Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutISLAMIC CENTER OF FORT COLLINS - PDP - PDP110011 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 -December 20, 2010 Islamic Center of Fort Collins 925 West Lake Street, Fort Collins, Colorado NARRATIVE • VIEWS ANALYSIS • SHADOW ANALYSIS • PRIVACY • NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE Views Analysis “Views. A building or structure shall not substantially alter the opportunity for, and quality of, desirable views from public places, streets and parks within the community. Desirable views are views by the community of the foothills, mountains and/or significant local landmarks (i.e., Long's Peak, Horsetooth Mountain). Techniques to preserve views may include, but are not limited to, reducing building or structure mass, changing the orientation of buildings and increasing open space setbacks” The attached views analysis includes “before” photos that are unchanged and “after” photos that have been altered to include an image of the proposed building structure. Also included is a key map showing the camera position and north orientation. View 1a represents a view looking southeast across the property from Lake Street. There are no significant or desirable views in this direction worthy of preserving. View 1b shows the proposed building located on the lot. The proposed building is set back from Lake Street 60 feet. The top of the Prayer Hall dome is approximately 52’ tall from average grade. The peak of the minaret is approximately 72’ tall from average grade. (note: detention pond in foreground is not delineated). Views beyond the proposed building from this vantage point will be obscured; however, no views of the foothills, mountains, or any other significant local landmarks are affected. View 2a represents a view looking west down Lake Street. The photo was taken 275’ east of the property’s eastern property line. It isn’t until this distance from the property that the mountain views really start to come into view. Please note that these photos depict the views with leafless trees -- the mountain views will be even more obscured by the existing mature trees when they leaf out. View 2b shows the proposed building located on the lot. Again, the proposed building is set back from Lake Street 60 feet. This setback helps to mitigate the building’s affect on the public’s mountain view experience from Lake Street, more so than a lesser setback would. The building is relatively tall due to the spiritual and unique nature of the use, but the footprint is relatively small at 6,600 square feet which narrows its visual impact. The amount of desirable mountain views blocked by the proposed building is minimal in the grand scheme of things. There are also no significant existing structures located immediately to the east that will be affected by this project blocking views to the west. Also, please observe in views 2a & 2b the apartment building LOCKWOOD ARCHITECTS, INC., 1027 W Horsetooth Rd., Ste 200B, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526 p: 970.493.1023 LOCKWOOD ARCHITECTS, INC., 1027 W Horsetooth Rd., Ste 200B, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526 p: 970.493.1023 on the left – its mass and orientation to Lake Street have more of a negative effect on the public’s access to views than this proposed project. Views Conclusion: This project will not substantially alter the opportunity for, and quality of, desirable views from public places, streets and parks within the community. Views of the foothills, mountains, or any other significant local landmarks are minimally affected by this project. Light & Shadow Analysis “Buildings or structures greater than forty (40) feet in height shall be designed so as not to have a substantial adverse impact on the distribution of natural and artificial light on adjacent public and private property. Adverse impacts include, but are not limited to, casting shadows on adjacent property sufficient to preclude the functional use of solar energy technology, creating glare such as reflecting sunlight or artificial lighting at night, contributing to the accumulation of snow and ice during the winter on adjacent property, and shading of windows or gardens for more than three (3) months of the year. Techniques to reduce the shadow impacts of a building may include, but are not limited to, repositioning of a structure on the lot, increasing the setbacks, reducing building or structure mass or redesigning a building or structure’s shape.” A Shadow Analysis is attached. The analysis depicts shadows cast by the proposed building at 9:00am, noon, and 3:00 pm on the summer and winter solstice, when the sun is at its highest and lowest. The summer shadows, for the majority of the day, will not extend beyond the property. Due to the proposed building’s orientation and generous setbacks on all sides, the long winter shadows will have little negative impact of adjacent properties. Shadow Analysis Conclusion: The shadows cast by the proposed building will not affect any adjacent property sufficient to preclude their functional use of solar energy technology; also, due to the proposed building orientation direct glare from reflecting sunlight off windows (which will not be mirrored glass) will be minimal; and, the proposed building’s contribution to the accumulation of snow and ice during the winter on adjacent property and public sidewalks will be minimal; and, the project will not cause any shading of windows or gardens for more than three months of the year. Privacy “Buildings or structures greater than forty (40) feet in height shall be designed to avoid infringing on the privacy of adjacent public and private property, particularly adjacent residential areas and public parks. Techniques to improve the level of privacy in a neighborhood may include, but not be limited to, providing landscaping, fencing and open space, and changing building or structure orientation away from adjacent residential development.” Residential properties are located immediately to the west of this proposed project. The proposed building is set back from the western property line by approximately 86 feet and will be separated by a fence, landscaping, and parking lot. Please note that the building is only two stories in height. The building orientation is also turned approximately 34 degrees off of the northern axis, which in turn will aid in a sense of privacy in that windows will not be directly overlooking an adjacent property. LOCKWOOD ARCHITECTS, INC., 1027 W Horsetooth Rd., Ste 200B, Fort Collins, Colorado 80526 p: 970.493.1023 Privacy Conclusion: The project has been designed to avoid infringing on the privacy of adjacent public and private residential property by, most importantly the use of setbacks and building orientation. Neighborhood Scale “Buildings or structures greater than forty (40) feet in height shall be compatible with the scale of the neighborhoods in which they are situated in terms of relative height, height to mass, length to mass, and building or structure scale to human scale.” Single family residential exists to the west and single family and multi-family apartments exist to the north. This building’s size, height, bulk, mass, and scale are all integral to the iconic use it is intended to serve, and is very appropriate and specific to its purpose, a Mosque. The proposed building is well articulated and subdivided into massing to promote its function and visual interest. There are apartment buildings in the area with similar mass and scale to the majority of this proposed building, but the components that exceed 40’ are the components that make it a Mosque. This facility’s proposed massing and scale will add to the neighborhood’s character and quality. The site setting for the facility is very important as well – a 3 plus acre site and setting the building back from Lake Street suits this building’s mass and scale and adds open space between it and the street. Neighborhood Scale Conclusion: A defined architectural character is not strongly established in this area and the neighborhood scale varies from a small single family home to a large apartment building and a church. Not far away is CSU with massive buildings on campus. The architecture of this new development will enhanced the standard of quality for future projects or redevelopment in the area. This project also represents a unique addition to our community adding to the diverse cultural identity of the City of Fort Collins. If the iconic features of the proposed Mosque have the appearance of exceeding the current neighborhood scale we would argue that: the positioning of the building, with generous setbacks from all sides; and, the orientation of the building off of the northern axis; and, a relatively small footprint (6,600 square feet); and, being located on a large lot in excess of 3 acres would all be mitigating factors.