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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZIEGLER - CORBETT ODP - ODP210004 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - MODIFICATION REQUESTNovember 30, 2021 City of Fort Collins Current Planning Department 281 North College Ave. Fort Collins, CO 80524 Re: Ziegler – Corbett ODP Please accept this request for a Modification of Standards to Division 4.26 Harmony Corridor District (H-C) Section D.2. of the Land Use Code. Background This proposal is in conjunction with an Overall Development Plan (ODP) for the Ziegler-Corbett property located west of Ziegler Road and South of Paddington Rd. and contains approximately 29 acres total. The property is located in the Harmony-Corridor (HC) Zone District and will be subject to a Type 2 review with required neighborhood meeting. Vehicular access for the project will be from Ziegler Road via a new full movement intersection that provides access into the neighborhood from the east and access from Corbett Dr. on the west. The site design will incorporate and enhance pedestrian access and connectivity utilizing sidewalks and open space. The project will be designed to be compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods as required by the City Code. Architectural compatibility will be achieved by incorporating design elements from the surrounding neighborhood such as building materials, horizontal lap siding, shingle siding and board and batten siding in contrasting colors. In addition, there will be brick and stone veneer accents. The roofs will consist of asphalt shingles and / or standing seam metal. The property currently is undeveloped and will include primary and/or secondary uses as allowed by this Modification Request and the Ft Collins Land Use Codes. This modification request is in accordance with the review procedures set forth in Section 2.8.2(H) of the Land Use Code as follows: Modification to Division 4.26 Harmony Corridor District (H-C) Section D.2. Code Language: Division 4.26 Section D.2. states the following: All secondary uses shall be integrated both in function and appearance into a larger employment-based development plan that emphasizes primary uses. A secondary use shall be subject to Planning and Zoning Board review as required for such use in Section 4.26(B). The following permitted uses shall be considered secondary uses in this zone district and together shall occupy no more than twenty-five (25) percent of the total gross area of the development plan. 2 Requested Modification: Ziegler – Corbett ODP is requesting that there are no set limits to secondary uses. Justification The Land Use Code states that the decision-maker may grant a modification of standards only if it finds that the granting of this modification of standards would not be detrimental to the public good, and the plan as submitted will promote the general purpose of the standard for which the modification is requested of a modification from the strict application of any standard would: 1 - 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 applicant offers the following in support of its request for the above justification: POLICY LIV 2.1 - REVITALIZATION OF UNDERUTILIZED PROPERTIES - This property has been undeveloped for many decades. Through their own due diligence, Developers with potential projects have looked and turned away from this property. From their research it has been determined that the property is not feasible with the strict HC primary use requirement which in turn has been detrimental to any future development of this property. POLICY LIV 2.1 - REVITALIZATION OF UNDERUTILIZED PROPERTIES - Initially the H-C zone district was intended to be a broad-brush zoning along Harmony Road Corridor. It did not contemplate infill, redevelopment, or underutilized parcels of land. Meeting the primary use standards is extremely difficult if not impossible. This property is considered as an infill project as it one of the last undeveloped properties in this portion of the HC Zone District and sits between Single Family Housing (English Ranch) and the backside of a large retail development. The lack of development over the decades on this property justifies the difficulty the HC Zone standards has placed on this property POLICY LIV 5.2 - SUPPLY OF ATTAINABLE HOUSING - Attainability as described in City Plan, this modification would provide the need for units at a price point that the market desires. The Applicant proposes to develop multi-family and multi-use housing in order to provide needed attainable dwelling units in Fort Collins at a highly desirable location for such housing resulting in a substantial benefit to the City. By providing much needed housing needs, the Applicant will help alleviate the shortage of attainable housing in the southeast sector of our community. Per the following chart, there is lack of new attainable residential activity (red line) along the HC Zone District. 3 The increase in residential uses will allow the development to obtain densities that further support the existing Harmony Corridor retail / commercial / office uses. This property is secondary to and behind the main commercial developments along Harmony. Thus a greater ratio of residential uses are a better transition from this existing retail and commercial development on the south and to the single family residential development to the North. Throughout City Plan, it describes and depicts how similar locations like this property, with a location behind commercial in front of single family this property has a preferred Multi-family use as depicted in the following image from City plan. 4 The proposed alternative plan continues to improve the design, quality, and character of new development by exceeding the building standards set forth in section Section 3.5 of the City’s land use Code. The use of high-quality residential building materials, building articulation, projections and recesses, along with pitched roof elements ensures sensitivity to and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. POLICY T 7.4 - PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIONS and POLICY T 6.1 - CONNECTED BICYCLE FACILITIES - Pedestrian and bicycle connectivity as described in City Plan. - The proposed alternative plan ensures this need while still being sensitive to the surrounding neighborhood by building a walkable, bicycle friendly neighborhood that will connect the adjacent residential to the truly viable commercial and retail portions of the HC Zone District Per City plan ENV 3.1 - RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY AND INTEGRATION. - If this modification is approved all residential units would be enhanced with solar panels supporting this City Plan Policy. Per City plan ENV 3.1 - RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY AND INTEGRATION. - If this modification is approved Townhome and Condominium units would be Gold LEED Certified These uses would still have to be processed through a Type 2 review and approval by Planning and Zoning. And 2 - 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 applicant offers the following in support of its request for the above justification: Offsite drainage must be captured and detained on site. The natural topography of the site and using best management practices put the detention ponds along Ziegler Dr. This in turn increases the offset of any proposed buildings along Ziegler, further enhancing the hardship of reduced visibility along Zeigler that is needed for primary uses to be viable. In Summary, The City needs attainable multi-family housing and this site as described in City Plan is an ideal location for it and not viable for the primary uses that the HC District Standards require. The data illustrates that providing the highly needed attainable multi-family units and the fact the property is currently underutilized this modification will not jeopardize the City’s chances of attracting employment-based industry, nor will it use land where much desired large-base employment uses might locate. In fact, we believe having high quality residential and mixed-use units available in the Harmony Corridor will enhance the City’s ability to attract desirable industries to the Corridor, and more importantly the support existing retail and commercial businesses. Therefore the proposed alternative plan is not a detriment to the public good, as it results in the development of a vacant property within an established area in accordance with the overall City goals outlined in City Plan.