The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutHORSETOOTH WEST MASTER PLAN - 14-88 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVEa 6 A I GEFROH HATTMAN INC. ARCHITECTS/PLANNERS CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 135 West Swallow Road Fort Collins, CO 80525 (303) 223-7335 SUBMISSION INFORMATION AS PER CITY OF FORT COLLINS LAND DEVELOPMENT GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR THE HORSETOOTH WEST MASTER PLAN 60.45 ACRES PREPARED BY: GEFROH HATTMAN INC. 145 West Swallow Road Fort Collins, Colorado 80525 PREPARED FOR: TAFT HILL PARTNERS LIMITED JIM SCAVO REALTY 220 East Mulberry Fort Collins, Colorado 80524 MARCH 4, 1988 i" March 4, 1988 Mr. Ted Shepard City of Fort Collins Planning & Development P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 RE: HORSETOOTH WEST MASTER PLAN FORT COLLINS, COLORADO PROJECT ##87-493 Dear Ted: This Master Plan for the Horsetooth West properties is submitted for review in accordance to the Land Development Guidance System. In addition a Site Plan for an elementary school site for the Poudre R-1 system is also sub- mitted for review at this time. Currently the property is annexed to the City and is currently zoned RLP. The property is bounded by Horsetooth Road to the South and Taft Hill Road to the East. The overall shape of the property is rectangular and is ap- proximately 2000 feet by 1400 feet. The topography of the sight is void of significant features and slopes gently at a rate of approximately two per- cent from the South West corner to the North East corner. The topographic fall is approximately 20 feet. The Master Plan is being submitted at this time in part due to changing market conditions and because of specific use request presented to the owners. The Master Plan calls for a mixture of land uses and densities that we see as being appropriately blending with the existing surroundings and anticipated needs of the area in the future. The following data is submitted in response to the Land Use Development Guidance Systems policies for development examining how this property con- forms to the systems' policies. 1. City Land Use Policies Achieved by Proposed Plan Policy 3• - "The City shall promote: a. Maximum utilization of land within the City; b. The location of residential development which is close to employment, recreation, and shopping facilities." Explanation: The property lies at the Western edge of the Fort Collins "Ur- ban Growth Area" and has direct access from both Taft Hill Road and Horse - tooth Road both being arterial streets as designated on the City's Master i Mr. Ted Shepard HORSETOOTH WEST MASTER PLAN March 4, 1988 Page 2 Street Plan. With completion of development, the arterial street systems will be upgraded to urban standards. This will improve safety and health conditions locally and for the City as a whole. By having an improved ar- terial intersection, fewer accidents should occur and by paving of a well used dirt road, air quality should improve. It should be noted that use of the unpaved road is due to adjacent County residential uses and not generated from the site at this time. Due to the size of the property, its location with respect to arterial street patterns and interest in specific land uses by a governmental unit , the property lends itself to a "mixed land use" design approach incorporating highway related commercial uses -- a neighborhood shopping center, an ele- mentary school site, a child care center, multi -family and single-family residential. Lower intensity uses, single family and locating the more in- tense use internal or adjacent to the arterial streets. Policy 12. - "Urban density residential development usually at three or more units to the acre should be encouraged in the urban growth area." Explanation: The entire property is within the Fort Collins "Urban Growth Area." Approximately 24.01 acres of the 60.45 acres are devoted to resi- dential uses with a maximum proposed number of 182 dwelling units. This is a 7.58 d.u./ac. average density for the residential acres and an overall aver- age density for the Master Plan of 3.01 d.u./ac. Policy 20. - "Land use, site planning and urban design criteria shall be de- veloped to promote pleasant, functional and understandable inter -relation- ships through and between land uses." Explanation: The Horsetooth West Master Plan is consistent with developed site planning and urban design criteria in the City. The overall design is mixed use in nature. Land uses have been strategically located based upon such criteria as access, visibility, traffic patterns, juxtaposition, devel- opment phasing, topography and neighboring land uses. Policy 21. - "All levels of commercial development, including convenience, neighborhood and auto -related shopping which have significant negative trans- portation impacts on South College Avenue will be discouraged from gaining their primary access from College Avenue." Explanation: The proposed "business service, neighborhood, and auto -related uses'gain their access from adjacent collector streets intersecting with arterial streets other than College. These uses will provide services for a geographic area extending beyond the Master Plan by providing a variety of services within the Master Plan which may confine and localize traffic to the area and relieve College Avenue pressure. Policy 25. - "Based on a fiscal evaluation and an analysis of effects on the Capital Improvement Program the City would provide incentive such as utility and infrastructure improvements, streets, power, etc., in order to direct growth in desired directions or areas." Mr. Ted Shepard HORSETOOTH WEST MASTER PLAN March 4, 1988 Page 3 Explanation: Currently the site is bounded by both sanitary and water services. Currently these City utilities being sized for urban development are being under utilized. With this development the current infra -structure will be better utilized. In recent years the major growing emphasis has been South Eastward. This development will provide relief to this pressure by providing services such as schools, shopping, and services for a residential community in the Southwest. Policy 26. - "Availability of existing services shall be used as a criteria in determining the location of higher intensity areas in the City." Explanation: An inventory of adjacent land uses finds that this property is surrounded on three sides by residential properties of various densities. To the North you find County subdivided properties with lots averaging two to three acres in size. To the North