall either be similar to the materials already being used in the neighborhood, or, dissimilar materials are being proposed, other characteristics such as scale and proportions, form, architectural detailing, color and texture, shall be utilized to ensure that enough similarity exists for the building to be compatible, despite the differences in materials. Building Height Review. The proposed structure would be generally 17'-4" in height, with approximately 1/3 of the building footprint (the 3-story component) being up to 47'-6" in height. Section 3.5.1(H) states that: All buildings or structures in excess of forty (40) feet in height shall be subject to special review pursuant to this subsection (H). The proposed 3-story component of the building will be 37' high from grade to the top of the concrete tile facia around this section of the building. The roof would then slope up to a 2' high parapet wall capping the building. The purpose for this sloped roof is to conceal the required mechanical equipment from view. There is a relatively small triangular area of the vertical height of the building that is over the allowable 40' height limit. Section 3.5.1(H)(c) allows the Director of Community Planning and Environmental Services Area to modify building height limits for the following purposes: Allowing architectural embellishments consistent with architectural 6 northeast corners of the building near the entryways to the building. Each is within 75' to 80' of an entryway. The amount of bicycle parking in these three locations will exceed 5 spaces, which is the minimum required relative to the 94 automobile parking spaces. Directness and continuity of walkways. The proposal satisfies the standard that walkways within the site shall be located and aligned to directly and continuously connect areas or points of pedestrian origin and destination, and shall not be located and aligned solely based on the outline of a parking lot configuration that does not provide such direct pedestrian access (Section 3.2.2(5)(a)]. The walkway provided will be 6' in width and extends from the northwest corner of the building to the sidewalk at the adjacent street intersection. It provides direct pedestrian movement from the building entries to the sidewalks along Automation Way and Bighorn Drive without having to cross the parking lot. Required number of parking spaces. The applicant requests a total of 94 parking spaces to be associated with the BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal, all of which are to be located on -site. The number of parking spaces for this development is calculated on employee parking for an industrial use. The development proposal indicates that the land use will be light industrial and research and development, with offices as an ancillary use. A total of 150 employees are projected to work in this building. A maximum of 113 parking spaces (150 x 0.75 spaces per employee) would be allowed to comply with Section 3.2.2(K)(a) of the LUC. With the 94 spaces as proposed, the development complies with this standard. B. Division 3.5 - Building Standards The BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal satisfies all applicable Building and Project Compatibility standards (Section 3.5.1), including the following: Building orientation. This proposal complies with Section 3.5.1(D), which states that primary facades and entries shall face the adjacent street. Except as allowed in the Industrial zone district, a main entrance shall face a connecting walkway with a direct pedestrian connection to the street without requiring all pedestrians to walk through parking lots or cross driveways. The orientation of the proposed BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP building is such that it faces the adjacent streets with a direct pedestrian connection to the street without requiring pedestrians to 5 area from the street or adjacent use. This development proposal meets the standard for parking lot screening by providing a 2' high earthen berm in the street frontages along Automation Way and Bighorn Drive, thereby meeting the requirement to continuously block the "lowest 20% of the cross-section view" of the parking area from the streets. The third standard referenced states that: Six (6) percent of the interior space of all parking lots with less than 100 spaces, and ten (10) percent of the interior space of all parking lots with 100 spaces or more shall be landscape areas. This development proposal meets the standard for Parking Lot Interior Landscaping, providing a minimum of 6% interior landscaping in the parking lot with 94 spaces. Screening. The proposal complies with the standard relating to the screening (Section 3.2.1(E)(6)] of areas of low visual interest or visually intrusive site elements (such as trash collection, open storage, service areas, loading docks, and blank walls) from off -site view. The trash enclosure and service area are located on the southeast side of the building, facing the existing Associates in Family Medicine office building to the east. The building and site landscaping serve as appropriate screening materials between the potentially intrusive site elements, the streets, and adjacent properties in all four directions. The proposal satisfies the applicable Access, Circulation and Parking standards (Section 3.2.2), including the following: Bicycle parking. Bicycle parking is provided on site that meets or exceeds the proposal that specifies the required number of bicycle parking spaces, as well as the location, defined in the following standard (Section 3.2. 2(C) (4) (a)]: A minimum number of bicycle parking spaces shall be provided, equal in number to at least five (5) percent of the total number of automobile parking spaces provided by the development, but not less than one. Pad sites for the placement of the bicycle racks are connected to the interior sidewalk system and are located at the northwest, southwest, and 4 The property was subdivided as part of the Horsetooth East Business Park Minor Subdivision that was approved by the Planning Director on February 17, 1995 for 3 lots, a tract of land for utility and drainage easements, and street right-of-way for Automation Way on 8.9 acres. 