To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Kristin Zagurski, Assistant Town Manager
Title
Discussion/Direction: Future of Facilities Facility
Body
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Executive Summary
The Parks and Facilities Maintenance teams recently moved into the Town’s new Central Service Center on Caprice Drive. With that move, the former Parks Maintenance space within the Service Center on Castleton Court is being repurposed for Public Works needs. The future use of the former Facilities facility on Columbine Drive has yet to be determined. The purpose of this memo is to provide information related to the latter facility and discuss possible next steps related to the future use of this Town property.
Discussion
The building that the Facilities team until recently had occupied, at 1469 S. Columbine Drive, was not originally built for that purpose. It was built as a substation for the Town’s then-volunteer fire department in the early 1980s. In the mid-2000s, the building was decommissioned as a fire station and offered for use for the Facilities team, which was being crowded out of the Service Center on Castleton Court.
The former Facilities building sits on an almost half-acre corner lot in a residential area comprised mostly of duplexes. (See Page 2 for an aerial image.) The building is 3,333 square feet and has a split-level style construction, similar to a residential home. The building has two large vehicle bays, formerly used for fire equipment, which served as workshop and storage space for the Facilities team.
Various needed capital improvements at the facility have been deferred due to the team’s planned relocation to the Central Service Center. The parking lot needs resurfacing, and skylights on the building are in disrepair, to name a couple capital needs. The building did receive a new roof in recent years, in conjunction with a Townwide hail damage claim. That project is the only notable improvement made at the facility in the last several years.
In addition to the property’s condition, there are a number of additional elements to consider when evaluating the future use of this facility. One of the more noteworthy aspects is that a decommissioned well owned by Castle Rock Water also sits on the lot. Water staff have designated the facility for monitoring groundwater levels and prefer to keep it for that purpose.
The real value of the property is another aspect to consider. The property is zoned R-2, the primary use for which is detached single family and two-family residential dwellings. Underground public utilities, including the existing well, and indoor/outdoor recreation (such as a park) are additional allowed uses within the current zoning. Through staff discussions, demolishing the building and converting the property into a Town-maintained green space -
so the neighborhood can enjoy it and so the water facility can be kept in place - has emerged as a preferred option.
Staff is seeking Council’s direction to further pursue this option, including obtaining a quote for the building’s demolition and the lot’s restoration to green space. Once this information is obtained, staff would plan to hold a neighborhood meeting to obtain feedback on this and any other alternatives before coming back to Council later this year for a decision on how to move forward. The 2019 Budget contains $100,000 to address needs as this site transitions uses. It should be noted that during 2019, the site will be used as a lay-down area for the Gordon Drive improvement project, so any site alterations would be planned to occur following that work.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends obtaining quotes for the demolition of the Town facility at 1469 Columbine Drive and the restoration of the Town-owned lot at that address to a neighborhood green space. Staff then would hold a neighborhood meeting for feedback prior to coming back to Council for a final determination regarding the property’s future.
Proposed Motion
“I move to direct staff to move forward with obtaining proposals and soliciting public feedback regarding the alternative of demolishing the Town-owned building at 1469 Columbine Drive and converting the lot into Town-maintained green space.”