HomeMy WebLinkAboutSUN COMMUNITIES THE FOOTHILLS STAND ALONE MODIFICATION - MOD200002 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - MODIFICATION REQUEST143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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Zoning Modification Request #1
The Foothills
Sun Communities
6750 South College Avenue
Fort Collins, CO
Introduction
Sun Communities, Inc. is proposing a 204-unit manufactured housing community with amenity center on
approximately 51.9 acres on two parcels near the southeast corner of South College Avenue and East
Trilby Road. Both parcels are zoned Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood District (L-M-N). The site is
currently vacant and covered with native vegetation. The current concept plan for this project is
included as Attachment A. Sun Communities intends to develop and operate the site as a land-lease
manufactured home community built to HUD standards. The development’s roadways, utilities and
amenities will be private and maintained by Sun Communities and funded through monthly site rent
payments, much like typical “HOA Fees”, while the community residents will generally purchase and
own their manufactured home. Typically, a large majority of Sun residents own their own home and can
build equity in their investment.
As part of Sun’s development program, a slightly modified private roadway cross-section is needed to
accommodate the proposed layout, which is designed to generally minimize the presence of motor
vehicles, create a more pedestrian friendly road corridor, and remove the danger posed by parked cars
that often screen playing children from the view of passing motorists. The proposed cross-section is
shown below and included as Attachment B.
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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The following is a request for a modification to the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code, Division 3.6.2
(N)(1)(c), regarding Street-Like Private Drives. This Division of the Land Use Code reads as follows, with
the relevant section underlined:
Division 3.6.2 - Streets, Streetscapes, Alleys and Easements
Paragraph (N) Private Drives and Street-Like Private Drives
(1) When Allowed.
(a) Internal access or additional cross-access. Private drives shall be allowed in a development,
provided that their function will only be to provide access to the property within the development or
additional cross-access between developments that are also connected by a street(s). Private drives
shall not be permitted if (by plan or circumstance) such drives would, in the judgement of the City
Engineer, attract “through traffic” in such volumes as to render such drives necessary as connections
between developments, neighborhoods or other origins and destinations outside of the development
plan.
(b) Primary access. A private drive shall be allowed to provide primary access to a development,
provided that the drive follows subparagraph (a) above.
(c) Street-Like Private Drives. A street-like private drive shall be allowed as primary access to facing
buildings or to parcels internal to a larger, cohesive development plan, or for the purposes of meeting
other requirements for streets. Street-like private drives shall be designed to include travel lanes, on-
street parking, tree-lined border(s), detached sidewalk(s) and crosswalks. Other features such as
bikeways, landscape medians, corner plazas and pedestrian lighting may be provided to afford an
appropriate alternative to a street in the context of the development plan.
Sun is proposing street-like private drives throughout the community except for short roadway
section of Debra Drive, which will be a public street built to City standards. The proposed cross-
section for the street-like private drives will meet all the above criteria but will not include on-street
parking or detached sidewalks. However, attached sidewalks are proposed on both sides of the
street. The proposed cross-section can be seen above and in Attachment B.
Zoning Variance Guidelines
Section 2.8.2(H) of the Land Use Code states that a decision-maker may grant a modification of
standards if it finds that the granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good;
and the decision-maker must also find that the Modification meets one of the following four criteria:
(1) The plan as submitted will promote the general purpose of the standard for which the
modification is requested equally well or better than would a plan which complies with
the standard for which a modification is requested; or
(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; or
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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(3) By reason of exceptional physical conditions or other extraordinary and exceptional
situations, unique to such property, including, but not limited to, physical conditions
such as exceptional narrowness, shallowness or topography, or physical conditions
which hinder the owner's ability to install a solar energy system, the strict application of
the standard sought to be modified would result in unusual and exceptional practical
difficulties, or exceptional or undue hardship upon the owner of such property, provided
that such difficulties or hardship are not caused by the act or omission of the applicant; or
(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 applicant believes this modification request is not detrimental to the public good, meets three of
the four criteria listed above, and respectfully requests that the modification be approved. Justification
for meeting the three criteria is included in the section below.
Applicant's Justification
Criteria #1 – Promotes the General Purpose of the Standard Equally Well or Better
Sun Communities (Sun) is a nationally recognized developer and manager of manufactured housing
(MH) communities and recreational vehicle (RV) parks across the United States and Canada. Sun
currently has eight MH communities and two RV resorts in Colorado, including two communities in Fort
Collins that were developed prior to Sun purchasing and upgrading them; specifically, Timber Ridge and
Skyline. Sun prides itself on providing an affordable, quality housing product and operating its
communities to a high standard that residents have come to appreciate. Sun has developed successful
communities by designing infrastructure and amenities within the development that meet market
demands while satisfying the public infrastructure and life safety requirements of the municipality they
are located in.
