City of Littleton - File #: PC Reso 10-2017

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Action Details	Meeting Details	Video
6/12/2017	1	Planning Commission	approved with conditions	Pass	Action details	Meeting details	Not available

Agenda Date: 06/12/2017

Subject:

Title

A resolution approving the Southbridge Subdivision Filing No. 12A, Lots 1 & 2, Preliminary Plat

Case Number: MAJ17-0001

Body

Presented By:

Carol Kuhn, AICP, Principal Planner

APPLICATION SUMMARY:

Project Name: Southbridge Subdivision Filing No. 12 A, Lots 1 & 2 Preliminary Plat

Case Number: MAJ17-0001

Application type: Preliminary Plat

Location: 1501 West Mineral Avenue

Size of Property: 8.95 acres

Zoning: PD-C Southbridge Planned Development Area K

Applicant: Nick Craig, StoneCreek Real Estate Partners, LLC.

Applicant’s

Representative: Steve Kocher, P.E., Harris Kocher Smith

Owner: Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society

Project Description: The request is to divide a portion of Lot 1, Southbridge Subdivision Filing No. 12 into two commercial lots and to remove the plat restriction for direct access off of South Windermere Street.

PROCESS:

The Preliminary Plat is the second planning approval necessary in the overall approval process for the project. The approval steps are as follows:

Amended General Planned Development Plan and Rezoning

(June 12, 2017 public hearing - for recommendation by planning commission and approval by city council)

Ø Preliminary Plat

(approval by planning commission)

Final Plat

(approval by city council)

Site Plan

(administrative review)

Section 11-3-1 of the city’s subdivision regulations provides for the planning commission to review and approve preliminary plats. A preliminary plat is the initial step to legally subdivide a parcel of land into separate lot(s) and to demonstrate that a certain type of development can be accommodated on the lot(s). A preliminary plat establishes the configuration of lots and tracts within a proposed development.

Per Section 11-3-1(C) 2 of the city code, the planning commission shall review the preliminary plat application and city staff report at a regularly scheduled public meeting. The planning commission shall approve said plat, or approve said plat with modifications.

LOCATION:

Southbridge Filing No. 12A is located at 1501 West Mineral Avenue, at the northwest corner of West Mineral Avenue and South Windermere Street.

Zoning and Vicinity Map

Site

BACKGROUND:

The applicant, Nick Craig, StoneCreek Real Estate Partners, LLC., has submitted an application for a preliminary plat to divide a portion of Lot 1, Southbridge Subdivision Filing No. 12, into two commercial lots (Lot 1 proposed to be 4.29 acres; Lot 2 proposed to be 4.66 acres). The site is located at 1501 West Mineral Avenue.

Lot	Size	Use
Lot 1	4.29 acres	Office/Assisted Living/Memory Care
Lot 2	4.66 acres	Office Park

This property is zoned PD-C and is located within Area K of the Southbridge Planned Development. The original Southbridge PD Plan was approved in 1979, with Area K being designated as Commercial Office Park. In 1983, the Southbridge PD was amended to transfer 49 residential dwellings from Areas A, B, C, and I to Area L. The second amendment of Area K revised the uses to allow for churches and church related uses and set criteria for a portion of Area K located at the northwest corner of West Mineral Avenue and West Mineral Court. The third amendment to a portion of Area K added visiting missionary sleeping rooms for visiting missionaries associated with the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society. The amendment limited the sleeping rooms to no more than 10% of the gross floor area.

In 1998, City Council approved the final plat for Southbridge Filing No. 12. This plat included a large superblock lot containing 20.475 acres which was intended to be further subdivided into smaller lots at the time of site development.

During the review of the 1998 final plat, the city engineer included a note (note number 9) which stated that “access shall be restricted to the private street to be constructed for this property. No direct access to the individual development sites shall be allowed from Windermere Street or Mineral Avenue.” A private cul-de-sac was constructed along West Mineral Avenue for the benefit of the future lots.

The division of one lot into two lots would typically be conducted through a subdivision exemption or administrative plat/replat process. However, since the applicant is requesting that a plat note be modified, it is necessary to process the plat as a major subdivision. With both the preliminary and final plat applications, the applicant is requesting that any access on South Windermere Street be limited to an assisted living and memory care facility; any other uses would not be allowed to have direct access onto S. Windermere Street. Such request is supported by a traffic impact study. The applicant is not requesting any additional access on West Mineral Avenue. The applicant has proposed that plat note number 9 on both the preliminary and final plat be revised to read as follows:

“No additional access points shall be allowed on Mineral Avenue. Any access point on Windermere Street shall be supported through a traffic analysis and evaluated at the time of site development plan review. The city reserves the right to restrict or remove access to Windermere Street for any use other than an assisted living and memory care facility.”

Southbridge Subdivision Filing No. 12, Lot 1 (Recorded in 1998)

The request to remove the access restriction on South Windermere Street is supported by a traffic impact analysis which was reviewed by the city’s traffic engineer. Specifically, a 72,000 square foot assisted living facility is expected to generate 270 daily vehicle trips. For comparison, a 72,000 square foot office building would generate 1023 daily vehicle trips and a similarly sized medical office building would generate 2730 daily vehicle trips.

The applicant also provided anticipated shift times for the facility to further demonstrate that the traffic generation will not coincide with the peak traffic times for the residential neighborhood or the other office park uses.

