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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMONTAVA - PHASE D CORE - BDR240006 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - Project Narrative 1 Basic Development Review - Project Information and Design Narrative Montava Phase D Core and Irrigation Pond ________________________________________________________________ ____________ ____________________________________________________________________________ We are pleased to submit our Basic Development Review application for Montava Phase D Core and the Irrigation Pond. This application is subject to and consistent with the Montava PUD Master Plan, the Montava PUD Overlay and the Montava PUD Master Development Agreement approved by the City in 2020. Phase D Bifurcation and Timeline As described in our Conceptual Review meeting on March 21, 2024, in several meetings with the City Executive Committee for Montava and City Planners, and further solidified following our Preliminary Design Review meeting on April 3, 2024, we have bifurcated Phase D and are seeking approval for this phase in two separate BDR submittals: this Phase D Core and Irrigation Pond plan, and a future Phase D “Infrastructure” plan. Each of the two submittals has its own distinct submittal/approval timeline and will be designed to be completely functionally independent of any other submittals. The future Phase D “Infrastructure” plan will be the next BDR application that Montava completes following the Phase D Core and Irrigation Pond plan. The “Infrastructure” plan will focus primarily on 1) street and intersection enhancements that increase multi-modal transportation circulation within Phase D and, 2) emphasizing the sense of arrival to Montava at the primary Giddings Road entrance at Maple Hill. Once we’ve received BDR Round 1 comment from The City for this Phase D Core and Irrigation Pond plan, we will submit a draft Development Agreement which establishes development triggers and/or milestones that inform the timing and implementation of the “Infrastructure” plan, including any building permit holdbacks. Prior to receiving comments from the City, we expect to organize a design charrette for the Giddings and Maple Hill intersection and solidify the scope for other items withing the “Infrastructure” plan, including: (i) the green space/ drainage channel along the northern border of Phase D (ii) the portion of Maple Hill Road that abuts the green space/ drainage channel along the northern border of Phase D including (iii) the Maple Hill roundabout,( iv) the tract for future development near the Giddings/Montava Avenue intersection. With the collaborative partnership between the City, Montava Development & Construction LLC, and our committed design and engineering teams, we have organized around this Phase D Core and Irrigation Pond plan being approved in no more than 3 submittals, allowing us to get Director approval by early November, if not sooner, and get shovels in the ground by year end. 2 Phase D Summary Phase D is composed of approximately 50 acres, centrally and ideally located within the Montava community. Bordered by Giddings Road to the east, the future PSD Elementary School site and the non-potable pond to the west, future phases B and C immediately to the north, and future phases E, F, I, and Town Center to the South. The Phase D neighborhood serves as a transition from the dense neighborhood and mixed-use phases adjacent to Mountain Vista Drive, and the less dense, majority single-family neighborhoods that will border Richards Lake Road. Existing Improvements and Uses The existing use of the property is Agricultural, and at present this land is owned by Anheuser-Busch and actively farmed by Tim Kerbs. The area currently contains a small handful of sheds, equipment storage buildings and an unoccupied house of low-quality condition. We are awaiting the Historical Survey Report but do not anticipate any historic preservation considerations. Proposed Uses Our proposed uses are single-family dwelling units, attached and detached, and a tract for future development. All residential uses are consistent with the approved PUD Master Plan uses for Transect T3.2 (low-med density residential/SF detached), Transect T4 (med-high density residential/SF, MF, detached and attached, home occupations), and Transect T5 (high intensity mixed-use/commercial, residential, institutional). The multi-family area (anticipated to be between 150-210 units), the small commercial area intended to house coffee shop, and a handful of homes near the intersection at Maple Hill and Giddings will all be included in the overall planning for this area and fit within the allowed uses of these transects, but since they will be platted as parcels for future development they are not included for current review. The mixed-density, single-family residential core of the neighborhood includes approx. 