To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Sandy Vossler, Senior Planner, Development Services Department
Title
Resolution Approving the Lot 1, Block 11, The Meadows Filing No. 20, Phase I Site Development Plan [Multi-Family; Southwest of Meadows Boulevard and Coriander Street]
Body
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NOTE: Please refer to the staff report for graphics, illustrations and photographs.
PUBLIC HEARING
The Town Council will now consider a request for the approval of Resolution Approving the Lot 1, Block 11, The Meadows Filing No. 20, Phase I Site Development Plan
In order to afford all parties due process under law, the Town Council members must be fair and impartial in deciding whether this application should be approved, approved with conditions, or denied. In making that determination, each Councilmember must consider the record, which includes the planning commission recommendation, the staff recommendation, the applicant presentation, public comment presented during the hearing, and other written public comments offered before or during the hearing. Under law, Town Council must evaluate this proposal based solely upon the record and the criteria established under the Municipal Code, which are highlighted in the staff report.
It is important that each Councilmember remain objective and capable of considering information offered into the record during this hearing.
Does any Councilmember believe that he or she is incapable of evaluating and voting on the application consistent with these due process requirements? If so, please describe the situation and recuse yourself from further participation on this agenda item.
Does any Councilmember have a conflict of interest or any other matter he or she would like to disclose prior to proceeding on this item?
The Council will hear from the applicant, the public and staff. Time for this public hearing is allotted as follows:
Staff Report: as needed
Applicant Presentation: as needed
Public Comment: as needed
Applicant Response as needed
Council Questions: as needed
Follow-up Questions: as needed
Madame Clerk, has this public hearing been properly noticed under the applicable regulations for this type of land use hearing? (Clerk to refer to certification from Development Services, describing the notice).
Mr. Detweiler, the staff introduction please
(Public hearing is conducted, applicant presentation, public comment, applicant response, questions from Council)
Do any Council members have any final questions of staff or the applicant before I close the public hearing and refer this to the Council for action?
I now close the public hearing and refer this to Council for discussion and action.
AGENDA MEMORANDUM
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Executive Summary
The Site Development Plan (SDP) proposal is for a new market-rate apartment development with private amenities to include a dog wash and run, clubhouse and pool (Attachment B, Exhibit 1).
The Meadows is a master planned subdivision located in the northwest portion of the Town of Castle Rock. The original Meadows Planned Development (PD) was approved in 1984 and allowed a maximum of 14,000 dwelling units. Under the 1984 zoning, this particular property was zoned for multi-family development with densities up to 18 dwelling units per acre (du/ac).
The Meadows has gone through several rezonings over the years. The current PD zoning, approved in 2003, allows a maximum of 10,644 dwelling units; to date approximately 5,660 units have been approved or constructed in the Meadows. This property is within the Town Center use area and permitted uses on the site remain single-family, multi-family and commercial. This Site Development Plan (SDP) proposal is for a 240-unit, multi-family residential development and a density of 16 du/ac.
This proposal is in conformance with the approved zoning, Town criteria and all staff comments have been addressed through the review process.
On September 22nd, Planning Commission voted 6-1 (Commissioner Loban dissented, expressing concerns about on-street parking conditions, traffic and the other issues voiced during public comment) to recommend to Town Council approval of the proposed SDP for Meadows Filing No. 20, Phase I, Lot 1, Block 11 (Attachment C), with the condition to add 18 additional parking spaces on the site. The applicant has revised the site plan and added 18 more surface parking spaces in response to the community input and Planning Commission’s recommendation.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
The applicant posted signs on the property and mailed letters to property owners and Homeowner Associations (HOA) within 300 feet of the site. Town staff published notice on the Town’s website and featured the proposal on the Development Activity map. External referrals were sent to service providers and Douglas County agencies. Douglas County School District acknowledged that the obligations for school land dedications have been satisfied for this property. Douglas County Addressing requested that the Town emergency services departments approve the proposed addressing, which has been done. Intermountain Rural Electric provided standard easement comments. There are no outstanding external comments.
