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HomeMy WebLinkAboutUNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE ASPEN STATON - 34 91 - CORRESPONDENCE - CORRESPONDENCE-CONCEPTUAL REVIEWN Planning Department -- -- City of Fort Collins RECEIVED January 31, 1991 FEB 0 4 1991 MERRICK & CO. Mr. Russ Nelson Merrick Engineers and Architects PO Box 22026 Denver, CO 80222 Dear Mr. Nelson: For your information, attached is a copy of the Staffs comments concerning the U.S. Post Office at Boardwalk and JFK Parkway which was presented before the Conceptual Review Team on January 28, 1991. The comments are offered informally by Staff to assist you in preparing the detailed components of the project application. Modifications and additions to these comments may be made at the time of formal review of this project. If you should have any questions regarding these comments or the next steps in the review process, please feel free to call me at 221-6750. Sincerely, Ted Shepard Project Planner TS/kb xc: Tom Peterson, Planning Director Kerrie Ashbeck, Civil Engineer I Project Planner File 281 North College A%enue • 1'.0. Ho\ ;So •Fort Collins, CO tiU;,,. )�t;U N ) -_!-h CONCEPTUAL REVIEW STAFF COMMENTS MEETING DATE: January 28, 1991 ITEM: U.S. Post Office - Boardwalk and J.F.K. Parkway APPLICANT: U.S. Postal Service c/o Russ Nelson, Merrick Engineers and Architects, P.O.Box 22026, Denver, CO. 80222 LAND USE DATA: Main Post Office facility, consisting of 43,460 square feet, on 9.6 acres, located at the southeast corner of Boardwalk Drive and J.F.K Parkway. Facility will process mail, provide counter services, lock boxes, and distribution for carriers for south half of Fort Collins service area. COMMENTS: 1. The City of Fort Collins Light and Power Department requires a Commercial Loading (C-1) form, along with an electrical plan, to determine electrical power needs. Three phase power is available to the site from a variety of directions. The location of the transformer must be coordinated with Light and Power. The transformer should be screened (with 2 to 3 foot clearance) on at least three sides by an enclosure or sufficient landscaping. Please contact Alan Rutz, Light and Power, 221-6700 for further details. 2. A water main is available in Boardwalk and sewer main available in J.F.K. The tap fees will be modified by City Council in February of this year. 3. There are two water stubs off J.F.K. that if not used, should be abandoned at the main. This will involve a street cut and patch. Please put our standard street patch detail on the utility plans. Contact Mark Taylor, Water and Wastewater, 221-6681 for further details.. 4. The site is located in the McClelland - Mail Creek drainage basin. This basin has specific fees of $3,021 per developed acre. Please refer to the City of Fort Collins Erosion Control Manual for construction techniques that help prevent soil erosion. Please contact Glen Schlueter, Stormwater Utility, 221-6589 for_ details. , 5. The Fort Collins Police Department requests that the name of the appropriate manager and phone number be provided so this data can be entered onto the department's computer. This will speed up response time in case of an emergency. 6. The Transportation Department asks that the impact on Landings Drive be reduced as much as possible. It is source of concern that customers living north and east of the site will use Landings Drive. Landings Drive was constructed to collect local traffic and feed the arterial street system. If Landings Drive is prioritized, then it will serve as a de -facto arterial and place a burden on the system as well as the existing residents in the Landings subdivision. Traffic should be encouraged to use J.F.K. since it is a designated arterial street intended to move large volumes of traffic. 7. It is suggested that the exits onto J.F.K. be allowed to make left turns. Unless a median is constructed (which is a very remote possibility), drivers will make left turns anytime the movement is unobstructed despite signage. For further information on any transportation issue, please contact Rick Ensdorff, 221-6608. 8. Any development in Fort Collins of this magnitude is required to provide a Traffic Impact Analysis that addresses the issues outlined in Chapter 7.14 of the Development Manual. Enclosed please find a list of consultants that have performed traffic studies in Fort Collins. These studies generate data on trip generation and trip distribution that determine the impacts on the surrounding streets and the geometrics and improvements necessary to accommodate these impacts. It is our experience that such studies are extremely beneficial for both applicant and City.staff in deciding how best to invest scarce resources. C The Engineering Department will coordinate the review process for the Utility Plans. ese plans should include all public improvements, driveway accesses, utility connections, inage, grading, and details. Please contact Mike Herzig, Development Engineer, 221-6750 details. 