HomeMy WebLinkAboutGUARDIAN SELF STORAGE - FDP210018 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - MODIFICATION REQUEST (2)2900 South College Avenue, Suite 3D Fort Collins, CO 80525
970-491-9888 x www.jrengineering.com
December 6, 2019
Planning & Zoning Board
c/o City of Fort Collins
Current Planning Department
281 North College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Re: Guardian Storage Modification of Standard Request
Please accept this request for a Modification of Standards to Section 3.10.2(A) of the City of
Fort Collins Land Use Code.
Development Proposal & Background
This development proposal is for the Guardian Storage property which is generally located on
the northeast corner of College Avenue and Fossil Creek Parkway. The proposed development
is comprised of 2 parcels of land within the Discount Tire Fossil Creek Subdivision First Replat,
Lot 1 being approximately 1.85 acres in size located west of the existing City ROW of Snead
Drive and Tract A being 0.29 acers in size located east of the existing City ROW of Snead Drive.
Both parcels are Zoned CG – General Commercial and are also located within and at the most
southerly extent of the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zone. Currently Lot 1 and
Tract A are vacant. Guardian Storage plans to development Lot 1 as the Guardian Storage
Facility and Tract A will be utilized for Wetland Mitigation and Natural Area Restoration for the
existing non-jurisdictional wetlands being removed with the construction of Snead Drive and
which are located primarily within the City’s Existing Snead Drive Public ROW. Tract A will have
the added benefit of serving as a wetland natural area and landscape buffer between the
proposed Guardian Storage development and the existing residential neighborhood to the east.
Guardian Storage will also construct approximately 400 lineal Feet Snead Drive from where
Snead Drive currently ends at the northeast corner of the Lot 1 to the intersection of Fossil
Creek Parkway. Snead Drive, Lot 1 and Tract A will all be developed in a continuous and
simultaneously manner with the Snead Drive construction being completed prior to the
completion of the Guardian Storage Facility in order to open Snead Drive for public use as soon
as it has been accepted by the City of Fort Collins.
Modification Request to Section 3.10.2(A)
As mentioned above, the subject property is currently Zoned CG – General Commercial. The CG
District states that “Mini-Storage” is a Permitted Use in the CG Zoning District and based on the
total square footage of the proposed Guardian Storage Facility being approximately 119,300
square feet the approval process will be subject to a Type II Planning and Zoning Board review.
Additionally the property is located within and at the most southerly extent of the Transit-
Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zone, refer to Exhibit C.
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Modification of Standard December 4, 2019
2900 South College Avenue, Suite 3D Fort Collins, CO 80525
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The City’s Land Use Code Language states:Division 3.10 –Development Standards for the
Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay Zone; Section 3.10.2 - Permitted Uses; (A)
Enclosed Mini-Storage - Ground-floor enclosed mini-storage shall be prohibited. Enclosed
Mini-storage shall be allowed either below grade or on upper levels of a building.”
Justification
The modification requested is in accordance with the review procedures set forth in Section
2.8.2(H) of the Land Use Code states as follows: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 decisions makers must also find that the Modification meets one of
the following four criteria as described in the Land Use Code.
The applicant respectfully presents that the proposed development meets the following criteria
for approval of the Modification and the case presented below demonstrates that approval of
the Modification would not be detrimental to the public good.
Criteria #1
(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;
Criteria #1 is Not Applicable
Criteria #2
(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;
The Guardian Storage Facility represents a much needed service for the south central region of
the Fort Collins Community. The lack of sufficient Self-Storage space requires that Fort Collins
residences travel outside the City in order to find self-storage rental opportunities. It is
expected that the current “Economic Leakage” which Fort Collins is currently experiencing in
the self-storage market will be reversed by the Guardian Storage development.
The vast majority of the existing self-storage supply in the south Fort Collins market today is
dated and fails to deliver the amenities that businesses and residential clients desire in a
redeveloping and dynamic market like the one in Fort Collins. The Guardian Storage will
incorporate the latest advances for customer service in the self-storage industry. With
approximately 85,000 leasable square feet of climate-controlled storage the facility will be the
premier source for self-storage services, catering to small businesses and residential clients and
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970-491-9888 x www.jrengineering.com
bringing a much needed high quality storage option to a vastly underserved market in south
central Fort Collins.
