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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWEST RANGE FORT COLLINS - PDP - PDP120028 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVESland planning  landscape architecture  urban design  entitlement Thinking outside of the box for over two decades. 401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 100  Fort Collins, CO 80521  tel. 970.224.5828  fax 970.224.1662  www.ripleydesigninc.com October 24, 2012 Planning Objectives West Range Fort Collins Project Vision: Epsilon Theta Corporation (ETC) of Fort Collins, the local housing corporation benefitting the Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike) Epsilon Theta Chapter at Colorado State University, is looking to create an apartment building / fraternity house hybrid with a series of residential dwelling units combined with sufficient common space to meet the needs of the fraternity group mission. ETC wants very marketable apartment living accommodations. Fraternity houses of the past create limited-use buildings, which is not desired for this project. It should be possible to use this structure solely as an apartment building if needed. Common areas will be easy to close off and/or convert to apartment units in the event that facility is not 100% occupied by the fraternity. The project is located at the corner of Laurel and Meldrum. Three structures that served as rental properties formerly existed on this site, but have since been demolished. The project will replat the 3 lots into a singular one. The architecture is anticipated to have a lodge feel with an urban flare to compliment the aesthetic of the area. The building is two-stories with parking located under approximately half on the first level. The apartment units themselves are expected to be primarily two-bedroom units, with one-bedroom units used only as necessary to fill the building footprint, and 5 four-bedroom units to provide a more affordable option to tenants. Every bedroom will have its own bathroom, and every unit its own kitchen. The current building contains 15 dwelling units and a total of 38 bedrooms. The buildings are designed to create an attractive urban-living experience for the individual interested in living near CSU where they can easily walk or bike to campus. The prominent corner of the building that faces the intersection will feature an enhanced entry feature and ample outdoor plaza. The plaza includes special paving, generous landscaping, outdoor lighting and a variety of seating opportunities. In addition, several large trees are being preserved which will provide a more established feel to the project. The rear portion of the building also contains a plaza, as well as decorative paving in a portion of the parking area. These two spaces are versatile and can be combined to form one larger plaza, when needed on special occasions. The project is located within the transit-oriented development (TOD) overlay zone. Multi-family residential projects in the TOD have no minimum parking requirements. Fraternity projects require 2 spaces per 3 bedrooms resulting in 26 required spaces. Although, the building likely won't be used primarily for fraternity members, the project is still proposing to exceeding this parking requirement by 13 spaces. This will provide more than one space per tenant and should insure that residents don’t park their vehicles on neighboring properties. Locating multi-family housing where residents can access the campus, shopping, employment and recreational opportunities without using an automobile is a key component of being an environmentally responsible community. West Range Fort Collins will allow 38 individuals to live in a location where they West Range Fort Collins Planning Objectives Page 2 of 2 Thinking outside of the box for over two decades. 401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 100  Fort Collins, CO 80521  tel. 970.224.5828  fax 970.224.1662  www.ripleydesigninc.com can easily get along without owning a car. This is not only highly desirable from an environmental perspective but also makes going to college more affordable to students on a budget. West Range Fort Collins encourages the use of bicycles by providing 45 convenient and secure bike parking spaces within the building and in plazas. In addition to being able to walk or bike to campus, residents will also have easy access to the Mason Street Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and several bus stops. The project is requesting that five 4-bedroom units be approved with this project. The request is attached. West Range Fort Collins will provide an upscale multi-family housing project designed to offer the ability for residents to live just off campus in an exciting urban environment. The rental apartments are designed to be safe, convenient, comfortable and affordable. We believe the proposed project will be a positive addition to the community and will add to the character of the Laurel Street frontage. The Applicant and design team appreciate your attention to this project and look forward to your comments.