Loading...
boa_12 19 2011LITTLE ROCK BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT SUMMARY OF MINUTES DECEMBER 19,2011 2:00 P.M. I.Roll Call and Finding of a Quorum A Quorum was present being four (4)in number. II.Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Meetings The Minutes of the November 28,2011 meeting were approved as mailed by unanimous vote. III.Members Present:Robert Winchester,Chairman Scott Smith,Vice Chairman Brad Wingfield Jeff Yates Members Absent:Rajesh Mehta City Attorney Present:Cindy Dawson LITTLE ROCK BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT AGENDA DECEMBER 19,2011 2:00 P.M. I.OLD BUSINESS: No Old Business II.NEW BUSINESS: 1.Z-8060-A 6400 Geyer Springs Road 2.Z-8732 11935 Interstate 30 3.Z-8733 7704 Cantrell Road DECEMBER 19,2011 ITEM NO.:1 File No.:Z-8060-A Owner:Mark West Applicant:Nikki Burgess-West Address:6400 Geyer Springs Road Description:West side of Geyer Springs Road at Frozen Road Zoned:1-2 Variance Requested:A variance is requested from the paving provisions of Section 36- 508 to allow a temporary gravel vehicular use area. Justification:The applicant's justification is presented in an attached letter. Present Use of Property:Auto Repair and Sales Proposed Use of Property:Auto Repair and Sales STAFF REPORT A.Public Works Issues: No Comments B.Landsca e and Buffer Issues: Site plan must comply with the City's minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. The zoning buffer ordinance requires an average seventeen-foot (17')wide street buffer along Geyer Springs Road.The parking lot needs to be shifted west to meet this minimal city ordinance requirement. The landscape ordinance requires a nine-foot (9'-0")wide perimeter landscaping strip along Geyer Springs Road.A variance from this minimal amount will require City Beautiful Commission approval prior to the issuance of a building permit. Curb and gutter or another approved border will be required to protect landscaped areas from vehicular traffic. DECEMBER 19,2011 ITEM NO:1 CON'T The landscape ordinance requires a minimum of 8 %of the paved areas be landscaped with interior islands of at least 7 V~feet in width and 150 square feet in area.Proposed plan does not currently reflect this minimum. Upon rehabilitation or building addition in the future the parking lot and associated landscaping may need to be upgraded to meet minimal City Landscape and Zoning Ordinance requirements. A franchise agreement with the City of Little Rock will be required in conjunction with any/all amenities located within the public right-of-way. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. Prior to the issuance of a building permit,it will be necessary to provide an approved landscape plan stamped with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on this site.Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6)inch caliper or larger. C.~fftaff Anal ala: The 1-2 zoned property located at 6400 Geyer Springs Road is occupied by three (3)one-story commercial buildings which house an auto repair and sales business. The property is located along the west side of Geyer Springs Road,between W. 65'"Street and the railroad right-of-way to the north.A driveway from Geyer Springs Road near the southeast corner of the property serves as access.There is an area of paved parking on the north side of the building.The property is fenced with chain-link fencing. The applicant is proposing to gravel a portion of the property along the Geyer Springs frontage,as noted on the attached site plan.The gravel area is proposed for the display of vehicles for sale.The applicant is proposing use of the gravel area for 18 months,after which it would be paved,The applicant is proposing new wood and "cable wire"fencing as part of the project.The area where the temporary gravel vehicular use area is proposed is currently grass-covered. Section 36-508 of the City's Zoning Ordinance requires that all vehicular use areas be paved where subject to wheeled traffic.Therefore,the applicant is requesting a variance from this ordinance requirement to allow a gravel vehicular use area for 18 months. Staff is not supportive of the requested paving variance.There is a rather large area of asphalt paving along the north side of the building.A large portion of the existing paved area is occupied by vehicles which are not operational. DECEMBER 19,2011 ITEM NO.:1 CON'T. Staff feels that some of these vehicles could be consolidated/eliminated to make room for vehicular display until such time that the applicants are ready to pave the additional area.Additionally,the proposed gravel area would be in a very visible/prominent location of the property along the Geyer Springs Road frontage. Staff does not believe it appropriate to install a new gravel vehicular use area (even on a temporary basis)at this location along Geyer Springs Road.The properties across Geyer Springs Road to the east are developed with paved vehicular use areas,with a newly developed property to the southeast,at the corner of Geyer Springs Road and W.65'"Street. D.Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends denial of the requested paving variance. BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT:(December 19,2011) Staff informed the Board that the application needed to be deferred to the January 30, 2012 agenda so that a property ownership issue could be resolved. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and deferred to the January 30,2012 agenda with a vote of 4 ayes,0 nays and 1 absent. z)~&( West AutoPlus,Inc.P-g~g&-4 6400 Geyer Springs Road Little Rock,Ar 72209 Office 501-565-7704 Cell.501-425-1399 To whom it may concern: I,Mark West,owner of West Autoplus which is currently a body shop and automotive dealership.We are expanding the dealership so that we can have more inventory.We do understand that this location is zoned for paved surfaces,and our intentions are to do so in the future.I'm requesting a eighteen month waiver to do such improvements.Until then I would like to apply gravel in the proposed area.Thank you for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Mark West Owner DECEMBER 19,2011 ITEM NO.:2 File No.:Z-8732 Owner:Centennial Bank/2610 Acres,LLC Applicant:Jason Eby,Ace Signs of Arkansas Address:11935 Interstate 30 Description:East side of 1-30,north of Otter Creek South Road Zoned:l-2 Variance Requested:A variance is requested from the paving provisions of Section 36- 508 to allow a gravel vehicular use area. Justification:The applicant's justification is presented in an attached letter. Present Use of Property:Undeveloped Proposed Use of Property:Sign Company STAFF REPORT A.Public Works Issues: No Comment B.Landsca e and Bufferlssues: Site plan must comply with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinance requirements,and a 30 foot wide interstate buffer must be maintained along the l-30 frontage road (front)property line. C. ~Staff Ana sis: The 1-2 zoned property at 11935 Interstate 30 is currently undeveloped and mostly tree-covered.The property is located along the eastern side of l-30,approximately 350 feet north of Otter Creek South Road.The property is comprised of 3.0935 acres.There is a small 60 foot wide pipe stem at the southeast corner of the property which abuts Otter Creek South Road. The applicant is proposing to develop the property for a sign company,"Ace Signs of Arkansas".The proposed development will include a 25,200 square foot building located within the west half of the property,as noted on the attached site plan. DECEMBER 19,2011 ITEM NO.:2 CON'T Paved parking will be located on the west side of the building with an access drive from the 1-30 frontage road at the northwest corner of the property.The applicant is also proposing a gravel equipment yard within the east half of the property,with a gravel access driveway within the pipe stem from Otter Creek South Road.The gravel equipment yard will be fenced with eight (8)foot high black vinyl-coated chain link fencing.A gate will be located at the north end of the proposed gravel access driveway.The applicant is requesting the use of gravel within the east portion of the property due to the fact that large,heavy equipment will be parking/maneuvering within this area. Section 36-508 of the City's Zoning Ordinance requires that all vehicular use areas be paved where subject to wheeled traffic.Therefore,the applicant is requesting a variance from this ordinance requirement to allow the gravel vehicular use area. Staff is not supportive of the requested variance,as filed.Staff has no issues with the proposed gravel equipment yard area.This area will be located behind the building and have very little,if any,visibility from the adjacent streets.Gravel use within this area will be similar in nature to other uses which involve heavy equipment along 1-30.However,Staff does not support the gravel access driveway from Otter Creek South Road.All of the other access drives to properties along Otter Creek South Road are concreted or paved.This includes businesses which utilize large,heavy trucks,such as the "Watkins"warehouse along the south side of the roadway.The driveway from Otter Creek South Road will be used for heavy equipment to access the property and not for maneuvering of the equipment,backing/turning,back-and-forth movements which would damage a paved surface.Staff could support the application if the access driveway from Otter Creek South Road were paved for a distance of 170 feet from the Otter Creek South Road right-of-way. D.Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends denial of the pavement variance,as filed. BOARD OF AD J U STMENT:(December 19,2011) The applicant was present.There were no objectors present.Staff informed the Board that the applicant had revised the application and agreed to pave the access driveway from Otter Creek South Road for a distance of approximately 170 feet to the gravel equipment yard.Staff recommended approval of the revised application,subject to the following conditions: 1.Compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances. 2.Any outside storage must be screened as per code requirements. 3.The gravel equipment yard area must be hard-packed in a manner that does not result in the creation of dust,mud,silt or standing water. DECEMBER 19,2011 ITEM NO 'CON'T Staff noted that the Landscape and Buffer comments under Paragraph B.of the staff report would read as follows: ~Site plan must comply with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinance requirements,and a 30 foot wide interstate buffer must be maintained along the 1-30 frontage road (front)property line. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and approved,as revised and recommended by staff,with a vote of 4 ayes,0 nays and 1 absent. gg WHITE -DATERS &ASSOCIATES,INC./a'4 Rahling Circle~LiNe Rock,Arkansas 72223 Phone:501-821-1667 F73 ~- CmR Fax:501-821-1668 November 22,2011 Mr,Monte Moore City of Little Rock Neighborhoods and Planning 723 W.Markham St. Little Rock,AR 72201 RE:Ace Sign Variance Mr.Moore, Attached please find eighteen copies ofthe site plan for Lot 3 Otter Creek South Addition.Ace Sign Company has this property under contract.They wish to develop a 25,000 sq ft building that will contain 3,200 sq R of office space and the remainder in warehouse and production space. ln order to develop this site,Ace Sign is requesting a variance for a gravel equipment yard and access drive from Otter Creek South Road similar to what was approved for Hugg &Hall on Scott Hamilton Road.Ace Sign will have large,heavy equipment behind the building that will tear up an asphalt pavement.Since the equipment yard will not be visible from the street,the developer requests a variance for the gravel equipment yard. Please place this item on the December 19,2012 docket.Do not hesitate to call should you have any questions or require additional information. Respectfully submitted, W~csL&Q'~~ Joe D.White,Jr CIVIL ENGINEERING,LAND PLANNING &DEVELOPMENT,SURVEYING DECEMBER 19,2011 ITEM NO.:3 File No.:Z-8733 Owner:Cantrell 1,LLC Applicant:Chuck Fiser Address:7704 Cantrell Road Description:North side of Cantrell Road,at ATA Street Zoned:C-3 Variance Requested:A variance is requested from the sign provisions of Section 36-557 to allow a wall sign without direct street frontage. Justification:The applicant's justification is presented in an attached letter. Present Use of Property:Commercial Proposed Use of Property;Commercial STAFF REPORT A.Public Works Issues: No Comment S.