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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLAKEVIEW (DRAKE & LEMAY SINGLE FAMILY) - MOD - MOD130001 - REPORTS - MODIFICATION REQUESTCentury Communities | 8390 E. Crescent Parkway, Suite 650, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 www.centurycommunities.com Modification of Standard Request SUMMARY Century Communities requests a modification of standard for a portion of the following standard in the Fort Collins Land Use Code, Article 4, Division 4.4(D)(1), in the Low‐Density Residential District (R‐L), specifically related to the portion of the standard relating the minimum lot area to the total square footage of the home. Our proposed modification is shown below: 1. Density: All development in the Low Density Residential District shall have a minimum lot area the equivalent of three (3) times the total floor area of the building but not less than six thousand (6,000) square feet. Our proposal is to modify the standard for the minimum lot area from “3 times” to “1.75 times” the total floor area of the building. We propose to meet all other requirements in the R‐L zone district and meet all requirements of Residential Building Standards in the Land Use Code. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE Century Communities is a local Colorado homebuilder and has built a strong reputation for building high‐quality single‐family detached homes and neighborhoods over the past 13 years throughout the Front Range. Our intent is to apply for a modification to a portion of the aforementioned standard in advance of significant expenditures of full design and processing of development plans through the City. CONTEXT The proposed small 11‐acre neighborhood is located on the east portion of the Christ Center Community Church property at the southeast corner of E. Drake Road and S. Lemay Ave. The site is surrounded by existing development on all sides, with single‐family detached neighborhoods to the south and east, the church building, access drive, and parking lots to the west, and E. Drake Road to the north. Existing zoning is R‐L. 2 We propose 42 single family detached homes with private streets. The project will require an expansion to the existing detention pond on the south edge of the property. The site dimensions are roughly 500’ x 1000’, so there are limited options as to the layout of the neighborhood. DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY Code (R‐L zoning) Proposed Proposed minimum lot size: 6,000 sf 6,000 sf Minimum Setbacks (front/side/rear) 20’/5’/15’ 20’/5’/15’ Home size allowed per the code with 6,000 sf lot size: 2,000 sf 2,000 – 3,200 sf Effective Maximum Floor Area Ratio 0.33 0.54 (per the requirement for lot size 3x total floor area of the building) Proposed Average Lot Coverage (house footprint) n/a 34% Average Lot Coverage of surrounding neighborhoods n/a 29% Proposed Density n/a 3.89 du/ac Density of surrounding neighborhoods (see Exhibit A) n/a 3.63 du/ac Total floor area includes gross floor area of each level of a building, not including open balconies, the first 720 square feet of garages, and basements per definition of “Floor Area” in the City code. Lot Coverage measures the total footprint of the main level of the building, including garage. COMMUNITY FEATURES Since the inception of the R‐L zoning, Residential Building Standards have been adopted in the Land Use Code to ensure quality architectural design. Century Communities will adhere to these standards and will build several other features into the homes and neighborhood, including the following:  Detached sidewalks and street trees  Perimeter fencing and masonry columns  Enhanced front yard landscaping  Useable front porches  Masonry requirements  Recessed garage requirement  Side‐load garage option 3 HISTORY OF THE STANDARD In discussions with City staff, as part of the 1997 Comprehensive Plan update, the zone district R‐ L was created as a zoning designation over most existing built‐out residential areas to assure residents that their neighborhoods would remain stable in terms of land use, density, and character. Most undeveloped land in the city was rezoned to Low Density Mixed‐Use Neighborhood (L‐M‐N) as part of the City Plan adoption, so after 1997, all new residential development projects processed in the City were processed through the L‐M‐N zone district. No residential development has been processed in 17 years under R‐L zoning; therefore this standard has not been tested in the real estate market and with modern homebuilding practices. It places an undue burden on the homebuilder and landowner, especially given the size of this development and the spatial constraints of this property. For example, the standard does not permit the typical homebuilding practice of offering a range of house sizes on a reasonable, typical lot size (i.e. every lot would need to be nearly 10,000 sq. ft. to accommodate our largest home model). CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL We will demonstrate the proposed modification of standard meets the two following criteria for approval per Article 2, Division 2.8.2(H) and will not be detrimental to the public good in the following manner: (H)(1) The plan as submitted will promote the general purpose of the standard for which the modification is requested equally well or better than would a plan which complies with the standard for which a modification is requested; or (H)(4) The plan as submitted will not diverge from the standards of the Land Use Code that are authorized by this Division to be modified except in a nominal, inconsequential way when considered from the perspective of the entire development plan and will continue to advance the purposes of the Land Use Code as contained in Section 1.2.2. JUSTIFICATION 1. The standard was intended to preserve the density, land use, character, and value in established residential areas. Our proposed neighborhood will be compatible with the existing surrounding neighborhood to the south and east in the following ways:  land use – We propose single‐family detached homes in keeping with the surrounding neighborhoods. (promotes the general purpose of the standard equally well or better) 4  density ‐ We propose a density of 3.89 du/acre, while the surrounding neighborhood has a 3.66 du/acre density (see Exhibit A – Context Map attached). (nominal, inconsequential change)  character ‐ Residential Building Standards in Article 3 of the Land Use code (not in place at the inception of the R‐L zoning designation) are now in place to help ensure architectural quality and compatibility with existing neighborhoods. (promotes the general purpose of the standard equally well or better) 2. We roughly match the same number of homes and density along the west property line (we propose 11 homes where 12 homes exist in the adjacent neighborhood (see Exhibit B‐ Conceptual Site Plan attached). (promotes the general purpose of the standard equally well or better) 3. An appropriate measure similar to this standard is Lot Coverage (see Exhibit C – Lot Typicals). We feel that Lot Coverage is a better measure than Floor Area Ratio in evaluating compatibility, measuring the relationship of the total main level footprint of the home as opposed to the living area on the main and upper level of the home. We demonstrate the nominal and inconsequential difference in Lot Coverage for our lots along the east property line (the only lots directly abutting the existing neighborhood) to that of typical homes in the surrounding neighborhood). (nominal, inconsequential change) 4. Another appropriate measure similar to this standard is Building Setbacks (see Exhibit C – Lot Typicals). We demonstrate the nominal and inconsequential difference in potential resulting setbacks for our proposed home models and lots to that of typical homes in the surrounding neighborhood. Rear and side setbacks will be similar to those within the existing adjacent neighborhood (nominal, inconsequential change) 5. The standard is being applied on a very small scale as we only propose 42 homes on a unique, spatially constrained infill site, and this is not connected to the larger neighborhood. (nominal, inconsequential change) Thank you for your consideration in this request. Sincerely, Mike Cooper Century Communities