Sun owns and operates over 420 communities across the United States and Canada and most of these
communities have private roadways and utilities that are owned and maintained by Sun. Sun has a
comprehensive capital improvement plan and prefers to maintain their own infrastructure. Typically,
Sun maintains their roads and infrastructure to a higher standard than a City or County can, with a
substantial portion of the monthly site rent payments being re-invested directly into the communities.
Sun’s reduced roadway section and corridor widths proposed for travel lanes help reduce vehicular
speed throughout the communities, which is safer for children, senior citizens, those with disabilities,
and the community as a whole. Typical speed limits within a Sun community are 10-15 mph; and the
more friendly, narrow street profile is the primary reason, not signage. In addition, Sun does not
typically allow on-street parking within its communities to improve the safety of its residents while
providing a more attractive streetscape. On-street parking clutters the public realm, and contradicts
from the pedestrian-oriented, active living lifestyle Sun promotes with proven and thoughtful design of
its communities. Every house will have at least three (3) dedicated on-site parking spaces behind the
sidewalk and visitor parking will be provided within short walking distance at the central amenity center
and in other designated common areas throughout the development. Finally, Sun’s on-site community
management staff enforces parking and speeding concerns within the community, if any arise.
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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The proposed cross-section generally meets the intent and standard for Street-Like Private Drives in that
the focus is more on pedestrian safety rather than storage of motor vehicles. As such, this is a critical
design element for a community with a high number of active children and senior citizens. Sidewalks
are provided on both sides of the road to promote walkability and connectivity throughout the
community and the travel lane widths meet city standard for residential roads. Moreover, sidewalks
connected to the roadway provide larger front yards and outdoor spaces for residents, which
encourages them to engage with their neighbors from front yards and porches and creates an active
community of residents who enjoy pride of ownership of their home and feel invested in their
neighborhood.
Criteria #2 – Addresses an Important Community Need
Typical Sun communities have a total housing cost well below a traditional single-family community,
while providing a mixture of options within a highly amenitized community. Whereas a traditional
apartment community is built for renters only, Sun prides itself on being able to provide attainable
housing to its residents and an opportunity to build equity in an asset. This is important for a population
that would normally have nothing to show after years of paying rent. In Fort Collins, Sun is planning to
sell brand-new manufactured homes in the $125,000 - $200,000 price range. Site rent for the
community is projected to be in the $700- $750/month range, which equates to a total monthly
payment in the $2,100 - $2,400 range. To compare, the average home value in Fort Collins is around
$425,000, with a monthly mortgage payment in the $3,100 - $3,300 range. A nurse or teacher or retiree
living in The Foothills will have a brand-new, energy efficient home in a community with open space, a
playground, a clubhouse, a pool, a nature preserve, and a dog park; and will save $1,000/month or more
in housing costs when compared to the elusive and expensive traditional single-family home in Fort
Collins.
Most of homes in The Foothills will provide market-rate, non-subsidized, single-family housing for the
workforce of Fort Collins. Workforce housing is designed to be affordable for families with incomes
between 80% and 120% of the local Area Median Income (AMI). An affordable monthly payment
(including utilities) should be 30% or less of a household’s income. The table below shows the maximum
monthly payment (including utilities) to qualify as workforce housing. By providing single-family housing
for this missing “sweet spot” in the City, Sun will significantly help Fort Collins meet the rising demand
for workforce housing.
Number of
People per
Household
Median
Income
80%
AMI
120%
AMI
"Workforce"
Monthly
Payment Range
1 $65,900 $52,720 $79,080 $1,318 - $1,977
2 $75,300 $60,240 $90,360 $1,506 - $2,259
3 $84,700 $67,760 $101,640 $1,694 - $2,541
4 $94,100 $75,280 $112,920 $1,882 - $2,823
5 $101,700 $81,360 $122,040 $2,034 - $3,051
6 $109,200 $87,360 $131,040 $2,184 - $3,276
This is important because the City’s Land Use Code standards for Street-Like Private Drives place a
financial burden on a developer providing workforce and affordable housing, as the required on-street
parking necessitates a wider road cross-section, costing more money to build, while reducing the
number of homes available within the community. This is in addition to the vital safety considerations
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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discussed above. Providing a wider road cross-section that meets the City standards will result in just
180 homes, which is a reduction in 24 homes from the proposed site plan. The proposed site plan is
shown in Attachment A, while the alternate site plan is shown in Attachment C.
