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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTACO BELL RESTAURANT PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PUD - 51-90A - CORRESPONDENCE - CITY COUNCILHPDesk Local Print for Ted SHEPARD Start of Item 4. Message. Subject: Taco Bell Response Sender: Tom PETERSON / CFC52/01 TO: Ted SHEPARD / CFC52/01 Part 1. TO: Sherry CLARK / CFC52/01 Joe FRANK / CFC52/01 Ted SHEPARD / CFC52/01 Part 2 Package. Subject: Taco Bell Response Creator: Tom PETERSON / CFC52/01 Part 2.1. TO: DISTRIBUTION Part 2.2. Dated: 11/29/91 at 1339. Contents: 2. Dated: 11/29/91 at 1339. Contents: 2. This message responds to Councilmember Fromme's inquiry -- "Should we be continuing to approve drive -through restaurants in light of our air pollution problem? What is the impact, especially at a busy and polluted intersection such as College and Prospect?" The Taco Bell proposal will be reviewed by the P&Z Board at their regular meeting on December 16. The Applicant proposes to tear down .the existing Taco Bell and renovate an existing, historic, house into the new facility. This is not a "use -by -right" application and must therefore be reviewed and evaluated as a PUD by the P&Z Board. The traffic at a drive -through restaurant affects air pollution in two ways. First, idle emissions from vehicles queued up at the restaurant add to the total pollution burden. Second, the in/out traffic can add to traffic congestion leading to increased emissions from non -restaurant traffic. Regarding the first issue, idling cars in the drive through lane will produce very little pollution compared to the tailpipe emissions of the nearby traffic on College Avenue and Prospect Street. The ratio between the number of passing cars and the number of cars in the queue is about 27:1. Therefore, this drive -through would have very little impact on the pollution level at College and Prospect. The 27:1 ratio is calculated as follows: According to Taco Bell, when the drive -through lane is full, there are ten cars either waiting to order, or waiting to pay, and each car is in the queue for about 3.5 minutes. City traffic counts show that during a 3.5 minute interval, about 270 cars pass through the intersection. That number compared with the ten cars in the queue gives a 27:1 ratio. The second issue, traffic congestion, is addressed by the Transportation Division during the development review process -- in/out turning movements are controlled to reduce the potential for traffic congestion that may be caused by the development. At this time there are no standards in the development review process that apply to traffic -related air pollution. However, the Air Quality Task Force and staff are developing an Air Quality Strategic Plan which has land use performance standards as a component. In that context, we can review the need for policies relating to air quality impact of drive -through facilities. The current staff working assumption, however, is that localized hot spots are NOT an important air quality issue for Fort Collins. Rather it is the TOTAL amount of pollution emitted throughout the City that needs to be reduced. To illustrate how staff views the issue, the Transportation Plan will be evaluated with respect to the estimated total emissions from all vehicles throughout the City. Thus, we do not ask "How bad will the pollution be at a particular intersection," but rather "How much pollution will all the City's vehicles produce?" The drive -through phenomenon in the City at large is an issue that staff frequently wrestles with, because drive-throughs have a significant impact on traffic congestion, circulation patterns, and adjoining properties. For these reasons, drive-throughs are not permitted in Neighborhood Convenience Centers, and every drive -through must undergo PUD review, in order to allow closer. examination of its impacts. Please contact me at 221-6604 if further information is needed about this issue. --Brian Woodruff End of Item 4.