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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGATEWAY AT PROSPECT REZONE - REZ160001 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - REZONING RELATED DOCUMENTPage 1 December 14, 2016 Gateway at Prospect Justification of Rezoning Request Ownership The owner of Gateway at Prospect (“Gateway”) is Fort Collins/I-25 Interchange Corner, LLC (“FCIC”), a 14 member group that acquired the Gateway property in 2013 for investment purposes. The Property Gateway is the 177-acre property located at the northwest corner of I-25 and Prospect Road. Recent History Gateway was previously owned by a Great Britain based investment group called Western VII Investments LLC, which called the property “Interstate Land.” It was annexed to the City and zoned in April 1989. It has been rezoned twice since, most recently in April 2000. An Overall Development Plan (“ODP”) was approved in 2004. Adjacent Properties In addition to Gateway at the northwest corner, the other properties at the corners of Prospect and I- 25 are:  Southwest Corner: 142-acre tract owned by Colorado State University Research Foundation (“CSURF”). The property is annexed to the City and zoned for employment and commercial development. Its proposed use is for a high-tech campus to house spin-offs from CSU and other R&D uses.  Northeast Corner: 129.4 acres owned by Rudolph Farms. The property is annexed and zoned for commercial development. Its proposed uses include retail, industrial, assisted living facilities and a church.  Southeast Corner: 17.4 acres owned by Paradigm. The property is annexed and zoned for commercial development. Proposed uses are the permitted commercial uses, and would include retail, restaurants, fast food and office/warehouse. Additional properties surrounding Gateway  To the South, the Colorado Welcome Center owned by Colorado State University, a CDOT rest area, a strip owned by the City, and a 12.5-acre tract owned by K and M Company.  To the West, Boxelder Subdivision and Sunrise Acres Subdivision, both older Larimer County residential subdivisions.  To the North, a fully developed Larimer County industrial park.  In addition to the foregoing, the 110 acre Poudre School District site is just east of the Northeast Corner, on the north side of Prospect Road, and is planned for a Senior High/Middle School and associated athletics fields. Construction of the school was approved as part of the recent $375 Million Poudre School District Bond Issue. Page 2 Request For Rezone This is a request to rezone approximately 12.4 acres of LMN (Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods) district and approximately 8.4 acres of E (Employment) district land at Gateway at Prospect (a total of 20.8 acres) to MMN (Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods). The purpose of the rezoning is to allow for an increased level of residential intensity, for an already permitted use within both of the existing zone districts. The MMN parcel would provide a more gradual transition in development intensity and use between lower density development to the west and higher intensity development proposed to the east. The MMN zone district also allows for the opportunity to provide more diversity in housing product within the City. There are several other neighborhoods in Fort Collins that have MMN zoning situated in a similar way to what is proposed at Gateway at Prospect including: a) Carpenter and College Ave b) Harmony and College Ave c) Harmony and Boardwalk d) Harmony and Lemay e) Timberline and Zephyr f) College and Crestridge g) Harmony and Shields h) Horsetooth and Shields i) Drake and Shields j) Prospect and Shields k) Prospect and Overland l) Taft Hill and Elizabeth m) Shields and Elizabeth n) College and Willox o) Vine and Timberline p) Mulberry and Greenfield q) Timberline and Drake r) Timberline and Horsetooth The MMN at Gateway at Prospect, as proposed, would be the only MMN property in the I- 25/Gateway district, as it is not zoned in any of the other quadrants of the interchange. 1. Text Amendments and Legislative Zonings or Rezonings. Amendments to the text of this Code, and amendments to the Zoning Map involving the zoning or rezoning of more than six hundred forty (640) acres of land (legislative rezoning), are matters committed to the legislative discretion of the City Council, and decisions regarding the same are not controlled by any one (1) factor. The proposed area for rezoning is less than six hundred forty (640) acres of land. 2. Mandatory Requirements for Quasi-judicial Zonings or Rezonings. Any amendment to the Zoning Map involving the zoning or rezoning of six hundred forty (640) acres of land or less (a quasi- judicial rezoning) shall be recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Board or approved by the City Council only if the proposed amendment is: a. consistent with the City's Comprehensive Plan; and/or The rezone to MMN (Medium Density Mixed Use Neighborhood) at Gateway at Prospect meets the intent of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and City Plan which is a component of the Comprehensive Plan in the following ways: 1. Introduction – Community and Neighborhood Livability a. Defining how neighborhoods will accommodate future population and lifestyle shifts. Page 3 2. Introduction – Urban design and Historic Preservation a. Defining gateways that help distinguish Fort Collins from surrounding communities. 