HomeMy WebLinkAboutMONTAVA PUD - ODP180002 - MONTAVA SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 4 - LUC REQUIREMENTSD e c e m b e r 5 , 2 0 1 8
Montava PUD Master Plan – Request for Amendment to the
Mountain Vista Subarea Plan
Revised December 5, 2018
The Mountain Vista SubArea Plan (MVSP) was adopted in March of 1999 and updated in 2009. The
Montava PUD Master Plan fundamentally supports the Principles and Policies of the MVSP yet amends
some of its implementation details based on current conditions and the planned PUD Overlay Master
Plan. We have outlined the MVSP Principles and Policies supported by the Montava PUD Master Plan, as
well as the policies where amendments are requested.
Supported Principles and Policies:
PRINCIPLE MV-LU-1 - The Mountain Vista subarea will have a balance of residential, employment,
commercial, civic, and open lands uses.
Policies MV-LU-1.2, MV-LU-1.3, MV-LU-1.4:
The Community Commercial District will be a community-wide destination, serving not only this
subarea’s new development, but also greater northeast Fort Collins and, to a degree, the community as a
whole. The CCD provides a unique opportunity to implement the City Plan vision from the ground up.
The CCD will be centrally located in this subarea, southeast of Mountain Vista Drive and Timberline Road.
It will provide focus, and contribute to a distinct, positive identity for the subarea. The CCD will provide a
mix of shopping, restaurants, services, work, entertainment, and living. The CCD will be designed to
support a pedestrian-friendly environment of walkable, mixed-use blocks and a grid of local streets.
The CCD’s “main street” will be aligned towards the mountain view of Longs Peak, parallel to the 4-lane
arterial street (approximate angle 38 degrees). This main street orientation will provide a site line
looking southwest towards the mountains.
A Town Center has been planned as the heart of the Montava neighborhood and is located near
the intersection of Mountain Vista Road and Timberline Road. The Town Center is a smaller
center focusing on neighborhood-oriented retail and a mix of public and private uses, centrally
located in the MVSP and within walking distance of adjacent neighborhoods. Additional
commercial uses could co-locate near this intersection on adjacent undeveloped properties.
Main Street in the Town Center is aligned towards the mountain view of Longs Peak.
Policies MV-LU-1.5, MV-LU-1.6:
The Plan will encourage a variety of non-residential retail and commercial activity in the Community
Commercial District, smaller neighborhood centers within neighborhoods, and in convenience shopping
centers to support the Employment District.
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Higher density mixed-use neighborhoods should be concentrated adjacent to the Community Commercial
District and along the Enhanced Travel Corridors, including the extension of realigned Vine Drive and
Timberline Road corridors.
The Montava community development transitions along a transect of intensity from high to low
across the site with a mix of uses. Towards the Town Center and Mountain Vista Drive,
development is generally of a higher intensity, including more mixed-use and multi-family.
Outwards from the Town Center, development steps down in intensity towards existing
neighborhoods, parks, the farm and natural areas. A small node of higher intensity is located at
the top of the hill on Giddings Road, adjacent to the Farm. This node supports the northern
neighborhood areas for convenience, while the Town Center supports a much wider area.
PRINCIPLE MV-ECON-1 - Mountain Vista’s business center will accommodate the long-term
Employment and Industrial land use growth demands of Fort Collins, providing a variety of business
and industry types and sizes, compatible with surrounding land uses.
Policies MV-ECON-1.1, MV-ECON-1.2:
This subarea’s Employment District will provide a unique market for a large business center in northeast
Fort Collins; with amenities like access to an improved interchange, local street network, mainline and
stub rail service, and a variety of large parcel sizes. This expanded Employment District will establish a
buffer and transition between industrial uses and existing and new residential areas to the west.
Secondary uses within the Employment District will be located at least 1,445 feet west from the
centerline of I-25, to support the focus of primary office and light manufacturing uses adjacent to the
Mountain Vista Drive frontage and to establish a more attractive community gateway.
Additional Industrial land uses will be provided to allow for the future expansion needs of Anheuser-Bush
InBev, but also for potential new industries. Industrial uses will be adjacent to the existing brewery and
have access to rail facilities.
The vision for the Montava development plan began with discussions of long-range planning for
A-B and other potential industrial users. In the regional context, rail-served industrial uses are
not as viable here as in other Northern Colorado communities. The market for employment uses
is delivered differently now than the ‘corporate campus’ setting of the past. Employment uses
are integrated into the fabric of the planned community and its amenities. Industrial and larger
employment uses are planned south of Mountain Vista Road and the Anheuser-Busch brewery,
near the Interstate 25 Interchange.
