HomeMy WebLinkAboutHOUSKA AUTOMOTIVE REZONE - REZ150001 - REPORTS - REZONING RELATED DOCUMENTAgenda Item 12
�
STAFF
Clark Mapes, City Planner
SUBJECT
Public Hearing and First Reading of Ordinance No. 133, 2015, Amending the Zoning Map of the City of Fort
Collins by Changing the Zoning Classification for that Certain Property Known as tfie Houska Automotive
Re.zoning.
EXECUTNE SUMMARY
The purpose of this item is to rezone one parcel of land, 1005 Riverside Drive, near the southwest comer of
the Rivers.ide Drive and Lemay Avenue intersection. Existing zoning is N-C, Neighborhood Comm�rcial
District: Proposed zoning is C-L, Limited Commercial District. The parcel is 2.5 acres in size and is currently
vacant.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
_ __ _
Staff recommends adoption of the Ordinance on First Reading.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
1967 Original annexation and zoning. In 1967, the property was annexed as part of the Lemay Annexation,
and zoned General Industrial, along with the rest of the Riverside corridor extending from Lemay Avenue to
Mountain Avenue. This also included Lemay Avenue fron#age al.ong the a.rea that now com. prises the
Albertson's shopping center at the comer of Riverside Drive and Lemay Avenue.
The General Industrial zoning allowed a whole range of industrial uses. On the prope�ty in question, Flatiron
Paving Company operated a concrete batch plant that was later closed and removed.
1991 Rezoning to C-L. In 1991, the property was rezoned into a newly written zoning district called the C-L,
Limited Commercial District as a follow up action of the 1986 East Side Neighborhood Plan. C-L zoning was
applied to the whole south side of Riverside Drive from Lemay Avenue to Mquntain AVenue, replacing the
o.rigin.al General Industrial zoning. That C-L zoning is sfill in place along Riverside except for the subject
property.
GL zoning reflects the realities of vehicle-related uses th.at fro.nt onto Riverside Drive, allowing a wide range of
commercial and vehicle-related uses. Attachment 5, Pertinent Zoning Information, provides a comparison of
the purposes and permitted uses in the current N-C District and the proposed GL District.
1997 Rezoning to N-C. As noted previously, fhe subject property was rezoned to N-C, Neighborhood
Coinmercial District, in conjunction .with the new City Plan in 1997.
That designation was new in 1997 as a prominent topic in City Plan. It represents goals for mixed-use
supermarket-anchored activity centers to be walkable focal points for surrounding neighborhoods. It envisions
an integrally connected pattem of streets and blocks offering access other than arterial streets.
Item # 12 Page 1
Agenda Item 12
Those goals were translated into a new City Structure Plan map — a diagram of long-term land use and
transportation pattems within the Growth Management Area. The City Sfrwcture Plan map now serves as fhe
primary basis for zoning decisions.
The Structure Plan map placed the Neighborhood Commercial District designation on the existing Albertsons
shopping center, but with notation as an existing center that would not neoessarily be eonsistent with the City
Plan goals and principles. In such situations, the designation is considered aspirational as a guide to possible
future redevelopment.
City Structure Plan Guidance for Zoning
As noted previously, the City Structure Plan map serVes as the primary basis for zoning decisions. The map
does not acfually depict the subject property as part of the Neighborhood Commercial District; rather, the
property'is depicted as part of the commercial corridor along Riverside, as it had previously been designated
since original annexation and zoning.
The 1997 City Structure Plan map was originally intended to be a so.mewhat general guide, with exact zoning
of specifc properties to be determined at the time of zoning based on detailed interpretation of City Plan
polieies and unique conditions on the ground. The map has since evolved to become more parcel-specific in
its depiction of the desired land use pattem.
Because of the way the subject property is depicted, fhe rezoning request is more consistent with the map than
#he curren.t N-C zoning, A zoomed-in view of the City Structure Plan map is provided as Attachment 4.
Surrounding Zoning and Land Uses
Surrounding zoning an.d land uses are as follows:
A number of ma.in considerafions underlie staff findings in support of the request:
• The property is not critical for development as an additional component of this Neighborhood Gommercial
District because it is functionally disconnected from the residential neighborhood to the south and west by
industrial land uses. It is orie.nted to Riverside Drive, an arterial sfreet, with little opportunity to be well-
integrated into a neighborhood pattern of streets, bl.ocks, and walkways I.eading to the shopping cenfer.