3. Introduction – Housing a. Serving the housing needs of many diverse groups and changing demographics. b. Providing high-performing housing for all income groups. 3. Community and Neighborhood Livability Vision a. A compact pattern of development within a well-defined community boundary. b. Cohesive, distinct, vibrant, safe and attractive neighborhoods c. Quality and accessible housing options for all household types and income levels. d. Distinctive and attractive community image, design, and identity. 4. Community and Neighborhood Livability a. Overview: …By increasing the overall average density of the city, the community’s neighborhoods will foster efficient land use, support a mix of housing types, increase efficiency of public utilities, streets, facilities, and services, and accommodate multiple mode of travel (including vehicle, bus, bike and walking). b. Supporting land uses are to be brought together in a development pattern designed to create a pleasant environment for walking and bicycling as well as automobile and transit travel. c. Activity centers generally correspond to Commercial Districts identified on the City Structure Plan Map and are intended to be vibrant, walkable, bicycle friendly, transit-supportive places that contain a mix of housing, employment, retail, culture, arts and dining. d. Earlier versions of City Plan also envisioned a community with a wide variety of housing types (including single-family houses, duplexes, townhomes, apartment, and condos/lofts) – ideas which are carried forward in this chapter of the 2010 City Plan so that people from all income levels may have choices of affordable and quality housing in diverse neighborhoods throughout the community. e. Finally, the earlier versions of City Plan introduced the introduced the City Structure Plan Map to guide ongoing growth and evolution of the community. It translates the overall vision for our built environment into a map with four basic kinds of components that make up the physical form and development pattern of the city: Neighborhoods, Districts, Edges, and Corridors. These components are structured around the following key themes: - Focus on a Compact Development Pattern - Provide an interconnected Transit System - Accommodate Multiple Means of Travel - Provide Transit-Oriented Activity Centers - Provide an Interconnected System of Open Lands - Reduce Carbon Emissions 5. Community and Neighborhood Livability and Sustainability a. The economic, environmental and human aspects of the City’s sustainability relate to community and neighborhood livability in the following ways: b. Economy: A mix of land uses (housing, retail, employment, etc.) provides opportunities to grow and diversity the economy throughout the community and for citizens to meet their retail an services needs in a variety of locations. A mix of housing options throughout the community also accommodates residents of all income levels in the city near places of work or other activity centers. c. Human: Community and neighborhood livability is related to human well-being in that a mix of land uses and housing and transportation options provide opportunities for citizens to be self- sufficient and to live, work, and travel within the community. 6. Subarea Plans a. Prospect Road Streetscape Plan Page 4 7. Housing – Principle LIV 7: A variety of housing types and densities for all income levels shall be available throughout the Growth Management Area. a. Policy LIV 7.1 – Encourage Variety in Housing Types and Locations: Encourage a variety of housing types and densities, including mixed use developments that are well-served by public transportation and close to employment centers, shopping, services, and amenities. b. Policy LIV 7.2 – Develop and Adequate Supply of Housing: Encourage public and private for-profit and non-profit sectors to take actions to develop and maintain and adequate supply of single- and multiple-family housing. 