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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWOODRIDGE (ARAPAHOE FARM) PUD, PHASES TWO-FIVE - PRELIMINARY - 55-87E - MINUTES/NOTES - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING Develoc a Services Planning Dertment NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING MINUTES City of Fort Collins PROJECT: Arapahoe Farm Amended Master Plan and First Phase P.U.D. DATE: February 28, 1991 APPLICANT: Gary Berger, WoodCraft Homes REPRESENTATIVE:Eldon Ward, Cityscape Urban Design PROJECT PLANNER:Ted Shepard QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS 1. How many homes will be built under the amended master plan and what is the density? RESPONSE: Approximately 432 homes at a density of 3 .5 dwelling units per acre. Proposed build-out would be over an 8 year period with roughly 50 homes built per year. 2 . What is the average cost per home? RESPONSE: There will be two areas. The east side of new Harmony Road will have homes ranging from $120, 000 to $160, 000. The west side will have homes ranging from $95, 000 to $120, 000. These estimates are subject to market conditions but that is the plan at this stage. 3 . Woodcraft is not buying all the tracts in the master plan. What are these tracts designated? RESPONSE: Woodcraft is not buying the tracts designated "Multi Family" , "Open Space" , and "Business Services" . 4 . When will old Harmony Road be re-aligned? RESPONSE: A Harmony Road curb cut on old Harmony Road will be constructed with the first phase. This spur will serve the first phase only. The new Harmony will be extended incrementally as each phase progresses. It is anticipated that when the project is about 75% built-out, the new Harmony Road will be completed to intersect with County Road 38E. At that time, the old Harmony Road will be abandoned. 1 281 North College Avenue • P.O. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (303) 221-6750 410 5. We live in Imperial Estates, on Royal Drive, and are very concerned about the construction traffic that cuts through our neighborhood. Construction crews use Royal Drive as a short cut to Horsetooth Road. This raises a lot of dust and is a nuisance. A barricade needs to be put up to prevent this and force the construction traffic to use the streets instead of cutting across the open field. RESPONSE: The owner, G.T. Land, has not given permission for any construction traffic to cut across the open field. Since Royal Drive is located in the County, it is suggested that you contact the County to see about a barricade. The developer is sympathetic since barricades have a way of slowly coming down over due to wind and abuse. During the construction of Woodcraft homes, the. developer will work with contractors to try to get this problem solved. 6. Please describe the greenbelt that runs east-west. RESPONSE: This greenbelt is a drainage swale that directs storm flows from west to east into a regional detention pond. The Swale. may also feature a sidewalk that leads to the schools. The open space associated with the swale will vary in width but may be about 50 feet wide at a minimum. At the intersection with new Harmony Road, the swale and sidewalk, will go under the street in the form of a culvert and underpass. Final design details have not been worked out. 7. When will Seneca be extended north to Horsetooth Road? RESPONSE: This will occur when the vacant property between Johnson School and Horsetooth road develops. 8. Will the re-aligned Harmony Road be four lanes? RESPONSE: The current Master Street Plan shows Harmony Road to be classified as a major arterial street with six lanes at full build- out. However, the Fort Collins Area Transportation Plan is currently underway and investigating the need for a major arterial at this location. If Harmony is downgraded from major arterial to • arterial, then it would have four lanes at full build-out. 9 . Where will Overland Trail connect after it is extended? RESPONSE: Overland Trail will be extended south from Drake Road, and stay west of Taft Hill Road, and intersect with County Road 38E. The final alignment has not been worked out yet but concept is to stay west of the mobile home park. 2 410 10. When does WoodCraft Homes expect construction to begin? RESPONSE: We expect construction to begin in late June or early July depending on when final approvals are obtained from the City. 11. What will be the impact on the two schools with the additional students? Won't this project lead to overcrowding? RESPONSE: The students currently attending the elementary school come from a large geographical area to take advantage of the new facility. It does not make sense to build the new school and not try to fill it. As new schools are built in other areas of the City, students will be moved out to attend a school closer to their home. The Arapahoe Farm Master Plan was on record and available to school facility planners. The current master plan calls for more multi-family units than does the proposed amendment. Therefore, the impact on the schools should actually be less in terms of the number of units being served. It is anticipated that the students attending Johnson will be all walk-in with no busing. Since there is a new elementary school planned to open in southwest Fort Collins in 1992, Johnson should be able to accommodate students from Arapahoe. Farm. 12 . It would be a nuisance if construction traffic were to impact the local streets. The developer should take steps to make sure construction traffic stays off Wakerobin and Regency to protect students walking to school. RESPONSE: This is a good comment. The developer will encourage all construction traffic to use the new Harmony Road entrance off old Harmony Road. This will keep traffic out of existing areas. 13 . Why would the City consider approving this project when there are subdivisions that have not built-out yet. Do we need another subdivision in Fort Collins? RESPONSE: The schedule is to build about 50 units per year. In a City of 88, 000, this is not a major impact on the housing market. All indications are that other subdivisions are doing well. The market has an ability to absorb additional supply to meet anticipated demand. The City does not currently evaluate subdivision requests based on market need as this would be an unfair restriction on the marketplace. It may be that WoodCraft Homes has a market niche, or a "better mousetrap" that will compete successfully in the marketplace. It would be very dangerous for the City to regulate the subdivisions based on market conditions. The City does not pretend to have the expertise to judge which projects will succeed and which projects will fail. The risk of making a wrong determination could affect housing choice for all consumers. This risk is best borne by the private sector. 