HomeMy WebLinkAboutGATEWAY AT HARMONY ROAD PUD 3RD FILING - AMENDED PRELIMINARY - 1-88E - CORRESPONDENCE - STAFF'S PROJECT COMMENTS (2) — _ Deveinent Services •
Planning Department
City of Fort Collins
r
March 6, 1990
Mr. Steve Smith
Mountain Plains Constructors, Inc.
1708 Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO. 80524
RE: Gateway at Harmony Road, Filing Three, P.U.D.
Dear Steve:
The Planning Staff has reviewed the request for the Gateway at Harmony
Road, Filing Three, P.U.D. (drawing number 2-90) and offers the following
comments:
1. The subdivision plat needs a vicinity map.
2. A sand and oil trap will be required on the sewer service located on the
west side of the site. This trap should be located outside the building.
3. The landscape plan indicates numerous junipers near the water meter pit.
These plants should be kept 4 feet away from the pit.
4. Please be aware that the 1988 U.B.C. requires a fire sprinkler system for
repair garages over 3,000 square feet. Please check with Sheryl Helms of
the Building Inspection Division for complete details on this requirement.
5. There are no architectural elevations provided for the two new uses
(Precision Auto Tune and Meineke Muffler). Elevations should indicate
that the exterior material will match, or be very compatible with the dark
gray brick on McDonalds. Will there be a sign band on the east
elevation? If so, please provide details as to height, length, color, etc.
Please be advised that illuminated awnings are not part of the overall
design concept of the center. All rooftop mechanical equipment should be
screened from view.
6. Please provide a label "Right - In Only" for the arrow at the College
Avenue curb cut.
7. Why eliminate the three large cottonwood trees? It seems that these trees
provide an excellent site amenity. There are no lower branches that
would screen the businesses and the trees could act as a visual landmark.
How many other sites on College Avenue have such a distinctive feature?
It seems shortsighted to cut down three large, mature trees. The Staff
sees no advantage gained by removing the trees and much benefit in
preservation. Please adjust the site plan to preserve these three trees.
There appears to be ample space to design around these trees.
300 LaPorte Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (303) 221-6750
8. It is not clear why 48.6 feet of pavement is needed between the parking
bays. A standard City collector street has 50 feet of pavement and is
designed to handle larger traffic volumes than this site would ever
experience. A standard local street has 36 feet of pavement. Staff
recommends that this parking lot drive aisle be reduced to 24 or 28 feet.
9. With the reduction of the parking lot drive aisle, approximately 20 extra
feet is gained that can be used to add landscaped area in front of the
stores and add some additional area in the rear. The west loading zone
could use a few extra feet so a vehicle does not overhang the drive aisle
while making deliveries.
10. Please delete the auto illustrations as they are not necessary.
11. Please provide information on the P.U.D. detailing the number of parking
spaces and the ratio of parking spaces per thousand square feet of floor
area.
12. The compact space should be assigned as "Employee Parking" and
identified with a raised sign. Are there any other spaces that will be
reserved for employee parking? If so, a reduced dimension may.be used.
Please consult the Parking Lot Development Guide for details.
13. Staff is concerned about the lack of detail on the plan describing how the
vehicular and pedestrian connections match up with the approved P.U.D.'s
on the north and south. For example, is the pedestrian connection to the
south a logical path to McDonalds? Does it connect to anything? The
same holds true on the north with Amoco. Perhaps a second sheet should
be provided that shows how the center all fits together and how the
vehicular and pedestrian circulation work as a whole. Please research
these approved P.U.D.'s and indicate the connections.
14. In reference to the above comment, why is the pedestrian ramp to the
south located in the middle of the building? Shouldn't this be shifted to
the east to align with the sidewalk in front of the building? The site
plan does not demonstrate how these connections work for the three
Filings of the Gateway at Harmony Road P.U.D..
15. The transformer enclosure indicates that access is gained over landscaped
area. Why not provide access from the north via hard surface and
provide a screen wall on the west?
16. Please provide a note on the site plan that all dumpster and the
transformer enclosures will be screened with materials that will match the
exterior of the building.
LANDSCAPE COMMENTS:
17. Add three street trees between the sidewalk and curb. Please indicate
whether or not there are any streetlights in this area. If so, keep the
street tree a minimum of 20 feet away from the pole.
18. Add more evergreens between the sidewalk and the parking lot. A cluster
of spruce or pine would be appropriate. This area measures over 100 feet
in length and three trees are insufficient.
19. Please add trees and shrubs in front of the store. This area could benefit
from clump birch within a well defined shrub bed. Clump birch is
suggested because it allows visibility but is prone to disease. Please feel
free to select any suitable species.
20. Because the ten parking spaces on the south property line are angled,
there are ten triangular patches of landscaped area that measure
approximately 40 square feet each for a total of 400 square feet. Placing
all of these areas in sod could become labor intensive to maintain. Staff
suggests these areas be planted in a variety of shrubs and trees to
eventually cover the planting area and thus reduce overall maintenance.
21. Similarly, the two large islands that frame these ten southerly spaces could
benefit from adding shrubs within well defined shrub beds. Adding
shrub beds will enhance the overall appearance of the site. At present,
the landscape plan looks sparse.
22. Please add the following two notes to the landscape plan:
A. "A free permit must be obtained from the City Forester before any
trees or shrubs as noted on this site plan are planted, pruned, or
removed from the public right-of-way."
B. landscaping must be installed or secured with a letter of credit,
performance bond, or escrow account for 125% of the valuation prior
to issuance of a certificate of occupancy."
SIGNAGE:
23. Please indicate the size of the free-standing monument sign. Preferably, a
sign schematic should be added to the architectural elevation sheet. The
sign should be no larger than that which was approved for Amoco and
McDonalds, approximately 36 square feet.
24. The pedestal should be of the same exterior material as the building.
25. Please indicate, on the elevations, any proposed wall signage. Details
should include the type of sign (individual letters, sign cabinet, etc.) and
the dimensions. Any use of logos or corporate identification color
schemes are counted against the signage allowance. Directional signage
must be less than 4 square feet and not contain any logos or advertising.
26. Please add the following note to the site plan:
"All signs must conform to the Sign Code as well as the
restrictions set forth on this P.U.D."
LIGHTING:
27. Please address the height, location, and type of light fixtures. Lighting
should be down directional and not spill off-site. 90 degree cutoff
luminaire is preferred. A manufacturer's cut sheet should be provided.
28. Please research what was approved for Amoco and McDonalds. Since all
three lots are part of the same center, the light fixtures should be
compatible.
SITE PLAN COMMENTS:
29. Please add street names to the vicinity map so it is legible.
30. Please place the title in the lower right corner. The title should reference
that this is the "Third Filing" and is a "Final P.U.D."
31. Indicate the zoning of all adjacent uses.
32. There are two approval blocks. Please delete one.
33. Please add a notarial block for the owner's signature.
34. Please add a legal description.
PROCESS:
There is a substantial amount of detail that is omitted from the P.U.D.
documents. Consequently, Staff is reluctant to take this to the Planning and
Zoning Board in March as a final P.U.D. It is suggested that the April P & Z
hearing would be a more appropriate time to seek final approval.
Staff recognizes that this project has gone through many renditions and that
the project planner has changed during this period. Despite these upheavals,
Staff is willing to work closely with you on the details of the site plan,
landscape plan, and architectural elevations to bring this project forward.
As always, please call to discuss these comments or to set up a meeting at your
convenience.
Sincerely:
T.,
Ted Shepard
City Planner
cc: Sherry Albertson-Clark, Senior City Planner
Mike Herzig, Development Engineer