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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORE SPACES AT TRILBY & COLLEGE - PDP220009 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVEProject Information and Design Narrative Core Spaces at Trilby & College 6301 S. College Ave Duplex & Townhome Development (parcel #9611400003) Introduction • The subject property is located along the west side of College Avenue immediately north of Trilby Road, totaling 39.18 acres within the of the City of Fort Collins, Colorado. The proposed community includes 268 total homes comprised of 38 two-story two-family duplex units with front access garages and 230 two- and three-story single- family attached townhomes with private alley rear access garages. This results in a density of 6.84 dwelling units per acre. The community will also include a private amenity clubhouse and approximately 17.7 acres of open space, parks, and trails. The subject property has been annexed into the City of Fort Collins and is zoned CG (General Commercial). The proposed use of single-family attached residential is permitted under the CG zone district. Development Phasing This project is anticipated to be built in two phases, with Mars Drive delineating the proposed phases. Construction is anticipated to begin in the2nd quarter of 2023. Property & Development Ownership College & Trilby LLC is the current owner of the property and has been since September of 2021. Core Spaces will take ownership of the property following approval of all required entitlement applications. The community will be developed and owned, operated, and maintained by Core Spaces including all private alleys, common open space and pocket parks, as well as the homes. Site Planning and Overall Design Concept • The proposed community has been designed to help foster the Goals and Objectives of the City’s Land Use Code. As stated in the City’s Land Use Code developments greater than 20 acres in size are required to provide a mix of housing types in order to promote housing variety and diversity. The proposed community provides three (3) distinct housing types, single-family duplex homes, 3-story townhomes (in 2, 3, & 4-plex building configurations)) and 2-story townhomes (in 2, 3, & 4 plex building configurations). • The community has been designed so that front entry doors face public rights-of-way or onto a “green street” or green courtyard. Each home will be built on an individual fee simple lot and will include an attached two (2) car garage. The front accessed duplex homes include a 20’ driveway providing additional parking. The rear accessed townhomes include an 8’ deep driveway apron that serves as a short-term parallel parking space for loading and unloading of vehicles. The proposed community has been designed to create a compact urban infill neighborhood that is compatible with the surrounding community. The pedestrian experience within the proposed community is enhanced through the use of open space/green corridors with walk connections. • Sustainable Practice & Responsibility: The community includes an abundance of common open space, parks, and safe pedestrian corridors and trail connections. This results in a neighborhood that minimizes impervious surfaces such as asphalt and concrete pavement while at the same time maximizing usable open space that is designed to be “water wise” and easily maintained. The extensive amount of open space within the development helps to reduce the “heat island” affect that can be associated with urban infill development. • Safety: The community will include a pedestrian focused public street coupled with 24’- wide private alleys create a cohesive, efficient, and safe neighborhood. Adequate emergency vehicle access is provided via the 24’ wide private alleys and a 36’ wide residential local street section. Emergency vehicles and personnel will have ample maneuverability and operational space throughout the development. • Parking: Each home within the community includes a 2-car attached garage. Additional visitor surface parking is distributed throughout the community and on-street parking is available along all public roadways. • The existing wetlands and natural areas on the site are protected and enhanced through the use of buffer areas with natural plantings. A proposed trail through the site connects to existing adjacent trail systems. Landscape and Site Design • Tree Planting Standard – The community will include streetscaping along all public and private streets, and landscaping within all tracts and lots. Tree planting per City standards is distributed across the site. • Landscape Standards – The community will meet or exceed the City of Fort Collins standards for streetscape, open space, parks and building landscaping. All areas that are landscaped shall be irrigated with a permanent automatic underground irrigation system (with exception to native non-irrigated areas as designated in the plans).. Any areas identified to be non-irrigated shall utilize a temporary irrigation system and be irrigated until such time that proper establishment of the seeded area has been achieved, a minimum of two (2) growing seasons, upon which time the temporary system can be abandoned. • Tree Protection and Replacement – There are 15 existing trees on site, 10 of which are to be protected and preserved in place with this development. The remaining 5 trees will be removed either to accommodate the site design or due to the condition of the tree (as determined by the City Forester). A Tree Mitigation Plan is included and identifies the locations of all existing on-site trees and is labeled as to be removed or to