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HomeMy WebLinkAbout0.8.01 Summary DescriptionSUMMARY DESCRIPTION THE RESERVE AT ELK MEADOWS PUD SITE LOCATION The Reserve at Elk Meadows (Elk Meadows) is located on both the east and west sides of Four Mile Road about one mile south from the intersection of Midland Avenue and Four Mile Road in South Glenwood Springs. Four Mile Ranch, a fifty-eight lot subdivision with a number of new homes currently under construction, is located adjacent to the north boundary of Elk Meadows. Construction of a sewer interceptor line is projected to be completed in the summer of 2006 along Four Mile Road to the Springridge development located up -valley from the Elk Meadows site. Elk Meadows is comprised of what has historically been known as the Bershenyi Ranch and the Martino Ranch. The Bershenyi Ranch includes a tract of 400 acres straddling both side of Four Mile Road and a 1,140 acre tract located at a much higher elevation and separated from the east parcel by a quarter mile wide strip of BLM land. The 105 acre Martino Ranch lies adjacent and southwest of the Bershenyi Ranch and west of Four Mile Creek. Historically the properties have supported agricultural activities including beef cow/calf operations, a Holstein dairy heard, hayfields and miscellaneous field crops. The entire area of the east tract of the Bershenyi Ranch and the Martino Ranch are included within the boundary of the proposed Planned Unit Development zone district. The majority of the acreage of the westerly Bershenyi tract is proposed by this PUD application to be preserved for use by the public but is not included within the boundaries of the Elk Meadows PUD. All described properties are zoned as Agriculture / Residential / Rural Density by Garfield County. The Comprehensive Plan Amendment included with this application request the property within the PUD to be reclassified as a mixture of High Density Residential and Medium Density Residential Land Use categories. INCEPTION OF THE RESERVE AT ELK MEADOWS COMMUNITY PLAN The Applicant began conceptualizing development ideas for these properties late in 2004 with much excitement about the westerly Bershenyi tract because of its vegetation, views and general alpine character. Initial ideas speculated that it would be a nice idea to preserve the agricultural fields east of Four Mile Road and large blocks of the Martino and Bershenyi fields west of Four Mile Road. Early in 2005, at an open public meeting, the first conceptual plan was presented showing thirty six single family residential lots on the west Bershenyi parcel and about two hundred and thirty-four single family lots west of Four Mile Road on the Martino and Bershenyi parcels. The public voiced concern for home sites on the upper Bershenyi parcel, disruption of critical wildlife habitat and for the extensive disturbance of sensitive hillsides on the Martino Ranch and lower Bershenyi Ranch. Consideration for public comment and much more extensive analysis of site conditions including detailed topography, wetlands, wildlife, geologic hazards and access guided the re -conception of the plan. Critical new design parameters included removal of all development from the west Bershenyi parcel, avoidance of development on steeper slopes, clustering home sites in the 1 historical agricultural fields including a portion of the fields east of Four Mile Road and a reduction to one hundred ninety single family lots. This clustering concept was presented at an open public meeting this past October at the Glenwood Springs Community Center. There was some negative response to placement of homes east of Four Mile Road but others realized that to preserve the wildlife habitat of the westerly Bershenyi parcel and to avoid sensitive slopes, it would be necessary to utilize at least some part of the easterly fields. The plan proposed the preservation of the large Bershenyi frame barn, the smaller Bershenyi log barn and possibly one or more of the smaller ranch structures. Following a thorough on-site analysis of this new concept, the plan was returned to the computer screen for further refinement. Improvements to the plan included removal of all lots from the "far north meadow" of the lower Bershenyi Ranch and from the ridge at the south end of this meadow which were areas of very high visibility and sky -lining as viewed from Glenwood Springs. Road alignments were refined to better fit topographic conditions and Four Mile Road was realigned to improve traffic flow through the "Bershenyi Homestead" and to create a safer access for the new community. Pedestrian trails were added and an area was designed to accommodate the public parking at the trail head leading to public lands to the west., all of which is describe in detail below and graphically presented by the PUD Master Plan. PUD OBJECTIVES The Reserve at Elk Meadows PUD is a result of applying