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Home My WebLink AboutLAUREL SCHOOL DEMOLITION AND RECONSTRUCTION ADVISORY REVIEW - 59 91 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT W/ATTACHMENTS-N ITEM NO. 10 MEETING DATE 2/24/92 STAFF Ted Shepard PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD STAFF REPORT PROJECT: New Laurel Elementary School - Site Development Plan Advisory Review, #59-91 APPLICANT: Poudre R-1 School District Facilities Services Department 2407 LaPorte Avenue Fort Collins, CO. 80521 OWNER: Same PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a Special Advisory Review for the New Laurel Elementary School to be constructed on the site of the present school at 1000 East Locust Street. The new school will be approximately 51,000 square feet in size and serve 550 students in grades K-6. The site is 8.4 acres and is located at the corner of Locust Street and Locust Court. The zoning is N-C-L, Neighborhood Conservation - Low Density. RECOMMENDATION: Approval With Advisement EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Site Plan for New Laurel School is in the "schematic design" phase, not the final phase. The new school will be similar to the "prototype" elementary school that has been constructed by the District since 1986. An elementary school is an appropriate land use in a residential neighborhood. The reconstruction promotes the implementation strategies of the East Side Neighborhood Plan. These include the City acquisition of property for the East Side Neighborhood Park, and the Laurel Street to Pennock Place street connection. The introduction of a one-way vehicular connection from the present terminus of Locust Court to Laurel Street would relieve traffic on Locust Street. All local streets continue to operate acceptably with an expanded school at the present location. Neighborhood compatibility issues are primarily associated with traffic patterns and buffering. Future development plans by the City of Fort Collins (park) and Poudre Valley Hospital (parking lot) add a level of concern over integrated planning for the benefit of the East Side Neighborhood. There are two specific concerns pertaining to sidewalks and buffering that are recommended to be passed along to the Board of Education. DEVELOPMENT SERVICES 300 LaPorte Ave. P.O. Boa 580 Fort Collins. 00 80522-0580 (303) 221-0750 PLANNING DEPARTMENT New Laurel Elementary School - Site Development Plan Advisory Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Z Meeting Page 10 parking, and teamwork between the three agencies is what is needed before any plans are final. In summary, there is a consensus that a new, consolidated school serving grades K-6 is an educational benefit for the attendance area. There remains, however, concerns about the impact of the vehicular access to the school and other future improvements. RECOMMENDATION: The request for New Laurel Elementary School Site Development Plan - Advisory Review is an appropriate land use in the Neighborhood Conservation - Low Density zone district. In addition, a new school facility preserves the open space and recreational opportunities associated with an 8.4 acre school site. A new elementary school promotes the policy objectives of the East Side Neighborhood Plan in that a modern, attractive educational facility will preserve and enhance the character and quality of life of the East Side Neighborhood. Also, the new facility promotes the objective of connecting Laurel Street to Pennock Place. Finally, the substantial public investment in a new school will create added incentive for City acquisition of a site for the East Side Neighborhood Park. Staff finds that the Site Development Plan for the New Laurel School demonstrates an appropriate location and character and promotes the objectives of the East Side Neighborhood Plan. Staff remains concerned, however, about three specific aspects of the request and recommends that the Planning and Zoning Board advise the Board of Education of the following: 1. it is advised that the final landscape plan include adequate landscaping and buffering of the existing homes on Colorado Street to mitigate the playground area and the future access drive connecting Locust Court to Laurel Street. 2. It is advised that, should Laurel Street become the primary access, the Board of Education consider constructing sidewalks on Laurel Street, from Stover Street on the west to the Laurel Street access drive on the east, on both sides of the street, to promote safe pedestrian travel. 3. Finally, it is advised that the Facilities Services Department of Poudre R-1 School District continue to work with the City New Laurel Elementary School - Site Development Plan Advisory Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Z Meeting Page 11 of Fort Collins Departments of Planning, Transportation, Engineering, and Parks and Recreation, the Poudre Valley Hospital, and the neighborhood residents on locational and transportation issues relating to the future neighborhood park, the Laurel Street to Pennock Place connection, and the parking lot for Family Care Center. \ \ CONFI 'NOTE PARK -Al.. VPAT.Al BOUNDAR1113 AND SYSTEM ItIVeBE K. EO NERF .BE ` CONCEPTUAL I BE CONCEPTUAL ANO MAY BE RF VISEO WON OFTAILEO STVOr. E••= MULBERRY ' STREjT • — 1� wPee BUNW, \\ ' EAST SIDE - - - - NEIGHBORHOOD PARK � �. .. __—. 'r.l .��nJ \/� f \♦ern n........ MYRTLE STREET - _ - - -\ ♦ \ \ ! ' _ I ` Ivy I POTENTIAL o TRANSIT • °� Accra I _ VVVV F-Y\ POTENT ELDERLY ♦ t\ :' • I I . - 0 / r/ LJ L� L MOUSING ♦ \ O N) iw �`•.-I�a I �O / 'I --I DEVELOPMENT `♦ \ ,°•6 • I L�J LLB L L a O ♦ \ ,O/ RuA • R \ ./ N • rii ELOM••••H� — _ \ LAUREL E TRIN• t�l IS, _ __ f� —_ Oi �7 IFDL TPIAN •••• 0 0.1 I / r • i� 0 PROPOSED •• ICI • I• ° P. SAO P• I I�I'1O 00000000 p�D IPOTENTIAL III �� • • ii i • SENOR CENTER • , POTENTIAL SIRE AND pi Id e R/VEP PEDESTRIAN ACCESS L • IS I i SHOP N bi I� • • CENT Pi r I 1 P/ {� I PARK RRN ACQUISITION i SU Pi // • L- 13 RESS) P: C �� • E.IrTAAG AVJROORO 1 eC' : • II • RUHO 1 : IS �I �•. S - ' 0 0 • II 1� EXISTING V II LAUREL ELEMENTARY 11 -SCHOOL PROPERTY ROP �� JI r I • ,AS ACD ,RR L .` • PAOUISIl!ON a • IPOPERTV Iy 10� 12 ACRC8 0 JW ga� f AWATINO • > PANNING ❑ • ` d d .