A-B is in support of the Montava PUD Master Plan and planned uses. Given its size as a
combined set of undeveloped land parcels, the Montava PUD Master Plan has the ability to
support the current land use needs in the northeast part of our city.
Concurrent with the updates to City Plan, Fort Collins commissioned the ‘Trends and Forces
Report’ which supports the need for more land capacity for the increased housing demand by
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2040. This report also confirms that the supply of non-residential land is exceedingly sufficient
for the City’s future needs.
Regardless, the Montava PUD complies with this policy for Employment uses within 1,445 feet
west of the centerline of I-25. Montava preserves approximately 100 acres to be used for light
industrial use. In addition, the town center can support approximately 160,000 sf of
commercial/retail/grocery use. Additionally, Montava is designed to support up to 400,000 sf of
office and other non-residential uses along Mountain Vista. These are all uses that require
heavy traffic, established amenities, and ideally abundant residential availability nearby in order
to thrive. The community itself will have to be built up for these amenities to realistically
materialize.
Currently 30% of the land area in Phase 5b is assigned to employment, 30% in mixed uses, 40%
in medium multi-family, and 20% in townhouse. That 30% to employment has potential up to
500,000 square feet
PRINCIPLE MV-T-1 - Consistent with the Land Use Code, the transportation system within this subarea
will have:
1) Arterial corridors providing safe and efficient multi-modal access to and through the subarea,
including major features such as railroad under/overpasses (where necessary), and significant
landscape mitigation features;
2) Multi-modal connections to and across the arterial corridors, including pedestrian and bicycle
connections, providing convenient access to and from the local networks that serve individual
developments and buildings; and
3) Integrated local networks with direct, convenient interconnections between developments and
surrounding areas.
Policies MV-T-1.1, MV-T-1.2, MV-T-1.3, MV-T-1.4, MV-T-1.5:
The design of the grade-separated crossings will be determined when funding is available, and
engineering is initiated. The design and project cost options will be assessed (underpass vs. overpass) to
analyze efficiencies in costs, and visual and noise impacts on nearby areas.
The extension of realigned Vine Drive will be designated as part of the Mountain Vista/North College
Enhanced Travel Corridor rather than Conifer Street. The ETC will be designed for high frequency transit
service, with enhanced bicycle and pedestrian facilities. The ETC will serve as a link between downtown
Fort Collins, the Timberline Road/Power Trail ETC, this subarea’s Community Commercial District,
Employment District, Community Park, school site, and a future park-n-ride at I-25.
A future planning effort will establish the function and design of the Mountain Vista/North College ETC.
The design and development standards for the ETC will be coordinated with the I-25/Mountain Vista
Drive Gateway corridor.
Bicycle and pedestrian facilities, both on- and off-street, will be developed to link this subarea to
downtown Fort Collins and Poudre River Trail. These connections will link to the comprehensive city- and
region-wide bicycle, pedestrian, and transit systems.
The location and classification of streets in this subarea will comply with the updated Master Street Plan
based on the recommendations in this Plan.
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Both regional and local traffic studies have been completed to establish a safe and efficient
transportation network to serve the Mountain Vista area for multi-modal access. They include
the long-range goals for this area, including the extension of Suniga Drive, and result in changes
to the Master Street Plan to improve connectivity in the northeast portion of the City. The
studies, findings and reports are included with the PUD Master Plan submittal.
PRINCIPLE MV-T-2 - Mountain Vista’s Employment and Community Commercial Districts will both be
based on transit-oriented design.
Policies MV-T-2.1, MV-T-2.2:
The Community Commercial District will serve as this subarea’s public transit hub. The CCD will be the
focal point of an efficient and integrated transit network serving all residential, commercial, and
employment areas of Mountain Vista, as well as provide connections to other transit hubs within Fort
Collins and the region. The Community Commercial District should provide higher density mixed-use
residential in conjunction with retail, office, civic, and other uses to support the transit system.
Transit service should also be provided between this subarea and the Harmony Corridor Employment
District by way of I-25. Park and rides and transit stations should be provided adjacent to the I-25
interchange area.
The Montava PUD Master Plan is designed to support the principles of transit-oriented design
with higher density mixed-use residential in conjunction with retail, office, civic, and other uses
to accommodate and support the future plans for transit in this area.
