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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOVENTRY SUBDIVISION PRELIMINARY ..... JANUARY 31 1994 P & Z BOARD HEARING - 80 93 - REPORTS - CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONDecember 18, 1993 Ted Shepard City Planner Planning Department City of Fort Collins RE: Coventry Subdivision Clarendon Hills Homeowners Association Position Hello Ted, I have reviewed the material you sent me on the proposed Coventry subdivision located in southeast Fort Collins. The material submitted to the Fort Collins Planning Department corresponds with the information shared with me by Jim McCory, President of Colorado Land Source, and Jim Sell of Jim Sell Designs. As a member of the Clarendon Hills Board of Directors and appointed representative for the Clarendon Hills Homeowners Association regarding the Coventry subdivision activity, it has been my responsibility to work with the developer to ensure the concerns of the homeowners are addressed. Several meetings have occurred between Jim McCory and the Clarendon Hills homeowners regarding the Coventry subdivision plans. And I have been very pleased with Jim McCory's willingness to listen to the concerns of the homeowners and his efforts to meet their needs. Jim McCory has made several changes to the Coventry subdivision plans to satisfy the major concerns raised by the Clarendon Hills homeowners. He has also made changes along Hinsdale Drive that will compliment the north entry way into Clarendon Hills. All of these changes have been documented in a signed letter to me by Jim McCory. I have provided a copy of this document to you for your records. I have reviewed these changes with several members of the Clarendon Hills homeowners, including homeowners on Rochelle Circle, which is adjacent to the proposed Coventry subdivision. Everyone I have spoken to has been pleased with the changes. The Clarendon Hills Homeowners Association is very satisfied with the plans submitted to the Fort Collins Planning Department, on December 6, 1993, for the proposed Coventry subdivision. We feel the Coventry subdivision will be a nice addition to our neighborhood. Thank you for your interest in understanding Clarendon Hills opinion on the proposed Coventry subdivision. Let me know if you have any questions. Sincerely, Carl Cicero 6661 Z Z 030 %InnM!5) 51 Q PROPOSED McGRAW RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT December 20, 1993 Page Two Safety Crest Road at Harmony can be a dangerous and frustrating intersection. Westbound traffic on Harmony headed south on Crest is put in a dangerous position. Traffic behind you is accelerating and has a difficult time merging to the right. Additional Crest lots may cause multiple vehicles to be attempting a southbound turn, further increasing the risk. A designated turning lane needs to be developed on Harmony. Northbound Crest Road traffic is frequently delayed by minutes, not seconds, as I believe was stated in the submitted traffic report. Northbound traffic on Crest cannot safely make a westbound turn to Harmony during most driving times. Eastbound tums during peak hours have been timed by Crest Road homeowners and it can take up to five minutes to make an eastbound turn or right-hand turn. We assume Harmony will be upgraded to arterial standards with two eastbound lanes from Hindsdale to College. Until this is completed, additional Crest Road traffic will make eastbound turns from Crest much more difficult. Harmony needs to be completed and Crest Road's northbound lane needs a westbound and eastbound turning lane. Drainage/Wetlands and Pollution The subject property is contiguous to a wetlands. We have a general concern over pollution. Two separate wetlands exist within Brookwood and in addition to pollution, they serve as a drainage system for all run- off water. My ponds have changed significantly since Clarendon was built. Drainage from the southern half of the subject property will impact my ponds. Historically, most was absorbed by the proposed lots. Please ask the developer to study this concern and to design for its impact. Conclusion Please consider the following: 1. Compatibility. Reduction of Crest Road density to seven lots. Fewer, wider lots with deeper minimum setback and landscape requirements between the homes and Crest would improve the impact on Brookwood homeowners. Allow for the 30 foot utility easement between Lot 100 and the northwestern most Brookwood lot to permit Brookwood access to the park and school. 2. Safety. On Crest, create a northbound left turn lane and right turn lane. On Harmony, create a westbound left turn lane for southbound Crest Road traffic. Harmony Road, on both sides of Crest, needs to be two lanes eastbound. 