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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSU STUDENT HOUSING UNIVERSITY VILLAGE EXPANSION ADVISORY REVIEW - 20 93 - REPORTS - CITY COUNCILMunicipal IGo/f Course cr - 4N.Cr�esti r Ct S. Crestmore Cto har� d Pl. Broad i c 1 Plum E o Park pt Akin m VT s G W Olive St Wood ford c w. Magnolia Ci fy Pork vti Y o Lake rn o `c p W. Mulberry St � 9�e Sunset Ct ��° Myrtle o o t o Av • ' a P�side estview _ c Cl, m�, Q o c Moritz o , -7-74 i� Av more - PL PL a� ii Birch St. Birch - St c a,4 o c o v C N W LaurE r Ln `- c' m Bayst ne Dr' 3 IDr vt } o • .00 y r C N �' m Nortl Plum St c Mc All ste a� Ct. W El izabeth Y O o E L E �c o c o U Lc^sdale Ct Ct • University pye � \ Westward Drlewo pve Lake wood Dr w Df. c� Sk n a, > > - _ acid o o V1 71d—C o r 0 :r:":::: Dr �4 o E o o c Bennett Rd 4 St.3 M rn t \jr Dr C C o Fairy - o Ct r C o J J W p 0 m W Lake St — cc W Pr ITEM: CSU 1/ STUDENT HOUSING PROJECTS Norilh CSU Student Housing Projects Staff Report Page 7 The schematic plans submitted to the City provided an emergency access to Skyline Drive from the Northwest site. The recommendation by City staff was to provide a vehicular connection to Skyline, to facilitate emergency service access, distribute traffic to and from the site and to provide an alternative access for traffic leaving the site going to the west. On the basis of this recommendation, as well as the results of the amended traffic study which looked at this issue, CSU is now proposing a vehicular connection to Skyline Drive at the northern edge of the Northwest site. This study showed that an additional 15 vehicles would be added to Skyline Drive during the morning peak hour and 23 vehicles would be added during the afternoon peak hour. The Southeast site has an access on West Elizabeth Street. As designed, this access would allow left -turns onto West Elizabeth from the site. The amended traffic study prepared for CSU addressed this access and indicates that during peak hours, there would be similar delays for left turns at this location as there are at the Constitution/West Elizabeth intersection. City staff believes this access would function safely and that delays would be acceptable. Thus, staff recommends that the West Elizabeth Street access be designed to allow full turning movements and that the access be lined up with Wendy's Restaurant, on the south side of West Elizabeth. CSU proposes to install signs prohibiting left turns, which may discourage some left turn movements. Parking areas along the streets on both sites will be highly visible and vehicle headlights will be visible to traffic on these streets. The City's landscape guidelines encourage the use of berming and/or shrub beds along public rights -of -way to accomplish screening of parking areas. CSU has responded that landscaping that borders the streets will be designed and installed in accordance with City standards. Staff recommends that low berming (2-3' high) and shrub beds be used along the West Elizabeth and Skyline Drive frontages and that shrub beds be used along the City Park Avenue frontage, to provide better screening of the adjacent parking areas and vehicle headlights. Storm water was a concern raised by City staff about the Southeast site, due to an established floodplain along West Elizabeth Street. As a result, the site was re -designed to keep all proposed structures out of the floodplain. This has provided larger setbacks along West Elizabeth, while meeting the City's storm water requirements. CSU Student Housing Projects Staff Report Page 6 the building and berming is planned along West Elizabeth to help screen the view of the parking area. Evergreen trees are interspersed throughout the site and shrub beds are planned around the building entrance. Parking for this site is planned at 1.75 spaces per unit, for a total of 206 parking spaces. Parking for the disabled and for bicycles is provided. The spaces along City Park Avenue are setback a minimum of 10' from the back of the sidewalk and 25' from West Elizabeth. Parking lot landscaping meets or exceeds the City's minimum 6% requirement. 6. Transportation: Access to the Northwest site is via Constitution and Plum Street or Skyline Drive and access to the Southeast site is via City Park Avenue or West Elizabeth Street. West Elizabeth Street is an arterial street and Constitution, Plum, Skyline and City Park are designated as local streets. The City has policies for promoting alternative modes of transportation (transit, walking and bicycling) and these sites provide a good opportunity for alternative modes to be used. Many of the trips from this site are expected to be on foot or bicycle and in the direction of main campus. Based on the traffic impact study prepared for CSU, the traffic impacts related to these plans can be accommodated on the area street system. 7. Issues• During the review of the CSU housing proposals by the City, several key issues related to site design were raised by staff. These issues were compatibility of the existing single family area along Skyline and Broadview, access to Skyline Drive for the Northwest site, access on West Elizabeth for the Southeast site, buffering of parking areas and storm water on the Southeast site. Because of the proposed density of the Northwest site, the issue of compatibility was raised by staff. CSU has responded by reducing the initial density in this area from 100 units to 80 units and orienting the site with a low -intensity activity (garden space) along the northern edge of the site and by proposing to plant additional medium-sized trees along the north side of the property, set back from the fence so that shading on the properties to the north will be minimized. CSU Student Housing Projects Staff Report Page 5 The proposed buildings are predominantly two-story