157380 0
q ORDINANCE 15,738
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AN ORDINANCE TO ADOPT THE GENERAL PLAN
h�
\ FOR THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK AND OTHER MATTERS
WHEREAS, the General Plan provides the needed general
overview of the City of Little Rock by combining the various
City Planning documents; and
WHEREAS, citizens and developers have reviewed the
General Plan documents; and
WHEREAS, the Little Rock Planning Commission has reviewed
and recommends adoption of the General Plan.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.
SECTION 1. The General Plan map will provide a general
overview of land use for the City of Little Rock.
SECTION 2. The General Plan for the City of Little Rock
is hereby adopted.
PASSED: September 5; 1989
ATTEST:
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Ci e �h
APPROVED:
A 1 Ma r F yd Gllines, III
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GENERAL PLAN
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Table of Contents
Topic
INTRODUCTION
Purposes of the Plan
Adopted Development Goals_,___.,, .... ...
Interim Policy Statement
Uses of the Plan ---- --
Planning Versus Zoning_.... . .... .
HISTORIC OVERVIEW
Growth Management Study______..., .... ... ... ... ..
Suburban Development Plan . . ........ .. . ...... .......
The Extraterritorial Land Use Plan
Transportation
Population Growth Projections . ........ ....
DISTRICT PLANS
GROWTH POLICIES
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT
PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Land Use Controls
Capital Improvements
Annexation
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INTRODUCTION
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Purposes of the Plan
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The General Plan document was prepared by the City of Little
Rock to serve as a guide for the growth and development of
the City. It should be viewed as a public policy statement
as to the desired direction of growth. The plan is a
generalized guide and not a precise blueprint for future
development. The map is a culmination of many approved
district land use plans which were prepared at a more
detailed scale, in some cases actually illustrating property
ownerships. This plan is a generalized composite of those
districts plans, the goals for the community and represents
an overall vision of Little Rock's future development.
Adopted Development Goals
The City of Little Rock has a series of adopted development
goals which it has used for the past few years to encourage
quality growth for the community. These goals are:
1. Encourage Little Rock's continued real growth.
2. Actively promote the achievement of quality of life
standards in both developed and developing areas.
3. Expand the City's resource capabilities and equitably
share the cost of investment and improved quality in
existing and new areas.
4. Especially provide added encouragement and incentive to
quality development in the developing areas already
having adequate capacity in public services and
facilities.
5. Encourage orderly, phase and quality development in
fringe areas of the City not currently served by
adequate services and facilities, but which are
designed for future growth.
6. Use the five tenets listed above in evaluating future
urban development.
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Interim Policy Statement
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In order to meet the challenges of steady urban growth, the
Board of Directors has established a short -term policy
position through Resolution 8169. This policy position will
guide City programming in fiscal year 1990. During the
following 18 months the Board will lead a community -wide
goal- setting process involving the general citizenry and the
various neighborhood organizations. The policies resulting
from this community effort will form the City policy
framework for the next decade.
While urban growth brings employment opportunities and a
certain newness to the City, it also highlights the
differences between established older neighborhoods and the
areas of recent construction and development. Balancing the
needs of divergent interests and communities while fostering
fairness and equity in service delivery is a major goal of
Little Rock city government. The Board has, therefore,
identified as its primary goal to plan for, support and help
finance through legislation and programming the continuation
of a high quality of life and uniform positive development
in the City of Little Rock.
Overall Goal
To plan for, support and help finance through
legislation and programming the continuation of a high
quality of life and uniform positive development in the
City of Little Rock.
