HomeMy WebLinkAboutWATERFIELD THIRD FILING - PDP - PDP130037 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVES (3)land planning landscape architecture urban design entitlement
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401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 100 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
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November 6, 2013
Waterfield Project Development Plan (PDP) is supported by the following Principles
and Policies found in
City Plan
Fort Collins
Adopted February 15, 2011
STATEMENT OF APPROPRIATE CITY PLAN PRICIPLES AND POLICIES
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Principle ENV 1: Within the developed landscape of Fort Collins, natural habitat/ecosystems
(wildlife, wetlands, and riparian areas) will be protected and enhanced.
Policy ENV 1.1 – Protect and Enhance Natural Features
Use regulatory powers to conserve, protect, and enhance the resources and values of high value
biological resources such as wetlands, riparian areas, and wildlife habitat by directing development away
from sensitive natural areas. When it is not possible to direct development away from sensitive natural
resources the development will be integrated into these areas to minimize impacts and mitigate any
losses.
Within this development there is a wetland which is not fed by ground water and is lacking in species
diversity, habitat and quality. It is non-jurisdictional however we intend to mitigate and enhance the
wetland and buffer area. The grading within the development will direct storm water flows into this
wetland to maintain the inferred water source. The project will incorporate several water quality features
to remove suspended solids from the water while allowing the water to flow into the wetland. The
wetland/natural area will be enhanced through weed removal, diverse native plantings and long term
maintenance. The three Russian Olive stands will be replaced by twenty five diverse trees and one
hundred shrub plantings will add to the species diversity.
Policy ENV 1.2 –Regulate Development along Waterways
Use development regulations, such as setbacks from natural features and performance standards, to
conserve and protect natural resources along the Poudre River, Spring Creek, Fossil Creek, Boxelder
Creek and other waterways.
Waterfield PDP
City Plan – Principles and Policies
Page 2 of 7
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An average of a 100 foot buffer shall be enhanced along the perimeter of the wetland. Any impacts or
encroachments by the development shall be mitigated above and beyond the baseline vegetation
enhancement as shown on the mitigation plan.
Principle ENV 4: The City will pursue new opportunities to provide multifunctional
open lands.
Policy ENV 4.1 – Improve Connectivity
Explore opportunities for land conservation partnerships between Stormwater, Parks and Recreation,
Transportation, and Natural Areas departments to provide and enhance trail corridors to connect open
lands, to enhance wildlife habitat and corridors, and to improve bicycle and pedestrian access to schools,
parks, natural areas, rivers, shopping areas, and neighborhoods.
A multi-use recreation trail is planned adjacent to Timberline Road and along the northern boundary of
the site eventually connecting to the community/regional trail system. Within the site there will be many
smaller corridors to move people from the neighborhood into the future park, future school site, and
opens space surrounding the wetland.
Policy ENV 4.3 – Improve Water Quality and Detention
Explore opportunities for Stormwater, Parks and Recreation and Natural Areas departments to partner on
acquiring lands to incorporate stormwater systems that improve water quality and contribute to the
ecological functioning of urban watersheds.
A focus of this development will be stormwater quality. The northeast portion of the site will drain into a
ten foot wide planted median which will filter out the suspended solids from the water. Storm flows will
then travel west through a series of open space areas into the wetland. The intent is to clean the water
but not to infiltrate until it reaches the wetland in order to preserve the historical pattern. The south portion
of the site will drain into a planted detention pond to the south.
Policy ENV 4.6 – Utilize Corridors
Provide public access, promote wildlife movement, and link neighborhoods, parks, and activity centers,
commercial centers, and streets through a network of open lands and trails along streams, drainageways,
and irrigation ditch corridors, where compatible with natural habitats, utilizing environmentally sensitive
trail design.
A multi-use recreation trail is planned adjacent to Timberline Road and along the northern boundary of
the site, eventually connecting to the community/regional trail system. Along with the pedestrian trail, a
landscaped buffer along the ditch will provide habitat and a wildlife corridor. Native species will be planted
within this buffer to promote species diversity which currently does not exist. The pedestrian trail is
located close to the lot lines to allow the corridor to be as wide as possible. Within the site, there will be
many smaller corridors to move people from the neighborhood into the park, school site and opens space
surrounding the wetland.
Principle ENV 18: The City will minimize potentially hazardous conditions associated with
flooding, recognize and manage for the preservation of floodplain values, adhere to all City
mandated codes, policies, and goals, and comply with all State and Federally mandated laws and
regulations related to the management of activities in floodprone areas.
