HomeMy WebLinkAboutSitePlanNarrative_03-04-21Site Plan Review - Narrative
For Bozeman Cohousing
3120 Wagon Wheel Road
March 4, 2020
Table of Contents
Project Narrative 1
Access 2
Woonerf Design 3
Parking 3
Recycling and Waste 3
Snow Storage 4
Utilities 4
Landscape 4
Open space 5
Parks 6
Stormwater 6
Lot Aggregation 7
Car Share 7
Departures 8
Apartment Building, Limited 8
Slope to Stormwater Features 8
Project Narrative
Project narrative describing the project type, proposed use scope, size
(dwellings, building size(s), building height(s), number of buildings, number of
total parking spaces) intent, and phasing, if applicable.
The project is a 43-dwelling neighborhood conceived using the cohousing model.
Cohousing is developed and facilitatively designed with future residents to foster
strong community ties and with a focus on sustainability. While there are
Page 1 of 8
Site Plan Review - Narrative
hundreds of cohousing communities in North America, this will be the first
cohousing community in Bozeman. Roughly 70% of the future residents, many
citizens of Bozeman, contributed to this site plan design in a series of workshops.
Because this neighborhood was facilitatively designed to meet the needs, goals,
and aspirations of the future residents, you will notice some innovative/divergent
development strategies. Working in communication with Chris Saunders and
Lance Lehigh (1/29/20 meeting and emails) and in response to feedback from the
City (DRC Comments from two informal reviews), the design team has sought to
align these strategies with city needs.
The 43 dwellings are to be constructed within 12 buildings. Eight are two-story
buildings, each about 4500 square feet and each containing four dwellings in
both side-by-side (a.k.a. rowhouse) and stacked flat configurations. One building
with three studio-condos located above the garages. And, one apartment limited
residential building including eight dwellings and common facilities serving all
residences. An additional 500 square foot maker-space is attached to garages.
An existing barn will remain while the existing single-family home will be
demolished.
The future residents of the community, who are funding the development and are
instrumental in the design process, are individuals and families that live and work
in Bozeman. The proposed neighborhood will provide workforce housing. Many
current members of Bozeman Cohousing are making sacrifices to make the
required financial commitments. For example, one member family recently sold
their home and moved into a smaller apartment, which demonstrates how much
we believe in the idea of cohousing. The members include daycare workers,
fixed-income retirees, college professors, young adults with special needs, and
government employees. Increases to the cost of this project will have significant
negative effects on the Bozeman residents creating this project, many of whom
would be priced out if project costs escalate.
A lot of work and thought has been put into the site plan and it strives to provide
for the needs of future residents while respecting the City’s requirements. As
current residents of Bozeman, we want to do our fair share while also achieving
the goals and aspirations of this neighborhood that is expanding the possibilities
for neighborhood sustainability and community vitality.
Access
Two means of access to the site are provided upon request of Chris Saunders
and Lance Lehigh and the subsequent DRC comments. The primary vehicular
access aligns with Concord drive. The secondary site access is designed as a
woonerf to accommodate intermixed regular pedestrian and bicycle traffic and
emergency vehicle access using a combination of concrete and asphalt.
Page 2 of 8
Site Plan Review - Narrative
Pedestrian and emergency vehicle access extends into the central open space
as a greenway and terminates in a Y turn-around to provide emergency vehicle
access to all buildings. This strategy provides essential emergency access, while
facilitating the clustering of parking, which maximizes open space, increases
social cohesion, increases pedestrian safety, and reduces embodied carbon,
urban heat island effect, and stormwater runoff.
Woonerf Design
The woonerf provides pedestrian, bicycle, and emergency access into the site.
The design consists of a combination of concrete and asphalt to provide a
pedestrian-friendly environment while supporting the needs of emergency
vehicles. The utilities run under the woonerf and the woonerf provides access to
the utilities in an emergency or for maintenance.
East of the parking area, the woonerf transitions to a greenway designed with a
combination of concrete and Grasspave2, which accommodates the pedestrian
intent and supports emergency vehicle access. We have included language in
the CC&R documents describing that the Condominium Owners Association will
repair and replace the Grasspave2 product if damaged by the City of Bozeman.
We have included the Grasspave2 maintenance documentation that describes
the straightforward steps to repair or replace the plastic Grasspave2 product.
Snow removal on the Grasspave2 surface is often another concern and we have
included the GrassPave2 snow removal guide.
Parking
A total of 79 parking spaces are provided onsite. Under Table 38.540.050-1 a
total of 99 spaces would be required without reductions. The project includes
three shared cars reducing the required parking by 15. Lastly, an additional 1750
square feet of landscape area is to be provided between the Wagonwheel
right-of-way and the garages that are beside the studio-condos, reducing the
parking requirement by 5 spaces, therein reducing the total parking requirement
to the number provided onsite. The number of parking spaces provided exceeds
the future residents’ needs by over 20% including both their vehicle ownership
and guest parking.
