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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHARMONY VILLAGE PUD - PRELIMINARY - 65-93C - CORRESPONDENCE - Staff's Project Comments (2)r 48. On Building C, east elevation, we suggest adding three more columns to add relief to the long facade. 49. On Building C, the trash area should not face Timberline Road. 50. On sheet 9 of 10, in the theater plaza, have you considered providing bench seating around the raised planter? 51. Be sure that bike racks are located as close to building entries as possible and do not interfere with pedestrian flow. 52. Show ramps at the pedestrian walks directly east of Building H and southwest of Building C where the pedestrian crosswalk intersects the bank's drive aisle. 53. Note number 18 should include "cinemas" or "theater" as an anticipated land use. 54. Handicap parking spaces are needed in front of Building G. 55. Please indicate a typical parking stall dimension. 56. Be sure that the parking associated with Building A is pulled back to the south so as to not encroach into the 80 foot setback. This concludes Staff comments at this time. Please note that comment sheets and redlined plans are attached. Redlined plans should be returned. As always, please call if you have any questions or would like to set up a meeting with the appropriate Staff to discuss the comments in depth. Sincerely: 77ZCJ4-e-,o Ted Shepard Senior Planner Enc. F Timberline Road. 37. Any parking bay that faces Timberline Road will need to be screened with a shrub bed. 38. Please add foundation shrubs on the north elevation of Building A. 39. Please add berming and landscaping to screen all areas where headlights (from parking or drive lanes) will cast glare onto a public street. 40. Please add foundation shrubs on the west side of Building H to mitigate the mass of the structure. 41. Please considering adding street trees in grates in front of Building I. 42. Please indicate a secured courtyard area for the assisted living center. 43. Please refer to the enclosed diagram for the basketball court dimensions and stripe the remote parking lot accordingly. 44. Staff applauds the "toned -down" architectural theme of the theater in comparison with some of the gaudy structures recently built up and down the front range. The basic form is appropriate. The primary concerns at this preliminary stage are color and texture. Colors should be earth -toned and muted and not light and bright. The red brick will accomplish this quite well and will complement the restored Harmony School on the opposite comer. The E.I.F.S., however, has the potential of being too light and bright and should be specified to be a muted color. Our other concern with E.I.F. S. is the lack of texture as seen from a distance. Perhaps glazed tiles can be used with more frequency to help mitigate this issue. You are encouraged to investigate other mitigating techniques to add some texture to the E.I.F.S. facade. Comments on architecture will continue to evolve as the review process continues. 45. Please indicate the height of the theater on the elevations. 46. Staff has concerns about Building A being slightly out of character with the theme established by the anchor tenants. The lower band should feature a similar material and texture as found in the balance of the center. We suggest the red brick that is used on the anchor tenants. A solid E.I.F.S. facade from top to bottom will be unacceptable. Please investigate materials and color to help this building blend in with the center. 47. On Building B, north elevation, we suggest adding three more decorative, goose -neck fight fixtures to enhance the detail as seen from Harmony Road. "The essence of both types of activity centers is a combination of different types of land uses along with urban design elements that reduce the dependence on the private automobile, encourage the utilization of alternative transportation modes, and ensure an attractive appearance." Clearly, this vision is not being met with the inclusion of ten drive-thru lanes divided between two buildings in close proximity to each other and within sight of Harmony Road. This fundamental incongruence is difficult to overcome. It is suggested that the reliance on drive-thru lanes as part of banking and retail services be seriously reduced. For those drive-thru lanes that remain, there needs to be substantial mitigation by reducing the amount of asphalt, and increasing berming and landscaping to mitigate impacts. 31. Please note that Building C does not have a direct pedestrian connection to the internal drive aisle. As discussed, this intemal drive was the to become a "main street" upon which the buildings would orient to and relate to versus Timberline Road. In particular, the east side should feature pedestrian amenities since the west side is frequently interrupted by drive aisles for the theater. As designed, a pedestrian would have to cross two drive lanes to reach Building C. This is not what we envisioned. The orientation of Building C needs work if the "main street" concept is to remain viable. 32. Will the bank feature an exterior A.T.M.? If so, then we need to take precautions that such a feature is not out of character with the architectural theme established by the building and the center. The use of the A.T.M. as an advertising device, like at 1 st Bank. at the southwest corner of Harmony and Lemay, will not be permitted. A.T.M.'s should blend in and not stand out. Please add notes stating this intent. 33. The driveway serving Building A is located on the inside of a curve, and is offset with the drive aisle behind Building K. This is an awkward location. Please modify so that the drives align and there are no sight distance problems associated with the curve. 