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Planning Commission approves Westside Crossing

By: Rudy Hemmann | The Surveyor | March 17, 2022 | Local News

The Berthoud Planning Commission held a regular meeting the evening of Thursday, March 10, 2022.

One agenda item, a request for approval of a Preliminary Plat (PP), was addressed by the commissioners.  The property in question consists of 20.936-acres bounded on the north by the Estates at Mathews Farm subdivision, on the east by Meadowlark Drive, on the south by Mountain Avenue (Highway 56) and on the west by U.S. Highway 287. The applicant requesting the PP is Berthoud Gateway LLC, with Jake McMillan acting as agent.

The preliminary plat request for the property (referred to as Westside Crossing), is projected as creating 40 townhome lots, 18 duplexes, 5 commercial lots, 5 out lots and one future commercial tract. Residential On the Northern half of the property (9.158 acres) recommended for Mixed-Use District (R-4), the applicant is proposing 18 duplexes on the far north, bordering the Matthews Farm subdivision, and 10 four-plexes to the South of the duplexes. Commercial: The Applicant is proposing a commercial layout similar to the original Safeway PUD, (Planned Unit Development) with a grocery store anchor, likely gas station on the corner of Meadowlark and Mountain Avenue, and commercial out lots along the perimeter. The project was formerly approved in 2006 as the Safeway PUD. The Safeway PUD was rezoned but never went to platting, as the project was pulled by Safeway before it reached that stage. The property was eventually acquired by the current developer who proposed several revisions heard and approved by the PC and Town Board in March and April of 2021. The Applicant made three Neighborhood Master Plan submittals and withdrew previous requests which originally included apartments after public comments were received. Each submittal has been sent out to property owners within 1,000’. Public comments are included in this packet. Early submittals included apartments, which were removed and replaced with duplexes and fourplexes buffering the single-family houses to the north.

The criteria in Section 30-6-107 B. of the Development Code for a PP. The PP criteria set forth in this code. This PP request represents a functional system of land use with different housing densities mixed throughout the project, logical commercial lot layout, and a modified grid pattern that minimizes long interrupted streets as well as dead-end streets, and an expanded portion of open space adjacent to Meadowlark Drive and Hwy 287. The application is consistent with the approved concept plan and incorporates the Town’s recommendations and any conditions of approval. The application is almost identical to the approved Neighborhood Master Plan, with the only changes due to minor engineering details The Applicant provided a Rodell Study for a roundabout and a Pedestrian Safety Plan The land use mix within the project conforms to Berthoud’s Zoning District Map and Preferred Land Use Map and furthers the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan and PORT Plan ü The land use mix within the project conforms to the Zoning District Map, as the property was rezoned earlier this year to allow for this development. The land use mix conforms to the Preferred Land Use Map and furthers the goals of the Comprehensive Plan, as this project is being developed in a mixed-use commercial and suburban residential pattern and density. ü The land use mix conforms to the PORT Plan by expanding the trail along 287, north from its current extent. The utility and transportation design is adequate, given the existing and planned capacities of those systems. The utility system can be adequately serviced by the town. Any impacts to the existing utility and transportation services will be required to be updated/improved by the developer, per the engineering standards approved in October 2021. Negative impacts on adjacent land uses including, but not limited solar access, heat, dust, glare, traffic, and noise have been identified and satisfactorily mitigated. The applicant has increased the open space buffer area on the Eastern and Western end of the site.

The applicant has agreed to the one-story condition for the Northern duplexes, and also a greenway o mitigate the negative view aspects from the existing adjoining development. 6. There is a need or desirability within the community for the applicant’s development and the development will help achieve a balance of land use and/or housing types within Berthoud, which like the rest of Northern Colorado, is experiencing a housing shortage, with the price of a standard home becoming less attainable to the average resident. If this project is approved, it will add 481 new homes to help reduce the strain that has been placed on the market. The mix of housing, from typical single-family, detached to duplexes and townhomes, will allow people of different incomes and in search of different housing types the opportunity to purchase a home in Berthoud. How the Applicant has addressed comments received from the public, during the Public Comment portion of the process There was no public comment received during this portion of the process

Staff recommends a motion to approve the Westside Crossing Preliminary Plat, finding that it satisfies Section report), with the following conditions:

Rapid Flashing Beacons across Hwy 56 are required with the development of the commercial lots

The northern duplexes remain one story in height.

Berm between the development and Highway 287.

Easement for gateway signage at south entrance to development.

The motion carried unanimously.

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