Z-3709-A Staff AnalysisZ -3709 -
NAME: ALLTEL IV -- SITE PLAN REVIEW AND ABANDONMENT OF
PORTIONS OF CEDAR HILL ROAD AND ALLIED DRIVE AND
ABANDONMENT OF AN EAST -WEST UTILITY EASEMENT
LOCATION: On the north side of Riverfront Drive at Cedar Hill
Road, at 1501 Riverfront Drive
DEVELOPER:
ALLTEL SERVICE CORP.
P. O. Box 2177
Little Rock, AR 72203
661-8000
AREA• 36.3 ACRES
ZONING• 0-2 & 0-3
PLANNING DISTRICT:
CENSUS TRACT• 15
VARIANCES REQUESTED:
sidewalks along the
of the site
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ENGINEER•
DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS, INC.
10,411 W. Markham St., Suite 210
Little Rock, AR 72205
221-7880
NUMBER OF LOTS: 5 FT. NEW STREET: 0
PROPOSED USES: Offices
Waiver from the requirement to construct
Riverbend Road and Cottondale Lane frontages
STATEMENT OF PROPOSAL:
The applicant proposes further development to their site on the
east side of Riverfront Drive north of Cottondale Drive. An
additional six story, 318,016 square foot office building is
proposed to be located north of the existing complex. New
parking for 1,337 vehicles is proposed. At the same time, the
applicant proposes abandonment of the rights-of-way for Allied
Drive and Cedar Hill Road, both of which serve only the Alltel
property, and abandonment of an easement which lies between the
east end of Cedar Hill Road and the Arkansas River to the east.
At the time traffic warrants indicate that a traffic control
signal is applicable, a signal is proposed to be installed at the
applicant's expense at the Riverfront Drive -Cedar Hill Road
intersection. The applicant anticipates conformance with the
landscaping and buffer ordinances, and with the stormwater
detention ordinance.
A: PROPOSAL/REQUEST:
Review by the Planning Commission is requested of a site
plan for the expansion of the Alltel facilities located on
Riverfront Drive north of Cottendale Lane. An additional
office building is proposed to be added to the site to the
north of the existing office complex. The new building is
to be a six -story, 318,016 square foot building. It is to
be centered on and east of the Cedar Hill Drive cul-de-sac
FILE NO.: Z -3709-A (Continued)
and backing on the Arkansas River. A terrace is proposed to
be constructed over a portion of the river levee. The
existing complex has parking facilities for 706 vehicles.
Some of these spaces will be eliminated when the new
building is constructed, and of the existing parking, 406
spaces will remain. New spaces totaling 1,337 will be
added. There will, then, be parking for 1,743 vehicles on
the grounds. This is a ratio of over 1 space per 300 square
feet of building area. A traffic signal is proposed to be
installed at the Cedar Hill Road-Riverfront Drive
intersection at such time that traffic engineering approves
the installation, with the applicant bearing the cost of the
installation.
The applicant requests abandonment of the two existing
streets, Allied Drive and Cedar Hill Rd., since they serve
only their own property and there is a need to control
access to the site. Retention of the easements in the
streets is anticipated. Erection of a security post and
gate is proposed for Allied Drive, and erection of a traffic
control gate is proposed for Cedar Hill Road. A provision
for vehicle turn -around at these gates is anticipated.
The applicant requests a waiver from the requirement to
construct a sidewalk along the existing right-of-way of the
two boundary streets to the project: Cottendale Lane on the
south and Riverbend Road on the north. With the location of
the developments along and at the eastern end of both of
these streets, it is not felt that sidewalks are needed.
Also, the applicant plans to construct a 6 foot wide asphalt
bike and jogging path along the Riverfront Drive frontage,
and requests a waiver from the requirement for the other two
sidewalks a a means of offsetting the costs of this extra
width path.
B. EXISTING CONDITIONS:
The site is presently partially developed. Centered on the
existing Allied Drive, to the east of the cul-de-sac, is an
existing complex which consists of twin seven -story office
buildings containing 103,508 square feet each, and a two-
story, 18,218 square foot building between and joining the
twin towers. There is existing parking for 706 vehicles.
Allied Drive is a public street serving the parking
facilities and for access to the offices. There are no
sidewalks on the three boundary streets, Cottondale Lane,
Riverbend Road, or Riverfront Drive, nor are there sidewalks
on the two internal streets, Allied Drive and Cedar Hill
Road.
The existing zoning of the site is 0-2 and 0-3, with the
majority of the site being 0-2. The area which is 0-3 lies
in the north-west quadrant of the site, from Cedar Hill Road
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FILE NO.: Z-370 -A Contin ed
northward to Riverbend Road, and from a line northward from
the cul-de-sac of Cedar Hill Road to the west to Riverfront
Drive. The remainder of the site is C-2. The C-2 zoning of
the site, and multiple buildings associated with the
development of property in 0-3, necessitate site plan
review. The request for this review has, consequently, been
submitted.
