HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSU - WASHINGTON SCHOOL - APU - SPA110001 - REPORTS - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING36. Is the alley public?
A. Yes.
37. You need to deal with traffic management, open playground and
lighting. How will we know that these issues will be properly
addressed? Will you set up a web site?
A. Yes, we could set up a website — good idea.
38. Who will do all the work? C.S.U. crews or private contractors?
A. Private contractors.
39. There should be amenities provided for bicyclists. Bike parking should
be convenient, covered and well -illuminated.
A. These are good suggestions. When the weather is nice, many of our
faculty, staff and students, and even some parents and children, ride
their bikes instead of driving.
40. Is the current playground on Lake Street open to the public?
A. No it is not.
41. Will snow removal on surrounding streets remain at the current level of
service?
A. I don't know, we will have to check in with the City's Street Department.
29. It would be helpful it C.S.U. prepared more details describing the
operational and functional aspects of the facility. It would also be
helpful to then compare this with the former school. The answers
tonight are vague and the neighbors need more specific answers.
A. We are at the beginning of our process and have not even purchased
the property yet. As we get further into our analysis, we will have more
specifics on operational characteristics.
30. 1 would like to again emphasize that as neighbors, we would
appreciate having public access to the playground. The facility acts
like a pocket park and, as neighbors, we take a measure of ownership
and keep an eye on the property and the activities. I encourage C.S.U.
to provide as much openness as possible, including weekends.
A. We understand and will look into State regulations as to security.
31. Will the facility offer the neighbors a community room for holding
meetings?
A. Yes, we can accommodate neighborhood meetings.
32. 1 do not like the appearance of the chain link fence as it is high and
there is so much of it. Could a different fencing material be used?
A. We cannot go to solid wood but are willing to look at ways to soften the
appearance of the chain link.
33. What will be the impact on our property values?
A. I don't know but we see our facility to be similar to the school which we
think is a positive attribute for the neighborhood.
34. Getting back to the drop-off and pick-up traffic, I would hate to see a
stack of cars lined up Olive Street and then stacking back to Shields
Street. This would cause a lot of congestion problems.
A. We agree and admit that we need to put some more thought in traffic
management.
35. Perhaps you could add another westbound lane on the north side of
Olive Street as the designated drop-off and pick-up lane.
A. We can look into this with the City of Fort Collins.
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21. Are you planning on having parents dropping off children on Olive
Street?
A. Yes, this is logical location for parents to park. There is no "drop-off'
per se as parents must accompany their child into the school. Our
understanding is that Olive Street was used by the Lab School parents
as well.
22. Will drop-off be allowed on Scott Street as well?
A. Yes, parents would be permitted to park on Scott Street.
23. The drop-off function needs to be better defined. It appears that the
drop-off activity will exceed the capacity of the street.
A. We will look into having a management plan for this activity. Note
again that children arriving and departing is staggered throughout the
day. We may have an outside traffic manager staffing this activity so
that traffic impact on the two public streets is kept to a minimum.
24. There should be no parking on the south side of Olive Street so
children do not have to cross the street.
A. We will look into this with the City as they control the on -street parking.
25. 1 am concerned about additional traffic in the alley.
A. Traffic in the alley will be restricted to staff only as it serves the north
parking lot. We do not want parents using the alley. The amount of
traffic should be roughly the same as it was for the school.
26. Will you be paving the alley?
A. At this time, we think we will be required by the City to pave the alley.
27. Will there be any changes to the traffic signal on Shields Street?
A. The traffic signal is pedestrian -actuated for a school crossing and is
under the jurisdiction of the City. We will check with the City as to
whether or not it is still needed since our facility is not a walk-in facility
like a typical school.
28. Do you plan on building any sound attenuation along Shields Street?
A. We have no plans at this time to build any sound attenuation.
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14. 1 live nearby and am concerned about too much lighting. I do not want
any site lighting spilling over into the neighborhood.
A. We will check to make sure that there is no light spillage off the
property.
15. Will the handicap ramps meet A.D.A. grade of 1:12?
A. Yes. And, at the same time, we are trying to minimize the aesthetic
impact of constructing the new ramps. We are trying to make the
ramps as compact as possible yet still comply with grade standards.
The ramps are being designed to not interfere with usable space and
not impact the historic character of the architecture. There will be no
ramps on the east and west elevations as these elevations are
considered to have more historic integrity than the north and south
elevations.
16. Will the area under the ramps and landings be enclosed? I am
concerned about creating hiding spaces as an unintended
consequence of the new ramps.
A. Good comment. We will look into this.
17. Will the playground be open to the public?
A. This will likely depend on State licensing requirements. The
playground may have to be locked when the facility is closed due to
security.
18. Will the open lawn area to the east remain open?
A. Yes, this area will probably stay open.
19. Have you considered putting the handicap ramps on the east side
instead of on the south side?
