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HomeMy WebLinkAboutGATEWAY AT HARMONY ROAD PUD, 1ST FILING - FINAL - 1-88C - REPORTS - PROJECT EXTENSIONITEM NO. 11 MEETING DATE 3/ 2 2/ 9 3 STAFF Sherry Albertson -Clark City of Fort Collins PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD- One Year Extension of Final Approval #1-88C APPLICANT: Wickham Gustafson 1730 S. College, S. 202 Fort Collins, CO 80525 OWNER: Total Petroleum, Inc. 999 19th St. Denver, CO 80202-2492 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a request for a one year extension of final PUD approval for a gas station with a 1,200 square foot sales building, six gas pumps and an 800 square foot one bar car wash. The site is located at the southwest corner of College Avenue and Kensington Drive. The zoning is H-B, Highway Business. RECOMMENDATION: Approval with conditions EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This one year extension request presents no specific problems for City agencies or outside utilities. Staff is recommending approval of the extension, until April 3, 1994 with the following conditions: 1. All streets, utilities and drainage improvements be constructed or installed to City standards at the time of construction, including erosion control criteria. If necessary, the utility plans, drainage report and plans, and soils report shall be revised or updated to meet City standards at the time of construction. 2. No site work can begin until all required plans are revised and approved by the appropriate department and any necessary bonds have been posted. COMMUNITY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES 281 N. College Ave. P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 (303) 221-6750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT • • The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD, One Year Extension - #1-88C P & Z Meeting March 22, 1993 COMMENTS 1. Background• The surrounding land use and zoning are as follows: N: HB; S: HB; E: hb; W: HB; Pedersen Toyota existing McDonald's Restaurant (The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD) undeveloped undeveloped (proposed retail uses in remainder of The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD) This site is part of The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD, which was approved by the Planning and Zoning Board in 1989. The preliminary plan included both the McDonald's site, as well as this site. Two six-month extensions have been granted by staff. According to the LDGS, final plans are in effect for three years unless the project is begun and "substantially complete". The LDGS defines "substantially complete" as all engineering improvements (water, sewer, streets, curbs, gutters, street lights, fire hydrants and storm drainage) being installed and completed. Failure to make the improvements within the specified time period causes forfeiture of the right to proceed. Two six-month administrative extensions and one one-year Planning and Zoning Board extension have been previously granted. The current extension expires on April 3, 1993. There has been no construction activity on this site. 2. Land Use• The project achieved a score of 56% on the Auto Related and Roadside Commercial Point Chart when it was approved at preliminary on February 27, 1989. The proposal received credit for being on a site at least two acres in size, taking its primary access from a non -arterial street, having contiguity to existing urban development and for joint parking. 3. Design• Generous landscape setbacks are provided along College Avenue and Kensington Drive. Setbacks range from 20 - 40' in width. Street trees, three foot high berming and shrub beds combine to provide low level buffering and visual variety along the public streets. Landscaped islands have been provided interior to the site and approximately 30% of the entire site is in landscaped area. • The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD, One Year Extension - #(1-88C P & Z Meeting March 22, 1993 As approved, the exterior materials of the gasoline service buildings will match other buildings on the property, notably, McDonald's. The buildings will be gray brick and charcoal, accented with colored aluminum door and window frames. Trash enclosures and ground mounted signage will also utilize gray brick. The metal gasoline canopy fascia will be black in color. This same fascia will be used on the retail building and car wash. The columns will be brick to match the retail and car wash structures. At the time of final approval, the tenant for the gasoline use at this site was Amoco. The site has since been sold and purchased by Total Petroleum, which has a predominant color scheme (red and white) that is not consistent with the colors approved. Total Petroleum has submitted an Administrative Change to alter the approved color scheme and signage, as well as minor changes in floor area. Staff has denied the color scheme and signage changes. The consideration of this extension request should occur independently, since the approval of this project could otherwise expire prior to resolution of the other issues. 4. Utilities: The request for an extension has been reviewed by all affected City agencies and outside utilities. The Engineering Department and the Stormwater Utility request that all streets, utilities and drainage improvements be constructed or installed to City standards at the time of construction, including erosion control criteria. If necessary, the utility plans, drainage report and plans, and soils report shall be revised or updated to meet City standards at the time of construction. The Erosion Control Construction Criteria, adopted in 1991, must be adhered to with all new construction. Any revisions or updates to utility plans, drainage report and plans, etc. must be provided to meet current City standards at the time of construction. In addition, no site work can begin until all required plans are revised and approved by the appropriate department and any necessary bonds have been posted. RECOMMENDATION Staff finds that there are no significant issues related to the request for a one-year extension of The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD. The approved plan continues to meet the All Development Criteria of the Land Development Guidance System and meets the criteria of the Auto Related and Roadside Commercial Point Chart. