HomeMy WebLinkAboutWILLOX FARM - PDP220008 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 5 - PROJECT NARRATIVE
NORTHERNENGINEERING.COM | 970.221.4158
FORT COLLINS | GREELEY 1 | 3
May 30, 2023
RE: WILLOX FARM
SOFT GOLD PARK UTILITY SUMMARY
To whom it may concern:
Background Discussion
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 via additional capacity and redundancy beyond what exists today.
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 around 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. After completing an analysis of each option, it was determined that the sewer connection in Hickory
was the best (and only) option.
Alternatives Analysis
12” Railroad Sewer A - 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.
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Upon determining the potential Hickory 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, an 8” watermain and a combined electric/cable
line, along with a 12’ concrete trail. The utilities are contained within an easement that will allow for required
utility separations and access. The easement is roughly 40ft wide throughout the park and then varies in size on
the southern half of the park property. As currently shown, the utility easement runs north/south through the park
and will be roughly 64,000 sf (1.47 acres). The project proposes 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 with. 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. 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. Other items that will be impacted by construction include the existing parking lot, the existing
concrete trail, and existing storm lines. The existing parking lot will have roughly 10,330 sq. ft. of asphalt and 100
LF of curb and gutter removed and replaced. The existing concrete trail, roughly 3,260 sq. ft., will also be removed
and rebuilt. Lastly, there are existing 8” PVC storm lines that drain the east side of the property to the existing
Magpie Meander Natural Area Pond. These pipes will be extended past the proposed utilities to allow for the same
drainage pattern. NE will continue to work with Stephen Agenbroad, Stormwater Engineering Department, on
how the city would like the existing lines to be modified.
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 utility easement, 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 and would be contained in the existing swale and drainage facilities that already
serve properties to the west. The releases would meet all applicable City requirements for flow rate and water
quality and would be contained within the existing drainage swale. An easement would also be needed for the
stormwater discharge, which is being discussed by the Natural Areas Department internally. Once this easement
has been confirmed, it will be added to the plat and utility plans.
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FORT COLLINS | GREELEY 3 | 3
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.
Amanda Poincelot, EI
Project Engineer