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Home My WebLink AboutMONTAVA PUD - ODP180002 - MONTAVA SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 3 - VARIANCE REQUEST (3)January 22, 2019 Marc Virata Engineering Department Manager 281 North College Avenue Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 RE: Montava PUD – Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards (LCUASS) Variance Request Dear Mr. Virata, Variance Request: Eliminate Continuous Utility Easements adjacent to the Right-Of-Way Issue Identification: The Montava PUD Master Plan includes deviations from the street cross-sections utility easements as outlined in Chapter 7 - Street Design and Technical Criteria. Specifically, section 7.3.1-A makes reference to the City of Fort Collins street sections figures 7-1F through 7-13F, where continuous utility easements are depicted adjacent to each side of the street right-of-way (ROW). A variance is requested to allow for deviations from the City of Fort Collins street cross-sections to accommodate specific site conditions and the modified block patterns envisioned for the Montava project. Proposed Alternate Design: 1. We request a variance to eliminate continuous utility easements adjacent to the right-of-way on all local and collector roadways within Montava with the following Utility Provisions: a. General i. We have consulted with the spectrum of Montava’s utility provides to determine whether utility services are able to be provided within rights-of-way and alleys, and conditions each utility service may have in providing service. The street designs included within the PUD package reflect coordination with utility providers. Approximately 40% of the lots in Montava will front toward greenways and 60% toward vehicular streets. Utility locations will differ according to these conditions. Easements outside of the right-of-way will be provided where required to facilitate the transition of service between greenway and street fronting conditions, and for specific site conditions encountered during further design development. ii. All required utility separations, including separations from trees per the LUC, will be provided. b. Gas i. Typically, gas service will be delivered from alleys. P a g e 2 | 5 ii. Where gas service must be delivered from street frontages, Montava will provide a utility easement on the front portion of private properties along the edge of the right-of-way. iii. Gas service will not be delivered from greenways. iv. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines and meters will be provided. c. Sanitary Sewer i. Typically, sanitary sewer service will be delivered from street centerlines. ii. Where lots face towards greenways rather than streets, sanitary sewer service may be delivered from the alley or greenway, in coordination with the utility. iii. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines will be provided. d. Potable Water i. Typically, water service will be delivered from street, approximately 7 feet towards the center of the roadway from the curb. ii. Where lots face towards greenways rather than streets, potable water service may be delivered from the alley or greenway, in coordination with the utility. iii. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines and meters will be provided. e. Non-potable Water i. Typically, non-potable water service will be delivered from alleys. ii. In some cases non-potable water service, a private utility, will be routed or delivered from streets, in coordination with public utilities. iii. Where lots face towards greenways rather than streets, non-potable water service will be delivered from the greenway. iv. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines and meters will be provided. f. Telecom i. Typically, telecom service will be delivered from streets, joint trenched with power & light. ii. Where lots face towards greenways, telecom services will be delivered along with power & light from the alley or greenway, in coordination with the utility and power & light. iii. Vaults required to deliver service to individual houses will be provided within parkways, installed flush to grade. iv. Additional equipment required to deliver collective, not individual, services such as community splitters, boosters, and other equipment will be provided utility easements outside of the right-of-way as needed. All equipment must be installed flush to grade. v. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines will be provided. g. Power and Light i. Typically, power & light service will be delivered from streets within the parkway. ii. Where lots face towards greenways, power & light services will be delivered from the alley or greenway, in coordination with the utility. Where service is delivered from greenways, a 10 foot paved drive will be provided for service vehicles within 10 feet of the power & light trench. P a g e 3 | 5 iii. Additional equipment required by power & light will be provided utility easements outside of the right-of-way as needed. iv. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines and meters will be provided. 2. We request a variance to eliminate continuous utility easements adjacent to the right-of-way along the extension of Timberline, an Arterial Roadway, north of Mountain Vista within Montava with the following Utility Provisions: a. The extension of Timberline north of Mountain Vista does not extend the arterial roadway to the next section line. Rather, the arterial classification is a traffic consideration, which disperses at Country Club Road where Timberline becomes a collector. This limited portion of Timberline is not anticipated to provide regional or sub-area utility distribution. b. All provisions from Local and Collector Roadways apply. 3. We request a variance to eliminate continuous utility easements adjacent to the right-of-way on all Arterial roadways within the T5 district of Montava with the following Utility Provisions: a. General i. Where any utility requires an easement to deliver regional services, an easement will be provided outside of the right-of-way in coordination with the utility. ii. All required utility separations, including separations from trees per the LUC, will be provided. b. Gas i. Typically, gas service will be delivered from alleys. ii. Where gas service must be delivered from street frontages, Montava will provide a utility easement on the front portion of private properties along the edge of the right-of-way. iii. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines and meters will be provided. c. Sanitary Sewer i. Sanitary Sewer service will be delivered from street centerlines. ii. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines will be provided. d. Potable Water i. Water service will be delivered from street, approximately 7 feet towards the center of the roadway from the curb. ii. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines and meters will be provided. e. Non-potable Water i. Non-potable water service will be delivered from alleys. ii. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines and meters will be provided. f. Telecom i. Telecom service will be delivered from streets, joint trenched with power & light. ii. Vaults required to deliver service to individual houses will be provided within parkways, installed flush to grade. iii. Additional equipment required to deliver collective, not individual, services such as community splitters, boosters, and other equipment will be provided utility easements outside of the right-of-way as needed. All equipment must be installed flush to grade. P a g e 4 | 5 iv. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines will be provided. g. Power and Light i. Power & light service will be delivered from streets within the parkway. ii. Additional equipment required by power & light will be provided utility easements outside of the right-of-way as needed. iii. All necessary accommodations for individual service lines and meters will be provided. There is no foreseen adverse impact to capital and maintenance costs relating to this variance request. Justification The Montava design team has met with each utility provider to understand their needs for utility distribution and service. From those interactions, several utility block diagrams were developed and shared with the utility providers to show how typical utility distribution and service would be provided for several different building type, road, alley and greenway conditions. The utility block diagrams are attached to this variance request letter for reference. Furthermore, each utility service provider will be engaged during the final development plan (FDP) process to integrate their regional, sub-regional and local distribution and service facility designs in to the Montava roadway and utility designs. Pocket easements or finite continuous utility easements to provide for proposed utility infrastructure will be accommodated for each specific utility need. Montava’s design implements key aspects of the subarea plan and the City’s mixed-use goals. In order to accomplish these, the development will take the form of seamless neighborhoods and centers, supported by calm, walkable streets unfrosted by active and human-centric buildings. This requires a greater diversity of streets and a reduction of barriers and buffers between uses and neighborhoods. Compatibility between uses and intensity of development is handled by gradually increasing and decreasing development intensity by controlling the form and scale of buildings as well as the diversity of activities that take place within them. Street design is intended to stitch these uses together, not separate them. The variances sought provide a wider range of local street conditions and coordinate the design of collectors and arterials with adjacent site and buildings. These are necessary to achieve a connected and integrated series of neighborhoods that support commercial centers, encouraging residents to walk and bike as a primary means of transportation. Generally, the dimensional changes proposed provide more sidewalk and parkway space than standard sections. A few, limited cases, augment or reduce bicycle accommodations in order to promote a roadway character that reduces vehicle speeds and provides a pleasant pedestrian environment. These do not reduce overall bicycle connectivity in any way, however, as the full network of streets and trails provide numerous and frequent bicycle accommodations in every direction, on street and in trails. Additional local street types are added to support key open space, stormwater, and trail features throughout the project. Additionally, new residential locals are provided to account for staff’s concerns with a number of recent developments in the City where the current residential local yield street standard has been built along with P a g e 5 | 5 alley-loaded housing. In these cases there are insufficient breaks in parked cars which causes the yield configuration to fail. The proposed residential locals provide the narrowness of roadway desired to control speeds and character while ensuring vehicular movement is unencumbered. Generally, the requested variances are reasonable and related directly to the desired development character communicated in the subarea plan and supported by common mixed-use development practices across the country. This variance is not foreseen to be detrimental to the public health, safety, and welfare nor reduce the design life of the improvement. Sincerely, Peter Buckley, PE CO PE #40671 Attachments: Attachment 1 – Montava Phase 1A – Area A – Utility Exhibit Attachment 2 - Montava Phase 1A – Area B – Utility Exhibit Attachment 3 - Montava Phase 1A – Area C – Utility Exhibit Attachment 4 - Montava Phase 1A – Area D – Utility Exhibit 01/22/19 MARTIN/MARTIN C O N S U L T I N G E N G I N E E R S 12499 WEST COLFAX AVENUE, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80215 303.431.6100 MARTINMARTIN.COM MARTIN/MARTIN C O N S U L T I N G E N G I N E E R S 12499 WEST COLFAX AVENUE, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80215 303.431.6100 MARTINMARTIN.COM MARTIN/MARTIN C O N S U L T I N G E N G I N E E R S 12499 WEST COLFAX AVENUE, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80215 303.431.6100 MARTINMARTIN.COM MARTIN/MARTIN C O N S U L T I N G E N G I N E E R S 12499 WEST COLFAX AVENUE, LAKEWOOD, COLORADO 80215 303.431.6100 MARTINMARTIN.COM