~fftaff Anal ata: The C-3 zoned property at 7704 Cantrell Road is occupied by a one-story commercial building.The property is located on the north side of Cantrell Road at nTn Street.Access drives from Cantrell Road are located at the east and west ends of the property.A small parking area is located at the east end of the building. The applicant is proposing to locate a wall sign on the west end of the existing building for a new business,"Blue Truck Moving".The proposed sign will be 47.5 square feet in area and painted on the concrete block wall.The sign will replace a larger "Nationwide Insurance"sign which was recently painted over. Section 36-557(a)of the City's Zoning Ordinance requires that wall signs be located on sides of buildings which face streets.Therefore,the applicant is requesting a variance to allow a wall sign on the west end of the building,running perpendicular to the Cantrell Road right-of-way. DECEMBER 19,2011 ITEM NO.:3 CON'T. Staff is supportive of the requested variance to allow a sign without direct street frontage.Staff views the request as reasonable.Recent improvements and right- of-way acquisitions to Cantrell Road have created very little space between the existing building and the edge of pavement.Staff feels that this has a negative impact on the visibility of signs located on the south wall of the building.The sign on the west wall of the building will aid in identifying the building to east bound traffic on Cantrell Road.The sign will replace a wall sign that existed on this building for a number of years.Additionally,the proposed sign will only occupy ten (10)percent of the west wall of the building.Staff believes the proposed wall sign without street frontage will have no adverse impact on the adjacent properties or the general area. C.Staff Recommendation Staff recommends approval of the requested sign variance,subject to a sign permit being obtained. BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT:(December 19,2011) The applicant was present.There were no objectors present.Staff presented the application with a recommendation of approval,with conditions. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and approved,as recommended by staff, with a vote of 4 ayes,0 nays and 1 absent. Sign Variance Summary Z-2'733 The following document represents the proposal for a Sign Variance for the property located at 7704 Cantrell Road. We currently own the building in which we have recently moved our new business into.Our new business is Blue Truck Moving.The building is located on Cantrell Road and is directly to the East of The HOP (Restaurant)and directly to the West of Crazees Cafe.It is a single structure which is composed of a two story concrete block/brick section on the east side and a one story concrete block/brick section on the west side.We currently have 1 tenant which is CK Nails and they occupy the east portion.Nationwide has been a tenant for over 10 years in the middle section of the building,but they have recently moved their location so that area is currently vacant.Blue Truck moving has recently occupied the far west portion of the building. The only signage that is currently on the building is a Nationwide Sign that is painted in the west facade of the building and two awning signs —one for Nationwide and one for CK Nails.Obviously,Nationwide is no longer a tenant so their signs are no longer relevant. Being that our business is relatively new in Little Rock,we wanted to use signage to advertise our new location.We explored constructing a ground/pole sign but we were informed by Ace Sign that this would not be allowed because of the front set-backs and side setbacks.These setbacks were altered several years ago when Cantrell was widened was by the Arkansas Highway Department.We are really needing to advertise our business for traffic going east bound and west bound,but since we cannot construct this sort of sign,we are currently limited to simply an awning sign that would face directly toward Cantrell and might be difficult to see as vehicles pass by. Therefore,we are respectfully asking that the city allow us to paint our business name on the west side of the building so can advertise to traffic traveling east bound on Cantrell.Our painted sign (as seen in the attached photo)will be 10'/e of the square footage of the side wall that is resides on.In this case,the building wall is 39.5"long by 12"tall so our logo would be 10'/e of the total square footage —47.4 square feet,This will actually be significantly smaller than the current Nationwide painted sign that is on the right upper side of the west wall of the building.It is currently 18'/e of the total square footage of the side wall. Page 2 BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT VOTE RECORD DATE:kc MEMBER MEHTA,RAJESH SMITH,SCOTT WINCHESTER,BOB WINGFIELD,BRAD YATES,JEFF TIME IN AND TIME OUT MEHTA,RAJESH SMITH,SCOTT WINCHESTER,BOB WINGFIELD,BRAD YATES,JEFF II g Meeting Adjourned ~Z&0 P M AYE NAYE ~ABSENT ~ABSTAIN December 19,2011 There being no further business before the Board,the meeting was adjourned at 2:03 p.m. Date:3O i'- Chairman Secreta