Program Policy Components:
Existing City
Support active neighborhood organizations
Support housing and neighborhood revitalization
through maintenance of infrastructure,
incentives for infill development, and
program linkages with public and private
organizations
Strengthen public safety
Support leisure time activities and arts and
cultural programs, and recognize the historic
significance of the City
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Growth Areas
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Continue aggressive annexation position
Maintain strong utility policy
Support innovative public /private partnerships
Continue extraterritorial zoning
Support infrastructure expansion
Finance
Strong support of community economic development
efforts
Maintain a broad and equitable tax base to finance
a developing city, including seeking adequate
State legislation
Increase public /private partnerships for capital
improvement needs to provide for adequate
public facilities concurrent with development
impacts
Administrative and Orqanization Components:
Budgeting
Reallocate existing expenditures to areas of
greatest priority
Strengthen long -range capital improvement planning
with annual updates
Continued commitment to investigate the most
economical and efficient delivery of services
Organization
Coordination of Boards and Authority functions
Explore shared or joint functions with other
governmental units
Uses of the Plan
The plan has been designed to be used by developers,
investors, and citizens to assist them in assessing Little
Rock's future. The General Plan illustrates the land use
patterns for the City proper, as well as the
extraterritorial area. It gives the reader a good overview
where commercial, industrial, office and residential
groupings are generally located and /or planned. Once an
individual has a general indication of where a use is
located, then one can consult the appropriate district plan
for a more detailed land use explanation. This General
Plan, uses as its base the City's Master Street Plan, which
delineates the arterial street system. Some of these
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roadways are those planned for many years in the future, and
some currently exist. This completed futuristic view of the
City's street system gives the reader a good picture of how
the City's existing and future roads will interrelate.
Planning Versus Zoning
The General Plan is not a zoning map. The various
designations on the plan map should not be viewed as an
authorization to develop property for a particular use, nor
does it mandate how property will be zoned in the future.
The General Plan is not specific enough to address rezoning
issues but only .indicates trends and land use patterns.
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HISTORIC OVERVIEW
Growth Management Study
During 1976 and 1977, the City of Little Rock undertook a
major growth management and policy study with the assistance
of Booz, Allen and Hamilton, Management Consultants. This
study involved an exhaustive evaluation of broad policy
alternatives for the future growth and development of Little
Rock.
One of the most significant outputs of this effort was a
work program which was followed and has, in part, been
successfully completed by the City through the Office of
Comprehensive Planning. The work program, which was
formally endorsed by the Little Rock Board of Directors
(Resolution 5635), included the development of the Planned
Unit Development Ordinance, the new Subdivision Ordinance,
the new Zoning Code, and the Suburban Development Plan.
The second major output of the study by Booz, Allen was the
determination of a series of interim development goals which
in turn were adopted by the Little Rock Board of Directors
in 1976 (Resolution 5569, July 20, 1976).
Suburban Development Plan
The goals developed by the growth policy study led the City,
in the late 1970's, to retain the consultant firm of Team
Four of St. Louis to assist the Staff in developing the
first land use plan for the rapidly developing areas of the
City of Little Rock. The Plan was prepared because the City
was faced with rapid suburban development, increased demands
for efficient public facilities and services, and a arowing
environmental consciousness.
Phase I of the study included a development capacity
analysis describing in detail the land carrying capacity of
the suburban area.
Phase II, Development Demand Analysis, summarized the
demographic and economic factors which produce a "demand"
for growth. They were translated into a program for
planning the uses of land in the suburban development area.
The land use component of the Plan analyzed the development
constraints of this suburban area. It described the steep
slopes, floodplains, midway clay formations, mineral
excavations, and utilities. The Plan provided for two and
one -half times the projected private land development for
the year 2000 in order to allow flexibility for future
growth.
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After much review by the citizens, developers, Planning
Commission and Board of Directors, the Suburban Development
Plan was adopted on September 24, 1980 by Ordinance
No. 13,874.
The Extraterritorial Land Use Plan
In the early 1980's, Little Rock began to experience a
faster growth rate in the west and northwest areas than was
anticipated by the Suburban Development Plan. This growth
began to produce numerous large rezoning requests before the
Planning Commission and City Board of Directors. The
Highway 10 and Rock Creek Parkway areas were particularly
fast growing regions which were not adeeuately addressed by
the Suburban Development Plan. The Suburban Development
Plan did not foresee the tremendous growth pressure because
of a sewer limitation in effect at the time of the Plan's
adoption. The sewer limitation problem was resolved after
the Suburban Development Plan was approved and, therefore,
opened the doors for future development.
The Extraterritorial Plan was written as a public policy
statement of the desired direction and standards of growth
through the year 2005. The policies, which were expressed
graphically on the Plan Map, embraced two aspects of public
policy. These included:
1. General policies for guiding and coordinating the
development and use of privately owned land,
buildings, and improvements, and establishing the
nature and extent of public interest therein; and
2. Policies for providing for public facilities and
services.