34. Building E should feature an outdoor dining area or patio on the west side along the internal drive. Features should include shade protection, seating, trash receptacles, bike rack and landscaping to define the space. A sidewalk connection should also be provided. 35. On the Landscape Plan, in the large parking lot serving the theater, the tree grates should be replace with full islands featuring two trees and shrubs to cover. 36. On the Landscape Plan, there seems to be a basic problem in providing adequate plant material along Timberline Road due to the detention ponds. Since the decision was made to bring the Timberline buildings up to the internal drive, that leaves parking and drives along the Timberline frontage. The challenge, therefore, is to screen these hard surface areas within the confines of the available land area. Please investigate adding plant material to the detention ponds that are water tolerant so as to increase screening along m H and I. These sidewalks are in addition to the perpendicular walk that connects the theater to Buildings D and E. 24. Transit on Harmony is presently provided by the Southside Shuttle and may include full service in the future. A transit stop should be provided just east of the access drive on Harmony Road. The transit stop should be designed in accordance with the Transit Design Standards and Guidelines "Type A Stop." Be sure there is adequate on -site pedestrian connections to the transit stop that meets handicap grades. 25. A Hazardous Material Impact Analysis will be needed, at the time of Final, for Building E. 27. As you are aware, Staff has interpreted the Harmony Corridor Plan, Standards and Guidelines, in such a way as to preclude drive-thru restaurants. According to Harmony Corridor Plan, Land Use Map, the site is designated as a "Mixed Use Activity Center." In terms of the scale of commercial development, the Harmony Corridor Plan allows the parcel to feature either a "Neighborhood Service Center" or a "Community Shopping Center." Since the shopping center is 32 acres in size, it is considered a "Community Shopping Center." Permitted uses are limited to those listed for the Neighborhood Service Center as well as discount department stores, department stores, cinemas, showroom/catalog stores, libraries, and uses of similar character as determined by the Planning and Zoning Board. Since "drive-thru restaurants" are not listed as permissible in the Neighborhood Service Center and are not specifically listed. as - allowable in the Community Shopping Center, drive-thru restaurants cannot be permitted unless found to be "of similar character by the Planning and Zoning Board." 28. As mentioned, the center is 32 acres in size. It is listed on the Harmony Corridor Land Use Map as a potential "Community Shopping Center." The scale of Community Shopping Center, however, is called out to be between 13 and 30 acres. Therefore, the size of the center exceeds the standard by two acres. A variance should be requested based on the procedures outlined on page three of the Harmony Corridor Standards and Guidelines. 29. There are problems with the bank drive thru. First, there appears to be excessive headlight glare facing north onto Harmony Road that needs to be mitigated. Second the exit lane is excessively long and should be reduced. As an L.D.G.S. project, there should be no more than five cars stacked behind a teller machine. 30. Retail Building C features two drive-thru lanes on the west side. The placement of two buildings with ten drive-thru lanes in the Harmony Corridor is problematic. Please refer to page 51 of the Harmony Corridor Plan, Standards and Guidelines which, in part, states: 4 14. Staff remains concerned about the aforementioned trees in that there may be a conflict with the sidewalk. In the area of the trees, the sidewalk parallels the parkway strip. Please meander the sidewalk around the trees in such a way that the pedestrian is visible to eastbound cars turning south onto Timberline Road. 15. The water and sewer mains should be shown on the Landscape Plan. 16. Please be aware that sand and oil interceptors are required for all car washes and service bays. Grease and oil interceptors are required for all restaurants and the assisted living center. 17. You are encouraged to contact Light and Power for the location of existing and proposed streetlights. Be sure that street trees are kept 40 feet away from public streetlights and ornamentals kept 15 feet away. 18. Public Service Company will require a ten foot wide utility easement along Harmony Road that does not include an irrigation ditch, water or a power easement. 19. The 30 foot wide access and utility easements are not wide enough to accommodate gas, electric, phone, CATV, water and sewer. These easements should be increased to 50 feet or all areas outside building envelopes must be designated as a blanket utility easement. If the blanket utility easement is used, then envelopes must be drawn generously. If a request for a building permit encroaches into an blanket utility easement, then a portion of the easement must be vacated or a replat submitted. Both are time consuming and would cause an uncomfortable delay for a building permit applicant. 20. Please be aware that the Fort Collins -Loveland Water District has an existing eight inch diameter water line along the north property line that needs to be clearly shown on the Utility Plans. Be sure that there are no conflicts with this line. For further information, please contact Terry Farrill, 226-3104. 