3 14. Will there be a single builder or multiple builders? RESPONSE: Woodcraft Homes will be the only builder. 15. What will be the lot sizes? RESPONSE: The lots will range from 6,500 to 9, 000 square feet. 16. These lot sizes seem small compared to Regency Park.. If the lot sizes are incompatible, then our property values will be reduced. We've got our life savings invested in our homes and do not want our property values jeopardized. 17. Why does the City have a 3 dwelling units per acre minimum density requirement? RESPONSE: The minimum density is designed to promote the goal of the Land Use Policies Plan that the City grow with a moderate. growth rate with concentrated land use. This form was one of four possible growth scenarios that were debated by the City during the adoption of the Land Use Policies Plan. This form of growth also is the minimum at which essential services can be delivered at an efficient level. A variance procedure is available to develop below three dwelling units per acre with review and approval by the Planning and Zoning Board. 18. Will ,Arapahoe Farm be similar to WoodCraft's project in Golden Meadows Fourth Filing? RESPONSE: Yes, with some lots and houses being smaller than in Golden Meadows Fourth Filing. 19. How will WoodCraft compete with other subdivisions? What will be competitive about this project that will stand out to consumers? RESPONSE: Woodcraft Homes is competitive in the marketplace with price and quality. We have been in business since 1984, many other firms have not survived these last several years. Proximity to two schools and a neighborhood park are locational advantages. 20. Will drainage and grading be designed so that the your project and Regency will blend together? I am concerned that if your project is upstream, then Regency will accept drainage which could cause problems on our properties. 4 RESPONSE: Drainage and grading will be designed to meet the City Stormwater Utility criteria. New developments are not allowed to impact adjacent developments. If the developer does not grade property according to City approved plans, then he is in violation and liable for damages. The Drainage Basin Study, on record with the City, determines the direction and flow of the natural drainage patterns. Street grades, utilities, swales, and detention ponds are sized and located to accommodate this natural drainage. 21. How are the depths of the sewer taps determined? RESPONSE: The depth of the sewer tap is determined by the minimum grade available to the sewer main and, eventually, to the sewer treatment plant. Sewer mains flow to the plant by a gravity system. Therefore, all taps and mains must be upstream of the plant. 22 . Is Arapahoe Farm "upstream" of Regency Park? RESPONSE: Yes, the grade is such that the lots in Arapahoe Farm rise about 20 feet above Regency over a certain distance. 23. Will Hilburn Street be fixed so the grade difference is corrected? As it stands now, somebody screwed up and it looks terrible. RESPONSE: This problem will be brought to the attention of the City Engineering Department. 24. What is the buffer treatment along Harmony Road? If this is to be a four or six lane arterial, then the homes that back onto it will need to be buffered. RESPONSE: There will be a meandering buffer along Harmony that. will feature landscaping and a detached sidewalk. Fencing will be varied to minimize the "canyon effect" . There will be a mix of sideyards and backyards along Harmony. The swale/greenbelt will intersect with Harmony. Rear property lines will not be platted to the edge of the right-of-way so there will be increased setbacks to break up the streetscape. 25. Will there be traffic signals on the new Harmony Road? RESPONSE: Yes, it is likely that signals will be warranted at the intersections with County Road 38E/Taft, Seneca, and Regency. There will not be signals at the intersections with the minor streets. 5 1 26. What happened to the Youth Sports Park? RESPONSE: The Youth Sports Park was listed as an alternative use on the Master Plan approved in 1987. Since then, the Parks and Rec Department has lost interest in this site and is looking elsewhere. Although Parks and Rec has not yet selected a site, Arapahoe Farm has been eliminated from the selection process. 27. How long has G.T. Land been planning the Arapahoe Farm? RESPONSE: Four years. 28. Will there be covenants? RESPONSE: It is likely there will be covenants but WoodCraft Homes has not begun to put any together yet. Writing of covenants will come later in the process. 29. What will the typical setbacks be? RESPONSE: Front yard - 20 feet, Side yard - 5 feet interior, 15 feet corner, Rear yard - 15 feet. These are minimums. In all likelihood, rear yards will exceed the 15 foot minimum. 30. What kind of homes will be built? RESPONSE: WoodCraft will build two-story and tri-level homes, ranging in size from 1, 600 to 2, 000 square feet. East of Harmony Road, the homes will have brick fronts and wood shake shingles. 31. Will the covenants exclude the storage of R.V. 's, boats, and trailers on the street? RESPONSE: This is a good comment but, again, the covenants have not been drafted at this point. 32. Will Troutman be extended from Shields with this project? It is needed now to relieve traffic during school hours. Also, is Troutman. anticipated to extend to Taft? RESPONSE: No, Troutman will be extended when the land adjacent to. it is developed, and Troutman is not to be extended to. Taft but only to form a tee intersection with Seneca. 6 33 . Will the citizens have an opportunity, through the City approval process, to comment on the covenants? RESPONSE: No, the covenants are private contractual agreements between private parties. The City can only address ordinances and ;.. policies that have been adopted by the. City Council. 34 . Will our water be shut off during construction like it was for development of Regency Second Filing? This was a major inconvenience that we should not have to suffer through. RESPONSE: It is likely that this will not occur since Arapahoe Farm will be served by a separate water main. 7