HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOHLENDER FUNERAL CHAPEL - FDP230011 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - MODIFICATION REQUESTMarch 22, 2022
City of Fort Collins
Current Planning Department
281 North College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Re: Bohlender Funeral Chapel
Please accept this request for a Modification of Standards to Division 4.27(D) Employment
District (E) of the Land Use Code.
Background
This proposal is for a Major Amendment / Final Development Plan for the relocation of the
Bohlender Funeral Chapel from their current downtown location to a vacant building at 3350
Eastbrook Drive. The property is located in the Employment (E) Zone District.
This building will be an owner-occupied facility. Bohlender Funeral Chapel has been a family
owned and operated business in Fort Collins since 1980, and a funeral home in its existing site
since 1930. At this time the Bohlender’ s intention is to continue to own and operate the funeral
home and provide an opportunity for their oldest daughter to become the third generation leading
the business.
This modification request is in accordance with the review procedures set forth in Section
2.8.2(H) of the Land Use Code as follows:
Modification to Division 4.27 Employment District (E) Section D.2.
Code Language: Division 4.27 Section D.2. states the following:
Secondary Uses. All secondary uses shall be integrated both in function and appearance into a
larger employment district development plan that emphasizes primary uses. A secondary use
shall be subject to administrative review or Planning and Zoning Board review as required for
such use in Section 4.27(B). The following permitted uses shall be considered secondary uses in
this zone district and together shall occupy no more than twenty-five (25) percent of the total
gross area of the development plan.
(h) Funeral homes.
Requested Modification: A modification is requested to develop a funeral home use on the
property because the Employment district limits the gross percentage of secondary uses allowed
per each development plan within the district to 25%. The application proposes a secondary use
that consists of 100% of the development plan. The following Exhibit B illustrates the proposed
development plan and degree to which the modification from the standards is made.
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Exhibit A: Existing Development Plan (Value Plastics Office Building)
The 1984-approved development plan shows 19,000 sq. ft. of office space, originally for Value
Plastics offices. This plan represents 100% primary use as described in today’s Land Use Code.
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Exhibit B: Proposed Development Plan (Bohlender Funeral Chapel)
In Exhibit B, 100% of the Development Plan continues to be a secondary use as a funeral home
facility. The intent of this memo is to prove that allowing for the secondary use to deviate from the
district standard si not detrimental to the public good and the proposed plan promotes the general
purpose of the standard equally well or better than a plan which complies with the standard.
Justification
The Land Use Code states that the decision-maker may grant a modification of standards only if it
finds that the granting of this modification of standards would not be detrimental to the public
good, and the plan as submitted will not diverge from the standards of the Land Use Code that
are authorized by this Division to be modified except in a nominal, inconsequential way when
considered from the perspective of the entire development plan, and will continue to advance the
purposes of the Land Use Code as contained in Section 1.2.2.
The applicant offers the following in support of its request for modification:
The Purpose statement from the Employment District states:
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Purpose. The Employment District is intended to provide locations for a variety of
workplaces including light industrial uses, research and development activities,
offices and institutions. This District also is intended to accommodate secondary
uses that complement or support the primary workplace uses, such as hotels,
restaurants, convenience shopping, child care and housing.
It is understood that the intent of 4.27(D)(2) is to ensure that the Employment
District maintains its name as an employment hub within the City of Fort Collins.
For the district to uphold the intent, secondary uses need to be provided within the
district.
To utilize the existing building as a funeral chapel, the applicant requests a
modification to allow for a100% secondary use in the individual development plan.
This request is made having considered the implications of the modification to the
surrounding Employment District, which comprises many separate development
plans, while acknowledging that the twenty-five percent cap of secondary uses
severely limits smaller parcels. If the intent of Sec 4.27(D)(2) is to promote primary
uses (employment) through complimentary and symbiotic uses, the immediate
surroundings and district should be considered for impact to function holistically
and conform as Mixed-Employment District as identified in City Plan. The exhibit
below details a breakdown of the immediate district north of East Horsetooth Road.
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Exhibit C: Employment District Use Study – North of Horsetooth Road
When considering the surrounding Employment District, the intent of LUC Section
4.27(D)(2) is maintained with the modification taken into consideration – as 87.4%
of the District north of Horsetooth would be a primary use and 12.5% of the District
would be considered a secondary use. (please refer to Appendix A for calculation)
The secondary use percentage is significantly less than the twenty-five percent
maximum allowed in Sec. 4.27(D)(2) and the district could benefit from additional
secondary uses. When considering the entirety of the contiguous District, the
intent of the standard is met as 78.13% of the district would be considered a
primary use and 21.8% of the district would be a secondary use. Please see
Exhibit D, below, for the District’s extent and Appendix B for a calculation of the
entire district.
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Exhibit D: Employment District Use Study – Overall District
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Appendix A: Employment District Use Study – North of Horsetooth Road
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Appendix B: Employment District Use Study – Overall District
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