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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFORT COLLINS HOTEL (DOWNTOWN HOTEL) - PDP - PDP150008 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVESCity of Fort Collins Statement of Planning Objectives Fort Collins Hotel 6/23/15 “WE PROVIDE A HIGHLY CURATED SOCIAL EXPERIENCE UNIQUE TO FORT COLLINS. WHERE INDIVIDUALS CREATE, BUILD AND SHARE. IN AN URBAN ARTISAN ENVIRONTMENT” Statement of Appropriate City Plan Principles and Policies achieved by the proposed development. 1. Economic Health – “A Healthy and resilient economy” a. Principle EH 1 – The City will pursue development of a vibrant and resilient economy that reflects the values of our unique community in a changing world. i. The project is located within the Old Town neighborhood, one of the City’s primary keys to its unique identity. ii. The development will support job creation with a 162 room hotel, restaurant/s and approximately 5000 sq ft of new retail space. iii. The project will bring new retail sales tax revenue, as well as additional lodging tax revenues to the City. iv. Approximately 150 jobs will be created in hospitality, restaurant and retail sectors. b. Principle EH 2 – The City will support the growth of the innovation economy to set the stage for business development, job creation and a thriving entrepreneurial environment. i. While we do not specifically target industry clusters, the hotel will support Fort Collin’s burgeoning industries. The hotel will serve as a place for business partners to stay, business meetings to be held, and business dinners to be enjoyed. ii. The project may potentially benefit from a Public‐Private partnership with the development of a new Parking Structure. The garage would support the new hotel, retail and restaurant/s, as well as the surrounding area. This venture would continue the City’s drive to further develop economic partnerships with local business owners. c. Principle EH 3 – The City will support local, unique and creative businesses. i. As mentioned above, the hotel will play a supporting role to the existing businesses in the City by providing visitors an additional lodging option in the heart of downtown Fort Collins. The increased “overnight” downtown visitors will add to the vibrancy of Fort Collins and increases the overall demand for goods and services in the area. d. Principle EH 4 – The City will encourage the redevelopment of strategic areas within the community as defined in the Community and Neighborhood Livability and Neighborhood Principles and Policies. i. The project is located within the Targeted Redevelopment Area and a Targeted Activity Center. e. Principle EH 5 – The City will participate in regional economic development efforts i. The project will help drive a regional economic impact as Hotels are a destination and travelers / business professionals will be coming to the area from outside the City whether it’s through DIA or the Fort Collins / Loveland airport, it will help to promote regional efforts. ii. Because it is a destination, it helps to support the fourth goal of the 2012 EH Vision and will support the region’s employers. 2. Environmental Health – “A healthy and sustainable environment” a. ENV 5 – To reduce net community energy use for new construction from conventional fossil fuel sources, the City will expand on current efforts and develop new strategies for increased energy efficiency and use of renewable energy i. The project is currently not pursuing LEED certification. We do anticipate, however, that there will be significant effort placed in designing with the principals of sustainable design including, reducing the heat island effect, water use reduction, systems commissioning, regional and recycled materials, indoor environmental quality, and the use of energy‐saving strategies. ii. The project will review the potential for including renewable energy as part of the development of the hotel and / or parking garage. b. Principle ENV 17 – The City will act as a steward of the environment and public health by using its regulatory authority. i. The project’s construction operations will aim to divert construction waste at an equivalent LEED percentage baseline. c. 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. i. While downtown is not located in a FEMA or City designated floodplain, we do understand that a significant amount of water is conveyed down the streets in the area of the project. We are working with tour civil engineer and the City to better understand the base flood elevation (BFE) around our site and design for the elevated water levels associated with 100‐year storms. Our goal is to manage risk and minimize flood damage during the 100‐year event s. d. 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. i. We will also work with the City on the low impact development (LID) requirements for the development and, when possible, strategically place those within the project. 