HomeMy WebLinkAboutBLOCK 87 638 SOUTH SHERWOOD STREET - Filed GC-GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE - 2016-08-17H
DELICH ASSOCIATES Traffic & Transportation Engineering �_ 11"�
2272 Glen Haven Drive Loveland, Colorado 80538 ,
Phone: (970) 669-2061 Fax: (970) 669-5034
September 15, 2010
Ms. Susan Joy, Development Review Engineer
Fort Collins Engineering
281 North College Avenue
Fort Collins, CO 80524
Dear Susan:
The variance letter pertains to the minimum off-street parking setback distance for the existing
parking lot on the east side of 638 South Sherwood Street (CSU, College of Business Annex
Remodel). This parking lot will be accessed from West Laurel Street and South Sherwood Street,
via an alley. West Laurel Street is classified as a 44ane arterial street. South Sherwood Street is
classified as a local street. The issue is the distance from West Laurel Street (flow line) to the first
parking space in the subject parking lot. According to the "Larimer County Urban area Street
Standards"(LCUASS) Figure 19-6, the minimum off-street parking setback distance for a parking lot
along a 44ane arterial street is 50 feet, 75 feet, or 100 feet, depending upon the daily volume at the
parking lot access.
The site plan shows the existing parking setback at approximately 40 feet. This parking lot currently
exists. The parking lot will have 35 spaces. In addition to this parking lot, there is head -in parking
on the north side of the building (5 spaces) and diagonal, on -street parking on both sides of South
Sherwood Street. There is no parking on West Laurel Street. This building will be used primarily for
offices and labs related to the CSU College of Business. As such, this lot will be long-term parking,
designated as faculty/employee parking primarily for this particular building. The fire spaces on the
alley will be designated as visitor parking. It is expected that the visitor parking will be accessed via
the alley between South Sherwood Street and South Meldrurn Street. Applying conservative (high)
parking usagetturnover, it is expected that the West Laurel Street access will have a daily volume of
approximately 150 daily trip ends. This would indicate that the setback should be 75 feet. While not
specifically addressed in LUCASS, Chapter 19, the reason for the parking setback is to allow
entering vehicles to get completely out the street, if an unparking vehicle causes delay to the
entering vehicles. The 75 foot setback distance allows for storage of at least three entering
vehicles. It is likely that the 75 foot setback distance was established to cover the higher end of the
parking lot daily volume range of 100-750 ADT. The daily traffic (150) is at the low end of this range.
At a setback distance of 75 feet, six parking spaces would be eliminated. The current 40 foot
setback will allow two entering vehicles to occupy this space, without backing out to West Laurel
Street, if an unparking maneuver occurs at the same time.
The daily trip generation is conservatively estimated at 150 trip ends. In the morning peak hour,
there may be 3 unparking maneuvers at the six parking spaces nearest to West Laurel Street and
potentially 25 vehicles desiring to enter the west Laurel Street access. In the afternoon peak hour,
there may be 6 unparking maneuvers at the six parking spaces nearest to West Laurel Street and
potentially 5 vehicles desiring to enter the West Laurel Street access. These peak hour forecasts
were used to determine the probability that two vehicles would enter the site at the same time that
an unparking maneuver is occurring. If the probability that there would be two vehicles desiring to
enter this access at the same time as an unpacking maneuver from the first six parking spaces is
small (say 5 percent chance), then the available distance (40 feet) would be deemed to be
acceptable and worthy of consideration of a variance to the parking setback requirement. Given the
peak hour traffic forecasts, the probability of two vehicles entering the West Laurel Street access
while an unparking maneuver is occurring in the first six parking spaces is less than one percent in
either peak hour.
The forgoing discussion and analysis demonstrates that there is little likelihood that the existing
setback distance (40 feet) will cause vehicles to spill into West Laurel Street. A variance of the
parking setback distance is requested. The variance will have no impacts on the capital or
maintenance costs to the City. The variance will not be detrimental to the public health, welfare and
safety. It is respectfully requested that this variance be granted. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Matthew J Ddich,
•ma a M"o �("S�.`'..�
File: 1043VA AL�'