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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTHE QUARRY BY WATERMARK - PDP200019 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 3 - MODIFICATION REQUESTMay 5th, 2021 Modification Request 3.5.2 Residential Building Standards (D) Relationship of Dwellings 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 fa cade, 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 Due to the nature of the site and the practical need to have parking near buildings, entrances to two-family buildings 8, 9, & 10 exceed the 200’ required in section 3.5.2(D)(1) and require a modification. The initial PDP submittal had two connections to Wallenberg Drive. One to the north utilizing the existing bridge connection and one to the south with a new bridge. At the neighborhood meeting, there was a lot of opposition to that new southern access. Additionally, Parks requested that a new bridge be built to replace the current bridge. Because a majority of the pedestrian destinations are to the north and west of the site, rebuilding the existing bridge provides a greater community need than adding a bridge to the south and compiling with the code standard. Creating a walkable neighborhood has been a key design objective from the very beginning. One device used to accomplish this is to orient the two-family dwelling units to each other on green courts next to a greenbelt. In this situation, a Major Walkway Spine is provided along the green spaces and provides 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 units connecting to an alley and 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 Quarry”, 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 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. (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; We believe the plan meets the general purpose of the standard better than a plan that would comply with the standard. The purpose of the standard as stated in the Land Use Code is The standards in this Section are intended to promote variety, visual interest and pedestrian - oriented streets in residential development . While building #8, #9, and #10 do not connect to a street sidewalk within 350 feet, as the code defines Major Walkway Spine (MWS), we have designed a walkway that connects to the street sidewalk with visual interest and a pedestrian orientation. MWSs are required to be 5-feet wide and public street sidewalks along local streets are only 4.5-feet wide. The major walkway spine (running north to south behind the two-family units) is oversized (6’ wide) and tree lined. The width of the MWSs are required to be 35 feet wide . The north to south MWS ranges from 201-feet (at its widest) to 92-feet (at its narrowest), well above the required 35-foot width. On the south, in the area that the major walkway spine is out of compliance due to exceeding the 350-foot length, the major walkway spine connects to an oversized (9’ wide) walkway connecting to the street like private drive. This walkway is similar to walks in the Old Town area with trees in tree grates, creating an urban pedestrian feel as well as a separation from the adjacent parking. This walkway includes the crossing of one alley with an enhanced (raised) crosswalk. The enhanced crosswalk will create a safe pedestrian crossing in a alley where low traffic volumes and reduced vehicle speeds are already in effect. The images below show the area out of compliance and a sketch of the enhanced walk to the south connecting the enhanced MWS to the Street Like Private Drive. • • • • • • • • • • Similar to sidewalks in Old Town Fort Collins with its large width, trees in the walk and plantings along the buildings, The enhanced walk shown above provides a pedestrian experience that is equal to and possibly better than a LUCASS standard 4.5’ walk and 6’ parkway. (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.