objectives established by an analysis of the community and planning issues associated with the property, immediately surrounding physical conditions, zoning patterns existing in the Four Mile Creek corridor and the Garfield County Comprehensive Plan for Study Area I. As described above, input collected at informal public meetings and interviews with adjacent property owners and community members was also very influential on the analysis and design of the community. Following is a list of the objectives that have guided the PUD design: • Preserve the unique natural areas of the PUD site, especially the riparian areas associated with Four Mile Creek. • Maintain a sense of space along Four Mile Road. • Preserve the two large Bershenyi barns to provide a permanent link to the cultural heritage of the property. • The Four Mile Creek community trail should be continued through the PUD to the south boundary of the property and link this trail to the access trail to the upper Bershenyi parcel that will be preserved for the public benefit. • Improve traffic flow and safety on Four Mile Road through the Bershenyi Barnstead area. • Minimize impacts on uniquely sensitive view sheds associated with the property. 2 • Minimize the impacts of development by locating home sites in areas appropriate for development, avoiding sensitive geologic zones, native vegetation and sensitive wildlife habitat. • Create home sites with direct connection to open space, wherever possible, and provide on site recreational opportunities for the future residents of the community. • Group home sites in compact neighborhoods to maximize large blocks of open space, achieve efficient infrastructure systems, create cohesive landscape patterns and streetscapes and to minimize impacts on the environmental qualities of the site. • Provide a community which offers efficient and safe internal access, minimizes demands on county services, is sensitive to off site traffic impacts and provides centralized sewer and water services to its residents including a raw water irrigation system. • Create a rural residential community that is compatible with other residential land use patterns in the Four Mile Creek corridor. • The qualities and character of the proposed community should provide residential dwellings and neighborhoods compatible with existing and approved housing in the Four Mile Creek Corridor. • Create site, architectural and landscape design guidelines to be administered and enforced by the home owners association. THE RESERVE AT ELK MEADOWS COMMUNITY PLAN Residential Community: The proposed Elk Meadows community plan is comprised of three distinct groupings or neighborhoods of single family residential lots. For reference purposes these neighborhoods are titled as the East Meadow, the fields east of Four Mile Road, the South Meadow located west of Four Mile Road and south of the Elk Meadows entry and the Upper Meadow, the higher, south facing field west of Four Mile Road and north of the entry drive. All residential building sites are located in areas where native conditions have been previous altered by agricultural activities allowing for the preservation and restoration of the native vegetative on the steeper hillsides throughout the site and the riparian areas along Four Mile Creek. Nearly 373 acres representing almost 74 percent of the PUD are preserved in two open space districts. Approximately 960 acres of the west parcel of the Bershenyi Ranch are proposed, as a condition of the PUD approval, to be dedicated to a public or private entity for the purpose of managing the property for use by the public. Between the PUD open space districts and the preserved acreage of the west Bershenyi parcel over 1,333 acres of native wildlife habitat are preserved by approval of the Elk Meadows PUD. There is only about 119 acres in actual 3 residential lot development including over 8 acres dedicated to open space easements on the residential lots. Four Mile Road: A realignment of Four Mile Road is proposed to improve driving conditions through the Bershenyi Homestead area and to create a well functioning entry into the Elk Meadows community. The improvements to the road will require relocation of the Bershenyi "log barn" to the northeast where it be preserved. The realignment of Four Mile Road will flatten road grades, increase curve radii and add safe shoulder widths through this area. The project will pay significant traffic impact fees to the County at final subdivision plat and at building permit. As discussed further later in this description, the Applicant has entered into a pre -annexation agreement with the City of Glenwood Springs which provides for sewer treatment services by the City but also commits the developer to funding $900,000 in traffic impact mitigation within the City of Glenwood Springs along the Midland Avenue and 27th Street.. East Meadow: The East Meadow