Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutBLOOM FILING FOUR - PDP230003 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION (2) Filing Four – Public Benefits Agreement Conformance Narrative Fort Collins, CO | January 25, 2023 Filing 4 - Public Benefits Conformance 1. Affordable Housing a. At least 15% of the total dwelling units will be affordable for households earning 80% of AMI or less. A minimum of 240 affordable units will be built (15% of the target 1,600 total units). The requirement for affordable housing applies to the entirety of the Bloom Community. At this time, Filing Four does not include affordable units for rent. Filing Three, adjacent to this Filing, is currently under review by the City and includes a significant amount of affordable housing. b. At least 40 units will be for-sale units and affordable to families earning 80% or less of AMI and will be dispersed throughout the community. Other units will be affordable rental units affordable to households earning 60% of AMI, on average, based on CHFA methodology. Filing 4 is planned to be entirely market-rate for-rent. The developer is committed to meeting and/or exceeding this requirement within Bloom. As part of the development of Filing One, the developer is working with Habitat for Humanity to identify the appropriate timeline and products to meet the 40 for-sale unit requirement. Potentially, up to 10 units within Filing One could be developed by Habitat for Humanity. Additionally, as previously mentioned Filing 3 includes affordable housing. c. All affordable units must have a minimum of a 20-year minimum affordability covenant. This criterion is not directly affected by Filing Four. All affordable housing will comply with the affordability standards in the PBA. d. The PBA establishes multiple ways this could be achieved. Correct, the PBA establishes that affordable units are permitted throughout the entire community. It happens that in this particular phase, Filing Four, no affordable units are being provided. 2. Critical On-Site and Off-Site Public Infrastructure The Phase 1 PDP includes core backbone infrastructure necessary for the development of the project as a whole. Specific infrastructure elements are identified in the PBA and their connection to the PUD is detailed below: a. Fund, design, and construct a pedestrian and vehicular railroad crossing for Greenfields Dr. Bloom Filing One included the right-of-way dedication for Greenfields Drive from Mulberry to Vine, including the ROW that forms the railroad crossing. The approval is moving through the design and approval process as an independent submittal reviewed by the Public Utilities Commission. This crossing will occur independently and as part of future development within the Bloom community. b. Fund design, and construct the Greenfields and Mulberry roundabout The roundabout is included as part of Filing One and will be constructed with the first phase of the Bloom community. c. Contribute to the improvements at Vine and Timberline, with a minimum contribution of $250,000. It is our understanding that these improvements will begin in 2023 and it anticipated this contribution will occur in tandem with that project commencing. Filing 4 - Public Benefits Conformance d. Contribute to the design (or design and construct) of improvements in the median of Mulberry at Greenfields, with a minimum contribution of $800,000. This will be completed with a later phase of development. e. Contribute to the design (or design and construct) of a city entry feature, including landscaping and monumentation, within the area west of Greenfields, south of the frontage road, and north of Mulberry, with a minimum contribution of $500,000. Filing One includes initial landscape design for this parcel and designates where future signage and monumentation will be constructed. The Developer is providing the required contribution. The timing for the development of a City development feature will be at the discretion of the City of Fort Collins. In developing as a landscape parcel, Bloom Filing One Tract HH, the developer is formally forgoing any commercial development parcel, the loss of which meets the agreed upon $1,250,000 value for such development established in the PBA. 3. High-Quality and Smart Growth Elements The Phase 1 PDP includes many of the High-Quality and Smart Growth Elements discussed in the PBA. Below these changes are addressed. a. An increase in density for the LMN areas from the current standard of 4 du/ac This criteria is not applicable as the underlying zoning is MMN for this area of Bloom and is applicable to areas within the community north of Filing Four. b. Alley-loaded access to at least 40% of the total dwelling units All garages provided within Filing Four are alley loaded. To date the approved (or under review) total accounting for this requirement is as follows: Filing Non-Front Load / Alley Access Units Total Units % Alley Access Units One 164 260 43% Two 152 152 100% Three TBD TBD TBD Four 413 413 100% Total 719 825 87% c. Added utility services and raw water dedication Utility services are being extended as required to serve Filing Four. Most major utilities and infrastructure will be put in place as part of the development of Filing One. Raw water dedication requirements will be satisfied prior to construction of Filing Four Phase One. d. Enhanced pedestrian crossings Enhanced pedestrian crossing were developed as part of Filing One on International Boulevard. Future crossing will be developed as areas adjacent to Filing Four are developed. Filing 