A. This was discussed with the City's Historic Preservation staff and, as
mentioned, the east and west elevations are considered to have a
greater historic integrity than the north and south elevations.
20. Are you planning any building expansion toward the southeast?
A. No expansions are planned for this area.
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9. What are your hours of operation?
A. We are open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Please note that not all of
our students arrive and depart en masse.
10. How is the staffing divided between faculty and students?
A. At any one time, there could be up to 30 staff onsite. There would be a
combination of full-time staff, graduate and under -graduate students
and a receptionist. Typically, there would be one full-time faculty per
classroom accompanied by two to three students. For this new facility,
we expect to add about ten babies attended to by two to three staff.
11. 1 am concerned if the parking lot is sufficient for all the staff and
students expected to be onsite.
A. The parking lot is on the north side of the building and should be
capable of providing enough spaces for the expected staff. Note that
we may slightly modify the parking configuration and we will
discourage exiting onto Shields via the alley as there is an existing six
foot privacy fence on the neighboring property that partially obscures
sight distance.
12. 1 live to the north across the alley and am concerned about stormwater
runoff. Over the years, PSD has added gravel to the north parking lot
and now this area is actually raised above natural grade. So if you
pave this area, be aware that the grade has been altered. A paved
parking lot, combined with roof drainage, will generate stormwater
runoff that needs to be analyzed so it is properly directed away from
the lots on the north side of the alley.
A. We are aware of the amount of gravel in the north parking lot and know
that we have to solve the problem of ponding and runoff. We know we
have to design a proper drainage conveyance so that stormwater flows
southeast into our front yard and not north across the alley onto the
adjacent lots. In addition, the City may require us to add water quality
treatment to the runoff which was not a requirement when the school
was built.
13. Did you say earlier that the program is reserved for C.S.U. faculty, staff
and students?
A. Yes, this project is being funded by student activity fees that the
students voted to approve. Therefore, C.S.U. faculty, staff and
students get first priority on enrollment. If there is space available,
enrollment is open to the general public.
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Questions, Concerns, Comments
1. How old is the building?
A. The building was built in 1918. It was designed by the same architect
and built approximately at the same time as the Harris School on East
Elizabeth Street.
2. Are there problems with asbestos or mold?
A. No.
3. How many families do you presently serve and how many would you
expect by moving to a larger facility?
A. We presently serve 58 families and expect to grow to roughly 100.
4. Would this be a drop -in facility?
A. No, this is not a drop -in facility. Children are enrolled on a semester
basis that matches the term of the C.S.U. schedule.
5. How many students were enrolled in the PSD Lab School?
A. Approximately 100 — 120.
6. Would the facility be open in the summer?
A. Yes, the summer term matches the C.S.U. summer term.
7. Will you then be adding air conditioning?
A. Yes, we plan on adding air conditioning.
8. 1 live nearby and do not have air conditioning so my windows are open
and I am concerned about the noise of the children playing outside.
A. Unfortunately, there is probably nothing we can do about that. Kids
playing outside tend to raise a bit of a ruckus but this will only occur
during outdoor play time and during the day just as if this were a
normal elementary school. There is no evening program so the noise
level will cease after closing.
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NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING SUMMARY
PROJECT: Washington School — C.S.U. Childcare Center —
Addition of a Permitted Use and Site Plan Advisory
Review
DATE: March 7, 2011
APPLICANT: Brian Chase, C.S.U. Facilities Department
Mike Rush
Fred Haberecht
Per Hogestad
CITY PLANNER: Ted Shepard, Chief Planner, City of Fort Collins
The meeting began with a description of the project. Colorado State University
and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies are in the
process of purchasing the Washington School from the Poudre School District.
The proposal is to convert the facility from a public school for elementary and
intermediate education to a child care center/pre-school. The building contains
approximately 18,350 square feet on 1.75 acres on Block 7 of the Scott
Sherwood Subdivision. The building and playground would be preserved. The
site is located between Shields Street and Scott Street and bounded by Olive
Street and the east — west alley that bisects the block.
The site is zoned N-C-L, Neighborhood Conservation Low Density. This zone
normally does not allow child care center as a permitted use. The Zoning Code,
however, allows for the Addition of a Permitted Use process for individual
properties. The final decision would be made by the City of Fort Collins Planning
and Zoning Board. The development plan will be processed as a Site Plan
Advisory Review in accordance with State Statutes.
From an operational perspective, the facility combines an early childhood
development center with teaching opportunities for C.S.U. students. There will
be full-time staff combined with students gaining experience in the field. The
current facility is in the Gifford building on campus but space is limited. The
additional space gained by moving to Washington School will allow the program
to add classrooms and services for infants and toddlers. In accordance with
State licensing requirements, handicap ramps and exit doors must be added as
well as fire sprinkler system and elevator. The outdoor playground will be
enhanced. Enrollment is first reserved for C.S.U. faculty, staff and students and
usually there is a waiting list. If space permits, enrollment is open to the public.