City Hall City Development Department 9500 Civic Center Drive 303-538-7295 Thornton, Colorado 80229-4326 FAX 303-538-7373 www.cityofthornton.net Ben Swanson Dormie Capital Partners 3740 Dacoro Lane, Suite 200 Castle Rock, CO 80109 RE: Quebec Plaza (Northeast corner of East 128 th Avenue and Quebec Street) Pre-Application Meeting Summary Notes Dear Mr. Swanson: A pre-application meeting was held at the city of Thornton (city) offices on March 16, 2017 to review a proposed retail development project for the property listed above. Following is a summary of city staff comments from the meeting. This summary is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the process nor requirements for the proposed development. It is ultimately the developer s responsible to adhere to all City Codes, Regulations, Specifications, etc. In addition, the comments included are based upon the information provided to the city prior to the pre-application meeting and do not necessarily reflect the ad hoc conversations regarding new information provided during the pre-application meeting or alternate plans brought to the meeting. CURRENT PLANNING Planner I (Ty Robbins, 303-538-7443) 1. City s Development Review Process: a. The first city review is three weeks, beginning on Mondays, with comments due back to the applicant the following Wednesday. b. Each subsequent review by the city is two weeks, beginning on Mondays, with comments due back to the applicant the following Wednesday. c. The city accepts electronic submittals. 2. The required development applications include the following:
Page 2 a. Overall Development Plan/Conceptual Site Plan Amendment (ODP/CSP) may be processed administratively if [per Sec. 18-42(e)] the development proposal does not: i. Alter the basic relationship of the proposed development to adjacent property. i iv. Change the uses permitted Increase the maximum density, floor area ratio, or height. Decrease the amount of required off-street parking. v. Reduce the minimum yards required at the boundary of the site. b. Development Permit (DP) - requires public hearing with Development Permits and Appeals Board (DPAB). c. Subdivision Plat Amendment (SUBA) - administrative process d. Developer s Agreement (DA) - administrative process e. Civil Construction Drawings (CDs) - administrative process f. Building Permits - administrative process 3. Overall Planning Issues: a. Land use: general retail and a restaurant with drive-through are uses allowed by right. Refer to the attached Quebec Plaza PD standards and use chart in Sec. 18-160 for a complete list of allowed uses. b. Lot standards: i. Maximum building coverage: 50 percent. c. Setbacks: i. Twenty-five feet to public streets (25-foot landscape buffer required along East 128 th Avenue and Quebec Street) i Zero feet to interior property lines. Sixty-foot building setback to residential property line (must also maintain a 25-foot landscape buffer adjacent to residential property).
Page 3 d. Building height: i. 35-foot maximum. e. Parking: i. Restaurant one space per 100 square feet of floor area. i iv. Restaurant with drive-through one space per 150 square feet of floor area. Refer to Sec. 18-596 for a complete list of parking requirement for each use. Angled parking is not allowed. Drive aisles must be a minimum of 24 feet in width for double rows of 90-degree parking. v. If shared parking is desired or necessary, a cross lot parking agreement shall be established and reflected on the subdivision plat. The city may require a parking study demonstrating offset parking demands for the proposed uses to ensure adequate overall parking within the development. f. Architecture: i. Refer to the architectural standards in the PD. Commercial design standards in Sec. 18-500 through 18-510 also apply. Additional screening and/or landscaping may be required to mitigate impacts to residential properties. Staff will pay close attention to building service areas and areas where headlights might shine onto residential properties. g. Lighting: i. A photometric plan shall be submitted and review as part of the DP. Pole lights shall be downcast cut-off type not to exceed 14 feet in height. Light levels shall not exceed onehalf foot candle at the site property lines. All building lighting shall not cast any off-site glare on adjacent properties or streets, and must be shielded and directed either downward or toward the building. h. Signage:
Page 4 i. Per the Quebec Plaza PD, a comprehensive sign package shall be submitted for review and approval to the city with the Development Permit. Refer to the city s sign standards in Chapter 18 for signage allowances and requirements. i. Development applications and checklists can be found on the city s website: http://www.cityofthornton.net/government/citydevelopment/pages/de velopment-applications.aspx j. Policy Planning Items: i. Currently, the subject property is designated Commercial on the Future Land Use Map (FLUM). The proposed use is allowed within this designation. Measures that mitigate the facility s environmental impact beyond those which are required by the development and building codes are encouraged. DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERING Civil Engineer (Tim Semones, 303-538-7634) 1. Water System: a. This site is within the Zone 1C water pressure zone, which has an HGL of 5304. With elevations within this site varying from 5114 to 5124, static water pressures are anticipated to be in the range of 78-82 psi b. An existing eight-inch waterline is looped through the site. This existing eight-inch waterline should be used for domestic and fire connections. Reconstruction of the waterline may be necessary depending on potential conflicts with proposed building footprints. If modifications are necessary to the on-site water line, a stub to Lot 2 will need to be maintained and a looped water system for both Lots 1 and 2 will need to be maintained. 2. Sanitary Sewer System: a. An existing eight-inch sanitary sewer line has already been constructed to this site and should be utilized for sanitary sewer service connections to both Lot 1 and Lot 2. If modifications are necessary to this on-site sanitary sewer line, a stub to Lot 2 will need to be maintained.