3. Drainage/Wetlands and Pollution. Please ask the developer to study the impact on the wetlands contiguous to Lot 89 and the southbound run off which will enter my ponds. Thank you for considering my concerns. We will attend the planning and zoning meeting to further discuss these options. Thanks. RMR/ca RICHARD M. REIDER c/o Reider & Co., Inc. 2000 S. College Ave., #305 Fort Collins, Colorado 80525 (303) 221-5758 FAX (303) 221-0755 U L5V15UVLE ' DEC Z 719M TO: Ted Shepard, Senior Planner FROM: Richard M. Reide�.'J�,// RE: PROPOSED McGRA�W RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT BROOKWOOD HOMEOWNER'S CONCERNS DATE: December 20, 1993 Dear Ted: I want to thank you for all of your help regarding my questions on the McGraw Subdivision. I have reviewed the most recent data (December 6) filed with to your department which you copied for Ron Erbes. I would like to submit in writing some observations I have made and some general concerns my fellow Brookwood homeowner's share. It's my hope that these concerns will be considered by all parties who would review or approve this development. They include: 1. Compatibility 2. Safety 3. Drainage, Wetlands and Pollution Compatibility The proposed subdivision calls for twelve lots (numbers 89-100) to be constructed on Crest Road. The lots, although large by city standards, are very narrow (72 feet to 80 feet), compared to all other Crest Road lots. Lot 100 is the only solar oriented lot and it is contiguous to the cast/west lot line of one Brookwood lot. Brookwood homeowner's reside in the county and many have owned their homes since the late '70s. Crest Road is the only source of ingress and egress for all nine Brookwood lots. Brookwood homes sit on well -landscaped lots of 5 to 20 acres. The proposed McGraw lots are higher than Crest Road and would have a significant visual impact on Crest. Brookwood homeowner's are very upset with this proposal. Twelve houses on narrow lots high above our access road will change the way we feel about our neighborhood. A few changes would make a world of difference from our perspective. If seven lots were developed, ample landscaping could be introduced, enhancing the overall neighborhood appearance. The Crest lots would bring a higher price as estate lots and would benefit from our open space and equivalently valued homes. Deeper required setbacks than the standard 20 feet would lessen the impact the homes would have on Crest Road and a landscaped buffer between the homes and Crest would compliment our lots. Lot 100 is contiguous to one Brookwood lot and contains a 30 foot utility easement. We would like to see the easement allow for Crest Road homeowner access to the elementary school and park. Problem 4. McGraw school is the parking designated for the "park", therefore the school looses parking space. see solution 6 below. Problem 5. Parcel three, as I see it, is an example of gerrymandering. Rfter city and school board sale of this narrow sliver of land, the planning board is simply rubber stamping some one else's plan to shift the costs of a street and utilities. The strange outline of the development further gerrymanders a small wetland (Mail Creek) which the parks department doesn't want either!! This wetland is the originating Mail Creek spring and must be managed carefully. see solution 6 below Problem 6. The plan for 12 houses on narrow lots is not compatible with our established Crest Road, and Brookwood subdivision. We are a covenant established and platted neighborhood of estate type 5 to 7 acre single family' units. We have 55 foot front setbacks and 35 foot side line setbacks. We set on a dead end cul de sac which will be impacted severely by twelve additional homes. Uisual impact, fire service and traffic egress are our largest concerns. Solution for all above problems except 1. Cancel the Crest Road (lots 09 through 100) portion of this PUB. This takes the city out of the business of developing county roads. The school yard and park is enlarged to usable space, and school parking would be protected. Brookwood. Development will continue to maintain Crest (as we do now). Future improvement of Crest will attach to it in normal pay -back fashion. Most importantly it would help on the fire and traffic safety problem. The McGraw developer is free of the engineering costs of a long, strangely gerrymandered site wrapped around a "Pseudo Park" and wetland, so he can more effectively manage the rest of the subdivision. Sincerely, RB a Shirley Heath Chairman Brookwood Homeowners Rssociation R B Cr Shirley Heath 4920 Crest Rd Ft Collins, CO 80526 Ph 226-3559 3 Jan 94 Planning