8. City Structure Plan Map Principles and Policies a. Focus on a Compact Development Pattern Growth within the city will be focused to promote a compact development pattern, by directing urban development to well-defined areas within the Growth Management Area (GMA). The compact form of the city will also contribute to preserving environmentally sensitive areas and rural lands, efficiently providing public services, and encouraging infill and redevelopment of existing urban areas. b. Provide an Interconnected Transit System An expanded public transit system is an integral component of the City Structure Plan Map. The system is designed to provide for high-frequency transit service along major arterials and Enhanced Travel Corridors (including Prospect Road). Feeder Transit lines will provide connections from all major districts within the city. The City’s compact form will help make comprehensive, convenient, and efficient transit service possible. c. Accommodate Multiple Means of Travel The City’s form and structure will facilitate pedestrians, bicycles, and transit, as well as cars and trucks. New development will be organized and woven into a compact pattern that is conducive to automobile, pedestrian, bicycle, and public transit travel. d. Components of the City Plan Structure Plan Map Neighborhoods: Neighborhoods will serve as the primary building blocks of the community’s built environment. Neighborhoods will be walkable and connected, and will include a mix of housing types. Neighborhoods will include destinations within walking distance such as schools, parks, neighborhood shopping, places of work and civic uses. e. Policy LIV 22.1 – Vary Housing Models and Types Provide variation in house models and types in large developments, along with variations in lot and block sizes, to avoid monotonous streetscapes, increase housing options, and eliminate the appearance of standardized subdivision. f. Policy LIV 22.2 - Provide Creative Multi-Family Housing Design Design smaller multi-family buildings to reflect the characteristics and amenities typically associated with single-family detached houses. These characteristics and amenities include orientation of the front door to a neighborhood sidewalk and street, individual identity, private outdoor space, adequate parking and storage, access to sunlight, privacy and security. g. Policy LIV 22.3 – Offer Multi-Family Building Variation Offer variation among individual buildings within multi- building projects, yet stay within a coordinated overall “design theme. Achieve variation among buildings through a combination of different footprints, facade treatment, roof forms, entrance features, and, in specialized cases, building orientation. Avoid monotonous complexes of identical buildings, although there may be ways to achieve visual interest among substantially identical buildings with a high degree of articulation on each building, combined with variation in massing on the site. 9. MEDIUM DENSITY MIXED-USE NEIGHBORHOODS (MMN) a. Purpose: Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods are intended to be settings for a diverse mix of concentrated housing within easy walking or biking distance of transit, commercial services, employment, and parks or recreational amenities. Neighborhoods may also contain other moderate-intensity, neighborhood serving uses of a complementary scale and character. Buildings, streets, bike and walking paths, and open spaces and parks will be configured to create an inviting and convenient living environment. Medium Density Mixed- Page 5 Use Neighborhoods are intended to function together with surrounding Low Density Mixed- Use Neighborhoods and a centrally located Neighborhood or Community Commercial District, providing a more gradual transition in development intensity and use. Medium Density Mixed- Use Neighborhoods will be further unified with surrounding neighborhoods and districts through a connected pattern of streets and blocks. b. Policy LIV 29.2 – Mix of Uses Include other neighborhood-serving uses in addition to residential uses. Although the actual mix of uses in each neighborhood will vary, Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods may include the following: Principal uses: Detached single-family homes on small lots (under 6,000 square feet), duplexes, townhouses, accessory dwelling units, group homes, live-work units, and multi- family housing. Supporting uses: Non-retail uses such as places of worship; day care (adult and child); parks and recreation facilities; schools; small civic facilities; offices and clinics; small businesses with low traffic and visibility needs such as service shops, studios, workshops bed-and- breakfasts, and uses of similar intensity; neighborhood serving retail uses; dwelling units stacked above retail or office space; and live- work units. Home occupations are permitted provided they do not generate excessive traffic and parking, or have signage that is not consistent with the residential character of the neighborhood. c. Policy LIV 29.3 – Neighborhood or Community Commercial District Integrate the design of a Medium Density Mixed-Use neighborhood with a Neighborhood Commercial District or Community Commercial District. Residents should be able to easily get to the Commercial District without the need to use an arterial street. d. Policy LIV 29.4 – Mix of Housing Types Include a variety of housing types suitable to a Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood’s transitional, higher- activity location. Mix and distribute housing types at the neighborhood and block level, rather than creating isolated pockets of a particular housing type. Incorporate low- and medium-cost housing with higher-cost housing and non-residential uses. e. Policy LIV 29.5 – Transitions Encourage non-residential uses and larger buildings of attached and multiple-family housing near the commercial core, with a transition to smaller buildings, such as duplex and detached houses, closer to surrounding lower density neighborhoods. 