Recycling and Waste
The recycling and trash enclosure is planned to accommodate four 450 gallon
totes with side pickup. The group will utilize recycling, reuse, and composting
measures in daily activities, reducing the need to haul off refuse. Given these
measures and the overall sustainability focus of future residents, large dumpsters
Page 3 of 8
Site Plan Review - Narrative
are not anticipated to be needed. Furthermore, they are not desired due to the
noise created when emptying them.
Snow Storage
Snow storage is accommodated north of the vehicular entry and parking, north of
the main parking area, in the central landscaped area between the isles of
parking, in front of the common house, and in the central open space.
Utilities
City utilities are to be pulled from Wagon Wheel Rd. and brought onto the site
underneath the woonerf (secondary access) and continues under the emergency
vehicle access.
Based on conversations with city staff, mostly through Lance Lehigh, we have
adjusted the surfacing over the utilities. Concrete and asphalt will be used on the
woonerf on the western side of the site through the parking area. On the eastern
side of the site where only pedestrian and emergency vehicles will access, the
utilities are covered by a combination of concrete and GrassPave2.
The community has included language in the CC&R documents for the
condominium owners association maintenance agreements that state the COA
will repair and replace the GrassPave2 product in the event it is damaged due to
maintenance conducted by the city.
Per the DRC comments, the water main is stubbed out to the northern property
line for a second future looped connection.
Landscape
The landscape design of the cohousing community consists of a combination of
private, semi-private, common spaces, and native buffers.
Community Approach: The landscape in the cohousing community plays a vital
role in socialization and community building through hands-on gardening and
teamwork. In addition to being an enjoyable activity for residents, it is seen as a
vital community-building activity. Taking pride in their residences and common
spaces, the community intends to work together to install most of the landscape
elements themselves. The landscaping is planned to be additionally curated and
enhanced over time by the community.
Page 4 of 8
Site Plan Review - Narrative
Existing Landscaping: The existing property has functioned as a small hobby
farm for many years. The landscape on the eastern portion of the property
extending to the creek and east fence line, features existing livestock paddocks,
fencing, and shelters. The paddock areas and slope have been over-grazed and
invaded with weeds. The sloped area also boasts various existing large shrubs
and tree species. Portions of the riparian area immediately adjacent to the creek
bed are delineated wetlands and are indicated on the site survey. There are
several existing creek crossings, in the form of rudimentary pedestrian bridges.
The western portion of the property features existing hedgerows, manicured
lawn, brush-hogged pasture grasses, and a few mature trees. There are two
existing wells on site, which are intended to be used for irrigation purposes.
Boulevard Treatment: The Boulevard along Wagon Wheel Rd. is proposed to
be a planted bioswale, featuring drought-tolerant perennials, shrubs, and trees.
Stormwater treatments: Stormwater runoff will be treated throughout the
development via rain gardens and bioswales.
Trails: A natural fines trail will be installed running north-south, and located west
of the northernmost parking area.
Native Plantings: The majority of the development’s turf areas will feature native
grasses, to be maintained in a naturalistic manner. Native and naturalized,
drought-tolerant, and deer-resistant plantings will be featured throughout the
development.
Hardscape: The site will feature internal sidewalks connections and various
permeable and impervious hardscape features. These features will include a
common terrace, atrium plaza, common workspace/flex space plaza, and the
secondary access route.
Erosion Control: Erosion control measures will be implemented during
revegetation, particularly on the eastern slope.
Irrigation: Smart irrigation techniques will be implemented, utilizing drip irrigation
wherever possible, minimizing sprinkler usage, and avoiding sprinkler overspray
onto hardscapes.
Open space
Private open space is provided for every ground floor dwelling in the back and
front yards and exceeds the required 150 square feet. Upstairs flats are provided
with a private balcony exceeding 36 square feet. The remaining open space
Page 5 of 8
Site Plan Review - Narrative
required for upstairs flats (12 x 75sf = 900sf) is greatly exceeded by the common
terrace and central open space.
Parks
Based on conversations with Addi Jadin and approval by the Parks Board on
August 13th, 2020, cash-in-lieu is being provided to meet the parkland
requirement of Section 38.420.
Stormwater
The site is located on a relatively flat terrace adjacent to Mathew Bird Creek. The
majority of the site is gently sloped toward the center of the northern property
boundary. The eastern quarter of the property is sloped toward Mathew Bird
Creek. The hillside adjacent to the stream is steep with 30-40 percent slopes.
