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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWATERFIELD ODP - ODP130002 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVES (4)land planning  landscape architecture  urban design  entitlement July 31, 2013 Waterfield OVERALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Planning Objectives The Waterfield development was initially planned in 1997 and at that time the entire site was zoned LMN. The Project Development Plan included a variety of housing types, a school site, a park site, a neighborhood center and a natural area around the wetland. In 2003, the Waterfield development plan was modified to eliminate lots proposed north and west of the wetland area to allow the City’s Natural Resource Division to purchase the natural area. While the vesting for the 1997 and 2003 Project Development Plans have lapsed, many decisions regarding future development of the property have been made. A school site, a park site, and future street right-of-ways were dedicated in anticipation of developing a residential community in the future. Since 2003 several changes have occurred that affect the future development of the site. The most significant changes are:  The alignment of Vine Drive on the Master Street Plan has shifted to the north, dividing the development plan with a four-lane arterial street with a 115-foot right-of-way and designated as an enhanced travel corridor.  The City’s Natural Resource Department is no longer interested in acquiring the existing wetland/natural area on the site.  In 2009 the City changed the zoning on the existing Bull Run apartment site and approximately 11 acres north of it, to encourage multi-family housing at the intersection of the two enhanced travel corridors (Timberline and New Vine). The zoning was changed from LMN to MMN as part of the Mountain Vista Subarea planning process. Despite these challenges, the current developers of the site are excited about the opportunities that exist and have worked to create an Overall Development Plan (ODP) that satisfies the land use objectives contained in City Plan, as well as the development objectives of the Poudre School District (PSD) and the City’s Parks Department. The 10-acre school site that had been dedicated with the 1997 development plan is now situated adjacent to the proposed New Vine Drive, a four-lane arterial street. This made the school site unacceptable to PSD. In a similar fashion the New Vine Drive cut through the previously dedicated park site reducing it’s’ size and eliminating the synergy that existed with the school and park sites being adjacent to each other. The Applicant worked with the Parks Department and with PSD to change the location of their sites. The ODP proposes to trade the existing school site for a similar size parcel located to the north along future Turnberry Road. This site is located on a local street and is adjacent to both the wetland/natural area and the park site, restoring the synergy that was envisioned by the original developers. The current developers plan to dedicate additional property to the City’s Parks Department resulting in an 8.1-acre park site. Both PSD and the Parks Department are in agreement with the proposed changes. In addition, Waterfield ODP - Planning Objectives July 31, 2013 Page 2 of 2 a ten foot wide, east-west, community bike trail is proposed adjacent to Timberline Road and along the northern border of the site. The alignment of this trail will be coordinated with the Parks Department during the PDP process. The original development plan for the Waterfield site included the now existing Bull Run apartments, and another smaller scale multi-family project, as well as single family houses. The current ODP without the Bull Run Apartment project included will provide four housing types including multi-family housing on the 11 acres re-zoned to MMN in 2009, paired housing, alley-loaded houses and traditional single family lots. The Land Use Code requires sites over twenty acres in size in the LMN district to include four housing types. A Modification Request to allow three housing types instead of four in the LMN portion of the site is attached. As a result of Vine Drive shifting to the north, part of Merganser Drive will be removed and straightened to allow a full movement intersection with New Vine Drive. This also allows the streets to intersect at 90 degrees. Turnberry Road will be constructed between New Vine Drive and Conifer Street to service the school and park sites as well as to provide access to the proposed neighborhood center. Access points into the southern portion of the site include the existing Merganser Drive and a second point of access from existing Vine Drive further to the west. In addition, there will be a new local street connecting to Timberline Road approximately 530 north of New Vine Drive. The ODP proposes to enhance the existing wetland/natural area so that it can be a valuable shared resource for the residential neighborhood, the park and the school. Observation wells drilled at the site in June of this year revealed that the depth to ground water ranged from 3.5 to 15.5 feet. Cedar Creek, environmental consultants hand drilled additional holes within the wetland area and found ground water closer to the surface but still at least 12 inches below grade. Cedar Creek concluded that the existing wetland is not being fed from ground water, but exists because of surface flows, from rainfall and irrigation of adjacent agricultural fields. The wetland is a low spot on the property with no existing outfall. The ODP proposes to direct storm water flows to the wetland area through a series of bio-swales. This strategy will provide water quality treatment of storm flows and help maintain the wetland. The proposed development is planned to encroach into the wetland on the southeast side, resulting in a loss of approximately .18 acres of low quality wetland habitat. The Project Development Plan for this portion of the project will include a wetlands mitigation proposal. Along with the bio-swales and wetland an existing detention pond along the southern portion of the site will also be renovated and utilized. A neighborhood center is proposed in the northeastern portion of the site adjacent to the future Conifer Drive. We believe this location for a neighborhood center will not only serve this property but is also centrally located to serve future projects to the west and to the north. Anticipated uses within the neighborhood center could potentially include a daycare center, offices, a church, a public facility like a fire station or mixed-use dwelling units. The first phase Project Development Plan will be submitted upon approval of this ODP and construction will begin in the spring of 2014. The future phases of the ODP shall be planned and constructed as the market demand allows.