OtterCreek_PlanOtter Creek / Crystal Valley
"A Neighborhood Action Plan"
January 2000
Neighborhood Associations:
Otter Creek Neighborhood Association
Crystal Valley Neighborhood Association
Steering Committee:
Cathy Coston
Art English
Barbara Pierce
Oley Rooker
Henry Alexander
Steve & Connie Ingram
Necole Kreie
Danny Harris
Richard Todd
Richard King
David Fenter
George & Joan Ingram
Norm Floyd
Nathan Dendy
Helen Todd
John Pratt
Bruce Steinhardt
Billy Jean Barclay -Hyde
Special Thanks:
Bob Dial, Otter Creek Neighborhood Association
Britt A. Skarda, Henderson United Methodist Church
Rev. Percy Billingsly, Calvary Apostolic United Pentecostal Church
City of Little Rock:
Planning and Development: Brian Minyard
Vince Hustead
Quenton Burge
Himanshu Patel
Public Works: Harold Ford
Robert Fureigh
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 2
RESOLUTION NO. 133
A RESOLUTION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS IN
SUPPORT OF THE OTTER CREEK/CYRSTAL VALLEY
NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIONPLAN.
WHEREAS, the area residents and Neighborhood Associations
formed a Steering Committee to develop a neighborhood Plan; and
WHEREAS, the residents and other "stakeholders" in the area
participated in a public meetings to discuss and identify area
concerns to include in the plan; and
WHEREAS, After several months of work by the Steering
Committee, a set of goals and objectives were developed and
presented to the neighborhood at a Plan Preview meeting; and
WHEREAS, this Plan (Goals and Objectives) provides a way
for both neighborhood based groups and others working in and
around the neighborhood to advance the desires and meet the
needs of the residents.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.
SECTION 1. The Planning Commission of the City of Little
Rock does support the vision and goals as expresses in the Otter
Creek/Crystal Valley Area Improvement Plan.
ADOPTED:
March 2,2000
TEST:
CHAIRMAN
RESOLUTION NO. 10,796
A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS IN
SUPPORT OF THE OTTER CREEK/CYRSTAL VALLEY
NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIONPLAN.
WHEREAS, the area residents and Neighborhood Associations
formed a Steering Committee to develop a neighborhood Plan; and
WHEREAS, the residents and other "stakeholders" in the area
participated in a public meetings to discuss and identify area
concerns to include in the plan; and
WHEREAS, After several months of work by the Steering
Committee, a set of goals and objectives were developed and
presented to the neighborhood at a Plan Preview meeting; and
WHEREAS, this Plan (Goals and Objectives) provides a way
for both neighborhood based groups and others working in and
around the neighborhood to advance the desires and meet the
needs of the residents.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.
SECTION 1. The Board of Directors of the City of Little
Rock does support the vision and goals as expresses in the Otter
Creek/Crystal Valley Area Improvement Plan.
ADOPTED: April 4, 2000
ATTEST:
s/Nancy Wood
CITY CLERK
s/Jim Dailey
MAYOR
Table of Contents:
Introduction
4
Vision Statement
4
Goals and Objectives
5
Infrastructure
5
Natural Environment
8
Public Safety
9
Residential Development
10
Office and Commercial Development
11
Parks and Recreation
12
Education
13
Neighborhood Involvement
14
Maps
15
Existing Land Use
15
Existing Zoning
17
Future Land Use
19
Proposed Land Use Plan Changes
21
Mail Survey
23
Narrative Summary
23
Survey
25
Results
27
Existing Conditions
31
Introduction
31
Socioeconomic Profile
31
Existing Land Use
32
Existing Zoning
33
Future Land Use
34
Circulation
35
Open Space and Environmental Considerations
35
Summary
35
Crime Maps
37
Infrastructure Unfunded Needs List
41
Addendum
47
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 3
INTRODUCTION
The Otter Creek/Crystal Valley/Stagecoach Road area has recently entered a phase of
rapid change and development, due to the widening of Stagecoach Road and renewed
developer interest in our area. We now have an opportunity to be agents of this change,
rather than scattered before it. We are in a unique position to anticipate and circumvent
the problems that often come to maturing neighborhoods rather than attempting, in 10 or
15 years, to solve them after they have become ingrained in our area. We have an excit-
ing vision for our community, and we respectfully request that our officials and staff of the
City of Little Rock join us in this endeavor. Through our neighborhood action plan, we
hope to engage each of you in our vision of a cohesive, cooperative, resident- and busi-
ness -friendly neighborhood which will be a major asset to the City of Little Rock.
