HomeMy WebLinkAboutOAKRIDGE CROSSING (AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING) - PDP - PDP160009 - REPORTS - (16)MEMORANDUM
TO: Ryan Mounce, City of Fort Collins
FROM: Oakridge Crossing
SUBJECT: Supplemental Information to Justify Request to Modify Parking Standard
DATE: May 18, 2016
INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
Oakridge Crossing proposes to provide fewer off-street parking spaces than current
requirements of the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code. A Request for a Modification to the
Standard is described in the Project Development Plan (PDP) that was submitted on March 15,
2016. This memorandum provides additional analysis conducted by the Oakridge Crossing
planning team for consideration by City Staff and the Planning and Zoning Board.
SCOPE OF WORK
For the past 4-5 years, Fort Collins has experienced a significant increase (or boom) in the
development of multi-family properties. Some of those properties have been targeted to
college students, others have been targeted to young professionals, and some have been
targeted to the ever-increasing population of senior citizens. Because of clear City policies that
seek to reduce reliance on the automobile through healthy infill development, community
development stakeholders must adopt a comprehensive view of parking as it relates to healthy
community design. Specifically, it is essential to embrace solutions that focus on the “demand”
side of parking management, in addition to the “supply” side. Designers, developers, public
officials, and citizens all benefit from effective Best Parking Management Practices including, but
not limited to:
- Promotion of compact mixed-use development patterns (“live, work, play, shop”)
that correspond with public investments in transit infrastructure;
- Strong and primary public-policy emphasis on abundant pedestrian and cycling
facilities that are safe and convenient;
- Car and bike-share programs;
- Shared parking arrangements;
- Parking supply standards that consider diverse demographics;
- Shuttles, car/vanpools, and;
- Unbundled parking, allowing those without a car to get discounted rent.
In a rapidly growing college town with a firmly established urban growth boundary,
comprehensive parking solutions are clearly more important now than ever. Along those lines,
the analysis conducted by Oakridge Crossing has been twofold:
1. An evaluation of the Oakridge Crossing neighborhood compared to the neighborhood
where similar affordable senior apartments were recently built in Fort Collins, and;
2. A summary of several important operational considerations of Oakridge Crossing that
support the proposed supply of off-street parking.
CONTEXT COMPARISON: LEGACY SENIOR RESIDENCES AND OAKRIDGE CROSSING
1. Zoning and Uses
Analysis and discussions with City staff have led the Oakridge Crossing team to believe the
Legacy Senior Residences project completed in 2012 is not only the most logical local property
to compare to Oakridge Crossing, but that Legacy has successfully demonstrated that
affordable senior apartments with moderately reduced parking supplies can function well in
mixed-use neighborhoods. Approved in 2012, Legacy was not required to provide any parking,
per the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zone district standards at that time.
However, the experienced senior housing developers of Legacy voluntarily elected to provide 51
off-street parking spaces for their 71 dwelling units.
According to current code requirements, Legacy would need to provide 118 parking spaces if
they proposed their project today, meaning that their current parking supply is 43.2% of what
would be required (and presumably, in order to meet that minimum supply requirement, the
surface area of the Legacy parking lot would be twice as large as it is today). The equally
experienced senior housing developers of Oakridge Crossing are proposing 46.7% of what the
code requires today, slightly more than Legacy, but still requiring a standard to be modified.
Legacy Oakridge Crossing
Parking Provided / Parking Required
(per current code)
51 / 118
(43.2% of requirement)
80 / 171
(46.7% of requirement)
Parking Ratio
(parking spaces per apartment)
0.71 0.73
It should be noted that in addition to the 80 parking spaces dedicated to the Oakridge Crossing
apartments, an additional 8 spaces will be dedicated to the non-residential components,
presumably available for use on weekends by residents and their visitors.
Like Oakridge Crossing, Legacy is an apartment project for independent senior citizens with
limited financial resources. Additionally, the age, mobility, health, financial resources, and
lifestyles of the residents of both properties are very similar, if not identical. Furthermore,
analysis of the respective neighborhoods of both properties reveal strong similarities in terms of
transportation options and access to important services and amenities.