10. Enhanced Travel Corridors a. Policy LIV 43.3 – Support Transit-Supportive Development Patterns Support the incorporation of higher intensity, transit- supportive development along Enhanced Travel Corridors through infill and redevelopment. Encourage the densities and broader mix of uses necessary to support walking, bicycling, and transit use while accommodating efficient automobile use. 11. Longer Term Action Item a. Gateway Design Standards (including Prospect Road) b. Prospect Enhanced Travel Corridor Plan 12. Catalyst Project Areas a. During the Plan Fort Collins process project team members, City Council, and the public identified areas throughout the city that have the potential to “showcase” opportunities to embrace the Plan Fort Collins vision themes of Innovate, Sustain, and Connect. Through a combination of public and private actions that complement and build upon one another, these areas have the potential for lasting, desirable change. Catalyst areas are viewed as places for ongoing and new public and private sector initiatives that use a multi-disciplinary and triple bottom line approach, addressing economic, environmental, and social factors in a balanced manner. While each area requires City and private sector engagement, City Plan focuses on City actions that can inspire private sector response and create catalytic change. The intent of this section of City Plan is to identify these areas as those that are positioned for catalytic change, and to use several case studies as examples to illustrate how change might Page 6 occur in a synergistic manner. The timing and pace of activity in these areas will ultimately be determined by market forces, community interest, and City and private sector investment. There are multiple areas and projects that can be viewed as Catalyst Project Areas throughout the City. The planning team initially identified 12 areas, and others may surface as the plan is implemented over time: Prospect/I-25 Gateway b. warranted by changed conditions within the neighborhood surrounding and including the subject property. There has been significant change in character of this property since it was originally zoned. These changes include: 1. Boxelder Floodplain: Over the course of the last 16 years, dramatic development has occurred at all the intersections of I-25 from Loveland (Hwy 34 and Crossroads) to Fort Collins (Hwy 392, Harmony Road and Mulberry) except one – the I-25 and Prospect intersection. The primary cause of this isolation is the Boxelder Floodplain. Boxelder Creek starts north of Ft. Collins and flows down the east side of I-25 until it reaches the north end of Gateway, where it crosses under I-25 onto Gateway. It passes through Gateway and crosses under Prospect Road at the south end of Gateway. Prior to remediation work being completed, it passed under I-25 through 2 culverts (there are 4 culverts under I-25, but two have been blocked), and under Prospect Road through one culvert. The small size of the culverts caused the highway and road to act as a dam in a 100 year storm event, causing flooding of the northeast and southwest corners of I-25 and Prospect, hundreds of acres in Timnath, and the portions of Gateway adjacent to Prospect. As a consequence, no development could take place on these lands. During 2016, the Boxelder Stormwater Authority (Ft. Collins, Wellington and Larimer County) and Timnath contributed $10,851,588 Million dollars to remediate the floodplain caused by Boxelder Creek. Among other improvements, the two closed culverts under I- 25 were opened, and the City closed Prospect Road for June, July and August in order to install 7 culverts under Prospect Road. The remediation work removed from the floodplain all of the property located in Timnath, all of the northeast and southwest corners of the I-25 at Prospect Road intersection, and the portion of Gateway adjacent to Prospect, making all of that property available for development. The engineers for the City and the Boxelder Stormwater Authority have submitted the “as built” data to FEMA and are awaiting the issuance of a Letter Of Map Revision (“LOMAR”) to formally remove the floodplain. The LOMAR will allow development to take place on all the properties formerly in the flood plain. 