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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTHE GROVE AT FORT COLLINS - PDP - 16-10B - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - PLANNING OBJECTIVESThe Grove PDP Planning Objectives April 6, 2011 Page 4 of 4 The Applicant is not proposing any Modifications to the Land Use Code. There is one Alternative Compliance Request attached as Exhibit B. In addition, three administrative Engineering Variances have been granted to allow alternative roadway standards for the three public streets. Many of the engineering variances address neighborhood concerns, and some components go above and beyond the minimum standards, but still technically require a "variance." For example the internal public local street has wider travel lanes than required at the request of the Poudre Fire Authority and the ROW was widened to accommodate an 8-foot wide bicycle/pedestrian trail in place of a standard 4.5-foot sidewalk. On Rolland Moore Drive neck -downs are provided to increase pedestrian safety crossing the street and curb extensions were added to accommodate ecological rain gardens at select locations. (vii) Narrative description of how conflicts between land uses or disturbances to wetlands, natural habitats and features and or wildlife are being avoided to the maximum extent feasible or are mitigated. See narrative above. (viii) Written narrative addressing each concern/issue raised at the neighborhood meeting(s), if a meeting has been held. The applicant responses to the concerns/issues raised at the July 20, 2010 Neighborhood Meeting were provided with the initial PDP Submittal December 8, 2010. That document is submitted again as Exhibit C with appropriate updates that reflect changes that have occurred since last December. (ix) Name of the project as well as any previous name the project may have had during Conceptual Review. The project was initially submitted as The Grove PDP, it is now named The Grove at Fort Collins PDP. We believe the proposed student housing project will be a very positive addition to the community, providing needed student housing in a great location close to campus and separated from single family neighborhoods. The Applicant and Design Team appreciate your attention to this project and look forward to your comments. Sincerely, RIPLEY DESIGN INC. 60 Linda Ripley Principal Attachments: Exhibit A - Statement of Principles and Policies Exhibit B - Alternative Compliance Request Exhibit C - Neighborhood Issues Thinking outside of the box for over two decades. 401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 200 ■ Fort Collins, CO 80521 a tel. 970.224.5828 r fax 970.224.1662 e www.vfrdesigninc.com The Grove PDP Planning Objectives April 6, 2011 Page 3 of 4 floodway. By shifting the alignment of RMD to the south and parallel to the ditch, disruption of the floodway has been avoided and the impact to the wetlands has been all but eliminated. The project maintains the equivalent of a 100-foot wide buffer on average along the wetlands and more than a 50-foot buffer along the Larimer Canal No 2. The landscape plan is designed to buffer the project from surrounding land uses by placing a variety of native plant material along the northern edge of the project adjacent to the wetlands as well as along the south adjacent to the Larimer Canal No. 2 which is a designated wildlife corridor. In addition to buffering the visual impact of the project, these native plantings will provide structural diversity and enhance wildlife habitat in the area. The Board of Directors of the Larimer Canal No. 2 have proposed to straighten the ditch channel and move it further south adjacent to the development site. The existing channel and the trees that grow along the banks and in the channel are proposed to remain. The ditch realignment will ease concerns about possible seepage and slope stability, allow existing trees to remain, increase the width of the wildlife corridor, and improve the agricultural purpose of the ditch to carry irrigation water. The Statement of Planning Objectives includes the following per the Submittal Requirements for PDP: (i) Statement of appropriate City Plan Principles and Policies achieved by the proposed plan. See attached as Exhibit A (ii) Description of proposed open space, wetlands, natural habitats and features, landscaping, circulation, transition areas, and associated buffering on site and in the general vicinity of the project. See narrative above (iii) Statement of proposed ownership and maintenance of public and private open space areas, applicant's intentions with regard to future ownership of all or portions of the project development plan. All the land within the PDP is owned by Colorado State University Research Foundation (CSURF). CSURF will lease the land within the PDP to the Grove at Fort Collins, LLC for the purposes of constructing and operating a student housing project provided the PDP is approved by the City. There are no public open spaces being proposed as part of the PDP. All private open spaces will be maintained by either CSURF or The Grove at Fort Collins LLC. More specific information regarding each lot is illustrated on the PDP Site Plan Sheet 2 of 21. The only exception being the City and CSURF are working together to allow the City to clean and maintain the Windtrail Outfall Swale in Outlot A. Both the City and CSURF have every intention of getting the proper easements and agreements in place to transfer maintenance responsibilities of the Windtrail Outfall Swale from the HOA to the City after the area is removed from the FEMA floodway. (iv) Estimate of number of employees for business, commercial, and industrial uses. The Grove estimates that they will employ 4 full-time staff and 9-10 part time employees. (v) Description of rationale behind the assumptions and choices made by the applicant. See narrative above. (vi) The applicant shall submit as evidence of successful completion of the applicable criteria, the completed documents pursuant to these regulations for each proposed use. The Planning Director may require, or the applicant.may choose to submit, evidence that is beyond what is required in that section. Any variance from the criteria shall be described. Thinking outside of the box for over two decades. 