Oakridge Crossing is located in the Oakridge Business Park, which has steadily transformed into
a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood similar in many ways to the Legacy neighborhood located
just north of Old Town Fort Collins. Both neighborhoods are exceptionally diverse in terms of
land use patterns, and the Legacy and Oakridge Crossing sites share the following
neighborhood characteristics:
- Both properties have the following uses located within ¼ mile:
o Industrial and warehousing operations (Legacy has New Belgium Brewing and
Ranch Way Feeds nearby, while Oakridge Crossing has Wolf Robotics and
Hercules Industries nearby.)
o Retail
o Senior housing properties
o Bars & restaurants
o Professional offices, including legal and financial services
o Advanced technology companies
o Active railroad lines
o Residential dwelling units
o Lodging (new hotel under construction near Legacy)
o Parks for passive and active recreation
- The diversity of zoning near both properties demonstrates that well-designed mixed-use
neighborhoods promote vibrancy, and Oakridge Crossing and Legacy both have a wide
variety of zone districts located within ¼-mile, including but not limited to those in the
chart below.
Property Zone Districts (1/4-Mile)
Oakridge Crossing
- Low Density Residential (R-L)
- Harmony Corridor (H-C)
- Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood (L-M-N)
Legacy
- Low Density Residential (R-L)*
- Industrial (I)
- Downtown (D)
- Public Open Lands (POL)
*Western edge of the Buckingham neighborhood is within ¼ mile of Legacy, but bulk of
neighborhood is just beyond ¼ mile.
- Both properties are adjacent to major trails that are primary components of the City of
Fort Collins bike trail network. Legacy is adjacent to the Poudre Trail, and Oakridge
Crossing is adjacent to the Power Trail.
Finally, while both sites are similar in terms of a diversity of uses in the neighborhood, one key
difference became clear as this analysis was conducted. The only residential uses within ¼
mile of Legacy are limited and almost entirely vertical mixed-use in nature. The historic
Buckingham neighborhood’s western edge is located almost exactly ¼ mile from Legacy, while
Oakridge Crossing has significantly more residential units (of all types) within that ¼ mile
boundary. To be exact, according to demographic service provider ESRI, the following table
describes this difference:
Oakridge Crossing Legacy
Number of Households within ¼ Mile
(Year 2015)
304
44
This is a critical distinction: the Oakridge Crossing neighborhood appears to be more conducive
to a healthy social fabric where residents can easily share life with their neighbors.
2. Mobility
The Oakridge Crossing planning team evaluated both sites in terms of their respective
walkability, transit, and cycling options. To begin, the distances from both Legacy and Oakridge
Crossing to several key destinations in their respective neighborhoods was measured and
compared. The destinations identified are essential to the promotion and functionality of
independence of senior residents. The measured distances are approximate, and were
measured along existing public rights-of-way.
Distances to Services & Amenities
Oakridge Crossing Legacy
Grocery Store with Pharmacy 2,343ft 3,823ft
TransFort Bus Stop 1,600ft / 1,931ft 10ft / 80ft
Health Care Campus 3,832ft 8,261ft
Bike Trail Adjacent Adjacent
Hotel 900ft 2,900ft
Bank 858ft 2,114ft
Full Service Restaurant (breakfast) 575ft 1,769ft
The following notes relate to each of the key destinations measured above, and add a
qualitative aspect to this analysis:
Grocery Store with Pharmacy:
A Safeway grocery store with a pharmacy is located near both sites and was used for
this measurement since seniors normally combine grocery shopping with their pharmacy
shopping trips if possible. Both sites have a few, limited grocery and pharmacy
alternatives in the area as well, but not together under one roof, like Safeway.
TransFort Bus Stop:
The analysis considered the distances and travel times to the nearest TransFort bus
stops, as well as key transit destinations such as MAX and the regional system.
