Title
Ordinance No. 18-17 amending the zoning map of the City of Colorado Springs pertaining to 1.74 acres located south of the south corner of the Highway 24 and Meridian Road intersection from R/CR (Estate Residential with Conditions of Record) to PF (Public Facility).
(QUASI-JUDICIAL)
Related Files: CPC MP 87-00381-A19MN17, CPC DP 17-00095
Presenter:
Hannah Van Nimwegen, Senior Planner, Planning & Community Development
Peter Wysocki, Planning & Community Development Director
Body
Summary:
Applicant: HDR, Inc. on behalf of El Paso County
Owner: El Paso County
Location: South of the Highway 24 and Meridian Road intersection
This proposal contains three concurrent requests; amend the Banning Lewis Ranch Master Plan to alter the current land use designation to PUB (Public/Institutional), rezone 1.74 acres from R/CR (Estate Residential with Conditions of Record) to PF (Public Facility), and illustrate the proposed 208 stall park and ride facility with a development plan.
Previous Council Action:
There are no City Council actions applicable to the subject site following the annexation, master planning, and zoning of the Banning Lewis Ranch area in 1989.
On February 27, 2018, this Ordinance was approved on first reading with a vote of 9:0:0.
Background:
The Falcon Park and Ride facility is a piece of a larger public improvement project intended to provide carpooling and future bus services to a suburban residential area. Other pieces to this larger project include the extension the new Meridian Road alignment south and the improvement of the Meridian Road and State Highway 24 intersection. The public right-of-way for the new Meridian Road will be dedicated by deed at a later date and will be coordinated through the City of Colorado Springs’ Real Estate Services and Traffic Engineering divisions. These actions are not a part of the master plan amendment, zone change, or development plan applications before the City Council at this time.
Financial Implications:
Minor amendments to master plans are not subject to a fiscal impact analysis review. City Code Section 7.5.408 reads, “…Minor amendments are not subject to review criteria in subsection F of this section (Fiscal).”
Board/Commission Recommendation:
At their meeting on January 18, 2018 the Planning Commission, as part of the consent calendar, voted to recommend approval of the subject applications.
Stakeholder Process:
Upon submittal of the requests; public notice was mailed to 89 property owners within a 1,000-foot radius of the subject sites, and the property was posted with application and staff contact information. No public comments were received following this notice. Prior to the City Planning Commission hearing; the site was posted with the hearing date information and a postcard was mailed to 102 property owners within 1,000 feet of the site.
City Planning staff was approached after the City Planning Commission meeting by two nearby property owners with concerns regarding the proposal. These two property owners had recently moved into the residential neighborhood to the northeast of the Falcon Park & Ride site. On Tuesday, January 30, 2018 City Planning staff, the applicants, and representatives from El Paso County met with these two property owners to discuss their reservations. Primarily, their concerns centered on the potential for increased crime in their neighborhood due to the parking lot’s proximity. They requested additional surveillance by the police department, which El Paso County mentioned they would explore further. The property owners also questioned the reasoning for locating a park and ride in the subject location, which El Paso County explained the larger plan for Meridian Road and the proposal’s 10-year history.
Staff sent plans to the standard internal and external review agencies for comments including; Colorado Springs Utilities, City Engineering, City Traffic Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, City Fire including the Wildfire Mitigation Division, and Parks and Recreation. At this time, all comments received from the review agencies have been satisfied.
Alternatives:
1. Uphold the action of the City Planning Commission;
2. Modify the decision of the City Planning Commission;
3. Reverse the action of the City Planning Commission; or
4. Refer the matter back to the City Planning Commission for further consideration
Recommended Action
Proposed Motion:
Adopt an ordinance changing the zoning of 1.74 acres located south of the south corner of the Highway 24 and Meridian Road intersection from R/CR (Estate Residential with Conditions of Record) to PF (Public Facility).
Summary of Ordinance Language
An ordinance amending the zoning map of the City of Colorado Springs pertaining to 1.74 acres located south of the south corner of the Highway 24 and Meridian Road intersection from R/CR (Estate Residential with Conditions of Record) to PF (Public Facility) based on the finding that the request meets the criteria in City Code Section 7.5.603.B.