LaPorte Area Planning Advisory Committee Agenda

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AGENDA

LAPORTE AREA PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

West Fort Collins Water District, 2711 N. Overland Trail, LaPorte

CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL: Susanne Cordery-Cotter, Andre Duvall, Nancy Grice, Craig Hults, Mandy Kotzman, Ed Ott, Paul Resseguie, Cordelia Stone, Ed Stoner

ADOPTION OF AGENDA

APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE October 20, 2009 MEETING

COMMUNICATION ITEMS:

1. Committee Member Communications

2. County’s Communication Items

PERSONAL APPEARANCES (Non-Agenda Items, 5 minute limit)

AGENDA ACTION ITEM:

1. Bingham Hill Farm Special Review

DISCUSSION ITEM:

1. Potential School Closure – follow-up on Nov. 10 FDFC meeting?

ADJOURN

Next Regular Meeting: December 15, 2009, 7:00-9:00 PM

Do you want to have a regular meeting in December?

1. TITLE: Bingham Hill Farms Special Review

REQUEST: Special Review to allow a Community Hall (Events Center) and a Seasonal Camp.

LOCATION: NW 32-8-69, 3924 Bingham Hill Rd., Fort Collins, off Overland Trail and Bingham Hill Rd.

APPLICANT: Randy Pope

3924 Bingham Hill Rd.

Fort Collins, CO 80521

PROPERTY OWNER: Sheryl Pope

STAFF CONTACTS: Toby Stauffer, Planning

Eric Tracy, Engineering

Doug Ryan, Health Department

FILE #: 09-Z1749

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SITE DATA:

Parcel Number(s) 98322-11-702

Total Development Area: 10 Acres

Existing Land Use: Agricultural, Rural Residential

Proposed Land Use: Community Hall, Seasonal Camp

Existing Zoning: FA- Farming

Adjacent Zoning:

North & West: FA- Farming

South & East: FA- Farming

Adjacent Land Uses: Agriculture, Grazing, Rural Residential

Services:

Access: Bingham Hill Rd.

Water: City of Fort Collins

Sewer: On-Lot Septic

Fire Protection: Poudre Fire Authority

No. Trips Generated by Use: Unknown

PROJECT DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND:

The proposed project is located off of Bingham Hill Road, ½ mile west of N. Overland Trail, Section 32-8-69. Currently the property is used as a single family residential and as a wholesale nursery. With this proposal the applicant seeks to expand the single family residence to add a gymnasium and add the uses of “Seasonal Camp” and “Community Hall” to the property. Both uses would occur in and around the existing residence and in the new addition.

The surrounding area is rural with agricultural or grazing type uses. Zoning on the property and in the surrounding area is FA- Farming.

The property has an existing wholesale tree nursery that would continue to function with the addition of the two new uses. Portions of the nursery would be removed to accommodate the new uses. The property has existing structures and features including, nursery support buildings, a single family residence, storage sheds, a half court gymnasium, and several outdoor areas for weddings or other events.

The seasonal camp would last 6 weeks during the summer and all campers would stay on site. The maximum amount of participants at the camp would be twenty. Camps would last one week and all participants would arrive and depart around the same time on the weekends. Campers would stay in the Gym or in tents on site, restrooms and a kitchen would be built to accommodate the camp.

The Community Hall/ Events Center would operate year round during the times when the seasonal camp is not operational. The events center would allow for 200 people. Typical events would be weddings, corporate events or business meetings, and smaller get-togethers like family reunions. Most activities would occur outside, though some activities could be moved inside to the gym in the case of inclement weather.

REVIEW CRITERIA AND ANALYSIS:

To approve a Special Review application, the County Commissioners must consider the following review criteria (A-E) and find that each criterion has been met or determined to be inapplicable:

A. The proposed use will be compatible with existing and allowed uses in the surrounding area and be in harmony with the neighborhood;

The property currently supports a wholesale nursery and it has the infrastructure to support that use, so the property is operating at a level that is more intensive than a property with only a single family home or a grazing type use. Impacts from the proposed uses would add traffic to Bingham Hill Road and the existing single family residence would be expanded to accommodate the new uses, however, the owners will continue to live on the property and will want to maintain the rural character of the area that they enjoy, so the owners intend to minimize impacts from the new uses to preserve their own experience and that of their neighbors. A parking lot does not contribute to the residential character of the area and the visual impact should be minimized by add appropriate landscaping in and around the parking lot. Events center uses occur in comparable areas around the county and are harmonious with other neighborhoods, so staff anticipates that this use will likely be similar.

B. Outside a GMA district, the proposed use is consistent with the County Master Plan;

As proposed and subject to the some conditions of approval, the uses would be compatible with the surrounding area and the general principles of the Master Plan that include preservation of natural patterns in the landscape and agricultural viability.

