HomeMy WebLinkAboutHARMONY VILLAGE PUD - PRELIMINARY - 65-93C - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - Planning ObjectivesThe primary objective of the internal vehicular and pedestrian circulation system is to create an
internal "main street". The buildings are oriented along the main street contributing to a rich
pedestrian environment that also includes street trees, lighting, benches and other landscape
elements. The combination of architecture and landscape architectural features link the varied
land uses together into a cohesive whole, a place that not only provides goods and services but
also creates opportunities for meeting friends, reading the paper or enjoying an evening stroll. We
believe this strategy will not only result in a successful entertainment/shopping center but will
also create a neighborhood and community social gathering place.
The project scores 80% on the Business Service Uses point chart, gaining points for being located
outside of the South College Avenue Corridor, for being part of a planned center, for being
located on more than two acres, for containing two or more significant uses, for providing direct
vehicular and pedestrian access between on -site parking areas and for being contiguous to
existing urban development. The proposed assisted living project is evaluated on Point Chart H
for Residential Uses. The project scores 75 points, for being part of a project that includes a
community shopping center, for being within 3500 feet of a publicly owned golf course
(Southridge), for being within 3,000 feet of an existing major employment center (ESAB), for
connecting to an existing City sidewalk and for being contiguous to existing development. The
proposed eighty-five bed facility has one kitchen. By City Code definition, the facility is one
dwelling unit located on 3.4 acres and therefore, does not comply with the City's minimum
density requirement of three dwelling units per acre. The applicant is requesting a variance to the
minimum density requirement because of this peculiar technicality.
Though the project is being submitted as a Planned Unit Development under the Land
Development Guidance System, the project exemplifies many of the Principles and Policies of
City Plan. Those policies that focus on compact urban development, pedestrian and bike
linkages, utilization of alternative transportation modes, and community visual character are
particularly evident in the proposed plan. In addition, we believe we have incorporated the
applicable land use and urban design policies contained in the Harmony Corridor Plan and
comply with the standards and guidelines as well. Thank you for your consideration and we look
forward to working with you during the development review process.
Sincerely,
VF Ripley Associates
6�
Linda Ripley
Principal
May 1, 1998
Planning and Zoning Board Members
Ted Shepard
Fort Collins Planning Department
281 North College Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80521
RE: Planning Objectives for Harmony Village Preliminary PUD
Dear Planning and Zoning Board Members:
VF RIPLEY
ASSOCIATES INC.
Landscape Architecture
Urban Design
Planning
1113 Sionev Hill Drive
Fort Collins. Colorado S0525
PHONE (970) 224-5829
FAX (970) 224-1662
The site is located at the approximate center of the Harmony Corridor, southwest of the
intersection of Harmony Road and Timberline Road. The Harmony Corridor Land Use Plan
designates this site as a Mixed Use Activity Center, appropriate for a neighborhood service
center or a community shopping center. Harmony Village PUD can be described as a community
commercial center that includes a mix of land uses. The commercial core is primarily an
entertainment center with a fourteen-plex theater as its centerpiece. The entertainment focus is
further supported by a variety of restaurants including fast food, standard sit down restaurants, a.
theme restaurant, as well as coffee and dessert places. While entertainment is the primary focus,
the site plan also includes a banking facility, a major drug store and a variety of retail and service
shops that will provide convenience and service for not only the neighborhood, but also for
people working at Hewlett Packard, the proposed Poudre Valley Hospital medical complex and
other major employment industries that locate in the eastern half of the Harmony Corridor. An
eighty-five bed, assisted living housing facility serves as a transitional land use between the
commercial center and the single family neighborhood to the south.
Harmony Village PUD is the second phase of Harmony Village Overall Development Plan
approved by the Planning and Zoning Board in 1993. The first phase, Harmony Crossing PUD, a
single family residential development, bordering the proposed project on the south, is
approximately 50% completed. Surrounding land uses include the Texaco historical gas station
and the Harmony Shops located across Harmony Road to the north, a planned Poudre Valley
Hospital medical complex to the east across Timberline Road, Harmony Crossing single family
development is located to the south and an existing warehouse and the Burlington Northern
railroad tracks are located to the west.
The site is relatively flat sloping to the southeast. There are 13 existing trees located near the
northeast corner of the site. The trees have been evaluated by the City Forester and those that
were determined to be structurally sound and in relative good health are being retained and
incorporated into the site plan.
Primary access to the site is via a signalized intersection on Timberline Road and a right -in, right -
out, left -in, shared entrance located on the west property line providing access from Harmony
Road. The site plan also includes two additional limited access points along Timberline Road.