HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSU PHEMISTER TRAIL - SITE PLAN ADVISORY REVIEW - SPA230001 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVE
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-6030 6030 Campus Delivery
September 25, 2023
Brandy Bethurem Harras
City of Fort Collins Planning & Development Services
281 North College Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80524
RE: CSU Phemister Trail – SPAR submittal project narrative
Dear Brandy,
The attached SPAR submittal package pertains to the Phemister trail project that will connect the
Prospect Road underpass with a safe, off-road, shared-use trail segment to the Spring Creek Trail.
An alignment for the Phemister trail was originally identified in the CSU master plan as the CSU
Horticulture Center was developed in conjunction with stormwater obligations of the University and City
of Fort Collins for this area.
The simultaneous construction of the Prospect Underpass provided a safer link for the community to
navigate pedestrian and bicycle traffic under the major arterial, Prospect Road but has lacked this last
segment of safe connectivity within the community trail network. Prior to COVID the underpass served
between 500-1750 daily bike and pedestrian trips.
The master plan for the Gardens on Spring Creek (Gardens), a community asset, was also developed
with this future trail segment in mind. Visitors to the Gardens are now provided direct access off of the
Spring Creek trail and into the Gardens with a new enhanced North entry. This entry was placed with
intent to ultimately connect with this trail alignment. The trail will also provide direct access between the
two horticulture resources that are often shared with growing season needs in greenhouses.
Project Intent – The proposed 12’ wide concrete trail, graded to meet ADA requirements and striped to
support 2-way bicycle and pedestrian movement will provide direct, safe connectivity for users of the
Spring creek trail into the larger Fort Collins Centre Avenue bikeway network which provides direct
access to CSU. The southern segment of the trail includes a pedestrian bridge spanning 60’ over Spring
Creek and is the specific subject of this SPAR review.
The project addresses a few key safety concerns that are witnessed daily:
1. Wrong-way riding on Centre Ave. Cyclists often choose to ride within the street bike lane
contraflow to on-coming vehicles. If not in the street, many choose to ride the sidewalks
adjacent to the street, crossing multiple driveways and cross-streets from the sidewalk (This is
the primary documented type of bicycle crash in Fort Collins).
2. During high-water events, the Centre Avenue underpass of the Spring Creek trail is inundated
with high water and is impassible. Cyclists and pedestrians are detoured up to Centre Ave to
make an at grade crossing of a high-volume street that lacks infrastructure to accomplish this
crossing safely. The trail would provide a safer alternative detour around this issue.
As we consider the needs for equitable access in our community, CSU can identify several thousand
students and staff within a ½ mile buffer along the Spring Creek Trail corridor, that could directly benefit
from this infrastructure as well as the community at large. The trail will allow users to access the Spring
Creek Trail without navigating 2 busy arterial streets. Benefactors will include low-income and zero
vehicle households (Often Students), privately owned student apartments, international family housing,
CSU employee households, Federal center employees and daily bicycle commuters utilizing the campus
to commute to their destination along the Center Bikeway and Spring Creek Trail.
Mitigation Strategies - The project will have an impact on a total of 5 trees due to site grading or
clearance required of the bridge that crosses Spring Creek. Trees will be replaced per mitigation
requirements and have been represented in the project landscape plans. Wetlands are also impacted,
disturbed areas will have topsoil replacement and will be restored through seeding measures also
identified on the project landscape plans.
Area of SPAR Review - The area of SPAR review is directly focused on the 140’ segment of the trail and
60’ bridge that passes through Lilac Park and crosses Spring Creek (see Exhibit A). The completeness
of the provided drawings and documents is at a PDP (Project Plan Development submittal) level, well
beyond what has been typically required of CSU in the past to submit as a SPAR for review as it relates to
land use.
Integration with multiple community planning documents – The Phemister Trail has been represented
in multiple planning documents of both the city and CSU and has been reviewed with City Boards and
Commissions in the past. A timeline is as follows:
1. June 2014 - CSU Horticulture Center Informal Conceptual Review
Trail represented in Horticulture Site master plan to City Planning Staff
2. December 2014 -February 2015 - CSU Horticulture Center SPAR– P&Z Approval
Trail represented in Horticulture Site master plan to City Planning Staff, specifically referenced in staff
questions and response by CSU Planning.
3. 2015 - Gardens on Spring Creek Master plan – City Council Approval
Trail represented in Gardens on Spring Creek master plan. North entry of the Garden specifically
built in current location in anticipation of trail.
4. August 2016 - Lilac Park planning - Parks Planning
Parks planning team developed conceptual plan for Lilac Park water quality pond outfall to support
Parks board presentation, P&Z presentation, neighborhood meeting and City Council easement
approval.
5. August 2016 - CSU/ City of Fort Collins Centre Avenue Outfall water quality pond – Parks
Board Presentation
Trail represented in water quality pond design as future trail that was coordinated with Parks
Planning & City Stormwater in the Lilac Park Concept Plan.
6. October 2016 - Centre Avenue Outfall water quality pond – City Council Approval
City Council Approved easement for water quality pond which specifically references future trail to be
built by CSU
7. August - October 2019 - GOCO Trails Grant Application – City of Fort Collins Sponsor - City
Council approval to sponsorship and IGA
Trail represented in master plan to parks planning staff. Gained support from FC Moves, Parks
Planning and ultimately letter of support as sponsor to CSU GOCO grant application. City Council
approval of an IGA for CSU to submit GOCO Application.
The Phemister Trail has been awarded funding from CDOT through the Multimodal Transportation and
Mitigation Options Fund (MMOF) grant. CSU is providing local match via funds from Student
Transportation Fees and a generous donation from the Phemister Family.
Sincerely,
David Hansen, PLA
University Landscape Architect
Facilities Management, Campus Planning
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-6030
Enclosures:
1_Narrative Phemister SPAR Rd1
1_Exhibit A – Phemister SPAR Area Rd1
1_Application Phemister SPAR Rd1
1_Checklist Phemister SPAR Rd1
2_Landscape Plan Phemister SPAR Rd1
2_PIP Phemister SPAR Rd1
4_Utility Plans Phemister SPAR Rd1
5_Drainage Report Phemister SPAR Rd1
6_ECS Phemister SPAR Rd1
6_Geotechnical Phemister SPAR Rd1
6_Existing Tree Inventory Phemister SPAR Rd1
6_Existing Tree Removal Feasibility Letter Phemister SPAR Rd1
6_Existing Tree Removal Plan Phemister SPAR Rd1