VISION STATEMENT
We have a vision of a pedestrian friendly, human -scale community which perpetuates the
existing quiet, rural, residential nature of the area, while facilitating development of busi-
nesses appropriate to the neighborhood. We envision commercial development mostly
limited to the Stagecoach Road corridor, with businesses accessed by loop streets in order
to minimize curb cuts and allow for attractive landscaping. Our vision includes the preser-
vation of the green spaces and other natural sound and sight barriers with which our area
is richly blessed, and development sensitive to the natural environment which has drawn
many of our residents to this area. We believe a Design Overlay District for Stagecoach
Road will introduce cohesive and compatible design and signage, and allow for mainte-
nance of the concept of visual compatibility as new businesses come to our area. We
envision an area with an optimum mix of housing types, adequate public transportation, a
visible and involved police presence, pleasant public gathering areas, and goods and
services in close proximity to the consumers in our area. We envision a community where
diverse community groups work together in a spirit of cooperation for the benefit of the
entire area; a community which celebrates and supports our diversity; a community which
recognizes our interdependence in
supporting our school, churches,
businesses, leaders, organizations,
and environment.
With your support, the plan which
follows will ensure that this vision of
our future neighborhood becomes a
reality.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 4
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
INFRASTRUCTURE GOAL
To bring existing infrastructure up to city standards and ensure maintenance of that infra-
structure, including roadways and drainage systems, by:
Completion of the widening of Baseline Road between Stagecoach and Col. Miller
Road by the city now instead of waiting for further development so that present
safety hazards can be eliminated and traffic congestion can be lessened, or, at the
very least,
1.a. Completion of the section of Baseline Road between Henderson United
Methodist Church and Eagle Hill as soon as possible. This break in the
outside lane is a
major safety
hazard.
(Completion of
the north side of
West Baseline
down to Stage-
coach Road
would make it
possible to have
two lanes from
Col. Miller road to
Stagecoach Road
and one lane
from Stagecoach
Road to Col.
Miller, vastly
improving traffic
Unfinished north lane of Baseline Road.
flow in the morn-
ing. It is extremely time consuming to get to Stagecoach during morning
drive time due to the volume of traffic coming from Eagle Hill.)
2. Ensuring the construction of sidewalks in all future developments by not granting
variances for sidewalk requirements or construction. Seek federal enhancement
moneys for sidewalk construction along Stagecoach Road.
3. Placement of a stop sign on Otter Creek Parkway at Fawn Tree to protect children
walking to school.
4. Ensuring that streets are planned and improved in a manner that addresses future
growth and is compatible with the neighborhood. Businesses should be accessed
by loop streets as much as possible, and excessive curb cuts must be avoided.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 5
5. Researching alternatives to replace the county bridge on Crystal Valley Lateral.
Residents on West Baseline have had only one point of ingress and egress to their
neighborhood since the bridge on Crystal Valley Lateral washed out approximately
10 years ago. Having only one point of access could result in tragedy in the event
of fire or natural disaster. We believe that this ongoing threat to the health and
safety of the people living on West Baseline is unacceptable and should be ad-
dressed immediately.