-� rlOePIC, p • � > �I STRIAN Ir`nY-'Irl RCCCu ❑ .. m ,7 FIGURE 11 37-A LAUREL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SITE ACCESS STUDY FORT.COLLINS, COLORADO FEBRUARY 1992 Prepared for: Poudre School District R-1 2407 LaPorte Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80521 Prepared by: MATTHEW J. DELICH, P.E. 3413 Banyan Avenue Loveland, CO 80538 Phone: 303-669-2061 I. INTRODUCTION Poudre School District (R-1) is proposing to build an elementary school located east of Locust Court between Locust Street and Laurel 'Street in Fort Collins, Colorado. The site location is shown in Figure 1. This school will replace the existing Laurel Elementary School, which is at this same location. The existing school will be razed and replaced with a facility that will handle approximately 570 students at capacity. The primary vehicular access to the site is via Locust Street from the west. The existing Laurel School houses elementary grades 4, 5, and 6. There are 197 students at the existing Laurel School. The lower elementary grades are housed at Harris School, located on Elizabeth Street between Whedbee and Smith. Four buses serve Laurel School. These same buses serve Harris School. The new Laurel School will have grades K-6. Harris School will be closed when Laurel School opens. The streets which will be primarily impacted by the new Laurel School are Locust Street, Laurel Street, and Stover Street. There has been a proposal to connect Pennock Place to Laurel Street along the rear of the Riverside/Lemay Shopping Center. However, the availability of right-of-way is uncertain. The key streets and their relationship to. Laurel School are shown schematically in Figure 2. Locust Street is classified as a local street. The segment between Laurel School and Stover Street is two lanes with parallel parking. Locust Street has stop sign control at Stover Street. Locust Street turns to the north at Laurel School, creating a short cul-de-sac (Locust Court) in front of Laurel School. There are 4- 5 foot sidewalks along Locust Street east of Stover Street. Laurel pedestrian Street is a at 30 mph. Bell, Volvo Street is classified as a local street.. There is a access to Laurel School from Laurel Street. Laurel wide street (50'+) with parking allowed. It is posted It provides access to some commercial uses (Mountain Repair, etc.) at the east terminus of the street. There are no sidewalks along Laurel Street east of Stover Street. Students using Laurel Street walk in the street, primarily on the south side. Stover Street is classified as a local street. It is a north/south street. Stover Street is wide (50' +) with parking allowed. It has one lane in each direction and a bike lane on each side of the street. Land uses in this area are residential, school, church, and commercial. Residential uses are east, north, and south of Laurel School. Churches and other schools are interspersed through the residential area. The commercial uses are primarily east and northeast of Laurel School. 1 MULBERRY MYRTLE cc Iw O F- N LAUREL PLUM LOCUST Q N No Scale so � F � O w v y N LU Z J W r I _ Volvo I A. Repair I /� O IMountainl I R V I /� Bell I Storage I j O J 0 i �----, I I Riverside / I I I Lemay Shopping LAUREL I -I--Center ELEMENTARYI SCHOOL I I I L------J L----- ELIZABETH AREA STREETS Figure 2 II. EXISTING CONDITIONS Daily traffic counts were not obtained on the area streets since they are not particularly relevant with regard to school and street impacts. However, peak traffic counts were obtained at key locations. Peak intersection counts were obtained in December 1991. These counts are shown in Figure 3.-..Raw data is shown in Appendix A. 'The new peak period counts are from 8:25-8:45 AM and 3:45-4:10'.PM. These are.the_.times of "highest activity for the :.Laurel Elementary School,. Less than a full hour was counted, since the time of highest activity for the existing Laurel School was relatively short (20-25 minutes). School related activity was concentrated within this count period. Counting for a full hour would dilute the traffic activity. Therefore, the short traffic count was factored to reflect a full hour for analysis purposes. (The analysis procedures in the 1985 Highway Capacity Manual require data for a one hour period.) The factored one hour counts are shown in Figure 4. With the existing control at the two intersections counted, the peak hour operation is shown in Table 1. This operation is deemed acceptable. Acceptable operation is defined as level of service D or better. Descriptions of level of service from the 1985 Highway Capacity Manual for unsignalized intersections are provided in Appendix B. Calculation forms for the operation shown in Table 1 are provided in Appendix C. III. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Poudre School District is proposing to build an elementary school on a parcel of land currently occupied by Laurel Elementary School. A schematic site plan is shown in Figure 5. The —new Laurel Elementary School will have a capacity of 570 students. However, the student population is a function of children in the school service area. The maximum capacity of the school was used for analysis purposes in this traffic study. Access (ingress) to the new Laurel School will be the same as currently exists, via Locust Street. The Locust.Court cul-de-sac will remain. The site plan shows a private road connection from the north end of Locust Court to Laurel Street. This connection -".s intended to be open to one-way northbound traffic during school arrival and departure times. The private road will be barricaded during school hours in order to maximize the use of the playground to the north of the building. This route is expected to be used by all school buses and a significant number of parents dropping -off children. 2 AM (20 min) / PM (25 min) I UREL HOOL I 1991 PEAK PERIOD TRAFFIC Figure 3 Q N I I LAUREL SCHOOL i -- I AM / PM PEAK PERIOD TRAFFIC FACTORED TO REFLECT ONE HOUR Figure 4 1 Intersection Stover/Locust EB LT/T/RT WB LT/T/RT SB LT NB LT Laurel/Colorado NB LT/T/RT SB LT/T/RT EB LT WB LT Table 1 1991 Existing Peak Hour Operation Level of Service AM PM A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Table 2 Trip Generation Daily A.M. Peak P.M. Peak Land Use Trips Trips Trips Trips Trips in out in out Laurel School Existing from ITE - 197 students 203 27 18 _ 20 27 Laurel School Observed Vehicle Trips 20 20 21 21 Future Laurel School - 570 Students 590 79 52 56 78 u New Laurel Elementary Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Z Page 2 COMMENTS: 1. Background: School - Site Development Plan Advisory Meeting The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: N: N-C-M; Existing single family residential N-C-B; Utility service shop, junkyard, and outside storage S: N-C-L; Existing single family residential E: C-L; Existing neighborhood shopping center (Riverside Junction) W: N-C-L; Existing single family residential 2. Right of Advisory Review: A. Section 22-32-124, C.R.S., as amended, addresses the right of the School District to construct schools within a municipality and location or manner of construction of such schools. The statute specifically limits the municipalities' participation in the process to a limited right of review and appeal to the Board of Education. In addition, Section 22-32-124, C.R.S., calls for the Planning and Zoning Board to review and comment upon the site development plan for the proposed school site and , if it desires, "...request a public hearing before the Board of Education relating to the proposed site location or site development plan" prior to any construction of structures or buildings. Also, the Planning and Zoning Board may