3. Community and Neighborhood Livability – “A high quality built environment” a. Principle LIV 4 – Development will provide and pay its share of the cost of providing needed public facilities and services concurrent with the development. i. The owner and the City are in discussions about a potential public/private partnership for a new parking structure at Jefferson and Chestnut Streets. With the City’s need for additional parking and the hotel’s responsibility to construct parking for their guests, the opportunity to develop a structured parking facility is timely. Addressing the needs of the community from two unique perspectives appears to be in direct alignment with City principals. b. Principle LIV 5 – The City will promote redevelopment and infill in areas identified on the Targeted Infill and Redevelopment Areas Map. i. The project site is located within the City’s targeted infill and redevelopment area. ii. The hotel project and associated parking is split by Old Firehouse Alley. This unique public amenity of Fort Collins continues to develop into a vibrant and special place in the Old Town urban fabric. We intend to add to that charm and character of the portion of the alley that bisects our site by lining it with retail and restaurant / lounge space. By creating active spaces in the alley, the energy of the downtown users can be distributed in more directions than the traditional two sides of a downtown street corner project. c. 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. i. The plan proposes streetscape designs for Walnut St., Chestnut St. and the corner condition at Walnut/Chestnut. Walnut St. is designed with street trees in grates, and a wide concrete sidewalk, parking is incorporated with significant planting areas as islands. The Walnut/Chestnut intersection is designed with a significant grove of trees, building upon the existing grove here, with interspersed square seating planters, that serve as both benches and site features. Chestnut Street is designed to create a hotel arrival experience with precast concrete pavers, planters, planter bollards to create an inviting experience for visitors. ii. Street trees are proposed throughout the streetscape environments in grates, and small and large planting areas. Five large canopy trees are proposed at the corner of Walnut and Chestnut Streets. iii. Street lighting is proposed as full cut‐off and compatible with lights found in Downtown in the enhanced alleys. Provisions for planter baskets are provided on the posts. iv. The Walnut Streetscape will be renovated and improved with planting islands and street trees, as will the Chestnut Streetscape. d. Principle LIV 11 – Public spaces, such as civic buildings, plazas, outdoor spaces, and parks will be integrated throughout the community and designed to be functional, accessible, attractive, safe, and comfortable. i. The corner of Walnut/Chestnut is proposed as a plaza with a significant grove of shade trees, and fronting the retail use. An open arrival plaza is proposed at the hotel entry and Old Firehouse Alley will be enhanced in a manner consistent with existing enhanced alleys and the Alley Master Plan. The alley will be designed around lounge seating facing it on the west side and potential retail space if the parking structure option moves forward. e. Principle LIV12 – Security and crime prevention will be important factors in urban design. i. Extensive, full cut‐off pedestrian lighting will enhance the overall safety of all public spaces, as demonstrated and designed in a similar manner to the enhanced Downtown Alleys, where safety has been improved. f. Principle LIV 14 – Require quality and ecologically sound landscape design practices for all public and private development projects throughout the community. i. R+M An urban, dense, grove of trees is proposed at the corner of Walnut and Chestnut Streets building on the existing tree canopy here. Moveable planters/benches serve as seating elements and planting features. ii. Landscapes are designed for shade, low‐maintenance planting and water quality as well as to add a sense of human scale to the space. iii. Xeric and low‐water use plantings will be emphasized to promote lower water use and lower maintenance. g. Principle LIV 15 – Commercial developments create a powerful impression of the City, both individually and taken together as a whole. While corporate franchises and chain stores will remain vital and recognizable, commercial developments shall be designed to contribute to Fort Collins’ distinct visual quality and uniqueness. i. While the site resides outside the historic district of Old Town, we understand the importance creating a design that will borrow from the historic traditions of Fort Collins and interweaving this common fabric with contemporary‐crafted facades and details. The intent for the building will to make it feel timeless within the established architectural tradition of Fort Collins, while at the same time become a cherished piece of contemporary architecture. h. Principle LIV 30 – Commercial Districts will be designed to accommodate all modes of travel – pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and motor vehicle – in a compact setting. i. Located in Old Town the project has multimodal transportation options readily available to it. An effort will be placed on defining circulation paths