Existin. g d.evelop.ment in the area was done prior to the N-C designation and is not atigned with the
purpose and policies for N-C districts:
e The extension of C-L zoning can be compatible with existing surrounding vehicle-rel.ated uses including the
truck I.oading and service area of the abutting shopping center.
s A.ccess to #he property is highly constrained, and the zoning would support. the feasibility of cross-acsess
with adjacent properties in the GL zone to the west. This rezoning request is on behalf of owners of the
property adjacent to the west, who operate an auto repair complex and desire to expand their operation,
with a shared single access point on Riverside Drive. This is a crucial consideration because several
Item # 12 Page 2
Summary of Staff Evaluation
Agenda 6�em 92
development proposals since 1997 have been thwa.rted by the highly constra.ined access on Riverside
Drive.
• Access constraints on Riverside Drive are a key consideration. Since 1997, a number of development
proposals have been brought forward under the N-C zoning, for various retail or medical office uses
consistent with the N-C zoning. None were able to proceed. In addition to Veh..icular access li:m.itations on
Riverside Drive, the ownership of adjacent shopping center property has precluded cross access wifh fhe
shopping center.
• The rezoning would retum the property to zoning that existed on the property prior to 1997. In 1997, a
citywide rezoning was approved by City Council in conjunction with the new comprehensive plan known as
City Plan. The subject property was placed into the new Neighborhood Commercial District along with the
pre-existing Albertsons Shopping Center properties at that time.
• The rezoning is consistent with the City Structure Plan map.
Requlred Findings to Approve the Reaoning Request
In order to recommend apprqval of this propos.al, City Council would have to find that the rezoning is::
(a) consistent with the City's Gomprehensive Plan; and/or
(b) warranted by c.hanged conditions within #he neighborhood surroundi.ng a.nd includ.ing fhe subject prope:rty."
The above criteria are found in subsection 2.9.4[M][2] of the Land Use Code, which defines mandatory
requirements for rezonings. In addition, the following subsection 2:9.4[H][3] lists other factors that may be
considered along with the mandatory requirements for this type of rezoning, as follows:
"In determining whether to recommend approval of any such proposed amendment, the Planning and
Zoning Board and Gity Gouncil may consider the following additional factors:
w.hether and the extent to which the proposed amendment is compatible with exis#ing and proposed
uses surrounding the subject land, and is the appropriate zone district for the land;
whether and the extent to which the proposed amendment would result in signficantly adverse
impacts on the nafural environment, including but not lim.ited to, water, air, noise, stormwater
management, wildlife, vegetation, wetlands and fhe natural environment'; and
whether and the extent to which the proposed amendment would result in a logical and orderly
development pattem.°
Staff Findings
After reviewing the Houska Rezoning request, staff makes the following findings of fact:
1. The rezoning is consistent with the Cit�s Comprehensive Plan based on the �ity Structure Plan map
designation, the lack of interconnectivity with surrounding neighborhoods or neigh6orhood comme.rcial
uses as enyisioned under 4he cu.rrent N-C zoning, and the orientation to the Riverside Drive commercial
corridor.
2. Conditions have changed in the neighborhood to warrant the rezoning, particularly the history of proposals
to develop the property with N-C uses, which provides a body of new information regarding access
constraints; and the growth of the automotive service center abutting the property, which has created the
opportunity for that use to expand onto the subject property with crucial cross access.
Item # 12 Page 3
Agenda Item '2
3. The rezoning is compatible with existing and proposed uses, particula�iy the automotive cen.ter nezt door,
the rear service area of the adjacent shopping center, existing vehicle sforage uses to the south and west,
and the Riverside comdor overalL
4. The rezoning will have no adverse effects on the natural environment because there are no wetlands,
significant vegetation, habitats, or other sensitive environmental conditions on the property or otherwise
affected by the change in zoning from one commercial designation to another.
5. The proposed rezoning would result in a logical and orderly pattem because it fits with the established,
long-standing pattem of service commercial-type land uses along Riverside Drive, and it creates the
opportunity for coordination ofi an efficient auto-related service oomplex with shared access being a crucial
consideration.