remain. • Bicycle Parking – Bike parking is provided within the proposed pocked parks and at the private amenity building as shown in the PDP. • Pedestrian Circulation – Walkways and trails within the development are located and aligned to connect areas of pedestrian origin and destination directly and continuously. Walkways and trails will link public and private streets, parks, and the proposed regional trail. • Direct On-Site Access to Pedestrian and Bicycle Destinations – The on-site pedestrian and bicycle circulation system is designed to provide, and allow for, direct connections to pedestrian and bicycle destinations, parks, open space, and the private amenity building. • Vehicular Access – Vehicular access to each of the residential units is provided by way of 24’ wide private alleys connected to private streets that tie into Mars Drive throughout the development. There will be no direct access to the proposed residential lots from Mars Drive. The on-site private alleys have been designed to be safe, efficient, convenient, and attractive, and have been considered for use by all modes of transportation. • Trash and Recycling - Trash and Recycling containers shall be provided to each home to accommodate the collection, separation, storage and pickup of trash and recyclable materials. Trash and recycling containers for each residential unit shall be stored inside each of the individual private garages and shall be put outside for pickup and removal on the designated trash collection day. An exterior trash enclosure is provided at private amenity building. The Fieldhouse The Fieldhouse is the Heart of the Community with amenities promoting socialization, wellness, and convenience. It is an everyday place and a special events place all in one. The facility features a diversity of amenities and functions as the primary hub of the community by supporting residents needs with amenities such as a coffee/beverage station, co-working areas, and play spaces. Indoor programming includes a small market & lounge, coffee bar, main hall with limited service bar, range of coworking spaces, children’s play room and Outdoor programming features a pool, hot tub, ‘back yard’ seating and active socialization space, ‘front yard’ garden and seating area, kids play area, and sport courts and active recreation facilities. The exterior is designed as a contemporary interpretation of a barn, with industrial like details at the fenestration and entry way. A traditional rectangular form is broken up by large glass openings that flood the interior with natural light and offer pedestrians a peak of the interior. The exterior is clad in a composite wood siding that is reminiscent of weathered wood. The large glass openings are glass and aluminum storefront systems, and the roof is in standing seam metal. The Homes The residential blocks convey the feeling that “You Are Home” and employ a ‘gentle density’ approach. The streetscapes are walkable, human scaled, and inviting. Taking a walk through the neighborhood is a pleasant, comfortable, and visually interesting experience. Units are intentionally designed with large front facing windows, and utilize design elements such as stoops, porches, or front yard seating areas to enhance the user experience for both residents and neighbors. These features also help to provide ‘eyes on the street’, fostering a feeling of safety and security without being obtrusive. The homes feature a diversity of architectural forms, styles, and unit types woven together into a rich visual tapestry that makes the neighborhood feel like it has been developed over time, yet all belong to the same place. Home plans range from 1,746-2,345 square feet and include 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom homes. Strategic Design Elements 1. Use of oversized windows facing the street and along primary living spaces where they offer substantial benefits to user experience (ie Primary Bedroom, Family Room, Dining Room, etc). 2. Thoughtfully detailed and welcoming unit entrances with high quality doors and design elements. Incorporation of small entry way patios or seating pockets where possible that incorporate elements that help to active frontages (such as swings and benches). 3. Creative layout of the units – for example mirroring homes to cluster entrances and create small quasi-private seating pockets or clustering units around small shared open spaces – is also employed to help maximize functional space and foster socialization. 4. Avoidance of long, interrupted runs of units (~10 units max) to help break up monotony. Narrow cross-streets, pathways, and small green spaces are utilized to interconnect the various blocks and enhance the overall walkability. 5. Diversified mix of unit types include 2 and 3 story Townhomes as well as 2 story duplex homes. 6. A thoughtful and dynamic range of styles and details. Styles range from transitional to more contemporary with wood accents and steeper accent gables that are reminiscent of Colorado mountain architecture. 