Page 5 3. Drainage: a. The outlet structure for the existing detention pond for this site will need to be modified to provide WQCV & EURV for both Lots 1 & 2. Assuming that the proposed impervious area of the site is not changing from the original Final Drainage Report then 100-year orifice plate for this pond could remain the same. Modifications to the existing outlet structure will be necessary to meet this requirement. b. The site has an existing 18-inch storm sewer system that conveys runoff to the existing detention pond near the southeast corner of the site. Please confirm that the existing storm sewer pipes are sized to adequately carry the anticipated minor year runoff from the proposed construction and from any future upstream development within this site. The existing storm sewer system may need to be reconstructed in some areas depending on how the proposed building footprints conflict with the existing layout. 4. Streets: a. The 2009 City of Thornton Transportation Plan shows the section of Quebec Street adjacent to this site as a six-lane arterial road at ultimate build-out. The east curb line of Quebec Street has been constructed to its ultimate location, including a right turn lane into the property. Any future widening of Quebec Street from a four-lane arterial road to a six-lane arterial road is anticipated to occur in the center section of Quebec Street. b. The 2009 City of Thornton Transportation Plan shows the section of 128 th Avenue adjacent to this site as a four-lane minor arterial road at ultimate build-out. Right-of-Way has already been dedicated along the frontage of this site for the ultimate north half of 128 th Avenue, but 128 th Avenue remains a two-lane road section along the property frontage. It is anticipated that when 128 th Avenue is widened to its ultimate four-lane minor arterial road cross section along the frontage of this property that the widening will mostly occur on the south side of 128 th Avenue. The existing curb line along the north side of 128 th Avenue may be able to remain in its existing location, west of the south entrance. Please coordinate with the design engineer for the Creekside subdivision (Todd Lyon of Jansen Strawn) to confirm the ultimate lane alignments for 128 th Avenue will not require a shift of the existing northern curb line. The north curb line should be placed in its ultimate location with this proposed development. c. The median on the north leg of Quebec Street has already been constructed, and there is no requirement for a median on the east
Page 6 leg of 128 th Avenue, so no monies are required for median construction. d. It is recommended that a sidewalk connection be provided from the sidewalk along Quebec Street to the restaurant site in the southwest corner of the site. e. The existing curb ramp on the east side of the north-south access drive will need to be relocated to align with the access drive to the west. f. Per the ADA, at least one accessible path is required from the public sidewalk along 128 th Avenue or Quebec Street to each of the proposed businesses. Accessible routes typically follow the circulation path for the site. g. The traffic conformance letter will need to include new traffic counts and a traffic signal warrant analysis for the intersection of 128 th Avenue and Quince Street to show if a traffic signal will be warranted in the near term or in the long term (20-year) scenarios as a result of this development. 5. Required Reports (see project website for report requirements): a. A traffic conformance letter is required with the proposed development. b. A utility conformance letter is required showing that this development is in compliance with the master utility report that was originally prepared for this site. c. A drainage conformance letter is required showing that this development is in compliance with the final drainage report for this site. WQCV & EURV volumes must be provided in the existing detention pond so the outlet structure may need to be modified to comply with current design standards. Assuming that the proposed impervious area of the site is not changing the 100-year orifice plate for this pond would remain the same. The conformance letter will need to include the output from the current version of UD-Detention showing drain times to confirm that the drain times for the detention pond comply with state water law (97 percent of five year must drain within 72 hrs., 99 percent of five year must drain within 120 hours.) 6. Associated Agreements and Fees: a. Advance for Construction: $37,500 has already been paid to the city for one-quarter of the cost of the traffic signal at 128 th Avenue and Quebec Street.