review the details of the site development plan itself. B. Section 31-23-209, C.R.S. provides that no public building shall be constructed or authorized in a city until the "...location, character, and extent thereof" has been submitted for approval by the Planning and Zoning Board. In the case of disapproval, the Planning and Zoning Board shall communicate its finding to the School District. The disapproval of the Planning and Zoning Board may be overruled by the School Board by a vote of not less than two-thirds of its membership. Under Section 31-23-209, C.R.S., the Planning and Zoning Board should make a finding as to the location, character, and extent of the public building structures relative to the adopted Master Plan of the City. Such findings help ensure that the proposed structures conform to the adopted plan of the community. H 0 t) 0 LOCUST STR LA L STREET One Way (Northbound) Portion of Access Road Q N No Scale LAUREL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL , , SITE PLAN Figure 5 A. Trip Generation. Trip generation estimates for the school use were obtained from Trip Generation, 4th Edition, ITE. Table 2 shows trip generation on a daily and peak hour basis. Since observations were conducted at the existing Laurel School, a sensitivity analysis was conducted using the trip generation factors. The current student population is 197 students. Trip generation from the above reference is shown in Table 2 in the row labelled "Existing from ITE." The observed trip generation is also shown in Table 2 in the row labelled "Observed Vehicle Trips." Comparing these rows indicates that the observed vehicle trips are slightly (about 10%) lower than that predicted using the ITE factors. This difference is explained by the short durat.ion _of_the observation. The large difference is for inbound trips in the morning and outbound trips in the afternoon.' It was'noted that teachers were already at the school when observation began in the morning and were still at the school when observation ended in the afternoon. 'In consideration of this, it is concluded that the ITE trip generation factors reasonably predict the vehicle trips at Laurel Elementary School. The row labelled "Future Laurel School" shows the trip generation used for subsequent analyses. B. Background Traffic Background traffic is defined as the traffic that is .and/or will on the area streets that is not related to the proposed development. The intersections considered for the operations analysis are Stover/Locust, Laurel/Colorado, and Laurel/North Access from Laurel School. Since Laurel Elementary School is in an established neighborhood and is located on/near local streets, there is little/no increase in traffic due to growth pressures. As long as the street system remains essentially as exists today, the only reason that traffic might change would be due to a new land use. The additional grades at Laurel Elementary School constitute a land use change that will cause an increase of traffic on area streets. However, the background traffic is not likely to change significantly. In order to take a conservative approach, the background traffic was increased by 110 percent, which is an increase of 0.5 percent per year for 20 years. A reason that background traffic would change in an established neighborhood would be that the street system changes. As mentioned earlier, a proposal to connect Pennock Place to Laurel Street has been suggested as part of a city park development. While the alignment and availability of right-of-way are uncertain, it would likely approximate the location shown in Figure 6. The number of vehicles using this would be primarily associated with the Riverside/Lemay Shopping Center and the Riverside Junction i, 1 r ST w tc cc 0 N LAUREL r Q �Q / 1V ew(i •e �' 'Disposal ULBERRY $ ET.' ' 1 REEL Uj :.w L CUSi T. ST 3E •• tj N.., S � i r 0'o, V 000 • • 0 S TO 'MEL92'sAtE1 � w Scale: 1" : 400'. Ti WEET ' LAUREL STREET / PENNOCK PLACE STREET CONNECTION Figure 6 Center (proposed to be used as a family care center in association with Poudre Valley Hospital). The assumptions used to forecast the volume on this new link is considered to be conservative (high). The following assumptions were used: 1. Twenty-five percent of the generated trips from/to the Riverside/Lemay Shopping Center are from the neighborhood to the west and would use this new link. 2. Ten percent of the generated trips from/to the proposed Riverside Junction medical office building are from the neighborhood to the west and would use this link. 3. Fifty percent of the households in the traffic zone west of the Riverside/Lemay Shopping Center would use this new link as their route to destinations along Lemay Avenue, particularly to the south. Using these assumptions, the following traffic volumes would occur on this new link as background traffic: - Daily volume - 2600 Morning peak hour volume - 105 Afternoon peak hour volume - 215 C. Trip Distribution Trip distribution was determined based upon an evaluation of the current travel patterns for the Laurel Elementary School and, the service area of the Laurel and Harris Elementary Schools. Figure 7 shows the service area for the Laurel Elementary School. D. Traffic Assignment and Intersection Operation Using the vehicular trip generation estimates presented in Table 2, the site generated traffic was assigned to the area street network. The street network consisted of the existing streets that are currently used to access Laurel Elementary School. A second ----network- -cons isted of those streets plus the connection to Pennock Place as shown in Figure 6. Figure 8 shows the peak hour traffic assignment with the existing street system. This assignment also includes a 10 percent increase in background traffic as described earlier in this report. Table 3 shows the peak hour operation at the key intersections. Calculation forms are .provided in Appendix D. All of the key intersections will operate acceptably with the existing geometrics. School related traffic on Locust Street and Laurel Street will. increase significantly over the school related traffic on those streets at the present time. However, the number of vehicles either currently on these streets or that are caused by the proposed.Laurel Elementary School is so small that traffic volumes are well under the limit of those that might be expected on a local 4 No Text N T N ri T T —1/2 4 8/73 LAUREL �_ 1/6/s -w--19/34 1/8 —�' R 1 t 28/63=� ) r 26/53—� 6/ 4 —w,, M °�° It E N T r T O Z a) N O M O � � N �- 8/23 ^-4/10 14/33 LOCUST 1/1 ---' � 1 1 18/ 15 U 3/2 �� v cD � T � r- to rn AM/PM PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC WITH EXISTING STREET SYSTEM LAUREL SCHOOL Figure 8 Table 3 Peak Hour Operation with Existing Street System Level of Service Intersection AM PM Stover/Locust EB LT/T/RT A A WB LT/T/RT A A SB LT A A NB LT A A Laurel/Colorado NB LT/T/RT A A SB LT/T/RT A A EB LT A A WB LT A. A Laurel/Access NB LT/RT A A Table 