Policy ENV 18.2 – Manage Risks
Seek to minimize risk to life and property by structural and non-structural design or modification of actions
in the floodplain where it is not otherwise practical to place structures and human activities outside of the
floodplain. Discourage new development in the 100-year floodplain to avoid additional modifications and
structural controls.
Waterfield PDP
City Plan – Principles and Policies
Page 3 of 7
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
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This project is not within the floodplain.
Principle ENV 19: The City will pursue opportunities to protect and restore the natural function of
the community’s urban watersheds and streams as a key component of minimizing flood risk,
reducing urban runoff pollution, and improving the ecological health of urban streams.
Policy ENV 19.1 – Employ a Watershed Approach to Stormwater Management
Design stormwater systems to minimize the introduction of human caused pollutants. Pursue educational
programs and demonstration projects to enhance public understanding of pollution prevention efforts.
Design tributary systems for water quality control with appropriate use of buffer areas, grass swales,
detention ponds, etc. Include receiving water habitat restoration and protection in stormwater master
plans in conjunction with habitat mapping efforts.
Policy ENV 19.2 – Pursue Low Impact Development
Pursue and implement Low Impact Development (LID) as an effective approach to address stormwater
quality and impacts to streams by urbanization. Low Impact Development is a comprehensive land
planning and engineering design approach with a goal of minimizing the impact of development on urban
watersheds through the use of various techniques aimed at mimicking predevelopment hydrology.
Principle ENV 20: The City will develop an integrated stormwater management
program that addresses the impacts of urbanization on the City’s urban watershed. As part of that
program, the City will implement requirements and strategies for multi-functional stormwater
facilities that support density goals for development and redevelopment at a sub-watershed level.
Policy ENV 20.4 – Develop Public/Private Partnerships
Employ public/private partnerships to optimize the balance between stormwater management and
compact development. Take advantage of opportunities to combine stormwater management needs from
both public and private lands.
A focus of this development will be stormwater quality. The northeast portion of the site will drain into a
ten foot wide planted median which will filter out the suspended solids from the water. It will then travel
west through a series of open space areas into the wetland. The intent is to clean the water but not to
infiltrate until it reaches the wetland. The south portion of the site will drain into a planted detention pond
to the south.
COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD LIVABILITY
Principle LIV 6: Infill and redevelopment within residential areas will be compatible with the
established character of the neighborhood. In areas where the desired character of the
neighborhood is not established, or is not consistent with the vision of City Plan, infill and
redevelopment projects will set an enhanced standard of quality.
Policy LIV 6.2 – Seek Compatibility with Neighborhoods
Encourage design that complements and extends the positive qualities of surrounding development and
adjacent buildings in terms of general intensity and use, street pattern, and any identifiable style,
proportions, shapes, relationship to the street, pattern of buildings and yards, and patterns created by
doors, windows, projections and recesses. Compatibility with these existing elements does not mean
uniformity.
This project is located within the LMN zoning district. It is adjacent to the existing Bull Run Apartments
and provides a transition from the higher density to the unincorporated Larimer County homes to the
northwest. The PDP is consistent with the City’s Structure Plan in terms of residential densities proposed
for the future. It is also consistent with the City’s Master Street Plan by installing a portion of New Vine
and preparing for the re-alignment of Timberline.
Waterfield PDP
City Plan – Principles and Policies
Page 4 of 7
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Principle LIV 7: A variety of housing types and densities for all income levels shall be available
throughout the Growth Management Area.
Policy LIV 7.1 – Encourage Variety in Housing Types and Locations
Encourage a variety of housing types and densities, including mixed-used developments that are well-
served by public transportation and close to employment centers, shopping, services, and amenities.
This project proposes several different housing types. The development is proposed to include three
housing types in the LMN area: paired homes, alley-loaded lots and single family lots. In addition, the
ODP includes a multi-family site adjacent to the existing Bull Run apartments. With the proposed
neighborhood center, residents of the project will be within a quarter of a mile of shopping, a school, park,
and employment areas.
Principle LIV 10: The city’s streetscapes will be designed with consideration to the visual
character and the experience of users and adjacent properties. Together, the layout of the street
network and the streets themselves will contribute to the character, form, and scale of the city.
Policy LIV 10.1 – Design Safe, Functional, and Visually Appealing Streets
Ensure all new public streets are designed in accordance with the City street standards and design all
new streets to be functional, safe, and visually appealing, with flexibility to serve the context and purpose
of the street corridor. Provide a layout that is simple, interconnected, and direct, avoiding circuitous
routes. Include elements such as shade trees, landscaped medians and parkways, public art, lighting,
and other amenities in the streetscape. Approve alternative street designs where they are needed to
accommodate unique situations, such as “green” stormwater functions, important landscape features, or
distinctive characteristics of a neighborhood or district, provided that they meet necessary safety,
accessibility, and maintenance requirements.