for pedestrians, bicycles, cars and service vehicles through the use of appropriate path scales, paving materials and signage. ii. Old Firehouse Alley will continue to provide its link through Old Town and an additional pedestrian easement / path will be provided through the site connecting Walnut Street to Jefferson Street. iii. It is envisioned that bicycle parking as well as a bike share programs would be accommodated on‐site. iv. A public / private partnership is in process to develop a structured parking lot. This lot would serve both the immediate needs of the hotel patrons and also serve to accommodate the increased demand for parking in this area of town. More details to follow as the agreement develops. v. By replacing the surface parking lot with the structured lot, parking density on the site could increase by a considerable factor. i. Principle LIV 32 – The downtown will serve as a focal point and primary destination and activity center for the community, with the design of buildings, streets, parking areas, and public spaces reinforcing the area’s unique and distinctive character. i. The architecture envisioned for the Downtown Fort Collins Hotel is derived out of two fundamental ideas: The creation of a handmade hotel and discovering solutions that grow from place. The completed project will be a unique urban gathering place, artful, soulful and a bit raw (like Downtown Fort Collins), with the attitude of a renegade and the spirit of the place. ii. We hope that our development can in a sense become the “living room” of downtown where travelers and locals come to enjoy the many benefits of Old Town. iii. Our hotel project proposes to include a mix of retail and restaurant/s which will encourage “after‐hour activities” by guests and residents. iv. Retail is also intended to be located within the parking structure along Jefferson and Old Firehouse Alley. By adding in the mix of retail with the hotel and along the alley, we are striving to create a pedestrian rich environment on all sides of the project. v. We intend to maintain the visual character of Downtown by creating architecture that respects the existing fabric with complementary materials, design language, and massing. vi. As with most Downtown buildings, we will design with human‐scale architectural elements, making the building both comfortable and interesting to experience by the pedestrian. vii. We deem that the hotel, by approximating the massing of the Mitchell Building across Walnut Street is appropriately responding to the contextual forms of the existing neighborhood especially as experienced from Mountain Avenue. As the pedestrian continues west on Walnut Street, the form of the hotel erodes to better address the massing of the historic district. viii. Both the hotel and parking garage will be designed for both safety and the enhanced activity. We believe the two are complementary and help to determine the success of a project. This would include the use of appropriate pedestrian –scale lighting, wayfinding through alleyway connections, and by providing retail and restaurant/s for interaction. ix. We will retain the historic street pattern of Downtown, further connecting Chestnut Street back to Walnut Street and Mountain Ave in an effort to better serve the hotel and community. Pedestrian access via sidewalks and mid‐block passages are considered vital to the success of the retail and restaurants located on the site. j. Principle LIV 33 – The Downtown is comprised of three sub‐districts: the (1) Old City Center, (2) Civic Center, and (3) Canyon Avenue areas, which collectively establish the overall commercial core area (see Figure LIV 4). These individual sub‐districts will reflect unique characters, land use mixes, and design considerations i. In recent history, alleys have become a unique feature within Old Town and with the new construction on the Old Town Square we plan to tie back to Old Town by activating Old Firehouse Alley with retail and restaurants. ii. As mentioned above, the development team is in discussion regarding a potential public / private partnership for a new structured parking garage. Also, as suggested in the City Plan the hotel will contain function and meeting space. iii. As previously discussed, the hotel will house several restaurants / retail tenants. These would occur on Walnut Street as well as along Old Firehouse Alley. 4. Transportation – “A connected community” a. Principle T 3 – Land use planning decisions, management strategies, and incentives will support and be coordinated with the City's transportation vision. i. Bike parking will be incorporated within the development but how at this time is unknown. Until we understand if the direction is a parking garage or surface parking lot, the incorporation of the bike facilities has not been designed. ii. The hotel will also be exploring the idea of a bike share program since biking and Fort Collins go hand‐in‐hand. It will be a unique feature to provide bikes for guests to get out and explore Fort Collins. iii. Since alleys in Old Town are not just for loading and unloading, we have a unique benefit to create a unique and inviting pedestrian environment. Description of open space, wetlands, natural habitats and features, landscaping, circulation, transit areas and associated buffering onsite and in the general vicinity of the project.  