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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBLOOM - PHASE 1 - PDP210014 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - DESIGN NARRATIVE Phase 1 – Public Benefits Agreement Conformance Narrative Fort Collins, CO | November 10, 2021 Phase 1 - Public Benefits Conformance Note: That document has been highlighted and resubmitted to show which Filing PBA benefits exceed those of the underlying code. 1. Affordable Housing a. At least 15% of the total dwelling units will be affordable for households earning 80% of AMI or less. A minimum of 240 affordable units will be built (15% of the target 1,600 total units). Phase 1 of Bloom creates future Tract JJ, which is proposed to be constructed as affordable rental housing. The design for this site will be submitted as a stand-alone site plan or PDP and will follow this submittal. The first Phase includes all the necessary roadway and infrastructure elements to deliver the future affordable rental site. b. At least 40 units will be for-sale units and affordable to families earning 80% or less of AMI and will be dispersed throughout the community. Other units will be affordable rental units affordable to households earning 60% of AMI, on average, based on CHFA methodology. The developer is working with Habitat for Humanity to identify the appropriate timeline and products to meet the 40 for-sale unit requirement. Potentially, up to 10 units within this PDP could be developed by Habitat. c. All affordable units must have a minimum of a 20-year minimum affordability covenant. This criterion is not directly affected by the first Phase. All affordable housing will comply with the affordability standards in the PBA. d. The PBA establishes multiple ways this could be achieved. The applicant’s intent is to sell a portion of the property in District 2 to a LIHTC developer, who will build affordable rental units for households averaging 60% AMI. The developer is under contract with a developer for this parcel. If the LIHTC developer does not move forward, the developer reserves the right to fulfill this requirement through the other means established in the PBA. 2. Critical On-Site and Off-Site Public Infrastructure The Phase 1 PDP includes core backbone infrastructure necessary for the development of the project as a whole. Specific infrastructure elements are identified in the PBA and their connection to the PUD is detailed below: a. Fund, design, and construct a pedestrian and vehicular railroad crossing for Greenfields Dr. The Phase 1 PDP includes the right-of-way dedication for Greenfields Drive from Mulberry to Vine, including the ROW that forms the railroad crossing. This PDP does not directly include the design of the crossing, as that is moving through the design and approval process as an independent submittal reviewed by the Public Utilities Commission. b. Fund design, and construct the Greenfields and Mulberry roundabout The roundabout is included in the Phase 1 PDP and will be constructed with the first Phase. c. Contribute to the improvements at Vine and Timberline, with a minimum contribution of $250,000. This will be completed with a future Phase providing a connecting to Vine Dr. d. Contribute to the design (or design and construct) of improvements in the median of Mulberry at Greenfields, with a minimum contribution of $800,000. Phase 1 - Public Benefits Conformance It is anticipated this will be completed with the development of the commercial area. e. Contribute to the design (or design and construct) of a city entry feature, including landscaping and monumentation, within the area west of Greenfields, south of the frontage road, and north of Mulberry, with a minimum contribution of $500,000. The Phase 1 PDP includes initial landscape design for this parcel and designates where future signage and monumentation will be constructed. The city entry feature, should it be proposed by the developer, will be submitted later as a separate application. In developing this site as a landscape parcel, as shown in the Phase 1 PDP, the developer is formalizing forgoing any commercial development parcel, the loss of which meets the agreed upon $1,250,000 value for such development established in the PBA. The developer will provide costs estimate of landscaping in this area (District 5 in the PUD) to track the contributions to-date towards this criterium. 3. High-Quality and Smart Growth Elements The Phase 1 PDP includes many of the High-Quality and Smart Growth Elements discussed in the PBA. Below these changes are addressed. a. An increase in density for the LMN areas from the current standard of 4 du/ac The proposed single-family lots with Phase 1 are all within the underlying LMN zone. The proposed density for the Phase 1 area is ~6.7 du/ac. (net) This area includes many of the cottages and smaller rear-loaded detached homes described in the PUD, as well as ADUs. b. Alley-loaded access to at least 40% of the total dwelling units Of the single-family homes in Phase 1, ~64% are alley loaded or non-front loaded. c. Added utility services and raw water dedication Per ELCO standards, raw water will be dedicated with this Phase. d. Enhanced pedestrian crossings Enhanced pedestrian crossings are shown in the Phase 1 PDP along the pedestrian spine. e. A central pedestrian-oriented greenway spine through the center of the neighborhood Phase 1 includes the first portion of the planned pedestrian parkway that will bring this neighborhood together. This 1st Phase includes the section of this pedestrian parkway from Sykes Drive south to International Boulevard. This pedestrian parkway is providing a heavily amenitized pedestrian corridor that enriches the community and provides meaningful