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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-05-08 PZC MINUTES• • • • CITY OF ENGLEWOOD PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION May 8, 2001 I. CALL TO ORDER The regular meeting of the City Planning and Zoning Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Development Conference Room, Chairman Weber presiding. Members present: Welker, Lathram, Mueller, Waggoner, Weber Krieger, Rempel, Stockwell (all entered late ) Members absent: Willis (w ith previous notice) Staff present Senior Planner Langon Senior Planner Graham Assistant City Attorney Reid II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES April 1 7, 2001 Chairman Weber stated the Minutes of April 17, 2001 were to be considered for approval. Waggoner moved : Welker seconded: The Minutes of April 17, 2001, be approved as written. Ms. Krieger and Mr. Stockwell entered the meeting. Mr. Weber asked if there were amendments to the Minutes. Stockwell asked that Page 9 be amended to include a statement that "pedestrian traffic in Englewood is encouraged, but through traffic is not". Stockwell also asked that Page 10 be amended to cite the boundaries of Kent Village. The vote on the Minutes, as amended, was called: AYES: NAYS: Krieger, Mueller, Stockwell, Waggoner, Welker, Weber None ABSTAIN : Lath ram ABSENT: Willis Ill. FINDINGS OF FACT Montcaro Subdivision Case #SUB 2001-02 Mr. Weber stated that the Findings of Fact on the Montcaro Subdivision are to be consid- ered for approval. H.I GROUPIBOARDSIPLANCOMM\Minutes\Minutes 2001 \PCM 05·200 1A doc • • • Welker moved: Krieger seconded: The Findings of Fact on Case #SUB 2001-02, Montcaro Subdivision, be approved as written. Mr. Rempel entered the meeting. Mr. Weber asked if there were amendments to be made to the Findings of Fact. He asked if #7, "All easements are to be designated as utility and drainage easements" was redundant inasmuch as specific easements are called out in other numbered sections. Discussion en- sued; it was noted that an easement on the west side had not been specifically addressed , and that #7 was not redundant. The vote was called: AYES: NAYS : Krieger, Mueller, Stockwell, Rempel, Waggoner, Welker, Weber None ABSTAIN: Lath ram ABSENT: Willis The motion carried. IV . SOUTH PLATTE RIVER OPEN SPACE PLAN Steering Committee Member Appointment Mr. Graham referenced a memorandum from Senior Manager Dannemiller requesting that the Planning Commission designate a member to sit on the Steering Committee of the South Platte River Open Space Plan. This Committee will meet once per month from now to December. Mr. Graham explained that this process would be conducted by a consult- ant to be selected b y the Steering Committee. He pointed out that the Steering Committee will be identifying and developing vision for park and open space opportunities through Englewood and Sheridan. Arapahoe County will also be involved, as will individuals and organizations interested in the preservation of the river corridor. Mr. Graham emphasized that the Steering Committee needs a diversity of perspectives. Mr. Graham acknowledged that Commission members have been active in the Comprehensive Plan subcommittee process, including park and open space, and suggested that someone other than a partici- pant on the parks and open space subcommittee be designated to sit on the Steering Committee. Mr. Welker stated that he had hoped to participate on the Comprehensive Plan subcom- mittee, but he had health problems last fall , and could not do so. He stated that he is very interested in the park and open space issues , and volunteered to ser v e on the Steering Committee. Mr. Welker was designated the representative to the Steering Committee . H:\GROUP \BOARDSIPLANCOMM\Minutcs \Minuces 2001 \PCM 05·2001A.doc 2 • • • • Mr. Stockwell referenced the proposed timeline included with Ms. Dannemiller's memo- randum, and noted that the timeline presents some real problems -it will be very difficult to get people to attend meetings during the Holiday Season. He suggested that the imple- mentation strategies be backed up at least two weeks, and that public meetings be sched- uled in November rather than December. Mr. Graham stated that issues on the proposed timeline might be discussed with Ms. Dannemiller, or with Mr. Welker as the designated representative to the Committee. V. GENERAL IRON WORKS REDEVELOPMENT UPDATE Mr. Graham presented a brief update on redevelopment plans for the General Iron Works site. The Englewood Urban Renewal Authority and City of Englewood have entered into a negotiation period with The Fullerton Company, the company selected to redevelop the GIW site. Mr. Graham discussed the background and the process followed in selection of the redeveloper . A condition or "blight" study was done last fall , and City Council desig- nated the industrially zoned property east of Santa Fe Drive, north of West Dartmouth Ave- nue and south of West Yale Avenue as an urban renewal area . The designation of an urb an renewal area provides opportunities for financial assistance to the redeveloper for environmental remediation of the site. Requests for Qualifications were mailed to devel- opment or redevelopment companies; two responses were received within