The underpinnings of the Extraterritorial Land Use Plan were
a progression of findings derived through numerous
interrelated studies and planning activities. Early
attention was given to the evaluation of the City's current
policies affecting growth, annexation and land development.
A Development Demand Analysis was designed to predict the
numbers of future households and population in the study
area as a basis for determining acreages of land needed to
be developed for various types of land use, given the
perceived market support for such development..
Another companion report of the Extraterritorial Study was
the Development Capacity Analysis, which was designed to
determine from an engineering standpoint, the extent to
which various geographical sub -areas may feasibly be
developed, taking into consideration such factors as utility
capacity, slopes, floodplains, and other physical
constraints on the development. All of these components of
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the study were significant in the decision- making process
used in fashioning the ultimate land use plan as adopted by
the Planning Commission and the City Board of Directors.
The Western Extraterritorial Land Use Plan incorporated an
area of 94 square miles. The Plan demonstrated the
appropriate land use on approximately 20,000 acres, or one -
third of the total land area. Similarly, to the Suburban
Development Plan, the Extraterritorial Plan called for a
pattern of development slightly more than two times what the
Demand Analysis had indicated by the year 2005. The excess
seemed necessary because:
The City cannot control the precise timing of
development. Flexibility in the Plan is required
to accommodate the potential for a change in rate
of development.
2. The Plan must be adaptable for various types of
developments which may become evident in the
marketplace during the planning period.
3. Development in some areas may be hindered by
various factors. Alternative locations,
therefore, are desirable.
4. As a long -range guide, the Plan has capacity to
continue serving as the framework for growth and
development beyond the time frame of the year
2005.
The Western Extraterritorial Plan indicated that the
extraterritorial area will experience a population increase
of more than 58,000 residents by the year 2005, making a
total of 74,000 persons. It is anticipated that
approximately two- thirds of all the growth in Pulaski County
south of the Arkansas River will occur within the
extraterritorial study area.
Transportation
In order for a city to function and grow, people and goods
must move efficiently in and through the area. The
transportation system design can improve mobility or hinder
movement and thus growth. The expressway and principal
arterial system is designed to move large numbers of
vehicles across and through the city.. These roads connect
major urban subcenters and function primarily to move
traffic, with access to adjacent property, a secondary
function. The minor arterial moves large volumes.of cars
within subareas of the city. The design standards for
various types of streets, as specified in the Master Street
Plan, are as follows:
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MASTER STREET PLAN DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
Principal Minor Local
Expressways Arterial Arterial Collector Residential
Right -of -Way
200'
110'
90'
60'
50'
Pavement Width
48'+
66'
60'
36'
27'
shoulder
& median
Sidewalks
May be
Both
Both
One
One
required
sides
sides
side
side
Land use patterns are considered when designing the roads
(number of lanes, etc.). In turn, land use decisions should
consider as well the existing infrastructure (roads, water,
sewer, etc.). The impact of land use decisions on roads and
other infrastructure elements can produce undesirable
results which should be considered in the decision- making
process.
Population Growth Projections
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The City of Little Rock has experienced a population
increase in every decade of this century. For the most
recent decades, 1960s and 1970s, the average annual
population increase has been over 1.5 percent. Based on
estimates by both Metroplan (the regional planning agency)
and the Office of Comprehensive Planning for 1988, the
average annual population increase this decade has been
around two (2) percent. These figures indicate that the
City has had a moderate, steady growth of population for
about three decades.
Much of the increase experienced in the seventies and
eighties can be traced to annexations. For example, the
population increase in the 1980s due to annexations has been
about 19,500. When the population increase due to
annexation is removed, the average annual population
increase is approximately 0.5 percent.
There are three estimates for the 1988 Little Rock
population. They are: 183,440, 184,810, and 187,580. The
two lower estimates were generated using the Housing Permit
method. Each estimate starts with the 1980 Census figures
for the number of housing units and then increases that by
the number of units permitted since 1980. The 183,440
figure is based on the Little Rock Planning Districts (with
the amount of population estimated to be outside the city
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limits removed), while the 184,810 figure is based on Census
Tracts and was generated by Metroplan. The highest of the
three estimates is based on the 1980 population with the
annexation population added and an assumed percentage
increase on a year by year basis.