The project was discussed at a Meadows Community meeting in the fall of 2015. A neighborhood meeting to discuss this site plan was held on September 8, 2016 at the Grange in the Meadows. Approximately 20 neighbors attended. The developer presented a summary of the proposed site plan and answered questions about the appropriateness of the use, traffic and construction impacts, school sites, construction schedules, on-street parking. Some in attendance voice general opposition to for-lease housing options such as apartments and the tenants they may attract. Other concerns raised at the meeting have been called out and addressed in the Key Issues section of this report. Emails received since the Planning Commission public hearing are attached as Attachment D. Any additional emails received will be distributed to Town Council the night of the public hearing.
Discussion
The Meadows PD Zoning (2003)
The Meadows Planned Development, 4th Amendment, as approved in 2003, created a mixed-use Town Center use area, intended to promote economic vitality through the consolidation of commercial, retail, office, institutional uses with higher residential uses. Up to 3,679 residential dwelling units are permitted. No maximum densities were established by the PD zoning regulations. A minimum of 15,000 square feet (s.f.) of retail and service uses, and a minimum of 15,000 s.f. of office space are anticipated. No maximum square footage was established. The maximum building height permitted, for all uses in the Town Center, is 60 feet, and up to 75 feet with Special Review approval. Parking standards for multi-family, established in the Meadows PD zoning regulations, require one parking space per bedroom.
Property Description
The property is located west of Meadows Boulevard and south of Coriander Street. The adjacent streets to the south and west will be constructed by the Master Developer, prior to the development of this lot. The property provides an area of transition between the single-family carriage homes to the north and the commercial core of the Town Center to the south.
The vacant site slopes gently from the southeast to the northwest. Vegetation on the site is largely prairie grasses and the site has historically been used for cattle grazing. Connectivity to wildlife habitat and movement corridors is limited to existing open space tracts within and surrounding the Town Center, which will not be impacted with this development plan.
Proposed Site Development Plan
This site plan proposes 240 multi-family units in 24, 10 unit buildings. One, two and three bedroom for-lease units with attached garages will be offered at market-rates. The developer/manager does not intend to offer subsidized housing, formerly referred to as Section 8 housing.
Private site amenities will include a fenced, landscaped dog run and an enclosed dog wash station (shaded in green below). A clubhouse will provide a fitness and yoga center, game room, all-purpose gathering room and a small kitchen/bar area (shaded in orange).
The pool will be heated year-round and include a spa and sundeck (shaded in blue). Two barbeque/picnic areas are planned on the site.
There will be two points of access to the complex; one from Coriander Street on the north, and one from Bilberry Street on the south (see red arrows). The access drive from Coriander Street will feature a stamped concrete, landscaped roundabout (shaded in pink) as an enhanced entry element.
Approximately 39% of the site will be landscaped. Tree-lined pedestrian walkways will link the buildings and amenities within the site and connect to sidewalks along the street rights-of-way, allowing for cut through foot-traffic from surrounding neighborhoods. This supports the walkability objective for the Town Center.
The building design and architectural elements incorporate features typical of a single-family development. The buildings will be a maximum of two stories and will include separate entrances, covered porches, bay windows, private balconies, gabled roof accents and faux chimneys. Materials include lap siding and stone of neutral tones.
The proposed development complies with the Town Center standards for multi-family developments. The proposed building height of approximately 34 feet is significantly below the 60 feet allowed per the Meadows zoning. It is compatible with the single-family homes in the adjacent Tyler Park where heights range from 26 to 36 feet. There are no maximum density or residential/non-residential separation requirements established for the Town Center use area, as it is intended to be an area of mixed uses and high density residential; both single-family and multi-family, interspersed with non-residential uses.