Oakridge Crossing to Transfort Westbound Stop (Route 16): 1,931ft
Oakridge Crossing to Transfort Eastbound Stop (Route 16): 1,600ft
Legacy to Transfort Northbound Stop (Route 8): 80ft (driveway to stop)
Legacy to Transfort Southbound Stop (Route 81): 10ft (driveway to stop)
o All three routes have 30 minute headways; Routes 16 and 8 run Mon-Sat while
Route 81 runs M-F
o Route 16 is the only Transfort Route that serves the Harmony Transfer Center,
connecting to Bustang and several regional private shuttle services. Route 8 &
81 serve the Downtown Transit Center, connecting to Bustang but not as
frequently as from the Harmony Transfer Center.
ACCESS TO MAX BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM:
Oakridge Crossing: Travel time from closest Transfort stop to MAX: 10 minutes (#16)
Legacy: Travel time from closest Transfort stop to MAX: 7 minute (#81)
It is very important to note that this analysis did not include the Dial-a-Ride or SAINT
programs which provide convenient and direct door-to-door transportation services to
residents of both Legacy and Oakridge Crossing.
• SAINT (Senior Alternatives in Transportation) is a successful local non-profit
agency that uses volunteers to provide transportation to people sixty years
old and older (http://www.saintvolunteertransportation.org/)
• Offered by Transfort, Dial-A-Ride is a door-to-door paratransit service for
individuals who, because of a disability, are prevented from using the
TransFort fixed route bus system
(http://www.ridetransfort.com/schedules/dial-a-ride)
Health Care Campus:
Oakridge Crossing to PVH-Harmony Campus: 3,832ft
Legacy to PVH-Lemay Campus: 8,261ft
*If taking Transfort, Legacy residents need to either take the #81 to the DTC
and then transfer to Route #5 (11 minute wait), or walk 2 blocks along Linden
Street past Jefferson Park to catch the #5 eastbound for a 10 minute ride.
Bike Trail:
As mentioned previously, both properties are adjacent to major trails that are primary
components of the City of Fort Collins bike trail network. Legacy is adjacent to the
Poudre Trail, and Oakridge Crossing is adjacent to the Power Trail.
Hotel:
Hotels in close proximity to senior housing are very important to residents because they
promote extended visitation by family and friends. Generally speaking, the more
affordable the hotel, the better.
Oakridge Crossing to nearest hotel (Homewood Suites): 900ft
Legacy to nearest hotel (The Armstrong): 2,900ft
Bank:
Safe and convenient personal access to banking services is widely regarded as important
for seniors. While seniors are gradually using online banking services more often that
previously, it is important for them and their sense of financial security to be able to visit
with banking personnel. Additionally, seniors utilize safe deposit services more than
other age groups, though this analysis did not consider those services.
Oakridge Crossing to Bank of Colorado: 858ft
Legacy to Home State Bank on Mountain Ave: 2,114ft
*Neither bank can be accessed directly from home by residents via
Transfort fixed bus route.
Full Service Restaurant (breakfast):
Seniors commonly seek restaurants that offer breakfast (and/or just coffee). This is
important for their continued independence and a sense of connection to the
community. While the neighborhoods of both Legacy and Oakridge Crossing both offer
many lunch & dinner establishments, senior housing developers like to be near
affordable breakfast establishments when possible, and MacKenzie Place has two
restaurants open to the public every day of the week, 7:00am-7:00pm.
Oakridge Crossing to Mason’s @ MacKenzie Place: 575ft
Legacy to Silver Grill: 1,769ft
WALK SCORE
Finally, both properties were analyzed for their respective Walk Scores. These scores, provided
by Redfin, are commonly used to compare properties and neighborhoods for how well they
promote alternatives to the automobile.
Oakridge Crossing Legacy
Walk Score 58 55
In summary, comparatively speaking Oakridge Crossing benefits from more senior-oriented
services and amenities located within walking and cycling distances, while the Legacy site
benefits from a transit access advantage due to its direct access to TransFort bus stops.
