River North Design Overlay 38 th & Blake Incentive Overlay Text and Map Amendments Information Item Denver Planning Board November 15th, 2017
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts Sponsor & Community Partners Zoning code text and map amendments sponsored by Council President Albus Brooks Developed in consultation with community stakeholders Focused stakeholder meetings (5+) Property owner meetings (10+) Public meeting 2
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts Project Scope & Objectives Implement Adopted 38 th and Blake Station Area Plan Height Amendments Promote taller building height to support transit Ensure that increased height/density provides specific community benefits Promote greater design quality Establish the river as an amenity Integrate affordable housing 3
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts How Did We Get Here? Overlapping Neighborhood Plans Adopted from 2003-2015 2015-2016 Planning Process Clarifies Vision for Height and Design - Plan Amendments Adopted 2016 2016-2017 Plan Implementation Effort Proposes Zoning Overlays. Projected Adoption 2/2018 4
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts Final Process Steps Planning Board Info Item July 19 City Council Committee Info Item August 8 INC ZAP Presentation August 26 Property Owner Open House September 12 Incentive Feasibility Evaluation Meeting October 12 Public Review of Text and Map Amendments Oct. 20 Nov. 21 Public Meeting November 8 Planning Board Info Item November 15 Drop-in Office Hours November 14, 16 & 20 Follow-up Meeting on Incentive Feasibility Evaluation November 30 Planning Board Public Hearing December 6 City Council Public Adoption Hearing Early February 2018 5
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts Overview of Project Components 38 th & Blake Incentive Overlay 6
Overlay Zone Districts 7
Proposed River North Design Overlay Overlay Text Amendment 8
Street Activation Build-to/Setbacks Transparency Street Level Height Active Uses Building Design Elements Structured Parking Design Floor Area Mass Reduction Design Overlay Text Amendment Design Tools Overview 9
Design Overlay Text Amendment Street Level Activation Sample Tools Street Level Height Min. 16 tall street level Promotes flexibility for later conversion Street Level Active Use 70% of frontage must be residential or commercial (can not parking or storage) In a large project, 50% of frontage must be commercial (can not be residential)
Design Overlay Text Amendment Street Level Activation Sample Tools Residential Setbacks & Entry Requirements
Floor Area Mass Reduction Applies only to large zone lots Zone lot > 150 in width or 18,750 sf Floors 2-5: 10% reduction Floors 6-8: 15% reduction Floors 9-12: 20% reduction Floors 13-16: 30% reduction Alternative for provision of private open space Design Overlay Text Amendment Building Elements Sample Tools
Floor Area Mass Reduction Design Overlay Text Amendment Building Elements Sample Tools
Design Overlay Text Amendment Other Standards No Minimum Parking Requirements ½ Mile from Transit Surface Parking Landscaping Vehicle Access from Alley Treat the River as a Primary Street! River
Proposed 38 th & Blake Station Area Incentive Overlay Text Amendment 16
Incentive Overlay Text Amendment Adopted Building Height Policy Future Building Height Map Adopted by City Council Fall 2016 17
Incentive Overlay Text Amendment Overview Base Height Standard linkage fee Incentive Height - Additional requirements apply to incentive stories (note that affordable housing fee/unit requirements are never lower than citywide requirements) Residential Additional 4x citywide unit requirement No fee option Commercial Additional 4x citywide fee or unit requirement Option to negotiate agreement to provide community-serving uses 18
Incentive Overlay Text Amendment Example Project: Residential 19
Incentive Overlay Text Amendment Example Project: Commercial (fee) 20
Incentive Overlay Text Amendment Residential Affordability Requirements Units must be affordable at 80% AMI Units provided to meet incentive requirements must within the overlay area Option to partner with another builder to provide units offsite Mix and size of affordable units must match market rate units Plan to provide affordable units can cover more than one parcel, BUT must include: Specific parcels Number of units provided Unit development timeline 21
Incentive Overlay Text Amendment Feasibility Evaluation 7 out of 10 scenarios tested yielded higher returns for incentive projects (in the form of residual land value) Scenarios where the evaluation indicated higher returns for incentive projects would be possible in 80% of the land area within the incentive overlay 22
Incentive Overlay Text Amendment Community-serving Use Agreement Voluntary Agreement with Denver Office of Economic Development Can Meet Special Incentive Requirements Only Incentive requirements generated only by nonresidential uses above the base height Citywide affordable housing linkage fee will apply to all floors of building as it would elsewhere in the city Value of Fee Translated to Provision of Community Serving Uses, Such As: Art studios and maker spaces Community services, such as child car or community kitchens Non-profit space 23
Incentive Overlay Framework to Implement Incentive System DZC Text Amendment DRMC Amendment Establish overlay category Allow increased height Clarify relationship to other height standards/exceptions Establish new housing incentives article in Chapter 27 Housing Incentive requirements Relationship to linkage fee 24
Incentive Overlay Base District Rezoning 25
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts What We ve Heard 26
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts What We ve Heard Excitement regarding the future Public support for incentive and design requirements Some public concern regarding: Growth and change No parking requirements near transit Technical questions from property owners and developers Challenges with incentivized communityserving use option Public: Ensure its not a loophole Owners and developers: Make it straightforward 27
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts Next Steps Drop-in Office Hours November 14, 16 & 20 Follow-up Meeting on Incentive Feasibility Evaluation November 30 Planning Board Public Hearing December 6 Land Use, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee January 2, 2018 City Council Public Adoption Hearing Early February 2018 28
38 th and Blake/RiNo Overlay Zone Districts For More Information www.denvergov.org/38blake Additional Questions & Comments abe.barge@denvergov.org andrew.webb@denvergov.org 29