6. Conducting a comprehensive study of drainage systems in the planning area (both
artificial and natural). Our natural topography (i.e.: low lying area, plentiful creek
beds, high water table, and wetlands) precludes piecemeal design of drainage
systems with each new development. A study should be conducted and made
available to developers as a reference on impact of excavation and fills on sur-
rounding property and natural drainage ecology.
6.a. Reviewing existing ordinances on drainage requirements to determine if
existing ordinances are adequate for our planning area and if they are being
enforced by the city.
6.b. Aggressively seeking
compliance of existing city
ordinances pertaining to devel-
opers' responsibilities in pre-
venting and correcting drain-
age problems created by their
projects.
7. Placing a traffic light as
soon as possible at County
Line Road and Stagecoach
3�
z
Road (Highway 5) to improve
safety and to encourage Saline
County commuters to use
g Interstate 30 during high traffic
Sidewalk linking Otter Creek Clubhouse and the elementary periods instead of Stagecoach
school. Road. A light at that intersec-
tion would make it possible to
get a left on Stagecoach off of County Line, encouraging use of 1-30 to avoid the
congestion on Stagecoach in our area in the morning and evening.
8. Widening Highway 5 to County Line Road, eliminating the dangerous bottleneck at
"Deadman's Curve" where the five -lane now ends, and providing for more efficient
flow of heavy traffic.
9. Installing additional streetlights where needed, particularly at Otter Creek Elemen-
tary and along Stagecoach Road.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 6
10. Pursuing preservation and restoration of "green infrastructure," particularly in
planning area wetlands (Fourche Creek) which are vital to natural drainage
systems.
11. Identifying possible funding sources for acquisition, restoration, and preservation of
planning area wetlands.
12. Widening Interstate 30
to six lanes to Benton to
facilitate safe and effi-
cient flow of traffic to
Saline County.
State funded improvements to Stagecoach Road.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 7
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT GOAL
To protect the existing environment and natural sound barriers to preserve the quiet, rural
residential nature of the area by:
1. Preserving and maintaining the existing greenways and open spaces in the neigh-
borhood.
2. Protecting the natural sound barriers that buffer the residential areas from interstate
traffic noise and speedway noise.
3. Ensuring that significant environmental features and functions are preserved and
protected. (functional)
4. Encouraging and supporting the conservation of significant landscapes, views, and
vistas. (visual)
5. Exploring methods of management of green space and existing natural sound
barriers. (auditory)
6. Prohibiting speculative clear -cutting.
7. Pursuing preservation and restoration of planning area wetlands.
This plan area has large tracts of wooded land, many in the
floodplain and flood way.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 8
PUBLIC SAFETY GOAL
To reduce speeding, burglary, vandalism, and other criminal activity in the area through
police presence and enforcement by:
1. Establishing a Neighborhood Alert Center at a central location in the Stagecoach/
Baseline hub area.
2. Correlating boundaries for code enforcement and other Alert Center services. This
would create a one -stop office for area residents.
3. Requiring the installation of streetlights in all future developments.
4. Ensuring the construction of sidewalks in all future developments by not granting
variances for sidewalk requirements or construction. Seek federal enhancement
moneys for sidewalk construction along Stagecoach Road.
5. Installing a community bulletin board in a centralized location to post information
important to the area such as sex offender notifications provided under Megan's
Law.
6. Establishing a Neighborhood Watch program.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 9
RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT GOAL
To promote a community structure and design which promotes and maintains the rural,
residential nature of our area and preserves the quality of life sought by current residents
by:
Requesting changes to the Future Land Use Plan to land use designations more
appropriate for our area to protect existing residential property values and to
attract future quality developments.
2. Limiting additional multifamily development in the planning area to the approxi
mately 40 acres of undeveloped multifamily in the area.
3. Encouraging and facilitating development of owner occupied properties in our
planning area.
4. Ensure the construction of sidewalks in all future developments by not granting
variances for sidewalks requirements or construction. Seek federal enhance
ment moneys for sidewalk construction along Stagecoach Road.
