HomeMy WebLinkAboutWILLOX FARM - PDP220008 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 3 - APPLICANT COMMUNICATION
NORTHERNENGINEERING.COM | 970.221.4158
FORT COLLINS | GREELEY 1 | 2
December 19, 2022
RE: WILLOX FARM
SOFT GOLD PARK UTILITY SUMMARY
To whom it may concern:
The following is intended to provide an explanation of the current request to allow City of Fort Collins Water and
Sewer mains, as well as City of Fort Collins Light & Power facilities, to be run through Soft Gold Park. These
utilities would directly serve the Willox Farm project, and they would also provide improved service to the
adjacent properties by provided additional capacity and redundancy beyond what exists today. While these
service lines will improve service to the larger area, the project team understands that the installation of utility
mains through park areas is not preferred by City of Fort Collins staff. As such, the Willox Farm team analyzed
numerous alternatives to the current approach.
In general, the sewer connection is the most constrained utility due to the gravity flow that a sewer requires for
flow. As such, we focused our attention to where a sewer connection could be made. Northern Engineering
originally contacted City of Fort Collins staff in August 2018 and acquired information on the existing utility
facilities in the area of the project site. That information showed that there is an existing 12” sewer that runs
along the railroad tracks to the east, another 12” sewer in Shields Street to the west, and a 12” sewer in Hickory
Street to the south.
12” Railroad Sewer
The 12” Railroad Sewer provides the ability to connect relatively close to the project site and was quickly the
preferred option. Unfortunately, the inverts on this sewer were not very deep and the point of connection is on
the north end of the project site (the uphill side), which only allowed for a small portion of the project area to be
sewered. Additionally, this option did not provide an option for a waterline connection to create a waterline
loop for redundancy, nor did it provide an opportunity to provide a similar electrical connection. With these
considerations, the option was ruled out.
12” Shields Sewer
The Shields Sewer is located approximately ½ mile west of the project site. A connection to this sewer main was
considered but was ultimately rejected due to the sewer main inverts being too high for a connection from the
project site. Similar to the railroad sewer option, the Shields option also did not provide the needed water and
electric looping that is needed for the project.
12” Hickory Sewer
The Hickory Sewer is located approximately ¼ mile south of the project site. The sewer inverts are low enough
for a gravity connection from the project site – barely. Further analysis of this connection showed that it had
many issues to deal with, including: traversing a City park (Soft Gold Park); crossing an existing 36” waterline
that serves Budweiser; crossing an existing 30” storm drain and crossing an existing 8” waterline. In addition to
the numerous crossings, the proposed connection would have extremely minimal cover (+/-4’ in several
locations) and would need to get through the existing park facilities. On the positive side for this option, the
sewer connection could be made using a gravity flow and was routed through mostly open space. This option
was also able to provide the required waterline and electrical connections to create redundant looping that is
needed. Taken together, this option was determined to be not only the best option, but the only option, to
provide sewer to the project site.
NORTHERNENGINEERING.COM | 970.221.4158
FORT COLLINS | GREELEY 2 | 2
Upon determining the potential sewer option was feasible, the project team engaged with City of Fort Collins
staff to determine if the connection could be made and if so, what would be needed from a process standpoint.
A Concept Plan application was made to the City, and several follow up meetings were held with City staff in
2019 and 2020 to discuss the sewer connection. The original route that was proposed placed the sewer main on
the east side of the park. This was done because the existing grades in that part of the park are higher and
provided more cover over the sewer main. Some departments within the City agreed with this alignment, but
others felt that a route to the west would be better. In December 2021, this western path was presented to City
staff, including Parks and Utilities.
Currently, the western sewer route includes a 12” sewer main, a 12” watermain and a combined electric/cable
line, along with a 10’ concrete trail. All of these features are contained within a 40’ easement that will allow for
required utility separations. The project proposed to limit the areas of disturbance to this corridor and will
return the surface to a condition equal to or better than what was there to begin. The easement will have
standard restrictions within the limits, which precludes large trees within the easement and prevents
“permanent” structures from being built in the easement. Generally speaking, this means structures with
foundations cannot be placed in the easement. Sidewalks, ornamental trees, grasses, etc. are all still allowed
within the easement. Other utilities, including irrigation lines, can cross the easement. It is generally preferred
that the utilities cross perpendicular to the mains.
While the sewer is being built to serve areas north of Soft Gold Park, a sewer service is proposed for the existing
bathroom structure that will connect to the new sewer main and improve the function of the building and
reduce maintenance costs. After installation and revegetation are completed, impacts to the park are expected
to be minimal. Should maintenance be needed, the concrete trail is intended to allow vehicles to access the line
with minimal impacts to the adjacent park surfaces.
In addition to the more visible utility connections through the park, the project is also proposing a stormwater
discharge into an existing swale. This connection would be made on City property in the northwest corner of the
Soft Gold property. The release rate is approximately 6.6 cfs. The releases would meet all applicable City
requirements for flow rate and water quality and would be contained within the existing drainage swale.
We hope that this letter addresses some of the history of the project and provides clarification on why the
current solution is being pursued. If there are additional questions about anything discussed here, or that arise
down the road, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
NORTHERN ENGINEERING SERVICES, INC.
Andy Reese
Vice-President/Director of Land Development