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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMULBERRY CONNECTION - FDP200030 - - MODIFICATION REQUEST Page 1 of 5 January 22, 2020 Community Development and Neighborhood Services 281 North Collee Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80522 Re: Mulberry Connection Request for Modification of Standards to Section 3.9.3(C) of Land Use Code. Background Armie Management, LLC, d/b/a Comunale Properties, the “Applicant” of Mulberry Connection, Application PDP190015, is under contract to purchase approximately 12.94 acres of industrial-zoned land located at 3801-4099 Redman Drive in the City of Fort Collins. This Application was submitted to the City for review of our proposed development of two Class-A, light-industrial buildings totaling 164,200 square feet. As proposed and depicted in Exhibit A: Proposed Site Plan, the buildings will be oriented north-south and designed to be front park, rear load, with a shared truck court between the buildings. It is the Applicant’s intent that by orienting the buildings in this manner, the truck court will be screened from the public right-of-way and I-25 frontage, with the high-end finishes of the front office-side of the building highlighted along such frontage of I-25. The east building, fronting I-25, is currently designed to be located a minimum of 313 feet from the centerline of I-25, with the attractive front park orientation being visible from I-25 to display the extensive glazed storefronts and impressive architectural design features of the building. We have also incorporated a significant 80-foot landscape buffer between the building and the I-25 corridor. Our extensive landscaped areas will be around the perimeter of the buildings and site, providing screening of the parking areas. It is also worth noting that the subject site is within the I-25 Subarea Plan. Employment and industrial districts are key elements of the Subarea Plan. We believe this development is in line with the critical goals as outlined in the I-25 Subarea Plan. The first speculative, light-industrial development of similar or larger size built in Fort Collins in several years, Mulberry Connection is expected to: (i) create new jobs for the City; (ii) address the need for modern, Class-A, industrial product in Fort Collins; and (iii) help prevent users relocating outside of Fort Collins as a result of such lack of supply (e.g., Toddy and High Country Beverage Company). Within the City’s Round Number 1 Application response letter dated October 15, 2019, we were made aware that the site plan would require a Modification of Standards request of Section 3.9.3(C) of the Fort Collins Land Use Code (at times referred to herein as the “LUC”, the “Land Use Code” or the “Code”) due to our proposed 78% building frontage when calculated against our total eastern property frontage. The City granting this modification request is essential to this development and long-term success of the site, which is wedged between (i) the 300’ buffer from the Cooper Slough to the West and (ii) the 22’ frontage road dedication requirement to the East. Applicant has already reduced its site plan from 3 to 2 buildings as a result of such constraints and, absent granting of the subject modification, Applicant would be unable to achieve market level site coverage. Page 2 of 5 Below is a recital of the Code Section 3.9.3(C), followed by the Applicants justification of certain criteria for consideration of approval of a modification as defined in the LUC Section 2.8.2(H). Recital of LUC Section 3.9.3(C) - Building Placement Standards: Outside of I-25 activity centers, the placement of a building on a lot, tract or parcel of land adjoining the I- 25 right-of-way where the building is located more than two hundred forty-five (245) feet from the centerline of I-25 shall be restricted so that no more than sixty (60) percent of the total frontage of the lot, tract or parcel of land is occupied by the building. Modification of Standards Requested The herein Modification of Standard request applies to our request for modification of Code Section 3.9.3(C) to allow for 78% of the total frontage to be occupied by our east building, in lieu of the Code- required 60% maximum building frontage. Justification Section 2.8.2(H) of the Fort Collins Land Use Code initially provides that “the decision maker may grant a modification of standards only if it finds that the granting of the modification would not be detrimental to the public good.” Even more than not being detrimental to the public good, the requested modification would benefit the public for at least the following reasons: (i) the Mulberry Connection development would be the first speculative, light-industrial development of its size built in Fort Collins in several years, addressing the City’s lack of modern, Class-A industrial product; and (ii) this clean industrial development would not only help to maintain jobs in Fort Collins, but it would also provide for new employment opportunities. In addition to not being detrimental to the public good, the decision maker must also find, pursuant to Section 2.8.2(H) of the LUC, that the modification meets one of four criteria. Within