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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMAINSTREET HEALTH & WELLNESS SUITES - PDP - PDP140018 - MINUTES/NOTES - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGNEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION MEETING PROJECT: Main Street Health & Wellness Suites DATE: September 18, 2014 PROJECT PLANNER: Noah Beals The meeting began informally at 6:35 p.m. with two neighbors walking through site plan details and orientation with the applicant using poster boards brought to the meeting. Question (Citizen): What will the side facing our home (towards Ziegler) look like? Will there be landscaping? Response (Applicant): Yes, there will be landscaping facing towards Ziegler. There is a small building face that is located close to Ziegler, with the “wings” located further back on the site. Question (Citizen): The neighborhood meeting notice mentioned there were no modifications, what does that mean? Response (City): What has been presented and shared so far with the City indicates that the standards of the Land Use Code can or will be met, and no modifications to the standards have been requested at this time. Question (Citizen): What will the design look like? Response (Applicant): The design is still in the early stages, but there will be stone elements, and variations in colors/patterns as you see on the boards we have here tonight. Question (Citizen): What is the use for the project? Response (Applicant): It’s an assisted living, but designed to look and function like a boutique hotel. Response (Citizen): So I could move in here? Response (Applicant): No, it’s not a permanent residence. It’s designed for temporary stays for those recovering from operations or surgeries. The average stay is about 21 days, but there are those with longer recovery periods who may stay up to 90 days. The facility is designed with many amenities for those recovering, such as a movie room, kitchens, game rooms, pub, etc. Question (Citizen): Is it only for seniors? Response (Applicant): Yes, I believe the cut-off is 65. Question (Citizen): How long will it take to build? Response (Applicant): Approximately 12 to 18 months. Question (Citizen): Will there be a landscaping berm (along Ziegler)? Response (Applicant): We have not gotten to that level of detail of design yet, we’ll also have to comply with any City standards. Response (City): The issue with the berm at the HP/Avago site is related to their large mechanical equipment and noise that needed to be screened and mitigated and by request from the neighbors. What has been shown so far with this project, their equipment will not be facing Ziegler. Comment (Citizen): Our house is a 2-story, we’re worried about people looking into our windows or being able to see into the rooms at the facility. Question (Citizen): Are you buying the entire property? Response (Applicant): We’re only purchasing a small part of the property, approximately 7.5 acres. Question (Citizen): How many stories is the building? Response (Applicant): 2 stories. Response (Citizen): It looks like 3 stories. Response (Applicant): There are some architectural features that make it appear there are three stories, but the plan is to only have 2 habitable floors. Question (Citizen): What’s the size or how many patients? Response (Applicant): There will be approximately 100 beds. Question (Citizen): How much of a buffer is there going to be between the building and Ziegler? Response (Applicant): The setback from the right-of-way is approximately 15’ to 25’, and then another 10’ to the actual curb line of the road. Response (Citizen): That seems very close to the road. Response (City): The Land Use Code talks about bringing buildings closer to the street to help with pedestrian experience and connectivity. Comment (Citizen): I was thinking of how tall the building was and shadows it would cast in the winter, and whether there could be issues with melting and ice on the street and sidewalks in winter time. Question (Citizen): Where is the access to the building? Response (Applicant): We’re proposing an access on Ziegler near Intel’s southern Ziegler access road. We’re working with the City to evaluate if this is too close Intel’s access and whether they could be combined. There is also access that will be taken off of Precision Drive. Question (Citizen): Ambulances come in and out for assisted living – what is the main way emergency vehicles will be getting to and from the site? Response (Applicant): It depends on the driveway situation and how that works out. I believe the emergency personnel will want to come in the front as the quickest way. There will be ambulances to the facility, but it isn’t a residence, it’s a transitional rehabilitation facility. Our average stay is 20 days. Question (Citizen): What company do you work for? Response (Applicant): I work for Cole and I am representing Main Street as the applicant for this proposal. We’re permitting and building several similar locations in Colorado right now; in Colorado Springs and Lafeyette. Question (Citizen): Where will the patients come from? Response (Applicant): We’re expecting many to come from Banner Health. Question (Citizen): So is this it’s tied to Kaiser? Response (Applicant): They’re not tied to Banner; they’re independent; not associated with anyone specifically. Question (Citizen): Will there be many ambulances? Response (Citizen): You’ll have non-emergency ambulances, not necessarily with lights and sirens. Question (Citizen): Will Precision come out on Ziegler? Response (City): Yes. Question (Citizen): Is there a skilled nursing section to this? Response (Applicant): I’m not an expert on if they will have that, I would need to ask. I believe they do. Response (Audience): With 100 beds, I would think they would need that. Comment (Citizen): Fort Collins needs some place like that, there’s only the one on Centre. Question (Citizen): What is the lighting situation? Response (Applicant): We have not gotten to that level of detail yet. That’s why we’re here, we want to take comments into consideration, but also will follow the City requirements. Response (City): City requirements are for down-directional lighting, with fully-shielded cut-offs. You shouldn’t see the light sources directly. Response (Applicant): The light poles in parking areas are usually 20 to 25’ high. The parking lot is lit for security reasons, and lit enough for the parking lot, but designed not to be lighting entire streets away from the property. I’m sure the City will require a photometric plan. Question (Citizen): Do you think they’ll be a lot of landscaping around to shield it? Response (Applicant): We’re still early in design and the City has landscaping requirement as well. Response (City): There will be street trees along the roadways, as well as requirements for general landscaping with trees and shrubs throughout the site. Response (Applicant): Main Street is committed to make this feel like a home and someplace their clients want to be while they recover; the patients are essentially living there. There is a landscape architect on board for the project from the beginning. Main Street tries to make these facilities look nice and