280 alley-loaded townhomes, small- and medium-single family homes. As well, the “core” includes thoughtfully interconnected pedestrian pathways and green areas, recreation and community gathering spaces, native plant expanses, and pollinator corridors. Compared to previous submittals for Phases G and E, Phase D has a straightforward layout and drainage plan, no existing natural features or existing buildings that need special consideration, and our team is committed to articulating and immediately applying “lessons 3 learned” from previous submittals. This plan set is designed to stand alone and support itself with utilities and safe access routes to start residential construction. Irrigation Pond Summary A non-potable irrigation delivery system is planned for the Montava development and the west pond serving the non-potable system would also be designed and constructed concurrent with Phase D “Core”. This pond will be located adjacent to the planned City of Fort Collins community park, a future elementary school site, and other planned Montava development areas and is envisioned to serve all three of these entities with shared non-potable irrigation through a distributed system if possible. If this shared system cannot be achieved, a non- potable irrigation system serving only the Montava development areas is still planned. Non-Potable System Approval – Revised Request Submitted to ELCO The ultimate design and use of the non-potable irrigation system assumes use of high- quality WSSC ground water for the main irrigation season and use of well water for shoulder season demand. As ELCO has been unwilling to review our non-potable system, which we understand to be a result of Montava not yet owning the property or wells included in our plan, we are unable to provide approval documentation in our Water Adequacy Determination Application. We are in the process, however, of submitting to ELCO a revised plan with an interim solution that should allow them to review and approve our non-potable plans. Our interim plan excludes use of well water for shoulder season irrigation, and instead includes use of water that we have already dedicated to ELCO. This solution can be evaluated, approved, and used until we own the wells, which at that point would allow ELCO to evaluate our non-potable system as initially intended, and allow us to replace the ELCO water with well water for shoulder season irrigation. Public Benefits Phase D is also subject to the Development Agreement to Secure Public Benefits for the Montava PUD Master Plan also approved by the City in 2020 (the “Public Benefits Agreement”). The following community benefits, all as described in the Public Benefits Agreement, will be implemented in Phase D: (i) new housing construction will comply with the applicable energy efficiency standards, (ii) a non-potable water system will irrigate common areas and most private yards, (iii) any qualifying affordable or workforce housing shall count towards the Developer’s obligation to provide Required Affordable Units, and (iv) the Farm Parcel will be sold, donated or leased for urban agriculture uses before the first building permit is issued. No 4 elements of the Phase D plan are intended to supersede the requirements of the Public Benefits Agreement. Affordable Housing Consideration The Land Bank currently has an option to purchase 5 acres which, if exercised, brings 100+ Affordable Units to Montava and starts our Affordable housing program. The option expires Dec 31, 2024, and the Land Bank will be closely tracking Phase D approvals with the intention of keeping funding allocated to Montava/Northeast Fort Collins, if we can adhere to our timeline. If we cannot adhere to our timeline, we do not know the next time the Land Bank will receive City Council approval and dedicated funding for Affordable Housing Northeast Fort Collins. Site Circulation Phase D’s circulation system is designed to integrate into Montava’s overall interconnected grid of pedestrian-oriented streets, supported by surrounding arterials. The overall grid is designed to easily connect vehicles to arterials and collectors, allowing local streets to remain low volume and pedestrian oriented. Phase D will contain two connection points to Giddings Road, appropriately spaced per required PFA and emergency access. The northern access road is intended to be an interim access road, as it will require re-engineering and repaving, etc., when we later design and construct Phase C. The ultimate northern access point to Phase D along Giddings Road is intended to be the improved intersection at Giddings and Maple Hill and will be further addressed in the Development Agreement and Phase D “Infrastructure” plan. Internal to Phase D, roadways are pedestrian-oriented, designed for slower speeds and use by all modes, with planned connectivity to future development phases. The bicycle network will connect internal to the site and provide access to the future Montava community that will include dedicated lanes along arterials, collectors, and key local streets, an independent network of off-street trails, and a highly connected network of low volume local streets. Site Design and Architecture Consistent with the approved PUD, Phase D implements key New Urbanist principles, including a wide variety of housing types, walkable streets and trails that connect to meaningful destinations, and distribute traffic through a network of connected streets. Crucially, as 5 contemplated and approved in Phase G as demonstrated by not including extraneous private space utility easements, New Urbanism centers and intimately encloses the human interactions at the public-private property boundaries, allowing pedestrian passers-by to connect directly with residents on their front porches and stoops. Additionally, our layout provides ample green space - including landscaped drainage facilities and small park areas. As part of the Montava PUD Master plan, Phase D will work seamlessly with future phases in Montava as those develop in the future. Composed of approximately 50 total acres, our initial Phase D “Core” layout creates 280+/- dwelling units and a net density of approximately 11.49 du/ac. Our initial layout contains approximately 38 medium, 78 small, and 60 cottage detached single-family homes, and 105 attached single-family homes (townhouse or live/work). 