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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPLANETSCALE LIVING - PDP200015 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 3 - MODIFICATION REQUESTWAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 1 PlanetScale Living PDP – Modification Request Revised March 12, 2021 Introduction PlanetScale Living is a proposal to convert the former Waldorf School located at 906 E Stuart Street into a 4-unit multi-family building within the boundaries of the existing 13,938.22 square foot lot. As part of the proposed change-of-use and renovation of the existing structure, the plan proposes to create two, two-bedroom units and two, one-bedroom units. One unit ,25% of the overall project, will be deed restricted affordable for a period of 20-years. The project is zoned Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood (LMN) and is requesting the following four modification of standards: 1. 3.2.2 (J) - Setbacks 2. 3.2.2 (K)(1)(a) – Off-street Parking 3. 3.2.2 (L)- Parking Stall Dimensions 4. 4.5 (D)(1)(b) – Density 5. 3.2.1.(D)(c) – Tree Planting Standards Limited Colorado Limited Liability Company WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 2 Modification Request Standards Required Finding(s) 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 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 2. the granting of a modification from the strict application of any standard would, without impairing the intent and purpose of this Land Use Code, substantially alleviate an existing, defined and described problem of city-wide concern or would result in a substantial benefit to the city by reason of the fact that the proposed project would substantially address an important community need specifically and expressly defined and described in the city's Comprehensive Plan or in an adopted policy, ordinance or resolution of the City Council, and the strict application of such a standard would render the project practically infeasible; or 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; 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. Any finding made under subparagraph (1), (2), (3) or (4) above shall be supported by specific findings showing how the plan, as submitted, meets the requirements and criteria of said subparagraph (1), (2), (3) or (4). The primary justification for this variance is that the space onsite is very limited and the project is challenged to meet the strict requirements around setbacks, parking, and density. The project involves a conversion of an existing daycare facility and the owners are attempting to convert the existing structure into a modern, eco-friendly affordable housing. However, reuse of the original building limits the site capacity available for accommodating the aforementioned requirements. To address the challenges presented by the existing conditions, the owners have worked closely with engineering staff and planning, and other various city departments to provide a safe and convenient site development plan while optimizing the use of limited onsite space. WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 3 Modification #1 Request & Justification Along the northern and eastern property line, the project proposes a reduction in setback from a minimum average width of 5’ to 3’ The request is based on lack of detriment to the public good as well as physical hardship. WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 4 Standard: 3.2.2 (J) - Setbacks Any vehicular use area containing six (6) or more parking spaces or one thousand eight hundred (1,800) or more square feet shall be set back from the street right-of-way and the side and rear yard lot line (except a lot line between buildings or uses with collective parking) consistent with the provisions of this Section, according to the following table: Minimum Average of Entire Landscaped Setback Area (feet) Minimum Width of Setback at Any Point (feet) Along an arterial street 15 5 Along a nonarterial street 10 5 Along a lot line * 5 5 Justification Not detrimental to the public good The intent of the standard is to provide space for landscaping to screen parking lots from public and private view. The reduction of landscape area by 2 feet still provides enough space to accommodate 31 shrubs that will provide 70%-100% screening from the street and adjacent residences . 2.8.2(H)(3) – ‘physical hardship’ Because this is the re-use of an existing building, the footprint remains in a location that creates significant design challenges and requires balancing the space needed for parking stall depth, driveway width, building access, and landscape setbacks. The proposal provides the following as an attempt to balance the aforementioned constraints. • Average minimum setback of 3 feet. • Maintaining an existing 6-foot wood fence along the northern property line and the installation of 9 Woodward Junipers and 9 shrubs. In combination these elements provide 100% screening, year-round visual interest to the abutting townhome property. • A hedgerow of shrubs along the eastern property line that extend the entire length of the eastern property line and include a combination of 22 shrubs. This planting area abuts an HOA landscape tract that provides additional setback from the public drive that serves Springmeadows Condominiums Subdivision to the east. • Providing a 5-foot landscape