have done so in their past projects in my opinion. Question (Citizen): Do you think the building will shade much? Response (Applicant): The building is about 30’ tall, and my personal feeling is shading is not going to be an issue, only a small portion of the building is located near Ziegler, with the rest of the building set back on the property itself. Question (Citizen): How tall is this building? (Fossil Ridge High School) Do you think it’s about 30’? Response (Applicant): Yes, I believe this room and most of the school is similar in height. Question (Citizen): Is there going to be any type of dementia or Alzheimer care? Response (Applicant): Not to my knowledge, I don’t believe they handle those types of cases. It is not designed to be a permanent residence. The generic term is health and wellness suite; City’s often have different land use categories and definitions that these types of facilities fit into. Question (Citizen): The other open lands in Harmony Technology Park -- will there be a lot of medical campus types of uses? Response (City): There could be some, but there is a lot already built out already including offices, Custom Blending, apartments, etc. Question (Citizen): I thought this was supposed to be a Technology Park? Response (City): This area is located in the Harmony Corridor zone district, which has certain permitted uses. There is also a distinction between primary and secondary uses. An overall development plan for the site called the Harmony Technology Park identified where the primary and secondary uses would go, and this site is located in one of the primary use areas. The secondary uses are things such as residential, of which several sites within the Technology Park have been devoted to. Comment (Citizen): If we get a vote, we don’t want a second driveway (on Ziegler). Question (Citizen): What happens if there is a driveway there? What’s across to the west, does it go straight through? Response (City): That’s just a driveway, it won’t be a street or a signalized intersection. Comments (Citizen): It’s really hard for us with all the traffic on Ziegler. Do you get that too? Response (Audience): It’s not bad for us since we’re set back from the road. Comment (Citizen): There’s a lot of traffic noise from Ziegler. Question (Citizen): Does the City put in the road (Precision)? Response (City): No, it’s the applicant’s responsibility to put the road in. In development we have a philosophy of pay-your-own-way, including providing improvements such as streets, sidewalks, street trees, or other off-site improvements. Question (Citizen): Did the City give you any incentive to build this? Response (Applicant): No, Main Street chose this spot due to the proximity to the hospital. Question (Citizen): You mentioned there’s going to be a movie theater?? Response (Applicant): Well, there will be a room with special seats and a large screen to show movies. There are many amenities provided, it isn’t only rooms/beds. Comment (Citizen): Have you been to the similar facility on 44th? It was very nice. Question (Citizen): When are they proposing to start building; what is the process? Response (City): They have had a conceptual review meeting and are required to have a neighborhood meeting (tonight). After the neighborhood meeting they can submit an application, and they will have rounds of review with the City to evaluate their compliance with the Land Use Code. These rounds of review will continue to happen until the project is at a point where the City feels comfortable recommending it go to the decision maker at a public hearing. For this project, that will be the Planning & Zoning Board. After P&Z makes their decision, there is an appeal period for the project, and after this, Final Plans are reviewed and the project completes 100% design and is eventually recorded before construction would begin. Question (Applicant): Will we be notified again? Response (City): Yes, you will get a mailed notice prior to the Planning & Zoning Board hearing. Question (Citizen): What about the sign? Response (City): The neighborhood meeting sign will go down after the meeting tonight, but another sign will go up after they submit their application. The sign will stay up until and through the P&Z’s decision and the 2-week appeal period. Appeals are made to the City Council. Question (Citizen): How long does the process take? Response (City): Typically, 6 to 8 months. Question (Citizen): Does it make a difference to come to these types of meetings? Response (City): Notes are being recorded with the conversation of tonight’s meeting, and these will go to the Planning & Zoning Board as part of the official record for the project. They will review and consider these notes and other public comments offered for the project. Question (Citizen): Does it do any good since only 3 people showed up? Response (City): Absolutely, everyone’s feedback and comments matter. We will definitely be passing these concerns about the driveway and landscaping along. Comment (Citizen): Our concerns are the noise levels that will be impact our living. Ziegler has already impacted it, and this will impact it even more. Comment (Citizen): The good news is that if most patients are coming from Banner, that is from the new hospital to the east or from Greeley/Loveland off the interstate from the east. Question (Citizen): If you’re not a senior you can’t go to the facility? Response (Applicant): I don’t believe so; they do call this a senior care facility. Comment (Citizen): It sounds like you have a lot of nice amenities. Response (Applicant): That is their goal, and their niche is the baby boomers that don’t want to go to a bland, hospital-like care facility, they want to make it look and feel like a boutique hotel. Comment (Citizen): My concerns are more what type of care will be there? Will there eventually be a psych wing or dementia wing, and will there need to be security and fences. I don’t have anything against those types of residents, but I would like to know exactly who will be using the facility and what their requirements are. Response (Applicant): I don’t’ believe there will be those uses or patients, in other facilities there have not been secure wings or floors that are required for those users. Question (Citizen): How big is the property again, you mentioned 7 acres? Response (Applicant): Our piece for this facility is about 7.5 acres. Question (Citizen): Who is the main land owner out here still? Response (Applicant & City): HP owns the Intel property, the other nearby land in the Harmony Technology Park is mostly owned by MAVD. Question (Citizen): When you sent out notifications, were we the only neighborhood notified? Response (City): The minimum is 800 feet from the property, and we try and extend beyond that to logical boundaries such as streets or bodies of water so that full blocks are notified. Question (Citizen): Do they have any security? Response (Applicant): I would have to ask that. I don’t know that they have security out patrolling the grounds, but I do believe they have a front desk to check-in at, so people aren’t necessarily wandering around. Comment (Citizen): Please record our comments that we wish to have plenty of landscaping along Ziegler.