4 Peak Hour Operation with Laurel Street/Pennock Connection Level of Service Intersection AM PM - -- Stover/Locust EB LT/T/RT A A WB LT/T/RT A A SB LT A A NB LT A A Laurel/Colorado NB LT/T/RT A A SB LT/T/RT A A EB LT A A -• WB LT A A Laurel/Access _ NB LT/RT A A street. With the proposed one-way northbound connection to Laurel Street from the Locust Court cul-de-sac, traffic would approximately double during the peak school access periods on some links of Laurel Street, particularly east of Stover Street. However, this increase in traffic would last less than half an hour in duration per peak period on a normal school day. Figure 9 shows the peak _.hour .traffic assignment with the traffic caused by the connection of Laurel Street to Pennock Place., Table 4 shows the peak hour operation at the key *intersections. Calculation forms are provided in Appendix E. _'Even � with the:, additional traffic that would_, be.. caused , by.,,, the,,A.,_Laurel '`Street/Pennock Place connection,��the��key,.intersections .would continue to operate acceptably with the existing geometrics: Asp-" with the previous analysis, the school related_ traffic lasts for less than half an hour in each of the peak hours. ,, The proposed one-way (northbound) access to Laurel Street would begin at the north end of the Locust Court cul-de-sac. There are four single family dwelling units on the west side of Locust Court. The segment of the access road from the cul-de-sac to Laurel Street will likely be closed during school hours so that the access road will not interfere with playground activity. It is recommended that Locust Court remain a two-way street so that the current residents continue to have full access to the public street system. The site plan. shows that the cul-de-sac is reduced somewhat. However, a full-size passenger vehicle will be able to turn around with no backing maneuver with the proposed cul-de-sac. It is proposed that buses will exit to the north at Laurel Street and, therefore, the larger cul-de-sac will not be required for them. Parents who are dropping off/picking up children will be able to exit at Laurel Street or turn around in the cul-de-sac and exit via Locust Street, as they do today. All entrances to the school will continue to be via Locust Street. City staff raised a concern over the need for school crossing signals at the Stover/Locust intersection. While the pedestrian -----activity at this intersection will increase significantly w17th the -- additional grades at Laurel Elementary School, the vehicular traffic on both Stover Street and Locust Street will still be low. While the warrants for a school signal should be determined by a traffic engineering study, it is not likely that warrants will be met with regards to gap availability. Standard crosswalks should be painted on Stover Street. 5 m W O CA O N O co .- co CO N N to oo I ------" -- - - 8/23 4/10 14/33 2/2 —r 18/15 3/2—� (0tocD T LO M� W Q N N .-co �2/3 c')rN {— 106/169 LAUREL r 2/7 + 79/132 1 /8 —� t 73/ 178 —► R 69/ 166 —► 6/ 4 �� CO .- rn r` E N.�-N. 0 co O Q O J � I I LAUREL SCHOOL LOCUST Q-Tv"NAF-Mr,, PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC WITH LAUREL STREET / PENNOCK PLACE CONNECTION Figure 9 IV. Conclusions The following summarizes the significant findings as a result of this study: Traffic from the proposed Laurel Elementary School can be handled on the area streets. Traffic operation at the area intersections is currently acceptable. The Laurel Elementary School will ingress via Locust Street as it does today. Egress will occur via a one-way access road to Laurel Street for school buses and a significant number of private automobiles. Ingress should also be maintained via Locust Street as it exists today. With the existing street system and the new Laurel Elementary School, the key intersections operate acceptably. Traffic volumes will increase on area streets during the peak traffic periods of the school: However, the duration of this higher traffic volume is less than half and hour and does not occur during the typical peak hours of the streets. - With a street system that includes a connection between Laurel Street and Pennock Place, traffic will increase significantly on Laurel Street. This is not school related traffic. Key intersections will continue to operate acceptably with this .potential increase in background traffic. - The Locust Court cul-de-sac should remain with two-way operation. The one-way portion of the access should be from. the end of the cul-de-sac to Laurel Street. This will enable this portion of the access to be.closed during school hours without adversely impacting the existing residences along Locust Court. + — = It is not likely that school crossing signals will be warranted at the Stover/Locust intersection. A painted crosswa-l-k—__ is recommended at this intersection. R New Laurel Elementary Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Page 3 3. Land Use: School - Site Development Plan Advisory Z Meeting The proposal is to demolish the existing Laurel School, which presently serves grades 4-6, and construct a new, larger school on the same site. The new school would allow the closing of Harris Elementary (grades K-3) and create a traditional single facility for grades K-6, with a combined faculty and staff. Public schools are considered to be an appropriate land use in the N-C-L, Neighborhood Conservation - Low Density, zone district. For over twenty years, the existing school has blended in with the established residential areas to the north, west, and south of the school. Elementary schools are considered compatible with residential areas offering the advantage of "walk-in" students. Also, the neighborhood setting, served by local streets, helps to reduce vehicular traffic creating a safer pedestrian environment for young children. 4. East Side Neighborhood Plan: The Laurel Elementary School is located in the "Neighborhood Preservation Area" of the East Side Neighborhood Plan. The Plan states that: "Changes of use are to be generally discouraged except as follows: ...churches, schools, and quasi -public recreational uses." While the demolition and reconstruction of an elementary school may not be exactly defined as a conversion, or change of use, the enlargement of the building and student population within the "Preservation Area" merits a review by the criteria of the East Side Neighborhood Plan. These criteria are as follows: "A change of use may be deemed appropriate if it conforms to the surrounding neighborhood character, including but not limited to: scale, mass, building separation, building placement; building height; finish materials, and architectural style; and can be shown to create no significant additional traffic, noise, or other land use conflicts." Staff finds that the proposed, K-6, 51,000 square foot school will meet the criteria for a land use change as defined by the East Side Neighborhood Plan. MEETING MINUTES PROJECT: Laurel School, Demolition