The City’s Affordable Housing Strategic Plan states that the City of Fort Collins endeavors to have 6% of
the overall housing stock of Fort Collins be deed restricted affordable by 2020, with an aim at 10%
affordable by City buildout around 2040. Currently, the City has 4.8% of its housing stock deemed
affordable and needs to build at least 188 units of affordable housing per year to meet its goals, which is
not happening presently. In an effort to provide an affordable housing option within the City of Fort
Collins, Sun will enter into an agreement with the City to provide 10% of the homes in The Foothills as
affordable by placing a deed restriction on the sites while retaining ownership and renting the units.
This agreement is above and beyond the more affordable price point already available without deed
restriction to everyone. This is not a typical provision for a Sun community; as the housing units are
typically sold to the residents so they can build equity in their home. However, by providing over 20
units of affordable, energy-efficient, single-family detached homes, this project helps the City provide a
wide range of affordable housing options throughout the community. This differs from most of the new
affordable housing stock in the City, which is typically attached multi-family apartments without private
yards for children. All 20+ units are to be affordable to households earning 80% or less of the Area
Median Income (AMI) and be deed restricted for at least 20 years. To be considered affordable,
households must spend 30% or less of their income on housing costs, including utilities. The current
AMI levels for the Fort Collins area are shown in the table below, along with 80% of AMI, and the
affordable monthly payment for households of 1 to 6 people. The median income data is from the City
of Fort Collins, based on information from the Department of House and Urban Development (HUD).
Number of
People per
Household
Median
Income
80%
AMI
Affordable
Monthly
Payment
1 $65,900 $52,720 $1,318
2 $75,300 $60,240 $1,506
3 $84,700 $67,760 $1,694
4 $94,100 $75,280 $1,882
5 $101,700 $81,360 $2,034
6 $109,200 $87,360 $2,184
Clearly, the current Street-Like Private Drive standard creates a more expensive infrastructure plan,
adding costs and thereby negating the ability for Sun to deliver critical, affordable single-family housing
stock for the workforces of Fort Collins.
Finally, the City of Fort Collins, along with the greater Colorado Front Range, is experiencing a housing
shortage coupled with rising housing costs, as evidenced by the following data:
• Fort Collins’ average home price in 2019 was $430,887, up 2% from 2018, but an 86% jump in a
decade that saw the City’s population rise 17%.
• The rental vacancy rate for Fort Collins is currently at 2.6 percent, while the vacancy rate for Fort
Collins southeast sector is at 3.3%, well below the 5 percent vacancy rate considered to be an
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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equilibrium rate according to the Colorado Division of Housing Q3 2019 Multi-Family Housing
Vacancy & Rental Survey
• Tight rental markets have the effect of driving up the cost of rental housing City-wide. Rental
rates have steadily increased City-wide and even more dramatically in the southeast sector of
the city. Rents have been increasing steadily over the past ten years.
Developing this vacant property as a brand new residential community will help to alleviate the current
housing shortage in the market by providing a supply of more than 200 new single-family homes while
also directly adding to the City’s affordable housing and workforce housing stock.
Criteria #3 – Exceptional Physical Conditions
In addition to the justifications above, another reason for modifying the standard at this location is that
the property has several existing physical constraints that meet the definition of “exceptional physical
conditions”. The site is narrow and irregularly shaped (like a figure-eight), has no viable access from
College Avenue, and has existing wetlands, all of which make the property difficult for many types of
development and the associated infrastructure required.
More specifically, existing site constraints include:
• The site has an irregular shape with very narrow frontage on College Avenue and is long and
narrow on the western portion, which limits the ability to efficiently design and build a typical
residential neighborhood along with wider street section that include on-street parking.
Moreover, the 51’ minimum city roadway corridor width, if applied to this plan, would reduce
density, well below the desired minimum density level for this property of 4 dwelling units per
acre for the L-M-N zoning district.
• The site has existing wetlands, which have been determined to be non-jurisdictional by the US
Army Corps of Engineers. The wetland map and determination are included as Attachment D.