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the one-year extension of The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD, One Year Extension - #1-88C P & Z Meeting March 22, 1993 the final approval of The Gateway at Harmony Road PUD Final, #1- 88C, to April 3, 1994 with the following conditions: 1. All streets, utilities and drainage improvements be constructed or installed to City standards at the time of construction, including erosion control criteria. If necessary, the utility plans, drainage report and plans, and soils report shall be revised or updated to meet City standards at the time of construction. 2. No site work can begin until all required plans are revised and approved by the appropriate department and any necessary bonds have been posted. :� a: ........... ... GAY 0601100 S > Z2 PIA i a r is ew t_ aEsF g 39 t i *L53637- ii:=as'- a u. 7_- L39`l��;Lr.i i6t ::: :.:•5:t2'F 1iL. 1 °iy ga� 3 lit ..Y7 d Soda !rr EN; 3-..-.� Y$ 14 �a I� 7 el C' N F N < y� G W y y C < u VI , 0 MEMORANDUM DATE: March 22, 1989 TO: Planning and Zoning Board FROM: Bob Smith, Stormwater Utility Manager i3f, RE: Review Items in Fossil Creek and Mail Creek In recent months the Planning and Zoning Board has considered development proposals along College Avenue near Fossil Creek and Mail Creek. Neighboring property owners have raised several issues in regard to these development proposals. Specifically, the Homeowners Associations have raised concerns regarding detention requirements in the Fossil Creek basin, and the quality of stormwater runoff. I propose to address each of these concerns. Basin Master Planning The City currently has master plans for nine drainage basins. Two of these plans are being revised to reflect conditions that have changed since the initial master plans were prepared. In addition, one new basin is currently being studied. Basin master planning is based on the balancing of general assumptions and conditions that reflect the specific basin's condition and stormwater management needs. Master plans review the entire basin and make recommendations that address stormwater management issues on a basin wide basis. These master plans are not site specific, but address issues common to the basin and recommend improvements that are tailored to the basin. The recommended improvements address current problems and prevent future problems areas from being created in the most cost effective manner. The improvements are financed through drainage fees paid by developed properties in that basin. Properties outside the City limits do not pay drainage fees. Due to financial constraints, these master plans are not considered all encompassing. Revisions are anticipated as more information is available. Both the Fossil Creek and Mail Creek master plans are no exception to this. We are proposing at this time to revise these master plans to reflect the stability concerns of Mail Creek and Fossil Creek as well as updated hydrological and hydraulic information. The McClellands-Mail Creek drainage basin was studied in 1980 and was one of the first basins in which fees were adopted. The master plan has been updated since its inception in 1980 but did not address the stability concerns. The Fossil Creek master plan was completed in 1982 and was the 235 Mathews • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (303) 221-6589 first master plan in the City to consider stream or bank stability in its scope. This is reflected in the proposal of improvements such as drop structures to control the stream gradient or slope. These facilities and other improvements in the Fossil Creek basin have been incorporated into the current financing plan of Fossil Creek. The developments of Fossil Creek Meadows and Fairway Estates are currently in the County and pay no City drainage fees. Detention Storage An issue raised by the property owners in the area is that no detention storage of runoff water is required in the Fossil Creek basin. The Fossil Creek basin master plan recommends that the detention of runoff does not have a basin wide benefit. There are several factors on which this recommendation is based. Soil conditions in Fossil Creek are such that runoff from undeveloped sites vs developed sites is largely the same. Soils of the basin, in their natural state, allow little infiltration into the soil substructure. Another factor is that several roadway or railroad embankments traverse or dissect the basin. These embankments restrict the flow and cause ponding, in essence acting as regional detention facilities for the basin. Any increase in flows due to development activities is stored upstream of these embankments. Where embankments are identified as overtopping, improvements are proposed in the master plan to eliminate this overtopping and prevent the possible failure of the embankment. Though the master plan recommends no detention storage in the Fossil Creek basin, some developments have been required to provide detention given the conditions of that specific site. These developed areas are located off the stream corridor and the release of undetained flows would have been detrimental to the downstream property owner located between the site and Fossil Creek. Developments in the Fossil Creek basin that have provided detention storage are Fred Schmid, State Farm, Congregation of Living G-D, and Provincetown/Waterchase. It is