HomeMy WebLinkAboutROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION SITE PLAN ADVISORY REVIEW - 48 93 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT W/ATTACHMENTS- Provide an attractive on/near campus food service for lunch
in an effort to reduce the traffic volumes that are occurring
during the noon hours.
Conclusions/Recommendations
Based upon the analyses performed in this study, the following
is concluded/recommended:
- Expansion of RMHS will cause an increase in vehicular
traffic on the area streets. This increase in traffic can be
accommodated on the street system with acceptable operation.
- With a student population of 1800 students, it is expected
that 5250 average weekday trip ends will be generated at RMHS.
These trip ends will come increasingly from south of RMHS, since
Fort Collins and the RMHS enrollment area are growing in that
direction.
- With the expansion of RMHS, the primary student parking
will be shifted to the east side of the school. Over 80 percent
of the student parking can have direct, convenient access to/from
Shields Street with the new parking layout. This direct access to
a large part of the student parking area can reduce the number of
home -based school trips through the neighborhood adjacent to RMHS.
To reduce the traffic impacts (volume and speed of
vehicles) of the school traffic on the adjacent neighborhood, the
City and School District should consider and implement some of the
measures mentioned in this report. These measures include making
use of the arterial street'system more attractive for home -based
school trips and making use of the neighborhood street system less
attractive, especially for home -based school trips passing through
the neighborhood. Poudre School District should also consider
implementing some incentive programs that will reduce the traffic
impact on the adjacent neighborhood.
E
Make Neighborhood Streets Less Attractive
In order to make using Dunbar Avenue less attractive as a
route accessing RMHS, do not provide signals at the Dunbar/
Horsetooth intersection (this signal may never be warranted anyway)
and the future Swallow/Taft Hill intersection. Since there already
is a signal at the Drake/Dunbar intersection, the Dunbar green
phase could be set at a minimum so this route would become less
attractive for students residing in the north/northwest/west
sectors of the enrollment area.
Two geometric treatments can be used on both Swallow Road
(west of RMHS) and on Dunbar Avenue that may reduce the amount of
through traffic passing through this neighborhood. "Chokers" can
be provided at various locations which reduces the street width.
This treatment reduces the length of the cross walks in the
neighborhood, making the area more pedestrian friendly. Since both
Dunbar and Swallow are striped with one lane in each direction,
there will not be a reduction in lanes. However, the physical
presence of curbs closer to the travel lanes will have a
psychological effect on drivers. The other treatment is a raised
traffic circle in the Dunbar/Swallow intersection. This is a very
wide intersection. It currently has four way stop control. A
traffic circle will force vehicles to slow down by bending the
direction of flow around the circle counterclockwise.
Careful selective use of speed humps has been effective in
both slowing traffic and making a given route less attractive for
the through traffic. If speed humps are used, it is recommended
that they be used only on local streets, not on collector level
streets. Prior to installation of speed humps, neighborhood
meetings should be conducted to attain a general consensus on their
use.
Miscellaneous Considerations
1 In addition to the above methods to direct/encourage traffic
to use preferred routes, the following soft methods can also have
an impact on reducing the traffic impacts on the adjacent
neighborhood:
Provide incentives for both students and staff to use
alternative modes. The obvious alternative modes include
' walk, bike and public transportation.
- Limit parking as an effort to reduce private vehicle use.
This can also take the form of paid or permit parking. Care
must taken that parking that is denied on campus does not
occur on the neighborhood streets. _
- Provide preferential parking if the vehicle stays all day, if
the student has good grades, or other similar incentives.
N
Drake Road are candidates for progressing traffic, since these are
the only streets with multiple signals.
