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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMAVERIK - FDP210003 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - VARIANCE REQUEST July 27, 2020 Engineering Department City of Fort Collins 281 N College Ave Fort Collins, CO 80524 To whomever this may concern: DCI Engineers, representing Maverik, respectfully requests a variance from the Major Collector standards along the right of way of Frontage Road as outlined in the “Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards” adopted by Fort Collins. We find that our property and this road section is extremely unique, and these standards do not fit the context of the property. We believe our proposed improvements still meet the spirit of the standards – allowing for pedestrian accessibility and tree lined streets- without the exact measurements of the code. I have outlined below our variance request as stated in the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards. 1) Identification of the standard to be waived or varied and why the standard is unfeasible or is not in the public interest. The proposed property at the northwest corner of US Highway 392 and I-25 is a unique property based on the topography and the context of the surrounding area. Based on these two factors, we believe our site is unique and should be considered for a variance for the right-of-way improvements along Frontage Road that Fort Collins has listed as a “Major Collector”. Our property has exceptional grading issues due to the CDOT reconfiguration of the I-25 interchange that was completed back in 2012. From US Highway 392, the Frontage Road slopes downward 20 feet until the access of our property. There is also an existing vegetated swale surrounding the property that was designed and installed by CDOT. There are drainage ways sloping down from I-25 onto our site that this swale captures, so this swale is pivotal to the flow and drainage plan from the CDOT master plan. Because this swale lies directly outside of property lines within the right-of-way, the 7’ park strip and 5’ sidewalk are impossible to build without constructing a retaining wall the entire length of the property and rerouting CDOTs drainage. The approximate 200’ length retaining wall that would be required for this design is extremely cost prohibitive to this site, an expense of nearly $400,000, according to our engineer’s estimate of probable cost. This is also a unique site in that no other surrounding property was required to build to these standards being asked of Maverik. Directly to the south, the Windsor Park n Ride has no public City of Fort Collins Engineering Development Review (970) 221-6603 smsmith@fcgov.com Date: 07/30/2020 Spencer M. Smith, P.E. APPROVED sidewalk and adjacent developments have either attached sidewalks or none at all, and there is no property to the north we can connect to. Additionally, the location is a highway interchange which is expected to see little to no pedestrian traffic. According to the Traffic Impact Study done by Kellar Engineering in 2019, of all traffic signals, 0 pedestrian calls were estimated for each signal by the hour. Maverik is happy to provide pedestrian access to our store, but there is an undue burden of the standards Fort Collins is requiring in this highly auto-oriented intersection. 2) Proposing Alternate Design. Identification of the proposed alternative design or construction criteria. What Maverik proposes still provides all the intention behind the “Major Collectors” standards. We have proposed an attached 7’ sidewalk – 2’ wider than the standard - and instead of a separate landscaping park strip, Maverik has integrated those tree standards into the sidewalk with tree grates. We have proposed 4’ by 6’ sized tree grates approximately every 40’ to 70’ along the frontage, totaling 12 trees within the sidewalk. These grates also provide for 36” ADA clearance, making them an accessible path of travel. This integrates street trees into the right-of-way without having to provide a 7’ park strip, while continuing to abide by ADA code and clearance. [Please see attached Exhibit provided]. A 7’ attached sidewalk can be provided without requiring retaining walls and interfering with the site drainage. Any additional increase to the width of the walkway loses the efficiency of the design and would require additional engineering. This design also has the added benefit of minimizing the interference with CDOT drainage, saving us time and money by allowing the drainage to be kept in the existing swale instead of rerouted into a pipe or otherwise re-aligning the swalw. In discussions with the CDOT permit manager, the coordination of any revisions to the swale can take upwards of 12 months. The proposed design of a 7’ sidewalk with a hand rail on the slope, and tree grates that still provide a landscaped urban design to the site will maintain all aspects of a Major Collector without the need of a 200’ retaining wall. 3) Comparing to Standards. A thorough description of the variance request including impact on capital and maintenance requirements, costs, and how the new design compares to the standard. The initial request of Fort Collins – a detached 5’ sidewalk with 7’ park strip – would require a 200’ retaining wall and handrail the entire length of the sidewalk and property. A cost estimate provided by DCI Engineers put this cost for off-site improvements at approximately $400,000. Maverik believes money can be better utilized to build a product that meets the needs of the community and City without the exact specifications’ layout for a Major Collector. Our proposed design of 7’ sidewalk and 12 street trees still provides for pedestrian and ADA accessibility, along with the visual and environmental appeal of a tree-lined frontage. 4) Justification. The Professional Engineer must determine and state that the variance will not be detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare, will not reduce design City of Fort Collins Engineering Development Review (970) 221-6603 smsmith@fcgov.com Date: 07/30/2020 Spencer M. Smith, P.E. life of the improvement nor cause the Local Entity additional maintenance costs. The proposed plan (as varied) must advance the public purpose of the standard sought to be varied equally well or better than would compliance with such standard. DCI Engineers firmly believes that the proposed design is an improvement to the standards because it provides for adequate pedestrian access, ADA compliance, and street side landscaping, without having to build a costly retaining wall that would deter from the design appeal of the frontage and our site. The additional width of the sidewalk and a handrail provides a safe and comfortable pedestrian experience along with ADA compatibility. Our proposed design does not deter from the public health, safety, or welfare of the community and reduces the liability of constructing a vertical wall with little more that a handrail to separate pedestrians from the grade below. This proposed sidewalk does not interfere with CDOT’s bioswale or drainage plan, allowing a more natural flow of stormwater without costly re-design of the entire interstate drainage. This alternative meets the Larimer County Urban Area Street for variance as outlined in their Standards, as our design meets and exceeds the requirements for a Major Collector. Thank you for your consideration of this variance regarding our alternative solution. Please reach out to me for any questions or comments regarding this request. Regards, Manny Nuno, PE, CFM, LEED AP DCI Engineers 1331 17th Street, Suite 605 Denver, CO 80202 Cell: 720.464.7728 City of Fort Collins Engineering Development Review (970) 221-6603 smsmith@fcgov.com Date: 07/30/2020 Spencer M. Smith, P.E.