Self-storage properties typically have both residential and commercial customers. Self-storage
tenants prefer their storage space to be easily accessible from their home or work. Guardian
has found that the majority of tenants in their existing portfolio of properties are within 3-miles
or a 5-10-minute drive of the property. Without discounting for many of the older, first-
generation properties in the market, nor accounting for future population and business growth,
currently there is 5.13 square feet of self-storage per capita, or approximately 412,000 rentable
square feet of self-storage supply within 3-miles of the proposed project. This is significantly
lower than the Colorado average of 8 square feet per capita. Using the 3-mile population of
80,231 and applying the Colorado average of 8 square feet per capita, yields a total demand
number of 642,000 square feet of self-storage supply. With the existing 3-mile supply at
412,000 square feet, this results in a significant undersupply of 230,000 square feet in the Fort
Collins marketplace.
It should be noted that with the explosive growth of multi-family development, and as living
units become smaller and smaller, self-storage is no longer a place for residents to “store their
stuff”. Instead, it has become an important extension of the home; a closet, basement or
garage not available to them in their current living situation. Thus, the majority of self-storage
tenants now rely on clean, safe and easily accessible self-storage to store seasonal items,
clothes, household goods and equipment that they do not have the room for in their
apartments or small homes. For small businesses, self-storage is a cost effective way to store
inventory, files and supporting business equipment.
Criteria #3
(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;
The proposed Guardian Storage development will eliminate a significant traffic safety concern
created by the existing private access easement crossing the site. The elimination of this left
turning movement so close to the College Avenue intersection will benefit to the City, and
public safety or the community. Additionally given the existing physical challenges of the site
and the constraints imposed on this or any proposed development of the property, meeting the
requirements of the TOD Overlay District would at best be difficult for any developer to
achieve. The proposed Guardian Storage development will eliminate unsafe traffic movements,
improve the conveyance of off-site store drainage to Fossil Creek, provide for the completion of
Snead Drive, and provides a viable development that merges the intent of the TOD district with
the context of the existing surrounding commercial and residential neighborhood.
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Improvement to the existing public safety is a significant benefit achieved by the Guardian
Storage development. Currently there is an existing temporary access drive immediately east
of the intersection of College Avenue and Fossil Creek Parkway. The existing temporary access
drive separation with the intersection at College Avenue is currently substandard and the traffic
turning onto Fossil Creek Parkway making a left turn onto the temporary drive often creates
unsafe movements and stopping distances at the intersection of Fossil Creek Parkway and
South College Avenue. This current inadequate separation causes unsafe vehicle to vehicle and
vehicle to pedestrian interactions. Should this Modification of Standard be approved,
construction of Snead Drive will allow this unsafe temporary commercial drive to be removed
and provide a benefit to the surrounding neighborhood with the completion of Snead Drive.
The Guardian Storage property sits at the most southern edge of the TOD district and is
surrounded by commercial development to the north and south and a residential community to
the east. The subject property has an 11’ elevation difference sloping from the northwest to
the southeast corner of the site. There is also the existing Snead Drive R.O.W. that bisects the
site on the eastern edge of the site. The Guardian site provides significant physical and
topographic challenges that would be difficult for any development proposal to overcome while
still attempting to meet all of the requirements of the TOD district. The proposed development
merges the intent of the TOD district with the existing framework of the other surrounding
developments by using the sites elevational challenges to create a basement level that is
partially exposed along the south elevation of the building thus providing access to the
Guardian Storefront Office that faces out to Fossil Creek Parkway. There is also second level
access on the north side of the building that will be significantly screened, as viewed from the
public ROW of College Avenue, by the existing commercial and retail buildings located just
north of the proposed Guardian Storage development. The proposed development will use the
area east of Snead Drive (Tract A) as wetland mitigation and natural area in order to create a
significant landscape buffer between the Guardian property and the residential neighborhood
to the east. The Guardian building has also been designed with architectural details and
storefront glass that creates the appearance of an active and modern structure achieving a look
consistent with the type of architecture found in contemporary commercial and retail buildings
in today’s marketplace. The building’s leasing office that front Fossil Creek Parkway, will
include a 2-story atrium office and store and will feature a pedestrian friendly entrance and
landscape design that is inviting and creates an aesthetically pleasing streetscape. The west
and south facing elevations of the building will also include an abundance of ground level and
upper story storefront glass allowing for visibility into the buildings active interior much like you
would see in a multi-story commercial building.