PRINCIPLE MV-T-3 - The Community Commercial District will be designed with an emphasis on
pedestrians.
Policies MV-T-3.1, MV-T-3.2:
The CCD’s local street network will be designed to maximize a town-like pattern of blocks, building
frontage, and on-street parking. For these streets, standards will emphasize the urban form and the
pedestrian environment. Vehicle access and flow will be accommodated but will not override the design
of the pedestrian street fronts. Possible elements of the design may include slow speed limits, angled on-
street parking, wider lanes (with maneuvering room for bicycles), medians with pedestrian refuges, and
curb extensions at corners.
The design of the Community Commercial District will support active street fronts with buildings and
their entrances along main streets. If angled parking (on selected main streets) makes dedicated bicycle
lanes infeasible, then special consideration will be given to bicycle lanes leading to and around those
streets. Also, wider lanes should be considered on the main streets to allow more room for bicyclists to
share the slow-speed streets with vehicles.
The Montava PUD Master Plan is designed as a true New Urbanist mixed-use, agri-urban
community. We have included design standards to support the street network, block and
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building placement to support this town-like pattern for a successful pedestrian-oriented
community.
PRINCIPLE MV-T-4 - The City will consider a variety of street design and enforcement methods to
ensure realigned Vine Drive does not become a truck route, either intended or unintended.
Policies MV-T-4.1, MV-T-4.2:
The City will include the following recommended street design elements: narrower travel lane width, a
variety of intersection controls, lower street design speeds, traffic calming on local streets, and
appropriate signage. These recommended elements will be coordinated with the City Traffic Engineer
and City Engineer to ensure that the final street design does not compromise the function, efficiency, and
safety of the overall street network.
In the event that through truck traffic begins using realigned Vine Drive as a de facto truck route, the City
will pursue the following enforcement methods: vehicle weight limitation enforcement with Fort Collins
Police and Colorado State Highway Patrol, mobile weigh stations, and appropriate signage along
realigned Vine Drive and the existing SH 14/US 287 designated through truck route.
Although these concerns may be outside the control of one development, the planned street
network supported by our Master Street Plan amendment replaces the large, angled direct
arterial access to Suniga Road with a grid-patterned complete street network which we believe
supports the policies of this Section.
PRINCIPLE MV-CAD-1 - Important views toward the nearby mountains should be preserved and
emphasized by the arrangement and design of development.
Policies MV-CAD-1.1, MV-CAD-1.2, MV-CAD-1.3:
Key subarea streets, where appropriate, should be oriented southwest to allow development to provide
mountain views.
Developers and architects will be encouraged to arrange buildings, outdoor spaces, and parking lots to
protect important view corridors, including limiting building heights, where such arrangements are
effective in emphasizing vistas of the mountains.
The layout of the Community Commercial District street pattern and building placement will be designed
to maximize view site lines towards the mountains.
Montava’s design is derived by intersecting the site’s natural stormwater and topographic features
with an overall orientation of streets towards Long’s Peak. Most streets are oriented to capture the
view, which is most striking from the hill north on Giddings Road at the farm as well as at the Town
Center from the main plaza. Four major stormwater corridors criss-cross the site, defining the edges
of neighborhoods and a focal point at the Town Center square along Country Club Road. Each
corridor is connected to a series of additional green corridors, providing walking and biking trails
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throughout the community, connecting to existing regional trails, and providing access to the City
Park. The easternmost corridor is substantial in size, driven by off-site stormwater along the Cooper
Slough. Working with Natural Areas staff, this corridor is designed as an amenity and pulled into the
community’s identity through greenways.
PRINCIPLE MV-CAD-2 - Mountain Vista’s community gateway from I-25 should be designed to provide
a sense of place and positive experience.
Policies MV-CAD-2.1, MV-CAD-2.2:
The Mountain Vista Drive corridor heading west from I-25 will establish a northeast gateway supported
by a primary land use designation of Employment adjacent to the arterial street corridor between I-25
and Giddings Road. A focus of corporate office uses will be located along the Mountain Vista Drive
frontage, with parking areas and light manufacturing facilities located behind these office developments.
Gateway design and development standards should be established for the I-25/Mountain Vista Drive
corridor. These standards should reflect a positive entryway appearance with quality building and site
design, landscaping setbacks within the public street right-of-way and between the street and
development, and appropriate entry features and signage to enhance this community entryway.