The site may receive a small amount of offsite drainage from the Woodridge
Addition to the south. There are two major existing sub-basins for the site, and
most drainage currently flows northward towards the center of the northern
property line.
The stormwater drainage plan for this project has been developed to exceed
stormwater drainage design criteria required by the City of Bozeman Design
Standards and Specifications Policy (City Standards), dated March 2004.
Minimum design criteria per the design standards included:
· Stormwater runoff from the development site shall be limited to the
predevelopment runoff rates. Adequate on-site stormwater detention shall be
provided for design storm runoff exceeding the pre-development rate.
· Stormwater storage and treatment facilities shall be designed to remove
pollutants.
· Storm sewer facilities shall be designed to handle a 25-year storm event.
· The drainage plan shall include, to the greatest extent feasible, low impact
development practices that infiltrate, evapotranspire, or capture for reuse the
runoff generated from the first 0.5 inches of rainfall from a 24-hour storm
preceded by 48 hours of no measurable precipitation.
The Design Standards reference a modified Rational Method to calculate
detention storage for the 10-year, 2-hour storm event and the standard Rational
Method to calculate peak runoff of the 25-year storm event.
The Bozeman Cohousing design team has elected to implement a stormwater
management system that substantially exceeds City of Bozeman minimum
design criteria. The overarching project design goal is to fully infiltrate the
Page 6 of 8
Site Plan Review - Narrative
100-year, 6-hour storm event. This translates to approximately seventy (70)
percent greater rainfall depth (e.g. 0.81 inches vs. 1.35 inches) in which to base
stormwater storage and infiltration design in comparison to City Standards.
Stormwater conveyance infrastructure is designed based on the 25-year event as
calculated using the Rational Method per City Standards. The conveyance
design conservatively assumes that the storage and infiltration infrastructures do
not attenuate peak flow rates.
The proposed design substantially complies or exceeds the City’s objective that
“the drainage plan shall include, to the greatest extent feasible, low impact
development practices that infiltrate, evapotranspire, or capture for reuse the
runoff generated from the first 0.5 inches of rainfall from a 24-hour storm
preceded by 48 hours of no measurable precipitation.” For project design
purposes and to promote infrastructure longevity, the “0.5 inches of rainfall from a
24-hour storm” is used as a metric for pre-treatment in advance of stormwater
runoff entering cobble infiltration galleries that serve as the primary feature for
infiltrating large storm events.
Lot Aggregation
The site consists of two tracts. It is our intention to aggregate the two tracts into
one lot.
Car Share
This development is planning to have three car share vehicles to reduce the
number of vehicles on the site and thus our parking requirements. This project is
atypical in that it is being driven by future homeowners and not a developer. With
roughly 70% of the homes already pre-sold we are in a unique position to
understand the real needs and desires of future residents. A recent survey of
future residents shows that 28% have a strong intent to participate in the car
share with another 36% considering participating. We have a team that is
working to create this car share and meet the requirements of the City of
Bozeman.
To date, the team has identified multiple vehicles that will be used for the
carshare, has research insurance options, is exploring software for a reservation
system, and is developing policies. The community (Bozeman Cohousing) has
identified three parking spaces for the car share, which are shown on the site
plan. A complete list of the responsibilities is provided in the document entitled
“Car Share Responsibilities”.
Page 7 of 8
Site Plan Review - Narrative
Departures
Apartment Building, Limited
38.360.070.A.4.b
A length of up to 160' may be granted for the Apartment Building, Limited based
on lot size, which exceeds 164,000sf (3.76 acres).
38.360.070.A.4.c
The additional building length meets the intent of providing additional design
flexibility for this unique cohousing project. Specifically it allows eight homes to
access common facilities without exposure to the elements, which is particularly
beneficial for elderly residents and residents with limited mobility. The
configuration also provides access to this enclosed atrium space for all residents,
greatly increasing their access to shared amenities. The proposed design is
consistent with the mass and scale of the medium density zoning district.
Specifically the proposed design deploys strategies such as broken down
massing and varied materials to integrate the character of the apartment building,
limited building with adjacent buildings on and off site. Furthermore, the
orientation of the lengthened facades of the building face interior to the project
and toward the rear of the neighboring property's garage.
Slope to Stormwater Features
City of Bozeman Engineering Standards require that detention basins have side
slopes of 4:1 or flatter. The proposed design provides dispersed stormwater
management that largely facilitates storage via subsurface cobble infiltration
galleries. Shallow above-grade rain gardens are proposed for supplementary
above grade storage with desired side-slopes of 2:1 or flatter. The rain garden
features have a maximum physical depth of 3-feet and a maximum design
storage depth of approximately 1.6-feet for the 10-year, 6-hour storm event as
documented in the Stormwater Drainage Plan.
Page 8 of 8