Criteria #4
(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.
The applicant believes that the granting of this Modification allowing for a minimal amount of
Ground-Floor Enclosed Mini-Storage is inconsequential when considered from the perspective
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2900 South College Avenue, Suite 3D Fort Collins, CO 80525
970-491-9888 x www.jrengineering.com
of the building as a whole. Furthermore the granting of the Modification will continue to
advance many of the Goals of the Land Use Code as contained in Section 1.2.2 as follows:
(C) fostering the safe, efficient and economic use of the land, the city's transportation infrastructure, and
other public facilities and services.
(D) facilitating and ensuring the provision of adequate public facilities and services such as transportation
(streets, bicycle routes, sidewalks and mass transit), water, wastewater, storm drainage, fire and
emergency services, police, electricity, open space, recreation, and public parks.
(E) avoiding the inappropriate development of lands and providing for adequate drainage and reduction in
flood damage.
(F) encouraging patterns of land use which decrease trip length of automobile travel and encourage trip
consolidation.
(H) reducing energy consumption and demand.
(J) improving the design, quality and character of new development.
(L) encouraging the development of vacant properties within established areas.
We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this proposed modification and look forward to
your favorable response and to working with you during this important Development Review
process.
Sincerely,
Ken Merritt, RLA, APA
Director of Planning
JR Engineering
Enclosure:
Exhibit A &B
Exhibit C
LEGEND
OFFICE & BUILDING SUPPORT FACILITIES
ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE WITH EXTERIOR ACCESS
ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE FRONTAGE
STOREFRONT GLASS
A Westrian CompanyGROUND-FLOOR ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE WITH EXTERNAL ACCESS
NUMBER OF GROUND-FLOOR ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE UNITS 8 UNITS
TOTAL GROUND-FLOOR BUILDING AREA 29,825 SF
-TOTAL AREA OF ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE W/ EXTERIOR ACCESS 2,200 SF (7.4% OF TOTAL GFA)
-TOTAL AREA OF OFFICE & BUILDING SUPPORT FACILITIES 2,030SF
TOTAL BUILDING PERIMETER 1,050 LF
-TOTAL LINEAR FOOTAGE OF ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE W/ EXTERIOR ACCESS 80 LF (7.6% OF TOTAL PERIMETER)
TOTAL LINEAR FOOTAGE OF STOREFRONT GLASS 355 LF
GROUND-FLOOR ENCLOSED MINI- STORAGE (EXTERIOR ACCESS)
SECOND FLOOR ENCLOSED MINI- STORAGE (EXTERIOR ACCESS)
A
B
SECOND FLOOR ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE WITH EXTERNAL ACCESS
NUMBER OF SECOND FLOOR ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE UNITS 25 UNITS
TOTAL SECOND FLOOR BUILDING AREA 29,825 SF
-TOTAL AREA OF ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE W/ EXTERIOR ACCESS 6,400 SF (21.5% PF TOTAL GFA)
TOTAL BUILDING PERIMETER 1,050 LF
-TOTAL LINEAR FOOTAGE OF ENCLOSED MINI-STORAGE W/ EXTERIOR ACCESS 250 LF (23.8% OF TOTAL PERIMETER)X:\3970000.all\3973701\Drawings\Presentations\Modification of Standard Exhibit.dwg, EXHIBIT, 12/4/2019 11:26:40 AM, FC