Some areas of the City have experienced large increases in
the number of units added since 1980. Generally, these
areas are to the west or southwest. The Pleasant Valley,
Rock Creek, Highway 10, and 1 -430 Planning Districts of west
Little Rock have had the largest population increases since
1980. The secondary growth area of the City is the
southwest region located in the Otter Creek and Geyer
Springs West Planning Districts. While some of the growth
in the west and southwest can be traced to new residents
moving to Little Rock, some is due to people moving from
east and central Little Rock. For example, the Central
City, East Little Rock, 1 -30, 65th Street East and 1 -630
Planning Districts have experienced substantial percentage
declines in population since 1980 based on the 1988 Planning
District estimates. During this decade the Central City and
1 -630 Districts had the largest declines of population in
absolute numbers. Two other Districts, 65th Street West and
Boyle Park, had lesser declines over the last eight years.
This trend of a population loss in the central and eastern
areas, in varying degrees, has been evident since the 1960s.
The City as a whole is expected to continue to grow in the
decades to come. Since Metroplan deals extensively with
population projections in this metropolitan area, their
estimates are used here. By the year 2010 Little Rock's
population is estimated to be about 257,200. An increase of
some 40,000 'persons is expected between now and the year
2000. This is close to the 30,000 plus population increase
experienced by the City in each of the past several decades.
One could summarize by saying that Little Rock should
continue to experience a steady moderate -to -slow population
increase.
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DISTRICT PLANS
The City of Little Rock began in 1980 to develop various
district land use plans. These plans were prepared on a
smaller scale than a comprehensive or general plan, and
actually denote property lines. In some cases, these plans
were an outgrowth of neighborhood plans prepared for the
Community Block Grant (CDBG) program. Several neighborhoods
were often combined into one district plan. Some of the
district plans had citizen advisory groups who provided
input and monitored the plans through adoption. Other
district plans were mailed to citizens and various
neighborhood groups for their review. Every attempt was
made to obtain the maximum amount of citizen input.
The City has approved twenty -two district land use plans.
The illustration below shows the various planning districts
of the City.
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GROWTH POLICIES
The City of Little Rock's
by the extension of water
in the unincorporated cou
density without water and
water wells are used, but
developments.
growth management system is driven
and sewer utilities. Many areas
my cannot develop to an urban
sewer. Some septic systems and
these are typically large tract
The City, in the past, has not allowed sewer tie -ons to the
City system in the extraterritorial area unless the property
is annexed. This policy has resulted in many recent
annexations. The City Board of Directors restated in
Resolution 7,893 of February 2, 1988 its intent to encourage
orderly, planned growth which meets the municipal standards
for streets, adequate utilities, lot size, access and land
use. The resolution further stated that annexation of
contiguous developing areas continues to be the best method
of guaranteeing orderly and quality growth in the Little
Rock area south of the Arkansas River.
In general, areas which are not adjacent to the City may
receive limited sewer and water service under specific
guidelines. Water main extensions less than twelve inches
in diameter are reviewed by the Staff and must be approved
by the Board of Directors. Mains which exceed twelve inches
in diameter are reviewed by the Planning Commission and then
are approved or denied by the City Board of Directors
(Ordinance No. 15,558). In all cases of individual water
and sewer service outside the City, an applicant must
complete a water /sewer service agreement and Bill of
ASsurance. These documents, among other things, stipulate
that the land owner will agree to annex his /her property to
the City when the City makes the request of the owner. This
pre- annexation agreement allows the City to better control
the timing and amount of land annexed to the City.
The City Board will allow extensions only if the best
interests of the City will be served and the extensions are
in accordance with established Board of Directors' policies.
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DOWNTOWN
Little Rock's downtown functions as central Arkansas' major
office and commercial district, encompassing the
headquarters of prominent financial institutions in the
region, centers of government for the State, Pulaski County
and the City of Little Rock, national headquarters for
Dillard Department Stores, Stephens, Inc. and numerous
businesses and service organizations. Downtown also serves
as the center for cultural activity, including the Arkansas
Symphony Orchestra, Arkansas Opera Theatre, Repertory
Theatre, the Arts Center and Decorative Arts Museum.
Downtown also offers a growing number of public
entertainment festivals, most notably the annual Riverfest,
a spring celebration held in Riverfront Park, and the Little
Rock Blues Festival and International Fest, events taking
place on the Metrocentre Mall.