2. Prospect and I-25 Interchange improvements: At a cost of approximately $235 Million, the Colorado Department of Transportation (“CDOT”) plans to expand I-25 to 3 lanes on each side from Mulberry to Loveland. CDOT proposes to accomplish this through a “Design-Build” process in which CDOT prepares the engineering work up to a 30% level and sends it out to contractors to complete the engineering work and bid on the construction. The Design-Build bid is planned to be sent to contractors in January, 2017. The original bid proposal did not include any intersection construction. FCIC and the three other owners of the other I-25 and Prospect Road corners (together, the “Prospect Interchange Task Force”, or “PTIF Group”) contacted the City and CDOT this past September, in hopes of persuading CDOT to include a new intersection (including a new 7 lane overpass bridge, on and off ramps and expansion of Prospect in the vicinity of the interchange) at Prospect Road (the “Prospect Intersection”) in the Design-Bid process. The objective was to accelerate the construction of the intersection from 2035 or beyond, to 2018. Page 7 CDOT responded by indicating that the Prospect Intersection was estimated to cost $28 Million, and that CDOT could be willing to include it in the Design Build bid if the City and private parties would come up with half the cost, $14 Million, split $7,000,000 each from the PTIF Group and from the City. Construction of an improved intersection is critically important to the City and CDOT. The intersection is currently reaching its capacity, and has significant traffic issues. The City Plan and the Transportation Plan both identify the Prospect Road interchange as the “Gateway” to the City, and deem it to be a “Catalyst Project “, critical to future of the City. After many meetings and significant efforts by all parties, The City Council, on November 25, 2016, adopted a resolution to include the Prospect Intersection in “CDOT’s North I-25 Improvement Project” through cooperative public-private funding. FCIC and the rest of the PTIF Group have agreed to provide up to $7,000,000 for the project. And finally, CDOT has agreed to include the project in its Design Build bid. It is anticipated that construction of the North I-25 Improvement Project, including the Prospect Interchange, will commence in January, 2018. 3. Floodplain Weir: As part of the Boxelder floodplain remediation construction, the City requested that FCIC convey to the City an exclusive easement of a 2.7-acre site fronting on Prospect Road for the construction of a “weir” (a ditch) to carry overflow water from Boxelder Creek to the 5 culverts to be built under Prospect Road. At no cost to the City, FCIC conveyed the easement requested to the City. The weir consumes 2.7 acres of Gateway’s property, eliminates 110 feet of Gateway’s frontage along Prospect Road and eliminates 110 feet from the east side of the Gateway tract on which FCIC had hoped to sell for multifamily development. 4. CSURF: Until 2007, when CSURF acquired its 142 acres, the property belonged to the City and was used as a “sludge farm”. After its acquisition by CSURF, it was zoned for commercial and employment uses, adding significant potential commercial uses to the area. 5. Additional ROW for Prospect Road widening: Also at the request of the City, FCIC has conveyed to the City 27.5 feet of Prospect Road frontage and granted an additional, parallel, 15-foot easement for utilities for a 42.5-foot setback from the current Prospect Road right-of-way. The conveyance of the 27.5 frontage was for the future widening of Prospect Road. These conveyances were also made at no cost to the City. 6. New PSD Middle/High School: On November 8, 2016, voters in the Poudre School District approved a bond issue of $375 Million, a portion of which will be used to construct a Middle School /High School and an associated athletic complex on the District’s 110-acre site ½ mile east of Gateway. Construction is scheduled to start in 2017. The middle/high school is expected to cost $125.5 Million and to open in 2020. 7. Dramatic growth and changes in land use in north Timnath: There has been significant development on the east side of I-25. What was previously farm land has either developed into residential property or has approvals for future construction of residential development. c. Additional Considerations for Quasi-Judicial Zonings or Rezonings. In determining whether to recommend approval of any such proposed amendment, the Planning and Zoning Board and City Council may consider the following additional factors: Page 8 1. whether and the extent to which the proposed amendment is compatible with existing and proposed uses surrounding the subject land and is the appropriate zone district for the land; Boxelder Estates, a County subdivision with platted lots, is located to the west of Gateway at Prospect. This neighborhood consists of semi-rural ranchettes which were platted in the 1960’s. The zoning for the majority of the neighborhood is R – Residential with a few lots zoned FA-Farming. Streets in this neighborhood are paved and lot sizes range from 0.41 acres – 5.41 acres. There is an existing strip of land which separates Boxelder Estates from Gateway at Prospect which is owned by the Boxelder HOA. This land was purchased approximately 20 years ago, is roughly 110 feet wide and 1,880 feet long. This land was purchased by the Boxelder HOA, from a former owner of Gateway, to ensure that street connections could not be made with any future adjacent development. There is a