and Reconstruction LOCATION: 1000 East Locust DATE: February 12, 1992 PR-1 REPRESENTATIVES: Keith Dixon, Michael Spearnak, Pat Dulaney CITY PLANNER: Ted .Shepard QUESTIONS, CONCERNSf COMMENTS 1. The proposed exit lane from Locust Court to Laurel Street runs right behind my house.. This is within 30 feet of my bedroom window which is too close and would cause a disturbance for me and my wife. The school is not a good neighbor now and would be a worse neighbor with the proposed access drive. The area is not maintained. As indicated on the plan, the location of this access drive is unacceptable. RESPONSE: The District will instruct the architect to investigate how this access drive can be mitigated so that it does not disturb your privacy. It is shown in its present configuration to allow as much outdoor play area as possible. One possible solution that comes to mind would be to soften the curves and pull the drive away from the property line. 2. There is a vacant lot on Colorado Street that is unbuildable because it is reserved for access to the east. This access point should be purchased by the District and used as the primary access to the school. RESPONSE: This access was rejected as the primary access point because Colorado Street does not lead to any major streets. Any traffic dumped onto Colorado Street will still impact either Laurel or Locust. It is believed that avoiding unnecessary traffic on Colorado is beneficial and more efficient. 3. How large will the school be? RESPONSE: The school is being planned for 550 students, in grades K-6. The Site Access Study used a capacity figure of 570 students as a conservative estimate for evaluating traffic impacts. 1 4. The playground area does not look large enough for 550 students. Is the play area sufficient? RESPONSE: The shape of the property is very unusual. In addition, there is grade change between proposed school location and the play area to the north dictating that the school be placed as shown. Negotiations are underway with Poudre Valley Hospital to exchange land for more usable play area. 5. We are concerned about the increase in traffic on Locust Street. Will the enlarged school cause more traffic? RESPONSE: It is hoped that traffic on Locust will be somewhat mitigated by the creation of an exit access drive to Laurel Street from the end of the Locust Court cul-de-sac. The opportunity to exit to the north may diminish the number of return trips back down Locust Street. 6. We are concerned about the increase in traffic on Laurel Street and the addition of a new access drive dumping parents and buses onto Laurel. RESPONSE: Laurel Street is a four lane Street, west of Stover. It presently does not carry very much traffic now. According to the Site Access Study, Laurel has ample capacity to handle the amount of traffic expected to exit from Locust Court. Also, please keep in mind that the school hours for drop-off and pick-up are not the same as the peak traffic times on the surrounding streets. 7. What are the school peak traffic times? RESPONSE: The Site Access Study calculated the peak times to be 8:25 to 8:45 a.m. and 3:45 to 4:10 p.m. It is important to note that these times are very concentrated and not spread out over longer time frames. 8. Again, it must be stated that the proposed access drive to Laurel Street is too -close to the existing homes. This -is' -an — intrusion. Move this road further east over by the U.S. West utility yard. Give us more buffer for peace and quiet. 9. What about the Laurel Street connection over to Pennock Place? Has this connection been looked at? If this connection were made, how much traffic would be added to Laurel? RESPONSE: Such a connection would occur off school property, except where it would actually tie into the Pennock Place cul-de- sac. If property were acquired and the connection made, it is estimated by the traffic consultant that an additional 2,600 trips per day (24-hour time frame) would be added to Laurel. With this addition, the Level Of Service would still be "A" which means "little or no delay". E 10. What about using Elizabeth Street as a drop-off for buses, and letting the kids walk down the path to the school? RESPONSE: This was looked at and rejected because of the speed and amount of traffic on Elizabeth. Also, unloading a bus load of students and channeling them down a narrow, unsupervised path is not considered an ideal solution. 11. How wide will the access drive to Laurel Street be? RESPONSE: Approximately 12 to 15 feet: 12. The best solution would be to buy the junkyard, get it out of the neighborhood, and use the land for access to Laurel and playground area. 13. I live at Locust and Stover. The kids walk down the street in groups and do not use the sidewalks because the sidewalks are too narrow. We need wider, sidewalks on Locust which could be built if parking were restricted to only one side of the street. RESPONSE: It would be difficult to build wider sidewalks on Locust Street since the yards are small. Also, parking on one side would be difficult. Whose side would be restricted and how would it be enforced? 14. How many buses with the new school are we talking about? RESPONSE: Since the same buses presently serve both schools Laurel and Harris, there would still only be four buses. 15. Will the attendance area be changed? RESPONSE: Yes, the new area would go_ as far south as Columbia. The Barton kids are scheduled to go to the new Southeast Elementary School in the fall of 1992. 16. The exit of the private access drive onto Laurel Street is offset between Endicott and Lesser. A private developer would never be allowed by the City to create an offset intersection. RESPONSE: This intersection was analyzed by the Site Access Study and there are no operational conflicts created by the offset. 17. How will the access drive to Laurel be policed? RESPONSE: Access during play times will be controlled by gates. 18. Laurel Street is a problem because there are no sidewalks on either side of the street east of Stover Street. Also, there is unclear lane definition. 3 RESPONSE: These problems are recognized. Under the current schematic plan, the exit lane to Laurel will not be heavily used by the general public. This access drive is for all buses and those parents who desire to exit to the north. It is not a public through street. 19. The main access- to the school, for buses and parents and' staff, should be from Laurel Street. This could then tie into the Laurel Street/Pennock Place connection and provide much needed access to Riverside Shopping Center. This would take traffic off Riverside, Elizabeth and Lemay. RESPONSE: The East Side Neighborhood Plan indicates the Laurel to Pennock connection taking place at the west property line of the shopping center. This frees up the most available land for a proposed neighborhood park. Also, the idea is to make the connection to Pennock indirect, so that it does not become a short cut for cross-town trips. 