HomeMy WebLinkAboutSNOW RIDGE APARTMENTS - FDP240003 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - Project NarrativeMINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES.
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RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521
Snow Ridge Apartments
Final Development Plan | Project Narrative
04.03.2024
Past Meeting Dates
Conceptual Review Meeting* : 05.18.2023
Neighborhood Meeting: N/A - was not required per CDR230036.
Type 1 Hearing held: 03.04.2024 - Approved: 03.11.2024
*Conceptual review project name: Multifamily at 1509 S Shields
Existing and Proposed Ownership
The subject property located at 1509 S Shields Street is currently owned by Matthew
Deault. Mr Deault is a Fort Collins local and residential real estate renovator with
experience in Northern Colorado. It is the intent of Mr. Deault to continue ownership
of the multifamily development; he is exploring management options for the
development.
Overview and Background
The applicant is proposing to utilize the existing zoning district: Neighborhood
Conservation, Buffer District – to develop a multifamily building comprised of eight (8)
apartments. In total, the eight dwelling units are proposed to be rented at market
rate. The 0.67-acre development will be within the allowable density and height
requirements of the zoning district. As with many infill projects, the proposed
development will be replatted to align with the design intent and guidance prescribed
in the Fort Collins Land Use Code. Right-of-way will also be dedicated along S Shields
Street to follow standards for a 4-Lane Modified Arterial Street found in the Larimer
County Urban Area Street Standards. The site is within the Transit-Oriented
Development Overlay Zone; the project provides eight vehicular parking spaces (eight
spaces are required per LUC Sec. 3.2.2(K)(1)(a)(1)). There are no modifications with this
project. The City previously determined that the existing structure is not landmark
eligible.
Current Site Conditions
The existing site is roughly 0.67-acres and consists of one parcel located directly West
MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES.
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RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521
of S Shields Street and is approximately 300-ft north of W Prospect Road. The site
currently has a single-family detached home on the property and mature tree canopy
exists in the rear yard of the lot. Single-family detached homes border the property to
the north, south, and west. The northern and southern parcels are zoned as
Neighborhood Conservation, Buffer District. The western property is zoned as Low-
Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood District. Colorado State University is within the
vicinity across Shields Street. Bennett Elementary School is located northwest of site.
Site Access and Circulation
For the proposed multifamily project, vehicular access will come from one access
point along South Shields Street. This access point will come from the southern
portion of the property and will align with the existing street grid (Summer Street) east
of Shields. The proposed development would remove one access point along Shields
– currently, there is a northern and southern driveway access.
As part of the Transit-Oriented Development Overlay Zone, the project is subject to
the TOD vehicular parking minimums which require a total of eight parking spaces for
the one, three-bedroom unit, four, two-bedroom units and three, one-bedroom units
proposed. The eight vehicular parking spaces provided are located toward the rear of
the site, away from public right-of-way. Due to the fourteen bedrooms proposed with
the project, fourteen bicycle parking spaces are required. Eight of these bike parking
spaces are enclosed, located within the primary entry vestibule to the development –
where mailboxes and storage are also adjacent. Additional bike parking is in the form
of a fixed rack located between the multifamily building and public right-of-way.
Pedestrian access will be achieved through a highly articulated sidewalk connection
from Shields Street. This connection will be an easy and accessible path for
pedestrians to move from public right-of-way to the primary entrance on the front
façade of the development. Lighting and landscaping will be utilized to articulate this
walkway. A fixed rack for bicycle parking is proposed along the walk for tenants and
their visitors to quickly park their bikes before heading into the building. Once
through the entry vestibule, the majority of units orient toward the proposed
courtyard, creating a shared amenity space.
MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES.
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RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521
Site Design
The site design for Snow Ridge Apartments includes the vision of compact
development that is sensitive to the intent of the N-C-B District and adjacent land
uses. The proposed multifamily building follows the contextual setback of Shields
Street. The development will utilize the proposed architectural programming to
create an amenity courtyard that the majority of unit entrances open to. Potential
programming for the amenity courtyard includes seating, BBQ, and fire pit. Other
open space on site will be used for stormwater detention, landscaping and lawn
space for tenant use. Open space areas are to be planted with trees, shrubs,
ornamental and native grasses to increase the biodiversity and aesthetic quality of the
development. There is also a proposed pollinator garden onsite as a way to diversify
the landscape that is beautiful and resilient.
Architectural Design
The project includes a total of eight units containing one-bedroom, two-bedroom,
and three-bedroom apartments. The project proposes a six-unit addition to the
existing structure. The existing structure was built with a mid-century modern feel and
the exterior was recently refreshed with a black and white color scheme. The
architecture design is limited to two stories and the addition is topped with low-
pitched roofs matching the existing home. The same color scheme ties them together
as a single multi-family structure. The common main entry facing Shields Street
includes a landscaped entry walk, a covered porch entry, large address numbers, and
a glassed storefront entry.
Inside this common area are mailboxes, safe bicycle storage, and storage lockers for
the residents. The new individual unit entries are all weather protected either by roof
or within a tempered space. Pedestrian movement flows from Shields Street to the
main entry, through the common vestibule area, and into the common courtyard area
where there is easy access to all eight units and the rear parking area.
There is a change in unit mix compared to what was approved with the PDP;
specifically the change is to the units located in the existing structure on the property.
The lower unit will now be (1) bedroom instead of (2), and the upper unit will be (3)
bedrooms instead of (2). This is necessary after realizing that having (2) bedrooms in
the lower unit was going to be unfeasible because of the head height requirement for
R2 occupancy. There was enough space on the upper unit to accommodate a third
MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES.
o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com
RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521
bedroom. There will be no alterations to the current architectural design other than
replacing a door with an egress window in the third bedroom on the upper unit. The
total number of (8) units and (14) bedrooms will remain the same and the parking
requirements will remain the same. It is the applicant’s understanding that this revision
to unit mix does not change the character of the project that was approved with the
PDP.
Compatibility
The intent of the Neighborhood Conservation, Buffer District (N-C-B) is to provide a
transition between residential neighborhoods and more intensive high traffic zones
that have been designated in accordance with an adopted subarea plan. Having
multifamily adjacent to Shields allows for a higher density residential product to help
buffer the noise/ intensity of the arterial road. The proposed multifamily building is
also setback 60’-0” from the new right-of-way to comply with the historic contextual
setback of Shields Street.
As discussed above in the Architectural Design section, the proposed multifamily
building utilizes the existing single-family detached structure as the primary building
frontage facing Shields. The addition is added to the rear of the existing building and
exhibits complimentary architecture to the existing structure. The massing of the
proposed addition does not exceed two stories, thus creating compatibility to the
existing building and adjacent single-family detached homes located within the
vicinity.
Stormwater Strategy
The site will be increasing imperviousness by approximately 8,335 sf. As such LID
measures and detention are required to meet the City’s stormwater discharge
standards. LID measures will be provided in rain gardens near the discharge locations
from impervious areas. Where necessary to meet the LID requirements and offset
impervious areas, pervious pavers will be implemented. Detention will be provided
downstream of the LID measures and discharged to Shields Avenue at the 2-year
historic rate for all new impervious areas. Runoff from upstream properties will be
passed through the site without detention.
Previous Development Applications Associated with the FDP
• Multifamily at 1509 S Shields, CDR230036 (2023)
• Snow Ridge Apartments, PDP230014