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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSANCTUARY ON THE GREEN - PDP190003 - 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 www.ripleydesigninc.com August 7, 2019 Modification Request Sanctuary on the Green Project Development Plan 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 Sanctuary on the Green Project Development Plan (PDP) is a new urbanist project that emphasizes cohesive community connections and shared amenities. The Sanctuary on the Green PDP Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1) August 7, 2019 Page 2 of 5 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 proposed site plan emphasizes pedestrian connectivity and minimizes pedestrian/vehicular conflicts. Creating a walkable neighborhood has been a key design objective from the very 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 open space is generally quieter than streets. While the “connecting walkway” standard works well for traditional street-oriented communities it has created some difficulty for the Sanctuary on the Green, a community that focuses on pedestrian connectivity, open space, alley access and reducing the number of vehicular streets. While the design meets the overall intent of the standard and exceeds the standard in many locations, there are some situations where the required metrics are not met. 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 3.5.2 (A) Purpose. The standards in this section are intended to promote variety, visual interest and pedestrian-oriented streets in residential development. We believe that the Sanctuary on the Green project exemplifies the purpose of the connectivity standard. The proposed project offers a variety of lifestyle choices for residents. Single family units, two-family units, attached single family and multi-family units are available. Options to be street oriented, to be located on open space or a green court is a choice as well. Owing to the unusual shape of the property and the many site constraints there are unique opportunities for pedestrian connections, trails and site amenities. The fact that the project is entirely alley-loaded ensures that it will be an attractive community without streets dominated by garage doors. 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. 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, adds to the housing diversity in our community and is not detrimental to the public good. Sanctuary on the Green PDP Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1) August 7, 2019 Page 3 of 5 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 (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; Major Walkway Spine exceeds maximum length There are three instances where the proposed Major Walkway Spine (MWS) exceeds the maximum 350 feet. Sheet L2 illustrates all the proposed Major Walkway Spines and identifies the three locations where the spines exceed the prescribed 350 feet. In all three cases the longer MWSs serve residences located along a greenway or natural open space. We maintain that where dwelling units front on to a greenway or open space, the walk located 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. Furthermore, the MWS exceeds the standard in the following ways: • Additional alternative connecting walkways are provided in three locations to allow residents convenient access to a public street sidewalk. Enhanced crosswalks are provided where these connecting walkways cross the alley. Alleys have low traffic volumes and vehicles are moving at reduced speeds. • MWSs are required to be 5-feet wide and public street sidewalks along local streets are only 4.5-feet wide. Two of these MWSs located in front of the residences are planned to be 6-feet wide and the one that provides connection to the Soldier Creek Trail is planned to be 8-feet wide. The width of the walkway in all three instances exceeds the standard. • The MWS standard requires that the walk be located in open space that is 35- feet wide. The MWS located along the northern edge of the project adjacent to the 3-story single family attached units is 23 feet wide measuring from the unit to the property line. The property in this area, however, is adjacent to the City- owned Bell Weather Farm Open Space creating an open space corridor wider than 170 feet, far exceeding the standard. • The open space adjacent to the north-south MWS adjacent to the multi-family project on the west side averages 143 feet wide, exceeding the required 35 feet. Sanctuary on the Green PDP Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1) August 7, 2019 Page 4 of 5 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 Given that homeowners will access a public sidewalk right out their front door, and that there are many advantages to the proposed pedestrian connectivity, we believe this Modification Request is not detrimental to the public good, and is equal to or better than a plan that would meet the standard. Major Walkway Spine open space less than 35-feet wide There are two instances where the proposed Major Walkway Spine (MWS) is located in open space that is less than 35 feet wide. Sheet L2 identifies the two locations where the MWS is less than 35 feet wide. The MWS standard requires that the walk be located in open space that is 35 feet wide. The MWS located along the northern edge of the project adjacent to the 3-story single family attached units is 23 feet wide measuring from the unit to the property line. The property in this area, however, is adjacent to the City-owned Bell Weather Farm Open Space creating an open space corridor wider than 170 feet, far exceeding the standard. A similar situation exists for the MWS that serves four two-family residences located adjacent to the Calvary Baptist Church. While the distance from the unit to the property line is 21 feet, the MWS is adjacent to the Church’s proposed parking lot and 230 feet from the Church itself. Given that in both cases the effective open space is much wider than the prescribed 35 feet, we believe the proposed MWS widths are not detrimental to the public good, and are equal to or better than a plan that would meet the standard. (3) by reason of exceptional physical conditions or other extraordinary and exceptional situations, unique to such property, including, but not limited to, physical conditions such as exceptional narrowness, shallowness or topography, or physical conditions which hinder the owner's ability to install a solar energy system, the strict application of the standard sought to be modified would result in unusual and exceptional practical difficulties, or exceptional or undue hardship upon the owner of such property, provided that such difficulties or hardship are not caused by the act or omission of the applicant; The physical constraints of the site such as the exceptional narrowness, existing regional stormwater drainage easements, New Mercer Ditch, floodway, existing wetlands and existing development along Laporte Avenue create unique challenges and substantial hardships which were not caused by the applicant. If the property was wider with a less complicated boundary it may be possible to meet the metrics required by the connectivity standard, however, given the constraints, the creative project design, while falling short in a few instances, overall provides more pedestrian connectivity than traditional neighborhoods have. Sanctuary on the Green PDP Modification Request – LUC Section 3.5.2 (D) (1) August 7, 2019 Page 5 of 5 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 (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. Given that homeowners will access a public sidewalk right out their front door, we believe this Modification Request is not detrimental to the public good, and only diverges from the Land Use Code in a nominal inconsequential way. The only difference is that the sidewalk is not adjacent to a public street intended for vehicles.