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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIRAMONT PUD, PHASE 3 - PRELIMINARY - 54-87M - CORRESPONDENCE - STAFF'S PROJECT COMMENTSand Environmental Cervices Planning Department March 1, 1994 Mr. Eldon Ward Cityscape Urban Design 3555 Stanford Road, Suite 105 Fort Collins, CO 80525 Dear Eldon: Staff has completed its interdepartmental review of Miramont, Phase Three, Preliminary P.U.D. The following comments are offered: 1. U.S. West cautions that review of these plans should not be construed as a commitment that telephone facilities sufficient to serve this project are presently available. Telephone facilities generally occupy rear lot utility easements, which must be located on terrain which permits trenching operations. Finally, the developer is responsible for provision of all trench, street crossings, and ditch crossings for telephone facilities within the project, and the developer pays up front construction costs for facilities within the development. 2. Columbine Cablevision would like to see the plat designate the following additional easements: A. Side yard easements are requested between Lots 16 and 17 at the end of Rampart Place. B. Easements are requested on the west end of Roma Valley Drive along Mail Creek Lane. C. Side lot easements are requested on the south side of Roma Valley Drive between Lots 13 and 14, and between 24 and 25. D. Rear "lot" easement is requested on the reserved, future right-of-way between. Lots 18 and 19 South of Roma Valley Drive. 3. There is a concern that the Soils Report indicates water was encountered at depths that could interfere with basements and utility construction. However, the map of the borings is incomplete in that it does not cover the area of Phase Three Therefore, it is not possible to determine where subdrains will be needed. 281 North College Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (303) 221-6750 4. Please be forewarned that landscape islands in cul-de-sacs potentially interfere with proper compaction around manholes. This may require additional manholes in the cul-de-sac. 5. The cul-de-sac bulb on Highcastle (Miramont Valley) needs to be necked down at the intersection with Highcastle. 6. Have you considered moving the landscape island in Belvedere Place south, closer to the intersection of Milan Terrace Drive? 7. The transition of Southridge Greens Blvd must accommodate the appropriate design speed and must properly align at the intersection with Lemay Avenue. S. The inside radius of curves in "The Hamlet" must be 20 feet at the flowline. 9. Also in "The Hamlet," the loop street going from 28 feet to 36 feet to 28 feet does not work for such a short loop. This loop should be 36 feet all the way around. 10. The engineering consultant should submit a variance request for the proposed 28 foot wide streets. 11. The ditch company requests that their easement (or right-of- way) be indicated on both side of the ditch. Also, a ditch service road needs to be shown on the north side. It is requested that trees and shrubs not be allowed within the ditch easement. Finally, it appears that lot lines are too close to the ditch easement. The applicant is encouraged to discuss these issues directly with representatives of the ditch company. 12. The following comments are from the Poudre Fire Authority: A. All dwelling units must be within 400 of a fire hydrant capable of delivering a minimum of 1,000 g.p.m., at 20 p.s.i. residual pressure. B. Hamlet Place must be 36 feet wide where houses are on both sides of the street. Hamlet Place on east end can be 28 feet where parking is allowed on one side. C. There is a concern that Highcastle Court and Belvedere Court 'are 28 foot wide streets. The Poudre Fire Authority requires that these be 36 feet. Please contact Mike Pretz, Fire Marshal, regarding these proposed street widths. D. Emergency access at the -end of Roma Valley Drive is not necessary. 13. Staff is. concerned Highcastle Drive is not extended to the property line and merely reserved as "future access." The O.D.P. indicates that there will be a future local street connection to Huntington Hills and Fossil Creek Parkway. This is why the Planning and Zoning Board allowed the Mail Creek Lane connection to be downgraded to a bicycle/pedestrian connection. It remains important to link the three neighborhoods (Fossil Creek Meadows, Huntington Hills, and Miramont) to school, park, shopping, and two arterials. Forcing residents in this area to rely on College, Harmony and Lemay to gain interior access within the square mile section is not good planning. Any discussion regarding not making this connection is premature. 14. The various neighborhoods that make up the Miramont P.U.D. represents one of the largest planned residential areas in the city. The use of curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs, however, creates a problem of internal access that is cumbersome for all but the automobile. While not recommending that we return to the days of a rigid grid layout, the curvilinear pattern does not provide the free and equal access within the neighborhood as a whole as would be found in more traditional layouts. Within the established street, ditch, and creek pattern, a network of bicycle/pedestrian paths should be incorporated so that residents may get. "from here to there" without having to rely on their cars. The curvilinear system can be improved by adding the following: A. Paths should be constructed from the three cul-de-sacs along Lemay out to the arterial sidewalk. This will allow residents to walk to church, -along the ditch, or along the golf course. Please be reminded that the Fossil Creek Trail will cross Lemay down by Paragon Point and Brittany Knolls. B. A path should be constructed from Southridge Greens Blvd. on the south to loop street in "The Hamlet." This path would require a crossing of Mail creek Ditch and allow residents to gain access to the future neighborhood park. As designed, "The Hamlet" turns its back on the balance of the neighborhood and a path would encourage a better mixing of the different housing types. This path also provides excellent circulation due to. the two paths shown .connecting Highcastle Court and Belvedere Court. C. A path should be constructed between Lots 12 and 13 in "Miramont Estates" near the intersection of Belvedere Court and Belvedere Place and connect with Hamlet Place. This path will also require a crossing of Mail Creek Ditch but would allow non -vehicular access to the future park. D. A path should be constructed between the end of Napa Valley Court over to Highcastle Drive. Such a path would allow improved access to the new entry to Werner School. The widths of these paths may vary depending on their length. Generally, paths that are seven to eight feet in width allow two bikes to pass. 15. The- following comments are from the Department of Natural Resources: A. It would be helpful to state the elevation on the contour lines. B. Wetland areas and willow shrub areas along the ditch should be delineated with approximate sizes shown. C. Existing trees should be shown. Please indicate which are to preserved and which are to be removed. These trees are uses as perch sites by bald eagles and ferruginous hawks, species considered significant by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. For those trees that are removed, how will this loss of habitat be mitigated? The C.D.O.W. will assist in evaluating any mitigation plan. D. There are a few prairie -dogs that have moved into the site. Before earth moving, the burrows should be fumigated so that the animals are killed in a more humane manner than by heavy equipment. The City Code requires this. Prior to fumigation, the C.D.O.W. must.check the site for presence of burrowing owls since adjacent properties in the vicinity have been known to support burrowing owls. E. It is recommended that shade trees not be planted along Mail Creek. The creek is used by a rare butterfly that relies on vegetation for egg laying. This vegetation may be impacted by the introduction of new shade -trees. It is also requested that Russian olives be removed from the creek area. This concludes Staff comments at this time. In order to remain on schedule for the March 28, 1994 Planning and Zoning Board meeting, please note the following deadlines: Plan revisions are due March 9, 1994. P.M.T.'s, 10 prints, renderings are due March 21, 1994. Please. feel free to call if there are any questions or concerns regarding these comments or to set up a meeting to discuss these comments in depth. Sincerely: Ted Shepard Senior Planner xc: Joe Frank, Chief Planner Kerrie Ashbeck, Civil Engineer