significant, existing buffer between the houses in Boxelder Estates that area located to the west of the proposed MMN parcel. With the exception of one house, all of the Boxelder Estate houses are currently located 640 feet – 787 feet from the Gateway at Prospect property boundary. The one house that is closer, is located approximately 35 feet from the Gateway at Prospect property boundary. This property owner has reviewed the planned development and provided written consent to the proposed development. In addition to the existing buffer, a transitional landscape buffer is planned which will range from 9 feet – 88 feet. A North-South collector road is planned adjacent to the transitional landscape buffer which will have a 76-foot right-of-way. We anticipate some additional land area on the east side of the collector road, in the form of building setbacks, which will be determined at the time of PDP/FDP applications. In total, this provides a buffer that ranges from 110 feet (which includes the nearest house)– 875 feet between Boxelder Estates houses and the nearest possible building within the multi-family parcel. The multi-family parcel also serves as a transition between the County subdivision and a planned high intensity commercial development to the east of both the multi-family parcel and the Boxelder Creek, and will act as a buffer to the noise associated with I-25. I-25 is located to the east of the commercial zone district with overall intensity in zoning planned, per City of Fort Collins zoning maps, increasing as you move from Boxelder Estates to the east. Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods are intended to function together with surrounding Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods and a centrally located Neighborhood or Community Commercial District, providing a more gradual transition in development intensity and use. This parcel would serve as a transition between the platted County subdivision to the west and future commercial development to the east. Multi-family is currently a permitted use in the existing zone district. A change to MMN zoning will allow for an increased level of residential intensity providing housing more diversity within the City. The increased intensity of housing works symbiotically to support adjacent neighborhood commercial development and promote non-auto oriented development. 2. whether and the extent to which the proposed amendment would result in significantly adverse impacts on the natural environment, including, but not limited to, water, air, noise, stormwater management, wildlife, vegetation, wetlands and the natural functioning of the environment; We do not anticipate any significant adverse impacts on the natural environment. The proposed multi-family development would be arranged in a manner that protects the adjacent Boxelder Creek. In addition, a regional trail, per the City’s Master Trails Plan, is Page 9 proposed along the eastern side of the multi-family parcel providing additional buffer between the natural environments and the residential units. 3. whether and the extent to which the proposed amendment would result in a logical and orderly development pattern. Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods are intended to be settings for a diverse mix of concentrated housing within easy walking or biking distance of transit, commercial services, employment, and parks or recreational amenities. Neighborhoods may also contain other moderate-intensity, neighborhood serving uses of a complementary scale and character. Buildings, streets, bike and walking paths, and open spaces and parks will be configured to create an inviting and convenient living environment. Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods are intended to function together with surrounding Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhoods and a centrally located Neighborhood or Community Commercial District, providing a more gradual transition in development intensity and use. Medium Density Mixed- Use Neighborhoods will be further unified with surrounding neighborhoods and districts through a connected pattern of streets and blocks. This District is intended to function together with surrounding low density neighborhoods (typically the L-M-N zone district) and a central commercial core (typically an N-C or C-C zone district). The intent is for the component zone districts to form an integral, town-like pattern of development, and not merely a series of individual development projects in separate zone districts. The Prospect and I-25 interchange is identified as an enhanced travel corridor per City Plan. Development within the MMN zone designation would allow for higher intensity, transit- supportive development. The MMN zone district would encourage the densities and broader mix of uses necessary to support walking, bicycling, and transit use while accommodating efficient automobile use. It would serve as a setting for concentrated housing within easy walking distance of transit and a commercial district.