HomeMy WebLinkAboutVON VIHL HEIGHTS THIRD SUBDIVISION - BDR240007 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - Variance RequestA CCESS V ARIANCE R EQUEST
C ARLSON U TILITY P LAN
F ORT C OLLINS ,CO
19 OLD TOWN SQUARE #238 | FORT COLLINS, CO 80524 | 970-530-4044 | www.unitedcivil.com
July 22, 2024
BRAD BUCKMAN
700 WOOD STREET
FORT COLLINS,CO 80522
RE: ACCESS ALTERNATIVE COMPLIANCE AND VARIANCE REQUESTS
CARLSON UTILITY PLAN –3036 WEST PROSPECT ROAD
PROJECT NUMBER:U24001
Brad,
This letter is being submitted on behalf of the owner of the Carlson site development. The project is currently in the
Preliminary Development Plan process and two (2) separate variances are being requested to modify portions of the Larimer
County Urban Area Street Standards. The first of the two is included as follows:
VARIANCE REQUEST –LARIMER COUNTY URBAN AREA STREET STANDARDS (LCUASS)
DESIGN CRITERIA OF VARIANCE BEING REQUESTED
Section 9.1.1 (A) within the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards Manual which states:
Direct access to individual lots from Arterials is restricted. For City of Loveland (GMA and city limits) direct access to
is restricted from Arterials and Collectors.
HARDSHIP REGARDING REQUIREMENT
The site is located at 3036 West Prospect Road and exists as Lot 11 within the Von Vihl Heights Subdivision, County of Larimer,
State of Colorado, and is surrounded by existing developed residential properties to the north (1504 S Overland Trail) and
east (3030 West Prospect Road). The project site is also bordered by West Prospect Road and South Overland Trail to the
south and west respectively. The developed project proposes to subdivide the lot into two separate lots with the existing
residence, driveways/access, and utilities being encompassed in the southern lot or Lot 2 leaving the northern lot, Lot 1, as a
vacant parcel which will require access from Overland Trail and utility service lines.
In accordance with the City of Fort Collins Master Street Plan both West Prospect Road and South Overland Trail are classified
as arterial roadways. In its existing condition proposed lot 2 will maintain it’s existing asphalt driveway which provides two
access points to the property directly from West Prospect Road. Due to Lot 1 being encompassed by existing residential
developments to the north, south, and east, access to the site wants to be provided off of South Overland Trail which, again,
is an arterial roadway. Consequently, the constraints outlined in the LCUASS manual are unattainable without compromising
site access.
PROPOSED ALTERNATE DESIGN
The proposed site design provides direct residential access to the existing site from West Prospect Road and to proposed Lot
1 from South Overland Trail. It should be noted that the neighboring property to the north of proposed Lot 1 currently
provides two access points to the property from South Overland Trail for one residential lot while this project proposes to
add only one access for the one proposed lot. Additionally, the proposed access to Lot 1 will be located as far north as possible
on South Overland Trail to create the greatest distance of separation from the signalized intersection of Prospect Road and
Overland Trail. The following sections of this variance request serve to document the negligible impacts this alternate design
will have.
A CCESS V ARIANCE R EQUEST
C ARLSON U TILITY P LAN
F ORT C OLLINS ,CO
19 OLD TOWN SQUARE #238 | FORT COLLINS, CO 80524 | 970-530-4044 | www.unitedcivil.com
Seeing as access to the site must be provided, and the current neighborhood and adjacent properties include previously
approved access points, the proposed access to Lot 1 from South Overland Trail accomplishes the goal of providing site access
without having negative consequences on the health safety and welfare of the public. In summary, by providing the proposed
access from South Overland Trail:
1.Direct access to the residence is provided
2.Local traffic in the area is already accustomed to residential access from South Overland Trail
3.By providing the proposed access as far north as achievable, crucial separation from the intersection of South
Overland Trail and West Prospect road is achieved
Based on the information provided for this access variance request, it is the design teams opinion that the proposed design
will have no negative impacts on the health, safety and welfare of the public and will have no negative impacts on City
infrastructure, or neighboring properties.
On behalf of the owner of the Carlson site and the design team, we thank you for your consideration of this request. If you
should have any questions or comments regarding this request, please feel free to contact us at your convenience.
Sincerely,
United Civil Design Group, LLC
Brady Kirkbride, EI
Design Engineer
Nate Stroud, PE, LSIT
Project Manager
APPENDIX A – Referenced Materials
A PPENDIX A
R EFERENCED M ATERIALS
Chapter 9 – ACCESS REQUIREMENTS AND DESIGN CRITERIA
Section 9.1 General
Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards – Repealed and Reenacted August 1, 2021 Page 9-1
Adopted by Larimer County, City of Loveland, City of Fort Collins
CHAPTER 9 – ACCESS REQUIREMENTS AND DESIGN CRITERIA
9.1 GENERAL
Access may occur as one of two types: (1) access for land use (driveways) and (2) public streets
(street intersections).
9.1.1 Designing Placement of Accesses
A. Direct Access Restricted
Direct access to individual lots from Arterials is restricted. For City of Loveland
(GMA and city limits) direct access to is restricted from Arterials and Collectors.
B. Avoiding Conflicts in Center Left Turn Lane
When establishing the placement of offset accesses (either driveways or
intersections), ensure that traffic making left-hand turns into the accesses does not
conflict or compete for the simultaneous use of a center left turn lane.
C. Separation Distances
The specific separation distances between accesses shall be as shown in Table 7-3 or
Table 7-4. Greater separation may be required to eliminate conflicts or overlaps of
center left turn lanes as determined by TIS.
D. Access Control Plan
For a street controlled by an adopted Access Control Plan, the proposed access shall
conform with the applicable Access Control Plan.
9.1.2 Review and Approval
A. Review Procedure
1. Advice Available. To determine the extent of technical justification required for
all access requests, consult with the Local Entity Engineering staff. It is
recommended that this advice be sought prior to submitting any application.
2. Access Permits. All access permits shall be reviewed and approved through the
Local Entity, in Fort Collins (GMA and city limits) and in Loveland (GMA only).
Loveland (GMA and city limits) does not issue or require a separate access
permit. The requirements of this chapter are covered in the City of Loveland's
design review of the right-of-way permit.
3. Permit Required. A permit must be requested by the Developer and approved by
the Local Entity prior to the construction or reconstruction of any access. See
Chapter 6, Permits.
4. CDOT Approval for State Highway Access. The Colorado Department of
Transportation shall review and approve all State Highway access.
B. Approval
Access is granted through Local Entity approval of the final plat, final construction
plans, or final site plan. The number and location of access points shall conform to