2. Article 3, General Development Standards This BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PDP development proposal meets all applicable standards in Article 3 - General Development Standards, of the LUC. Of specific note are Division 3.2 Site Planning and Design Standards, Division 3.5 Building Standards, and Division 3.8 Supplemental Regulations. Further discussions of these particular standards follow. A. Division 3.2 - Site Planning and Design Standards The proposal satisfies the applicable Landscaping and Tree Protection Standards (Section 3.2.1), including the following: Parking lot landscaping --perimeter and interior. Parking lot landscaping is in accordance with the standards, including those related to Parking Lot Perimeter Landscaping (Sections 3.2.1(E)(4)(a) and (b)] and Parking Lot Interior Landscaping (Section 3.2.1(E)(5)]. The first standard referenced states that: Trees shall be provided at a ratio of one (1) tree per twenty-five lineal feet along a public street and one (1) tree per forty (40) lineal feet along a side lot line parking setback area. Trees may be spaced irregularly in informal groupings or be uniformly spaced. Shade trees are being provided in the perimeter setbacks along the west and south property lines between the attached sidewalks and parking areas at a spacing of 25' on -center. Shade trees are being provided along the south property line in the 8' wide setback at 40' on -center between the parking area and property line. This meets the standard for Parking Lot Perimeter Landscaping. The second standard referenced states that: Parking lots with six (6) or more spaces shall be screened from adjacent uses and from the street. Screening from the street and all non-residential uses shall be of sufficient height and opacity to continuously block at least the lowest twenty (20) percent of the cross-section view of the parking 3 Light industrial, research laboratories, and offices are permitted in the E - Employment Zoning District, subject to administrative review. The purpose of the E - District is: Intended to provide locations for a variety of workplaces including light industrial uses, research and development activities, offices, and institutions. This District also is intended to accommodate secondary uses that complement or support the primary workplace uses, such as hotels, restaurants, convenience shopping, child care, and housing. Additionally, the Employment District is intended to encourage the development of planned office and business parks; to promote excellence in the design and construction of buildings, outdoor spaces, transportation facilities and streetscapes; to direct the development of workplaces consistent with the availability of public facilities and services; and to continue the vitality and quality of life in adjacent residential neighborhoods. This proposal complies with the purpose of the E - District as it is part of an approved, establishing business, office, and industrial park (Horsetooth East Business Park). This business park is within safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian walking distance of several residential neighborhoods in all four directions. The Collindale Business Park, an approved and establishing area directly to the south, is within safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian walking distance. Potential uses in both of these business parks consist of industrial, office, convenience stores, restaurants, and financial facilities. COMMENTS: 1. Background: The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: E, existing car wash (Carriage Wash PUD, Horsetooth East Business Park) S: E; undeveloped, existing stormwater detention pond (Collindale Business Park) W: E; existing office building (Sheperd-Miller, et.al., Horsetooth East Business Park) E: E; existing medical office (Associates in Family Medicine, Horsetooth East Business Park) This property was annexed into the City as part of the Harmony No. 2 Annexation in September, 1977. 2 Commt \ y Planning and Environmental rvices Current Planning City of Fort Collins PROJECT: BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PLAN, being Lot 2 of the Horsetooth East Business Park Minor Subdivision and a portion of the Horsetooth East Business Park, Overall Development Plan - #43-94E - [Type I, Administrative Review in the Land Use Code (LUC)] APPLICANT: Layne Mitchell 4875 Pearl East Circle, #300 Boulder, Colorado 80301 OWNER: Timberline Partners Limited, LLLP 4875 Pearl East Circle, #300 Boulder, Colorado 80301 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a request for Project Development Plan (PDP) approval for the proposed BIGHORN BUILDING (PAD 'H'), being Lot 2 of the Horsetooth East Business Park Minor Subdivision. The site is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Bighorn Drive and Automation Way, south of East Horsetooth Road, and west of Timberline Road. The applicant proposes a 3-story building, containing a maximum of 33,000 square feet, on a 1.98 acre lot, to be used for light industrial, research and development, and ancillary offices. There are a total of 94 parking spaces on -site to serve the proposed development. The property is in the E - Employment Zoning District. RECOMMENDATION: Approval EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This PDP complies with the applicable requirements of the Land Use Code (LUC), specifically the standards located in Division 3.2 - Site Planning and Design Standards, Division 3.5 - Building Standards, and Section 3.8.7 - Signs located in Article 3 - General Development Standards, and the applicable district standards located in Article 4 - District Standards of the LUC (Division 4.22 E- Employment Zoning District). 1 281 North College Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 • FAX (970) 416-2020