Left- and right -turn lanes should be provided at key
intersections along the arterial streets. With most of the future
student parking located on the east side of RMHS, a northbound
left -turn lane on Shields Street at Rocky Mountain Way would
facilitate ingress to this parking area. At the present time, this
northbound left turn is not allowed. The site plan (Figure +)
shows one way ingress to this large student parking lot from
Swallow Road. Elimination of egress to Swallow Road will reduce
the likelihood that students will utilize the neighborhood streets
for the trip from school to house. If the one way ingress from
Swallow Road to the large student parking area is constructed, then
the northbound left -turn lane on Shields Street at Rocky Mountain
Way is not required. The northbound users of this parking lot can
turn on Swallow Road. If this Swallow Road access is not allowed
at all, then the sole access to this parking lot will be via Rocky
Mountain Way. In this case, the northbound left -turn lane on
Shields Street at Rocky Mountain Way is absolutely necessary. This
will make the Drake to Shields to Rocky Mountain Way route more
attractive than cutting through the neighborhood via Dunbar and
Swallow for home -based school trips from the north. It will also
make the Horsetooth to Shields to Rocky Mountain Way route more
attractive than cutting through the neighborhood via Dunbar and
Swallow for home -based school trips from the south/southwest
enrollment area. By forcing all but the users of the 100 student
parking spaces in the west parking lot to use the Shields/Rocky
Mountain Way intersection, the impacts to the adjacent neighborhood
should be reduced.
Providing adequately long leading left -turn arrows at key
intersections will reduce the travel time to and from school. At
school dismissal time, the phasing at the Shields/Rocky Mountain
Way intersection can be changed to facilitate exits from Rocky
Mountain Way. Review of the traffic counts indicates that the
north/south traffic on Shields Street is 200-400 vehicles per hour
lower at dismissal time than `during the peak hours. This would
allow a longer green phase on Rocky Mountain Way without a
significant negative impact to the traffic volumes on Shields
Street. This suggestion should be coupled with improved geometry
on the west leg of Rocky Mountain Way. Current geometry shows a
combined through/left-turn lane and. a right -turn lane. Both of
these eastbound lanes are narrow. Widening the west leg to provide
slightly oversized (13 feet wide) lanes will allow eastbound exits
to operate more efficiently. This will require widening on the
south side of Rocky Mountain Way.
Neighborhood Traffic Mitigation Measures
The neighborhood to the west of and adjacent to RMHS has a
long history of complaints about the school related traffic that
impacts their neighborhood. The complaints stem from two areas:
(1) the number of vehicles that are using neighborhood streets
(collectors and locals) to access RMHS, and (2) the speed at which
some students drive on the neighborhood streets.
Speed of the vehicles on the local streets is often,a function
of the maturity of the drivers. The collector streets,
particularly Dunbar and Swallow, .are very wide two lane streets
with bike lanes and on -street parking. This cross section invites
a higher speed. There are a number of four-way stop intersections
on each of these collector streets. While the higher speed (speed
in excess of the posted speed) is not condoned, it is often a
function of drivers and the ability of the City to enforce the
posted speed.
The number of vehicles utilizing the neighborhood streets is
high because the collector streets are the most reasonable routes
for many of the vehicles accessing RMHS. The students that are
most likely to utilize the neighborhood streets to access RMHS are
those residing north/northwest/west and south/southwest of RMHS as
depicted in Figure 8.
There are a number of methods to guide some of these vehicles
to desired routes rather than through the adjacent neighborhood.
These methods relate to making the arterial street system more
attractive for the school trips, making the neighborhood street
system less attractive for the school trips, and some miscellaneous
incentives to change trip behavior.
Make Arterial Streets More Attractive
The one single measure that will make the arterial streets
more attractive is to build them to the arterial cross section.
only Shields Street is built to the arterial cross section. This
measure will increase the capacity of the street itself and reduce
the travel time on the arterial system. However, this will require
almost one mile of improvement each on.Horsetooth Road and Taft
Hill Road, and approximately 0.75 miles of improvement on Drake
Road. It is not known when this will occur, since portions of
these streets are not totally within the city limits. It will also
s- be a function of development along these arterials and the
availability of public sector funds.
Providing good signal progression along the arterial streets
will improve the operation and reduce the travel time on the
arterial streets. At the present time, only Shields Street and
1-1
Traffic Produced North/Northeast of RMHS
The school related traffic produced in this portion of the
enrollment area will likely stay the same or decrease. This
traffic accesses RMHS via Shields Street.
Traffic Produced East of RMHS
The school related traffic produced in this portion of the
enrollment area will likely remain stable in the future. This
neighborhood is fully built out. This traffic accesses RMHS via
Swallow Road and, to a lesser degree, via Rocky Mountain Way.
