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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTHE HUB ON CAMPUS - PDP - PDP160038 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 4 - LUC REQUIREMENTSland planning  lands cape architecture  urban design  entitlement November 8, 2017 The Hub on Campus Request for Increased Occupancy Limit The Hub is planned to be a student-oriented mixed-use project that will include 142 dwelling units and 12,404 square feet of retail space. It is located one block west of the Colorado State University (CSU) campus, fronting West Elizabeth Street between City Park Avenue and Constitution Avenue. The residential component is planned to include a mix of 14 studio, 48 two-bedroom, 53 three-bedroom, 23 four-bedroom and 4 five- bedroom apartments. The maximum occupancy allowed per multi-family dwelling unit is three unrelated persons, unless the decision maker increases the number of individuals allowed to reside together. Although a majority of the apartments (115 or 81%) are either studio or two- or three-bedroom units that house three or fewer unrelated persons, the Applicant desires to include a small percentage (27 or 19%) of higher occupancy four- and five- bedroom units. In order to increase the occupancy of the 27 units, the City’s Land Use Code requires the Applicant to provide a written request as follows: 3.8.16 Occupancy Limits; Increasing the Number of Persons Allowed (E) Increasing the Occupancy Limit. (2) With respect to multiple-family dwellings, the decision maker (depending on the type of review, Type 1 or Type 2) may, upon receipt of a written request from the applicant and upon a finding that all applicable criteria of this Land Use Code have been satisfied, increase the number of unrelated persons who may reside in individual dwelling units. The decision maker shall not increase said number unless satisfied that the applicant has provided sufficient additional amenities, either public or private, to sustain the activities associated with multi-family residential development, to adequately serve the occupants of the development and to protect the adjacent neighborhood. Such amenities may include, without limitation, passive open space, buffer yards, on- site management, recreational areas, plazas, courtyards, outdoor cafes, limited mixed-use restaurants, parking areas, sidewalks, bikeways, bus shelters, shuttle services or other facilities and services. Justification From its prior experience building student housing communities across the country, the Applicant has found that four- and five-bedroom units are a popular lifestyle alternative for many students. It allows the students residing in these units to share an apartment in a well-managed environment. It is more secure than most single-family home rentals and, because higher occupancy units typically rent for less per bedroom, they offer a more affordable alternative to students on a budget. The tenants that are likely to occupy these units are also the ones likely to occupy single-family rental properties near campus. By providing safe, efficient, high quality, and higher occupancy apartment units, The Hub will simultaneously help to relieve the burden on surrounding neighborhoods by freeing up affordable single-family rental housing for families, employees of CSU and the greater community. In support of its request to allow 27 increased occupancy units in The Hub, the Applicant offers the following list of project elements that sustain the activities associated with the project, adequately serve its occupants and protect the adjacent neighborhood: Open Space and Amenities: Security: • The Hub provides 24-hour, on call, on-site management services. This allows management to address noise, maintenance issues, or safety concerns at any time of day. • The on-site, structured garage provides secure vehicular and bicycle parking; the parking garage is equipped with security. Recreation: • The Applicant’s projects incorporate recreational amenities based on the number of students living in the complex, not just the residents of the increased occupancy units, so the needs of all residents are factored into the equation. • On-site recreational facilities at The Hub will include: a ±8,245 square foot rooftop amenity area with an outdoor pool and recreation areas, an outdoor kitchen, and tables and chairs for relaxation, conversation, meals and games; and a ±1.033 square foot club room, a ±1,280 square foot fitness center, ±543 square foot spa and ±400 square foot computer lab. The Hub will also incorporate ±2,016 square feet on the ground floor for the lobby/management/leasing office. • The Hub will include one interior courtyard space so that interior units can have private balconies facing the courtyard space. Safe Pedestrian Spaces: • The streetscape along West Elizabeth Street will add to the urban- lifestyle by providing a 12 foot wide public walk, street trees, special paving, seat walls, planters, street furniture, and convenient bike parking. • Residents moving between their apartments and their cars and/or bikes in the on-site parking garage will have the benefit of elevators and lighted walkways and stairways and the parking garage will be equipped with security cameras. Retail: • The retail aspect of this project is an amenity not only to the residents of The Hub, but also to the neighborhood and community as a whole. The space is large enough to allow for a flexible group of users that range from grocers to boutique shops. Contextual Amenities: • Residents can easily access CSU’s Campus Recreation Center and intramural playing fields, located just two blocks east of the project on the CSU Main Campus, either by walking or by biking. The Recreation Center has a pool, gymnasium, climbing wall, and fitness center. • Moby Arena is adjacent to the Campus Recreation Center, just one block to the east of The Hub. CSU hosts games, as well as concerts and special events there. • The nearest access point to the CSU’s trail system is located 1/3 mile to the east along West Elizabeth Street. CSU’s trail system connects to the Mason and Spring Creek Trails and provides not only a safe commuting route for students, but also makes nearby parks and open spaces more accessible. CSU’s trail system also transports users to other multi-use trail connections in the City’s trail system and to the MAX Bus-Rapid-Transit (BRT). • Residents of The Hub will also live within walking and biking distance of City Park, which includes 76 acres of open space, tennis courts, ball fields, basketball courts, public pool and fishing, trails and picnic areas for more passive recreation. City Park is also adjacent to the City Park Nine Golf Course. • CSU’s new football stadium is located ¾ of a mile east of The Hub. The plaza space directly surrounding the stadium will be open to the