Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSANCTUARY ON THE GREEN - PDP210018 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - MODIFICATION REQUEST (3) 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 – 4.5(D)(2)(a)3. Housing Types January 19, 2022 Land Use Code 4.5(D) Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood District (L-M-N) – Design Standards (2) Mix of Housing. A mix of permitted housing types shall be included in any individual development plan, to the extent reasonably feasible, depending on the size of the parcel. In order to promote such variety, the following minimum standards shall be met: (a) A minimum of housing types is required on any project development plan as follows: 3. a minimum of four (4) housing types is required on any such project development plan containing thirty (30) acres or more. Reason for the Request The Sanctuary on the Green Project Development Plan (PDP) is a residential project that emphasizes cohesive community connections, shared amenities, and vibrant design. The proposed site plan creates a neighborhood that provides the public with a variety of housing options, both in the type of residence and style. The development offers three distinct housing types and twenty- seven different housing models. The housing types and models have been mixed throughout the site to ensure that there is no chance of a monotonous streetscape. The reason for this modification request is that being over 30 acres, the project is required four different housing types, and the project is providing three. The Fort Collins Land Use Code (LUC) offers eleven different housing types as options to satisfy this requirem ent. The three housing types proposed are: Single-family detached dwellings with rear loaded garages; two-family dwellings; and single-family attached dwellings. It should be noted that previous iteration of this site plan which have been reviewed by City Staff have included site plans that contain multi-family dwellings and two-family attached dwellings, both of which are allowed housing types. However, those plans are no longer being pursued for reasons which are detailed below. The intent of this memo is to prove that providing one less housing type is not detrimental to the public good and the proposed plan promotes the general purpose of the standard equally well or better than a plan which meets the standard. 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 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. (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; The general purpose of the housing type variety standard is two-fold. First, it is designed to produce communities that do not have a repetitive and monotonous streetscape. Second, it is designed to produce communities that provide multiple options, price points and lifestyles for homeowners to choose between. The plan presented boasts eleven different models of single-family attached models, ten different single-family detached models, and six different two-family models. The site plan has been carefully designed to ensure that no buildings adjacent to each other are the same model. The amount of variety offered in this plan is above and beyond what the building v ariety standards require solely to ensure that the streetscape is not repetitive and monotonous. The single -family attached products are also split into two sub-categories. The “townhome” style units offer the tradition one- and two-story dwellings with larger footprints and more private space. The “rowhome” style units offer two- and three-story dwellings with smaller footprints and larger common open space. The land use code does not differentiate between these two types of dwellings when it comes to the housing type standard, however they do provide the community with different design options, price points and lifestyles for homeowners. Additionally, the site plan that was submitted with the first round of this PDP application provided a fourth housing type by including two-family attached dwellings. The LUC defines two-family attached dwellings as “a two-family dwelling attached to one other two-family dwelling with each such two-family dwelling located on its own separate lot.” In essence a four-plex single family attached building, which has four separate lots, could be converted into a two -family attached building simply by removing two lot lines (see figure below). Everything else about the building could essentially remain the same, giving the same appearance to the public as a single-family attached building. As it relates to the general purpose of this standard, the two -family attached 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 product does not substantially add variety to a streetscape or provide a new price point option for homebuyers. Two-Family Attached lots (4 units) Single-Family Attached lots (4 units) Two-Family Attached elevation (4 units) Single-Family Attached elevation (4 units) The reason this product is no longer being pursued for the project is that the LUC does not offer a height limit specifically for two-family attached product in the LMN zone district. It could be interpreted that the buildings are held to the two -family building height of two-and-a-half stories. However, it could also be interpreted that the products are held to the attached dwelling building height of three stories. The building elevations that were proposed as two-family attached showed two-story units on the ends with three-story units in the middle. To avoid the ambiguity in the code, the two-family attached dwellings have been removed, thus leaving the project with three housing types. In summary, the proposed development goes above and beyond in model variation and offers four distinctly different lifestyle and price point options. Additionally, a plan which achieves this standard by providing two-family attached dwellings looks nearly identical to the public as it relates 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 to the general purpose of this standard. Therefore, the plan as submitted promotes a varied, unrepetitive streetscape; and provides multiple options, price points and lifestyles for homeowners to choose between; equally well or better than a plan which complies with the housing type standard. No Detriment to the Public Good As mentioned above, this application has been through many iterations since it first began to take shape in 2018. A previous PDP application presented a site plan which achieved this standard by providing multifamily dwellings as the fourth housing type. The pro ject conducted extensive community outreach and one of the most common concerns heard was that the density of the multifamily dwellings was not compatible with the existing neighborhood. Despite the multifamily dwellings providing another price point and lifestyle option, the surrounding neighborhood voiced concerns that this housing type, although allowed by code, was in fact a detriment to the public good. That application was formally withdrawn, and the project has been reimagined to remove the multifamily housing type. The reimagined site plan proposes a mix of single-family detached, two-family, townhomes and rowhomes. While the LUC does not differentiate between townhomes and rowhomes, they do provide a distinctly different forms and housing options that are not a detriment to the public good. In summary, the proposed development has reimagined a previous application which achieved the housing type standard, specifically to address the good of the surrounding public. It also adequately achieves the building design variation standards and provides a fourth form of housing. The reduction in housing types does not cause any other standard or code to be violated, nor does it create a condition on site that impacts those of others off -site. Therefore, reducing the number of required housing types from four to three is not detrimental to the public good.