10. The ditch company has requested that they be included in the review of the utility plans. One of the primary concerns is soil erosion into the ditch. Please provide a signature block on the utility plans for the ditch company. C There is a triangular piece of ground at the south end of the project that is not under S.P.O. ownership but by its size and shape looks undevelopable. This area has the potential become weedy and littered. It is recommended that the U.S.P.O. consider acquiring this cel and make it a part of the site so there is not a problem with a permanently unattractive ghbor. The City is willing to assist with negotiating with the landowner for a possible nation. / 12. Please contact Mr. Matt Baker, 221-6605, who administers both the Special Improvement Districts and the Street Oversizing Fee. Mr. Baker will calculate any obligation due to the Heart Special Improvement District and credit the amount due to the Street Oversizing Fee. 0. It is requested that the bridge at Troutman and J.F.K. not be used for construction traffic. The bridge is fine for everyday operations after the facility is constructed. 14. Since there will be no building permit or certificate of occupancy, the traditional "trigger mechanism" for payment of fees is not applicable. Staff suggests that the trigger mechanism be tied to the city approval of the Utility Plans. 15. Staff is very concerned about the use of barb wire on top of a chain link fence. For your iiifoimaiion, barb wire is prohibited in the City. In the proposed location, barb wire would not be compatible with the quality of development in the area. You are strongly urged to reconsider your security needs (the downtown facility is not even fenced) and delete the barb wire from. the fencing. 16. The City is very concerned about reducing vehicle miles traveled in order to promote better air quality. The City's Air Quality Coordinator receives a generous amount of the municipal budget to monitor air quality and educate th6 public on the benefits of reducing air pollution. You are strongly encouraged to consider the both the bicycle commuter and the bicycle customer in your site design. Sheltered, secured, well -illuminated bike racks for employees and customers help reduce vehicle miles traveled. Preferred parking for carpoolers also encourages less driving. 17. Please be sure that the interior sidewalk system logically connects to the public sidewalks along the public streets. Ramps are required at vertical curbs. 18. Parking lot light fixtures should be down directional with 90 degree cutoff lenses. Such light fixtures have received positive feedback from the residential neighborhoods adjacent to commercial uses. Residents have told us that even though down directional lenses require a greater amount of fixtures, they are vastly preferred to lenses that cast light spillage off the site. 19. Employee parking lots and loading docks are considered to be areas of low visual interest. These areas benefit from both interior landscaping and perimeter screening. The landscape plan should try to accomplish the minimum requirement in the Zoning Code that 6% of the parking lot interior be landscaped in the form of landscaped islands that feature ground cover and trees. Perimeter landscaping should feature a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. Street trees should be 2 inch caliper deciduous shade trees and kept 40 feet away from streetlights. Ornamental trees are allowed to be placed within 15 feet of a streetlight. 20. Large screen walls should demonstrate architectural consistency and be softened with foundation shrubs and vertical landscape features. 21 Chain link fencing looks institutional and out of character with the neighborhood. Please consider using vinyl clad fencing if chain link must be used at all. 22. The City would like to plat the property so it can be documented and entered into our computerized records. The plat will be exempt from formal public review and submitted to the City as a courtesy for our record keeping. 23. We are looking forward to receiving two copies of the landscape plan for a courtesy review. Our comments will be returned to you as soon as possible. . 24. Ten sets of utility plans are required for Engineering review. It would be helpful to submit 20 prints of the site plan and landscape plan, and six architectural elevations for the courtesy review. If you have any questions about these comments and suggestions, please call the appropriate contact person or myself and we will try to address any concerns you may have. TRAFFIC ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas 1331 17th Street, Suite 400 Denver, CO 80202 297-0900 Matthew J. Delich, P.E. 3413 Banyan Avenue Loveland, CO 80537 669-2061 Leigh, Scott & Cleary, Inc. 1889 York Street Inver, CO 80206 13-1105 ,ager and Associates 143 Boulder Street, Suite 203 Inver, CO 80211 7-6318 ansportation Systems Engineering, Inc. 0. Box 12216 ulder, CO 80303 2-6738 y