Since the development is located in Old Town, the site does not contain a significant amount of open space, any wetlands and or pronounced natural features. The hotel and parking garage are each bordered on three sides by public right‐of‐way: Jefferson Street, Walnut Street, Chestnut Street and Old Firehouse Alley. These city streets will provide the necessary access to the development and the basic infrastructure is already in place. Vehicular circulation is intended to be extended though Chestnut Street to the southwest and link to Mountain and Walnut Streets.  As typical with the structures in Old Town, the buildings are not set back from the property line. We intend to align with the adjacent buildings and construct our building along the property line on Walnut, Chestnut and Jefferson Streets. This is consistent with the urban design Old Town Fort Collins. Statement of proposed ownership and maintenance of public and private open space areas: applicant’s intentions with regard to future ownership of all or portions of the project development plan. 1. At this time further discussions need to be had between the project team and the City in regards to ownership and maintenance of improvements. Estimate number of employees for business, commercial and industrial uses. 1. Approximately 150 jobs will be created in hospitality, restaurant and retail sectors. Description of rationale behind the assumptions and choices made by the applicant. The architecture envisioned for the Downtown Fort Collins Hotel is derived out of two fundamental ideas: The creation of a “Handmade Hotel” and “Solutions Grow from Place.” The completed project will be a unique urban gathering place. Elements of a Handmade Hotel:  Craft over ornament  Traditions reinterpreted  Embracing the regional history  Create a unique experience Solutions that Grow from Place:  Designed for Fort Collins o A four‐season destination o A portal to the Front Range o Create Fort Collins’ Downtown Living Room  Designed for this site o Take advantage of the gateway at Mountain and Walnut Streets o Orient the building to Old Town, views, and sunshine o Leverage Old Firehouse Alley as a gathering place o Good Neighbor – compatible with the existing urban fabric  Designed for this time o Timeless – Rooted in history, but boldly positioned for the future o Legacy – Fort Collins for the next 100 years  Designed for this community o Leverage the Colorado Lifestyle o Demonstrable community benefit o Attractive to all generations o Upscale, yet welcoming o Create “the place to stay” in Fort Collins The applicant shall submit as evidence of successful completion of the applicable criteria, the completed documents pursuant to these regulations for each proposed use. The planning director may require, or the applicant may choose to submit, evidence that is beyond what is required in that section. Any variance from the criteria shall be described. Parking: The applicant requests a modification of standard to allow surface parking to be located approximately 6’ from the R.O.W. along an arterial, rather than 15’ as stated in section 3.2.2(J): 1. Section 3.2.2(J): Setbacks (parking). Any vehicular use area containing six (6) or more parking spaces or one thousand eight hundred (1,800) or more square feet shall be set back from the street right of way 15’ along an arterial street. As an infill site, the project is spatially constrained and providing the requisite number of parking spaces is a difficult task. A 5’ landscaped setback to a 30” masonry buffer wall is shown along the Jefferson Street ROW. The buffer wall effectively provides screening of the parking area from the street, accomplishing the intent of the 15’ landscaped setback, while accommodating a required number of parking spaces. In addition, Plazas are depicted at either corner of the property, framed by masonry seat walls. Seatwalls are also shown as raised planters along the streetscape. This enhanced streetscape, with a combination of masonry wall, landscaping, and seating areas, in addition to street trees in grates along Jefferson St. creates an overall streetscape condition that is pedestrian oriented, uses quality materials and screens views to the lot. This condition is equal to or better than a simple 15’ landscaped area as a buffer for parking. The applicant requests a modification of standard to allow surface parking to be located along an arterial, rather than behind a building as stated in section 4.16(E)(1)(a). 