Traffic Produced South/Southeast of RMHS
The school related traffic produced in this portion of the
enrollment area will likely increase about 90 percent. This
traffic accesses RMHS via Shields Street. The most direct route
for home -based school trips is via Shields Street and Swallow Road
or Shields Street and Rocky Mountain Way.
Traffic Produced South/Southwest of RMHS
The school related traffic produced in this portion of the
enrollment area will more than double. While this is a large
increase relative to the current school related traffic, the
absolute increase is similar to that occurring in the area that is
south/southeast of RMHS. This traffic accesses RMHS via Horsetooth
Road. Due to the nature of the street system, the route using
Horsetooth Road, Dunbar Avenue, and Swallow. Road is convenient for
home -based school trips. This route passes through the
neighborhood adjacent to RMHS.
Summary
The traffic assignment illustrates that the increase in school
enrollment will cause an increase in vehicular traffic. The area
intersections will operate acceptably during the peak hours of the
street and the peak hours of the. school. A westbound right -turn
lane on Drake Road approaching Shields Street will improve the
operation at this intersection. This lane has no bearing on RMHS
traffic and should be implemented as the Centre for Advanced
Technology continues to develop.
The neighborhood adjacent to RMHS will continue to be impacted_
by school related traffic. The following section of this report
suggests methods of mitigating and reducing the traffic passing
through this neighborhood.
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FUTURE SCHOOL TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT
Figure 8
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CURRENT SCHOOL TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT Figure 7
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to the south, more students would come from that direction. In
addition, school boundary anomalies, such as the peninsula
including downtown Fort Collins in the RMHS area, were assumed to
change in the future.
Trip Assignment
Trip assignment is how the generated and distributed trips are
expected to be loaded on the street system. Normally, the traffic
assignment process shows the actual turning volumes at various key
intersections. The assignments shown in Figure 7 are the school
related trips at various times of the day for the current school
population. Figure 8 shows the school related trips at various
times of the day for the future school population. Comparing
Figures 7 and 8 gives an indication of which streets will be
impacted as the student population grows and redistributes in the
future.
The RMHS related traffic on the area street system will
increase roughly proportionally to the increase in -student
population. However, as the City grows to the south and the
student population redistributes, the traffic impact will vary.
In the area north of RMHS, there will be a decreasing rate of
increase in school related trips. South of RMHS, there will be an
increasing rate of increase relative to the growth in student
population.
Traffic Produced Within the RMHS Section
Traffic produced within the Section that contains RMHS will
likely increase by approximately 15 percent over the existing
school related traffic. This relatively small increase reflects
the availability of land within this area for new residential
units. This area is within one mile of the school and represents
the best opportunity for using alternative modes, particularly walk
and bicycle. Vehicle trips produced in this area cannot be
expected to utilize the exterior arterial street system for home -
based school trips.
Traffic Produced North/Northwest/West of RMHS
The traffic produced in this portion of the enrollment area
will likely increase about 30 percent over the current school
related traffic. This traffic accesses RMHS via Drake Road. Due
to the nature of the street system, the route using Drake Road,
Dunbar Avenue, and Swallow Road is convenient for home -based school
trips. This route passes through the neighborhood adjacent to
RMHS.
4
CURRENT / FUTURE
TRIP DISTRIBUTION
Figure 6
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. ! ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENT RESIDENCE LOCATIONS
Figure 5
The large parking lot on the west side of RMHS will be reduced
to 225 parking spaces. The northern portion (125 spaces) will be
designated as faculty/staff parking. This will leave 100 spaces
available for students. A 60 space parking lot has been designated
as visitor parking with access from/to Swallow Road. The parking
lot on the east side of RMHS has been expanded to 455 spaces. This
is the largest of the parking areas. This lot is accessed
(inbound) from Swallow Road and via Rocky Mountain Way from Shields
Street. The only exit from this lot will be via the Shields/Rocky
Mountain Way intersection.
