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Home My WebLink AboutMORNINGSTAR ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE - PDP - PDP130024 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - MODIFICATION REQUESTOctober 2, 2013 Panning and Zoning Board c/o City of Fort Collins Current Planning Department 281 North College Ave. Fort Collins, CO 80524 Re: MVG-Morningstar Assisted Living and Memory Care Please accept this request for a Modification of Standards to Section 4.5(E)(2)(e) of the Land Use Code. Background The MVG-Morningstar project consists of a 71,165 sq. ft., one and two story building to be developed into an assisted living and memory care facility located on an infill site containing approximately 4.9 +/- acres. The building is designed to have a central core area with two wings for the living spaces. The core area will contain the main entrance foyer, reception, administrative offices, a lounge, a bistro and a common dining area for the assisted living residents. The dining room opens into a courtyard/patio. The kitchen and “back of house” facilities are also located here, utilizing the service drive on the west side of the building. The south wing and a portion of the second floor north wing will contain 55 assisted living units for the residents and the first floor of the north wing will house 23 memory care units. It is designed to revolve around a central courtyard. In addition to a small dining and gathering area, there will also be an outdoor fenced-in pathway for the use of thememory care residents. The architectural style of the building is unique to Fort Collins utilizing a combination of materials, elevations and building massing breaks to create both interest and maximize views and orientation. The creation of an interior courtyard with a portion of the building along the northwest containing only one story will reduce the impact of the building for the residents within the memory care wing and allow both visibility and light to enhance their daily lives. The reduction in the building scale permits the adjacent neighbors to welcome the reduced scale visually. The mix of stone, horizontal siding, and architectural elements with bay windows, brackets and mix of composition shingles and metal roofing will create a very aesthetic building for the community. At the neighborhood meeting conducted with City representatives on September 23, 2013, neighbors commented that they liked the new plan, appreciated the Developers listening to their input from a previous neighborhood meeting, and were supportive of the updated site plan, building plan and exterior elevations. Main access to the site will utilize two entrances off of Lochwood Drive. There is a circular drive drop-off area at the main entrance to the building. The building is oriented to the Horsetooth Road frontage with the main entrance facing Lochwood Drive and provides a direct walkway to the street. Parking and the service areas are located to the side and rear of the building. MVG-Morningstar Modification of Standards 10-2-13 The modification is requested in accordance with the review procedures set forth in Section 2.8.2(H) of the Land Use Code as follows: Modification to Section 4.5(E)(2)(e) Code Language: Section 4.5(E)(2)(e) LMN District Development Standards related to building massing for non-residential buildings states the following: Building Massing. No building permitted by this Section shall have a single undifferentiated mass with a footprint over ten thousand (10,000) square feet. No building footprint shall exceed a total of twenty thousand (20,000) square feet. Requested Modification: We request that the building be permitted to have a 42,423 square foot building footprint. Modification Criteria The request of approval for this modification complies with the standards per Review Criteria 2.8.2 (H)(1) and (2) in the following ways: 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. 2. The granting of the modification from the strict application of any standard would, without impairing the intent and purpose of the Land Use Code, result in a substantial benefit to the city by reason of the fact that the proposed project would substantially address an important community need specifically and expressly defined and described in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Further, We feel that the granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good. Justification We feel that 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 for the following reasons: • The core issue of this modification revolves around whether or not it would be more desirable to have one building footprint at 42,423 sq. ft. or two – 20,000 square foot building footprints that meet the strict application of the Code. The difference between the proposed alternative plan and a plan that meets the code is that this type of facility could not exist and function in two separate buildings for the following reasons: − The operation and license of the facility from the State of Colorado Department of Health would be difficult to obtain if facilities were operating in two separate MVG-Morningstar Modification of Standards 10-2-13 buildings. The license would require central operational facilities, dining and food preparation and staffing which would add an undue operational expenses making the facility financially infeasible. − In addition to operational costs, the facilities would require duplicate common spaces in each building to support the needs of the residents. • The proposed alternative plan continues to improve the design, quality and character of new development by exceeding the building standards set forth in Section 3.5. The use of high quality residential building materials, building articulation, projections and recesses, along with pitched roof elements ensures sensitivity to and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.. • The proposed alternative plan continues to encourage innovations in land development by allowing a creative way to mitigate the larger footprint by stepping the retaining wall along the west side. The stepped wall, in combination with additional landscape and a 6’ high solid fence, results in reducing the effect of the building. • The current footprint of the building is 42,423 sq. ft., which represents 19.8% of the site coverage. The remining 80% of the site is parking, detention area and landscape. The building is placed at the south end of the site, at the street intersection and shaped to fit the angles of the site, thus allowing for over 50% of the site to be landscaped. • The proposed alternative plan continues to encourage the development of vacant properties within established areas. The site is surrounded by existing development - a golf course, a restaurant, pool, daycare, neighborhood center, and multi-family development. A larger footprint is appropriate in this setting, especially if the building is designed to provided an suitable transition between the street activity and the adjacent residential development. • The proposed use of the site to provide assisted living and memory care benefits the community as a whole with limited impact on the adjoining properties. A plan that complies with the standard could be developed with much greater intensity. For example, a multiple office building complex could be constructed, with a total of 37,500 sq. ft. At a parking ratio of 3 cars per 1,000 sq. ft., there could potentially be 113 parking spaces on the site. This would amount to greater impacts to the neighborhood in addition to generating a substantial amount of traffic in the area. • As previously stated, at the neighborhood meeting conducted with City representatives on September 23, 2013, neighbors commented that they liked the new plan, appreciated the Developers listening to their input from a previous neighborhood meeting, and were supportive of the updated site plan, building plan and exterior elevations. No opposition to the proposed use were heard from the neighbors. Further, the proposed alternative plan seeks to provide a substantial benefit to the City by addressing an important community need specifically and expressly defined and described in the policies of City Plan. More specifically the following: MVG-Morningstar Modification of Standards 10-2-13 Policy LIV 7.5 – Address Special Needs Housing Plan for and meet the housing needs of special populations within the community. Disperse residential care facilities, shelters, group homes, and senior housing throughout the Growth Management Area. Policy LIV 7.6 – Basic Access Support the construction of housing units with practical features that provide basic access and functionality for people of all ages and widely varying mobility and ambulatory– related abilities. We look forward to working with you during this process and will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Sincerely, Cathy Mathis, APA Project Manager, The Birdsall Group