A ten foot wide median is planned for a street running east and west. The curb shall be cut at regular
intervals so that stormwater may enter the median freely. The median will be functional as well as visually
appealing.
Policy LIV 10.2 – Incorporate Street Trees
Utilize street trees to reinforce, define and connect the spaces and corridors created by buildings and
other features along a street. Preserve existing trees to the maximum extent feasible. Use canopy shade
trees for the majority of tree plantings, including a mixture of tree types, arranged to establish urban tree
canopy cover.
Street trees will line all of the local roads and additional plant material shall be located along open space
corridors.
Principle LIV 14: Require quality and ecologically sound landscape design practices for all public
and private development projects throughout the community.
Policy LIV 14.1 – Encourage Unique Landscape Features
In addition to protecting existing natural features, encourage integration of unique landscape features into
the design and architecture of development and capital projects. These unique features may range from
informal and naturalized to highly structured and maintained features. Some examples include tree
groves within a project, stormwater facilities that become naturalized over time, walls with vines,
drainageway enhancements, and other small, uniquely landscaped spaces.
Policy LIV 14.2 – Promote Functional Landscape
Incorporate practical solutions to ensure a landscape design is functional in providing such elements as
natural setting, visual appeal, shade, foundation edge to buildings, screening, edible landscapes, buffers,
Waterfield PDP
City Plan – Principles and Policies
Page 5 of 7
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 100 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
www.ripleydesigninc.com
safety, and enhancement of built environment. Consider and address practical details such as sight
distance requirements and long-term maintenance in landscape design.
Policy LIV 14.3 – Design Low Maintenance Landscapes
Design new landscaping projects based on maintainability over the life cycle of the project using proper
soil amendment and ground preparation practices, as well as the appropriate use of hardscape elements,
trees, mulches, turf grass, other plant materials, and irrigation systems. Low maintenance practices can
be achieved in both turf and non-turf planting areas, provided these areas are designed and installed to
minimize weeds, erosion and repairs.
Plant material will be selected based on water requirements, hardiness and ease of maintenance. Plants
will consist of trees that the City forester approves, evergreen and deciduous shrubs and high performing
grasses and perennials that require only seasonal maintenance. Turf areas are minimized. Xeriscape
principles of utilizing soil amendments, mulches and efficient irrigation will be followed to ensure that the
landscape is both attractive and sustainable.
Principle LIV 19: The City Structure Plan Map establishes the desired development pattern for the
City, serving as a blueprint for the community’s desired future.
Policy LIV 19.1 – Land Use Designations
Utilize the City Structure Plan Map to set forth a basic framework, representing a guide for future land use
and transportation decisions.
The Waterfield Project Development Plan is consistent with the goals and objectives of the City’s
Structure Plan. This first phase will provide the housing which will later support the Neighborhood Center
which will provide employment, retail and commercial opportunities within one-third mile of the housing.
PRINCIPLE LIV 21: New neighborhoods will be integral parts of the broader community structure,
connected through shared facilities such as streets, schools, parks, transit stops, trails, civic
facilities, and a Neighborhood Commercial Center or Community Commercial District.
Policy LIV 21.2 – Establish an Interconnected Street and Pedestrian Network
Establish an interconnected network of neighborhood streets and sidewalks, including automobile, bicycle
and pedestrian routes within a neighborhood and between neighborhoods, knitting neighborhoods
together and not forming barriers between them. Provide convenient routes to destinations within the
neighborhood:
Avoid or minimize dead ends and cul-de-sacs. The streets proposed within the Waterfield PDP all
connect to the larger street network.
Utilize multiple streets, sidewalks, and trails to connect into and out of a neighborhood. This project
will construct a portion of the 4-lane arterial New Vine Street and plan for the future Timberline Road,
Turnberry Road, and Conifer Street. Along with streets there will be a 10’ wide community trail along
the north and east sides of the property.
Design neighborhoods streets to converge upon or lead directly to the common areas in the
neighborhood, avoiding routes onto arterial streets. Where ever possible streets have a direct view
into common open space.
Prohibit gated-street entryways into residential developments to keep all parts of the community
accessible by all citizens. This development will not have any gated entryways.
On long blocks, provide intermediate connections in the pedestrian network. There are
intermediate connections for pedestrians mid block through a landscaped open space. These
connections are also made between the development and school and wetland.
Provide direct walkway and bikeway routes to schools. There is a mid-block open space to allow
students direct access to the future school and park.