Page 7 b. Advance for Construction: $75,000 has already been placed in escrow for one-half of the cost of the traffic signal at 128 th Avenue and Quince Street. c. Reimbursement Agreements: i. Glen Eagle Waterline: $26,493.32 (already paid) i Quebec Riverdale Sanitary Sewer: $1,962.21 (already paid) Glen Eagle Sanitary Sewer: $556.77 (already paid) 7. Additional Considerations: a. All dry utilities are provided by Xcel Energy, United Power, Comcast, Centurylink, etc. Most of this site is within the United Power service area, but a strip along the western edge of the property is within the Xcel Energy Service Area. b. Street lights will need to be installed along 128 th Avenue and Quebec Street to meet the street light spacing requirements of Table 500-2 in the city of Thornton Standards and Specifications (150 +/- 50, per same side of road). An existing street light already exists along the property frontage on 128 th Avenue, along the property frontage on Quebec Street, and at the intersection of 128 th Avenue and Quebec Street. Additional street lights are necessary to meet the city s spacing requirements. All new street lights shall be LED. Once final acceptance has been granted for the project, all new street lights within the Xcel Energy service area will be city owned and maintained, and all new street lights within the United Power service area will be owned and maintained by United Power. Street lights that will be city owned will require that wiring diagrams and voltage drop calculations be included with the proposed construction drawings. c. It is suggested that LED lights be used for all site lighting. Site lighting levels shall meet the requirements specified in Section 18-491.c.2 of City Code. d. Tap and meter shall match size, or the development fee for the larger size is required to be paid. 8. Required Involvement from External Agencies: a. Note: All submittals intended for the review of these agencies shall be submitted to the city. The city will forward the information directly to the agency when appropriate:
Page 8 i. State Discharge Permit / Storm Water Management Plan - Required by State for all new developments over one acre. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Senior Landscape Architect (Heidi Feigal, 303-538-7363) 1. Twenty-five percent landscape area is required for this site per the Planned Development Standards (PD). 2. A 25-foot landscape buffer measured from the right-of-way is required on both Quebec Street and 128 th Avenue. 3. Review the Planned Development Standards for landscape requirements that are different from the straight Code. One of the PD standards requires 10-foot wide internal parking lot islands, which may be difficult to meet on the plan as shown. The city will support amending this requirement to provide narrow islands in the center area to preserve the parking spaces. No trees allowed in islands less than nine feet, however existing trees in good condition will be given tree equivalent credit. 4. A one to two-foot vehicle overhang clear of plant material should be provided at head-in parking, as well as headlight screening with plants where adjacent to public roads and where cars face the residential subdivision. 5. Any drive-thru lane requires headlight screening with evergreen and deciduous plants. 6. The landscape plan required with the Re-zoning Overall Development Permit submittal is conceptual in nature and does not require plant labels, details or a plant list. Show landscaping all the way out to the curb, not just within the property lines. Show landscaping in the Quebec Street right-ofway and buffer up to the entrance from Quebec Street. 7. The city requires separate Irrigation Construction Drawings prepared by a qualified professional be submitted to the Landscape Architects for review. They can be submitted separately or with the civil construction drawings (usually not with the first submittal but after site layout and Development Permit landscaping is determined). 8. There is an existing three-quarter-inch dedicated Irrigation meter with backflow on the site. There are no outstanding fees or water bills. There has been no use of water on the site since 2014. It is possible that this meter was intended to serve only the shared detention pond and right-ofway landscaping for both lots. It may be that the internal landscaping was intended to be irrigated with each lot s domestic meter which is allowed.
Page 9 9. The overall site cannot exceed a Moderate water-demand as defined in the Code. 10. A Business Owners Association is required to be formed to share maintenance of the detention pond which serves both lots on the property. 11. Loading, trash areas and utility boxes are required to be screened (trash with a wall per PD) to the best extent possible. 12. The Certificate of Occupancy (C.O.) will not be issued for any new building until the landscaping is installed. If weather does not allow landscape installation at the time of the C.O. a cash surety (150 percent of the cost of landscaping and irrigation) is required. 13. A separate landscape construction permit is required at the time of installation, and the landscaping Use and Sales Tax will be collected, unless these are paid at the time of Construction Permit. 14. The applicants are encouraged to review Sec. 800 of the Standards and Specifications and City Code Chapter 18, Division 9 for more landscaping information. THORNTON FIRE DEPARTMENT (TFD) Fire Protection Engineer (Dan Biro, 303-538-7663) 1. TFD enforces the 2015 International Fire Code and locally adopted amendments. 2. B-40R turning exhibit shall be provided showing the apparatus moving through all turns including all entrances to the site. 3. NO PARKING FIRE LANE sign locations will be determined at the conceptual site plan review. 4. TFD does not release the building construction permit until construction access roads are installed and approved. END OF COMMENTS
Page 10 The above comments summarize the comments from city staff at the preapplication meeting. If you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to call me at 303-538-7443. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, Ty Robbins Planner I TR/vn Enclosure(s) cc: Ben Swanson, Applicant (ben.swanson@dormiecapital.com) Peggy S. Friesen, Applicant (pfriesen@engineeringserviceco.com) Jason O Shea, Development Director Grant Penland, Current Planning Manager Cassie Free, Development Engineering Manager Dan Biro, Fire Protection Engineer II Tim Semones, Civil Engineer Heidi Feigal, Senior Landscape Architect File: Quebec Plaza Pre-App V:\PLANNING DIVISION\Pre-Applications\Quebec Plaza\Retail Development 3-16-2017\Quebec Plaza Pre-App Summary.docx