20. The faculty and staff parking lot should be shifted to the north side of the school. This would provide greater benefit for the future park and create a dual purpose lot. Also, Laurel Street is wider than Locust so Laurel should be the primary access. RESPONSE: These are good comments and the architect will be directed to explore these possibilities. 21. I am concerned about security lighting. Most commercial projects that go in next to neighborhoods are required to install down directional lighting. The school should be sensitive that the project is located within an established neighborhood. All lighting should be prevented from spilling offsite. 22. It looks like there should be more landscaping and buffering to protect the residents, particularly on the west. J 23. .How much parking will there be? RESPONSE: There will be approximately 69 parking spaces. This is the same amount as at the other "prototype" schools. 24. How will construction traffic access the site? RESPONSE: Construction traffic will enter via Laurel Street. 25. The two 90 degree curves in the access drive to Laurel should be softened. RESPONSE: This is a good comment but keep in mind this will minimize outdoor play area. 4 26. Will the large tree in front of the school remain? RESPONSE: Yes. 27. If the parking lot remains to south, there needs to a traffic control sign ("Yield") for cars exiting the iot. Presently, cars exiting the lot, heading west, do not yield to cars on Locust Street, heading east, even though cars on a public street have the right-of-way. RESPONSE: This is a good comment. 28. There are drainage issues out there in the 16V lying area. If the proposed access drive to Laurel Street is elevated, it .could cause drainage problems and flood my house. RESPONSE: The District is aware of drainage issues in the area and is prepared to take any measures to prevent flooding on neighboring property. 29. How much will the project cost? RESPONSE: Approximately $4.7 million. 30. The plan does not appear to be well thought out with all alternatives fully explored. It looks like the District has a lot more work to do. RESPONSE: The District is encouraged by the Planning Department to bring plans to the neighborhood that are schematic in nature, not in final design form. The advantage is to collect citizen input during flexible design phases, not after final decisions and final designs have been made. The disadvantage, of course, is that it appears that work appears sketchy and conceptual but at least the plans presented are not a "done deal". 31. What will become of the natural area? RESPONSE: The exact location depends on the final design and the ultimate location of the building and parking lot. The school is committed to preserving the natural area somewhere on the site. 32. What is the timeline for development? RESPONSE: The plan is to close the present facility on May 6, 1992. During Fall of 1992 and Spring of 1993, the kids will attend the old Barton School. (Barton kids will attend Southeast Elementary). New Laurel would be open for the Fall of 1993. Barton would then be phased out because of its location on an arterial street, and small play area. 33. It is obvious that future land acquisition in the area could alter access to the site. The issue is: do we wait until property is purchased for a park, or do we proceed on schedule 5 and then work with the City as the park site takes shape? As a parent, I am in favor of proceeding on schedule. There is no telling when the park site will be acquired. 34. I live on Colorado Street. Supposedly, there was an agreement with the District that there would be no school buses on Colorado Street. What happened? RESPONSE: Buses do use Colorado Street. The District is not sure about the exact nature of the agreement and why buses use Colorado Street. We will check with our Transportation Division for clarification. 35. The traffic at the U.S. West utility yard will conflict with traffic at the new Laurel connection. This will cause problems. RESPONSE: The traffic study indicates that there will be no significant delays and that Laurel Street will continue to operate at Level Of Service,"A", which means little or no delay. 3,6. More land needs to be acquired in the area for everything to work for the benefit of the entire.neighborhood. 37. The newcomers to the neighborhood and School District need to be reminded that an agreement was made when the present school was built that there would be no access to Laurel Street from Locust Court. History is being forgotten. Promises are being broken. Officials who were not around 20 years ago are innocently breaking promises made to the residents. I have not forgotton and I promise that there will be legal action if the Locust Court to Laurel Street connection is made. 38. It is time for all residents to be reasonable and consider a broad perspective for the benefit of the entire neighborhood. The issues raised tonight cannot be considered in a vacuum that narrowly focuses on one project by one public entity_._ The real issue is to do neighborhood planning that coordinates all the proposed public improvements. We, as residents must consider a broad vision of the future. 39. As a parent, I am afraid that the bond issue money for this project will disappear and end up benefitting some other neighborhood. I prefer the project proceed and hope that the public entities will continue to work together as conditions change. 4.0. I do not believe that the school cannot be built without satisfying the neighborhood objectives. The District needs to show some design flexibility to protect the neighborhood, and get the school built on schedule. 41. Who makes the final decision? 6 RESPONSE: The Board of Education will make the final decision at the "Final Design" stage. 42. A parking lot should be located back by Pennock for parents using Riverside or Lemay. A gate would allow pedestrian access. RESPONSE: This is a good comment and the District will work with Poudre Valley Hospital to see if this will not interfere with their proposed employee parking lot. 43. Earlier, it was stated that construction traffic use Laurel. Why not put all construction traffic on Pennock? RESPONSE: Again, negotiations will have to take place with Poudre Valley Hospital before committing to this suggestion. Announcement: There will be a neighborhood information meeting with the Poudre Valley Hospital regarding the construction of the proposed parking lot for the Family Care Center. This parking lot would be on land traded with the School District located at the end of Pennock Place. The date of the meeting is February 26, 1992, at 7:00 p.m., here at the Laurel School. 