HomeMy WebLinkAboutUNITED WAY HOUSING SERVICES DAY CENTER - PDP - 30-06 - DECISION - MINUTES/NOTESPlanning & Zoning Board
January 18, 2007
Page 8
levels and who are expected to know better reside. He believes crime may happen where there's
hopelessness. He thinks this center will alleviate that. He believes we should move forward with a
positive view rather than one of gloom and fear. He will be supporting it.
Member Smith said there are no reasons, based on criteria submitted, to deny the project. He will be
supporting it.
Member Rollins agrees with the reasons given by fellow members. They've met all the standards
outlined in the Land Use Code. They've worked with the neighborhood. She would recommend a
business representative and a neighbor representative take them up on the offer to join the Center's
Board. She will support it.
Member Lingle has worked on projects with affordable housing providers and social service agencies.
They are difficult projects to bring together. He's been very impressed with the work done on this
project, including the effort they've put into identifying operational funds before they open. He
believes the project is a valuable one for the Fort Collins community and he will be supporting it.
Member Smith moved that the Planning & Zoning Board approve the United Way Housing
Service Day Center, Project Development Plan # 30-06 based on the facts and findings on page
7 of the Staff Report.
Member Wetzler seconded the motion.
Motion was approved 6-0.
Other Business:
Election of Officers
Member Rollins moved that the current officers (Lingle as Chair and Schmidt as Vice -Chair)
continue for another term.
Member Smith seconded the motion.
Motion was approved 6-0.
Meeting adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
Cameron Gloss, Di for Dave Lingle, Board Ch9ir
Planning & Zoning Board
January 18, 2007
Page 7
Sister Mary Alice Murphy, 1212 Raintree Drive. Sister Mary Alice was given the task of finding a
permanent shelter for people to go —not just in severe cold but also extreme heat. Some individuals
are chronically homeless such as the disabled. She's worked diligently with community agencies and
affected parties (including neighbors and business owners) to come up with a compromised solution.
It's not a perfect solution but it does take into consideration all the identified needs. She recommends
the Board go forward with the proposal with the safeguards built in.
Kim Iwanski and Gordan Thibedeau spoke to the issues raised during public participation, including
the fear that property values will be devalued. That has not been validated as seen by the Samaritan
House in Lower Downtown Denver and Larimer County Mental Health on West Oak. Clients will not
just walk out the door and have no place to go. A hotline will be in place after hours as a part of the
services available at the Mission —they will field the calls. There is crime in North Fort Collins but they
don't believe it's unlike other parts of the community. The clients are not criminals --they've found with
service users of CARE Housing and Project Self Sufficiency, they are people who want to work at
changing their current homeless/or near homeless situation. The homeless are more likely to be the
victim of crime than the perpetrators.
Responses to questions from the board are:
• No special signage will be posted except for a centrally located center name and address.
• Funding at this stage in the development is for 1 Yz years of operation. With an approved site and
"shovel in the dirt,"" they are in a better position to make appeals for contributions and hope to
have 3 years of operational expenses at opening.
• Homelessness & mental health issues make for chronic problems. The services are intended for
individuals who are capable of making changes in their lives and will benefit from a case managed
model.
• United Way Housing Services Day Center clients will generate some traffic but if they were to be
ranked in traffic generation they would follow the Food Bank of Larimer County and Larimer
County Health & Human Services offices.
Also representatives of both the North College business community and the neighborhood have been
invited to have a member on the Board that will be making governance and policy/practices decisions
for the center.
Stormwater Utility Engineer Basil Hamdan reported that about one-fourth of the property is in the city's
floodplain. With recent stormwater system improvements, that property has physically been removed
from danger. Stormwater is currently going through a regulatory process to remove that indication on
FEMA flood plain maps. Also, building permits had been applied for prior to the map updates so there
is a false impression that the center is at risk.
Member Stockover admitted it was a difficult decision to make because of the empathy he has for the
neighbor's concerns. Based on the credibility of the Fort Collins United Way organization, the quality
of the people who run it, and how well the center has been planned; he will be supporting it.
Member Schmidt thought there had been good discussion. She understands the neighbors concerns.
She believes, however, that crime happens everywhere and is not limited to the income level of a
neighborhood. She believes their areas of concern have been addressed. She appreciates the case
management model and how well the program will be managed. She believes the attractiveness of
the center will only add to the area and will be a good addition to the neighborhood even though it will
not be adding urban renewal authority tax increment financing. She will support it.
Member Wetzler believes folks have made great efforts to address the issues. He wanted to reassure
neighbors that crime is not limited to their neighborhood —it exists where people with higher income
Planning & Zoning Board
January 18, 2007
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especially in the context of drug counseling. He knows the majority of clients are families but he's
concern about the minority clients —single males that may congregate in a large park very close to
their home. He also does not understand why they'll be bussing clients from Loveland —can't they
take they someplace closer to the south side of town?
Melanie Franapple, 1549 Bayberry Circle. Franapple has operated a home day care center for the
past ten years. Her home is immediately behind low-income housing. She's concerned about
trespassing, damage to personal property and crime such as break in into cars . She's spoken to
police and has learned from them they do not have the manpower to keep their neighborhood safe.