5. Requiring th installation of street lights in all future developments as streets are
built.
6. Ensuring area residents
have access to adequate
public transportation.
Housing starts are on the rise, not only in Otter Creek but
also other neighborhoods.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 10
OFFICE AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT GOAL
To promote commercial and office development that meets the needs of area residents for
shopping and services, maintains as much of the existing topography, trees, and green
space as possible, and enhances the primarily residential character of the community by:
Adhering to the Land Use Plan. We request a three year moratorium on Land Use
Plan amendments in our area to allow plan be realized. Amendments should be
made very rarely, only with neighborhood input, and only when it can be clearly
demonstrated that the amendment will enhance the quality of life in the area.
2. Establishing, by ordinance, a Design Overlay District for Stagecoach Road to create
a cohesive whole for items such as, but not limited to, signage, building setback,
landscaping, architectural style, sidewalks and lighting.
3. Requiring that businesses be accessed by loop streets to minimize curb cuts and
allow for attractive landscaping.
4. Aggressively using Planned Zoning Districts to influence more neighborhood -
friendly and better quality developments.
5. Assessing the impact of all new development on the environment, area infrastruc-
ture, and city services prior to approval and placing a higher importance upon traffic
flow as a consideration in approving or denying development in the area.
6. Limiting commercial and office develop-
ment in the "heart" of our planning area to
that which primarily serves the neighbor-
hood (C-1 uses) while attracting enough
business from other areas to be profitable.
We define the "heart" of our area as
roughly located between Crystal Valley
Road and Otter Creek Road along Stage-
coach Road and being largely residential.
Support other more intense uses to locate
on the peripheral of our study area where
interstate traffic will support their larger
markets.
Boundaries of the Plan with the Heart of
the Neighborhood shown.
7. Strongly discouraging construction of large, warehouse type facilities, and those of
large scale and/or high intensity use, within the "heart" of our planning area.
8. Restricting the overgrowth of commercial development relative to residential devel-
opment.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 11
PARKS AND RECREATION GOAL
To provide recreational facilities and facilitate protection of our existing natural environ-
ment and green infrastructure by:
1. Encouraging the completion of all three planned phases of Otter Creek City Park on
Stagecoach Road. Restroom facilities will be essential due to the park's rural loca-
tion and team sports focus.
2. Working with the Parks and Recreation Department in acquiring, preserving, and
restoring the Fourche Creek wetlands in our planning area north of Interstate 30 in
order to protect our green infrastructure, with the future intent to develop light recre-
ational facilities (e.g., walking trails, boardwalks, bike trails, arboretum, bird watch-
ing information, educational facilities).
3. Working with Parks and Recreation to develop a community facility incorporating a
meeting center, neighborhood alert center, and a passive park facility near the
Baseline Road/Stagecoach Road hub.
The entryway into the new city park.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 12
EDUCATION GOAL
To continue to provide excellent educational opportunities for ALL students at Otter Creek
Elementary School by:
1. Installing a fence around the campus to provide a more secure environment for the
students and to protect the grounds and facilities.
2. The addition of classrooms to accommodate the present student population as well
as the large numbers of new students moving into the area.
3. The continuing commitment of the teachers, parents, and community to ensuring
that all students receive a quality education. (See Addendum A)
This neighborhood school is located on Otter Creek Parkway.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 13
NEIGHBORHOOD INVOLVEMENT GOAL
To create an atmosphere of cooperation and participation between residents, development
boards, homeowner associations, and neighborhood associations in the Otter Creek/
Crystal Valley planning area by:
1. Establishing a Merchants Association for the Otter Creek/Crystal Valley planning
area.
2. Installing a community bulletin board in a centralized area to announce meetings,
post flyers and disseminate information pertinent to area residents.
3. Establishing a Neighborhood Watch program for our planning area.
Otter Creek/Crystal Valley Neighborhood Plan
page 14
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