standard practice for developments along stream corridors to not detain storm runoff, based on the philosophy that it is better to release these waters before upstream runoff reaches the site so flows are not combined, resulting in higher flows. This philosophy of releasing waters from stream side developments is consistent with historic conditions. Water Quality In the area of water quality, two concerns have been raised by the property owners. One is erosion caused by increased flows due to development, and the other is the contaminants that are generated from developed properties. Generally, these are new issues for the Stormwater Utility, but we have begun to address these issues. Recently, EPA published draft regulations in regard to stormwater quality. These draft regulations were published to solicit comments, and EPA is now reviewing those comments and proposes to publish final regulations in the spring of 1990. Currently, the targeted municipalities are those with populations of 100,000 or more. Fort Collins will not be required to officially enter the program until 1992, however, we foresee taking a proactive role and enacting some of the requirements before that time. 9 • City staff is very involved in this issue and is on a state wide task force that was created to develop an effective water quality plan for the state of Colorado. The proposed EPA regulations are not centered on an end -of -pipe treatment process like wastewater, but concentrate on addressing the contaminant source by initiating programs called Best Management Practice (BMP's). A good example of a BMP is the enactment of erosion control standards, while another is the identification and elimination of illicit connections to the drainage system, such as swimming pool discharges and illicit sanitary sewer connections. In the area of erosion control, staff has developed a brochure identifying erosion control practices to mitigate the impacts of land disturbance activities. The Board has received a copy of this brochure, but a copy is also attached for reference. This year, 1989, is slated as a year of education and awareness of erosion control principles and mitigation measures, with formal enactment and enforcement of the criteria slated for 1990. Another aspect of erosion, streambank erosion, is a concern of the property owners. They would like to delay development in this area until the impacts of development on the erosion of Mail Creek and Fossil Creek can be addressed. We disagree with this approach and propose to address the stability of Fossil Creek and Mail Creek on a basin wide basis rather than a site specific basis. It is not appropriate to only address the immediate area of concern, we must look at the stream both upstream and downstream of the site to evaluate all impacts. The stability and instability of the stream is a very complicated issue and needs to be addressed on a well thoughtout and systematic basis. Ideally we would like to: identify historic erosion patterns, evaluate the present situation, predict future erosion problems, and identify what is necessary to mitigate any problem. We will accomplish this through the update of the basin master plan. Areas in agreement with the property owners development will cause base flows to increase over time. This will offset the current flows in Fossil Creek that currently are comprised of storm runoff from developed and undeveloped properties and irrigation flows. Again it is important to address these changing flow patterns. In regard to the contaminants in the runoff, I would like to offer the following. Various testing has taken place in the City, with the most detailed testing taking place on Spring Creek. These test results show that sediment, and nitrates, were the major contaminants of stormwater runoff. Some metals are present but not in large quantities. However, more data is needed in this area. We plan to look into the overall stormwater water quality issue and initiate the steps as are necessary to address it on a City wide basis. Attached for your information is a summary of a runoff study that was in the Denver metro area that was completed in 1983. This three year study cost some $1.4 million and still did not address the total picture of urban runoff and its impact on streams and stream corridors. At the local level, we are proposing two (2) pilot projects with the Carpet Exchange and Gateway at Harmony Road projects involving the installation water quality enhancement facilities and monitoring their success. We see these projects as benefiting the community as a whole and answering questions regarding future needs, and requirements that will be practical and cost effective. A side issue of water quality that the Board should be aware of is the combined efforts of the Stormwater Utility and the Natural Resources Department to incorporate wetland areas into storm drainage facilities. We see these areas as having a water quality enhancement features. However, this is a relatively new idea for the front range and more information is needed that addresses the benefits and impacts. What works on the east coast, where large amounts of data and water are available, may not apply to the drier west. Summary I have attempted to give you a brief overview of very technical topics. The topics are very complicated and admittedly so we at this time don't have all the answers. Overall the Homeowners have raised very good concerns with these proposed developments and which there are no clean cut answers and are issues the City will have to address. Fort Collins has been a leader in the area of stormwater management thru its master planning process and its financial system of paying for needed facilities. We will continue to strive in that proactive role and take the next step to further enhance our stormwater management program by addressing the issues of water quality and stream stability.