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Home My WebLink AboutALTA VISTA WTF (903 BUCKINGHAM ST.) - PDP - PDP160004 - REPORTS - RECOMMENDATION/REPORT W/ATTACHMENTSITEM NO 2 MEETING DATE Aug. 10, 2016 STAFF Clay Frickey ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING OFFICER Planning Services 281 N College Ave – PO Box 580 – Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 fcgov.com/developmentreview/ 970.221.6750 STAFF REPORT PROJECT: Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility, PDP160004 APPLICANT: Caleb Crossland 4450 Arapahoe Ave. Suite 100 Boulder, CO 80303 OWNERS: Colorado Iron and Metal, Inc. 903 Buckingham St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This is a request for a Project Development Plan to build a telecommunications tower housed within a 2,000 sq. ft. wireless facility. This facility will provide critical wireless coverage to the surrounding area. This is a developing industrial and residential area where coverage is reaching its capacity limits and there is a growing need for advanced quality voice and data services. This tower and facility will be used for structural support of up to three wireless providers. Each provider will install antennas and on- the-ground base station equipment. The site is located in the Industrial (I) zone district. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility, PDP160004. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Staff finds the proposed Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility Project Development Plan complies with the applicable requirements of the City of Fort Collins Land Use Code (LUC), more specifically:  The Project Development Plan/Final Plan complies with the process located in Division 2.2 – Common Development Review Procedures for Development Applications of Article 2 – Administration. Staff Report – Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility – PDP160004 Administrative Hearing 08-10-16 Page 2  The Project Development Plan/Final Plan complies with relevant standards of Article 3 – General Development Standards.  The Project Development Plan/Final Plan complies with relevant standards located in Division 4.28, Industrial (I) of Article 4 – Districts. COMMENTS: 1. Background The property was annexed into the City as part of the Northeast Consolidated Annexation in June, 1974. The land sat vacant until 1998 when Vanworks built a warehouse on the site. In 2008, Colorado Iron and Metal moved their operation to 903 Buckingham. Colorado Iron and Metal filed for a replat in 2012 to obtain the parcel to the west. A hearing officer approved this replat in 2012. Following the replat, Colorado Iron and Metal submitted the Colorado Iron and Metal Second Filing to expand their operation onto the newly acquired parcel. Colorado Iron and Metal Second Filing was approved in 2013 with the final documents recorded with the City on August 5, 2013. Since recording their final documents, Colorado Iron and Metal has yet to install any of the necessary public infrastructure to obtain vesting for their development. At the time of writing this staff report, Colorado Iron and Metal has not filed for an extension nor shown progress in an attempt to fulfill their obligations per the approval of the Colorado Iron and Metal Second Filing. The surrounding zoning and land uses are as follows: Direction Zone District Existing Land Uses North Industrial (I) Brewery, institutional South Industrial (I) Brewery, storage, light industrial East Industrial (I) Warehouse, vacant West Industrial (I), Low Density Residential (RL) Vacant, single-family detached residential A zoning and site vicinity map is presented on the following page. Staff Report – Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility – PDP160004 Administrative Hearing 08-10-16 Page 3 Figure 1: Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility Zoning & Site Vicinity Map Staff Report – Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility – PDP160004 Administrative Hearing 08-10-16 Page 4 2. Compliance with Article 3 of the Land Use Code – General Development Standards: The project complies with all applicable General Development Standards as follows: A. Section 3.8.13(C)(1) – Setbacks For wireless towers, the setback of the facility from the property line shall be 1 foot for every foot of height unless it can be demonstrated the structure will collapse rather than topple. The proposed tower is designed to collapse rather than topple, which exempts the tower from this standard. B. Section 3.8.13(C)(2) – Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Wireless telecommunications facilities should be consistent with the architectural character of the surrounding environment. If the wireless telecommunications facility is an accessory use, the facility should be constructed out of materials equal to or better than the materials of the principal use. Since this facility will be located on the Colorado Iron and Metal site, this will be considered an accessory use. Colorado Iron and Metal is housed in a tan colored building constructed out of metal. The building features a synthetic stone wainscot with a subtly pitched, metal roof. The proposed wireless tower will be an 80’ tall silo built out of a fiberglass material. The silo will be an off-white color to blend in with the buildings and other silos present in the surrounding area. The proposed tower will be similar in color and materials to other grain silos in the area. At 80’ tall, this tower will be the tallest structure in the immediate vicinity. Other silos in the vicinity are 40-50’ tall. While the proposed tower will dwarf the other silos nearby, the proposed tower will have a significant setback from the right-of-way. The tower will be over 500’ from the closest right-of-way. Since the tower is so far on the interior of the site, the visual impact of the tower will be minimized. C. Section 3.8.13(C)(3) – Wireless Telecommunications Equipment Wireless telecommunications equipment should be the same color as the tower, be mounted as flush as possible, and not exceed the height of the structure it is mounted to by 15’. Ground equipment should also be Staff Report – Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility – PDP160004 Administrative Hearing 08-10-16 Page 5 screened in a manner compatible with the building’s design, color, and material. All of the antennae for this tower will be housed inside the fiberglass silo so they will be completely screened and will not exceed the height of the tower. The ground equipment will be screened by a wood fence. D. Section 3.8.13(C)(4) – Landscaping In certain instances, ground equipment must be screened through landscaping if no other screening method is employed. For this tower, the site plan shows a wood fence that will provide screening for the ground equipment. As such, this proposal is exempt from this standard. E. Section 3.8.13(C)(5) – Fencing When fences are used for screening, the fence should be built of wood, masonry, stucco, or other acceptable, opaque materials. The fence should be no taller than 6’. The proposed fence will be built from wood and will not be taller than 6’ F. Section 3.8.13(C)(8) – Color All wireless telecommunications facilities shall be painted to match as closely as possible the surrounding built environment. The proposed color of the tower is an off-white tone, which will blend in with the existing Colorado Iron and Metal site as well as the silos used by O’Dell Brewing and New Belgium. G. Section 3.8.13(C)(15) – Stealth Technology All wireless facilities must employ stealth technology to mitigate the visual impact of the tower. In this case, the applicant chose to build a structure that mimics a grain silo used at one of the nearby breweries. Staff Report – Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility – PDP160004 Administrative Hearing 08-10-16 Page 6 3. Compliance with Article 4 of the Land Use Code – Division 4.28, Industrial (I) The project complies with all applicable Article 4 standards as follows: A. Section 4.28(B)(1)(a) – Permitted Uses The proposed use, wireless telecommunications facility, is permitted in the I zone district and is consistent with the district’s intent to accommodate uses that are complementary and support work places such as manufacturing, warehousing, and distributing. 5. Findings of Fact/Conclusion: In evaluating the request for Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility Project Development Plan, Staff makes the following findings of fact: A. The Project Development Plan/Final Plan complies with process located in Division 2.2 – Common Development Review Procedures for Development Applications of Article 2 – Administration. B. The Project Development Plan/Final Plan complies with relevant standards of Article 3 – General Development Standards. C. The Project Development Plan/Final Plan complies with relevant standards located in Division 4.28, Industrial (I) of Article 4 – Districts. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility, PDP160004. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Zoning & Site Vicinity Map 2. Alta Vista Wireless Telecommunications Facility Planning Document Set (including site plan, elevations, and photo simulations)