Trip Generation
Trip generation is important in considering the impact of
expansion of RMHS on the existing and proposed,street system in the
area. Prior to the preparation. of the traffic study for the new
Fort Collins High School, special studies were conducted to
determine the trip generation characteristicsof a high school,
particularly a Fort Collins high school. Appendix D contains a
memorandum discussing the relationship between the trip generation
rates contained in Trip Generation, 4th Edition, ITE for high
schools and data collected at RMHS in February 1992. Using the
trip rate information developed in the memorandum in Appendix D,
the following trip generation could be expected during the peak
hours (7-9 AN, 4-6 PM) from RMHS:
- 5250 average weekday vehicle trip ends
- Morning Peak Hour - In 655
Out 355
- Afternoon Peak Hour - In 102
Out 299
Based upon limited counts in the vicinity of RMHS, the
following additional trip generation information was developed:
- Noon Peak Hour - In 334
Out .431
- Dismissal Peak Hour In 201
(2-3 PM) Out 526
Trip Distribution
RMHS serves primarily southwestern Fort Collins and Larimer
County residents located generally southwest of Fort Collins.
Using enrollment data from RMHS, student residence locations were
plotted on a map. Figure 5 shows a summary of that data. The
arrows indicate the "most likely" route that the students would use
to access RMHS. The data accounts for 95 percent of the RMHS
students. The Figure 5 data indicates a "snapshot" of the 1992-93__
school year. It is likely that the trip distribution would change
as Fort Collins continues to grow. Figure 6 shows the current and
future trip distribution for RMHS students. As Fort Collins grows
3
SHIELDS STREET.
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NO SCALE
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SITE PLAN
Figure 4
Using the peak hour traffic counts shown in Figure 3 and the
existing geometry and control, the key intersections operate as
indicated in Table 1. Calculation forms are provided in Appendix
B. Appendix C describes the level of service for unsignalized and
signalized intersections as provided in the 1985 Highway Capacity
Manual. During the peak hours, the key, intersections operate
acceptably. Acceptable operation is defined as level of service
D or better. The Shields/Rocky Mountain Way intersection is signed
as "no left turn" northbound from Shields Street to Rocky Mountain
Way. The traffic counts indicate that there were some left turns.
While acceptable operation can be achieved at all of the analyzed
intersections, a westbound right -turn lane at the Drake/Shields
intersection would significantly improve the operation at this
intersection. This is particularly true during the afternoon peak
hour when the right -turning volume is more than 300 vehicles per
hour and the westbound through volume is more than 700 vehicles per
hour. This right -turn lane could be incorporated with future
development of the corner property in the Centre for Advanced
Technology.
Table 1
Existing Peak Hour Operation
Level of Service
Intersection AM Noon PM
Drake/Shields (signal) C C D
Drake/Dunbar (signal) B A B
Shields/Swallow (signal) B B B
Shields/Rocky Mountain Way A A A
(signal)
Site Proposal
Rocky Mountain High School is proposed to be enlarged to
accommodate a student population of 1800. The expansion of the
existing facility also includes changes to the existing parking
lots that serve both the students, ---faculty,._ and visitors.. ---A
schematic of the site Plan is shown in Figure 4.
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Introduction
This study evaluates the traffic concerns related to the
expansion of Rocky Mountain High School (RMHS). It is located near
the Shields/Swallow intersection as shown in Figure 1. The current
enrollment is approximately 1200 students. The expansion plans
provide for a future enrollment of 1800 students at RMHS.
During the course of this study, numerous contacts were made
with the project planner and architect (Robb, Brenner, & Brelig)
and the Fort Collins Transportation Division. This study conforms
with typical traffic impact study guidelines and, additionally,
addresses concerns about current and future impacts to the
neighborhood adjacent to RMHS to the west.
Existing Conditions
RMHS is located in the Section bordered by Shields Street,
Drake Road, Taft Hill Road, and Horsetooth Road. These are all
arterial streets. Figure 2 shows the street system in the vicinity
of RMHS. This Section is also served by a collector street system
also shown in Figure 2. The collector streets are Dunbar Avenue
and Swallow Road. Casa Grande Boulevard functions as a collector
street serving the Wagon Wheel area. Swallow Road does not
currently intersect with Taft Hill Road. The Fort Collins Master
Street Plan shows the Taft Hill Road/Swallow Road connection.