the specified time frame. Both redevelopment companies met with the Development Review Commit- tee (DRC), and both companies were asked to present official proposals for the redevel- opment. One company requested an extension of time to prepare the proposal, which was granted to both companies; however, one week into the time extension, that company dropped out of the competition. The Development Review Committee determined to pro- ceed with the process and The Fullerton Compan y submitted their proposal on March 30 1 ". This proposal was presented to the DRC, and the DRC recommended that The Fullerton Company be awarded the redevelopment project. This recommendation was taken to the City Council, and to the Englewood Urban Renewal Authority; both bodies approved the recommendation of the DRC. The Authority has been negotiating with the Regional Transportation District (RTD ) to pur- chase the south one-half of the GIW site, which will then be sold to The Fullerton Company for redevelopment. The proposal is for a residential transit-oriented development, with lim- ited office and retail included. The residential development will be a for-sale product. The concept proposes 10 buildings, with 50 units per building. The office development w ill be 100,000 square feet, with ground-floor retail space. A light rail station at Bates Ave nue wi ll be part of the development, as will park and open space amenities. The light rail station may not be developed on the site to be controlled by The Fullerton Company, and will be the responsibility of RTD to construct. Mr. Graham stated that the office building is pro- posed to be 14 stories in height, and there will be structured parking to accommodate the development. There will be no parking areas for light-rail riders at this site. Mr. Graham stated that The Fullerton Company would develop the site in phases; typically, on other de- velopments they have done, one-half of the building is pre-sold before construction begins . H:IGROUPIBOARDSIPLANCOMMIMinu1es \Minu1es 200 t \PCM 05-200 I A.doc 3 • • • Mr. Graham briefly discussed financing of the remediation efforts and infrastructure costs. The proposal, as it was submitted, assumes a City participation of approximately $4 million. Mr. Graham emphasized that there are many issues that must be resolved during the nego- tiation process. Members of the Commission posed several questions on the proposed redevelopment, in- cluding: • Development siting of the office use /retail in the redevelopment • Traffic impact on Dartmouth Avenue • Dartmouth Avenue/South Santa Fe Drive intersection -traffic problems • Pedestrian bridges to cross Dartmouth Avenue • Development of a park'n ride at the light rail station • Over-flow parking in north Englewood area from Hampden light rail station • Development of parking standards for light rail station development • Parking provisions for the office/retail development • Existing density of the neighborhood • Relocation of Englewood Depot from West Dartmouth to Bates site • RTD maintenance facility/storage yard • Parking areas for RTD staff • Service of the Bates Light Rail station by buses and shuttles • Development of the Winslow property • Proposed zone classification for redevelopment site • Possible withdrawal by selected development company Mr. Graham stated that one of the points made in Metro Vision 2020 is to locate office de- velopment in close proximity to light rail facilities . This proposal does exactly that. There are no plans for a Park 'n Ride at the Bates light rail station. He pointed out that studies have shown that the development of parking lots encourages more congestion . The resi- dential development will be 40 units per acre, and will have a greater light rail ridership than lower-density residential developments. Mr. Graham stated that the residential area is zoned R-2 , Medium Density residential; however, actual development does not approach the maximum density permitted in that zone classification. Mr. Graham noted that RTD has a three-year option to construct a parking deck on the north site for the Hampden light rail station, but RTD does not have funding available right now to do this construction. Mr. Graham acknowledged that the light rail station at Bates Avenue is a "neighborhood risk ", but without the light rail stop, the redevelopment will not occur. There will be sufficient density -residential and office/retail -to support the light rail station. Mr. Graham stat ed that the maintenance facility/storage yard would accommodate 120 train cars in the stor- age yard; the facility will generate 300 jobs, working on three shifts. All train drivers for the southeast and southwest lines will report to this facility. The maintenance facility will also accommodate washing and cleaning facilities for the trains. The parking facilities for RTD staff will be in Denver; RTD is currently negotiating to acquire property on the north side of West Yale Avenue . Mr. Graham stated that there is a "shelved" plan for the Dartmouth/Santa Fe Drive intersec- tion that called for a grade separation interchange; this was proposed a number of years H:IGROUPIBOARDSIPLANCOMM\MinuteslMinutes 200 llPCM 05-200 IA.doe 4 • • • ago, but was not pursued. Mr. Graham discussed meetings that were held