HomeMy WebLinkAboutWATERFIELD FOURTH FILING - MAJOR AMENDMENT / PDP - PDP180009 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 3 - MODIFICATION REQUESTland planning landscape architecture urban design entitlement
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
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September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Modification Request
3.5.2 Residential Building Standards
(D) Relationship of Dwelling to Streets and Parking.
(1) Orientation to a Connecting Walkway. Every front facade with a primary entrance to a
dwelling unit shall face the adjacent street to the extent reasonably feasible. Every front facade
with a primary entrance to a dwelling unit shall face a connecting walkway with no primary
entrance more than two hundred (200) feet from a street sidewalk. The following exceptions to
this standard are permitted:
(a) Up to two (2) single-family detached dwellings on an individual lot that has frontage on
either a public or private street.
(b) A primary entrance may be up to three hundred fifty (350) feet from a street sidewalk if
the primary entrance faces and opens directly onto a connecting walkway that qualifies as a
major walkway spine.
(c) If a multi-family building has more than one (1) front facade, and if one (1) of the front
facades faces and opens directly onto a street sidewalk, the primary entrances located on the
other front facade(s) need not face a street sidewalk or connecting walkway.
Definition of Connecting Walkway
Connecting walkway shall mean (1) any street sidewalk, or (2) any walkway that directly
connects a main entrance of a building to the street sidewalk without requiring pedestrians to
walk across parking lots or driveways, around buildings or around parking lot outlines which
are not aligned to a logical route.
Definition of Major Walkway Spine
Major walkway spine shall mean a tree-lined connecting walkway that is at least five (5) feet
wide, with landscaping along both sides, located in an outdoor space that is at least thirty-five
(35) feet in its smallest dimension, with all parts of such outdoor space directly visible from a
public street.
Reason for the Request
The Waterfield Project Development Plan (PDP) is a new urbanist project that
emphasizes cohesive community connections and shared amenities. The proposed site
plan emphasizes pedestrian connectivity and minimizes pedestrian/vehicular conflicts.
Creating a walkable neighborhood has been a key design objective from the very
Waterfield PDP
Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1)
September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Page 2 of 9
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
www.ripleydesigninc.com
beginning. One device used to accomplish this is to orient some dwelling units on green
courts or along greenbelts. In these situations the home front faces onto the green
space and the garage faces an alley. Connecting sidewalks are provided along these
green spaces providing access to front doors, however, there is no “street” on the front
side. This is done purposely to provide an alternative lifestyle or way of living with less
interaction with vehicles. Many families prefer this for safety reasons, others like it for
the visual advantages or because greencourts are generally quieter than streets.
While the “connecting walkway” standard works well for traditional street-oriented
communities it has created some difficulty for the Waterfield greencourt lots in a few
instances. The intent of this Modification Request is to clarify those situations and
demonstrate that the pedestrian connections provided are equal to or better than
connections provided in a more traditional, street-oriented design.
Justifications
The Land Use Code states that the decision-maker may grant a modification of standards only if
it finds that the granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good; and the
decision-maker must also find that the Modification meets one of the following four criteria
described in the LUC.
(1) 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;
In our opinion, homes oriented along greencourts or along greenways, (where
pedestrian access is provided to the front of the home and vehicular access is provided
via an alley in the back of the home) provides another lifestyle option and adds to the
housing diversity in our community and is not detrimental to the public good.
In a few instances, illustrated on the following graphics, the design while meeting the
intent, does not meet the standard precisely.
Waterfield PDP
Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1)
September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Page 3 of 9
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
www.ripleydesigninc.com
In two instances, (A on the overall plan found at the end of this request and also
on the enlarged plan views shown below), the length of the major walkway spine
exceeds 350 by approximately 45-65 feet.
Waterfield PDP
Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1)
September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Page 4 of 9
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
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In three instances (B on the attached overall plan found at the end of this request
and also on the enlarged plan views shown below), the connecting walkway
crosses an alley. In order to provide the most direct access to a public street
sidewalk, the design proposes to cross an alley. The Land Use Code section
that addresses such crossings reads as follows:
Land Use Code Section 3.2.2(C)(5) Walkways
(a) Directness and Continuity. Walkways within the site shall be located and aligned to
directly and continuously connect areas or points of pedestrian origin and destination,
and shall not be located and aligned solely based on the outline of a parking lot
configuration that does not provide such direct pedestrian access. Walkways shall be
unobstructed by vertical curbs, stairs, raised landscape islands, utility appurtenances or
other elements that restrict access and shall link street sidewalks with building entries
through parking lots. Such walkways shall be raised or enhanced with a paved surface
not less than six (6) feet in width. Drive aisles leading to main entrances shall have
walkways on both sides of the drive aisle.
(b) Street Crossings. Where it is necessary for the primary pedestrian access to cross
drive aisles or internal roadways, the pedestrian crossing shall emphasize and place
priority on pedestrian access and safety. The material and layout of the pedestrian
access shall be continuous as it crosses the driveway, with a break in continuity of the
driveway paving and not in the pedestrian access way. The pedestrian crossings must
be well-marked using pavement treatments, signs, striping, signals, lighting, traffic
calming techniques, median refuge areas and landscaping. (See Figure 3.)