Landscaping on the site exceeds the Town’s requirement of 20%. In addition, the streetscape proposed on the perimeter of the site meets the Town regulations to provide shade along the sidewalk, buffers and visual interest, especially facing the single-family Tyler Park neighborhood to the north.
Key Issues
Neighbor Concerns: Below is a synopsis of the concerns raised by nearby neighbors at the neighborhood meeting and the Planning Commission public hearing. A brief summary follows describing how the issues are addressed through the Town’s development criteria or by the developer’s business practices.
• Appropriateness of the use. The proposed multi-family use complies with the uses allowed by right within the Meadows Town Center. The site plan meets, or exceeds the development standards established by the approved zoning.
• Parking on Coriander Street. Coriander Street has a 28 foot width from curb to curb, with parking on both sides of the street. Through public complaints and Fire Department observation, it has been determined that, depending on the size of vehicles and their parking distance from the curb, a minimum 16 foot wide drive lane is not always maintained on the street. The Master Developer, the Town Public Works and Fire Department have agreed to a parking restriction along Coriander Street. The Town and Master developer will be reaching out to residents to discuss the change.
• Capacity of local streets. The Town’s transportation planners and engineers have reviewed and accepted the traffic analysis for this proposed project. The projected vehicle trips are consistent with the master traffic study completed for the Meadows PD and the planned street network has the capacity to accommodate the increase in traffic associated with this multi-family development.
• Land dedication for public uses and schools. The public land and school site dedications for the Meadows have been satisfied. Land has been dedicated for a fire station, a high school, a middle school, five elementary schools, open space, trails, parks and amenities such as pools and community centers. The Douglas County School District is not seeking any additional dedications relative to this proposed development.
• Impacts of construction activity. Haul routes for construction vehicles will be established by the Town to minimize the impacts of construction traffic and the Town enforces hours of construction for weekdays and weekends. At the Planning Commission hearing the applicant indicated that they will sign and enforce construction access to the site from Bilberry Street and will use the vacant lot south of Bilberry Street for construction staging and parking.
• Price point and the character of for-lease tenants. The developer and owner of the complex will determine the price point of the rental units based on market rates. They also indicated that criminal background checks and income verifications will be conducted as part of the application process.
Parking Reduction: The site plan presented to the Planning Commission included a 4.2% or 18 space reduction in the required on-site parking, approved administratively per the criteria established in the Municipal Code. In response to neighbors’ concerns and the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the applicant has withdrawn the request for the reduction and has revised the site plan to increase the on-site parking to meet the required 432 spaces. This was accomplished with little impact to landscaping and the site design. Staff supports the revision.
Infrastructure and Transportation Capacity: Technical reports, as well as a traffic analysis, that quantify the impacts of proposed development were submitted to the Town with the SDP. Town Utility and Public Works engineers have reviewed and approved all reports and analyses for this project, determining that water, sewer, storm sewer and road systems will be sufficient to accept the added demand of this development.
As noted above, however, Public Works staff is currently conducting further analysis of the traffic and parking conditions adjacent to the site and will provide the information to Town Council at the October 4th public hearing.
Access to the site will be from Coriander Street and Bilberry Street; both of which are part of the planned grid network of public streets in the Town Center and both will provide connections to Meadows Boulevard and Meadows Parkway. The anticipated 1,578 vehicle trips per day comply with the volumes anticipated in the Meadows master traffic study, already approved by the Town. Once the street network is completed it will provide numerous access opportunities to the residents and will serve to distribute vehicle trips to and from the complex, including multiple routes to Interstate 25.
Planning Commission Public Hearing - September 22, 2016
Public Input and Concerns: Approximately 13 people testified to the Planning Commission at the September 22nd public hearing; most of whom were residents of the single-family Tyler Park neighborhood to the north of the site. The concerns and objections to the site plan include those summarized under the Key Issues portion of this report, as well as the following additional issues. Each item is followed by a brief summary of the response by the applicant and/or staff.