connections throughout. It includes seating and gathering spaces, as well diverse landscaping, and artistic elements that make a place people want to use. f. A secondary bicycle path to provide a more direct route for cyclists The main regional bike path parallel to the railroad tracks will be dedicated with later Phases adjacent to the future corridor. The Phase 1 PDP does include the enhanced sidewalk section on the west side of Greenfields Dr. from the railroad crossing to International Blvd. and then west on the north side of International Phase 1 - Public Benefits Conformance Blvd. to the western property line. This connector trail was discussed with Staff as a connector trail to the large regional trail and it has been included with this Phase. g. An enhanced east-west greenway to connect the railroad crossing to the Cooper Slough This element will be included in future Phases north of the railroad tracks. h. Mixed-use design This PDP is the first Phase of Bloom and builds the core infrastructure that will serve future Phases. Additionally, this Phase includes multiple single-family home types, including front-loaded homes, small rear-loaded homes, cottages, and ADUs which were proposed in the Housing Strategic Plan and the Land Use Code Audit. i. Neighborhood parks, pocket parks adjacent to the greenway spine, and a commercial center promenade. While not required by city code, this PDP includes a neighborhood park built and maintained by the metro district. The park includes both active and passive recreation elements. A future pool and associated buildings will be proposed as a separate submittal. This Phase also includes the initial segment of the pedestrian spine. Future extensions of the spine will be included in future submittals so that the spine is generally developed with the adjoining site. 4. Environmental Sustainability a. One or more Final Plan will include a solar power generation system that will generate, at a minimum, 800 kilowatts. Currently, the 200 – 600 kilowatts of the required solar energy system is envisioned as being a roof-top system located within the affordable rental housing project. This Phase includes the necessary infrastructure to serve that site. b. Water conservation through a non-potable irrigation system. The non-potable system is included in this PDP, including delivery of water from Vine and two existing wells to two irrigation/detention ponds located in this Phase. This PDP also includes the design of the pumphouses, which have been designed to include mural walls and trellis. Future Phases will be able to build off the backbone non-potable system included within the Phase 1 PDP. c. Sustainable landscape design, including xeric planting. Phase 1 landscape has been designed with sustainability and reduced water use in mind. Extensive use of xeric, native, and plants well suited for the Colorado climate populate the proposed plant palette. A mix of formal and informal design is provided that blends the formality and structure of the more urban layout with natural areas that permeate this part of the City. An extensive integration of rain gardens as well as pollinator habitat further diversify the overall design for the neighborhood, doing their part to be more sustainable and further blur the lines between the natural and manmade environment. d. Enhanced community resiliency through: • Improvements to Cooper Slough to reduce runoff and lower peak flows through upstream planning and mitigation Phase 1 - Public Benefits Conformance The Phase 1 PDP includes overall mass grading for the site and includes two detention ponds on the east edge of the site adjacent to Cooper Slough. These ponds will serve future development north of the railroad tracks and one could ultimately be connected to the slough further north than the site currently drains. The details of this change will be addressed with future submittals in that portion of the site. • Improvements to Lake Canal to bring it out of the current floodplain The Phase 1 PDP includes a portion of the existing Lake Canal. The portions of Bloom that are currently within the floodplain will be raised, as required, to remove the developed ground adjacent to the Lake Canal from the floodplain. The Lake Canal cannot be raised and thus will remain in the floodplain. The Cooper Slough floodplain will back up the planned Lake Canal Overflow Channel (a project proposed by the City of Fort Collins) in the future. The Lake Canal Overflow Channel will allow stormwater captured by the Lake Canal, upstream of Bloom, to be safely conveyed to the Cooper Slough. During large flood events on the Cooper Slough; floodwaters may back up the Lake Canal Overflow Channel, over the spillway planned immediately north of the Lake Canal’s Mulberry Street crossing, and subsequently back up the Lake Canal itself. • Landscape architecture designed to support flight distances and migration patterns of applicable pollinators Careful design has been implanted to ensure the highest quality pollinator habitat has been created. This includes: • Clustering habitats and making sure they are in proximity to each other to encourage ease of travel and use by pollinators; • Placed in areas with good sun exposure; • Use of a diverse palette of pollinator-friendly plants to provide good foundation of habitat that provides continuous blooms in spring, summer, and fall and the implementation of a variety of colors as well that pollinators are attracted to; • Attention to the use of plants that attract a full range of pollinators that live in Colorado or migrate through. Pollinator habitats have been integrated into the overall landscape design theme of the project, improving habitat, and providing food and shelter opportunities.