structures of hardboard siding, with the ends of the structures being one-story in height. Patio and courtyard areas are enclosed with masonry and split face concrete block walls. A variety of roof lines, variation in the building footprint and courtyard connections provides buildings that are compatible with the surrounding area. Landscaping for the site consists primarily of deciduous shade trees around the site's perimeter. Evergreen trees are interspersed throughout the site, to provide variety in color, texture and seasonal interest. A combination of trees and shrub beds is planned for the courtyards and around the community building and play areas. Chain link fencing is planned along the north property line. Parking lot landscaping meets or exceeds the City's minimum 6% requirement. Parking is found along the south edge of the site and the outside edge of the housing units. Parking is planned at a ratio of 1.75 spaces per unit, which provides an amount of parking consistent with City parking requirements. Spaces are well -distributed throughout the site. Parking for the disabled and bicycle parking is also provided. The spaces along Skyline Drive are setback 23, from the back of the sidewalk. There are deciduous shade trees planned for this setback area. Southeast Site There are 118 one and two -bedroom units planned for the Southeast site in what is essentially one building. The building is setback a minimum of 144' from the back of the sidewalk on City Park Avenue and 159' from the back of the sidewalk on West Elizabeth Street. A basketball court is planned for the northeast corner of the site and several existing, mature trees in this area will be preserved. An outdoor patio is located to the northwest of the central portion of the building. A main element of the site design is the pedestrian and visual connection from the southeast corner of the site to the building itself. The building is planned to be three-story (maximum of 40' in height). Building materials include brick veneer, scored concrete block, split face concrete block and hardboard siding. Each segment of the building will be connected by a narrow corridor. The variety in materials, roof lines and building foot prints, as well as the large setbacks, will create a dramatic view of the site from the adjacent streets. Formal deciduous shade tree plantings are proposed along both streets and throughout the site. Berming and ornamental trees frame the walkway from the City Park/West Elizabeth intersection to CSU Student Housing Projects Staff Report Page 4 4. Relationship to Land Use Policies Plan and LDGS The housing units are proposed at densities of 10.8 DU/acre for the Northwest site and 17.46 DU/acre for the Southeast site. Although the density proposed for the Northwest site is higher than the single family area to the north and west, it matches the density of Ram Village 1st (10.8 DU/acre). The density proposed for the Southeast site (17.46 DU/acre) is higher than that of Fort Ram Village 2nd (15.14 DU/acre). The City's Land Use Policies Plan supports higher density residential uses near: the core area of the City, regional/community shopping centers, CSU main campus, or the hospital; within easy access to major employment centers; with access to public transportation; and in areas with provisions for alternative modes of transportation. The Northwest and Southeast sites are located in close proximity to main campus, major employment centers (CSU main campus and Campus West Shopping Center) and bus routes are available on City Park Avenue, Constitution and Plum and West Elizabeth. The proximity to main campus should also be conducive for pedestrian use between the sites and main campus. While the density of the Northwest site is higher than the existing residential area to the north, the proposed site design provides design features to mitigate the higher density of the Northwest site and promote compatibility between the two land uses. The Southeast site provides a reasonable transition from the commercial area along West Elizabeth to the lower density residential areas to the north and west. The proposed multi -family land uses and densities are supported by both the Land Use Policies Plan and the LDGS. 5. Design: Northwest Site The 80 two and three -bedroom units planned for this site are arranged in two groups of four ten -unit buildings, which are clustered around enclosed courtyards. The buildings are oriented in an east -west fashion. The central portion of the site includes a community building, play field and playground. The northern edge of the site is planned for garden plots for use by the residents. Building setbacks to the north are a minimum of 41' to the property line and 115' to Skyline Drive. Pedestrian circulation is provided throughout the site, as well as linked to the adjacent sidewalk system. The path that encircles the play field will also provide emergency service access. CSU Student Housing Projects Staff Report Page 3 family homes and 120,000 square feet of commercial uses was planned for the Southeast site. The first phase of the master plan was approved later in 1985 for 628 units (a mix of single and multi -family units) on 35.04 acres and included everything but the commercial site. The final plan for the first phase of development became known as Fort Ram Village 1st (218 units on 14.40 acres) and was approved in 1987. Fort Ram Village 2nd (138 units on 12.73 acres) was approved in 1988. The commercial tract of the master plan, which is the Southeast site, received preliminary approval in 1989 for a neighborhood shopping center on 6.7 acres. This plan expired in 1992. The remaining three acres from the original master plan area of 43.7 acres are configured in the out parcel on West Elizabeth (1.94 acres) and the detention pond at the corner of West Elizabeth and Skyline Drive. 