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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOAK / WHITCOMB REPLAT - BASIC DEVELOPMENT REVIEW - BDR180038 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - MODIFICATION REQUESTNovember 14, 2018 Clark Mapes, AICP City of Fort Collins Current Planning Department 281 North College Ave. Fort Collins, CO 80524 Re: Oak/Whitcomb Replat Please accept this request for Modification of Standards to Section 4.8(D)(1) and (2)(a)2. of the Land Use Code. Background 525 W. Oak LLC recently purchased properties at 525 West Oak, 214 and 218 South Whitcomb Street. The properties currently contain an office building (formally a church), parking and drive areas and two single-family homes. The intent is re-plat the properties into newly re-configured lots. Re-platting 214 and 218 South Whitcomb will allow the owners to keep the parking open for the building at 525 West Oak. The building will remain as an office building and will be rented to several non-profit agencies. 218 Whitcomb currently consists of a single-family home. The intent is to replat the 6,337 square foot lot so that the rear lot line aligns with 216 and 214 Whitcomb Street. This will reduce the lot size to 3,497 square feet. The property is zoned Neighborhood Conservation, Medium Density (NCM). The minimum lot area cannot be less than 5,000 square feet for a single-family lot, therefore a Modification Request is being submitted concurrently with the replat. 214 Whitcomb Street also contains a single-family home. The lot is currently 14,406 square feet and will be re-platted to be exactly 5,000 square feet. The plat will also include easements on the 525 West Oak property that will consist of shared parking, waste management and alley access for the lots at 214 and 218 Whitcomb. This modification request 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 4.4(D)(1) Code Language: Section 4.8(D)(1) states the following: Required Lot Area. Minimum lot area shall not be less than the following: five thousand (5,000) square feet for a single-family or two-family dwelling and six thousand (6,000) square feet for all other uses. Requested Modification: The Oak/Whitcomb Replat project is requesting to have 218 South Whitcomb Street (Lot 3) be less than 5,000 square feet. 2 Justification The granting of this modification of standards would not be detrimental to the public good, and the plan as submitted will promote the general purpose of the standard for which the modification is requested equally well or better than would a plan which complies with the standard for which a modification is requested. The applicant offers the following in support of its request for modification: • The purpose of the standard for which the modification is sought is that the “The Neighborhood Conservation, Medium Density District is intended to preserve the character of areas that have a predominance of developed single-family and low- to medium-density multi-family housing and have been given this designation in accordance with an adopted subarea plan.” The proposed plan in which the lot is less than 5,000 square feet promotes such purpose equally well or better for the following reasons: • As stated in the purpose statement, the NCM zone district was intended to preserve the character of the main parts of Old Town. Moving the rear lot line to be consistent with the 216 and 214 South Whitcomb lots ensures sensitivity to and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. • The modification is minor. The lot is only 1,504 square feet less than the minimum 5,000 square foot required by the zone district. • The proposed alternative plan continues to improve the design, quality and character of the neighborhood by preserving an existing single-family home. • The reduced lot is in compliance with the allowable FAR for the total lot and on the rear half of the lot as follows: o Allowable Floor Area: Building is approximately 1,100 sq. ft. Lot is 3,496 sq. ft. = 31.7% utilization o Allowable Floor Area on Rear Half of Lots: Building portion is approximately 483 sq. ft. Back half of lot is 1,750 sq., ft. = 27.6% utilization 3 Modification to Section 4.4(D)(2)(a)2. Code Language: Section 4.8(D)(2)(a)2. states the following: On a lot that is between four thousand (4,000) square feet and ten thousand (10,000) square feet, the allowable floor area for single-family dwellings and buildings accessory to single-family dwellings shall not exceed twenty-five (25) percent of the lot area plus one thousand (1,000) square feet. Requested Modification: The Oak/Whitcomb Replat project is requesting to have 214 South Whitcomb Street (Lot 2) have a floor area ratio that is 39% instead of 25%. Justification The granting of this modification of standards would not be detrimental to the public good, and the plan as submitted will promote the general purpose of the standard for which the modification is requested equally well or better than would a plan which complies with the standard for which a modification is requested. The applicant offers the following in support of its request for modification: • The purpose of the standard for which the modification is sought is that the “The Neighborhood Conservation, Medium Density District is intended to preserve the character of areas that have a predominance of developed single-family and low- to medium-density multi-family housing and have been given this designation in accordance with an adopted subarea plan.” The proposed plan in which the floor area ration is greater than 25% promotes such purpose equally well or better for the following reasons: • As stated in the purpose statement, the NCM zone district was intended to preserve the character of the main parts of Old Town. Since the house and outbuildings are existing, it is prectially infeasible to meet the standard. • The modification is minor. The FAR is only 14% larger than what is required by the zone district. • The proposed alternative plan continues to improve the design, quality and character of the neighborhood by preserving an existing single-family home. • The lot is in compliance with the allowable FAR for the rear half of the lot.