public at all times serving as gathering space. Football games and special events will be hosted there, and will be conveniently close for students to access. The stadium project also includes new practice fields, an Agricultural Heritage Garden, and additional paths and tree identification guides within the existing arboretum located near the stadium. • Because The Hub’s location provides direct access to sidewalks and trails, all of the off-site recreational opportunities can be reached without having to go through an adjacent residential neighborhood, thus protecting the neighbors. Transportation: • Parking permits will be available to residents with vehicles and spaces will be designated in the on-site parking structure. The amount of parking will be more than adequate to serve the needs of students that have cars with ample spaces left for guest parking, the leasing office and the retail space. The number of on-site parking spaces meets applicable requirements of the Land Use Code, without any modifications. • The Applicant is dedicated to encouraging students to be environmentally responsible by promoting alternative means of transportation including walking, biking, public transit, and car share options, should there be a market for it. The site is served by Transfort and there are multiple near-by bus stops along West Elizabeth Street and Shields Street. Students can connect to the MAX (BRT) via bike or by using the bus. The MAX (BRT) provides access to amenities along the Mason Corridor between the Downtown Transit Center and South Transit Center. • The Hub will encourage the use of bicycles by providing in-unit bike parking spaces for every bedroom as well as 18 fixed bike parking spaces located on the West Elizabeth Street streetscape and 10 bike share spaces are located at the west entrance of the multi-family building, and an additional 144 covered spaces in the parking structure. The Hub’s total bike parking capacity is 553 spaces, well in excess of the 385 spaces required by the Land Use Code. • The West Elizabeth Enhanced Travel Corridor Plan (“WEETCP”) emphasizes a focus on transit, biking and walking in a way that serves existing and future transportation and land use needs along Elizabeth Street. The Hub plans to provide an improved street section as recommended in the WEETCP which includes protected bike lanes. • The pedestrian and bike underpass on West Elizabeth Street under Shields Street will provide a safe route to CSU and connections to bus and trail systems for the students living at The Hub. Services: • The proposed site is adequately served with standard public infrastructure including water, wastewater, police and fire facilities. The existing street network has adequate capacity to absorb the additional traffic within level of service standards. See the Traffic Impact Analysis prepared by Kimley Horn. • The site is less than a block from the Campus West commercial shopping area that includes many retail and personal service shops as well as a variety of restaurants and entertainment venues that are geared towards the student population. There are also commercial shopping centers at the corner of Taft Hill Road and West Elizabeth Street (2/3 mile away) and at the corner of Drake Road and Shields Street (1.5 miles away. • There are a number of grocery and convenience stores located close-by. Students are about 2/3 mile from King Soopers at the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Taft Hill Road; less than a mile from the Dollar General and Walgreens on the corner of Shields Street and Prospect Road; and 2 miles from King Soopers and Whole Foods on South College Avenue. The CSU campus also offers a small market place along Plum Street, as well as a variety of other services that cater specifically to the student population. • Again, because The Hub has direct access to sidewalks and trails, the residents will be able to get to off-site services without having to go through an adjacent residential neighborhood. Note also that the project achieves a Pedestrian Level of Service A. Sustainability: • Locating higher-density housing for students where they can access the campus, shopping and recreational opportunities without using an automobile is a key component of being an environmentally responsible community. The Hub will house 381students in a location where having a vehicle is not necessary to have access to all necessary amenities. This is highly desirable from an environmental perspective and makes attending college more affordable to students on a budget. The units with increased occupancy are an essential component of The Hub that allows higher density to work in this location. Higher density housing protects the adjacent neighborhood by providing appropriate housing for students in one location, discouraging them from living in single family neighborhoods. • The West Central Area Plan encourages a diverse mix of bedrooms per unit in order to provide greater flexibility and serve a broader range of tenants. See Policy 1.11. The Hub will include a mix of 14 studio, 48 two-bedroom, 53 three- bedroom, 23 four-bedroom and 4 five-bedroom apartments. • The units with increased occupancy are more efficient in terms of material usage and are also more energy efficient. Data obtained from Conservice, a nationwide utility billing service that analyzes information from many properties and thousands of units, indicates that electricity usage is an average of 21.25% more efficient when comparing a four-bedroom unit to two two-bedroom units. In other words, the same four people use less electricity when housed in a four-bedroom unit vs. being split up into two two-bedroom units. Likewise, natural gas is estimated to be 55.13% more efficient. • Additionally, less construction materials translates into less environmental impact from a construction standpoint. In summary, the Applicant requests the Planning and Zoning Board to approve 27 dwelling units of The Hub for increased occupancy, including 23 four-bedroom units and 4 5-bedroom units. We believe the higher occupancy units will serve the students by providing an attractive, secure and affordable lifestyle alternative with sufficient amenities to sustain the activities of the student population without impacting adjacent neighbors. An upscale urban plaza, a state-of-the-art clubhouse/recreation facility and roof-top amenities will provide ample recreational opportunities on-site, while the CSU campus itself as well as surrounding outdoor amenities offer expansive green spaces, sport fields, water bodies and natural areas nearby. Adequate parking for both cars and bicycles is conveniently provided on site. There is a variety of shopping, dining, recreation and entertainment opportunities located within biking and walking distance to satisfy the student living and recreational needs.