C. The applicant has demonstrated that this project can and will comply with all applicable requirements of this code;

In addition to the review criteria for Special Review, the project is also subject to the requirements of Section 8 in the Land Use Code, Standards for All Development. A summary of some Section 8 standards is provided below, with staff comments on how the applicant addresses the requirements.

Section 8.1 Adequate Public Facilities:

Section 8.1.1 Sewage Disposal Level of Service Standards:

The applicant proposes two new septic fields to accommodate 200 people, and new bathrooms as an addition to the house for the use of guests and campers.

Section 8.1.2 Domestic Water Level of Service Standards:

The property and current uses are served by water from the City of Fort Collins. The applicant will need to provide confirmation from the water district that the existing water sources can continue to operate in their current capacities for the existing and proposed uses.

Section 8.1.3 Drainage Level of Service Standards:

Comments from the Engineering Department contain the specifics required to address these standards, however, the applicant has provided a letter from an engineer that indicates drainage will not be impacted. Should the Commissioners require more paving than is proposed, an analysis of the drainage will have to be revised and resubmitted.

Section 8.1.4 Fire Protection & Emergency Medical Level of Service Standards:

The applicant has created a plan for fire protection with the Poudre Fire Authority. A written copy of the proposed plan with approval from the Fire Marshall will need to be provided for approval of the proposed uses.

Section 8.1.5 Road Capacity & Level of Service Standards:

Comments from the Engineering Department indicate how to address this standard, however, it’s likely that a paved access from Bingham Hill road to the property parking lot will be required.

Section 8.2 Wetland Areas:

There appear to be some wetlands present on the site. Given the developed nature of the area, the proposes uses will not further impact the wetlands.

Section 8.4 Wildlife Areas:

This property is located in an area important to wildlife for species richness and diversity. Given the developed nature of the area, the proposed uses will not further impact wildlife or species areas.

Section 8.6 Off-Road Parking Standards:

Off-road parking is required to provide safe and convenient movements for all users, adequate spaces for the existing and proposed uses, and to minimize interference with loading zones, access, and circulation. Engineering Department comments will address this aspect more completely, however, the applicant is proposing an 83 space parking lot and sidewalks for guests to get to the facilities.

Section 8.8 Irrigation Facilities :

The project description indicates that the property has received water from Pleasant Valley Lake and Canal Ditch in the past and that the property is adjacent to the ditch. The description does not indicate that any water from the ditch will be used in the operation of the Events Center or the Camp and it does not appear that the proposed uses would impact the irrigation facility.

Section 8.12 Water Quality Standards :

The additional parking and pavement on the property may have water quality impacts. It appears that the property has sufficient space to mitigate any impacts from water quality and that the property can utilize surface flow or implement a water quality feature should any impacts arise from the proposed uses.

Section 8.15 Site Lighting :

The project description indicates that the proposed lighting will be directed so that minimum light is experienced off the property. A more detailed plan of the site lighting will be required as a condition of approval.

D. The proposed use will not result in a substantial adverse impact on property in the vicinity of the subject property; and

The proposed development should be in character and context with the surrounding area. If all development standards are met to ensure safety and the appropriate level of development, no substantial impacts are anticipated.

E. The recommendations of referral agencies have been considered.

Comments from review and referral agencies will be included with the final report to the County Commissioners.

ISSUES AND CONCERNS:

Fire Protection

The applicant is working towards a fire protection plan with the Poudre Fire Authority. The plan includes utilizing a dry hydrant at the end of the access road to the property and a new hydrant on the property using water from an existing aerated pond. Upon approval of the project the fire plan will need to be approved by the Fire Marshall.

Transportation, Access

Legal Access- A revised access agreement will be required by completion of this project. The agreement will need to indicate that all properties have legal access and that the Events center use and Seasonal Camp use are allowed to use the access.

Parking and paving- The applicant has applied for a variance to paving standards. The level of traffic generated by the use indicates that a paved access road and paved parking lot will be required. This item will be discussed at public hearings.

Please see the comments from the Engineering Department for additional details.

Signage

The Land Use Code allows for the use to have one sign per property without additional approval from the County Commissioners. A sign will not be allowed at the entrance to the property because the access is on a separate parcel from the use.

Lighting

One pole light is shown on the site plan. A photometric plan showing the light footprint of that light will be required as a condition of approval.

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SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS:

The Development Services Team finds that the proposed project is compatible with existing and allowed uses in the area and staff does not anticipate that the proposed uses will affect the area as long as the applicant can comply with the conditions of approval and operate according to the representations outlined in the application materials.

The proposed Bingham Hill Farms project including The Preserve at Bingham Hill and Camp Watchamakeit can comply with all applicable requirements of the Land Use Code, provided the applicant complies with the recommendations found within this report, the conditions of approval, and the code appeals submitted by the applicant are approved by the County Commissioners.