and Zoning Board City of Ft Collins K RE Proposed McGraw Subdiuision jjk1I BAN 31994 Dear Board, The following are our thoughts. We acknowledge and understand city density needs for tas base planning and fire/police protection etc. Howeuer, parcel 3 (Lots 89 to 100) of the proposed McGraw deuelopment is a small sliuer added on, or gerrymandered, almost as an afterthought, to quite simply and frankly, shield the parks department from incurring road deuelopment costs. Four Important facts to consider: Our development includes important vetlands which are the headvaters of both Mail Creek and Fossil Creek Brookwood has significant estate landscaping in place to'couse rve the area, including shelter belts and dams full of ducks and geese_ Crest road is a county dedicated but privately maintained road_ Tvo Irrigation ditches must be preserved as they traverse McGraw subdivision_ Problem 1. Adding twelve housing units to Crest road is unacceptable with the dangerous traffic situation at present. The ingress/egress of Hinsdale, Crest and Larkbunting as they abruptly interface with Harmony Traffic is choked by funnelling a fine lane city outer belt on the east through a three lane crossing of the Burlington Northern Rail on West Harmony. On the west, burgeoning deuelopment has added immense traffic loads choosing Harmony or Timberline Solution for 1. Establish a roadway connection from Crest to Hinsdale through a neighborhood collecting street. Problem 2. Two portions of an irrigation ditch traverse the proposed McGraw deuelopment. They cannot be used as drainage or settlement ponds for the deuelopment, since they are on a high enough grade to deliuer water to the area not drain it. Mail Creek floods during large rains as it goes under the Burlington Northern RR Tracks. We are uery careful with irrigation water in this area and the deueloper needs to plan water retention facilities to be careful not to simply drain the deuelopment into the Mail Creek spring. No solution needed since by law the ditches must be preserved along with the associated water rights. Problem 3. McGraw school is not surrounded with a usable park, no ball fieids - no parking with access only through backyards. see solution 6 below. . PAGE 3 As a home owner of Brookwood, I feel that the total atmosphere and feelings of our rural neighborhood is being compromised by allowing any development on the west side of Crest Road. These few acres (3.3 acres) should be a part of the proposed park. It appears that the only reason the city planners and parks representatives suggested this land for development was to cover the cost of improving the wet lands and the Crest Road and Harmony intersection. As proposed, the so called park is nothing more than an enlarged school ground without access. The park being adjacent to the wet lands allow young children the opportunity explore and become endangered. The logical use for this ground (3.3 acres) would be to keep all of it as a park by removing the wet lands and then landscape it with grass and flowers; therefore, saving it for all to enjoy or for future school expansion. If you are determined to force this development on Brookwood homeowners, then at least make sure there is adequate access, safety, drainage and compatibility to the Brookwood neighborhood. Sincerely Robert Underhill ;7z6 - GG/8 PAGE 2 CONCERNS: ISSUES: SAFETY 1) Egress & ingress Harmony - Crest Rd intersection. 2) Buffer between wet lands & park. 3)Home owners access to school functions. They now need to walk up 10' berm & climb 6' fence or drive around. 4) Brookwood homeowners access to park & school. 5) Fire response time to move through added traffic & development. DRAINAGE: 1) Additional polluted run off through Mail Creek drainage at Harmony. 2) Additional polluted run off through ponds at the end of Crest Rd. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: 1) Turn lanes on Harmony at Crest Rd. 2) Hindsdale - Crest connection giving second point of access.The connection will allow Brookwood to utilize the inevitable traffic light at Harmony & Hindsdale which will be needed in future years. 1) Require additional drainage study for both areas. 2) Possible holding ponds between lots 100 and Erbe's residence. O December 31, 1993 Robert Underhill 5020 Crest Rd Ft. Collins, CO 80526 Ted Shepard / Senior Planner City of Ft. Collins PO Box 580 Ft. Collins, CO 80522 RE: McGraw Residential Development Dear Ted, -,"N' I 0 M J�\ L11994 ii' I Brookwood home owners have several concerns about the proposed McGraw development, specifically the impact on Crest Road. The concerns are as follows: CONCERNS: ISSUES: COMPATIBILITY 1) Density: WITH BROOKWOOD McGraw: proposal 12 homes on 3.3 acres Brookwood: 1 home on 5 acres 2) McGraw proposal reflects narrow lots, inadequate off street parking, inadequate set backs, and inadequate landscaping between homes and street. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: 1) Change density to 1/2 acre lots. 2)Require substantial set backs with land- scaping between home & street. 3) Require off street parking for each unit. RONALD L. ERBES 4825 Crest Road Fort Collins. Colorado 80526 (303) 223-2131 TO: Ted Shepard, Senior Plan ner FROM: Ronald L. Erbes RE: Proposed McGraw Residential Development Brookwood Homeowner's Concerns DATE: January 5, 1994 Dear Ted: DrE(��[Eoels JW 1994 D The purpose of this letter is to reiterate my concerns as a Brookwood Homeowner regarding the proposed McGraw Development. The concerns I have follow with a brief statement addressing each: 1. Safety; ingress/egress 2. Compatibility 3. Water drainage, wet lands and pollution of Mail Creek SAFETY; Ingress/Egress Adding another proposed twelve living units will only compound the already dangerous and frustrating Crest Road/Harmony Road intersection. Designated turn lanes are a must for Crest Road homeowners traveling west on Harmony Road, turning south onto Crest Road. Likewise, northbound traffic on Crest Road needs westbound and eastbound turning lanes. COMPATIBILITY Twelve narrow lots along Crest Road do not conform with the existing uniqueness of Brookwood Estates. Serious consideration of reducing the proposed number of home sites to six or seven with extensive landscaping and setbacks will enhance this proposal and the overall appearance of the northerly section of Crest Road WATER DRAINAGE, WET LANDS AND POLLUTION OF MAIL CREEK Adequate retention ponds "above Mail Creek on the north side of the Crest Road development will help control pollution into Mail Creek However, runoff going south along Crest Road will ultimately drain into the wetlands in the southern portion of Brookwood Estates. Proper engineering is essential to avoid flooding of existing homes on Crest Road, as well as the wetlands. As a Brookwood homeowner, I hope my concerns for continued quality of life that our neighborhood helps bring us each day are seriously addressed in the design of the McGraw proposal. Thank you. / Good Evening I am R B Heath 4920 Crest Road I am presently serving as president of Brookwood Homeowners. Three of us are organized and plan to stay well within the 30 minutes allotted. We sincerely thank your staff for the cooperative time and help recently esp. Mr Ted Shepard Also appreciated is the wisdom and hel p given by Glen Schlitter of Flood and Water- Planni ng We appreciate the need for tax base density calculations, but overall, we are seriously concerned about three poi nts we would li ke to emphasize i n addition to the letters you have received from us Density and Compatibility to be addressed by my colleagues. Road and Fire safety School and Park access. Brookwood homeowners are all here ... We are 10 famil y Units - and although small i n number we, with one neighbor, represent 82 acres in this pocket bounded by the railroad, Applewood, Clarendon and the Coventry development all feeding through Crest Road. Our Covenants reflect si note famil u 5 to 7 acre estate 0atti na. We have 55 foot front and 35 foot side, setbacks, with an architectural control committee. Crest Road is a "County Dedicated Road" however Brookwood homeowners installed the road and maintain it completel y and privatel y i ncl udi ng the surface pavi ng and plowi ng the snow. We i ntend to be good neighbors and full y expect this subdivision to also be a good neighbor. We would hope at the minimum, the covenants soon to he developed would have no on street parking, and enough side clearance access to their backyard for parking of RY's and boats etc. We share the traffic problems common to most of the projects brought before you. Fire Truck access, turn around and safety of residents private ingress and egress is of great concern. We heard last week that Harmony is an outer belt planned for 6 lanes on East Harmony. West Harmony is choked to two lanes along this frontage and on the Burlington rail crossing. Brookwood homeowners report tome in all seriousness (not funny) that the only way to turn on to West Harmony from Crest between 7:15 to 8:30 in the AM is to pick a new car hoping they will have good brakes and simply turn right in to the traffic. You cannot turn left from Crest and there is no "Platoon ng" as has been referred to. Crest does not align with Larkborough, and Hinsdale does not align with any street and they all individually approach the tremendous load traveling Harmony West. By inspection of your