Joe Rowan, 621 Gilgalad Way. Rowan is the Executive Director of Funding Partners. He'd like to
offer another perspective. Economic development is the current mantra for our community. With the
proposed clustering of services, the outcome will be efficiencies and synergy —in this case with the
product people. He understands the neighbors concerns but he believes the project has evolved to
meet their concerns and the center will have a comprehensive program that will serve not only the
larger community but the neighborhood. He's seen success in Boulder with their North
Broadway/Holiday (low-income housing) neighborhood. It's an example of how well it can work if
done right.
Julie Brewen, 1904 Marlene. Brewen is the Executive Director of the Fort Collins Housing Authority
(FCHA). They fully support the proposal. The FCHA serves 1500 families/4,000 individuals. On a
daily basis, families in crisis, including women with children seek help and they do not have the
resources to help them. Sending them out the door with a couple of references does not provide a
comprehensive case management system that matches need with appropriate resource. She
believes with Catholic Charities managing the shelter component, the proposal addresses the
concems of the neighbors. Also, FCHA offices are at 1715 W. Mountain. They serve the same
clientele and have done so without incident or decreased property values.
Bill Cooper, owner of Fort Collins Foreign Car Service at 1219 Blue Spruce Drive submitted his
concerns to the Board via email (through Planner Olt) a letter that outlines his concerns. His concerns
are the structure will be built on a flood plain and he's concerned that as a non-profit it will not add tax
increment financing through the urban renewal authority in its critical startup period.
Chadwick Martinez, 1303 W. Swallow, Bldg. 11. Martinez is the Executive Director of CARE Housing.
CARE Housing has property on Blue Spruce valued at $5 million. Their Board has been involved with
this effort including participating on the Building Committee to develop the design brought to the P&Z
Board. They believe their clients would benefit from a day center. It would reduce the need for
sending families with limited resources all over the community for services. They are so committed to
the proposal and will be providing staff resources to support its efforts.
Heather Gomez, 1607 Bayberry Circle. Gomez lives behind the CARE Housing complex on Blue
Spruce. The problems she's encountered are: poisoning dogs, throwing things over the fence, and
tearing down fences. These issues are not addressed when requests are directed to CARE Housing,
the owners of the low-income housing behind her home. She never gets a response from anyone.
Mary Carrahar, 1715 W. Mountain. Carrahar is Executive Director of Project Self Sufficiency, an
agency that helps single women with children. Their program currently has a 6-12 month waiting
period due to limited resources.. She believes the day center would be a place where families can
start to get the services they need sooner and they would be in a better place when are eligible for
their services. It's her hope that at some future date they can provide half-time staff resources at the
center.
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January 18, 2007
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Ms. Iwanski shared information about their operational plan —established in large part to address the
concerns raised by the neighbors. They expect a mix of 30-40 adults and children a day. The largest
portion will be families with children. The center is a place for people who want to work on changing
their situation.
Member Schmidt asked how the center would work on a daily basis. An intake person would assess
the client's needs and the suitability of the match for the services provided by the center. They'd be
referred to a case manager who would begin the process of matching referrals to resources available
at the center and in the community. The relationship would be on -going depending on the client's
needs and the time it took to match them to available resources.
Member Stockover asked where are potential clients now getting services? Is it at places such as
New Bridges? Gordan Thibedeau (President & CEO of United Way of Larimer County) replied there
is no central resource center with case management services currently available. New Bridges is a
day shelter that's received some funding from United Way. Because of an agreement with Catholic
Charities, they've developed a proposal for a continuum of service —shelter at Catholic Charities and
services at the center.
Chair Lingle asked how a subsequent phase would be addressed in this review process —would it be
excluded or deferred? The building envelope for the 2nd building —a 5,000 square foot structure would
be a minor amendment with a staff administrative review. Should staff deem it was out of character
with the initial development plan, it would come back to the board for their review as a major
amendment.
Public Participation:
Neil McCaffray, 1331 Silk Oak Drive. He believes that zoning regulations are meant to serve to serve
and protect the people in the area. Those people directly oppose the proposal primarily because of
safety issues such as loitering and the case management of mental health and substance abuse
clients.
Julie Lamane, 716 Park View Drive. Lamane leases space at 1300 Blue Spruce Drive and for the
past fifteen years has owned and operated the Canine Leaning Center. The have classes until 10
p.m. five nights a week as well as Saturday & Sundays. The areas of her primary concerns are that
clients have a place to go and a way of getting there after the day center is closed. She'd like to see a
hotline staffed by a live person who will help them find a place and a way to get there.
Jon Peterka, 733 Duke Square. Peterka represents the partnership that owns that building at 1415
Blue Spruce and the consulting engineering firm (CPP) that leases space there. Their firm, which has
been there for 25 years has 80 employees and serves both national and international clients. He's
opposed to the proposal for a couple of reasons: the center would not contribute to the tax increment
financing of the urban growth authority nor would it add to the type of business sector businesses
needed. He's also opposed because of the safety issues.