Montava’s detailed design standards and street cross-sections create an enhanced gateway for
the Mountain Vista corridor within the context of a walkable community. Land uses transition
from Industrial and Employment near I-25 to schools, mixed-use, employment, residential and
commercial to the west.
Proposed Amendments
The Montava PUD Master Plan fundamentally supports the Principles and Policies of the MVSP. There is
only one Policy that would require amendment to better align with the planned Montava PUD:
Policy MV-LU-1.1:
Current Policy:
The Mountain Vista subarea will provide approximately equal amounts of residential and non-residential
land uses. This subarea’s northeast portion will include an Industrial and Employment business center
adjacent to the existing Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery. A centrally-located Community Commercial
District (CCD) will serve the surrounding mixed-use neighborhoods and business center. Primary civic uses
are expected to include a community park, schools, a potential police substation, and a branch library.
The remaining balance of this subarea contains residential uses.
There is no longer a plan by A-B for a large business center or expansion of brewery operations
for this property, and A-B is in support of the Montava PUD Master Plan and planned uses.
Given its size as a combined set of undeveloped land parcels, the Montava PUD Master Plan has
the ability to support the current land use needs in the northeast part of our city.
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The 2016 Mountain Vista Subarea Plan update supported innovative community concepts that
would incorporate urban agriculture and natural spaces into future development to preserve
the rural character.
Concurrent with the updates to City Plan, Fort Collins commissioned the ‘Trends and Forces
Report’ which supports the need for more land capacity for the increased housing demand by
2040. This report also confirms that the supply of non-residential land is generally sufficient for
the City’s future needs. The Montava PUD Master Plan supports these land use trends and
needs within an agri-urban traditional community.
Montava preserves approximately 100 acres to be used for light industrial use. The town center
can support approximately 160,000 sf of commercial/retail/grocery use. Additionally, Montava
is designed to support up to 400,000 sf of office and other non-residential uses along Mountain
Vista. These are all uses that require heavy traffic, established amenities, and ideally abundant
residential availability nearby in order to thrive. The community itself will have to be built up for
these amenities to realistically materialize.
Currently 30% of the land area in Phase 5b is assigned to employment, 30% in mixed uses, 40%
in medium multi-family, and 20% in townhouse. That 30% to employment has potential up to
500,000 square feet
As a result, we propose the following revision to Policy MV-LU-1.1:
The Mountain Vista subarea will provide a balance of residential and non-residential land uses. Larger
Industrial and Employment uses will be located adjacent to the existing Anheuser-Busch InBev
brewery and near the I-25 interchange. A centrally-located Community Commercial District (CCD) will
serve the surrounding mixed-use neighborhoods and businesses. Primary civic uses are expected to
include a community park, schools, a potential police substation, and a branch library. The remaining
balance of this subarea contains residential uses. Innovative community design incorporating urban
agriculture and natural spaces into developed areas will be supported to honor the rural character of
the area.
Framework Plan: Land Use-Buffer and Transition Between Industrial and Residential Land Uses
While not a specific Policy, the Framework Plan includes a section describing a ½ mile separation
between Industrial and Residential Uses. The current language in the Framework Plan is as follows:
The 1999 Framework Plan established an approximate ½-mile separation between the Anheuser-
Busch brewery and residential uses to the west. Representatives of A-B had requested increasing
this separation between uses by expanding the Employment District. This increase removed
previously designated residential uses from A-B property and extended the buffer to
approximately one mile. The objective of this recommendation was to reduce incompatible uses,
strengthen the buffer and transition between uses, and provide a larger business center in this
subarea.
Today, A-B is in support of the Montava PUD Master Plan and planned uses. There is no longer a
plan for a large business center or expansion of brewery operations for this property. Industrial
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and Employment uses are still planned south of Mountain Vista Road and the Anheuser-Busch
brewery. Mixed use and residential is planned for the areas west of the brewery, with regional
detention combined with a large open space buffer provided along the east boundary of
Montava to create the separation envisioned in the Framework Plan.
While there is no specific Policy that would require amendment, we would suggest that the language in
this description could be updated to reflect more current conditions, similar to other updates in this
section.
Amendment to Framework Plan Map
The Montava PUD Overlay results in changes to the Mountain Vista Framework Map to support both the
changes in the street system and land uses for Montava. The changes proposed for the map are
indicated below:
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Mountain Vista Subarea Plan – Current Framework Plan Map
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Mountain Vista Subarea Plan – Proposed Changes to Framework Plan Map