traffic surveys of these corners, there is no increase projected between the short range and long range plans??? By simple numbers these Crest road additional houses will at least double our traffic congestion at this already dangerous corner. We feel that the Parks department and Poudre R 1 have assumed some of the role of planning by proposing sale of this strange sliver of land. We view this, frankly, as an example of gerrymandering, to simply shield the parks dept from any costs of the road improvement, a road that if left alone would continue to be maintained by us. Unfortunately this placement of housing hides the park making it accessible only through peoples backyards or an already busy school parking lot. Lopez school and park immediately north of this is open with only one corner of houses. At last weeks meeting two nearby schools requested additions. This school yard hemmed inside of the park that is further hemmed inside Coventry subdivision allow no planning for future expansion or additions. For this major road problem we bring a possible solution to consider. We would like to enlist your help and advise in recommending a neighborhood connector street between Crest and Hinsdale. This would allow for future planni ng, allow Crest access to the school for meeti ngs and provide Crest and Coventry the second avenue of access - or turnaround for fire and private ingress/egress. Our second solution will be addressed by other Brookwood homeowners. } At this time the issue of off-street parking has not been addressed. The total square footage of the houses in relationship to the width of the lots will restrict the homeowners' ability to utilize their backyards for storage and/or parking. This leaves only one alternative; street parking. These, along with our other valid concerns presented this evening reinforces our case for requesting not more than seven homesites on Crest Road, with a city planning condition of a 30-foot minimum street set back and a minimum of 15 feet property boundary set back resulting in a minimum of 30 feet between houses allowing homeowners adequate access to their backyards. Recently the planning and Zoning Board approved the Mirrormont Filing for larger urban lots. This project has similar characteristics of Brookwood Estates that allowed for neighborhood compatibility and transition. Current city density policies have made Mr. McCory insensitive to the Brookwood Estates lifestyles that we have worked hard to attain and maintain. Our lifestyles, safety and quality of life are now being challenged partly because of these city density policies to the degree that Mr. McCory is hesitant to listen to our proposals. We ask that Mr. McCory, the City Council and the planning and zoning board listen to our request, then drive to Crest Road during the peak traffic hours, as well as other quieter hours of the day and visualize living in our neighborhood, as we know it today. Only then will you appreciate our appeal to preserve what Ft. Collins is known and admired for. Thank You. CAdata\word\rle\crspeech.doc l F Ec D 1-31-11'1 I'm Ron Erbes, 4825 Crest Road. Our 5.5 acre residential estate lot is the first southerly property contiguous to the proposed Crest Road Coventry development. At some point in the future, Brookwood Estates will probably become part of the city through annexation. At that time our association will be here petitioning the council for its recommendation regarding our future proposals. The Coventry Subdivision proposal adjacent the FRCC campus and Claredon Hills will be an attractive addition to Ft. Collins. However, it is the belief of Brookwood Homeowners, the Coventry proposal has not adequately taken Crest Road and Brookwood Estates into consideration. Our Association fully recognizes the City policy of three units plus per acre minimum density. However, we ask the Council to thoroughly address neighborhood compatibility regarding the 82 acres encompassing Brookwood Estates and the 12 homesites being proposed. Brookwood Estates being adjacent to McGraw Elementary lends itself to a walk-in neighborhood/pedestrian environment and an open greenbelt area that is a factor providing to the quality of life our choice city is known for. x . Increased automobile traffic congesting ingress/egress to an already difficult situation threatens the safety of driving, as well as our already established walk-in/pedestrian community. Adding 12 homesites in one fell -swoop is a 133% increase in living units and probably a dramatically larger percentage increase in traffic because of the lifestyle differences these homebuyers will have versus our current homeowner lifestyles. C Adata\word\rle\crspeech. doc