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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOAK 140 - PDP200009 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - MODIFICATION REQUESTMINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 July 8, 2020 Modification Request Oak 140 - Project Development Plan 4.16(C)(1) Building Height Limits Figure 18.7 establishes that the maximum building height for buildings in the Historic Core Area of the Downtown District shall be 4 stories or 56 feet. Reason for Request Housing Catalyst and the DDA are committed to helping achieve the City of Fort Collins goals for affordable housing. In order to build 79 affordable housing units with ground floor commercial space and adequate parking on the site at 140 E Oak St, a modification for building height is being requested. The proposed site and building design strive to balance Fort Collins’ Land Use Code requirements with the overall goals of the City Plan, particularly in the aspect of providing affordable housing and density. The original building proposal at Conceptual Review proposed 6 stories. Fortunately, the DDA and Housing Catalyst were able to negotiate the purchase of the adjacent building on the north. The acquisition of the additional property allowed the project to become more efficient and be reduced to 5 stories instead of 6 while still meeting project goals and objectives. The height of the building measured to the top of the roof is 57’-9”, just 1’-9” above the 56-foot height limit in the Historic Core Area. Justification The Land Use Code Section 2.8.2(H) states that the decision-maker may grant a modification of standards if the decision-maker finds that the granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good and that it meets one of four justification criteria. We believe that the project as proposed meets Criterion (2) and (4), which are further explained below. MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 (2) The granting of a modification from the strict application of any standard would, without impairing the intent and purpose of this Land Use Code, substantially alleviate an existing, defined and described problem of city-wide concern or would result in a substantial benefit to the city by reason of the fact that the proposed project would substantially address an important community need specifically and expressly defined and described in the city's Comprehensive Plan or in an adopted policy, ordinance or resolution of the City Council, and the strict application of such a standard would render the project practically infeasible. The proposed project is an affordable housing community that will result in a substantial benefit to the City. It is designed to address the critical need for affordable rental housing in the community. The need for affordable housing is defined in City Plan and the Affordable Housing Strategic Plan. The 2015 adopted Affordable Housing Strategic Plan sets the goal to have 6% of Fort Collins housing stock be comprised of affordable housing (defined as housing for residents earning 80% AMI or less), increasing to 10% beyond 2020. Currently, the City is hundreds of units short of meeting this goal. One of the top identified pillars is to increase the inventory of affordable rental units. The opportunity to provide affordable housing for 79 households is a significant step towards addressing this important community need and provides a substantial benefit to these individuals and the community as a whole. As the developer of the affordable housing component, Housing Catalyst will be utilizing 4% Federal and State Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to develop the project. The LIHTC equity is the most critical component of the project financing. The LIHTC program has specific requirements and associated costs. There is a general economy of scale that is necessary to make LIHTC projects feasible. The most recent reports tell us that the average size of a 4% LIHTC project in Colorado is 114 units. In general, projects that are closer to 100 units are more viable, stable, and cost effective when utilizing the 4% LIHTC program. When approaching the programming for Oak 140, the team wanted to maximize the density and efficiency of the project while also balancing the size, height, parking needs, activation of the ground floor, and cost of the building. It is not feasible to achieve the necessary number of units in a building less than five stories in height. The only way to have fewer stories would be to move the parking from the second-floor podium to an underground format or reduce the number of units from 79 to 53 by eliminating the 5th floor. The underground parking option was problematic because of the risk of water infiltration, increased duration of construction activity and costs associated with constructing the parking and mitigating water underground. The other option to eliminate the 5th floor does not yield enough units to make the project viable. The proposed 5-story building is the plan that best meets the goals of the project - to deliver the greatest amount of affordable housing that is feasible, while embracing high quality design that recognizes and is sensitive to the surrounding community. MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 (4) The plan as submitted will not diverge from the standards of the Land Use Code that are authorized by this Division to be modified except in a nominal, inconsequential way when considered from the perspective of the entire development plan, and will continue to advance the purposes of the Land Use Code as contained in Section 1.2.2. The proposed building will have a maximum height of 57’-9”, as measured from the average of the finished ground level at the center of all walls to the highest point of the roof surface per LUC Section 3.8.17(A). This additional 1’-9” results in an overall height increase of just 3% beyond the code requirements, but affords the opportunity to provide the community with an additional 26 affordable housing units than if the 5th story was removed. Taking into consideration the historic significance of Downtown Fort Collins and the need for integrative design, Shopworks Architecture has carefully shaped the exterior facade of Oak 140 to blend seamlessly into its surroundings. The use of stepbacks on both Oak St. and Remington St. help facilitate a smooth transition between Oak 140 and surrounding buildings. Additionally, the choice of exterior materials help ground the building. Brick, an esthetically heavy material, is used at the lower levels, while the lighter metal panels are used for the upper stories. This helps to diminish the perceived height of the building, while at the same time creating space for both historic and modern architectural expression. The project as a whole will certainly advance the purpose statement of the Land Use Code as outlined in Section 1.2.2. In particular, the project as proposed will directly contribute to the following Criterion listed in Section 1.2.2: (A) ensuring that all growth and development which occurs is consistent with this Code, City Plan and its adopted components, including, but not limited to, the Structure Plan, Principles and Policies and associated sub-area plans. • The proposed use for the multi-family building will be consistent with the City Plan goals to provide affordable housing. (F) encouraging patterns of land use which decrease trip length of automobile travel and encourage trip consolidation. • The anticipated residents of the multi-family building will be those within our community who work in Old Town, thus reducing the need for the use of automobiles. (L) encouraging the development of vacant properties within established areas. MINIMAL RISK. PAINLESS PROCESS. BEAUTIFUL SPACES. o: 970.224.5828 | w: ripleydesigninc.com RIPLEY DESIGN, INC. | 419 Canyon Avenue, Suite 200 | Fort Collins, CO 80521 • The property located at 140 E Oak St has been vacant since the Elks Lodge building was demolished in 2012. The project as proposed offers an efficient use of space for one of the few remaining vacant lots in Old Town. (O) encouraging a wide variety of housing opportunities at various densities that are well- served by public transportation for people of all ages and abilities. • The Downtown District is currently underserved from an affordable housing standpoint, and this project will go a long way to provide housing in this area to a wider demographic.