HomeMy WebLinkAboutALPINE BANK - PDP200020 - - VARIANCE REQUEST
6162 S. Willow Drive, Suite 320
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
303.770.8884 • GallowayUS.com
January 20, 2021
Spencer Smith, PE
City of Fort Collins, Engineering – Development Review
281 N. College Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80524
RE: Alpine Bank at SEC of S. College & E. Prospect
1608, 1610, and 1618 S. College Avenue
Fort Collins, Colorado
Request for Variance from 15’ Wide Utility Easement to 10’ Wide Utility Easement which
parallels S. College Avenue ROW
Background Information
Alpine Bank is currently under contract to lease approximately .96 Acres at the Southeast corner of S.
College Avenue * E. Prospect Road in Fort Collins. Colorado. Property is more commonly identified as
1608, 1610, and 1618 S. College Avenue. Property consists of multiple lots which include three
existing buildings. All three buildings either have been or are currently being used for commercial
purposes. Two of the three buildings appear to have been designed for commercial purposes and are
believed to have been constructed in the mid-1960s. The remaining building is a residential design
and believed to have been constructed in 1928.
All three properties are currently zoned General Commercial District (C-G) which allows for a variety of
retail and commercial uses including “Offices, Financial Services & Clinics” as defined in the Zoning
District Matrix of the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code. The proposed development would be subject
to a Preliminary Development Plan (PDP), subsequent Type 1 Review and Public Hearing, and
eventually a Final Development Plan (FDP). The decision maker for Type 1 Hearings is an
Administrative Hearing Officer which is a land use attorney from outside of Fort Collins.
In order to facilitate the proposed project, we anticipate the demolition of two of the three buildings and
on-site relocation of the third building which has been identified as being ‘Architecturally Significant’ as
the result of a Colorado Cultural Resource Survey completed in January 2020. The two buildings to be
demolished are located at 1608 and 1618 S. College Avenue. The building to be relocated on-site is
currently located at 1610 S. College Avenue and would be relocated to the South end of the site to
better facilitate redevelopment of the northern portion of the property into a branch office for Alpine
Bank.
In addition to demolition of existing buildings and relocation of one building on site, the proposed
development will also be required to dedicate 12’ of right-of way to facilitate the construction of a new
deceleration/right-hand turn lane from north bound College Avenue to east bound Prospect Road.
Right-of-way dedication will also include 8’ for a tree lawn as well as an additional 10’ easement to
accommodate a new sidewalk and potential future utilities. The reduction in the overall width of the
site in the east-west direction has necessitated the consideration of alternative parking, circulation, and
access scenarios.
Request for Variance
We are requesting a variance from the 15’ wide utility easement as identified in details for Arterial
Streets 7-1F, 7-2F, and 7-3F as found in the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards (LCUASS).
Compare to Standards
As an alternate to the required 15’ utility easement, we are proposing an alternate easement width of
10’. We do not believe the reduction in easement width will have any impact on future capital
maintenance requirements, costs, or design since most if not all utilities in the area are existing. For
Alpine Bank
S. College & E. Prospect
January 20, 2021
Galloway & Company, Inc. Page 2 of 3
instance, the existing water main along College Avenue is already in place and will be located entirely
in the ROW once the 20’ land dedication is complete. Please see exhibit below which illustrates both
the 20’ (12’ deceleration lane and 8’ tree lawn) land dedication as well as the proposed 10’ utility and
access easement.
Justifications
Given that most, if not all, utilities (wet and dry) are already constructed and operational in and around
the property, we do not anticipate the need for additional utilities to be constructed in the future. As
previously noted, an existing water main already exists along College Avenue and will be fully located
within the ROW once the 20’ land dedication is completed. Dry utilities exist in the alley located e ast of
Alpine Bank
S. College & E. Prospect
January 20, 2021
Galloway & Company, Inc. Page 3 of 3
the property and for the most part are already located underground. Based on the existing utility
situation we do not believe a full 15’ of width will be required in the future and therefore request that
the overall width be reduced to 10’. This additional 5’ of width not encumbered by an easement will
allow for a more efficient site design which is already being compromised by a 20’ ROW dedication.
We do not believe the reduction in width will be detrimental to public health, safety, welfare, and will
not reduce the design life of any future improvement installed within the easement. The reduced width
will continue to advance the public purpose by allowing improved pedestrian circulation along College
while at the same time providing space for installation of future utilities along the ROW.
We believe the proposed reduction in easement width will not diverge from the standards of the
LCUASS Standards except in a nominal, inconsequential way, that will not impact future development.
ROW improvements of infrastructure installation along College Avenue.
Please review and let us know if you have any questions or require additional information. Thank you
in advance for your consideration.
Sincerely,
GALLOWAY
Zell O. Cantrell
Site Development Project Manager
Zell Cantrell@GallowayUS.com