HomeMy WebLinkAboutKECHTER TOWNHOMES - FDP210002 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - VARIANCE REQUEST
Administrative Engineering Variance Request Letter
Date: April 7, 2021
Project: Kechter Townhomes Project No. 1664-003
Fort Collins, Colorado
Attn: Mr. Dave Betley, PE
City of Fort Collins | Engineering Development Review
281 North College Avenue
Fort Collins, Colorado 80524
Dear Mr. Betley:
Public safety and convenience, maintaining public use, and optimizing the use of limited physical capacity of
right-of-way are among the objectives of the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards (LCUASS) –
Repealed and Reenacted April 1, 2007. It is with those considerations in mind that this variance request letter
has been prepared. This letter is provided pursuant to Section 9.3.7 of LCUASS to document a proposed site
condition that does not comply with the current standards.
The criterion in question is the width of the driveways. Section 9.3.7 requires that the width of a residential
driveway approaches shall have a minimum width of 12 feet and a maximum width of 24 feet.
As related to the Kechter Townhome project, the single family attached townhomes share driveways to the
maximum extent practical. The width of these combined driveways fall between the minimum and maximum
requirements.
For select end units, the project is not able combine the driveways and these units have driveway less than 12
feet in width. In these cases, the driveways are the width of the garage.
Due to the dense nature of this project and the goal to provide as many income deed restricted units as possible,
the reduced width of the driveways is required to provide additional space for street trees , allow for as much on-
street parking as possible, and allow for the placement of water meter pits in landscaped areas as required by
the Fort Collins Loveland Water District.
The density and income deed restrictions included with this project allows it to meet several City Plan Principles
and Policies listed below, including:
Policy LIV 5.5 Integrate and Distribute Affordable Housing
Integrate the distribution of affordable housing as part of individual neighborhoods and the larger
community rather than creating larger concentrations of affordable units in isolated areas
Policy LIV 6.4 Permanent Supply of Affordable Housing
Create an inventory of affordable housing consistent with the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan.
Policy LIV 7.2 – Develop an Adequate Supply of Housing
Encourage public and private for- profit and non-profit sectors to take actions to develop and maintain an
adequate supply of single- and multiple-family housing, including mobile homes and manufactured
housing.
Policy LIV 7.4 – Maximize Land for Residential Development
Permit residential development in most neighborhoods and districts in order to maximize the potential
land available for development of housing and thereby positively influence housing affordability.
Principle LIV 8: The City will encourage the creation and expansion of affordable
housing opportunities and preservation of the existing affordable housing supply.
Policy LIV 8.3 – Offer Incentives
Support and encourage the private development of affordable housing by offering incentives, such as
special assistance to offset the costs of the City’s impact fees and development requirements, air rights,
energy saving features, and reducing local government barriers to the construction of and the
rehabilitation of affordable housing units.
Policy LIV 8.5 – Integrate and Distribute Affordable Housing
Encourage the integration and distribution of affordable housing as part of individual neighborhoods and
the larger community rather than creating larger concentrations of affordable units in isolated areas.
Without this driveway variance, it will impair the project’s ability to meet the City’s other design criteria and
affordable housing goals.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions at 970.819.2742.
Sincerely,
On behalf of Northern Engineering
Ryan Spaustat, PE