The proposed shifts of are as follows:

6:00 AM - 2:00 PM 12 nurses

2:00 PM - 10:00 PM 12 nurses

10:00 PM- 6:00 AM 8 nurses

In addition, there will be eight-hour shifts of 6-8 management and maintenance staff staggered throughout the day.

The associated Southbridge Planned Development, Fourth Amendment of Area K, Case Number APD16-0003, is being processed concurrently. This amendment proposes to allow for a commercial assisted living facility and associated accessory uses such as a dining, activities, fitness/wellness, salon, housekeeping, maintenance, medication management, and gathering spaces. This PD Amendment also specifies that a minimum of 20% open space be provided, a 50-foot landscape buffer be included along the northern property line between the site and the existing single-family residential development, the building height be limited to 30 feet within 150 feet of single-family residential development, and that the maximum building height be set at 45 feet. Parking will be provided in accordance with the city’s zoning regulations.

All requirements and standards of the PD Plan, which include density, unobstructed open space, parking, setbacks, building height and architectural design, must be met with the site development plan.

ANALYSIS:

The following is the analysis of the proposal with the city’s preliminary plat regulations for major subdivisions.

Section 11-3-1(C) 1 of the City’s Subdivision Regulations for major subdivision plats states:

City staff shall review the proposed preliminary plat for compliance with the provisions of this title, other applicable regulations, the comprehensive plan, existing and proposed development, and comments from affected agencies. The following items must be addressed:

1. Compliance with provisions of the subdivision regulations

The proposed preliminary plat meets all of the provisions of the subdivision code, in that it was prepared by a registered surveyor and includes all the requested information found in section 11-5-1(C), including a drainage plan.

2. Compliance with the amended Area K of the Southbridge PD Plan

This proposed preliminary plat complies with the Southbridge Planned Development, Fourth Amendment of Area K, Case No. APD16-0003. The height is limited to 30 feet within 150 feet of single-family residential development, the maximum building height is limited to 45 feet, a 50 foot landscape buffer will be provided along the northern property line, and the proposed open space meets the 20% open space requirement per section 10-2-23.

3. Compliance with Comprehensive Plan

At the time that the Southbridge Planned Development, Fourth Amendment of Area K, planning staff found that the proposed development complied with the Comprehensive Plan.

4. Compliance with existing and proposed development

The proposed preliminary plat is for two commercial lots which are consistent with the overall intent of the Southbridge Planned Development. With the 1998 final plat review, it was anticipated that the 20.475 acre superblock lot would be further subdivided. This preliminary plat is consistent with the existing development pattern in the commercial area of the Southbridge Planned Development. In addition, the preliminary plat provides a large enough site area to allow for commercial density which would be consistent with the allowed density, height, and open space specified in the planned development. The anticipated traffic volume for the proposed assisted living development as presented in the in the PD Amendment (Case No. APD16-0003) is expected to be significantly less than an office use. Traffic volumes will be further evaluated with the final plat and site development plan.

5. Comments from affected agencies

During the referral period, a “no comment” referral response was received from Arapahoe County. The referral response from Xcel Energy indicated that 10-foot utility easements were needed along the length of the southerly lot line of Lot 1 and along the west side of the reciprocal access easement around the cul-de-sac. The applicant will dedicate these easements with the final plat, as easements are not dedicated with the preliminary plat. Denver Water indicated that the necessary utility easement for water service will be further reviewed during their review process. It is anticipated that the necessary water easement will be dedicated by separate instrument, rather than with the final plat, due to timing. However, the necessary water easement will be reflected on the site development plan. No referral response was received from South Suburban Parks and Recreation or Tri-County Health Department.

Final site drainage will be reviewed with the final plat and site development plan. Engineering has reviewed the conceptual drainage report for the associated preliminary plat and has indicated that the proposed concepts proposed for handling storm water runoff are acceptable to the Public Works Department for preliminary plat purposes. Construction drawings and more detailed design will be provided with the final plat submittal and site development plan.

NEIGHBORHOOD OUTREACH:

As part of the Planned Development Amendment application process, the applicant conducted two neighborhood meetings. Public hearing signs and mailed public notice to all property owners within 700 feet of the proposed site was also provided for the Planned Development Amendment. No public notice is required for the preliminary plat.

STAFF RECOMMENDATION:

Staff finds that the preliminary plat for Southbridge Subdivision Filing No. 12 conforms to the requirements of the city’s subdivision regulations, the proposed amendment to Southbridge Planned Development, Fourth Amendment of Area K, the City of Littleton Comprehensive Plan and utility requirements. Therefore, staff recommends approval of the preliminary plat.

PROPOSED MOTION:

Proposed Motion

The planning commission may take the following actions on the application (11-3-1(C)2): approve said plat or approve said plat with modifications. A sample motion is provided for each option.

MOTION TO APPROVE AND/IF NECESSARY, WITH CONDITIONS

I move to approve PC Resolution 10-2017, concerning Southbridge Subdivision Filing No. 12A Lots 1 & 2 Preliminary Plat, subject to the following condition:

1. Removal of the access restriction on South Windermere Street is conditioned upon approval of Case No., APD16-0003, 4th Amendment to Area K, Southbridge Filing No. 12.

MOTION TO CONTINUE TO A DATE CERTAIN

I move to continue the public hearing on PC Resolution 10-2017, concerning the Southbridge Subdivision Filing No. 12 preliminary plat, to __________ (insert date) in order to_____________________.

Proposed Motion

Attachments:

1. PC Draft Resolution

2. Application and attachments

3. Letter of intent

4. Preliminary Plat Exhibit