Draper-heartland project approved
Height exception for parking garage OK’D by Loveland’s panel
The Draper-heartland mixeduse development cleared its final hurdle on Monday, when Loveland’s Planning Commission voted to approve the project, as well as a height exception for the accompanying parking garage. That paves the way for construction to begin, though the timetable for that is still undecided.
According to a presentation led by city planner Troy Bliss, the five-story Draper will be built at the corner of Fourth and Lincoln streets, incorporating five buildings on the north side of the block. That includes the two historic buildings at 315 and 333 Fourth St., which will be integrated into the building. When complete, it will comprise 108,925 square feet, with 96 residential units and 14,559 square feet of commercial space.
The development will showcase the historic nature of the block, starting with a nod to Draper Drugs, which occupied the corner from the 1930s to the 1980s. It also includes Penney Lane, a cut-through between buildings, named for the former J.C. Penney store on the block, renovations to Sweetheart Alley, and a theater built in tribute to the Odd Fellows Hall.
To accommodate the new residents and visitors to downtown, the development also includes a 4.5-story parking garage at the corner of Fifth Street and Jefferson Avenues. Though modeled after the Foundry parking garage at Third Street and Lincoln Avenue, the Draper garage design team has made a few design changes, prompting the need for a height exception.
“As we were going through the review, and working through some of the design parameters internal to the parking structure, we as the city started to discover that what was currently being designed was not quite meeting our expectations,” Bliss told the commission.
“In fact, this project was somewhat based upon the Foundry, and we wanted to make sure that lessons learned from the Foundry in terms of functionality, operational aspects and circulation within the garage was either
being improved, or not necessarily worse than then some of the experiences we’ve seen at the Foundry.”
The height of each story in the garage has been raised by 12 inches each, pushing the height of the stair towers above the maximum limit of 70 feet allowed by the downtown zoning. The tower on the northeast corner (at Fifth Street and Jefferson Avenue) will rise to 75 feet, 8 inches, and the southwest tower will rise to 74 feet, 1 inch.
A shade analysis presented by architect Jeff Smith showed that the increased height will not increase the amount of shade on neighboring properties on sunny days.
Total costs for the new building are projected to be at least $32 million, while the parking garage adds $11 million, a cost that will be picked up by the city.
The Planning Commission approval comes with some conditions, both for the Draper and the garage. Notably, the sewer line serving the building on the block will have to be relocated, since it would otherwise be under the garage. The power supply for the project will be installed under sidewalks and roadways, so the developer will assume responsibility for “asphalt and/or concrete repaving or repair” after any city improvements.
Public comment on the matter centered mostly on parking, both at the garage and in downtown as a whole, and claims by the city and developer that the new garage will bring a net total of 171 new spaces to downtown. Loveland resident Linda Rosa questioned the developer claim that the new garage will bring a net total of 171 new spaces, and said the coming HIP Streets project will actually lead to a loss of parking spaces downtown. She also said that having two parking garages within blocks of each other is “obscene.”
There was not much discussion among the Planning Commission before the vote, but at least two members expressed appreciation for the last-minute changes to the parking garage.
“I was very grateful for the thought that is going into the parking structure and the reasoning for needing to make it a little bit taller,” Commissioner Sarah Mckeen. “I appreciate the thinking about the issues with the other parking structure and incorporating things to help eliminate those issues moving forward.”
Mckeen and the five other members went on to vote unanimously in favor of the project.
With the Planning Commission approval, the project can now proceed to permitting and eventually construction. According to development design consultant Ashley Stiles, the team is anticipating an 18-month timeline, and could potentially break ground in late summer or early fall of this year.