Z-3836-G Staff AnalysisFebruary 21, 2013
ITEM NO.: B FILE NO.: Z-3836-G
NAME: Christ The King Catholic Church —
Conditional Use Permit
LOCATION: 4000 N. Rodney Parham Road
OWNER/APPLICANT: Roman Catholic Diocese of Little Rock/Crafton Tull
PROPOSAL: A revision to the previously approved CUP is
requested to allow proposed additions to this
existing church — private school campus; including
a new family life center, a new office building,
a columbarium and new parking. The 12+ acre
campus is zoned R-2.
SITE LOCATION:
The campus is located on the west side of N. Rodney Parham Road, just
south of Cantrell Road.
2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD:
The church and school have existed at this site for many years. No
expansion of the school is proposed. The property is surrounded by office
and institutional uses. The proposed columbarium is to be located in the
center of the campus. Allowing the addition of an office building, family life
center and columbarium to this existing church campus should not affect
its compatibility with the neighborhood.
Notice of the public hearing was sent to all owners of properties located
within 200 feet of the site and the Pleasant Valley and Pleasant Forest
Neighborhood Associations. .
3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING:
The site currently contains 346 parking spaces with access off of
Woodland Heights, Rodney Parham and adjacent property. Following
project completion, there will be 331 on -site spaces. The church has an
additional 150 spaces on office property adjacent to the south and an
agreement to use 100 spaces on another nearby office property. The
church's sanctuar7 has seating for 880 persons, requiring 220 parking
spaces. The K- 8 h grade school has an enrollment of 750 students. No
changes are proposed in either the sanctuary seating or school
enrollment. The proposed parking arrangement appears to be sufficient.
February 21, 2013
ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-3836-G
The applicant submitted a plan indicating the drop-off/pick-up area for the
school. Public Works staff is satisfied with the plan.
4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS:
Site plan must comply with the City's landscape and buffer ordinance
requirements.
The zoning buffer ordinance requires an average thirty-two foot (32') wide
street buffer along Rodney Parham Road and is in no case to be less than
half or sixteen foot (16'). The new driveway and proposed parking lots
appear to be encroaching within this minimal area.
The landscape ordinance requires a nine foot (9') wide perimeter
landscape strip around the sites entirety.
Interior islands must be three hundred square foot in area (300) to qualify
when there are one hundred and fifty (150) parking spaces or more; only
one new island appears to be deficient.
An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped area will be required.
Prior to a building permit being issued, 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.
5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS:
1. A twenty (20) foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the
intersection of Woodland Heights Road.
2. At time of building permit, handicap ramp is required to be installed
towards the north across Woodland Heights Road and Woodland
Heights Road in accordance with Section 31-175 of the Little Rock
Code and the Master Street Plan.
3. Storm water detention ordinance applies to this property. Show the
proposed location for storm water detention facilities on the plan.
4. No vehicle backing into the middle driveway off Rodney Parham
Road.
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February 21, 2013
ITEM NO.: B Cont. FILE NO.: Z-3836-G
5. If disturbed area is one or more acres, obtain a NPDES storm water
permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality prior
to the start of construction.
6. At time of building permit, on site striping and signage plans should
be forwarded to Public Works, Traffic Engineering for approval with
the site development package.
7. At time of building permit, repair or replace any curb and gutter or
sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to
occupancy.
6. UTILITY, FIRE DEPT. AND_CATA COMMENTS:
Wastewater: Sewer available to this project.
Entergy: No comment received.
Centerpoint Energy: No comment received.
AT&T (SBC): No comment received.
Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of
request for water service must be met.
The Little Rock Fire Department needs to evaluate this site to determine
whether additional public and/or private fire hydrant(s) will be required. If
additional fire hydrant(s) are required, they will be installed at the
Developer's expense.
Please submit plans for water facilities and/or fire protection system to
Central Arkansas Water for review. Plan revisions may be required after
additional review. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding procedures
for installation of water facilities and/or fire service. Approval of plans by
the Arkansas Department of Health Engineering Division and Little Rock
Fire Department is required.
Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding the size and location of the
water meter.
If there are facilities that need to be adjusted and/or relocated, contact
Central Arkansas Water. That work would be done at the expenses of the
developer.
February 21, 2013
ITEM NO.: B Cont. FILE NO.: Z-3836-G
Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced
pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZ) is required on the
domestic water service. This assembly must be installed prior to the first
point of use. Central Arkansas Water (CAW) requires that upon
installation of the RPZA, successful tests of the assembly must be
completed by a Certified Assembly Tester licensed by the State of
Arkansas and approved by CAW. The test results must be sent to a
CAW's Cross Connection Section within ten days of installation and
annually thereafter. Contact the Cross Connection Section at 377-1226 if
you would like to discuss backflow prevention requirements for this
project.
The facilities on -site will be private. When meters are planned off private
lines, private facilities shall be installed to Central Arkansas Water's
material and construction specifications and installation will be inspected
by an engineer, licensed to practice in the State of Arkansas. Execution of
Customer Owned Line Agreement is required.
Fire Department: Fire hydrants (per Code). Maintain access of at least
twenty (20) feet.
County Planning: No Comments.
CATA: This site is not located on a CATA bus route.
SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (DECEMBER 20, 2012)
The applicants were present. The applicant was asked to provide a signage
plan, the seating capacity of the church's main worship area, the total number of
on -site parking spaces (existing now and after the project), enrollment number
and number of classrooms by grade for the school and the total number of school
employees. The applicant was asked to locate the dumpster(s) and screening.
Staff asked the applicant to locate the drop-off /pick-up areas and vehicle
stacking areas for the school. Staff asked what the plans were for the existing
family life center building, after construction of the new FLC. Staff noted
variances would be needed for the height of the FLC building and the street
buffer along Rodney Parham Road.
Public Works, Utility, Fire Department and Landscape Comments were noted
and discussed. Staff expressed concern about a few of the parking spaces
indicated as backing into the driveway in front of the sanctuary. Staff and the
applicant both indicated they would look more into that issue. It was noted that
the zoning street buffer along Rodney Parham would fall below the minimum of
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February 21, 2013
ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.. Z-3836-G
16 feet, due in part to the right-of-way dedication. Staff stated there needed to
be at least 9 feet to comply with minimum landscape requirements.
The applicant was advised to submit responses to staff issues by December 26,
2012. The Committee determined there were no other issues and forwarded the
item to the full Commission.
STAFF ANALYSIS:
Christ the King Church occupies the 12+ acre, R-2 zoned property located at
4000 N. Rodney Parham. In addition to the church, the campus contains a K-8tn
grade school. The church also owns and occupies the 0-3 zoned office buildings
adjacent to the south. The church is requesting approval of a conditional use
permit to allow for the addition of a new family life center building, a small office
building, a columbarium and new parking. All improvements will be located
within the existing church campus.
The family life center will be a 15,308 square foot building connecting to the
south side of the sanctuary building, over an existing parking lot. The building
will be 44'1" tall at its highest point and will have a stucco finish with a low band
of masonry. The roof will be concrete tiles. The FLC will serve as dining,
reception and meeting space.
The office building will be located behind the sanctuary building, between the
sanctuary and a school building. An existing metal building will be removed to
make way for the new office building. The office building will be a 5,626 square
foot, one-story building with a stucco finish and standing seam metal roof.
The columbarium will be located in the middle of the campus and will be
surrounded by church buildings. It will contain 621 niches in the first phase and
will be expanded by an additional 176 niches in the future.
To replace the spaces lost by construction of the new family life center building, a
new, 32 space parking lot will be built in front of the sanctuary building.
The applicant submitted responses addressing the issues raised at the
December 20, 2012 Subdivision Committee meeting. A revised site plan
corresponding to those responses was also submitted. There is no bill of
assurance for this acreage tract. Existing site signage will be relocated or
replaced. Any new signage will comply with that allowed in office and
institutional zones. The existing dumpster area located at the rear of the campus
will be enclosed with screening to comply with code. The existing family life
center building will be converted to three church meeting rooms, a storage room,
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February 21, 2013
ITEM NO.: B (Cont.� FILE NO.: Z-3836-G
offices, restroom expansion and expansion of the school cafeteria. The
remainder of the building will continue to house the nursery and pre-school
spaces with no changes. The church bookstore will be relocated from the
existing FLC to the new building.
The applicant responded to Public Works Comments. The required right-of-way
dedication for Rodney Parham and the radius at Woodland Heights Road is
indicated as is the handicap ramp at the Woodland Heights corner. The new
parking lot has been modified to eliminate parking backing into the driveway.
Stormwater detention will be provided in underground pipes, installed with
construction of the new parking lot. The drop-off/pick-up area for the school has
been shown and approved by staff.
There are two variances associated with the project. The new family life center
building is 44'1" tall at its highest point, slightly higher than the 35 foot height
allowed in R-2. Staff is supportive of the variance. Most of the building has a
height less than 35 feet. A center element exceeds that height. The building
height is not out of character with the area which includes several multi -story
buildings.
The street buffer along Rodney Parham is less than the minimum ordinance
requirement of 16 feet in a small area where the driveway is located in front of
the new FLC building. The minimum requirement of the landscape ordinance is
9 feet. The plan indicates 9 feet of on -site landscaped area with an additional
5 feet of green space that will be dedicated as right-of-way. Staff is supportive of
the request. -
To staffs knowledge, there are no outstanding issues
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of the request CUP subject to compliance with the
comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the agenda staff
report. Staff recommends approval of the requested building height and street
buffer variances, as requested.
STAFF REPORT:
On December 28, 2012, the applicant requested deferral of this item to allow for
possible revisions to the plan. Staff supports a deferral to the February 21, 2013
Agenda.
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February 21, 2013
ITEM NO.: B_(Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-3836-G
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JANUARY 10, 2013)
The applicant was not present. There were no objectors present. Staff informed
the commission that, on December 28, 2012, the applicant had requested
deferral of the item to allow for possible revisions to the plan. There was no
further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and approved
for deferral to the February 21, 2013 agenda. The vote was 9 ayes, 0 noes,
1 absent and 1 open position.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (FEBRUARY 21, 2013)
The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the
item and a recommendation of approval as outlined in the "staff recommendation"
above. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent
agenda and approved by a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes, 1 absent and 1 open position.
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