neighborhood residential lots number 72 and are typically 13,000 to 20,000 square feet in area. All building envelopes are located on the gentle terrain of the cultivated field. Where lots extend on to steeper undisturbed slopes, open space easements protect native vegetation from disturbance. All lots back up to open space including an area located internal to the lot configuration which will be landscaped in manner characteristic of a high mountain park and include maintained turf areas for open lawn recreation activities. A twenty acre hayfield will be preserved along Four Mile Road buffering the home sites by distances of 400 to 800 feet and providing a continuity of the open space found along Four Mile Road through the Bershenyi property and on through the Four Mile Ranch Subdivision to the north. The hayfield will be maintained in irrigated agricultural production. Lots on the east side of the neighborhood are pulled back away from the east ridgeline and proposed building envelopes push future residential even further away from the ridgeline. Specific tree planting requirements included in the protective covenants and a maximum twenty foot building height on Lot 23 through 39 in the will reduce the visibility of these residential structures from Hwy 82. Lot 22 also has a maximum twenty foot building height. South Meadow: Two groupings of lots comprise the South Meadow. Eighteen lots are located in the area of the Martino and Bershenyi homesteads and an additional forty-four lots encircle a second "mountain park" to the south across a sharp drainage from the ranch homesteads. As in the East Meadow, all lots back out onto open space and range in typical size from 13,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. Rear lot open space easements are also utilized on a number of South Meadow lots located on the outer fringe of the neighborhood. Unstable slopes to the south have been avoided and a rock fall hazard on the northwest has been mitigated by building sites being located at the very end of the mapped rock fall run -out and with the proposed construction of a moderate sized rock fall catchment berm. Upper Meadow: 4 The Upper Meadow is a southeast oriented open field located north of the Martino and Bershenyi homesteads. All of the Upper Meadow lots back out on to dedicated open space and typically range from 17,000 square feet to well over 30,000 square feet in size. The central open space areas are currently pasture land and will be refurbished as native meadows where not included in residential lots. Rear lot areas extending onto steep slopes and into native vegetation are overlain with open space easements to protect native terrain and vegetation from disturbance. The ridgelines to east and north of the Upper Meadow, which are highly visible from Glenwood Spring, the upper Four Mile Creek valley and Hwy 8 2, are protected from homesite development. Also, the highly visible large meadow located north over the ridge from the Upper Meadow (Far North Meadow) is preserved as open space. Lots in all three neighborhoods are proposed to be platted with specific building envelopes which, in the case of the rear setback, is typically much more restrictive than called for by the PUD zone regulations. Protective covenants will include limitations and guidelines to control landscaping and site improvements within and outside of the building envelope. On lot parking requirements range from four to six parking spaces depending on the size of the residence constructed. Interior Roads: The entry drives both to the east and to the west are proposed as boulevard style channelization to control and slow traffic, assure access by emergency vehicles and to provide opportunity for landscape treatments. To the east the boulevard street cross section is continued to the first intersecting street to assure emergency ingress and egress to the East Meadow lots. The typical road section throughout the community is two eleven foot asphalt paved lanes with a one foot wide flush concrete curb to preserve the asphalt edge. A ten foot wide asphalt emergency access and pedestrian trail are provided from the Upper Meadow to the lower main access road along the alignment of the existing ranch road. Additional controlled access gravel surfaced drives are located in the Upper Meadow and South Meadow to assure access by emergency vehicles. The emergency access drives also serve as important links in the pedestrian trail system. Supplemental parking is provided throughout the community with bays of three to five parking spaces positioned perpendicular to the roadway. Covenants will restrict the length of time autos may be parked in these areas such that they truly serve as guest parking. This application requests the ability to dedicate the interior roads to the Elk Meadows HOA which will also maintain all roadways. Trails: The Four Mile Valley Community Trail, an