7 New Laurel Elementary Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Page 4 5. Design: School - Site Development Plan Advisory Z Meeting The plans to demolish and reconstruct Laurel School are in what is referred to by Poudre R-1 as the "schematic design" phase. For process purposes, this means that the Board of Education has not yet voted to authorize final design and construction documents. The Site Plan being reviewed is labeled 11B-211. It is acknowledged by Poudre R-1 that the Site Plan may evolve between schematic design and final design based on continuing negotiations with the school principal, the parent -teachers organization, and the neighboring property owners. The fluid nature of the schematic design is not unusual at this stage and does not inhibit the City's right to review and comment. The new elementary school will be the same "prototype" school recently approved for the Southwest and Southeast Elementary Schools. The same architectural characteristics can be found on such existing schools as Olander, Linton, Johnson, and Werner. These features include single story, masonry exterior, distinctive entry, and roof -mounted skylighting system. These schools are considered residential in character and have been accepted by other neighborhoods as being an attractive addition. It is Staff's finding that the new elementary school will be a positive physical addition to the surrounding area. The scale, mass, height, placement, finish materials, and architectural style are of high quality and will promote the residential character of the neighborhood. Staff remains concerned about the proximity of the private access drive connecting Locust Court to Laurel Street to the rear yard of the homes backing onto the school property. Staff recommends the Planning and Zoning Board advise the Board of Education of this landscape and buffering concern by making the following advisement: It is advised that the final landscape plans acknowledge the sensitivity of the adjacent homeowners to the west by including appropriate landscaping and buffering to mitigate the potential disturbance of the private access drive. 6. Future Plans - East Side Neighborhood: There are three potential developments in the immediate vicinity of the school site that affect land use planning and neighborhood compatibility. These developments, and their contextual significance, are discussed below: New Laurel Elementary School - Site Development Plan Advisory Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Z Meeting Page 5 A. Future Neighborhood Park The Open Space Plan, adopted by the City of Fort Collins in 1974, proposed acquisition of a ten acre neighborhood park site adjacent to the Laurel School. This park is referred to in the East Side Neighborhood Plan as the "East Side Neighborhood Park". Although the open Space Plan called for acquisition of that park site by 1975, it has not yet been purchased or designed. A vicinity map outlining the proposed acquisition area is attached, see Figure it from the East Side Neighborhood Plan. It is anticipated that the location of a neighborhood park adjacent to the elementary school will offer the same strategic advantages as other school - park sites: Southeast Elementary - Golden Meadows Park Lopez Elementary - Troutman Park Beattie Elementary - Beattie Park Riffenburg Elementary - Edora Park Blevins Junior High - Blevins Park Johnson Elementary - Westfield Park (undeveloped) Southwest Elementary - Clarendon Hills Park (undeveloped) Boltz Junior High - Youth Sports Park (proposed) Linton Elementary - English Ranch Park (proposed) New High School - Pine Cone Farm Park (proposed) The proposed New Laurel School, although larger in size, will not preclude City acquisition of a neighborhood park. Because of different priorities and time frames, the New Laurel School and East Side Neighborhood Park will not likely develop concurrently. Discussions between the Parks and Recreation Department and Poudre R-1 School District have acknowledged the advantages of joint access, shared parking, and a maintenance agreement. It will be important for Poudre R-1 to anticipate the development of a neighborhood park and plan accordingly. B. Laurel Street to Pennock Place Local Street Connection: The East Side Neighborhood Plan calls for Laurel Street to end as a straight continuation at the west edge of the Riverside Shopping Center, and then connect with Pennock Place to the south. Laurel Street should not connect with Riverside Avenue and should not provide direct access to the Riverside Shopping Center (access to the shopping center will be via Pennock Place, Riverside Avenue, and Lemay Avenue). A sketch of this connection is also indicated on the attachment labeled Figure 11 from the East Side Neighborhood Plan, and on Figure 6 from the Site Access Study. E New Laurel Elementary School - Site Development Plan Advisory Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Z Meeting Page 6 It is significant to note that the Laurel Street to Pennock Place connection may provide an additional point of vehicular access to the school as well as provide non -arterial access to the shopping center. Separation of this traffic, and protecting pedestrian routes to the school must be a part of any connection plan. C. Poudre Valley Hospital Family Care Center Poudre Valley Hospital Family Care Center has leased/purchased space in the two story Riverside Junction retail building located south of Pennock Place and east of the school site. To provide parking for its staff, P.V.H. has leased approximately one acre of land, west of the building, adjacent to the Laurel School playground and athletic fields. P.V.H. and Poudre R-1 have entered into a tentative land trade agreement where the Family Care Center would build its employee parking lot on the eastern end of the school property, and thus enjoy direct access to Pennock Place. Poudre R-1, in exchange, would be allowed to use one acre for playground and athletic fields which is in a more usable location and configuration than the eastern extreme by Pennock Place. The areas of the proposed exchange are indicated on the Site Plan. Discussions between Poudre Valley Hospital, Poudre R-1 School District, and the Parks and Recreation Department have indicated a willingness for all parties to work together, with citizen input, on solving the pedestrian and vehicular issues in the area. Again, because of differing priorities and schedules, construction of these developments by three different public agencies will not likely be concurrent. It is advised that the Facilities Services Department of Poudre R-1 School District continue to work with the City of Fort Collins Departments of Planning, Transportation, Engineering, and Parks and Recreation, the Poudre Valley Hospital, and the neighborhood residents on locational and transportation issues relating to the future neighborhood park, the Laurel Street to Pennock Place connection, and the parking lot for Family Care Center. 