setback would reduce off-street parking by 1-space and further decrease the drive aisle width to 18 feet and driveway width to 14 feet and make turning movements in and out of spaces more challenging if not impossible for tenants. WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 5 Modification #2 Request & Justification This standard requires 7 off-street parking spaces while the plan proposes to provide 6 off-street parking spaces. The five spaces are provided that meet long-term stall requirements while the one accessible space meets van accessible requirements. The request is based on lack of detriment to the public goo d, alleviating a defined community need by providing affordable housing and the physical hardship due to re-use of an existing building. Standard: 3.2.2 (K)(1)(a) – Off-street Parking Attached Dwellings: For each two-family and multi-family dwelling there shall be parking spaces provided as indicated by the following table: Number of Bedrooms/Dwelling Unit Parking Spaces Per Dwelling Unit* One or less 1.5 Two 1.75 Three 2.0 Four and above 3.0 Not detrimental to the public good The frontage of the property along East Stuart Street features on-street parking to allow 3 vehicles to park in-front of the building which would limit spill-over parking from affecting the neighborhood. 2.8.2(H)(2) – ‘alleviate a defined community need’ The Affordable Housing Strategic Plan (2015) sets a goal to facilitate the development of about 188 affordable housing units per year through 2019, which would result in approximately 6% of all units as designated affordable housing. The overall goal is to have 10% of the City’s housing stock composed of designated affordable units by 2040. • By providing 1-unit of affordable housing this project increases the amount of available affordable housing in the community. • The strict application of this standard would render the project infeasible. This development will be financed with no tax credits nor tax exempt bonds. It means that the financing is mostly on the loan side, and much none covered by tax credits. Other affordable housing developments in the city are built by large scale developers and rely on tax credits, which help cover majority cost. For this reason, we are proposing to build two 2-bedroom units and two single-bedroom units in our development to make this project feasible. Given the limited lot size, our design and development team were unable to fit more than 6 parking spaces in the site plan. PlanetScale Living is a rare project in the city built by citizen developers to offer affordability at the 80% AMI level with no financial incentives, but in order to do so, we must be very sensitive to our budget. We hope that this request for a modification to standard will be granted. 2.8.2(H)(3) – ‘physical hardship’ • The re-use of the building creates an unusual constraint by limiting the number of parking spaces that can be located behind the building. WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 6 • The footprint remains in a location that creates significant design challenges and requires balancing the space needed for parking stall depth, driveway width, building access, and landscape setbacks. Modification #3 Request & Justification The project proposes a request to modify the two-way drive aisle width from 24 feet to 19 feet 7 inches adjacent to the parking stalls and to 16-feet for the length of the driveway. Standard: 3.2.2 (L)- Parking Stall Dimensions Parking Stall Dimensions: Two-way drive aisle width is required to be a minimum of 24 feet. Not detrimental to the public good • The design provides adequate width for one-way traffic in and out of site. The frontage of the property along East Stuart Street features on-street parking to allow 3 vehicles to park in-front of the building which would limit spill-over parking from affecting the neighborhood. WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 7 2.8.2(H)(2) – ‘equal to or better than’ • The project still functions to provide adequate spaced for one-way movement internal to the site. • Due to the small number of units the project can still function efficiently with low probability of conflict. Street parking will allow vehicles to queue if someone is pulling out of the driveway. • The plan reduces the overall surface dedicated to vehicles and maximizes the landscape area around the building to provide a more visually attractive streetscape and yard space. 2.8.2(H)(2) – ‘alleviate a defined community need’ The Affordable Housing Strategic Plan (2015) sets a goal to facilitate the development of about 188 affordable housing units per year through 2019, which would result in approximately 6% of all units as designated affordable housing. The overall goal is to have 10% of the City’s housing stock composed of designated affordable units by 2040. • By providing 1-unit of affordable housing this project increases the amount of available affordable housing in the community. • The strict application of this standard would render the project infeasible. This development will be financed with no tax credits nor tax exempt bonds. It means that the financing is mostly on the loan side, and much none covered by tax credits. Other affordable housing developments in the city are built by large scale developers and rely on tax credits, which help cover majority cost. For this reason, we are proposing to build two 