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Z-4984 Staff AnalysisMarch 8, 1988 SUBDIVISIONS Item No. 10 NAME: LOCATION: OWNER/APPLICANT: PROPOSAL: Good Counsel Conditional Use Permit (Z-4984) The southwest corner of 12th and Jackson Streets (1321 South Van Buren) Diocese of Little Rock/ Thomas L. Humphries To construct a one-story (6,250 square feet) classroom building addition (five classrooms - two kindergartens, two first grade and one second grade) to an existing school (grades 1-8 - 438 capacity) and an existing sanctuary (,550 capacity) on 4.04+ acres of land that is zoned "R-3." ORDINANCE DESIGN STANDARDS: 1. Site Location Adjacent to an arterial (12th Street) and, three residential streets (Jackson, 14th, and Van Buren Streets). 2. Compatibility with Neighborhood This site is abutted by office to the north and east, and single family located to the south, east, and west. The new construction will take place toward the north end of the property (12th Street) and will have minimum impact on the surrounding area. A church and a school use is compatible with the surrounding area provided adequate attention is paid to the resulting traffic patterns, parking, and drop-off areas. March 8, 1988 SUBDIVISIONS Item No. 10 - Continued 3. On -Site Drives and Parking The site contains three paved access drives (one on Jackson and two on Van Buren Street) and will contain 112 paved parking spaces (18-20 spaces will be lost due to new construction). 4. Screeninq and Buffers 5. M 7. The applicant is proposing to use the existing trees and shrubbery for landscaping and is showing additional landscaping on the site plan adjacent to the proposed building. Analysis The staff feels that the proposed use is compatible with the surrounding area (see no. 2). The staff does, however, have some concern about traffic circulation, parking and drop-off areas. The proposed addition (40 additional students and two additional teachers) will displace 18 to 20 existing parking spaces. The project will still exceed ordinance parking requirements (112 proposed for church use - 110 required/less than 60 required for the school use). The staff would like to see the applicant offer ideas for improvement for traffic circulation and stacking. The staff recommendation is also subject to any comments by the City Engineer regarding circulation and stacking. Citv Enqineer Comments (1) Improve one-half of Van Buren Street to City standards for the length of the church property; (2) Meet with the City Engineer to redesign the northernmost exit on Van Buren Street. Staff Recommendation Approval, provided the applicant agrees to: (1) offer improvements for the traffic circulation and stacking; and (2) City Engineer comments nos. 1 and 2. March 8, 1988 SUBDIVISIONS Item No. 10 - Continued SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE REVIEW: The applicant was present. The staff stated that it had some reservations about the project due to recent doubt about the accuracy of the information it had received and asked that the architect submit a letter giving specific information about the capacity of the church sanctuary and the number of parking spaces that would be displaced due to new construction. The applicant stated that street improvements along Van Buren Street would be a difficult financial burden on the church and the project in particular. The applicant agreed to meet with the City Engineer and submit a revised site plan accordingly. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: The applicant was present. Objectors were also present. The staff stated that they had received one call for the project and five against, one letter in support, and four letters against. Most of the objections related to the parking and traffic circulation in the neighborhood. A petition in opposition that contains seven names out of eight homeowners on 13th Street that opposed the project was also received. The staff then recommended approval of the development subject to the parking being verified by the architect and the applicant submitting a revised site plan containing the revised parking area and the revised northernmost access point on Van Buren Street. Staff's recommendation of approval was also subject to the applicant agreeing to one-half street improvements from the northernmost access point northward to the 12th Street intersection on Van Buren. Mr. Thomas Humphries, the applicant, said they were concerned. He said that they met with the City Engineer and agreed to one-half of the street improvements on Van Buren from the northernmost access to 12th Street. They proposed additional improvements to Van Buren Street when any other additional construction on the site would take place. Ms. Cindy Hartsfield who lives at 5218 West 13th Street spoke in opposition. She brought a petition from the residents of West 13th Street between the cross street of Harrison and Van Buren Streets. Ms. Hartsfield said that they were requesting that Our Lady of the Good Council Church be required to limit the parking and traffic situation prior to the Commission approval of the application. She said that they were not opposed to the March 8, 1988 SUBDIVISIONS Item No. 10 - Continued expansion of the physical site not expansion of the building. Their problem is traffic and parking. Ms. Hartsfield also stated that a reduction from 18 to 20 parking spaces resulting from the construction would just intensify the parking situation. She said that their request was no different from what the staff had pointed out. The only exception is that they had asked that the permit not be approved until they have a chance to look at what the applicant is trying to do. Ms. Hartsfield pointed out that the changes were where they were going to make the accessway, off 12th Street will not help them at all due to the fact that it was a minor change. Their major problem is homeowners are on the street and traffic parking is a problem. Mr. Jim Tribou, representing the applicant who is a civil engineer and is with the developing firm and also a member of Good Council, said the improvements they would make will be large enough to accommodate two traffic lanes on the one-way street of Van Buren from the northernment access down to 12th Street and the stacking problem was due to the volume of traffic. There was a lengthy discussion concerning the traffic and the parking problems. A motion was then made to approve the conditional use permit. The Commission then voted 7 ayes, 2 noes, and 2 absent to approve the application as recommended by the staff and agreed to by the applicant.