However, there have been discussions about how the connection might
be made and still downplay the through nature of Swallow Road.
Of the arterial streets shown in Figure 2, only Shields Street
is constructed to the standard arterial cross section (5 lanes).
The other three arterial streets have segments of a five lane cross
section, but basically function as two lane streets. Improvements
to the arterial street system is a function of future adjacent
development and availability of public sector funds. All
arterial/arterial intersections are signalized.
- J
The collector streets of Dunbar Avenue and Swallow Road are
wide. There is stop sign control at interior intersections, with
the collector streets generally having the right-of-way. There is
four-way stop control at some of the collector street
intersections. There are traffic signals at the Shields/Swallow
and Drake/Dunbar intersections.
Peak hour traffic counts were obtained at key intersections
as indicated in Figure 3. The data was collected during the time
of the year when school was in session. In addition, machine
counts were obtained in February 1992. All raw count data -is
provided in Appendix A.
1
ROCKY MOUNTAIN.HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION
TRAFFIC STUDY
FORT COLLINS, COLORADO
AUGUST 1993
Prepared for:
Poudre School District
2407 West LaPorte Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80521
Prepared by:
MATTHEW J. DELICH, P.E.
3413 Banyan Avenue
Loveland, CO 80538
Phone: 303-669-2061
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LANDSCAPE NOTES
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ITEM: ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL4
Advisory Review No
NUMBER: 48-93
9
Rocky Mountain High School Expansion - Site Plan Advisory Review,
#48-93
September 27, 1993 P & Z Meeting
Page 9
(1) Rocky Mountain High School establish a parking permit
system which would: (a) include a priority parking space
allocation for students based upon seniority, academic
achievement, merit, disability, and (b) give priority to
those students who car pool and those who leave their
cars parked for the entire day.
(2) Rocky Mountain High School and Poudre R-1 District
officials continue to work with representatives from the
City of Fort Collins to implement solutions to the
traffic impacts on the adjacent neighborhood that require
joint participation. These solutions involve making the
arterial streets more attractive and the neighborhood
streets less attractive.
(3) Rocky Mountain High School and Poudre R-1 District
officials continue to work with representatives of
Transfort to establish a "youth passe for high schools
students similar to the system presently serving C.S.U.
students.
0
Rocky Mountain High School Expansion - Site Plan Advisory Review,
#48-93
September 27, 1993 P & Z Meeting
Page 8
(4) Transfort and the Poudre R-1 School District are
encouraged to work together to create a "youth pass" for
high school students similar to the pass allotted for
C.S.U. students. A pass is a convenient way to access
Transfort and eliminates the need for carrying exact
change for bus fare.
It is acknowledged by the parties there is no one solution to the
traffic issues at Rocky Mountain High School. Some of the
recommendations are site specific and can be implemented
unilaterally by the R.M.H.S. administration. other recommendations
involve city participation or new policy implementation at a City
and district -wide level.
In reviewing the request for the new Fort Collins High School, the
City Council expressed a concern that the School District encourage
student use of alternative forms of transportation in order to
reduce air pollution and improve the City's air quality by:
(1) establishing a parking permit system which would: (a)
include a priority parking space allocation for students
based upon seniority, academic achievement, merit,
disability, and (b) give priority to those students who
car pool and those who leave their cars parked for the
entire school day; and
(2) constructing parking facilities for the high school in a
phased manner on an as -needed basis and not constructing
all parking spaces anticipated for future student
populations at the high school as part of the initial
construction project.
This second advisement may not apply to R.M.H.S. since no new
parking spaces are being proposed, only a new layout with 730
spaces.
RECOMMENDATION:
The request to expand Rocky Mountain High School is found to be
appropriate in the R-L-P, Low Density Planned Residential Zone
District. The building additions are primarily "in -fill" and do
not have an impact on the surrounding neighborhood. It is
recommended that the Planning and Zoning Board advise the Poudre R-
1 Board of Education that the location, character, and extent of
Rocky Mountain High School Expansion - Site Plan Advisory Review is
appropriate and conforms to the elements of the Comprehensive Plan
of the City of Fort Collins. It is further advised that:
Cl
Rocky Mountain High School Expansion - Site Plan Advisory Review,
#48-93
September 27, 1993 P & Z Meeting
Page 7
(4) At school dismissal time, the phasing at the
Shields/Rocky Mountain Way intersection can be changed to
facilitate a longer exit cycle from Rocky Mountain Way.