7. The exteriors are clad in various colors of lap siding, board+batten siding, cement board as well as wood-like fiber cement accent panels. Storm Drainage & LID Design • Drainage Basins – The subject site is within the Fossil Creek Basin, and more specifically, within the Stone Creek Sub-basin Master Drainage Plan (SCMP). In general, the site drains from west to east, ranging in slope from 2% to 10%. The site drains to two locations on-site, determined by the SCMP as inadvertent detention depressions, both along the western right- of-way (ROW) of College Avenue. The minor outfall sits just north of Ziggy’s Coffee and drains under college in a 24” storm pipe, and the major outfall is located in the middle of the site north/south, at the western side of College Avenue ROW and drains via a hybrid 48” and 30” pipe system to natural open space east of the private properties on the east side of College Avenue. • Site Specific Drainage Characteristics – The subject site currently receives relatively minimal amounts of off-site flows, considering the age of the adjacent drainage amenities of the surrounding neighborhoods, and the configuration of roadway drainage patterns of Trilby Road and College Avenue. Currently, the site collects offsite runoff from three locations:) Runoff from the southern portion of West Trilby Road drains onto the site via a single corrugated metal pipe that crosses from the south side of trilby road and drains directly onto the site west of Southgate Church. 2) Runoff from the Northern portion of Trilby Road drains onto the site via a grass swale in confluence with westerly runoff from an older detention pond and backyard overflow from the Skyway South First Filing subdivision. An existing drainage pan goes south to north in the backyards of the Skyview South First Filing’s eastern lots. The runoff then goes off site to an adjacent swale along Gateway Center Drive. In the 100-year event, it’s anticipated that the runoff from these lots will overflow the large swale in the back of the yards, then be rerouted through the Core Spaces site in an overflow swale directed toward the larger detention area in the middle eastern side of the property. At this location, wetlands have established over the years and this project will re-establish the same area of wetlands, but with a more qualitative community and diverseness of species. This large drainage area is not held to the typical detention release rates as would normally control. This inadvertent detention area is allowed to release developed condition 100-year flows at or below 60cfs. 3) The southeast portion of the site receives minimal flow from College Avenue. One main deviation in typical project development stormwater design, surrounds the City of Fort Collins’ concurrent Capital Improvement Project (CIP) of the intersection of Trilby Road and College Avenue. Currently, the City has a need to treat storm runoff associated with the increased impervious areas added by the CIP project, and thus has plans to divert stormwater that otherwise would not flow to the subject site, in an attempt to treat more stormwater than naturally flows there in the existing condition. This diversion of stormwater is typically not allowed by the City, but in the case of the CIP project, there are few options to meet the water quality requirements. Additionally, the subject site currently flows to the previously mentioned 24” pipe north of Ziggy’s Coffee, but the CIP project is proposing to remove that culvert and utilize the larger wetlands area in the middle of this site. • Low Impact Development storm design – The City of Fort Collins requires a four-step process to treat stormwater and protect downstream receiving waters. The four-step process incorporates reducing runoff volume, treating water quality capture volume, stabilizing streams, and implementing long-term source controls. Volume reduction is an important part of the Four Step Process and is fundamental to effective stormwater management. Per City criteria, a minimum of 75 percent of new impervious surface area must be treated by a Low- Impact Development (LID) best management practice (BMP). This project will incorporate underground ADS isolator rows, grass swales, and a water quality pond designed to capture and treat 120% of the site’s water quality capture volume. The isolator rows need to be properly cleaned and maintained to allow for long-term protection of the receiving waters. The proposed LID BMPs will have the effect of slowing runoff through the site and increasing infiltration and rainfall interception by encouraging infiltration and careful selection of vegetative cover. The improvements will decrease the runoff coefficient from the site and are expected to have no adverse impact on the timing, quantity, or quality of stormwater runoff release. The majority of new impervious area from the project is treated by the proposed isolator rows in the mid-eastern portion of the site, prior to release into the large wetlands pond. The remaining water quality needs will be treated in a water quality pond that is tributary to the College and Trilby Capital improvements pond north of Ziggy’s. Concerns Raised at Neighborhood Meeting A Neighborhood Meeting was held on June 6, 2022, via Zoom. Approximately ten (10) neighbors from the notification area were in attendance. Questions and concerns were addressed by the applicant’s consultant at this meeting. The most significant issue discussed had to do with the existing traffic hazards, congestion and future enhancements of the Trilby and College intersection which was expressed by many of the neighbors as a problem which has existed for many years. Clark Mapes with Planning and Nichole Hahn with Traffic Operations explained to the neighbors that there is a long-term plan in place to address existing traffic issues in the area and along College Avenue as well as the Trilby Avenue and College intersection. It was also explained that the traffic Impact Report for this project will address any traffic impacts this Core Spaces development will have on the area. There was also concern regarding the density of the proposed development, Ken Merritt with JR Engineering explained that the proposed site plan was well within the City of Fort Collins regulations for the zoning in this area.