HomeMy WebLinkAboutSAVE MOR SELF STORAGE PUD PRELIMINARY AND FINAL - 27 93 - CORRESPONDENCE - LANDSCAPE PLAN (3)June 17,1993
Kirsten Whetstone
Planning Department
City of Fort Collins
Dear Kirsten,
On June 16,1993, an onsite meeting was held at the location of the proposed SAVE*-
MOR P.U.D. One of the issues discussed was the location of the fenceline separating
the SAVE*MOR building and traffic area from the Gustav Swanson Nature Area. I
would like to review what our landscaping proposals have been and suggest something
that may satisfy Natural Resources and the citizen groups that have been involved with
the Gustav Swanson area.
The City has a rail fence across the westernmost portion of the SAVE*MOR site,
delineating natural areas adjacent to the existing trail. Our initial submittal of May 3,
provided landscape buffering in this area of approximately 2170 square feet. After
review, the City felt that they needed more substantial buffering. The client not only
decreased his building square footage to accommodate this request, but has offered to
deed this area to the City and allow the volunteer group working with the Nature Area
to plan landscaping of their choosing. The dedicated area increased to approximately
4440 square feet.
In an effort to retain several cottonwood saplings, the Nature Area is now proposing
to increase the buffer to approximately 6630 square feet. The client realizes the
resource value of cottonwoods in the river corridor, but to comply with this will
require losing another large portion of building, which will represent permanently lost
income. These trees are small at this point, and growing under the canopy of larger
cottonwoods. The lack of sunlight is causing an irregular growth habit which will
become a hazzard and a maintenance problem as the trees become larger. The client
would like to propose keeping the present fence configuration and substituting the
existing saplings with others in the buffer area. They would quickly reach the size of
those removed, and provide similar screening.
We would also like to stress to staff the generous amount of landscaping the developer
has provided. Subdivision regulations call for 6% of the vehicular surfaces to be
landscaped. Excluding right-of-way landscaping, this development provides planting
totaling 12 % of the vehicular surface. We feel this serves the community much better
than development to subdivision standards, which would stress buffering along the
rights -of -way, to the detriment of the Nature Area.
We hope that this information will make staff and concerned citizens more com-
fortable with the plan, and invite your comments.
Sincerely,
Jim Sell Design, Inc.
LfLForceT�rC&
Job Number P-1498-93
1 ,Sell D� I"" �"
cc: Dick Ummel Ave
file 117
�oI6MOns �Cd°'ad° 80
(303)484-1921