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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCHOOLSIDE PARK - BDR240009 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 3 - Project Narrative 1 Project Information Project Title: Schoolside Park Past Meeting Dates: CRT Meeting on December 21, 10:15am General Information: Schoolside Park is identified as a schoolside park in the City’s 2021 Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Schoolside Park is 5.3-acres in size and is located north of Bacon Elementary School. Zoning is Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood Distrct. Proposed zoning remains the same. The site will be a neighborhood park. There are no dwellings or commercial space. There are 11 off-street parking spaces provided. Proposed Owners: (N/A) owner remains the City of Fort Collins Existing Owners: City of Fort Collins Parks Department – Park Planning & Development Division, 215 North Mason, Fort Collins, CO 80524 Transportation Improvements: This is identified as a schoolside park in the City’s 2021 Park and Recreation Master Plan. We anticipated the majority of park visitors to walk or ride bicycles to visit this park as it is intended to serve residents within a 15-minute distance. The new Mail Creek Trail with an underpass under South Timberline Road will be in place before the park is constructed. We are proposing 11 off-street parking spaces to accommodate park users who are driving to access the park. After school hours, both parking lots at Bacon Elementary School are available for park users as well. Narrative Description: Vehicular access to the site is proposed as a right-in and right-turn turn off of South Timberline Road. The site access drive directs park users to a parking lot with 11 total parking spaces including 1 ADA van accessible parking space and 1 standard ADA parking space. There is a turnaround area at the south end of the parking lot. Access to the park site for pedestrians and cyclists is achievable through several means. Mail Creek Trail, which is under design and construction now, will be completed prior to construction of this Schoolside Park. This trail will provide a connection from Schoolside Park west to the Future Fossil Lake Park and to the Power Trail and will provide connections to the east to Kinard Middle School for pedestrians and cyclists alike. A grade separated crossing for the trail under Timberline Road is in place. In addition to the trail, on-street bike lanes and detached sidewalks are provided along both sides of Timberline Road. Currently there is no public transportation available to the site. Landscaping for this park will include a diversity of evergreen trees and deciduous ornamental and shade trees throughout the site. Planting beds with xeric perennials, ornamental grasses and shrubs are located in the core area of the park to provide wildlife habitat and buffers between park use areas. There are no existing wetlands on the property. Grass-lined swales are provided to direct storm drainage to the on-site detention pond. The existing trees at the northwest corner of the property will remain and will be protected 2 during construction activities. Native turf is proposed as a buffer around the edges of the park site. Amenities to be provided in this park include: seating, multi-purpose turf, walking paths, playground, teen and adult climbing or fitness area, half-basketball court (with potential tennis backboard practice wall), picnic area with shelter and an informal outdoor plaza. Most utility co nnections needed are readily available. Both water and electrical connections are available within Timberline Road right-of-way adjacent to the site. The septic system serving the existing home will be removed before park construction begins. Due to lack of proximity of a sanitary sewer mainline, this project proposes to use a vault style restroom. Architectural Design The vault restroom is intended to be a prefabricated restroom. One proposed component of Schoolside Park is an approximately 800SF picnic shelter. Designed to be a whimsical and organic architectural partner to nearby Bacon Elementary, the shelter features materials that complement those found on the exterior of the school. The shelter is covered with an eccentric butterfly roof supported by plus-shaped painted steel columns. Afternoon sun is shielded by a western-facing wall of breeze block. Most breeze blocks in the shelter are grouted for aesthetic and maintenance reasons; others are left open to allow light and breeze to filter through and cast intricate shadows that enhance the experience of the space. The open blocks will be backlit by recessed downlights to provide those same shadows in the early evening. Phasing We plan to deconstruct the existing home and remove the septic system in 2024. We anticipate park construction to occur in one phase in 2025. However, it is possible that landscaping may need to be completed in the spring of 2026 if plant materials are not all available in the fall of 2025.