4 - Public Benefits Conformance e. A central pedestrian-oriented greenway spine through the center of the neighborhood Filing Four includes the extension of the pedestrian parkway from International Boulevard on the north end, all the way to Donella on the south. The Filing Four phase will be a continuation of the major community connection that was established in the PUD with the first phases designed as part of Filings One and Two. f. A secondary bicycle path to provide a more direct route for cyclists Filing Four is filling in tracts created as part of District 2. Withing Filing Four an internal network of streets and walks/trails are provided, further bolstering connectivity throughout Bloom. g. An enhanced east-west greenway to connect the railroad crossing to the Cooper Slough Development in this area of the Bloom community is not proposed as part of this Filing Four development application. This element will be included in future Phases north of the railroad tracks. h. Mixed-use design Filing One, which was approved in the fall of 2022, included multiple single-family home types, including front-loaded homes, small rear-loaded homes, cottages, and ADUs which were proposed in the Housing Strategic Plan and the Land Use Code Audit. Filing Two, currently undergoing final review, is comprised of 8-unit and 20-unit condo buildings. Filing Four is proposing three additional distinct housing types in the 3-story, (32-48 units per building); 4-story (58 units per building) and Townhomes (9 units per building) to add further diversity of housing in Bloom. This increased density will further support the non-residential uses planned for Bloom. i. Neighborhood parks, pocket parks adjacent to the greenway spine, and a commercial center promenade. Filing Four is providing extensive amenities including passive and active areas along the pedestrian parkway, as well as welcoming and accessible connections to more internal amenities planned within Filing Four. All ultimately connect to the greater open space/trail network for the overall Bloom neighborhood. 4. Environmental Sustainability a. One or more Final Plan will include a solar power generation system that will generate, at a minimum, 800 kilowatts. Solar power generation is not currently planned in Filing Four but will be met in other Filings within Bloom. b. Water conservation through a non-potable irrigation system. A non-potable system developed as part of Filing One will be utilized to provide irrigation water to landscape areas in Filing Four. c. Sustainable landscape design, including xeric planting. Filing Four landscape has been designed with sustainability and reduced water use in mind. Extensive use of xeric, native, and plants well suited for the Colorado climate populate the proposed plant palette. A mix of formal and informal design is provided that blends the formality and structure of the more urban layout with natural areas that permeate this part of the City. An extensive integration of pollinator habitat further diversifies the overall design for the neighborhood, doing their part to be more sustainable and further blur the lines between the natural and manmade environment. Filing 4 - Public Benefits Conformance d. Enhanced community resiliency through: • Improvements to Cooper Slough to reduce runoff and lower peak flows through upstream planning and mitigation Filing Four does not provide improvements to Cooper Slough, as any necessary improvements were made as part of Filing One, additional improvements will be made, as applicable with future development applications. • Improvements to Lake Canal to bring it out of the current floodplain Filing Four does not impact the Lake Canal. Filing One included improvements for Lake Canal. The portions of Bloom that are currently within the floodplain will be raised, as required, to remove the developed ground adjacent to the Lake Canal from the floodplain. The Lake Canal cannot be raised and thus will remain in the floodplain. The Cooper Slough floodplain will back up the planned Lake Canal Overflow Channel (a project proposed by the City of Fort Collins) in the future. The Lake Canal Overflow Channel will allow stormwater captured by the Lake Canal, upstream of Bloom, to be safely conveyed to the Cooper Slough. During large flood events on the Cooper Slough; floodwaters may back up the Lake Canal Overflow Channel, over the spillway planned immediately north of the Lake Canal’s Mulberry Street crossing, and subsequently back up the Lake Canal itself. • Landscape architecture designed to support flight distances and migration patterns of applicable pollinators Filing Four carries forth the direction established within the Bloom Pollinator Master Plan created as part of Filing One. This master plan provides guidance for pollinator design within each phase while considering the whole of Bloom. This includes: • Clustering habitats and making sure they are in proximity to each other to encourage ease of travel and use by pollinators; • Placing habitat in areas with good sun exposure; • Use of a diverse palette of pollinator-friendly plants to provide good foundation of habitat that provides continuous blooms in spring, summer, and fall and the implementation of a variety of colors as well that pollinators are attracted to; • Attention to the use of plants that attract a full range of pollinators that live in Colorado or migrate through. Pollinator habitats have been integrated into the overall landscape design theme of the project, improving habitat, and providing food and shelter opportunities.