A longer green phase at school dismissal time precedes
the peak traffic volumes on Shields.
B. Neighborhood Streets
(1) It is recommended that a traffic signal not be installed
at the Horsetooth/Dunbar intersection. Since there
already is a signal at the Drake/Dunbar intersection, the
Dunbar green phase could be set at a minimum so this
route would become less attractive for students residing
in the north/northwest/west sectors of the enrollment
area.
(2) The two collector streets, Swallow and Dunbar, are very
wide two-lane streets. The wide cross-section invites
higher speeds. It is recommended that "chokers" or
"neck -downs" be provided at various locations which
reduce street width. The physical presence of curbs
closer to the travel lanes will have a psychological
effect on drivers.
(3) The intersection of Swallow and Dunbar is very wide and
controlled by a four-way stop. A raised traffic circle
in this wide intersection will force vehicles to slow
down by bending the direction of flow around the circle
in counter -clockwise.
(4) Careful selective use of speed humps could be effective
in both slowing traffic and making a given route less
attractive for the through traffic.
C. Demand -Management / Miscellaneous Considerations
(1) The use of a paid or permit parking system could be
implemented to discourage private vehicle use.
(2) Preferential parking could be provided for students who
stay all day and not leave campus during mid -day.
Preferential parking could also be provided for students
who achieve a certain minimum grade point average.
(3) The school is encouraged to provide an attractive on/near
campus food service to reduce the number of lunch trips
that are made off -campus on a daily basis.
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Further, according to the study:
"The increase in traffic on the area street system will increase
roughly proportionally to the increase in student population.
However, as the City grows to the south and the student population
redistributes, the traffic impact will vary. In the area north of
R.M.H.S., there will be a decreasing rate of increase in the school
related trips. South of R.M.H.S., there will be an increasing rate
of increase relative to the growth in student population."
9. Neighborhood Traffic Mitigation Measures:
The neighborhood to the west of and adjacent to R.M.H.S. has a long
history of concerns about the school -related traffic that impacts
their neighborhood. The concerns usually stem from the number of
vehicles using neighborhood streets, and the speed of some of the
student drivers.
The traffic study recommends several methods to mitigate these
impacts. These methods relate to making the arterial street system
more attractive, making the neighborhood streets less attractive,
and other demand -management techniques.
A. Arterial Streets
(1) of the four surrounding arterial streets, only Shields
Street is built to the full arterial standard. If these
four arterials were built to the full standard, then
capacity would increase thus lessening the travel time.
(2) A northbound Shields separate left turn lane at Rocky
Mountain Way would facilitate the inbound traffic to the
campus. Presently, this northbound left turn is not
allowed.
(3) The elimination of the outbound traffic from the east
parking lot onto Swallow Road will reduce the likelihood
that students will utilize the neighborhood streets for
the trip from school to house.
By forcing all but the users of the 100 student parking
spaces in the west parking lot to use the Shields/Rocky
Mountain Way intersection, the impacts to the adjacent
neighborhood should be reduced.
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reduce the number of auto trips within the community to promote air
quality. The school administration is committed to the concept
that parking on campus should not necessarily be made convenient or
plentiful yet recognizes that since parents provide cars, a certain
percentage of students will drive to school. While there is some
discussion about not allowing sophomores to drive, there is an
acknowledgement that many of today's students hold after -school
part-time jobs requiring transportation.
With the new addition, the amount of parking spaces on campus will
not increase over the present number of 740 spaces. Parking on the
west side of the building will be reduced to 225 spaces due to the
new addition. A 60 space parking lot has been designated as
visitor parking on the south with access to Swallow Road. The
parking lot on the east has been expanded to 455 spaces. The newer
spaces will be more remote than the present arrangement.