Bob Brown is President of the Greenbriar Homeowners Association. His primary concerns are
property values, safety and taxes. They don't need additional social services offices in that area as it
affects the property values and tax increment financing of the urban growth authority. He thinks it
reduces the value of his property and believes deterioration would drive him from the area.
Daniel Jones, 701 Foxtaii Street. His home is about'/2 mile east of the proposed center. He's the
father of three girls and one boy aged five to eleven. He's concerned about his children's safety
Planning & Zoning Board
January 18, 2007
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Project: United Way Housing Services Day Center, Project Development Plan - #30-06
Project Description: This is a request for a housing services day center for United Way in a new
10,000 square foot, 1-story building on Lot 3, Conifer Industrial Paris. The
center would be for daytime use only. No overnight stays will be permitted. A
future 5.000 square foot building may be proposed on Lot 2, Conifer Industrial
Park. The properties (Lots 2 & 3) are located at the northwest comer of Conifer
Street and Blue Spruce Drive. They are in the I - Industrial Zoning District.
Staff Recommendation: Approval
Hearing Testimony, Written Comments and Other Evidence:
City Planner, Steve Olt provided contextual site information. This proposed development will be on a
vacant parcel of land in the existing Conifer Industrial Park and is in the I District. It will tie into and
utilize existing roadways, utilities, and services in the area. it is on Route 8 of the City's Transfort bus
system and there is a bus stop directly across Blue Spruce Drive, to the east —satisfying the land use
criteria in the Land Use Code. This proposal complies with the purpose of the I District as it provides
a commercial social service facility in an industrial, commercial/retail, office use area that contains
other existing social service facilities and uses. The day shelter is for day use only. The applicant will
speak to the operational aspects of the center.
The site is adjacent to undeveloped and vacant land. On the north are existing commercial uses (Fort
Collins Foreign Car Service, Conifer Industrial Park,) on the east is vacant land and existing
commercial / industrial uses (D & H Wholesale Sign and Storage / warehouse, Evergreen Park,) on
the south is vacant land, and on the west is vacant land (Conifer Industrial Park.) The closest
residential site is a quarter mile away to the east.
After reviewing the United Way Housing Services Day Center, Project Development Plan, staff finds:
the proposed land use (a day shelter) is permitted in the I - Industrial District; the Project Development
Plan complies with applicable General Development Standards contained in Article 3 of the Land Use
Code and with applicable district standards of Section 4.28 of the Land Use Code, Industrial District.
Staff recommends approval.
Applicant Steve Steinbicker, of Architecture West LLC spoke to a history of the project, the project
description, staff analysis and recommendations, definitions and compatibility. The project, started
two and one half years ago, was for a much larger 18,000-19,000 square foot green building. One of
the initial partners, the Salvation Army, in July 2005 chose not to participate. Additionally, a series of
three meetings took place with neighbors. Plans have been refined as a result of the process and
have resulted in a rural and low scale design in character with the neighborhood closely following the
standards set for in Division 4.28 of the Land Use Code —Industrial District and the General
Development Standards.
Kim Iwanski is Project Manager for the United Way Housing Services Day Center. The center is a
community -wide collaborative effort of a number of agencies including the United Way and the
Catholic Charities_ The services, intended for the homeless and near homeless, include case
management, counseling, referrals, and assistance with housing, healthcare, and job training.
Chairperson Lingle called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
Roll Call: Rollins, Schmidt, Smith, Stockover, Lingle, and Wetzler,
Staff Present: Gloss, Eckman, Olt, and Sanchez -Sprague
Citizen participation: None.
Director of Current Planning, Cameron Gloss, reviewed the Consent and Discussion Agendas:
Consent Agenda:
1. 36-06 Weiner Annexation & Zoning
2. 18-99A Brookfield Final Plan Two -Year Extension
Discussion Items:
3. #58-86J Water's Edge at Richard's Lake PDP
4. #30-06 United Way Housing Services Day Center PDP
5. Other Election of Officers
Member Schmidt moved for the approval of the Consent Agenda which includes Item 36-06
Weiner Annexation & Zoning and 18-99A Brookfield Final Plan Two -Year Extension. Member
Stockover seconded the motion. The motion passed 6-0.
ect: Water's Edge at Richard's Lake, Project Development Plan (PDP) -
#58-86J
Project Description: �", This is a request for a total of 396 dwellin i s (single-family detached,
s7r*p-family attached, multi -family a community center on 108.45
gross acTea.Proposed buildins}aTnay be up to 2.5 stories in height.
Access to the projept will la0rom Turnberry Road (County Road 11),
Brightwater Drive i9.ft-Righard's Lake development, and Hearthfire
Drive in the fire development. This project is located at the
North comer of Turnbeny Road-dnd Brightwater Drive. The
erty is zoned UE - Urban Estate and LIWi L Low Density Mixed -Use
Neighborhood. The allowable minimum net and mum gross
densities in these zoning districts will be met with this de�ment plan.
Staff Recommendation: Approval