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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAMBRIDGE LOFTS APARTMENTS - PDP - 6-03C - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PLANNING OBJECTIVESPolicy CCD-1.13 Pedestrian Activity.... Streets and other public outdoor spaces within the CC District will be functional, attractive, and designed to enhance pedestrian activity. The Cambridge Lofts addresses Shields Street, has an urban plaza space as an entrance from the street. The new plaza space not only provides an enhanced pedestrian path across the property, but includes trees for shade, plant color in small planters, and hard surface that can be a gathering space as well. Policy CCD-1.18 Parking. Reduced parking standards should be applied to CC Districts in recognition of their proximity to high -frequency transit service and their walkable environment and mix of uses. Additional Considerations A) Shared Parking is encouraged B) Parking Lots will not Dominate the frontage of pedestrian oriented streets. Lots should be located behind buildings ... C) Large Parking Lots will be visually and functionally segmented in to smaller lots. Land devoted to surface parking lots should be reduced, over time, through redevelopment .. . The location of Cambridge Lofts is a high pedestrian & bicycle area, and has multiple public transit stops within walking distance from the project, freeing it's residents and employees from needing to own a vehicle, of which many current residents do not own cars. The new building will serve as a screen to the parking area from Shields Street, and only smaller portions of the parking areas are visible from Plum Street. The site design also distributes the parking area through out the property, so there is not one large area of land that is for parking Thus, the project meets many aspects of this policy. If you have any questions regarding these items, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, { r 6 Donald R. Brookshire Policy T-1.1 Land Use Patterns: The city will implement land use patterns, parking policies, and demand management plans that support effective transit ... Residential and non-residential land uses should be within walking distance of transit stops ... As a mixed use project, with a primary use being residential, the proposed Cambridge Lofts project supports alternative transportation modes. The proximity of the project to the CSU Campus, and shopping, dining, and employment places, enables residents to walk and ride a bike from the Cambridge Lofts. A public transit stop exists on Plum street in front of the project, giving residents another alternative for transportation to and from the project. Conformance with City Plan Community Commercial District Principle CCD-1 ... Community -wide destinations and act as hubs for a high -frequency transit system offering retail, offices, ... And higher density housing. The physical environment will promote walking, bicycling, transit .. Vertical mixed -use will be encouraged. The Proposed Cambridge Lofts project is a high -density project, 5 stories in height, and located in an already busy location. The project has office/commercial/retail space at the ground level, providing opportunity to be a place of destination for pedestrians and bicyclists to stop. The Cambridge Lofts meet all the goals outlined in Principle CCD-1. Policy CCD-1.10 Relationship of Building to Public Spaces. Buildings will reinforce and revitalize streets and public spaces ... The Cambridge Lofts addresses Shields Street, has an urban plaza space as an entrance from the street. The new plaza space not only provides an enhanced pedestrian path across the property, but includes trees for shade, plant color in small planters, and hard surface that can be a gathering space as well. Policy CCD-1.12 Balanced Transportation System. ... Seek to create a balanced transportation system that encourages pedestrian, bicycle and transit use,. . The proximity of the project to the CSU Campus, and shopping, dining, and employment places, enables residents to walk and ride a bike from the Cambridge Lofts. A public transit stop exists on Plum street in front of the project, giving residents another alternative for transportation to and from the project. Policy CCD-1.8 Streetscapes. Urban streetscape design will establish and attractive, safe and pedestrian -oriented framework ... . The Cambridge Lofts provides an urban plaza space between the building and Shields Street. The plaza serves both as an entrance from the street, but a gathering space, as well as a means of safe travel for pedestrians along Shields Street. The new plaza space not only provides an enhanced pedestrian path across the property, but includes trees for shade, plant color in small planters, and hard surface that can be a gathering space as well. As a gathering space, the plaza has room for benches, or small outdoor dining area and landscape for shade and color. From the plaza space a pedestrian path will connect to the existing apartment complex with only one vehicular drive crossing at the existing complex. Planning Objectives: The Cambridge Lofts achieves the following Principles and Policies of City Plan: CC Zoning District: The proposed Cambridge Lofts project complies with permitted use within the CC Zoning district as a mixed -use building and meets the allowable 5-story building height limit. In addition, the project complies with the CC Zoning standards by orienting the proposed mixed -use building to front Shields Street, and exceeds the minimum 40 percent building frontage; provides a connecting plaza to the public sidewalk adjacent to Shields Street; and an existing public transit stop is located in front of the residential buildings on Plum Street. Principle LU-1 Growth within the city will promote a compact development pattern within a well- defined boundary. Located directly across Shields Street from the CSU Campus, the Cambridge Lofts location is within a fully developed area, and with the additional residential units and office/retail/commercial element contributes to the compact development pattern. LU1.1 Compact Urban Form. Desired urban form will be achieved by future development to mixed use neighborhoods and districts while reducing the potential for dispersed growth not conductive to pedestrian and transit use and cohesive community development. A mixed -use project such as the Cambridge Lofts provides a greater diversity of services, activities, and housing options within a smaller area, creating a cohesive community development pattern, and allowing success of alternative transportation methods. Principle LU-2 The City will maintain and enhance its character and sense of place, defined by neighborhoods, districts, corridors, and edges The Cambridge Lofts site is located at the edge of the CSU Campus, and the site is a part of a defining edge between the University campus, and distinct neighborhood within the city structure. Due to this proximity to the campus, the neighborhood is defined by the variety of services and housing types suited to students, and faculty of the Campus. Typically university campuses, and neighborhoods surrounding them have a more dense, and urban environment; unlike residential neighborhoods further away from downtown or university cores. The proposed Cambridge Lofts mixed -use building will fit into the neighborhood because of the mixed use, the building scale, relationship to the street, and modem architectural style. The style of the building will complement the newer buildings found on campus, and the smaller retail/commercial space may be ideal for small coffee shops, deli's, or book stores that are suited to the campus population. LU-2.2 The design review process ... will be used to promote new construction and redevelopment that contribute positively to the type of neighborhoods, districts, ... described herein while emphasizing the special identity of each area As a mixed use building, the Cambridge Lofts will be a new idea within the neighborhood, yet stays compatible within the neighborhood structure, as the project is surrounded to the north and west with residential uses, and to the south with commercial and retail uses. The building design itself, will compliment some of the newer buildings on campus. In contrast to some of the older developments in the neighborhood, the new building will have a more modern style, and continue to build on the urban design qualities of neighboring developments.