The parking lot on the east will be the designated student parking
area. This lot is accessed (inbound) from Swallow Road and via
Rocky Mountain Way from Shields Street. The only exit from this
lot will be via the Shields /Rocky Mountain Way intersection. With
direct access to Shields, a large part of the student parking area
will be discouraged from using Swallow Road and Dunbar Avenue for
the home -bound trip. The outbound movement to Swallow Road will be
prohibited by a system of one-way tire spikes.
The 740 spaces for 1800 students represents parking for 41% of the
student enrollment (or one space per .41 student). By comparison,
new Fort Collins High School provides 890 spaces for 1800 students
which represents parking for 49% of the student enrollment (or one
space per .49 student). (Both parking stall totals represent
parking for the student body, faculty and staff.)
Bicycle parking will be shifted from the interior courtyard to
racks located near building entrances on the north and east.
Presently, it is estimated that between 100 and 150 students use
bikes. The school administration is committed to providing
convenient, accessible, secure bicycle parking areas to help reduce
the number of autos.
8. Transportation:
A traffic impact analysis was performed for the school expansion
and the new parking lot layout. According to the Rocky Mountain
High School Expansion Traffic Study, (Delich, August, 1993), the
key intersections in the study area will continue to operate
acceptably during the peak hours. Acceptable operation is defined
as level of service "D" or better.
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September 27, 1993 P & Z Meeting
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The new building additions will fill in the courtyards and connect
the three presently detached buildings. The other additions are
contiguous to the existing structures. The expansion concept
represents an efficient use of land area and promotes the facility
as a community center as well as a public high school.
The location of the Rocky Mountain High School expansion
complements the existing facility and is an appropriate location
for public education at the secondary level.
5. Neighborhood Compatibility:
A neighborhood information meeting was held on September 9, 1993 at
the high school. Among those attending, there was no opposition to
the enlargement of the campus or the building. The property owner
who resides in the house on Shields Street expressed concern about
future plans for the vacant six acres and need to be buffered
accordingly. Unlike the new Fort Collins High School, the Planning
Department has not received one letter or phone call regarding the
expansion of Rocky Mountain High School. Based on this input, it
can be concluded that the neighborhood supports the proposed plans.
6. Design:
one of the primary additions is to add an entry feature along
Swallow Road. Currently, the main entrance is not readily
identifiable to the general public. The new entry feature will be
a two-story element with a pitched roof over an atrium. This will
enhance the community's access to use the facility's media center,
theater and lecture spaces, and instructional areas.
Presently, the school is divided into three separate buildings. By
filling the courtyards with building additions, the school will be
unified under one contiguous floor plan. The addition on the west
will be new classrooms. The addition on the south will be a new
theater and new space for performing arts. The addition on the
north will be for weight training and cardiovascular exercise.
The exterior building materials carry through the present brick
modular colors and textures. The highest point of the additions
will not exceed the height of the existing auditorium.
7. Parking:
As with the new Fort Collins High School, the amount of student
parking on campus is seen as a demand -management technique to
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September 27, 1993 P & Z Meeting
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3. Right of Advisory Review:
A. Section 22-32-124, C.R.S.
This section of State Statutes addresses the right of the School
District to construct schools within a municipality and the
location or manner of construction of such schools. The statute
specifically limits the municipalities, participation in the
process to a limited right of review and appeal to the Board of
Education.
B. Section 31-23-209, C.R.S.
This section provides that no public building shall be constructed
or authorized in a city until the "...location, character, and
extent thereof" has been submitted for approval by the Planning
and Zoning Board. In the case of disapproval, the Planning and
Zoning Board shall communicate its finding to the School District.
The disapproval of the Planning and Zoning Board may be overruled
by the School Board by a vote of not less than two-thirds of its
membership.
Under Section 31-23-209, C.R.S., the Planning and Zoning Board
should make a finding as to the location, character, and extent of
the public buildings and structures relative to the adopted Master
Plan of the City. Such findings help ensure that the proposed
structures conform to the adopted plan of the community. This is
the same statutory authority used to review the new Fort Collins
High School as well as all other new schools.
4. Land Use:
A. Zoning
The Rocky Mountain High School campus is located in the R-L-P, Low
Density Planned Residential Zone District. A public high school is
a permitted use within this zone. The proposed additions on the
campus, therefore, comply with the Zoning Code.
