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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSANCTUARY ON THE GREEN - PDP210018 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - MODIFICATION REQUEST MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 Sanctuary on the Green Modification Request – 3.5.2(D) Relationship of Dwelling to Streets and Parking January 19, 2021 Land Use Code 3.5.2 Residential Building Standards (D) Relationship of Dwelling 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 facade, 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 The Sanctuary on the Green Project Development Plan (PDP) is a residential project that emphasizes cohesive community connections and shared amenities. The proposed site plan emphasizes pedestrian connectivity and minimizes pedestrian/vehicular conflicts. Creating a MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 walkable neighborhood has been a key design objective from the ve ry beginning. One design technique used to accomplish this is orienting dwelling units towards green courts or along greenbelts instead of streets. In these situations, the home front faces onto the green space and the garage faces an alley. Connecting sidewalks are provided along these green spaces providing access to front doors, however, there is no “street” on the front side. The result is a more pedestrian friendly environment surrounded by landscape rather than asphalt and concrete. Relocating the main entrance to green courts creates a safer entry sequence for pedestrians by minimizing pedestrian interaction with vehicles. Many families prefer this for safety reasons, others like it for the visual advantages or because open space is generally quieter than streets. While the “connecting walkway” standard works well for traditional street -oriented communities it has limited the ability for Fort Collins to provide single -family attached products, a key element in the City’s goals to provide attainable housing. Single-family attached products are often alley loaded in order to provide efficient unit widths. This inherently orients the main entrance of the dwellings towards open spaces. For this reason, this code section has frequently been modified for recent residential developments in Fort Collins . As a community that focuses on pedestrian connectivity, open space, alley access and reducing the number of vehicular streets , Sanctuary on the Green has similar challenges. 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 reason for this modification request is that 22 of the 212 dwelling units proposed fall outside of the allowed 350-foot length of a Major Walkway Spine (MWS) measured from the primary entrance to a street sidewalk. In addition, there is one segment of a proposed MWS that is less than the required 35 feet wide on-site. The alternative to lengthening the MWS would be to orient these dwellings towards a street instead of green space to ensure connecting walks are provided. The intent of this modification request is to demonstrate that the pedestrian connections provided are not detrimental to the public good and 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. MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 The modification would not be a detriment to the public good and would in fact enhance the public good because it provides a desirable lifestyle option that lessens interactions with vehicles and permits greater housing diversity in the community. Such an increase in lifestyle options, and particularly options that promote non-vehicular modalities of transportation, is compatible with the context of this area in northwest Fort Collins. The modification also brings the advantages of the development being safer, visually more interesting, and quieter than fronting onto a public street without sacrificing accessibility. While the increased length of the MWS is present, intermediate midblock crossings have been provided to provide the residents of these dwelling units access to neighborhood amenities or the ability to leave the neighborhood on foot. These options are no less than they would be if the dwelling units were oriented to a public street. (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; 3.5.2 (A) Purpose. The standards in this section are intended to promote variety, visual intere st and pedestrian-oriented streets in residential development. The Sanctuary on the Green project exemplifies the purpose of the Residential Building Standards. The proposed project offers a variety of lifestyle choices for residents. Single - family detached, two-family, two-family attached, and single-family attached units are available. Allowing buildings to orient towards open spaces, as well as streets, promotes variety in the built environment, block face design and pedestrian experience. Many natural features on site provide unique opportunities for visual interest along Connecting Walks and Major Walkway Spines that lead to the primary entrance of dwelling units along green belts. The alley-loaded products proposed inherently create pedestrian-oriented streets and an attractive community without streets dominated by garage doors. The elongated MWS enables more residents to enjoy the visual interest and creates a true pedestrian thoroughfare. Finally, LUC 3.5.2(B) describes that the General Standard for residential buildings be that “Pedestrian usability shall be prioritized over vehicular usability.” Granting this modification would promote the Purpose and General Standard of the Residential Building Standards. Major Walkway Spine exceeds maximum length There are three instances where the proposed Major Walkway Spine (MWS) exceeds the maximum 350 feet. Sheet L2 illustrates all the proposed Major Walkway Spines and identifies the three locations where the spines exceed the prescribed 350 feet. MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 In all three cases the longer MWSs serve residences located along a greenway or natural open space. Where dwelling units front on to a greenway or open space, the walk located in front of these homes is a public sidewalk via a public access easement. The walks act the same as a public street sidewalk connecting people from their home to other places in the neighborhood. The only difference is that the vehicular street has been replaced with a green space. This arrangement has the following advantages over a plan that would comply with the standard: • Fronting on to a green space provides an alternative way of living with less interaction with vehicles. • It is safer, visually more interesting, and quieter than fronting onto a public street. • People living in these dwelling units don’t walk any further to access neighborhood amenities or to leave the neighborhood on foot than they would if the green belts were replaced with streets, which would meet the standard. Furthermore, the MWS exceeds the standard in the following ways: • Additional alternative connecting walkways are provided in three locations to allow residents convenient access to a public street sidewalk. Enhanced crosswalks are provided where these connecting walkways cross the alley. Alleys have low traffic volumes and vehicles are moving at reduced speeds. • MWSs are required to be 5-feet wide and public street sidewalks along local streets are only 4.5-feet wide. Two of these MWSs located in front of the residences are planned to be 6-feet wide and the one that provides connection to the Soldier Creek Trail is planned to be 8-feet wide. The width of the walkway in all three instances exceeds the standard. Given that homeowners will access a public sidewalk right out their front doo r, and that there are many advantages to the proposed pedestrian connectivity, we believe this Modification Request is not detrimental to the public good, and is equal to or better than a plan that would meet the standard. Major Walkway Spine open space less than 35-feet wide The MWS standard requires that the walk be located in open space that is 35 feet wide. There is one instance where the proposed Major Walkway Spine (MWS) is located in an open space that is less than standard. Sheet L2 identifies the single location where the MWS is less than 35 feet wide. The MWS standard requires that the walk be located in open space that is 35-feet wide. The MWS located along the northern edge of the project is adjacent to the 2- and 3-story single family attached units is 23 feet wide measuring from the unit to the property line. The MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 property in this area, however, is adjacent to the City-owned Bell Weather Farm Open Space creating an open space corridor wider than 170 feet, far exceeding the standard. The open space adjacent to the north-south MWS adjacent to the 1- and 2- story single-family attached units on the west side averages 143 feet wide, exceeding the required 35 feet. Given that the effective open space is much wider than the prescribed 35 feet, we believe the proposed MWS widths are not detrimental to the public good, and are equal to or better than a plan that would meet the standard.