The City requires that any wetlands, regardless of determination status, be preserved with the
development of the Site. It should be noted that the wetlands were caused by the development
to the east and created in an existing low area on the site, which collects runoff from the
adjacent developments. There is a 24-inch storm sewer pipe that concentrates discharge onto
the site at the western property boundary and flows to the central low point of the site. Storm
water also flows from the adjacent developments to the south and east and collects in the same
existing low area. The current plan will not only concentrate the wetlands for improved regional
storm water management, but will also improve the overall quality of wetlands while providing
access to nature for residents and neighbors. The wetlands will become a “nature preserve
area” and Sun will provide benches and walking trails in the area around the wetlands so that
residents may enjoy and appreciate this natural feature.
• Access to the site is limited to Trilby Road and no access is allowed from College Avenue, due to
the site’s narrow frontage and vicinity to other access points on College Avenue.
While these site constraints create serious hardship for traditional single-family housing or multi-family
developments, manufactured single-family housing is a better design fit because of the inherent
flexibility of smaller building envelopes and infrastructure corridors, and consistent design parameters
throughout the Site. The development of manufactured housing at this location is more compatible
with the site limitations and more cost effective to develop and build while meeting the needs of the
City and its City Plan.
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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Summary
The City needs a variety of housing options and this site is an ideal location for a new single-family
residential development. An energy efficient, single-family manufactured housing community at this
location will provide much needed workforce and affordable housing options to the City of Fort Collins.
Sun Communities has always delivered market leading communities with a focus on an active lifestyle
for its residents. Proposed within this community are a clubhouse, pool, sports courts, sidewalks, nature
viewing area and parks for the residents. Including these types of amenities not only benefits the
residents within the community, but also lessens the burden on existing city amenity resources within
the broader region.
The proposed private drive cross-section provides a much safer and more aesthetically pleasing
pedestrian environment while providing residents with larger front yards. Requiring an extra wide road
cross-section with on-street parking on this site is cost prohibitive to providing affordable housing. The
proposed land plan addresses the existing problem of a lack of workforce and affordable housing,
particularly in the southern section of the City. Finally, development of the site is difficult due to the
exceptional narrowness, shape, and existing wetlands. The flexibility of a manufactured housing
community with pedestrian-oriented private streets allows for the site to be designed in the most
efficient manner, and allows the workforce of Fort Collins to build equity in brand new homes.
The Applicant respectfully requests that the City of Fort Collins approve this Zoning Modification
Request because it meets three of the criteria for granting a modification.
Supporting Documentation:
• Attachment A – The Foothills Conceptual Site Plan
• Attachment B – Street-Like Private Drive Proposed Cross-Section
• Attachment C – Alternate Site Plan
• Attachment D – Wetland Map & Jurisdictional Determination from US Army Corps of Engineers
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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Attachment A
Conceptual Site Plan
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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Attachment B
Street-Like Private Drive
Proposed Cross-Section
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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Attachment C
Alternate Site Plan
143 Union Boulevard, Suite 700, Lakewood, CO 80228 Tel: 303.462.1100 Fax: 303.825.7110
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Attachment D
Wetland Map &
Jurisdictional Wetland
Determination
GARY DRIVE
RICK DRIVE
PITNER DRIVE
DEBRA DRIVE
KEVIN DRIVE
NATURAL ALTERNATIVES
287 CAR WASH,
AND
PYRAMID LANDSCAPE
RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL
RESIDENTIAL/UNDER DEVELOPMENT
RESIDENTIAL
UNDEVELOPED
RESIDENTIAL/PLEASANT GRIVE MOBILE HOME PARK
FORT COLLINS TRANSPORT BUS
PORTNER
RESIDENTIAL SUBSTATION
PROVINCETOWN
CONDOMINIUMS
HOUSEHOLD TRASH
UNDEVELOPED
UNDEVELOPED LAND
UNDEVELOPED
CARE HOUSING AT
PROVINCETOWNE
PARCEL A
PARCEL B
SUBJECT BUILDING 4
POLE BARN
SUBJECT BUILDING 2
BARN
SUBJECT BUILDING 3
BARN
SUBJECT BUILDING 5
SHED AND CHICKEN COOP
SUBJECT
BUILDING 1
HOME
SEPTIC TANK AND
CAMPER LOCATION
OIL
DRUM
SOUTH COLLEGE AVENUE
EAST TRILBY ROAD
AUTUMN RIDGE DRIVE
STONEY BROOK ROAD
DEBRIS
PILE
DEBRIS
PILE
APPROXIMATELY
36-37 ACRES
APPROXIMATELY
2 ACRES