HomeMy WebLinkAboutVILLAGE COOPERATIVE FORT COLLINS - PDP - PDP160036 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - MODIFICATION REQUESTDecember 5, 2016
Planning and Zoning Board
c/o City of Fort Collins
Current Planning Department
281 North College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Re: Village Cooperative of Fort Collins
Please accept this request for a Modification of Standards to Section 3.2.23.2.2(C)(4)(b) of the
Land Use Code.
Background
The proposed use for the site is 52 multi-family apartments in located in one building. The Village
Cooperatives are developed and managed by Real Estate Equities Development, LLC which is a
privately held company based in Eagan Minnesota. The homes are targeted towards active
seniors. Often referred to as a “co-op,” cooperative housing combines the financial advantages
of home ownership with the convenience of community living. One of the key features of a
cooperative is joint ownership of the property. To that end, a cooperative is a community of active
adults who own a share—not just a unit—in the entire community through a non-profit
Cooperative Corporation. Each share is held through an official Membership Certificate upon
purchase.
Vehicular access for the site will be from a curb cut off of Stanford Road. There also will be a
gated access drive to Horsetooth Road for a secondary point of emergency access. The project
will provide 21 off-street surface parking spaces and 52 underground garage spaces.
This modification requested is in accordance with the review procedures set forth in Section
2.8.2(H) of the Land Use Code as follows:
Modification to Section 3.2.2(C)(4)(b):
Code Language: Section 3.2.2(C)(4)(b) Bicycle Facilities states the following:
“(b) Bicycle Parking Space Requirements. The minimum bicycle parking requirements are set
forth in the table below. For uses that are not specifically listed in the table, the number of bicycle
parking spaces required shall be the number required for the most similar use listed.”
Use Categories Bicycle Parking Space
Minimums
% Enclosed
Bicycle Parking/
2
% Fixed Bicycle
Racks
Residential and Institutional Parking Requirements
Multi-Family Residential 1 per bedroom 60%/40%
Requested Modification: The Village Cooperative Fort Collins project will have 91 bedrooms,
therefore 91 bike parking spaces are required. Of the 91, 55 spaces are required to be enclosed
and 12 spaces are to be located in fixed racks. The project provides 23 spaces located within the
parking garage and 12 fixed spaces located at the front entry. A modification is being sought that
reduces the total number of spaces from 91 to 35.
Justification
The granting of this modification of standards would not be detrimental to the public good, and 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 and the plan substantially
addresses an important community need described in the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The
applicant offers the following in support of its request for modification:
• The purpose of the standard for which the modification is sought is to “ensure that the
parking and circulation aspects of all developments are well designed with regard to
safety, efficiency and convenience for vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians and transit, both
within the development and to and from surrounding areas.” The proposed plan promotes
such purpose for the following reasons:
− The bike parking standards in the Land Use Code have parking ratios that apply to all
multi-family regardless of demographics. A housing community that is age-restricted
should be allowed to provide less bike parking since the bike parking demands for
senior housing are much less than traditional residential uses.
− The TIS memo prepared by Kellar Engineering dated August 4, 2016, notes that the
pedestrian, bicycle and transit levels of service will all meet Larimer County Urban
Area Street Standards (LCUASS) requirements.
− The development will provide a site that enhances the safety and convenience of
walking and bicycling as alternative means of transportation.
− The project will be responsible for construction of 110’ of off-site sidewalk along the
east side of Stanford Road in order to provide pedestrian connectivity.
− The project will also construct a bike lane along the Horsetooth Road frontage and
there are existing bike lanes in Stanford Road.
− The location of this project in Midtown and its proximity to the Mason Street Corridor
will promote and support the idea of alternative transportation where feasible. On-
street bike lanes will help to encourage safe cycling. In addition, there are existing bus
stops at the corner of Horsetooth and Stover and Horsetooth and JFK Parkway.
Finally, the proposed alternative plan is not a detriment to the public good, as it results in the
development of a vacant property within an established areas in accordance with the overall City
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goals outlined in City Plan. Most importantly,it is practically infeasible to meet the standards and the
alternative plan accomplishes the purpose and a nominal and inconsequential way.