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HomeMy WebLinkAboutVILLAGE COOPERATIVE FORT COLLINS - PDP - PDP160036 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT W/ATTACHMENTS (13)December 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 52. 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 3 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. January 4, 2017 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 3.2.2(K)(1)(a) 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 an access drive to Horsetooth Road for a secondary point of emergency access. The project will provide 28 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(K)(1)(a): Code Language: Section 3.2.2(K) Parking Lots – Required Number of Off-Street Spaces for Type of Use statess the following: (1) Residential and Institutional Parking Requirements. Residential and institutional uses shall provide a minimum number of parking spaces as defined by the standards below. (a) Attached Dwellings: For each two-family and multi-family dwelling there shall be parking spaces provided as indicated by the following table: 2 Number of Bedrooms/Dwelling Unit Parking Spaces Per Dwelling Unit* One or less 1.5 Two 1.75 Three 2.0 Four and above 3.0 Requested Modification: The Village Cooperative Fort Collins project is requesting approval for 80 parking spaces instead of 88 parking spaces as described below: Number of space required: # Units Parking Requirement One bedroom units 13 X 1.5 = 20 spaces Two bedroom units 39 X 1.75 = 68 spaces Three bedroom units 0 X 2.00 = 0 spaces Total 52 88 spaces Number of spaces provided: Underground garage = 52 spaces Standard (9 x19) = 24 spaces Compact (8 x 15) = 4 spaces Total 80 spaces 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 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 off-street parking since the parking demands for senior housing are much less than traditional residential uses. 3 − 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 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 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. − The applicant has constructed over 20 similar projects and has provided their analysis in the attached parking ratio comparison of actual use of the surface parking spaces. − The proposed use of the site to provide senior housing benefits the community as a whole with limited impact on the adjoining properties. The site could be developed with much greater intensity and greater traffic impact than the proposed senior facility. 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 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. January 24, 2017 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 an access drive to Horsetooth Road for a secondary point of emergency access. The project will provide 28 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 3.8.30(C)(2)(a) Code Language: Section 3.8.30(C) Access to a Park, Central Feature or Gathering Place. At least ninety (90) percent of the dwellings in all development projects shall be located within one thousand three hundred twenty (1,320) feet (one-quarter [¼] mile) of either a neighborhood park, a privately owned park or a central feature or gathering place that is located either within the project or within adjacent development, which distance shall be measured along street frontage without crossing an arterial street. Such parks, central features or gathering places shall contain one (1) or more of the following uses: 2 (1) Public parks, recreation areas or other open lands. (2) Privately owned parks, meeting the following criteria: (a) Size. In development projects greater than two (2) acres in gross area, such private parks must be a minimum of ten thousand (10,000) square feet. In development projects with a gross area of two (2) acres or less, such private parks must be a minimum of six (6) percent of the gross site area. (b) Location. Such parks shall be highly visible, secure settings formed by the street layout and pattern of lots and easily observed from streets. Rear facades and rear yards of dwellings shall not abut more than two (2) sides or more than fifty (50) percent of the perimeter frontage of the park. (c) Accessibility. All parts of such parks shall be safely and easily accessible by pedestrians and open to the public. (d) Facilities. Such parks shall consist of multiple-use turf areas, walking paths, plazas, pavilions, picnic tables, benches or other features for various age groups to utilize. (e) Ownership and Maintenance. Such parks may, in the discretion of the City, be acquired by the City (through dedication or purchase) or be privately owned and maintained by the developer or property owners' association. (f) Storm Drainage. When integrating storm drainage and detention functions to satisfy this requirement, the design of such facilities shall not result in slopes or gradients that conflict with other recreational and civic purposes of the park. Requested Modification: The property is located within an infill site, surrounded on three sides by existing development and a major arterial street on one side. Due to unique challenges with the shape of the site, meeting the requirement for 10,000 square feet of park, central feature or gathering areas is infeasible. Therefore, the applicant is requesting a modification. 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: • Although the project technically does not have 10,000 square feet of highly visible park space formed by streets, the plan achieves the following: − An outdoor patio containing tables and seating areas − An area for community gardens − Connecting walkways and pathways throughout the site • The project size of 2.7 acres barely meets the threshold of needing to meet the code standard. Since the standard does not include a sliding scale, small projects are being treated equal to larger projects. Asking a 2.7 acre project to provide a private park, central feature or gathering area that is same as would be required for much larger projects is not proportional and unfeasible. 3 • There is a large .40 acre detention pond on the eastern portion of the site, thus further reducing the available area necessary to meet with standard.