CITY FINANCIAL IMPACTS
Staff fnds no direet financial or economic impacts resulting from the proposed rezoning of 2.5 acres from one
type of co .mmercial dis#rict to another. The proposed GL zoning is more likely to result in development due to
the increased ability to overcome access constraints which have thwarted development under the current N-C
designation. Development in the C-L zone will likely result in the c�eation of technical jobs associated with the
growing automotive cente� to the west, which is under the same oVmership as the subject property.
BOARD / COMMISSION RECOMMEMDATION
_ _
On Septembe.r 1.0, 2Q15, the Pl.anning and Zoning Board voted unanimously to recommend City Council
approval of �the proposed rezoning on the Board's Consent Agenda. The Board requested that the item be
placed on the Consent Agenda, with no discussion.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
A neighborhood meeting was held on August 20, 2015. Mailings were sent for the Neighborhood Meeting and
for the Planning and Zoning Board hearing. No cifizens atten.ded; No kn..own controversy or neighborhood
impacts are involved with the rezoning.
ATTACHMEiVTS
1. Rezoning Request (PDF)
2. Existing zoning (PDF)
3. Proposed zoning (PDF)
4. City Structure Plan Detail of Site (PDF)
5. Land Use Code Pertinent Excerpts (PDF)
Item # 12 Page 4
Houslca Regoreing - /�pplicant Justification
ATTACHMENT 1
land planning e landscape architecture m urban design e entitlement
August 25, 2015
��ZOIlIIl� ��Cgi1�St m 1005 �verside Avenue
This is a Rezoning Request for 2.49 acres located at 1005 Riverside Avenue.
The property is currently zoned Neighborhood Commercial (NC) District and
received this designation in 1997 when City Plan was first adopted and the entire
City was given new zoning designations as part of that broad scale planning
effort. The property was and is adjacent to Riverside Shopping Center and it was
logically assumed at the time that the property would ultimately be developed
with retail uses and become part of the shopping center.
Now eighteen years later, the property remains vacant despite numerous
attempts at developing the property with neighborhood commercial uses. A
variety of constraints make it difficult to develop the property:
• The site is triangular shape which makes it inefficient for many uses.
• The shopping center has an east facing orientation, while this site faces to
the north. This makes it difficult to create any kind meaningful connection
to the rest of the shopping center.
e Access to the property is from Riverside Avenue, where getting adequate
turning movements is difficult. Traffic continues to increase along
Riverside Avenue and the right-of-way is constrained making it difficult to
add a center turn lane.
Houska Automotive, a local family owned business since 1952, recently
expanded from its location at 899 Riverside. With the addition of the Houska Tire
and Oil Service at 901 Riverside in 2013 the Houska property is now adjacent to
the subject property at 1005 Riverside Avenue. Dennis Houska would like to
expand his automotive eenter further to include a repair service and other auto-
related uses on the adjacent property. Since automotive uses of this type are not
allowed in the NC District, a rezoning of the property to Limited Commercial (CL)
to match the other properties along Riverside Avenue is required.
Thinking outside of the box for ove? two decades.
419 Canyon Ave. Suite 200 ■ Fort Collins, CO 80521 s tel. 970.224.5828 ■ fax 970.224.1662 e
www.ripleydesigni nc,com
l�ezoning .Tustifcation
The Land Use Code outlines the procedures and criteria for rezoning:
Land Use Code Section 2.9.4 -Text and Map Amendment Review Procedures
(G)(2) IVlandatory Requirements for Quasi judicial Zonings or Rezonings.
Any amendment to the Zoning Map involving the zoning or rezoning
of six hundred forty (640) acres of land or less (a quasi judicial
rezoning) shall be recommended for approval by the Pianning and
Zoning Board or approved by the Gity Council only if the proposed
amendment is:
(a) consistent with the City's Comprehensive Plan; and/or
The change in zoning is consistent with City Plan and supported by the following
Principles and Policies:
Economic Health
The proposed rezoning will help to create diverse jobs, and support an
innovative, entrepreneurial atmosphere by allowing the expansion of an already
successful automotive center. Houska Automotive is already a community leader
in creating collaboration and partnerships with educational institutions and other
organizations, by providing internships and training for students interested in
automotive careers. Theyalso provide Women's Car Clinics twice a year for the
general public and also offer a class through Project Self-Sufficiency, a local non-
profit agency. �
Communitv_and Neiqhborhood Livability
The proposed expansion of the Houska automotive center creates a compact
pattern of development; it represenfis quality infill development, and will add to an
already attractive activity center,. all conveniently located for neighborhood
residents without negatively impacting them.