3. City Review Process: City staff has been discussing the current housing proposals with CSU representatives since the fall of 1992. Shortly after, these early discussions, CSU held a neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposed plans with the neighborhood. In March of this year, the plans were presented to the City's Conceptual Review team and written comments of the discussion at this meeting were provided to CSU. A formal submittal of schematic plans (similar to City preliminary plan detail) was made to the Planning Department in April. These plans were reviewed by a number of City departments and divisions, as well as outside utility agencies. Written comments detailing staff concerns were provided to CSU and a Utility Coordination meeting was held to discuss the utility -related issues raised. On June 10, a submittal of the design/development plans (similar to City final plan detail) was made to the Planning Department and the results of this review were provided to CSU. A meeting was held June 27 between City staff and CSU representatives to discuss transportation -related issues raised during the design/development stage of review. A neighborhood meeting, jointly sponsored by CSU and the City, was held June 30. At this meeting, a number of issues were raised and are outlined in the attached minutes and CSU response. The City review of CSU plans has been consistent with how other development plans, proposed by private developers in Fort Collins, are reviewed by City staff. CSU Student Housing Projects Staff Report Page 2 1. Site Data: Northwest Site Site area: 7.4 acres Units: 80 Density: 10.8 DU/acre Parking: 1.75 spaces/unit, for total of 140 spaces The site is zoned r-p, Planned Residential and the surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: RLP; existing single family residences (Miller Brothers 3rd Subdivision - approx. 4 DU/acre) S: rp; existing multi -family units (Fort Ram Village 2nd - 10.8 DU/acre) E: rp; existing multi -family units (Fort Ram Village 2nd - 10.8 DU/acre) W: RLP; existing single family residences (Miller Bros. 3rd - approx. 4 DU/acre) Southeast Site Site area: 6.7 acres Units: 118 Density: 17.46 DU/acre Parking: 1.75 spaces/unit, for total of 206 spaces The site is zoned b-p, Planned Business and the surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: rp; existing multi -family units (Fort Ram Village 1st - 15.14 DU.acre), not zoned - CSU property S: BP; Wendy's, Potts, China Dragon (Fairview Subdivision) E: BL, RH; Valentino's, vet clinic (Campus West Shopping Center) W: rp; existing multi -family units (Fort Ram Village 1st - 15.14 DU/acre) 2. Background: This area was first zoned with the CSU Bull Farm Zoning in 1984, which placed Planned Business and Planned Residential zoning on the area. A condition of the zoning was that development proposals for the site be processed as a planned unit development. Both the Northwest and Southeast sites were part of the CSU Bull Farm Master Plan, approved by the Planning and Zoning Board in 1985. This master plan consisted of 43.7 acres of commercial land uses and included the land now developed as Fort Ram Village 1st and 2nd. On this master plan, the Northwest site was planned for 58 single MEETING DATE 7/27/93 STAFF Albertson -Clark City of Fort Collins STAFF REPORT PROJECT: Colorado State University Student Housing Plans EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: There are two sites proposed by Colorado State University for off - campus housing for students. The sites are referred to as the "Northwest Site" (located east of Skyline Drive, north of West Elizabeth) and the "Southeast Site" (located at the northwest corner of West Elizabeth Street and City Park Avenue). These sites were part of the original CSU Bull Farm. CSU held a neighborhood meeting on these plans last fall and a second neighborhood meeting was held June 30. City staff has been reviewing the CSU housing plans since March of this year. The City review of these plans has been consistent with the way in which other private development plans in Fort Collins are reviewed by staff. Staff believes that the proposed land uses and densities are supported by the City's Land Use Policies Plan and the Land Development Guidance System. There are several issues staff has raised during the review of these plans. These issues are compatibility with the existing single family area to the north, access to Skyline Drive and West Elizabeth Street, buffering of parking areas and storm water concerns on the Southeast site. Staff has made several recommendations to CSU regarding buffering and access, which are outlined in this report. COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 (303) 221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ITEM NUMBER: DATE: July 27, 1993 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Tom Peterson SUBJECT: Public Forum on Proposed Colorado State University Student Housing Plans. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the City Council receive public comment on this issue. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: There are two sites proposed by Colorado State University for off -campus housing for students. Both sites were part of the original CSU Bull Farm on West Elizabeth Street. The ordinance that annexed the CSU property included a provision that the City agreed not to apply its building and zoning codes to land uses on CSU properties. Nonetheless, there exists a high level of public interest in this project, and CSU land uses in general, so the City is trying to work together with the University to afford the members of the public an opportunity to have input in regard to these projects. Thus, the City Council has scheduled this meeting as an opportunity for the public to make comments on the CSU housing proposal.