B. Location
The campus includes French Field, a district -wide athletic facility
for interscholastic competition in football and track and field.
The campus has also been enlarged by the inclusion of six vacant
acres located between Shields Street and Rocky Mountain Way. This
represents a campus size of 47 acres bounded by Shields Street
(arterial) and Swallow Road (collector street). The campus,
therefore, is well served by the existing street system.
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COMMENTS
1. Background:
The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows:
N: R-P, R-L-P; Existing apartments and single family
S: R-L-P; Existing apartments and vacant
E: R-L-P; Existing single family home, child care, vet clinic
W: R-P, R-L-P; Existing condos and church
Rocky Mountain High School was built in 1972 to serve a population
of approximately 1,200 students. In 1990, the Board of Education
voted to expand the student population at both Rocky Mountain and
Poudre High Schools to 1,800 to match the enrollment anticipated at
the new Fort Collins High School. A bond issue to fund the
structural improvements at all three high schools was approved by
the voters within the Poudre R-1 School District in 1991.
2. Context Within the Section:
Rocky Mountain High School lies within a square mile section
bounded by Drake Road, Shields Street, Horsetooth Road and Taft
Hill Road. Built, for the most part, since the 1970's, this
section is characterized by large single family subdivisions such
as Rossborough, Kensington, Wagon Wheel, and Kingston Woods. This
section also supports multi -family housing with Collins West
Apartments, Silver Plume Condos, Casa Grande Townhomes, Victoria
Gables, and Jon -El Apartments.
A large neighborhood park (Rossborough Park) is centrally located
and adjacent to Dunbar Avenue, the north -south collector street
which traverses the entire section. The east -west collector,
Swallow Road, provides primary access to Rocky Mountain High School
and is planned to be connected (either directly or indirectly) to
Taft Hill Road at some point in the future.
There are two commercial areas that serve this section as well as
pass -by arterial traffic. Cimarron Square, at Drake and Shields,
is within walking distance of Rocky Mountain High School.
Horsetooth Commons, at Horsetooth and Shields, is not fully
developed and has been recently downsized by the enlargement of
Kingston Woods, a single family project. Both of these centers are
considered to be neighborhood convenience shopping centers.
ITEM NO. 3
MEETING DATE 9/27/93
STAFF Ted Shepard
-
PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD
-
STAFF REPORT
PROJECT: Rocky Mountain High School Expansion - Site Plan
Advisory Review, #48-93
APPLICANT: Poudre R-1 School District
c/o Bill Brenner
Robb, Brenner, and Brelig Architects
125 South Howes Street, Suite 880
Fort Collins, CO 80521
OWNER: Puudre R-1 School District
2407 LaPorte Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80521
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
This is a Site Plan Advisory Review for the expansion of Rocky
Mountain High School, located at 1300 West Swallow Road. The
request is to add 101,000 square feet to the existing 168,000
square foot structure. With the new additions, the total square
footage would be 269,000 square feet to serve an ultimate
enrollment of 1,800 students. The campus has been enlarged to 47
acres by the addition of six acres along Shields Street. The
primary addition would fill in the present courtyard area as well
as add a new entry on the south. Other additions are on the north
and west side of the present building. The campus is zoned R-L-P,
Low Density Planned Residential.
RECOMMENDATION: Approval
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City's right to advise the Board of Education on matters
relating to the expansion of Rocky Mountain High School is found in
the Colorado Revised Statutes. A public high school is a permitted
use in the R-L-P, Low Density Planned Residential Zone District.
The expansion of the building is considered compatible with the
surrounding neighborhood. The new areas include a new entry
feature, media center, weight/cardio-respiratory area, theater/
lecture hall, and classrooms. The number of parking spaces does
not increase but is re -aligned. Measures are taken to reduce the
impact of traffic on the neighborhood streets. Three advisement
are recommended to encourage alternative forms of transportation
and address air quality issues.
COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. Ave. P.0 Bov ?U Fort Collin.,, CO K522-080 (301) 221-r,--;11
PLANNING DEPARTMENT