(b) warranted by changed conditions within the neighborhood surrounding
and including the subject property.
The growth of the Houska automotive services and related uses together with the
opportunity to expand and create additional compatible and related uses within a
well defined, attractive center represents a change from what existed in 1997,
when the dividing line between NC and CL zone d_istricts was originally
established.
(3) Additional Considerations for Quasi-Judicial Zonings or Rezonings. In
determining whether to recommend approval of any sueh proposed
Thinking outside of the box for over two decades.
401 W. Mountain Ave.; Suite 100 ■ Fort Collins, CO 80521 e tel. 970.224.5828 e fax 970:224.1662 s
www. ri p leydes ig n i n c.com
amendment, the P/anning and Zoning Board and City Council may
consider the following additional factors:
(a) whether and the extent to which the proposed amendment is
compatible with existing and proposed uses surrounding the
subject land and is the appropriate zone district for the /and;
(b) whether and the exfent to which the proposed amendment wouid
resu/t in significantly adverse impacts on the natural environment,
including, but not limited to, water, air, noise, stormwater
management, wildlife, vegetation, wet/ands and the natural
functioning of the environment;
(c) whether and the extent to which the proposed amendment would
result in a logical and orderly development pattern.
The uses proposed for the property to be rezoned represent an expansion of auto-
related uses already existing in the Houska Automotive center. Auto repair,
servicing, tire sales, oil change service and auto parts sales already exist in the
center. The expansion would include repair, servicing, and other auto-related uses.
The rezone would not result in any significant adverse impacts on the natural
environment. The proposed uses would meet the City's standards for water, storm
water, and noise and air quality. There are no wetlands, significant vegetation or
wildlife habitats on the property.
Lastly, the proposed amendment would result in a logical and orderly development
pattern with a variety of auto-related uses being grouped together providing
operational efficiency as well as superior and convenient customer service.
Thinking outside of ihe box for over two decades.
401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 100 e Fort Collins, CO 80521 e tel. 970224.5828 ■ fax 970.224.1662 ■
www. ripleydesigni nc.com
. ' Cit� o�
' �'�rt ��llins
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REZOIVING PETITION
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To the City Council of the City of Fort Collins, Golorado.
I, the undersigned, do hereby respectfully petition and request that the City Council amend the zoning
ordinance of the City of Fort Collins by changing the zoning of the hereinafter described parcel, containing
2.49acres, more or less, from Neighborhood Commercial (NC) pistrict to Limited Commercial (CL) District:
A traet of land sifuated in the Northeast of Section 13, Township 7 North, Range 69 West of the 6th R:M.; City of Fort
Collins, County of Larimer, State of Colorado, which considering the EasY line of the said Northeast 1/4 of said Section
13 as bearing North 00°25' East and with all bearings contained herein relative thereto, is contained within the
boundary lines which BEGIN at a point on the existing South right-of-way line of Riverside Avenue which bears
North 00°25' East 1,319.93 feet to the North 1/16 corner on the East line of said Section 13 and Again North 48°54'
V11est 403.05 feet, and Agaicn South 01°04'36" West-35.64 feet from the East 1/4 corner of said Section 13, and run
Thence South 01 °04'36`' West 183.71 feet; Thence North 89°31 '24" West 331.40 feet; Thence North 00°35`36" East
468.81 feet to fhe existing South right-of-way line of Riverside Avenue; Thence along said right-of-way Soufh 48°54'
East 437.90 feet to the Point of Beginning. County of Larimer, State of Colorado, measuring 2.49 aeres, more or less.
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Respectfuliy submitted,
State of Colorado
Counfy of Larimer
� ' JOAN M CHASE
NOTARY PUBUC
� SS. STATE OF COLORADO
� NOTARY ID # 20044025369
MY COMMISSION EXPIRES AUGUST 02, 2018
The forgoing instrument was acknowledge before me this�day of S(,�YZ� , 201� ,
BY �o,,r r�.► S�,no�,. for the purpose therein set forth.
My commission expires� �� �g-}� �, 02 b( lo_
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Not ry ublic
Please return to the City of Fort Collins Community Development and Neighborhood Services Department.
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