East and East you find City standard single- family lots which averages 3 to 4 d.u./ac. To the Southeast you find County standard single-family lots, to the South is a mobile home court with densities in the 5 to 6 d.u./ac. To the Southwest are various sized lots averaging 4 to 5 d.u./ac. Proposed or existing uses similar in nature are approximately one mile from the site along the arterial streets. In order to keep services lo- cated within neighborhood nodes and taking into consideration the density and concentration of residential uses, higher density residential and service - oriented uses are appropriate to maintain a variety of housing options, a variety of services, and a variety of visual interest within the environment. Policy 63. - "Neighborhood service centers should locate within walking dis- tance of existing or planned residential areas." Explanation: The proposed "neighborhood service center" (Parcel 1) adjacent to residential areas (Parcel A and E) within walking distance are Parcels B and G. Existing residential uses to the East, Southeast, South and Southwest will have direct pedestrian access and are located adjacent to the center. Policy 65. - "Neighborhood service centers shall locate in areas served by existing water or sewer facilities or consistent with the phasing plan for the urban growth area." Explanation: All necessary utilities are presently accessible to the major commercial site. Policy 66. - "Neighborhood service centers should locate at the intersection of a collector and an arterial." Explanation: The center is proposed at the intersection of Taft Hill, and Horsetooth arterials. Ma,io.r access will be provided to -the center from the two collectors. Policy 74. - "Transitional land uses or areas (linear greenbelts or other urban design elements) should be provided between residential neighborhoods and commercial areas in order to enhance the concept of a mixture of land uses." Explanation: The commercial area is buffered from residential areas by collector streets, green belting, landscaping, and other less intense land uses such as child care and school site. 0 0 Mr. Ted Shepard HORSETOOTH WEST MASTER PLAN March 4, 1988 Page 4 Polcy 75. - "Residential areas should provide for a mix of housing densities." Explanation: A mix of single family housing and multi -family uses have been provided within the Master Plan. This mix is intended to address a broad range of existing and future market demand characteristics based on high quality single family and multi -family groups. II. Open Space, Buffering, Landscaping and Circulation As a Master Plan, each of the eight proposed phases will contain its own open space and landscaping plan. A consistent landscape design theme consisting of organic and inorganic materials and berming is expected along all arterial streets. Collector streets adjacent to commercial areas will also be bermed and landscaped. Landscape design and common open space areas will be used to provide separa- tion between different land uses and to help define the neighborhood. The proposed street system is consistent with both planning and engineering collector street design criteria. A collector will run North -South from Horsetooth to meet the future needs of the property and future redesigned land uses of higher intensity to the North. A collector running East-West terminating at the school site will serve to take local residential traffic and commercial traffic. This street terminates interior to the site due to physical constraints such as irrigation canals, Spring Creek, and unclaimed mineral extraction sites. A sidewalk system will be incorporated throughout the entire project and connect the various land uses with each other and adjacent properties. III. Estimate of Number of Employees The Master Plan proposes four employment generating land uses -- auto -related road side commercial, a neighborhood shopping center, an elementary school, and a child care facility. The following approximate gross floor area is estimated for each: USE 1. Auto -related Road Side Commercial 2. Neighborhood Center 3. Elementary School 4. Child Care Facility APPROX. G.F.A. 16,000 S.F. 220,000 S.F. 60,000 S.F. 6,000 S.F. Obviously, estimating the number of potential employees without the benefit of more specific land use information is extremely difficult. Nonetheless, using the general assumptions, an estimate of approximately 500 potential employees is obtained. Mr. Ted Shepard HORSETOOTH WEST MASTER PLAN March 4, 1988 Page 5 IV. Assumptions and Choices of Applicant Among the assumptions (and land use determinates) which were part of the Master Plan design are the following: A. Given the size of the property, a mixed land use is appropriate. The proposed gross residential density and the location, size and land use for the Neighborhood Shopping Center are consistent with the condition- al R-L-P, Low -Density Planning Residential and conditional BF Planned Business as requested. Conditional H-B, Highway -Business, Auto -Related Road Side Commercial is consistent as an adjacent land use due to lo- cation and planned buffering. B. Both the conditions of zoning and the Land Development Guidance System of the City requires that for uses other than single-family detached standard subdivided property and the school site, the property needs to follow the P.U.D. process. C. Access from Horsetooth and Taft Hill are essential as entrance ways to the project. D. In the future this section of Horsetooth and Taft Hill will help relieve traffic congestion from other arterials if a proper balance of commer- cial and residential is maintained with this four -square mile area of the City. E. Due to its visibility and continguity to arterial streets, a business service area and a neighborhood center are appropriate and would serve to buffer interior residential areas. F. Given local absorption rates, a mix of residential housing types provide the best response to the market and provide the opportunity to create a balanced neighborhood scale. G. The inclusion of a school site will add relief and open space to the neighborhood, provide local educational services to the area reducing traffic which currently flows to the North of the site along arterials, help solidify a developing residential area into a neighborhood. Should you feel that any additional information would be helpful to the Planning and Zoning Board or Staff in their review of the Horsetooth West Master Plan, please contact me. Sincerely yours, GEFROH HATTMAN INC. -F-- `(' 1 1 1" ►N'l Fredric J. Hattman Vice President kam