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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTHE UNION ON ELIZABETH (FORMERLY 1208 W. ELIZABETH STREET) - PDP/FDP - FDP170024 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGc. Developer: Could try a car share, also bus service is very good in the area. 10. Is there bus service on Elizabeth and Plum? a. Jason Holland and Nicole Hahn (City Staff): Yes, there is bus service on both streets; more bus stops and stop times available on Plum. 11. Bus has been dangerously packed for the past year. a. Jason Holland (Project Planner): The City is trying to make adjustments to bus routes to meet increasing demand. b. Nicole Hahn (City Traffic Engineer): Transfort tries to send another bus out if it is noted that the existing buses on the route are filling up. 12. What will the height of the building be? Won't it shade and dwarf our one-story building (Krazy Karl's Pizza)? a. A shadow study will be completed with the submittal. It is assumed that Krazy Karl's won't be shaded until late in the afternoon. b. Jason Holland (Project Planner): Staff has significant concerns regarding the overall scale and mass of their proposed building. c. Developer: The economics of the project make for a trade-off between the paseo/promenade and the extra units on the proposed 6t^ story/mezzanine. We have stepped -back the 6t" story units to mitigate their effect. The mezzanine level is 20,000 square feet of space and the other floors are 60,000 square feet. 13. How are you really going to capture the parking in this area? a. We are trying to mitigate the parking impacts with various methods, including the increase in parking spaces above the TOD parking requirement. 14. For the dwelling units on the Vt floor, who will rent those units? a. In our experience, those units often lease first given the ease of access from the street and other potential benefits. 15. Will the fire lane be shared? a. The fire lane will need to be re -graded and made more easily accessible. 16. Will there be changes to how you exit the parking lot? a. Nicole Hahn (City Traffic Engineer): We need to look into this in more detail when we get the traffic study. 17. Are the existing businesses within the development being compensated? a. Some of the adjacent businesses have already been purchased. No one will be forced out. The purchase was negotiated and the owners have agreed to a price. 18. It is great that there will be parking made available for the adjacent businesses. Development Overlay District (TOD) parking requirements; the TOD requires 0.75 parking spaces per bed and the proposed development offers 0.8 parking spaces per bed. Question and Answer Portion (unless otherwise noted, all questions answered by development team): 1. How many bedrooms in total for the proposed development? a. 427 beds, 121 units. 2. Will bikes be allowed? a. Yes, there will be ample parking for bicycles. 3. Parking Garage: how big will it be, and will it be public or private? a. The garage will be 5.5 stories, mostly private parking. 4. What will the parking be and how will this be addressed for businesses adjacent to the building? a. Jason Holland (Project Planner): staff is also concerned about this issue in the neighborhood b. Stephanie Hansen (developer representative): Because ample parking is provided for the residents of the building, the addition of the building and the residents should not affect the adjacent businesses. 5. How will the parking work with the mixed-use/commercial portion of the development? Can there be more parking to accommodate those extra parking needs? a. Residents will need to register their cars with the management office, so that should cut down on parking of residents or visitors of residents. 6. How are you going to deal with the increase in traffic? 7. Nicole Hahn (City Traffic Engineer): Nicole explains that the developer will need to provide a traffic study for staff to review to determine the impacts of the development. Nicole also explains that median and pedestrian crossing changes are being made on Elizabeth Street to accommodate the new Shields underpass. In regard to the construction and parking easement for the adjacent businesses? What will happen there? It looks as if the access required for the proposed development will take away parking spaces for the adjacent businesses. a. The porkchop" median at the entrance will be removed and the parking area is proposed to be reconfigured, and the parking will stay available. 8. A resident expressed concerns about the development, including the height of the proposed building creating a visual assault, a concern related to possible displacement of other amenities in the area and the overall need for affordable housing in Fort Collins. The same resident also expressed a concern about parking in the area and overall traffic congestion within and surrounding the area near the proposed development. 9. Is the City considering closing West Elizabeth from Shields to City Park Avenue?" a. Jason Holland (Project Planner): No, the City is not considering that. That would likely create more traffic congestion in this area.. b. Nicole Hahn (City Traffic Engineer): 50,000 cars per day pass through the Elizabeth and Shields intersection. Not as busy as Harmony and Timberline, but the intersection is very busy. The traffic study for the proposed development will need to be completed and they will need to meet City traffic standards. NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING SUMMARY Project: 1208/1220 Elizabeth Mixed -Use Development Date: July 13, 2017 6:00pm Location: St Paul's Episcopal Church Applicant/Developer Staff Presenting: Stephanie Hansen, Ripley Design and accompanying team City Staff Present: Jason Holland, Project Planner; Nicole Hahn, Traffic Engineer; Sylvia Tatman-Burruss, Development Review Liaison Notes: Jason begins by explaining the process of development review. Sylvia introduces the liaison position. Jason reviews the citizen review process, ground rules and the agenda for the meeting. Stephanie Hansen of Ripley Design begins her presentation of the project. Stephanie begins by introducing the development team and then introduces the site plan in context of the surrounding neighborhood. She then explains other comparable, nearby student housing projects including the Lokal and the District. Stephanie explains that Lokal has 2 Zipcars available on site and there are several bus stops nearby. She also explains that the proposed project site has several bus stops and increased access to Colorado State University (CSU) through the newly -constructed Shields underpass. Stephanie then explains the history of the site. In the past, there was an ice skating rink, a club house and a swimming pool in the area. In 2013, St Paul's Church asked Ripley Design to complete a feasibility study and cost estimate for updating their space. The price of the update and the limited parking availability on the site compelled the church to search for new options. They then asked for developers to bid on the property and decided to sell. Stephanie then continued by explaining that the land includes the Panhandler's parking lot and is in the Community Commercial Zone District. The proposed building will be a mixed -use building with retail on the ground floor and residential units above. Stephanie also explains that the project must comply with the West Central Neighborhood Plan and the West Elizabeth Enhanced Travel Corridor (ETC) Plan. Stephanie goes on to explain that in 2007, the "U+2" occupancy ordinance was updated, suggesting that students should have more options to live in multi -family dwellings near the University. Since that time, demand for rental housing has remained high, with average vacancy rates around 2%. Most recently, the Lokal and District projects have been developed to cater mostly to CSU students. Stephanie explains that for this proposed project, the developer is still in the conceptual design phase. The current design includes a pedestrian promenade that would allow pedestrians to walk from Plum to Elizabeth. To accommodate parking, dwelling units will surround a parking garage. The developer is requesting a modification to allow for a 6`h story to be built, which would house the clubhouse, pool and several dwelling units. Stephanie states that the proposed development currently exceeds the Transit Oriented