However, when SAINT and Dial-a-Ride options are included in the analysis, the advantage in
transit options become essentially negligible. That negligible difference, combined with better
walkability and more services and amenities in the vicinity, the neighborhood context of the
Oakridge Crossing site is equal to, if not better than Legacy in terms of reduced demand for
vehicle parking.
3. Demographics
The Oakridge Business Park has a concentration of senior citizens and properties that house
them. In fact, according to ESRI, 49% of residents living within ¼ mile of the Oakridge
Crossing site are 55 years old or older, whereas 26% of residents living within ¼ mile of Legacy
are 55 years old or older. Presumably due to the mix of, and convenient access to, amenities
described above, the Oakridge Business Park area is currently home to no fewer than five (5)
major senior residential properties.
4. On-Street Parking
There is an abundance of unrestricted on-street public parking near the Oakridge Crossing site,
especially on Innovation Drive and Pleasant Oak Drive. This does not include McMurry Avenue,
which does not allow parking as it serves as the Power Trail.
Much of the on-street public parking near Legacy is restricted to 2 hour time limits (daytime, M-
F). This is important when considering the convenience for visitors to both properties.
OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
1. Bus Service
Oakridge Crossing intends to coordinate with other senior properties in the neighborhood to
request enhanced fixed-route services from TransFort due to the significant concentration of
seniors just south of Harmony. The request will likely include:
- A shift in Route 16. Rather than driving a bus along Harmony between Lemay and
McMurry Avenue, it makes sense to consider driving along Oakridge Drive instead, in
order to more directly serve not just the many seniors in the area, but also the guests of
the five (5) hotels in the Oakridge Business Park, and the students at Colorado Early
Colleges.
- Reduced bus service headways.
- Additional hours and days of service.
2. Oakridge Crossing Bikeshare
Acknowledging that many residents may not be able to afford their own bicycles, Oakridge
Crossing will provide 2 large tricycles with errand baskets and safety accessories for free use by
residents. Oakridge Crossing residents will be encouraged to take advantage of the Power Trail
adjacent to the property. Not only does cycling present a viable transportation option for daily
chores and activities, the health benefits are extensive and well-documented.
3. Pedestrian Activated Signals
In response to safety concerns of residents (particularly seniors, children, and people with
disabilities), the City of Fort Collins has previously extended pedestrian-activated crossing times
at signalized intersections when merited. Accordingly, Oakridge Crossing intends to work with
other senior properties in the neighborhood to request that the crossing times at all nearby
signalized intersections be extended, especially at McMurry and Harmony.
4. Zipcar, Uber, & PACE
Finally, in addition to the previously mentioned Dial-a-Ride and SAINT options available to
residents, several more convenient options exist for Oakridge Crossing residents, including
Zipcar, UBER, and PACE shuttles.
- Zipcar: Zipcar is a unique car rental/sharing service that will provide Oakridge Crossing
residents with another innovative transportation option that will also reduce the need for
excessive parking spaces. Oakridge Crossing will join Zipcar as an organizational
member, allowing residents (as well as other residents in the neighborhood) to enjoy
rates from $8.00 to $10.00 per hour. Zipcar recently began to operate in Fort Collins
and is expected to grow rapidly. Residents can eliminate the burden of car payments,
gasoline costs, insurance, and on-going auto maintenance by having easy access to a
Zipcar located on the property.
- Uber: Uber has revolutionized personal mobility, and with reliable service in Fort Collins,
Oakridge Crossing residents will have access to this on-demand option.
- InnovAge PACE Program: For seniors with limited financial resources and/or declining
ability to perform activities of daily living, PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the
Elderly) is a comprehensive program offered by InnovAge that provides coordinated
personal and skilled care in the home, and well as transportation to and from the PACE
center in Loveland. While not every Oakridge Crossing resident will be a client of PACE,
those who are will have no need for a personal vehicle. For more information,
see: http://myinnovage.org/ProgramsandServices/InnovAgeGreaterColoradoPACE.aspx