Alleys have a low traffic volume and vehicles are moving at reduced speeds. To
further increase pedestrian safety and to make the pedestrian experience as
pleasant as possible, we propose to enhance the crossing by providing special
paving at these crossings. This will accomplish two purposes. The special
paving will alert drivers to the fact that pedestrians may be crossing the alley at
these points and the special paving will be more visually interesting. The
walkway will not be obstructed with a vertical curb and the paving material and
layout of the pedestrian access will be continuous as it crosses the driveway,
with a break in continuity of the driveway paving and not in the pedestrian access
way.
Waterfield PDP
Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1)
September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Page 5 of 9
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
www.ripleydesigninc.com
Detail of enhanced crosswalk (grading to match alley).
Waterfield PDP
Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1)
September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Page 6 of 9
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
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In four instances (C on the attached overall plan and also on the enlarged plan
views shown below), the major walkway spine meets the criteria with one
exception. The walkway spine is required to be a “tree-lined connecting walkway
that is at least five (5) feet wide, with landscaping along both sides, located in an outdoor
space that is at least thirty-five (35) feet in its smallest dimension”. In the proposed
design the walkway is tree lined, five feet wide, with landscaping on both sides,
located in an outdoor space that is at least 35 feet wide. The discrepancy is that
part of the 35-foot outdoor space is located within private lots. The 35-foot
walkway spine is delineated by an easement, preventing the construction of
structures in this area.
Waterfield PDP
Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1)
September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Page 7 of 9
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
www.ripleydesigninc.com
Conclusion
The decision maker may grant a modification of standards only if it finds that the granting of
the modification would not be detrimental to the public good, and that:
(1) 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; or
(4) 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 when
considered from the perspective of the entire development plan, and will continue to advance
the purposes of the Land Use Code as contained in Section 1.2.2.
A - Cases where a Major Walkway Spine exceeds 350 feet
The Major Walkway Spine exceeds 350 feet in two areas where dwelling units front to a
greenway. We maintain that where dwelling units front on to a green court or a
greenway, the walk in front of these homes is a public sidewalk. It will have a public
access easement and it acts the same as a public street sidewalk connecting people
from their home to other places in the neighborhood. The only difference is that the
vehicular street has been replaced with a green space. This arrangement has the
following advantages:
Fronting on to a green space provides an alternative way of living with less interaction
with vehicles.
It has the advantages of being safer, visually more interesting and quieter than fronting
onto a public street.
People living in these dwelling units don’t walk any further to access neighborhood
amenities or to leave the neighborhood on foot than they would if they lived on a public
street.
Given that homeowners will access a public sidewalk right out their front door, we believe this
particular Modification Request is not detrimental to the public good, is equal to or better than a
plan that would meet the standard and only diverges from the Land Use Code in a nominal
inconsequential way (see criteria 1 and 4 above).
B - Cases where the connecting walkway crosses an alley
In instances where the most direct access to a “public street” sidewalk, requires
crossing an alley, we maintain that the proposed plan is equal to or better than a plan
that would meet the standard (see criteria 1 above) for the following reasons:
First we would argue that providing a “connecting walkway” to a “public street” sidewalk
is superfluous because these dwelling units are connected to a public sidewalk at their
front door.
Waterfield PDP
Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1)
September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Page 8 of 9
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
www.ripleydesigninc.com
Crossing the alley is only one pedestrian alternative. There are other pedestrian options
that don’t require crossing an alley.
Alleys have a low traffic volume and vehicles are moving at reduced speeds.
To increase pedestrian safety and to make the pedestrian experience as pleasant as
possible, we propose to enhance the crossing by providing special paving at these
crossings. This will accomplish two purposes. The special paving will alert drivers to the
fact that pedestrians may be crossing the alley at these points and the special paving will
be more visually interesting.
C – Cases where the Major Walkway Spine is partially within private lots
In all four of those cases the proposed Major Walkway Spine is located within open space that
exceeds 35 feet in width and the 35 feet is protected by an easement. The other attributes of a
major walkway spine, including shade trees, 5-foot wide walk and landscaping on both sides,
are provided. The plan could be changed to meet the standard by reducing the depth of the
front yards and creating a greencourt situation. We believe the alternative plan is equal to or
better than (see criteria 1 above) a plan that would meet the standard for the following reasons:
Some homeowners would prefer a semi-private front yard space with a 3-foot fence,
over a shared greencourt. Note that a shared greencourt is provided in other locations
in the community,
The proposed plan offers a different housing lifestyle from other areas in the
neighborhood. We believe providing different housing opportunities and lifestyle choices
will make the neighborhood more interesting, unique and desirable than neighborhoods
where the housing, lots and open spaces have less diversity.
Waterfield PDP
Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1)
September 5, 2018
Revised November 14, 2018
Page 9 of 9
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 Fort Collins, CO 80521 tel. 970.224.5828 fax 970.224.1662
www.ripleydesigninc.com
OVERALL SITE PLAN EXHIBIT-