2. Section 4.16(E)(1)(a): Parking lots shall be located behind buildings in the interior of blocks, in side yards, underground or in a parking structure, to the maximum extent feasible. As the overall project parking requirements are significant and the project site is constrained as an infill/redevelopment site, the current configuration represents the highest level of feasibility and activates the downtown core intersection of Walnut St., Chestnut St. and Mountain Ave. Efforts have been made to improve the streetscape condition along Jefferson St. and screen parking, however, the project cannot accommodate additional building frontage along Jefferson St. without sacrificing required parking quantities. This streetscape condition coupled with the landscape buffer is equal to or better than a building frontage in terms of activating the overall streetscape condition and providing a buffer from parking along the arterial. Architecture: We understand a modification of standards is also required for the architecture but at this time the architecture is not finalized and the applicant requests to defer the modification letter until the architecture is final and agreed upon by the City and applicant. The form of proposed hotel has been shaped by two main urban design considerations. The first is the desire to respect the existing massing of the National Historic District along Walnut Street from Linden Street to our site. The second is the scale and mass of the Mitchell Building directly across Walnut from the project site and how these two buildings will create a gateway to Old Town from Mountain Ave. The existing buildings in the historic district typically range from one to three stories in height. There is a single story building being adjacent to the hotel property. In an effort to appropriately transition from the single story buildings along Walnut, the mass of the hotel has been shifted towards the alley side of the project. By moving the mass deeper into the site primarily along Chestnut Street and Old Firehouse Alley, the hotel can be respect the existing historic urban fabric to the northeast. Additionally, this allows the courtyard of the hotel to open towards Old Town, capturing the sun and allowing for views over the courtyard. The Mitchell Building stands four‐stories in height and steps back at the third story adhering to the zoning requirements put forth in the Land Use Code. As the Mitchell Building was designed for Office use, the floor‐to‐floor is significantly higher than that of the Hotel. In essence, the fourth floor parapet of the hotel is approximately the same height as the parapet of the third floor of the Mitchell Building. From a massing perspective, the hotel and the Mitchell Building step back at a similar elevation (~46’ above grade.) From a simple floor plate count, however, the Mitchell Building steps back at the prescribed third floor while the hotel steps back at the fourth floor. Additionally, the Mitchell Building’s overall height is at or near the City’s 56’‐0” height limit for the Downtown area. We anticipate that the hotel will also approximate this zoning limit. One factor that is influencing the overall building height is the base flood elevation (BFE) and the City’s requirement to be 1’‐0” higher to address the possibility of high water conveyance along Walnut Street during a 100‐year storm. Any projections by terraces or seating areas into the public ROW will be addressed outside of the PDP / FDP process by revocable encroachment permit. Narrative description of how conflicts between land uses or disturbances to wetlands, natural habitats and features and or wildlife are being avoided to the maximum extent feasible or are mitigated. 1. Our site does not impact any natural areas, wetland and wildlife. Written Narrative addressing each concern/issue raised at the neighborhood meeting. 1. All of the questions raised at the neighborhood meeting that could be addressed were. Other questions pertaining to brand of hotel could not be discussed and will be released at a later date when it can be released. 2. The bigger concern had to deal with parking and the request for a parking structure. There are talks ongoing between the owner and the City about a public/private partnership but at this time nothing is final. Name of the project as well as any previous name the project may have had during Conceptual Review. 1. The name of the project is still being determined. 2. Most of the correspondence up to this point have been under the name FC Hotel for the time being. Parking Narrative describing the parking demand generated with consideration of: the number of employees, tenants, and/or patrons; the amount and location of parking provided; where anticipated spill‐over parking will occur; and, any other considerations regarding vehicle parking. 1. There are two parts to the parking discussion due to the possibility of a public/private partnership on a new parking garage with this development. a. If we proceed with a surface parking lot we will have around 110 spots for the project and the hotel needs a minimum of 81 spots. The hotel will also valet park guests which will allow them to double stack cars in certain areas to increase the amount of cars they can park. The remainder will be used as guest parking for the project. i. Spill‐over parking will be any of the public spaces around the site and or the parking structure across the street on Mountain. b. If the structure goes through, the plan is to reserve 100 spots for the hotel to use as valet and the remainder of the spots (roughly 200) will be public parking for our development and downtown in general.