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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNORTHERN INTEGRATED SUPPLY PROJECT - SPA210001 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVE (2) Technical Memorandum #2 Project Information & Design Narrative Site Plan Advisory Review Process Prepared for: City of Fort Collins Prepared by: Northern Integrated Supply Project Water Activity Enterprise May 2021   1    The purpose of this technical memorandum is to provide a summary of the Project and information about the proposal to communicate the intent of the Project including any program needs, site constraints or choices made that influence the proposed project design. This narrative also includes information to demonstrate that the location, character, and extent of the proposed project components are consistent with the City Plan. 1.0 Proposal Description This Site Plan Advisory Review Process for the City of Fort Collins is associated with the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) infrastructure located within the Fort Collins City limits. Infrastructure that will be within the City limits includes the Poudre River Intake Structure, located northwest of the Mulberry and Lemay intersection and portions of the Poudre Intake Pipeline. The pipeline alignment travels generally east and south from the proposed Poudre River Intake Structure and the traversed land varies between unincorporated Larimer County and City of Fort Collins jurisdictions. Additional information regarding these components is included below. 1.1. Poudre River Intake Structure The Poudre River Intake Structure will be located upstream of the City of Fort Collins Mulberry Reclamation Plant Outfall (MRPO) and will be sized to convey up to 25 cubic feet per second (cfs) from the Poudre River into the Poudre Intake Pipeline. The diversion will be designed using a low-profile design approach such as a riffle-crest structure, as suggested by City staff, to avoid fragmentation of aquatic habitat and sediment and to promote fish passage. River-bank tie-ins will be designed to minimize disconnection between the channel and riparian zone while still being resilient to scouring flows. 1.2. Poudre Intake Pipeline The Poudre Intake Pipeline includes approximately 18,000 linear feet of buried pipeline within the City Limits. The pipeline will be approximately 32-inches to 36-inches diameter, carry up to 25 cfs, and have a typical bury depth of 5 feet or more. NISP is anticipating an approximately 100-ft wide work area for construction of the pipeline. Approximately 60 feet of this would be utilized as a permanent easement to access the pipeline in the future, while 40 feet would be acquired temporarily and used only for the initial construction of the pipeline. This 100-foot wide corridor will be modified as needed in tight construction areas and where existing constraints, environmental considerations, and utilities limit the construction space. The pipeline will be constructed within this corridor and then the land will be reclaimed to pre-construction conditions and topography. No occupied structures will be impacted as part of this pipeline route.   2    See Appendix A to this application for the Route Alternatives Analysis for pipeline routes for NISP within and near the City of Fort Collins. This analysis includes the following overall sections that describe various criteria and procedures that are applied to all pipeline routes in the analysis:  Decision Model and Criteria – A discussion of the criteria used to evaluate different alternative routes against each other. The identified performance metrics and requirements for various criteria are also explained.  Development of Alignment Alternatives – This section includes resources utilized to develop various alignments and a discussion of the use of private easement instead of public right-of-way.  Impacts Minimization Plan – A description of the various steps taken to minimize negative impacts on public and private resources such as public streets and traffic, wetland areas, and future development among others. The route analysis for the Poudre Intake Pipeline was broken into two segments, the Main Section and the West Section. Information and input from various site visits and data gathering were incorporated into the development of the alignments. Fact sheets were developed for each route alternative explaining how the route was evaluated against the criteria. A quantitative summary of the scoring and preferred alignment is presented at the end of the analysis. Figures PW.4 and P.8 demonstrate the Poudre Intake Preferred Alignment. As part of this application, the alignment has been refined and modified to minimize impacts. 2.0 NISP Project Background NISP is a proposed water storage and distribution project that will supply 15 Northern Front Range water providers with 40,000 acre-feet of new, reliable water supplies. Additional information about NISP can be found at www.gladereservoir.org.   3    3.0 City Review Criteria The location, character, and extent of the proposed infrastructure within City limits is consistent with the City Plan and Code Requirements. Per Section 2.16.2 Site Plan Advisory Review Procedures of the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code, three review criteria are included that must be complied with. Each of these criteria are cited below with an explanation of how this proposal meets said criteria. Review Criteria 1: The site location for the proposed use shall be consistent with the land use designation described by the City Structure Plan Map, which is an element of the City's Comprehensive Plan. The Poudre Diversion Intake is located on a Parks and Natural/ Protected Lands type. The Poudre Intake Pipeline route traverses through multiple land use designations, including Parks and Natural/ Protected Lands, Suburban Mixed-Use District, Suburban Neighborhood, Mixed Neighborhood, and Research and Development/ Flex District. The Poudre Diversion Intake and pipeline are consistent with the land use designations. The Poudre Diversion Intake will not impact the parks and open space use of the Poudre River area. The Poudre Intake Pipeline will be buried in open areas and then reclaimed to pre-existing conditions. No permanent structures will be impacted and the land use will not be changed. Review Criteria 2: The site development plan shall conform to architectural, landscape and other design standards and guidelines adopted by the applicant's governing body. Absent adopted design standards and guidelines, the design character of the site development plan shall be consistent with the stated purpose of the respective land use designation as set forth in the City's Comprehensive Plan. The NISP Enterprise does not have design standards and guidelines adopted by its governing body. The design character of the intake and pipeline will be consistent with the stated purpose of the respective land use designation as set forth in the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The Poudre Diversion Intake is the only significant above ground infrastructure for the project within the City limits and will be designed using a low-profile design approach such as a riffle-crest structure, as suggested by City staff, to avoid fragmentation of aquatic habitat and sediment and to promote fish passage. See more about this structure and the alternatives analysis in Appendix C. Review Criteria 3: The site development plan shall identify the level of functional and visual impacts to public rights-of-way, facilities and abutting private land caused by the development, including, but not limited to, streets, sidewalks, utilities, lighting, screening and noise, and shall mitigate such impacts to the extent reasonably feasible.   4    The level of functional and visual impacts to public rights-of-way, facilities and abutting private land caused by this project is minimal. Prominent views from the project site are discussed in the Ecological Characterization Study. Nestled into and below the banks of the Poudre River, the Poudre River Intake Structure will have minimal to no visual impacts. The Poudre River Intake Structure will have a rock/cobble substrate and match natural plan forms to allow for fish passage and boater safety, limiting any functional or visual impacts. Since the Poudre Intake Pipeline construction corridor will be reclaimed to preconstruction conditions after construction, it will also have minimal to no visual or functional impacts. The pipeline is installed and then the location can continue being utilized for what it was prior to construction and for any future uses of the land outlined in the easement deed. Noise will be temporary in nature only for construction of the intake and pipeline.