120-210 multi-family units are planned on the tract for future development that spans Montava Avenue on the southern-most section of Phase D. Building design within Phase D “Core” will be based on the standards in the Master Plan Uses, Densities, and Development Standards and other applicable standards of the Land Use Code. These standards ensure an overall harmony among buildings within Montava yet allow for more specific architectural detail for each phase. Conceptual elevations will be submitted with the Phase D “Core” BDR application (see Conceptual Elevations and Lot Typicals exhibit); we propose that building elevations for two-family and SF attached units be approved by minor amendment to the Phase D “Core” approval as was agreed to in Phase G. Building architecture will be also be reviewed and approved by the Montava architectural review committee. Fire Sprinkled Structures To our knowledge, none of the structures included in the Existing Structures exhibit have automatic fire sprinklers. Sprinkling of the new residential dwelling units in Phase D will be in accordance with applicable building codes. Compatibility with Surrounding Area The layout of the approved Montava PUD Master Plan generally transitions from higher intensity uses and density in the southwest adjacent to the Town Center to lower intensity uses and densities towards the north and east. This thoughtful design not only furthers the community and area goals but is supportive and compatible with the adjacent neighborhoods. The Phase D “Core” is centrally located with the PUD Master Plan; its proposed uses will implement a part of the transition between the highest and lowest intensity uses. No existing neighborhoods are 6 immediately adjacent to the Phase D “Core”. Future neighborhoods adjacent to the Phase D “Core” will also be located within the PUD Master Plan and further implement the overall design. Immediately after Phase D we anticipate developing the residential phases in the southwest quarter section of Montava that have been part of our early plans from the beginning, namely Phases G, E, F and the Town Center (H). The order of development of such phases will largely depend on the timing of the resolution of the No. 8 Ditch crossing and improvement questions. Water Detention / Drainage Plan Phase D is contemplated in the 2019 Master Drainage Report and is served by subbasins D and F, which ultimately drain into future Pond F and are then conveyed via channels to future pond 427 in a southeasterly direction, ultimately following the path contemplated 2019 Master Drainage Report and working in alignment with the ICON study. An existing agreement between Anheuser-Busch and The Larimer Weld Irrigation Company which was executed in 1986, approved by the City, and runs with the land - allows all stormwater from the Montava lands east of the No 8 Ditch, up to the historic 100-year event to be discharged into the Larimer Weld Canal. Phase D drainage will fall well short of the 100-year limit allowed in the existing agreement. City Planners have been provided with a copy of the agreement and the letter of approval by the City. Run-off Treatment LID (Low Impact Development) features as required by the City will be implemented for Phase D. Additionally, stormwater conveyance will be engineered through a series of channels and ponds to meet the requirements established in the Fort Collins Stormwater Criteria, Dec. 2018. Elements to be considered in this design will be LID features, channels and ponds with natural vegetation and settling ponds. Natural Features Phase D lacks existing natural features that require additional study, modification, mitigation, or special consideration. Phase D does NOT contain any of the following: canals, irrigation ditches, water bodies, or wildlife. Phase D does contain a small, low-quality wetland area, which has already been determined non-jurisdictional by the ACOE, as well as large trees around an existing structure. Those trees have been walked and reviewed by a city forester, and at that time were determined to be undesirable species and in poor health. 