"The Fort"
A Vision for the River Downtown Redevelopment Area February 2001
by Historic Fort Collins Development Corporation

Location and Use
Our vision for the redevelopment of the near north side of downtown Fort Collins centers on the extension of Linden Street north to the Poudre River. Included also is the area west to College Avenue, and east to the Ranchway Feed and Harmony Mill sites on Lincoln Avenue. We believe the areas north of the river along College Ave should not be overlooked for additional intensive development, thereby distributing the density over a larger area. And we support mixed uses, including residential, which reflect the fort area's historic pattern of development.

Priorities
The most important aspects of any development will be interpreting the Old Fort Site and extending the success of Old Town. We believe a clear visual corridor must be established along Linden Street to the Poudre River to highlight locations and buildings from our city's earliest history. In addition, remaining significant buildings must be preserved and protected from overwhelming surrounding development. These buildings should be the basis for design guidelines for new construction, including their scale, size, and mass.

Plan: "The Fort"
Nearly everyone who visits or moves to Fort Collins wants to know "Where is the fort?" We want to reestablish this area's sense of place and capitalize on the interest in the birthplace of our city. Name this redevelopment "The Fort" and create a streetscape that focuses on the historic significance. Remove any possibility that contemporary development could obscure the history of this important location.

The area from just north of Jefferson St to the Poudre River and from Pine St to Chestnut centering on Linden Street includes the locations of buildings associated with the original fort as well as the parade ground. While no structures remain, their locations are known. Reconstruction of any aspect of the fort is not recommended, but a successful streetscape will clearly identify the Old Fort era and highlight historic buildings.

We believe it is vitally important to establish a strong visual corridor that will draw people into the historic area and on through to the Poudre River. To that end we recommend the following:

· Mark the entrance to The Fort with a significant gateway on Linden Street looking north. This establishes this area as distinct from Old Town.
· Use roadway and landscape features true to the historic setting, without modern urban streetscape elements. The center roadway should have shallow gutters and shoulders. Natural, grassy strips should separate the road from wide walkways. Move all onstreet parking to east-west cross streets and out of the historic context. Require "interior" parking associated with new larger buildings.
· Establish setbacks from the face of existing historic buildings for new buildings along Linden Street to create a wider visual corridor. Allow only existing historic buildings to intrude into this space.
· Keep new building fronts on Linden Street no taller than 1 1/2 to 2 stories to complement the history of this block. We support the current zoning that allows them to step up only as they step back. Entrances to new buildings other than first floor retail and restaurant should be placed on their north and south sides along Jefferson and Willow Streets.
· Establish interpretive walking trail along Linden with signage and historic panels at each significant location. Provide audio tours for visitors. Indicate the perimeter and location of the actual Parade Ground with contrasting materials and colors.
This plan will answer the question "Where was the old fort anyway?" as well as visually draw people through this historic area all the way to the River.

Preserve and Protect
Several historic periods are still represented by existing structures in this area. The Fort was abandoned by 1867. Ranchway Feeds and the Harmony Mill buildings were built in the 1870's and 1880's. Also in the 1870's Jefferson Street saw commercial development and Linden, Willow, Chestnut, and Pine became residential. Excellent photo documentation exists of these periods. Most of the buildings were auctioned off and removed before the Railroad was completed in 1911. The current remaining commercial buildings were built from1911 to 1913 with brick. Several historic residences remain.

We feel that the periods for which we have the most information should be used as reference for the redevelopment. The elements of the building designs from 1870 to 1915 should be incorporated into new construction. Buildings built after 1913 will soon be surveyed to determine their historic significance and should be taken into account at that time.

This area was never filled with rows of three story businesses, as was Old Town. If this type of infill is to now take place, the old buildings must not be dwarfed by the new. Linden Street had nearly all one to two story structures. New development desiring three stories and more should be transitioned away from Linden and into the areas closer to taller existing historic structures. And building sizes along the north side of Jefferson Street must complement and respect the size, mass, and feel of those across the street in Old Town.

Lastly, the exterior materials and colors for new construction in "The Fort" must reflect and complement the existing historic buildings, the adjacent Historic District in Old Town, and the materials historically used in these blocks.

Our entire community has long awaited the day when the Downtown River area would afford a center of recreation and activity. The Fort will soon return to its role as a place where our citizens come together to celebrate the history and natural assets of this place.