Continue and extend established street patterns where they are already established. In the case of
previously unplanned areas, establish a new pattern that can be continued and extended in the
Waterfield PDP
City Plan – Principles and Policies
Page 6 of 7
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 100 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
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future. This Project Development Plan follows the City’s Master Street Plan to build portions of road
within the site which will extend and connect the desired street pattern.
Policy LIV 21.2 – Design Walkable Blocks
While blocks should generally be rectilinear or otherwise distinctly geometric in shape, they may vary in
size and shape to avoid a monotonous repetition of a basic grid pattern or to follow topography. In order
to be conducive to walking, determine block size by frequent street connections within a maximum length
of about 300 to 700 feet.
When the blocks become large due to site layout there are intermediate connections for pedestrians mid
block through a landscaped open space. These connections are also made between the development
and school and wetland.
Policy LIV 22.1 – Vary Housing Models and Types
Provide variation in house models and types in large developments, along with variations in lot and block
sizes, to avoid monotonous streetscapes, increase housing options, and eliminate the appearance of a
standardized subdivision.
This Project Development Plan proposed three housing types: single family detached, single family
detached with alley loaded garages and single family attached. At the time of building permit the home
builder will show specific elevations of various housing models to avoid monotonous streetscapes and will
follow the Land Use Code.
Principle LIV 28: Low Density Mixed- Use Neighborhoods will provide opportunities for a mix of
low density housing types in a setting that is conducive to walking and in close proximity to a
range of neighborhood serving uses.
Policy LIV 28.1 – Density
Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods will have an overall minimum average density of four (4) dwelling
units per acre, excluding undevelopable areas. This minimum density for parcels 20 acres or less will be
three (3) dwelling units per acre.
This project follows the LMN density requirements with a minimum overall average density of four (4)
dwelling units per acre.
Principle LIV 43: Enhanced Travel Corridors will be strategic and specialized Transportation
Corridors that contain amenities and designs that specifically promote walking, the use of mass
transit, and bicycling. Enhanced Travel Corridors will provide high frequency/ high efficiency
travel opportunities for all modes linking major activity centers and districts in the city.
This project has planned for the future Enhanced Travel Corridor of Timberline Road and will construct
the portion of New Vine which traverses the site.
Policy LIV 44.5 – Interconnect Trails/Paths
Integrate a trail/path system that connects open lands, parks, and water corridor areas, excluding
motorized vehicles (except emergency and maintenance vehicle access). Pay special attention to
environmentally sensitive trail design, location, and construction.
A multi-use community trail is planned adjacent to Timberline Road and along the northern boundary of
the site. It will eventually connect to the regional trail system. Along with the pedestrian trail, a landscaped
buffer along the ditch will provide habitat and a wildlife corridor. Native species will be planted within this
buffer to promote species diversity which currently does not exist. The pedestrian trail is located close to
the lot lines to allow the corridor to be as wide as possible. A five foot wide trail meanders around the
wetland and leads residents to the future park and school.
TRANSPORTATION
Waterfield PDP
City Plan – Principles and Policies
Page 7 of 7
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Principle T 2: Investments in Enhanced Travel Corridors and within Activity
Centers will encourage infill and redevelopment.
Policy T 2.1 – Economic Opportunity and Development
Enhanced Travel Corridors will support expanded economic opportunity and development generally, as
well as particularly in targeted redevelopment areas and activity centers within the city.
Development includes the New Vine Drive enhanced travel corridor helping the City meet its
transportation objectives.
Principle T 3: Land use planning decisions, management strategies, and incentives will support
and be coordinated with the City's transportation vision.
Policy T 3.1 – Pedestrian Mobility
Promote a mix of land uses and activities that will maximize the potential for pedestrian mobility
throughout the community and minimize the distance traveled.
Policy T 3.2 – Bicycle Facilities
Encourage bicycling for transportation through an urban development pattern that places major activity
centers and neighborhood destinations within a comfortable bicycling distance.
The Waterfield PDP is designed to be pedestrian friendly with street sidewalks, mid-block connections
and recreation trails provided to encourage walking and bicycling between the various land uses in the
neighborhood.
Policy T 4.3 – Interconnected Neighborhood Streets
Neighborhood streets will be interconnected, but designed to protect the neighborhood from excessive
cut-through traffic.
Policy T 4.4 – Attractive and Safe Neighborhood Streets
Neighborhood streets will provide an attractive environment and be safe for pedestrians, bicyclists, and
drivers as well as having a well-designed streetscape, including detached sidewalks, parkways, and well-
defined crosswalks.
Proposed streets are all interconnected.