401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 200 ■ Fort Collins, CO 80521 m tel. 970.224.5828 a fax 970.224.1662 ■ www.vfrdesigninc.com The Grove PDP Planning Objectives April 6, 2011 Page 2 of 4 there is no vehicular connection proposed between the project and the existing neighborhood to the north. A bus stop is planned at the corner of existing Rolland Moore drive and Centre Avenue. A north/south public commercial street will separate the student housing development from future commercial development on Tract A. An internal local street connects from the commercial street to Rolland Moore Drive dividing the development site into blocks as required in the Medium Density Mixed Use Neighborhood District (MMN). All the buildings face public streets and all entryways are located within 200 feet of a public street sidewalk. For safety and convenience, curb bulges are provided at pedestrian crossings. Storm water will flow through these landscape areas creating an ecological storm water solution that encourages infiltration, thereby removing pollutants before the storm water ultimately reaches its outfall. A central green is located to the interior of the project adjacent to the pool/clubhouse recreation facility. The pedestrians and bicyclists are well served throughout the project. Pedestrian and bicycle connections are emphasized due to the site's proximity to the main CSU campus. Rolland Moore Drive has striped bicycle lanes and appropriate widths are provided on the other streets to accommodate bicycle travel. The site plan includes an off-street bicycle trail through the proposed student housing project increasing the convenience and safety of riding bicycles through the project as a student resident or as a member of the larger neighborhood and community. In addition, the site plan depicts bicycle and pedestrian connections to the existing Spring Creek bicycle and pedestrian trail system north of the site. The Spring Creek Trail is one of three main urban regional trail systems serving Fort Collins. The trail system provides extensive recreational opportunities as well as access to a variety of activity centers. The site is also located near an existing Transfort bus stop at the corner of Centre Avenue and existing Rolland Moore Drive, as well as near the Mason Corridor BRT. Providing pedestrian and bicycle connections to the mass transit stations further encourages the use of alternative modes of transportation. The project will provide 294 bike parking spaces, 269 more spaces than required by the LUC, conveniently located at building entrances and at the clubhouse. The project provides 499 vehicle parking spaces in six parking lots and along an internal street, which assure convenient parking for tenants as well as adequate space for guests. In addition there will be parallel parking spaces along Rolland Moore Drive and the commercial street bordering the east side of the development. Architecture Campus Crest together with the Institute for the Built Environment (IBE) held a Community Design Charrette on January 19, 2011. Approximately 40 people attended the event including representatives from Campus Crest, the City, the neighborhood, green building experts and students. The Design Charrette resulted in Campus Crest deciding to consider LEED certification and change the look of their student housing proto-type. The revised architecture makes a departure from the more formal, neoclassical language and seeks to present a cleaner, more functional aesthetic. The buildings have been composed to express building elements as discrete parts of an overall whole, while aiming to maintain a sense of balance, rhythm and order. Effort has been made to articulate building elements to the greatest extent possible, while varying roof lines and heights contribute to the visual interest of the composition. Natural Areas While the natural areas are a welcome amenity and effective buffer between the existing neighborhoods and the project, they also pose significant development constraints. Originally Rolland Moore Drive (RMD) was proposed to extend to the west along and through a portion of the wetlands. This alignment was depicted on the ODP. Since the ODP was approved in 2002, there has been a change in the FEMA flood mapping in this area. To extend RMD as originally proposed would have meant taking it through the Thinking outside of the box for over two decades. 401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 200 it Fort Collins, CO 80521 : let. 970.224.5828 v fax 970.224.1662 ■ www.vfrdesigninc.com land planning it landscape architecture a urban design a entitlement April 6, 2011 Mr. Steve Olt Community Development and Neighborhood Services 281 North College Avenue PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 The Grove Project Development Plan - Planning Objectives The Site Campus Crest at Fort Collins LLC is proposing a new student housing project on 27.48 acres located west of Centre Avenue on land owned by Colorado State University Research Foundation (CSURF). The property is part of the CSURF Centre for Advanced Technology Overall Development Plan and is zoned MMN - Medium Density Mixed -Use Neighborhood to the west and E- Employment to the east. The site is an ideal location for student housing because of its close proximity to Colorado State University, allowing students to easily walk or bike to campus. The site is situated between extensive existing wetlands to the north and the Larimer Canal No. 2 to the south with approximately 25 feet of elevation change between the two areas. The wetlands and the natural area along the ditch provide a pleasant and effective buffer from surrounding land uses. Sundering Townhomes are located to the northwest across the wetlands and Windtrail Park is located to the north and west. Land Use The proposed student housing project will provide 218 multi -family dwelling units in twelve 3-story buildings.. The layout includes three 12-unit buildings, three 18-unit buildings, five 24-unit buildings and a clubhouse facility with a hospitality center, study lounge, cafe, game room and fitness center. Eight dwelling units are located on the 2"d and 3rd stories of the clubhouse making it a mixed -use building satisfying the City's requirement for two building types in the MMN and E Districts. The project will offer 2, 3 and 4-bedroom units for lease with a project total of 612 bedrooms. The Applicant is requesting that the number of unrelated persons who may reside in individual dwelling units be increased from 3 persons to 4 persons in three buildings. There will be a total of eighteen 4- bedroom units in the project. This allows Campus Crest to offer another housing and lifestyle alternative for student tenants. Four -bedroom dwelling units for students have proved to be a popular alternative to the standard 2 and 3 bedroom units. We believe the project provides adequate open space and recreational opportunities with a large clubhouse facility, pool complex, basketball court and volleyball court to support 4 bedroom -units. Site Plan The current site plan has evolved over a period of several months in a process that has included the Applicant, the Design Team, CSURF representatives, and City staff from various departments as well as input from the neighborhood and community. Rolland Moore Drive (RMD), although classified as a collector street, carries significantly less volume than a typical collector street. The City of Fort Collins, through transportation modeling, forecasted volumes that were at connector levels for all of Rolland Moore Drive. With the alignment of Rolland Moore Drive shifting to the south the proposed connection to Northerland Drive has been eliminated, so Thinking outside of the box for over two decades. 401 W. Mountain Ave., Suite 200 v Fort Collins, CO 80521 a tel. 970.224.5828 v fax 970.224.1662 a www.vfrdesigninc.com