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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCHOICE CENTER FILING 3 (FORMERLY 1721 S. COLLEGE TOWNHOMES) - PDP - PDP160042 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - MODIFICATION REQUESTFebruary 7, 2017 Choice Center Filing 3 Modification Request 3.2.2 Access, Circulation and Parking (L) Parking Stall Dimensions (1) – Standard Spaces – Table A – Driveway Width Parking spaces for standard vehicles shall conform with the standard car dimensions shown on Table A. Reason for the Request The Applicant, CORE Spaces, is proposing a vertical multi-family development on South College Ave. The site is located in the General Commercial (CG) zone district, and within the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zone along South College Ave., just south of Prospect Road. The proposed infill development includes ten (10) apartment units within two buildings at the east and west portions of the property. The residential buildings contain a total of (18) garage parking spaces for an average ratio of 1.8 spaces per apartment. Each of the parking spaces will be provided in individual attached garages at the ground floor of each apartment unit. Garages will be accessed from a single drive aisle located between the two apartment buildings. The Fort Collins Land-Use Code typically requires a drive aisle of 24’ for 90-degree standard parking spaces, but makes special note that “when garages are located along a driveway and are opposite other garages or buildings, the driveway width must be increased to 28 feet.” The proposed development site directly abuts the retail parking lot to the adjacent north property, and traffic from this northern parking lot currently connects to South College Avenue via a driveway on the proposed development site. If the entry and exit to College Avenue is moved to the south east corner of the development site, the proposed building layout can be arranged to maintain the connection of the northern retail parking lot to College Avenue via a shared driveway with the residential units. However, this maintained traffic connection, in combination with the relatively narrow width of the site, severely limits the potential for marketable development on the proposed site. By reducing the width of the shared driveway, the Applicant believes that a successful residential development is feasible. The Applicant is therefore proposing to reduce the driveway to the standard width of 24’. Justifications The Land Use Code states that the decision-maker may grant a modification of standards only if it finds that the granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public Choice Center Filing 3 Project Development Plan Submission TOD Parking Modification Request February 8, 2017/Page 2 good; and the decision-maker must also find that the Modification meets one of the following four criteria described in the LUC. Granting this modification reduces the driveway between the apartment buildings from 28- feet wide to 24-feet wide. Vehicles passing through the driveway from either College Avenue or to the adjacent retail complex are given a 12-foot drive aisle in either direction. This is as wide, or wider than, many typical drive lanes on major roadways (11 feet). The applicant has also undergone study to prove that the provided driveway width is sufficient for residents to enter and exit the garages (see attached). For these reasons, the modification is not detrimental to drivers utilizing the driveway to access or pass through the development site. Furthermore, the proposed development will also benefit the economic viability of the proposed neighborhood by providing student rental apartments in the immediate vicinity to multiple retail and dining establishments. This project utilizes the constrained property efficiently, and is contextually compatible with existing and proposed buildings heights in the area. Therefore, we believe granting the Modification would not be detrimental to the public good. (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: The Applicant has undertaken a geometric study of typical car turning radiuses to verify that the proposed 24’ driveway width provides adequate vehicle maneuvering clearances between the proposed facing garages. These exhibits are attached. The results of this study indicate that a 24’-wide driveway sufficiently allows the 90 degree head-in and back-in movements of a vehicle into each garage as well as the outbound 90 degree back-out and head out geometries. Therefore, the proposed modification request will serve the residents as well as a driveway of the standard compliant width. (3) by reason of exceptional physical conditions or other extraordinary and exceptional situations, unique to such property, including, but not limited to, physical conditions which hinder the owner’s ability to install a solar energy system, the strict application of the standard sought to be modified would result in unusual and exceptional practical difficulties, or exceptional or undue hardship upon the owner of such property, provided that such difficulties or hardship are not caused by the act or omission of the applicant; As previously mentioned, the proposed site layout maintains a connection between the northern retail parking lot and College Avenue via a shared driveway, though this connection severely limits the other uses on the site. The site of the proposed residential development is 123-feet wide. The parkway buffer, multi-use path, and utility easement along College Avenue are a total width of 27-feet wide while the proposed utility easement and sidewalk at the west edge of the property are 8’ wide, thus leaving 88’ in the center of the property for (2) residential buildings and drive aisle. By providing a 24’ wide driveway, the Applicant can then allocate 32’ of site width to each residential building. The Applicant has found that a residential building depth of 32’ is the minimum dimension that provides adequate interior living space and enclosed garage space for student housing residences such as this. Therefore, granting the modification request for a 24’-wide drive aisle facilitates the development of an exceptionally constrained building site. Choice Center Filing 3 Project Development Plan Submission TOD Parking Modification Request February 8, 2017/Page 3 (4) the plan as submitted will not diverge from the standards of the Land Use Code that are authorized by this Division to be modified except in a nominal, inconsequential way when considered from the perspective of the entire development plan, and will continue to advance the purposes of the Land Use Code as contained in Section 1.2.2. The applicant is requesting a 15% reduction from the 28’-wide drive aisle to a proposed width of 24 feet. This 15% reduction is a nominal and inconsequential reduction to the width of the drive surface because it does not require drivers to alter their driving patterns when traveling through the development site nor does it hinder the turning geometries of residents maneuvering into or out of the garages. In summary, the Applicant asks that the proposed modification request be granted due to the fact that it is not detrimental to the public good, it provides a driveway that functions equally as well as the standard, it facilitates development on a tightly constrained building site, and it grants a nominal and inconsequential reduction to the drive way width. Finally, the proposed site layout, which is possible through utilization of the Modification Request for reduced driveway width, produces a building design that is supported by several City Plan Policies. These policies are: targeted infill and redevelopment within transit served locations (LIV 5.1), reduced visual impact of parking from primary pedestrian streets and public spaces (LIV 30.4), the creation of a more pedestrian-friendly environment through parkway buffers and generous sidewalk widths (LIV 30.4), the creation of parking structures that do not dominate the street frontage (LIV 30.5), reduced land devoted to surface parking lots (LIV 30.6), and transform through infill and Redevelopment (LIV 35.4).