eight foot wide asphalt path currently ending at the south boundary of the Four Mile Ranch Subdivision, will be continued up valley through the Elk Meadows community, bridging across Four Mile Creek and ending at the south boundary of the Elk Meadows PUD. The trail will remain east of Four Mile Road and be located in a twenty foot easement dedicated to the public. The trail connecting the Bershenyi Barnyard area with the public parking area at the north end of the Upper Meadows neighborhood will be a six foot asphalt trail typically located at the backside 5 of the one foot flush curb at the edge of the interior roads. In some areas this trail will be removed from the road edge and in other areas the trail will coincide with an emergency access drive. A six foot gravel trail is proposed along the north side of Four Mile Creek, downstream from the Four Mile Valley Community Trail and continuing up through the East Meadow connecting again with the pubic trail near the Four Mile Ranch and Elk Meadows common north boundary. Elk Meadows Barnyard: The area east of Four Mile Road around the Bershenyi barns (the Barnyard) is intended to be the social and visual focal point of community. This area is proposed to include: - the relocated Bershenyi log barn which will be stabilized and preserved; - the Bershenyi frame barn which is proposed to be cleaned up and preserved; - vehicular parking for activities at the Barnyard and Four Mile Creek Park; - children's play equipment and typical park furnishings; - attractive landscaping to enhance the appeal and character of the Elk Meadows community; - some additional small Bershenyi Ranch structures may also be preserved in this area; - the Four Mile Valley Public Trail will pass through this area. Heritage Ranch: The applicant has offered to cooperate in the creation of a "Heritage Ranch" located at the Barnyard site, if there is public support for the creation of a non-profit corporation for that purpose. The earlier described twenty acre hayfield could also be included as an element of the Heritage Ranch. The proposed Community Facilities Open Space Zone District regulations have been written to accommodate activities and uses that are anticipated to be associated with a heritage ranch facility. Four Mile Creek Park: The Four Mile Valley Community Trail will provide access from the Bershenyi Barnyard down to Four Mile Creek where a modest park facility will be created including the following: - small turf grass areas that serve as collection nodes along the creek; - one small picnic shelter at one of the grassy nodes; - gravel trail described earlier connecting the grassy nodes; - park furnishings such as benches and picnic tables. Efforts will also be made assist the riparian vegetation in recover from years of cattle grazing. East Meadow Mountain Meadow Park: The interior open space area surrounded by East Meadow lots is proposed to be developed in a character similar to a high country park surrounded by aspen /spruce. The proposal is to create a couple irregular shaped irrigated areas maintained as turf grass to allow for casual open field recreation and to surround these lawn areas with native grass areas planted with scattered groupings of deciduous and evergreen trees and masses of large shrubs. Gentle earth berms may be included particularly if large boulders from the on-site construction activities can be incorporated into the berms to create an exciting, creative and unstructured environment for child 6 play. All landscaping will be supported by irrigation. The earlier described gravel trail will flow through the fringes of this Mountain Meadow Park connecting it and the East Meadow lots to the Four Mile Creek Park and the Four Mile Valley Community Trail. South Meadow Mountain Meadow Park: The large open space in the interior of the South Meadow will be developed similarly to the center park in the East Meadow except that there will be a large pond and much less lawn area. The pond will serve as the pumping basin for a proposed raw water irrigation system that will deliver pressurized irrigation water to all lots. The nature of the raw water supply should allow for minimal fluctuation of the water level in the pond during most of the irrigation season. There is also a small interior open space area in the northerly section of the South Meadow which will be developed as a small scale park. North Ridge Observation Shelter: The ridge line at the north edge of the Upper Meadow commands spectacular views of the Roaring Fork Valley, the Four Mile Valley and the Flat Tops to the North. A small observation platform and low profile shelter are proposed on the ridgeline up slope from the public parking lot to take advantage of these views and to create a destination point on the pedestrian trail system. The small size and architectural lines of the shelter will minimize its visual presence on the ridge