7. Transportation: The key transportation proposal for the New Laurel School is the one-way vehicular connection from the existing Locust Court cul-de- sac to Laurel Street to the north. Presently, this connection serves only pedestrian and bicycle traffic. This private access drive would allow buses (and parents, at their option) to exit to the north versus a return trip down Locust Street to the Stover Street intersection. New Laurel Elementary School - Site Development Plan Advisory Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Z Meeting Page 7 The Locust Court cul-de-sac would be reduced in diameter and remain open as a two-way street. The one-way connection to Laurel would begin at the end of the cul-de-sac. The District is proposing that the connection be closed with gates during school hours to take advantage of as much outdoor play area as possible. There are four buses that presently serve both Laurel and Harris schools. With the consolidation into a single, new school, there would be no increase in the number of bus trips. By necessity, all buses would exit to the north via the one-way private access drive due to the reduced diameter of the cul-de-sac. With the increase in students from 197 to a potential capacity of 570, and three additional grades, there will be an increase in traffic on the area streets. According to the Site Access Study, all the key intersections (Stover/Locust, Laurel/Colorado) will operate acceptably without modifications. School related traffic on Locust Street and Laurel Street will increase significantly over the school related traffic on those streets at the present time. However, the number of vehicles either currently on these streets, or that are caused by the proposed Laurel Elementary School, is so small that traffic volumes are well under the limit of those expected on a local street. The peak traffic period is considered from 8:25 - 8:45 a.m. and 3:45 - 4:10 p.m. It was noted in the study that teachers were already at the school when the observation began in the morning and were still at the school when observation ended in the afternoon. The primary difference over existing conditions is the number of inbound trips in the morning and outbound trips in the afternoon. These trips, however, do not coincide with the traditional peak traffic on the surrounding streets. Pedestrian traffic is expected to increase at the Stover/Locust intersection. It is recommended by the Site Access Study that standard crosswalks should be painted on Stover Street. Under the "B-2" schematic plan, the Locust Street to Laurel Street connection is a one-way access drive limited in hours to serve the morning and afternoon drop-off and pick-up operation. If the final Site Plan upgrades this access drive so that the primary entry is gained from Laurel Street, then Staff has concerns about pedestrian access from Laurel Street which, at present, does not have sidewalks from Stover Street to the Laurel Street access drive. It is concluded that the traffic from the expansion of the New Laurel School can be accommodated on the surrounding streets New Laurel Elementary School - Site Development Plan Advisory Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Z Meeting Page 8 without affecting the intersections in the area. Staff is concerned, however, about the lack of sidewalks on Laurel Street between Stover Street and the school access drive, should primary access be shifted to Laurel Street. Staff recommends the Planning and Zoning Board advise the Board of Education about this important link in the pedestrian circulation system by making the following advisement: It is advised that, should Laurel Street become the primary access, the Board of Education consider constructing sidewalks on both sides of Laurel Street between Stover Street on the west and the school access drive on the east to promote safe, pedestrian traffic. 8. Neighborhood Compatibility: A neighborhood meeting was held on February 12, 1992. The proposal generated a spirited discussion regarding specific site development issues, as well as broader neighborhood issues. A copy of the minutes to this meeting is attached. The highlights are summarized below: A. Proximity of Laurel Connection to Homes on Colorado Street: The site plan indicates that the Locust Court/Laurel Street connection will be placed directly along the shared property line with the homes to the west. Several residents expressed that such a connection was too close to the property line and should be shifted to the east and buffered from the homes with landscaping. Response: Poudre R-1 representatives agreed to look into methods of mitigating the proximity of this access drive to the homes. B. Traffic on Locust street: There is a concern that an expanded school will cause unmanageable traffic volumes on Locust Street. Response: Bus traffic will remain the same as it is now. Faculty and staff traffic will increase slightly. Parent drop-off traffic will now have the option of exiting north to Laurel Street, thus relieving traffic off Locust Street on the return trip. All streets will continue to function at acceptable levels (Level of Service A) for local streets. C. Colorado Street - Primary Connection New Laurel Elementary School - Site Development Plan Advisory Review, #59-91 February 24, 1992 P & Z Meeting Page 9 It was recommended that since the vacant lot on Colorado was reserved for future access to the east, and cannot be built on, that it be used for local street access. A Colorado Street connection would be better than a Laurel Street connection. Response: Any traffic routed to Laurel Street still has to impact either Laurel or Locust since Colorado does not directly feed into the larger street system. D. Sidewalks on Laurel Street The lack of sidewalks on Laurel Street, east of Stover Street is a concern. Response: This was noted in the Site Access Study and is being investigated by Poudre R-1. E. Pennock Place - Primary Vehicular Connection: Primary vehicular access should be gained from Pennock Place. This would relieve traffic off Locust Street. Response: Such a connection would be circuitous since it does not serve the primary future attendance area to the west and south. (See future attendance area, Figure 7, Site Access Study). F. Bus Loop, Drop -Off, Parking, Access From Laurel Street: The primary vehicular area should be shifted from the south to the north to take advantage of Laurel Street. Although there is a grade separation, this would take pressure off Locust Street. Response: This is concept will be considered by the architect for feasibility. G. Timing of School, Hospital, and Park Improvements: The concern is that bond issue money for the school is available now to meet an immediate need in this school boundary area. Such funds may not be available in the future. The time to build the school is now so it can open in Fall of 1993. The Hospital and Park improvements should be factored in as best as possible in the planning phases and built when funds are available by their respective public agencies. On the other hand, it would be ideal if the three public agencies could coordinate their construction projects to cause the least amount of disruption to the neighborhood. Joint access, shared