• Expectations of the future development. It had been represented by their builder that this site would be developed with commercial, retail and office uses. This site has been zoned multifamily since 1984. The Master Developer explained the mixed use, higher density development plan for the Town Center and how this development supports that plan.
• Homeowner Association. Some believe that the needs of rental tenants would overburden their HOA, which is perceived as currently unresponsive. Although this property will pay HOA dues, the HOA will not be responsible for complaints or compliance issues on the site. Such issues will rest entirely with the management company, who has an interest in maintenance and upkeep of the site in order to attach tenants.
• Reduced property values, increased crime. Some believe that rental units will result in reduced property values, increased crime, etc. The owner will offer a complimentary unit, with discounted rent, to an interested law enforcement officer, in return for their presence on-site. The owner will conduct background checks on prospective renters. The Master Developer discussed the long-standing vision for the Town Center and the commitment to a diversity of housing types and mix of uses in order to create a vibrant and diverse community.
• Coriander Street entrance. Some asked that the clubhouse and main entrance be moved from the Coriander Street entry point to Bilberry Street, in order to reduce traffic on Coriander Street. The Public Works representative explained that the Coriander Street / Meadows Boulevard intersection is ¾ movement allowing right-in, right-out and left-in from Meadows Boulevard. Bilberry Street allows only right-in and right-out onto Meadows Boulevard. Regardless of whether the enhanced entrance to the site was oriented off of Bilberry Street, Coriander Street remains the intersection that allows left turn movements from Meadows Boulevard.
When asked if Bilberry Street could be configured with ¾ movements from Meadows Boulevard with the addition of median cut, Public Works indicated that such a configuration is not recognized by the Meadows Boulevard Access Management Plan and would not be supported by staff due to proximity to other intersections, alignment with the hospital access drives, road speed, etc.
Parking Reduction: The site plan has been redesigned to accommodate all required parking on the site.
Analysis and Findings
Staff analyzed the proposed site plan according to the requisite review criteria. The property is not within the Skyline-Ridgeline Protection area. It has been determined that there are no protected or endangered species present on the site. Planning Commission voted 6-1 to make the following findings regarding the proposed Meadows Filing No. 20, Phase I, Lot 1, Block 11 Site Development Plan, with the condition that 18 parking spaces be added to the site to meet the on-site parking requirements.
• The SDP supports the objectives of the Vision 2020 and Comprehensive Master Plan,
• The SDP meets the requirements of the Meadows Preliminary PD Site Plan, Amendment No. 4 and PD Zoning Regulations,
• The SDP meets the review and approval criteria of the Municipal Code Chapter 17.38, and
• Adequate water, wastewater, storm sewer and road infrastructure exists or is proposed to serve the property.
Hyperlinks to the review criteria are provided below:
• Vision 2020 <http://www.crgov.com/documentcenter/view/278>
• Comprehensive Master Plan <http://www.crgov.com/DocumentCenter/View/238>
• Site Development Plan Review and Approval Criteria (Chapter 17.38) <https://www.municode.com/library/co/castle_rock/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT17ZO_CH17.38SIDEPL_17.38.040SIDEPLREAPCR>
Budget Impact
Development of the property will generate review and impact fees, along with use taxes for multi-family developments. Other ongoing costs of serving a new neighborhood, in terms of public infrastructure and services, such as police and fire, will be comparable to other multi-family residential developments in Castle Rock.
Recommendation
Based on the analysis and findings summarized in this report, Planning Commission recommends that Town Council approve the proposed SDP, with the condition that 18 parking spaces be added to the site plan.
Proposed Motion
I move to approve the Resolution as introduced by title, with the revised site plan adding 18 more parking spaces to the site.
Attachments
Attachment A: Vicinity Map
Attachment B: Resolution
Exhibit 1: Site Development Plan
Attachment C: Planning Commission Minutes
Attachment D: Emails from Neighbors