ENGINEERINCIUTILITY COMMENTS:
The City Engineering office cites the Ordinance requirement
for sidewalk construction along the Cottondale Lane frontage
of the site.
Traffic engineering reports that the traffic signals at
Riverfront Drive and Cedar Hill Road will have to meet
traffic warrants to justify installation of the signals, and
that the applicant will be responsible for the cost of the
installation. The signals and controllers will have to be
installed on public right-of-way, so provision for any
required right-of-way should be made as the right-of-way
abandonment proceeding of Cedar Branch Road is conducted.
Traffic engineering will permit the applicant to install the
underground conduit for the signals, but the installation
must be approved by Traffic Engineering whenever the
installation can be justified.
Water Works reports that the Utility has no objection to the
abandonment of the right-of-way for Allied Drive and the 10
foot easement as requested. There is, however, an 8 inch
water main in Cedar Hill Road, so the easements rights need
to be retained. Water Works advises that the Fire
Department will need to evaluate on-site fire protection to
determine whether fire hydrants are located as needed.
Water Works will require the existing water main and
easements, as platted for Lot E-2 and recorded in instrument
number 82-20543, be shown.
Wastewater Utility indicates that there are no objections to
the abandonment of the street rights-of-way and easements as
requested, except that an easement must be retained at Cedar
Hill Road. Sewer is available. It is noted that the 50
foot easement running north and south through the property
is an exclusive sanitary sewer easement, not an undesignated
"utility" easement.
ARKLA Gas Co. and Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. approved
the plan as submitted.
The Fire Department approved the site plan as submitted.
Neighborhoods and Planning Site Plan review indicates that
the buffer width of the proposed parking lot adjacent to
Cottondale Lane drops below the 20 foot full width
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FILE NO.: Z -3709-A Continued
requirement. This reduction is allowed by the zoning buffer
code since the average width exceeds the requirement due to
excessive green space west of the proposed parking lot. It
should be noted, however, that should the parking lot be
expanded westward towards Riverfront Drive and this
"excessive" green space be reduced, the average depth would
also be affected. This would then either affect the
requirements along Cottondale Lane or limit the amount of
expansion of the parking lot which would be permitted. The
buffer width adjacent to the northern property which is
zoned MF -18 needs to be increased to a minimum of 27 feet.
(The full requirement without the tradeoffs is 40 feet.)
D. ISSUES/LEGAL/TECHNICAL/DESIGN:
The -applicant needs to coordinate the location and
construction of the bike and jogging path along Riverfront
Drive with the Parks and Recreation Department.
At the Cedar Hill Road intersection, adequate right-of-way
needs to be left for the installation of future traffic
signals and controllers. These facilities need to be
located on public property.
E. ANALYSIS•
Plans submitted to date have met almost all the requirements
of staff and the utility companies. Only minor refinements
are needed. No insurmountable deficiencies remain.
F. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends approval of the request and of the waivers
for sidewalk improvements to Riverbend Road and Cottendale
Lane.
SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT:
(JANUARY 20, 1994)
Mr. Alan Sanders, architect, representing Alltel and Mr. Robert
Brown, the engineer for the site planning, were present. Staff
presented the item and the comments contained in the discussion
outline. Traffic Engineering pointed out that the indication of
the planned installation of the traffic signals at Cedar Hill
Road and Riverfront Drive needed to be removed from the plan.
When Traffic Engineering has determined that the signals are
appropriate, the applicant may proceed with the installation.
Staff noted that at the traffic control gate on Cedar Hill Road,
a turn -around needs to be provided; that the hammer -head turn is
not adequate. Staff cautioned the applicant to seek Levee Board
approval of the terrace to be constructed on the levee. The
applicant indicated that there would be a revised drawing
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FILE NO.: Z -3709-A Continued
submitted to eliminate the encroachment into the north landscape
buffer by the parking lot. After the review by the Committee
members, the Committee forwarded the item to the Commission for
final resolution.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION:
(FEBRUARY 8, 1994)
Staff reported that all required exhibits and information had
been received, and that there were no remaining issues to be
resolved. Staff recommended approval of the application, subject
to the applicant coordinating with the Parks and Recreation
Department on the location of the bike and jogging trail along
Riverfront Drive, and subject to gaining approval from the Board
of Directors of a waiver to delete the sidewalks along Cottondale
Lane and Riverbend Road. Staff recommended approval of the
waiver. The item was included on the Consent Agenda for
approval, and was approved as an item in the Consent Agenda with
the vote of 9 ayes, no nays, one absent, and one open position.
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