line, if it is seen at all above the oak brush. Affordable Housing: The Elk Meadows community is nearly two miles from the closest commercial and social services with no public transportation located any where hear the property. Therefore, the PUD site is not a desirable location for affordable community housing units. The applicant proposes to comply with Garfield County affordable housing regulations at a location within Glenwood Springs or other area community. Details of how the applicant will satisfy the affordable housing regulations will be presented at the time of preliminary plan. UTILITY SERVICES Water Rights Domestic water rights protection is proposed to be provided by contracts on the Roaring Fork River and senior rights historically attached to these properties. The water rights program will require the completion of a court approved augmentation plan prior to approval of the preliminary plan. Limited area of landscape irrigation is included in the calculations for the domestic water supply but additional irrigation will be provided from a proposed raw water delivery system. Water Supply The domestic water physical supply will be provided by wells located along Four Mile Creek just east of Four Mile Road with a building for chlorination facilities located near the wells. In the early phases of the community development, water will be pumped to a storage tank located on the east edge of the Upper Meadow to provide gravity feed back to all lots and to fire hydrants located in the East and South Meadow neighborhoods. Development of the Upper Meadow will include an additional water storage tank located up slope from and northwest of 7 Lot 23 in the Upper Meadow neighborhood. The domestic water storage will be sized to accommodate domestic demands, 500 square feet of irrigation on each lot and fire protection. The tanks are anticipated to be above grade, terraced into the hillside and painted a dark, receding color to minimize its visual presence. Irrigation water from Four Mile Ditch will be delivered to the irrigation pumping pond in the South Meadow park via existing ditches and new pipe lines. A raw water delivery system will be installed to serve all residential lots with pressurized irrigation water. The irrigation system pump house will be constructed in the South Meadow Park to provide pressurized service to the South Meadow and East Meadow neighborhoods and to a irrigation water storage tank located adjacent to the domestic water storage tank above the Upper Meadow neighborhood. Gravity pressurized irrigation water will then flow from that tank to the lots in the Upper Meadow. Sewer Services A wastewater collection system will be constructed to serve all residential lots in the PUD with discharge of effluent into the existing sewer interceptor in Four Mile Road for deliver to the City of Glenwood Springs treatment plant. The Applicant has entered into a pre -annexation agreement with the City of Glenwood Springs to provide sewer treatment services for up to 200 units. This count covers the proposed 189 lots, a buffer factor and possible miscellaneous needs at the Bershenyi Barnyard and in support of park facilities. Historic drainage patterns are preserved by the proposed site development and the minor increase in historic stormwater runoff will be mitigated by the use of shallow detention/infiltration ponds. Stepped detention pools maybe used on some of the steeper drainages to minimize erosion and increase infiltration of stormwater. During construction, appropriate measures will be taken to minimize sediment impacts in Four Mile Creek and all disturbed area will be revegetated as quickly as seasonal conditions allow upon completion of construction. No wetlands will be impacted by the proposed improvements although a bridge and a short segment of decking will be used to carry the community trail over Four Mile Creek and along the edge of a small wetland area south of the creek. Identification of which drainage channels on the site may qualify as "water of the U.S." has not yet been completed but road and utility crossings of these drainages would be covered by nationwide permit if they are determined to be jurisdictional channels. CONSIDERATION FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT The natural resources and the unique cultural history of the site guided the design of the Reserve at Elk Meadows. Although the community design's sensitivity to the natural environment is evident throughout the above description, the following list highlights the environmental sensitivity of the Elk Meadows PUD: • The Applicant has offered to preserve, at the time of the initial final subdivision plat, 960 acres of premium high country wildlife habitat as a condition of the PUD approval. • Housing is concentrated in areas previously disturbed by agriculture and avoids the more sensitive steep slopes, riparian areas and sensitive geologic zones. A few homes site are located in areas of native vegetation on the fringe of the agricultural areas but only where slopes and geologic conditions presented no unique limitations. 