with north Englewood citizens a few years ago following the collapse of the Small Area Plan proposed by Civitas; citizens were very concerned about traffic issues, and City staff met with them on several occasions to address the concerns. While the issues could not be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, the school zone was extended, enforcement was increased, and there was better understanding of what could be resolved and what could not be resolved . Zoning for the north Englewood area was discussed by Mr. Graham. He stated that this project is now being done by Clarion & Associates; the proposals that have been presented by this company seem more appropriate and clearer to deal with than the proposals ad- vanced by Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff & Ragonetti. The district will be a "transit zone " district, can be accomplished within the prescribed time frame, and will eliminate the issue of nonconforming uses. Mr. Graham stated that staff has a draft of the proposal; he sug- gested that staff could bring a subsequent draft to the Commission in June. Mr. Graham further discussed the zoning process for the site, including developing of a site plan and concept plan. The Transit Zone will be a "zone district", and may be applicable in other areas . Mr. Graham stated that the portion of the site to be developed for the RTD mainte- nance facility would not be rezoned to the Transit Zone district. Mr. Graham stated that owners of the Winslow property have expressed interest in rede- velopment of their site . This site is not part of the GIW redevelopment project. Mr. Graham stated that in the event the selected developer should withdraw from the re- development process, the EURA would go back to the market and solicit new development proposals. The size of the office building was discussed. Mr. Graham stated that one of the require- ments of the development proposal was a "significant building" -some structural feature that would become a "landmark building" in the development. Parking provided in conjunction with the residential units was addressed; Mr. Graham noted that in other developments done by The Fullerton Company, one parking space is included in the sale price of the unit, and additional parking spaces may be purchased . Mr. Graham stated that the City is requiring a 10-foot bicycle trail extending from Yale Ave- nue to Dartmouth; this trail is to be detached from street right-of-way. Further discussion ensued on the traffic generated by the proposed redevelopment of the GIW site, and the impact it will have on already heavily trafficked streets such as Dartmouth Avenue. Mr. Waggoner urged that this must be addressed in the transportation plan. The possible relocation of the Englewood Depot was discussed. There has been some con- sideration given to relocating the Depot to the Bates Avenue park area; the proposal also included improvement and use of the structure for several years as a sales office for the GIW redevelopment project. Mr. Graham noted that the land where the Depot is presentl y H:IGROUPIBOARDSIPL ANCOMMIMinu1esl Minu1es 2001 \PC),t 05-200 I A doc s • • situated was never dedicated for park land. Mr. Welker commented that park land on both sides of a very busy street such as West Dartmouth Avenue is problematic. Mr. Graham stated that the 1969 Comprehensive Plan contemplated a population of 50,000 people by the year 2000; much of this densification was north of Hampden Avenue and was based on full development of medium density zoned areas as "medium density" - duplexes and not single-family homes. It was pointed out that this 50,000 figure was "resi- dent" population -not a daytime population including employees. The population impact on water and sewer service capacities was briefly discussed. Water lines need to be looped, and water and storm sewers are at over-capacity now. Mr. Graham stated that the Transit Oriented Development and the mix of uses is exciting to contemplate, and the housing on the GIW site as well as the housing being developed by Trammell Crow on the CityCenter site provides diversity in housing availability in Engle- wood. Ms. Krieger discussed the designation of the area as "blighted". If the area is blighted be- cause of narrow streets, something should be done to improve and widen the streets. Mr. Welker asked how neighbors felt about the proposed redevelopment -are they upset and concerned about the redevelopment. Ms. Krieger stated that some people are excited about getting rid of the old "rusting hulk", but are concerned about the redevelopment of the site and the impact this may have on their quality of life. Mr. Welker commented that there is a lot of pride in this neighborhood, and they are faced with some tough choices - they will have to deal with more traffic generated by the redevelopment. Mr. Graham emphasized that The Fullerton Company's proposed redevelopment encom- passes only that area which they will ultimately control, which is approximately 11 acres; it does not have inclusion or taking of existing businesses or other properties that are not within the boundaries of the GIW site. If property owners for business properties, or resi- dential properties, want to redevelop, it cannot be done as part of this proposal. Mr. Welker