7 Wetland Mitigation The ECS report in this submittal suggests that wetland within Phase D is low quality and that there is not a suitable location for mitigation within the boundary of Phase D. The existing low-quality wetland should be mitigated either 1) within a future phase where a high-quality wetland can be developed and can be successful in perpetuity or 2) by purchasing wetland banking credit. Our team has explored these options through discussion with Scott Benton and look forward to mitigating Phase D wetlands based on his feedback. Restricting Factors or Characteristics We do not foresee any restricting factors or characteristics within the Phase D and Irrigation Pond plan that would prevent approval and construction in the time frame provided in the first section of this narrative. Phase D does not require railroad or ditch crossings or improvements, there are no large scale land sales within this phase to negotiate, we’re not introducing any new or innovative intersection designs, we are designing to standards and/or variances that have already been approved in prior submittals, there is no offsite ROW to acquire, and no PUD amendments or Master Street plan amendments are required to develop this phase. Additionally, we will leverage existing utility connections, including the following: 1. Boxelder Sanitation serves the area and Phase D will connect to the existing mainline running through Phase D. 2. ELCO water currently serves the property and is available via an existing main in Giddings ROW. 3. Fort Collins Light & Power currently serves the property and is available via existing infrastructure near the Giddings ROW. 4. Telecom is available via the Giddings ROW. 5. Phase D is included in the Upper Cooper Slough Drainage Area, and we will construct/improve additional improvements recommended in the ICON report to support this Phase. 6. The same non-potable system previously submitted for approval with Phase G is designed to serve the entire project west of Giddings Road is included in this submittal. We have revised one component of the system in attempt to gain ELCO’s approval of our non- potable system; we are replacing well water with ELCO water for shoulder season use. Aside from including a new pump that will convey ELCO water to our non-pot pond, the engineering design of the system overall remains unchained from our prior submittal. 8 Previous Submittals Phase D “Core” is part of the approved Montava PUD Master Plan. We have obtained technical approval of our Phase G plans and have undergone three rounds of review on Phase E - both of those phases are on hold pending resolution of Ditch Company issues regarding ditch improvements and crossings. In addition, our legal counsel is currently working with the City Attorney to confirm that the prior Interpretation of the BDR appeal process is applicable to Phase D. Prior to the PDR meeting on April 3, 2024, Phase D was the subject of a Conceptual Review meeting on March 21, 2024. We have worked with City Staff to address some specific issues, including Giddings Road Improvements and utility easements, which are summarized below and addressed in our responses to PDR comments. Giddings Road Improvements Our TIS indicates a need to widen the pavement on both sides of Giddings at the two access points for Phase D in order to provide a center turn lane. These indications have been designed in this Phase D Core plan set. Pending discussions during the future “Infrastructure” design charrette, we propose including the completion of ultimate condition improvements on Giddings - such as curb, gutter and sidewalk - between the improved Giddings/Maple Hill intersection and the southern Phase D access point as a component of the Phase D “Infrastructure” plan set. Please see the Road Plans included in this submittal for more detail. We also anticipate tying completion of the “Infrastructure” plan set to a to-be-determined milestone within the Phase D Core plan set. This will be discussed further in upcoming meetings with City Planners and outlined in the draft Development Agreement. Giddings Road ROW Giddings currently has a 100’ ROW from Richards Lake Road to Mtn Vista. Current LCUASS shows an 84’ ROW for the future 2 lane arterial roadway. We understand that City Council action will be required in order to vacate any excess ROW. We propose to include this vacation in the “Infrastructure” plan submittal and believe vacating the entire length from Mountain Vista to Richards Lake would be the most practical way to complete this task. We hope the city will support this approach. 9 Utility Easements Utility easements typically located behind the ROW for minor classification roads will not be used, consistent with discussions and decisions and approvals for Phase G and Phase E. Gas service will not be provided in Phase D, as Montava has committed to being an all-electric community. Utility easements will be provided along Maple Hill from Giddings to Timberline and possibly continuing north of Timberline. Our team has met with City Staff specifically to discuss utility easements and have expressed our desire to simply continue designing our public/private street-level interactions in a manner consistent with what was approved for Phase G, and what serves the New Urbanist principles that were contemplated and approved in the PUD. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you to City Staff and outside agencies for your time and effort in reviewing our Phase D Core and Irrigation Pond plan BDR submittal. We appreciate the proactive thought, attention, conversation, and collaboration thus far in Phase D planning and look forward to working together to bring this neighborhood to life. Please reach out to Forrest Hancock with any questions or requests for additional information. Email: Forrest@montava.com Cell: 303-815-5769