8 • All mapped wetlands are left undisturbed. Proposed roadways do cross natural drainage channels that may be designated as "waters of the US" channels but these only carry seasonal water and the crossings will be accommodated by nationwide permits with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. • All lots border open space with a large majority looking out on expansive areas of open space. • A broad viewshed of hay meadow along the east side of Four Mile Road has been preserved to maintain the sense of openness along Four Mile Road. • The two larger Bershenyi Barns will be preserved to maintain a historic link to the cultural heritage of the site. The large log barn will be relocated to accommodate the proposed new Four Mile Road alignment. • Development is areas of unique visual sensitivity have been avoided. (The Far North Meadow and the ridgeline north and east of the Upper Meadow.) • Internal roads are designed to be sensitive to topographic conditions and existing ranch roads are utilized for emergency access drives, pedestrian ways and for access to the public lands to the west. • The compact residential neighborhoods preserve the most critical areas of wildlife habitat and allow for wildlife movement through the community. • The vegetative condition of all areas disturbed by past agricultural practices will be enhanced through on -lot landscaping, landscape development of recreational areas and reclamation of general open space acreage with native species. Drought tolerant native plant species and locally adapted plant species will be utilized in the open space plantings and encouraged through covenant guidelines in the residential landscape plantings to achieve a balance between appropriate water management and use, the restoration of native plant life, and the need for aesthetically pleasing plantings in proximity to houses. • Passive stormwater features such as grass swales and shallow detention pools are used to slow water, improve infiltration, enhance water quality and control soil erosion. • All areas disturbed by the development construction will be reclaimed and revegetated. • Domestic wastewater will be discharged to the City of Glenwood Springs central wastewater treatment plant. • A raw water irrigation system is proposed to deliver irrigation water to every lot and to the meadow areas. A large part of the historically irrigated agricultural lands will continue to be irrigated as residential lot landscaping, park/recreation area development or hayfield preservation, although some of the pasture areas will be refurbished as native meadows requiring little or no irrigation after initial establishment of the native species. • The storage pond that will be developed in the South Meadow as an element of the raw water irrigation will facilitate the introduction of additional and riparian habitat. • A wildfire mitigation plan has been prepared and reviewed by the Glenwood Springs Fire District. Mountain Park: The Applicant requests that the Planning Staff, Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners include with any recommendations or actions for approval of the Reserve at Elk Meadows PUD a condition that incorporates the following offer. 9 The Applicant proposes as a condition of the approval of this PUD application, to dedicate with the first phase final plat approximately 960 acres of the west parcel of the Bershenyi Ranch (Mountain Park), to some type of public or private entity (county, city, special district, non-profit corporation, home owners association) for the purpose of managing this parcel for use by the public. In addition to preserving an enormously important area of wildlife habitat, the Mountain Park is proposed to be available for non motorized use by the public under the guidance of appropriate rules that will foster a compatible relationship with the native wildlife. Access to the west parcel will be via the existing ranch road through BLM lands which BLM officials have confirmed may be used for non -motorized access by the public. A variety of funding mechanisms are being researched to support maintenance of the property. Access easements over the appropriate interior Elk Meadow road right-of-ways will be dedicated with the appropriate fmal plat to provide public access to a public parking area located at the north end of the Upper Meadow (north of Lot 26 on the PUD Plan). Public pedestrian access will also be available to the Mountain Park over the interior pedestrian trails from the Four Mile Valley Community Trail located on the east side of Four Mile Road in the area of the Bershenyi Barnyard. June 1, 2006 Updated December 21, 2006 Prepared by: Ron Liston, Land Design Partnership 10