stated that he would like to see a comprehensive plan completed for the gen- eral north Englewood area and have any proposed redevelopment occur in compliance with that plan, rather than writing the plan after development or redevelopment has oc- curred. He noted that the Commission and staff are focusing a lot of effort in this area. Mr. Graham stated that staff is working with Ron Straka , a consultant, to complete the corridor study which was begun some time ago. He suggested that the staff could bring the goals and objectives from the sub-committee groups to the Commission in the near future . It was the consensus of the Commission and staff that the sub-committee goals and objec- tives will be on the agenda for the May 22nd meeting. IV(b). OPEN SPACE PLAN • Mr. Stockwell expressed his opinion that he should also be on the Open Space Steering Committee, and wanted a packet of material that Mr. Welker had been given earlier in the H:\GROUPIBOARDSIPLANCOMM\Minu 1es\Minutes 200 I \PCM 05-200 I A.doc 6 • • • meeting upon his designation as the Commission representative. Mr. Graham reiterated that this is a separate group from the Comprehensive Plan sub-committee, and emphasized the desire for a diverse representation on the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will be looking at open space throughout the entire South Platte corridor through Engle- wood, Sheridan, Littleton, and Arapahoe County, and working with a consultant selected b y them. Mr. Graham stated he understood that Ms. Dannemiller was looking for representa- tion by members other than those who had participated on the Comprehensive Plan sub- committees. Stockwell stated that he felt both he and Mr. Welker should be attending these meetings. Mr. Graham responded that the projected membership list contained 18 agencies /entities; if each one of those cited sent two members the Steering Committee would become unwieldy with such a large membership. Mr. Rempel excused himself from the meeting. Mr. Welker stated that he did not want to make an issue of participation on the Steering Committee, but he is interested in this issue, and is in better health than he was last fall when the sub-committees were formed. Ms. Langon stated that obtaining differing perspectives and opinions from those expressed on the Comprehensive Plan sub-committee is very important. Ms. Reid addressed the issue of the membership on the Steering Committee, reviewing the successful application for a GOCO grant, the goals of the plan , and the need for diversity in membership . Ms. Reid emphasized that Mr. Stockwell had participated on the local, Com- prehensive Plan sub-committee, and that the sub-committee work is not yet completed. Ms. Reid emphasized that the Steering Committee is separate and apart from the Compre- hensive Plan effort. Mr. Stockwell is working on one facet of the open space issue, and Mr. Welker will work on another facet of open space . VI. DIRECTOR'S CHOICE Ms. Langon cited the following issues; brief discussion on some of the issues occurred . • A response from former member Doug Rininger was read into the record; Mr. Rin- inger apologized to the Commission and staff for his poor attendance record, and agreed with the decision to replace him on the Commission. • All modifications have been made on the Montcaro Subdi v ision final plat; this will be before the City Council on May 21 for consideration. • Staff is working on two major subdivisions, which wi ll be before the Commission in the near future. • Staff has had discussions on three potential Planned Unit developments -residential and commercial. • A new long-range planner, John Voboril, began work in Community Development on May 7 2001 . • Interviews to fill a current planner position are scheduled for May 11. • The Monthly Report from Community Development. H:IGROUPIBOARDS IPLANCOMM\Minu1cs \Minu1cs 2001 \PCM 05·200 1A.doc 7 • • • Mr. Weber discussed a garage recentl y constructed at Floyd and Downing or Floyd and Emerson. This structure was permitted to be built right up to the property line, is situated in the front yard, and is larger than the house. He suggested that there be some provision contained in the new UDC that would prohibit construction of a garage that is larger than the residential unit on a site. Design review was briefly discussed; Mr. Welker stated he didn't want the City to begin "d esign " review; he found the diversity of architecture to be of interest. Ms. Lathram stated that she would like to see limited design review, but didn't want color and material use dic- tated. VII. AITORNEY'S CHOICE Ms. Reid briefly discussed the time that may be spent on enforcement issues, and pointed out that there is only one zoning enforcement officer for the City. Ms. Reid stated that she had submitted a memorandum to the Commission regarding Con- flict of Interest. VIII. COMMISSIONER'S CHOICE Recording Secretary Welty reported that there were "blue balloons" in Mr. Willis 's yard this evening, and that she assumed their baby had been born this afternoon. Commissioners expressed their best wishes to Chris and Shannon on the birth of their little one, and flowers will be sent to the happy family. The meeting adjourned . H:I GROUPIBOARDSIPLANCOMM\Minutes\Minutes 2001 \PCM 05-200 1A.doc 8