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Home My WebLink AboutBLOCK 186 637 COWAN STREET - Filed GC-GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE - 2006-11-17and Environmental Services Current Planning City of Fort Collins TO: Interested Parties FROM: Cameron Gloss �7 j Current Planning iD rector DATE: July 16, 2003 SUBJECT: Administrative Interpretation #7-03 regarding the application of access and parking lot paving standards found in Section 3.2.2 (D)(3) of the Land Use Code (LUC) BACKGROUND: Section 3.2.2 (D)(3) of the Land Use Code, Pavement, requires that "all open off- street parking and vehicular use areas shall be surfaced with asphalt, concrete or other material in conformance with city specifications" contained on a project site. A request has been received to interpret which paving materials, other than asphalt or concrete, are acceptable for use within parking and vehicular use areas. No specific paving specifications are identified in the LUC or other adopted documents except for the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards (LCUASS), which relate specifically to roads. INTERPRETATION: Language found in the LUC regarding parking area paving was drafted to encompass those materials, i.e.-asphalt and concrete, that provide a hard, relatively -permanent surface, but also builds in some flexibility to allow other suitable materials as paving technology evolves. The key issues for determining whether a paving material is suitable is based upon the degree of hardness, the ability to withstand use over time, and the amount of environmental impacts, particularly generation of dust. At present, the use of solid pavers, composed of either concrete or brick, overlaid on an adequate base material, could also be used for parking, driveway and circulation paving. Use of pavers would require submittal of a design certified for the intended use by a Professional Engineer licensed in the State of Colorado. 281 North College Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6750 • FAX (970) 416-2020 Paving materials also must meet more stringent design standards in cases where the driveway/drive aisle provides a required firelane. Such areas are subject to the design criteria for PFA which states that these be all-weather surfaces designed to HS20 or designed to withstand weight of 40 tons. For fire lanes, a hard deck of asphalt or concrete will likely be the only acceptable paving material. Gravel, reconstituted recycled asphalt, road base, and grasscrete are considered unacceptable materials for use within parking and circulation areas. These materials have generally not held up well over time and tend to create other maintenance problems, such as the strewing of aggregate materials onto adjacent streets, when vehicles enter and exit the site. These paving standards shall apply to all uses except single family dwellings and accessory buildings and structures and accessory uses that are permitted subject only to basic development review, Parks, Natural Areas and similar public facilities. It should be noted that, while some materials such as gravel and recycled reconstituted asphalt are considered inappropriate today, changes in paving materials and construction technology may broaden the list of acceptable parking and circulation area paving materials in the future. CC: Ted Shepard Peter flames Paul Eckman Greg Byrne Dave Stringer Katie Moore Marc Virata Sheri Wamhoff Ron Gonzales E PMt/t��EERS VARIANCE REQUEST To From: Date: Katie Moore Civil Engineer, Development Review City of Fort Collins PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-OSA^ Jade P. Miller, P.E. DMW Civil Engineers, Inc. September 24, 2003 Project: 637 Cowan Street Fort Collins, Colorado Project No. COW: 0301.00 1435 WEST 29" STREET LOVELAND, CO S053S (970) 461-2661 FAX (970) 461-2665 WWW. DMWCIVILENGINEERS. COM On behalf of our client with the above referenced project, we request a variance to the City's Standard Design Criteria. Per the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards, Sec. 9.3.2.C, driveways for multi -family dwelling units shall be a minimum width of 24 feet. The driveway for this project has been designed with a width of 10 feet (please see attached). There are several reasons for the reduced driveway width. First, in order to meet the minimum width requirement, the driveway would comprise the entire space between the proposed structure and the existing one. It is probable that, because of their psychological discomfort with obstructions near the edge of the pavement, drivers would not utilize the %e2 full width of the driveway. Second, the City of Fort Collins has requested the 10 foot width because Cowan street is a low volume residential street and the smaller drive would function adequately and be more consistent with nearby improvements. Third, parking for the units is also provided on -street and would not use the driveway. In conclusion, full compliance with the Standard Design Criteria would impose undue hardship in developing the site. It is our opinion that the proposed design will adequately meet the intent of the standards for the health, safety and welfare of the public. y - TTU' LS .. �... o � 9x-& IR 1 43 5 WEST 29' STREET LOVELAND, CO 8053B (970) 461 -2651 FAX (970) 461-2665 WWW.OMWCIVILENGINEERa.COM VARIANCE REQUEST To: Katie Moore Civil Engineer, Development Review City of Fort Collins PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-05f From: Jade P. Miller, P.E. DMW Civil Engineers, Inc. Date: March 19, 2004 Project: 637 Cowan Street Fort Collins, Colorado Project No. COW: 0301.00 On behalf of our client with the above referenced project, we request a variance to the City's Standard Design Criteria. Per the Larimer County Urban Area Street Standards, Sec. 9.3.2.13, driveways shall be designed and constructed as a standard driveway in accordance with Construction Drawing 706. Construction Drawing 706 indicates that a concrete driveway must be provided to the property line. A concrete driveway to the property line has been provided for this project with the exception of a one (1) foot by four (4) foot area. The unpaved area is being provided to accommodate a relocated curb stop on an existing water service located under the driveway. Alternative design for relocating the curb stop was submitted by the engineer but City staff requested the revision. Unpaved areas around curb stops is required by City of Fort Collins . It is our opinion that the proposed design will adequately meet the intent of the standards for the health, safety and welfare of the public. OR poi q zu]Ra Ny O OGO U CD n: z m Z fo W d U W �Qapm3o��g zmBzzIUI UI zm Ofng 8UzwOam