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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLAUREL SCHOOL DEMOLITION AND RECONSTRUCTION ADVISORY REVIEW - 59 91 - CORRESPONDENCE - STAFF'S PROJECT COMMENTSDevelop- _nt Services Planning Department February 10, 1992 Michael Spearnak Facilities Division Poudre School District R-1 2407 LaPorte Avenue Fort Collins, CO. 80521 Dear Mr. Spearnak: Staff has had the opportunity to review the "B2" site plan schematic for New Laurel School and offers the following comments: 1. What is the status of the Traffic Impact Analysis? Will the results be discussed at the neighborhood meeting on Wednesday, February 12, 1992? If improvements are identified to mitigate the traffic impact on the surrounding streets, then these improvements must be discussed. 2. It is not clear whether the Locust Court to Laurel Street connection is a one-way or two-way private drive. The site plan should indicate the direction of traffic flow and that the drive is not a public street. Also, please indicate the width of this connection from flowline to flowline. 3. If the connection is the required second point of access for compliance with Fire Code, then please.label as a "Fire Lane". Also, if required for access, the connection must be equipped with "No Parking - Fire Lane" signs, and the control gates must meet the specifications (removable under emergency conditions) of the Poudre Fire-Au-thority.- Please make the necessary notes on the site plan. 4. The site plan should also show the location of the water lines, fire hydrants, and all fire service lanes. 5. The site plan should indicate the location of the natural area. We are still operating under the assumption that the natural area will remain in its present location. 6. Staff is concerned about the delineation of the playground area and the Laurel Street connection. How will the students know when the lane is closed or open? Won't this arrangement require an inordinate amount of adult supervision during the morning and afternoon bus times? A possible solution would be to provide an attractive border to the lane with a split rail or western rail fence to discourage the students from using the lane as play are at all times. 281 North College avenue • P.O. Box 580 0 Fart Collins. C0.180 22-0380 • (303) '_1-h77i1 7. At the terminus of Pennock Place, the plan indicates that P.V.H. has acquired property, in trade, from the District. This acquisition should not preclude the potential Pennock/Laurel street connection as approved in the City's East Side Neighborhood Plan. It is very important to keep options open to provide access to a possible neighborhood park and to the Riverside Shopping Center. Please add language to the plan indicating that the Pennock/Laurel connection is still a viable transportation goal of the City. 8. Will there be a pedestrian connection or a gate in the playground fence to allow access from the school property, across the P.V.H. property to Pennock Place? Such a pedestrian connection is encouraged as an interim solution until a street is constructed. 9. The sidewalk along the private access lane presently terminates at the curve. This.sidewalk should continue around the curve to Laurel Street to promote safe pedestrian circulation. 10. Are there any plans to address the narrow sidewalks on Locust Street? The narrowness of these sidewalks has been an issue in the past and may need to be looked at. 11. As you are aware, the landscape plan for the Southwest Elementary School was circulated with the Laurel plans to indicate typical landscape treatment. Based on those plans, the City Forester recommends that the Norway Maple be changed to either Green Ash, Hackberry, Burr Oak, or Linden. Also, planting details are enclosed to add to the landscape plan. 12. Staff has two concerns with the parking lot. First, there appears to be an unnecessary drive aisle on the west which serves no spaces. Second, the path from Elizabeth Street dumps into the parking lot with no logical connection to the front door. These two concerns can be remedied by replacing the unnecessary drive aisle with landscaping and a sidewalk that extends the path from Elizabeth Street. This will remove students from a vehicular area. 13. The site plan should indicate the location of the bicycle racks. 14. Please provide notation on the location of the playground areas, and label what appears to be sand areas. Also, please label the flagpole, sign, fencing material and height, and other pertinent site plan elements. 15. Please indicate the square footage of the building. 16. Please.provide a vicinity map. The following comments relate to the Utility Plans and are passed along for your consideration: 17. A drainage study would be required which should indicate the location of the 100-year floodplain (in the baseball diamond area). In addition, an erosion control plan must be submitted. Please note that on -site detention for increased imperviousness will be required. 18. The Public Service Company will require that all trees be kept a minimum of four feet from underground gas lines. 19. Any relocations or modifications to the existing electrical system must be coordinated with the City Light and Power Department. 20. If the existing water and sewer services are adequately sized, they may be reused. The existing meter pit must be upgraded to current City standards. There are numerous existing water and .sewer mains which traverse the site. All must be included in.20 foot wide exclusive utility easements. This concludes Staff comments at this time. Please note that for the February 24, 1992 Planning and Zoning Board hearing, P.M.T.'s, 10 prints, colored renderings are due Feb. 18, 1992. At this time, we do not have a landscape plan or architectural elevations. It is recommended that these be provided as part of the 10 prints so a complete plan set can be provided to the P & Z Board. As always, please call if you have any questions. Sincerely, Ted Shepard Senior Planner xc: Sherry Albertson -Clark, Chief Planner Kerrie Ashbeck, Civil Engineer