HomeMy WebLinkAboutLAKEVIEW - PDP - PDP130026 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - VARIANCE REQUESTLSC TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANTS, INC.
1889 York Street
Denver, CO 80206
(303) 333-1105
FAX (303) 333-1107
E-mail: lsc@lscdenver.com
August 22, 2013
Mr. Mike Cooper
Century Communities
8390 E. Crescent Parkway, Suite 650
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Re: Lakeview
Fort Collins, CO
LSC #130490
Dear Mr. Cooper:
This letter serves as a Variance Request for the proposed Lakeview development in Fort
Collins, Colorado per Section 1.9.4.A of the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards
(LCUASS) for the existing site access intersection with E. Drake Road. A previous land use
proposal on this site requested a similar variance that was approved. The previous variance
request letter from June, 2012 is attached.
The existing posted speed limit on E. Drake Road is 40 mph approaching the existing site
access from the east. Figure 7-16 of the LCUASS requires a corner sight distance of 660 feet
for a design speed of 40 mph, 830 feet for a design speed of 45 mph, and 1,030 feet for a
design speed of 50 mph. The previous variance request assumed a design speed of 50 mph.
One-thousand-thirty feet relates to a gap of 14 seconds at 50 mph which seems unreasonable.
The previous request acknowledges this point and suggests the 1,030-foot requirement is
based on outdated methodology. We agree with the prior request that an acceptable gap of 7.5
seconds per the current AASHTO design standards is more appropriate and would reduce the
acceptable minimum entering sight distance to 555 feet. While an occasional large truck could
use this access to/from the site, the design vehicle for residential areas is typically a
passenger vehicle. The occasional large vehicle would have the option of turning right from
the existing site access on S. Lemay Avenue to generally travel in the same direction.
The only movement from the existing site access that is affected by this sight distance is the
left-turn movement onto E. Drake Road. Left-turning vehicles onto E. Drake Road have a two-
way left-turn lane (TWLTL) as a receiving lane which results in better operations for those
comfortable using the TWLTL as a left-turn acceleration lane. A vehicle using the TWLTL for
acceleration would only need to see far enough east to see a westbound vehicle that is turning
left into the site - most likely at an average speed closer to 25-30 mph.