Fort Collins planners recommend Strauss Lakes annexation, mixed-use zoning
The annexation and zoning would not authorize a specific development or construction. City Council’s initial readings of both ordinances were scheduled for Oct. 6.
The Fort Collins Planning and Zoning Commission recommended Sept. 17 that City Council annex about 147.5 acres northeast of Horsetooth and Ziegler roads and zone the Strauss Lakes property for low- and medium-density mixed-use neighborhoods.
The proposed zoning combines low-density mixed-use neighborhood (LMN) and medium-density mixed-use neighborhood (MMN) districts. The applicant’s representative said the city’s structure plan envisions detached homes, duplexes, townhomes, small-scale multifamily housing and small-scale shops, restaurants and cafes there. Staff said the roughly 7.66 acres proposed for MMN zoning would allow higher density and different building types. The representative said the applicant intends to put affordable housing in that area and has calculated what would make it viable.
Annexation and zoning would not authorize a specific development or result in construction, staff said. The commission’s role was to recommend action to City Council, staff said. Initial readings of both ordinances were then scheduled for Oct. 6.
The applicant’s representative said a major goal was to increase Fort Collins’ housing supply, including affordable housing. The representative said, “you have to have it within the context of the neighborhood, or you get a lot of neighborhood pushback.” She said that approach would help make affordable housing viable while allowing varied housing throughout the development. She argued the proposal met state annexation and city land-use criteria and asked commissioners to recommend it.
A resident called crossing Ziegler Road the most dangerous five minutes of a three-hour bike ride: “I will sometimes go 10 minutes out of my way to avoid it.” A written comment from Robert Lopez opposed the proposal, citing potential harm to the surrounding community, economy, traffic, environment and water supply. The comment said traffic backed up for more than half a mile on Ziegler and argued a planned light at William Neal Parkway would not address existing capacity problems. Staff said a traffic study submitted with the overall development plan remained under review and was not required for annexation or zoning.
A commissioner recalled earlier discussions in which affordable housing would be integrated into the overall development rather than placed at one end. The chair questioned the small MMN area and absence of natural-area zoning, asking whether the zoning relied on an unapproved development plan instead of the structure plan. He remained concerned that no protected natural lands were included in the annexation area and that omitting neighboring property could leave an island, though he said the community needed housing. Staff said development standards require open space, natural features and buffers; parks, natural areas and stormwater areas can be provided within LMN zoning without zoning each site separately.
Staff said the suitability of the roads would be considered through development plans, road plans and traffic-improvement requirements, not at the annexation and zoning stage. A separate overall development plan hearing before the commission would come next, followed by detailed development plans, staff said. Site improvements and construction would follow those reviews, with little work at the site in the meantime and building permits coming after the later processes, staff said.