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Home My WebLink AboutKECHTER TOWNHOMES - PDP200010 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVE4383 Tennyson Street, #1D Denver, Colorado 80212 Phone: 720.465.4320 www.mccooldevelopment.com July 22, 2020 City of Fort Collins – Community Development & Neighborhood Services Attn: Ms. Tenae Beane, Development Review Coordinator 280 North College Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80524 Re: Kechter Townhomes; Project Development Plan and Subdivision Plat Applications 3620 Kechter Road, Fort Collins, Colorado 80528 Dear Ms. Beane, On behalf of the owner, City of Fort Collins, we are pleased to submit the attached Project Development Plan and Subdivision Plat for the project known as Kechter Townhomes, generally located at the northwest corner of Kechter Road and Jupiter Drive just east of Twin Silo Park. The following project information provides additional details to assist City staff in the review of this Project Development Plan and Subdivision Plat applications. Project Title: Kechter Townhomes Project Development Plan and Subdivision Plat Past Meeting Dates: ● Preapplication meeting was held on June 5, 2019 ● Neighborhood Meeting is scheduled for July 27, 2020 General Information: This is a request for a Project Development Plan and Subdivision Plat to develop a ~5 acre City of Fort Collins Land Bank parcel to construct 100% permanently affordable, for-sale homes consisting of 60 townhomes with a mix of (6) two and (54) three-bedroom units generally located at the northwest corner of Kechter Road and Jupiter Drive just east of Twin Silo Park. Primary access is provided off of Kechter Road with additional neighborhood connectivity provided to Quasar Way and Eclipse Lane. A total of 119 parking spaces are proposed that include 60 garage spaces, 55 on street and 4 off street spaces. A linear green space provides additional off-street circulation for pedestrians and north-south connectivity through the development. The property is zoned Low Density Mixed Use Neighborhood (LMN) and is subject to Administrative (Type 1) review. The associated subdivision plat includes 60 lots with .57 acres of open space and ~1.599 acres of right-of-way dedication. Existing and Proposed Owners/Funding Structure: Elevation Community Land Trust (Elevation CLT or ECLT) secured a grant from the Colorado Department of Housing to Page 2 of 4 assist with the acquisition of subject property. Indiana-based affordable housing developer, TWG Development, LLC (TWG), is the developer and has formed a limited partnership (Kechter Homes LP) with Housing Catalyst, the City of Fort Collins’ Housing Authority, to allow the project to benefit from tax exemptions and property tax abatement through the construction period to time of sale to ECLT. TWG’s related entity TWG Construction, LLC, will serve as the General Contractor. TWG and ECLT will enter into a purchase and sale agreement through which ECLT will acquire the subdivided parcels and finished townhomes at an agreed-upon price point. ECLT will then sell the improvements to qualified households earning less than 80% area median income (AMI), with prices set around 70% AMI to ensure long term affordability and to serve a broader range of incomes. The difference between the acquisition sales price and the homeowner sales price will be subsidized with additional philanthropic capital from ELCT. ECLT will maintain ownership of underlying land and will ensure affordability and owner-occupancy using a 99-year renewable land lease. ECLT will also establish a homeowners association that they will monitor. Transportation Improvements: A Traffic Impact Study was finalized on July 8, 2020. Based on the analysis contained in the study, the proposed Kechter townhomes project demonstrates compliance with the standards in the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards for traffic at the time of development. It is recommended that the proposed site access to Kechter Road be constructed as a full-movement access without an eastbound left-turn lane. Neighborhood connections are provided to the already planned and stubbed out roadway connections to Eclipse Lane and Quasar Way. Neighborhood Meeting Overview: A neighborhood meeting is scheduled for July 27, 2020. We look forward to the opportunity to share our development proposal with the surrounding neighborhood. A second neighborhood meeting will also be held in August or September 2020. Site Design: The site’s design includes an internal street system with sidewalks and tree lawns on each site. Buildings are set back to provide additional front lawn space. The center of the neighborhood is anchored with a number of townhomes, a walking path that provides the neighborhood with a north-south pedestrian connection, and a linear park that connects the homes in the east-west direction and provides a visual connection to the adjacent open space to the west. Transition Techniques: The adjacent land uses include single-family residential (east and north), school (west), and park (south). The site has been designed to further the City’s affordable housing goals by integrating and distributing affordable housing as part of individual neighborhoods and the larger community. More specifically, the site and building design complement and enhance the positive qualities of existing adjacent neighborhoods by continuing on-street parking, detached sidewalks, tree lawns, individual front yards, and front-accessed garages. Lastly, the design aligns with the anticipated evolution, built form, mix of housing types, and mobility described in Mixed Neighborhood. Page 3 of 4 The narrative below describes proposed transitioning techniques along all property boundaries. Panting Beds are provided along the north, east and west perimeters softening the buildings. Open space and storm water facilities provide a buffer from Kechter road to the south. Architectural Design: Community architecture consists of four different building types with a number or exterior color options that mimic the architecture of the adjacent neighborhoods with pitched asphalt roofs, two-story and single-story massing, walk-up front porches, vinyl windows, residential window proportions, cement board siding and trim, and earth-toned colors. The combination of two- and three-bedroom townhomes creates buildings with varied massing and roof lines to provide visual interest and variation between the building types. Garage doors are recessed from the fronts of the dwellings and comprise no more than 50% of building frontage. Utilities: Water – Water will be provided to the project by the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District via existing water mains located adjacent to the project site. No upgrades to the existing system are anticipated. Sewer – Sewer will be provided by the South Fort Collins Sanitation District via existing sewer mains adjacent to the project site. No upgrades or off-site improvements to the existing system are anticipated. Stormwater – Stormwater will be conveyed via a system of swales and storm drains to stormwater treatment and detention facilities located at the southern end of the site. All City of Fort Collins Stormwater requirements will be met by the project, including Low Impact Development (LID) treatment. Development Phasing Schedule: At this time, the entire Kechter Townhome project is anticipated to be developed in a single phase. Initial Submittal Comment Response Letter: Attached. Signed Letters of Intent from Impacted off-site property owners(s): The TWG Team in conjunction with the City of Fort Collins is working with the Observatory Village Homeowners Association to vacate the existing 30’ access easement that currently encumbers the western edge of the subject property. This matter will be resolved prior to scheduling the hearing. Lighting: With such little lighting proposed, Staff granted a waiver from the Photometric Plan submittal requirement. All proposed lighting is depicted within the Plan Set (See Sheet A1.5) and will meet City of Fort Collins requirements. Page 4 of 4 Ecological Characterization Memo: Since this site is not within the 500 feet of defined natural habitats and features, the ECS was waived. On July 15, 2020, the City shared a comment from a community member on a potential Bald Eagle foraging site immediately adjacent to the Kechter parcel. Given this information, the City required a ECS memo that focuses on the trees serving as a potential foraging site for American Eagles. The TWG Team has engaged Cedar Creek Associates, Inc., to prepare the ECS memo. In light of how the information was received, Kelly Smith granted approval to make this formal submittal prior to the ECS memo. The ECS memo will be submitted to the City upon completion. We are thrilled with the opportunity to bring this project to the City of Fort Collins and look forward to working with you and the City through the development review process. Please feel free to reach out to me at 303.378.4540 or carrie@mccooldevelopment.com with any questions or comments. Sincerely, McCOOL DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS Carrie McCool, Principal Enclosures: