Planning Commission Minutes 2014 07 10

Home Browse Search

Planning Commission Meeting Minutes July 10, 2014 Page 6 of 14 O'Connell asks about definition of public easement? Robinson says he does not think there is but not sure. It can be defined in the agreement. Applicant response: Hartronft states the space is to bring people there. He would like to create an agreement with the City regarding public access. If the green space will never be parking and if the lease goes away and payment in lieu is exorbitant, the applicant would not agree to it. It will affect how the property can be developed. Wants clear agreement with the City on this, perhaps as part of the conservation easement. Public Comment: Michael Menaker, 1827 W Chokecherry Drive, Louisville, CO This plan represents a long term vision and wish list for the City. The City and HPC has desired to see this type of redevelopment and preservation of the Grain Elevator site. Eric Hartronft is a founding father of the historic preservation movement in Louisville. He was present at the creation of the HPC. He is responsible in large part for historic preservation standards and guidelines governing Old Town, Downtown, and all Louisville and has volunteered countless hours to insure that Louisville's past is preserved and protected. Randy Caranci is part of a family whose roots are very old and the family name is engraved in stone in this building. This proposal is dependent on the long connections and affection that the developers have for the City of Louisville and I publicly thank them for their efforts. 1. With 60 years left on the BNSF lease and active pursuit of a long-term parking solution for Downtown, I am not concerned about the 9 parking spaces. I think it is highly unlikely that the City would require this property to park 9 more spaces somewhere in the future requiring loss of the green space. I would write the condition this way: that the green space is a green space until such time as the City requires them to build 9 more spaces and then it is up for grabs. 2. Regarding the height issue, I understand Hartronft's point that he wants to know what they can build. I would suggest a condition that says they be allowed to go to 3 stories as long as the design substantially mirrors the design presented here preliminarily. Jeff Meier, 470 County Road, Louisville, CO In support of the project and thanks Eric and Randy for putting this together. The third story is in scale with the Grain Elevator building. Green space is good. The 15 cottonwoods between our properties are old, at least 6 or 7 are dead. I request the overall landscape plan remove them. Bill Simmons, 515 Front Street, Louisville, CO I can see the Grain Elevator site from my back deck. I recognize the time and effort that has gone into the project. I support restoration of the Grain Elevator. In looking at numbers and calculating the square footage, my calculations show there are 17,000 existing SF on the site, that there will be a net increase of 24,000 SF, gross net leasable square footage, which brings it up to 41,000 SF. This is a 140% increase of square footage on the site. The project originally was to restore the Grain Elevator. Then, a developer proposal is accepted to fund the rehabilitation and restoration. The parcel composed of Lot 1, 2, and 3 is in transition area of Downtown. According to the staff report, a transition area is designed to provide a transitional buffer between core commercial development of Louisville and the adjacent area of the Old Town neighborhood. We have seen this property transition recently with a change in tenancy of the warehouse building and its impact on neighborhood was immediate regarding parking and noise. Parking and other issues are not just limited to Friday night anymore. Staff points out that Municipal Code allows waivers from the Standards of additional public benefit as provided where the waivers are warranted by the design of adequate public spaces