2-bedroom units and two single-bedroom WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 8 units in our development to make this project feasible. Given the limited lot size, our design and development team were unable to fit more than 6 parking spaces in the site plan. We believe that the project will advance the purposes of the Land Use Code as articulated in Section 1.2.2 including the following: • 1.2.2(B) encouraging innovations in land development and renewal; • 1.2.2(J) improving the design, quality and character of new development; • 1.2.2(L) encouraging the development of vacant properties within • established areas; and • 1.2.2(M) ensuring that development proposals are sensitive to the character • of existing neighborhoods. PlanetScale Living is a rare project in the city built by citizen developers to offer affordability at the 80% AMI level with no financial incentives, but in order to do so, we must be very sensitive to our budget. We hope that this request for a modification to standard will be granted. WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 9 Modification #4 Request & Justification The project proposes a request to modify the maximum density standard from 12-units/acre to 12.5 units/acre based on the following justifications. Standard: 4.5 (D)(1)(b) – Density The maximum density of any development plan taken as a whole shall be nine (9) dwelling units per gross acre of residential land, except that affordable housing projects (whether approved pursuant to overall development plans or project development plans) containing ten (10) acres or less may attain a maximum density, taken as a whole, of twelve (12) dwelling units per gross acre of residential land. Not detrimental to the public good The only feasible way for the owners to pursue this affordable housing project (and cater to the much- needed community need) is to build 4 units on the 0.32 lot the property resides on. We believe our proposed density of 12.5 du per acre (compared to 12du/acre permitted by the code) is inconsequential and it alleviates a defined community need. 2.8.2(H)(2) – ‘alleviate a defined community need’ The Affordable Housing Strategic Plan (2015) sets a goal to facilitate the development of about 188 affordable housing units per year through 2019, which would result in approximately 6% of all units as designated affordable housing. The overall goal is to have 10% of the City’s housing stock composed of designated affordable units by 2040. • By providing 1-unit of affordable housing this project increases the amount of available affordable housing in the community. • The strict application of this standard would render the project infeasible. This development will be financed with no tax credits nor tax exempt bonds. It means that the financing is mostly on the loan side, and much none covered by tax credits. Other affordable housing developments in the city are built by large scale developers and rely on tax credits, which help cover majority cost. For this reason, we are proposing to build two 2-bedroom units and two single-bedroom units in our development to make this project feasible. Given the limited lot size, our design and development team were unable to fit more than 6 parking spaces in the site plan. PlanetScale Living is a rare project in the city built by citizen developers to offer affordability at the 80% AMI level with no financial incentives, but in order to do so, we must be very sensitive to our budget. We hope that this request for a modification to standard will be granted. 2.8.2(H)(4) – ‘Nominal & Inconsequential’ • The difference in lot size between a project meeting the standard and the proposed project is 582 square feet or 4% of the overall lot size. WAYNE D. ANDERSON, AIA, LLC Limited 7825 W Ontario Pl, Littleton, Co 80128 (303) 550 5678 Wayne@WAndersonAIA.com 10 Modification #5 Request & Justification The project proposes a request to modify the percentage of canopy shade trees from 50% to 26%. This request is based on lack of detriment to the public good, and the physical hardship due to re-use of an existing building. Standard: 3.2.1.(D)(c)– Tree planting standards According to Land Use Code 3.2.1.(D)(c), canopy shade trees shall constitute at least (50%) of all tree plantings. Not detrimental to the public good Working collaboratively with the city staff, we believe we were able to preserve the maximum number of trees while still providing adequate parking space and the driveway for the parking lot in the back. We preserved existing trees by moving the driveway to the east side of the property. We have placed canopy trees to the maximum extent at parkway and adjacent to 5’ detached walk. However, this arrangement leaves no more room on the property to plant additional canopy shade trees required to satisfy the 50% requirement. 2.8.2(H)(3) – ‘physical hardship’ • The re-use of the building creates an unusual constraint by limiting the number of parking spaces that can be located behind the building. • The footprint remains in a location that creates significant design challenges and requires balancing the space needed for tree planning, parking stall depth, driveway width, building access, and landscape setbacks. • Based on limited planting areas due to vehicular access and required separations from utilities, canopy trees have been only been placed at parkway and adjacent to 5’ detached walk.