21. Please contact Susan Peterson, U.S. West Engineer, 224-7473, for information on providing facilities for phone service to the site. 22. Please be aware that TCI of Fort Collins will not make any plans to serve this area. If service is needed for cable television, please contact T.C.I.'s Commercial Accounts Executive, Reneta Sontoro, 493-7400. 23. With the shifting of the primary east -west drive to south, be sure to maintain a strong pedestrian connection to the front of the theater even if this means running a sidewalk diagonally through the parking lot. Please see the attached photocopy of a similar diagonal sidewalk serving a proposed big box retail store. Similarly, a diagonal sidewalk through the parking lot should connect Buildings B and C to the plaza between Buildings Harmony will be contingent upon P.U.C. approval of the railroad crossing improvements. 4. The site plan should indicate that eastbound Harmony will feature double left turn lanes for northbound Timberline. The sidewalk along Harmony must be extended to the west to connect to the nearest improved sidewalk. There must be no gaps in the sidewalk system on the southside of Harmony Road, west of Timberline Road. 6. If CDOT determines that the proposed access on Harmony Road is to be granted, then the applicant will be required to make auxiliary lane (continuous right -turn lane) and median improvements both at the access and at the intersection with Timberline Road. Please be aware that right-of-way dedication for the major arterial cross-section will be needed with this project. Separate negotiations are underway for an exclusive Light and Power duct bank easement south of the water line easement. This Light and Power easement should be shown on the plat. 8. As you are aware, the main access road on Timberline must be shifted 250 feet to the south to align with the public street planned to serve the Poudre Valley Hospital site. This will likely result in the elimination of the southerly access off Timberline and cause Building F to shift. 9. The median in Harmony Road should be designed to the urban standard. Landscaping and irrigation should be provided in accordance with the specifications of the City Forester. 10. The closure of Rockport Court should be noted. Please indicate that asphalt will be removed, landscaping will be planted, and an eight foot wide concrete sidewalk will be" extended from the new cul-de-sac to the new section of sidewalk constructed along Timberline Road. This walk should be flared at the Timberline walk so bike riders do not have to make a 90 degree turn. 11. Rockport Court is shown incorrectly on the site plan. Please refer to the Harmony Crossing plat for the alignment. This will probably alter the shape of the detention pond and could impact capacity. Please modify the pond accordingly. 12. Please provide a detail of the Harmony/Timberline intersection so that signal improvements can be designed. This should include a detail on the crosswalks and other pedestrian safety features. 13. The Grading Plan does not include information about the existing trees to be preserved at the northeast corner. Please show how these trees will be protected during (and after) final grading. Comm -Ay Planning and Environmenta_ 2rvices Current Planning City of Fort Collins Ms. Linda Ripley V-F Ripley and Associates 1113 Stoney Hill Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525 Dear Linda: June 9, 1998 Staff has reviewed the request for Harmony Village Preliminary P.U.D. and offers the following comments: 1. As we have discussed on the phone, the local street network serving this site from Timberline and Harmony Crossing subdivision should be converted to a public street system with no dead -ends or cul-de-sacs. Both Wilmington and Delaney should tie into an east -west drive that serves the assisted living facility. Delaney should be extended north to tie into another east -west drive that leads to the signal on Timberline Road. All these streets should be public. The east -west drive at the signal will be designated as a "commercial -local" and, therefore, include on -street bike lanes. Traffic calming features can be constructed at the appropriate locations on Wilmington and Delaney to discourage "cut -through" traffic by non-residents of Harmony Crossing and Willow. Springs North. At the four-way intersection of Delaney (extended) and the east -west drive (that leads to the signal), a transition from public to private for northbound traffic into the..center will__ have to be designed. All private drives must be designated on the plat as public access easements. The City will maintain public streets after inspection and acceptance. 2. If the access on Harmony Road is approved by CDOT, then the right turn lane must be designed to include the appropriate amount of lane length, storage length and taper length as stated in the State Highway Access Code. A State Highway Access Permit will be needed. Also, the "A -line" (dedicated access control line) must be vacated in accordance with CDOT procedures. Please contact Right -of -Way Manager, Bob Grube, 970-350- 2152 for further information. 3. In order to comply with the State Highway Access Code, street improvements on Harmony must be extended to the west past the railroad tracks so there is proper transition. This will mean improving the railroad crossing which will require permission from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Please be cautioned that obtaining permission from the P.U.C. could take a minimum of six months. The access location on 281 North College Avenue - P.O. Box 580 - Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 - (970) 221-6750 - FAX (970) 416-2020