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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHAMLET CONDOMINIUMS AT MIRAMONT PUD - PRELIMINARY - 54-87AE - CORRESPONDENCE - STAFF'S PROJECT COMMENTSComm Current City of Fort Collins June 14, 1995 Mr. Mick Aller Aller-Lingle. Architects 748 Whalers Way Building E. Suite 20 Fort Collins,.CO 80525 Dear Mick: ; and Environmental Staff has reviewed the request for the Hamlet at Miramont Preliminary P.U.D. and offers the following comments: 1. The easterly drive cut on Boardwalk Drive should be shifted to the shared property line. The adjacent property will be required to place its curb cut as far west as possible due to the proximity of the Lemay/Boardwalk intersection. Staff will assist in obtaining the necessary access. easement from this property owner. Staff can also assist in writing a. repay agreement for collecting the expense of installing a public improvement on the adjacent property. 2. The sidewalk on Boardwalk should be detached to match existing improvements.. The.walk.may.be four feet wide.. The.parkway strip should be 4.5 feet wide and feature the street trees. As noted, street trees will be kept 40 feet from streetlights. Ornamentals, however, may be planted to within 15 feet of a streetlight. A detached sidewalk may require some regrading of the swale to accommodate a parkway strip. 3. Under Plant Notes, Note #2 should state that trees and shrubs are specified to be kept a minimum distance away from water and sewer lines including services 4. As mentioned previously, this P.U.D. will trigger the completion of the large detention pond across the street. This pond is presently in a temporary condition. The Stormwater Utility will require that this pond be finished up as part of the obligation of this P.U.D. Drainage and Utility Plans should. reflect this requirement. Please. refer to Stormwater comments being provided to RBD under separate cover. 5. The Preliminary Plat indicates the title is "Miramont Third Filing." This title has already been used and cannot be duplicated. It is suggested that the title be Miramont Fourth 281 North College Avenue • P.O.. Box 580 • Fort. Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 FAX (970) 221-6378 • TDD (970) 224-6002 r Filing so the all the Miramont plats can be filed alphabetically in sequence. The P.U.D. can remain "Hamlet at Miramont". 6. The entire parcel will have one address. Mail will be delivered to a cluster box by Unit/Building. Number and Name. The location of the cluster box should be worked out with U.S. Postal Service for ease of delivery and ease of pick up. This mail area should feature a concrete pad and meet the other specifications of the U.S.P.O. There should be some open area around the cluster box. Have you considered a covering for the cluster box? For further information, please contact Mike .Spurgin at the U.S.P.O. 7. Staff is concerned that there is a lack of pedestrian sidewalks and amenities in the project. The internal drives should have an edge that defines a safe place for a pedestrian. Within the given area for hard surface, there should be a four foot wide concrete area. This area could be flush with the asphalt drive but it creates a safe zone for a Pedestrian. Depending on how these internal drives will drain (crown versus inverted), this concrete area could double as a wide drainage pan or sloped to accommodate sheet flow .drainage. This concrete area provides a safe zone that is clearly delineated from the asphalt and alerts the motorist accordingly. Please note that this is not a request to widen. the hard surface already indicated but to treat the edge of the given area with concrete for pedestrian safety. 8. Staff suggests that there be an internal pedestrian path within the greenbelt area behind the community building that runs east to west. This would link six buildings (four six- plexes and two four-plexes) directly with the clubhouse' (Lots 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, and 14). This would be a great way for pedestrians to get to the mail cluster box. This path could be five feet wide and would help establish the clubhouse as a focal point for the project. (It would be helpful to assign building numbers or letters for identification on the P.U.D.) 9. Staff is concerned about the lack of pedestrian connections to the Mail Creek Ditch access road. This area will be an attractive destination for walking and jogging. Concrete paths should.be provided at the ends of the parking drives to take advantage of this amenity. There are three areas where the parking drives dead. end at the ditch. These .areas would. be the logical points to connect the project to the ditch access road. 10. Since the drive aisles are dominated by the garages, landscaping is needed to soften the appearance of the internal street system. It is strongly suggested that deciduous shade trees and ornamental trees be provided along the drive aisles at the front entries and in the little island between_ adjacent garages. As presently shown, there is a lack of landscape materials along the drive aisles creating a very stark, barren feel. For those units gaining front entry along the drive aisles, there is very little "curb appeal". Please investigate other methods of introducing more plant materials along the internal streets. 11. Along Boardwalk Drive, on the south side of the swale, there should be more plant material. At minimum, there should be foundation plantings along all buildings facing Boardwalk. Additional trees and shrubs could be. planted at the top of the swale above the high water line. 12. Staff is concerned about the proximity of two four-plexes (Lots 3 and 4) to Highcastle Drive. The area between these. buildings and the sidewalk should feature landscape materials to soften the two story structures and improve the streetscape along Highcastle Drive. 13. The project does not provide very much guest parking. Will eight parking spaces located at the clubhouse be sufficient for 108 dwelling units? Will visitors know that once they past the clubhouse, there is not surface parking available? Are there opportunities for providing internal guest parking spaces that can be scattered throughout the project? Staff is interested in exploring guest parking options that will make sense. 14. The entry walls off Boardwalk are acceptable. However, please delete references to signage from the P.U.D. as project identification signs are only authorized.if in conformance with the Sign Code. 15. The Residential Density Point Chart that was submitted is now out of date. A. new Point Chart was created last summer at the direction of City Council to implement their "Interim Phasing Criteria". Based on the new chart, the P.U.D. scores only 63 base points plus 9 bonus points for a preliminary estimated total of 72 points. Other bonus points may be. available under criteria k, p, u, and v. You are encouraged to explore gaining points under these bonus criteria. (A significant discrepancy is under criterion j. Staff estimates that only the perimeter along Highcastle Drive is contiguous to existing urban development. The park. is not developed. Therefore., only 13 points were awarded for contiguity,, not 30.) 16. On the architectural elevations, Staff is concerned about the specification for "fiberglass shingles". A windshield survey of Miramont .reveals that the fiberglass shingles that are up are of a high -profile, high-shadowline, series. These shingles are estimated to be 350 to 400 lbs. per square and often come with a 30 to 4.0 year warranty. Such shingles are attractive and durable. The Hamlet should feature fiberglass shingles of no less quality in order to blend in. with the neighborhood. "Ordinary three tab" fiberglass shingles will not be acceptable. Please specify in greater detail the .roofing material so Staff can evaluate the elevations for neighborhood compatibility. 17. Staff.is concerned that there is no brick on the elevations. Is there to be no brick banding along the visible elevations? Since there is so much of the elevation.taken up.by garages, there seems to be a need to dress up the structures with quality materials. Staff suggests that brick be considered for a portion of the elevations that are most visible. 18. The site plan should indicate the future park to the north and the surrounding Miramont filings that have been approved. Also, please provide information regarding the clubhouse (and its parking) under Site Data. At the time of Final, the site plan will need a legal description, ownership signature block with notary, and City approval block. Please provide an approximate scale for the vicinity map. This concludes Staff comments at this time. Please note the following deadlines for the July 24, 19.95 Planning and. Zoning Board hearing: Plan revisions are due July 5, 1995. P.M.T.Is, 10 prints, colored renderings are due July 17, 1995. As always, please call our office to discuss these comments or to set up a meeting with the appropriate Staff to discuss the issues in depth. Sincerely: T Ted Shepard - Senior Planner xc: Linda Ripley, 228 Jefferson Street, Fort Collins, CO. 80524