this modification request we have substantiated that we meet at least two of those criteria. Page 3 of 5 I. Criteria 1 of 4: The plan as submitted will promote the general purpose of the standard for which the modification is requested equally well or better than would a plan which complies with the standard for which a modification is requested. The plan as submitted promotes the general purpose of the Building Placement Standards in Land Use Code Section 3.9.3(C) equally well or better than a plan that complies with the standard. The intent of the building placement standard is for any site plan to be designed in such a manner that maintains a perception of openness and to preserve viewsheds through the I-25 corridor. We believe this is accomplished with our Proposed Site Plan, as rendered below. Furthermore, we have provided an alternative, Hypothetical Site Plan per Exhibit B, as rendered below. PROPOSED SITE PLAN HYPOTHETICAL SITE PLAN Page 4 of 5 This Hypothetical Site Plan would comply with Section 3.9.3(C) of the LUC. However, we believe that the Proposed Site Plan promotes the general purpose of the LUC more effectively than the Hypothetical Site Plan and is a more desirable site plan for at least the following reasons:  Our Proposed Site Plan screens our truck court from I-25 and the public right-of-way better than the Hypothetical Site Plan, as demonstrated by the lack of screening shown in the Hypothetical Site Plan as rendered above.  As compared to the Hypothetical Site Plan, our Proposed Site Plan (i) strengthens the pedestrian connection and activity center along the I-25 Frontage Road by placing the attractive front of the building in an orientation that is most visible from I-25 and (ii) reinforces the views toward the open space to the west. In contrast, the Hypothetical Site Plan places the loading, back-of-house side of the building in a prominent position within the viewshed corridor.  Due to the general topography of I-25 to the east of the site, raised to the immediate north and south of the site’s frontage, the mountain view corridor is protected in the Proposed Site Plan for those traveling through the corridor more effectively than the Hypothetical Site Plan, as the truck court will be better screened with the equal length of the buildings that share the same truck court. Moreover, per Land Use Code Section 4.28(D)(1)(a) that states a “maximum height for all nonresidential buildings, including those containing mixed-use dwelling units, shall be four (4) stories”, along with Code Section 3.8.17(A)(2)(b) that states “No story of a commercial or industrial building shall have more that twenty-five (25) feet from floor to floor”, the existing Code allows for a 100-foot tall building in the industrial zone district. The image below shows a 100’ tall building with 60% frontage, as allowed by the LUC. It is our belief that the overall view corridor will be better maintained with our 36.5-foot tall building along the proposed 78% frontage than a hypothetical 100’ tall building that maintains the 60% frontage metric as required by the LUC, as demonstrated in the rendering below. MAX HEIGHT SITE PLAN Page 5 of 5 As demonstrated herein, the Proposed Site Plan promotes the general purpose of the Building Placement Standards in Land Use Code Section 3.9.3(C) equally well or better than a plan that complies with the standard. II. Criteria 4 of 4: The plan as submitted will not diverge from the standards of the Land Use Code that are authorized by this Division to be modified except in a nominal, inconsequential way when considered from the perspective of the entire development plan, and will continue to advance the purposes of the Land Use Code as contained in Section 1.2.2. Mulberry Connection satisfies key requirements of the LUC, including low impact development requirements. Even more so, the proposed development is going above and beyond the purpose of the Land Use Code. For example:  Integration of many low impact development techniques for stormwater management;  Bike parking at each building entry;  Exterior common areas and patios for employees;  Trees and landscape buffering wherever possible;  Significant levels of characteristic building design to provide a genuinely attractive and unique development;  Additional landscape improvements are being proposed along the frontage to assist in improving the quality of the site from I-25 and the public right-of-way;  This project is expected to keep and create additional jobs in the City of Fort Collins; and  Upon stabilization, this project will bring additional tax base to the City of Fort Collins. *** The granting of this modification of standard would not be detrimental, but in fact beneficial to the public good, for at least the aforementioned reasons. Further, as provided above, the Proposed Site Plan meets at least two criteria for approval of a modification of standard, while only one such criteria must be met for modification. We believe this project will be a landmark addition for the City of Fort Collins, and we would greatly appreciate your support in our requested modification. Regards, Josh Heiney SVP Armie Management, LLC EXHIBIT A PROPOSED SITE PLAN EXHIBIT B HYPOTHETICAL SITE PLAN