Metrocentre Mall, built in 1978, is a $4.5 million dollar
pedestrian mail built along portions of Main Street and
Capitol Avenue. This is the location of the recently
completed "Mainstreet ", a $12 million office /retail
redevelopment. Fourteen blocks south of Metrocentre, a $1.3
million public /private partnership spawned by the 1987 Bond
Issue is redeveloping an older section of Main Street.
Also, as part of the 1987 Bond Issue, the Metrocentre Mall
will be opened again to traffic.
Along Capitol Avenue from Main Street to Arch Street is the
highest concentration of first class office space in the
region. Downtown contains over four million square feet of
office space. Five blocks north of the financial center, a
civic center /convention complex has been developed along
Markham Street close to original civic buildings - the
Pulaski County Court House, Old State House and City Hall.
The restoration movement has revived interest in the older
residential neighborhoods of downtown Little Rock. Creation
of the Quapaw Quarter Association in 1961 gave impetus to
this movement, and many people are now involved in the
restoration of what is left of Little Rock's historic and
architecturally significant structures. Most of the
interest has been concentrated around MacArthur Park
extending south and west toward the Governor's Mansion.
These neighborhoods are listed on the National Register of
Historic Places by the Department of Interior and provide a
unique collection of turn of the century architecture.
Renovation of single - family homes has spread since the mid -
1970's to a number of multifamily restoration and infill
projects adding over 400 dwelling units to the area.
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Little Rock has historically recognized the value and
significance of a strong, viable downtown. In 1983, the
Downtown Development Plan was adopted to deal with the
problems and opportunities in the 225 block central business
district. The three volume document (Inventory 6 Analysis,
The Plan, and Implementation) consists of six separate but
related area plans and outlines planning goals and
objectives designed to assure downtown's continuing
uniqueness and vitality.
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CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT
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Citizen input is essential in the planning process. Plans
which have been prepared with citizen input often relate
better to what is actually occurring and are more likely to
be implemented.
Once land use plans are adopted, citizens will tend to
support those plans which they have helped to write. They
don't feel that they are being told what to do by City Hall.
The citizen input for the Comprehensive Development Plan
came mainly through the district plan development. All of
the district plans had citizen input of one degree or
another. Some of the district plans had input from one or
more of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
neighborhoods contained within the district. These
neighborhoods had established citizen advisory groups that
spent many hours reviewing the plans. The various
neighborhood plans were then combined to form the larger
district level plans.
Other plan areas which had formal citizen advisory groups
included the Extraterritorial Study Area, Highway 10,
Downtown and Geyer Springs East. The number of persons
serving on these advisory groups and the amount of detailed
study by the groups varied from plan to plan. About 50
persons served on the Citizens Forum established for the
Extraterritorial Study.
In some of the district plan areas; no organized citizen
group could be formed. In these areas, the Staff met with
various citizen groups and interested land owners. The
Staff met, for example, on several occasions with
neighborhood groups contained within the East Little Rock,
Central City and Sweet Home /College Station Districts. In
all cases, notices of hearings were posted in the planning
districts.
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PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
Land Use Controls
Since this plan is general in nature, its implementation is
considerably different that the district land use plans.
The Plan is a flexible document which may change as
circumstances in the area change. The General Plan can be
consulted for general reference but should not be seen as a
zoning guide for land use decisions.
Little Rock's future growth is illustrated by this plan. It
shows the anticipated expansion of the City as well as some
in -fill development. The General Plan will help the City in
broader areas such as capital improvement planning, master
street plans, annexation strategies, and the City's growth
policies.
Capital Improvements
With the substantial reductions in Federal funds, cities are
now faced with an ever expanding problem of declining funds
and increasing capital needs. A capital improvement plan
must be prepared which adequately addresses the short and
long -term needs of the City. Little Rock has prepared
several capital improvement programs in the past and plans
to do a new one annually. A capital improvement program
looks at individual City department's capital needs and then
ranks them into a priority list for the first year of the
program.
Available resources are cited in the capital improvement
program, and projections are made as to the anticipated
future capital funds. Previously, the City's capital
improvement plans have looked at projects for the upcoming
year, the next five years and long -range projects ten years
into the future.
Annexation
The principal objectives of the annexation strategy should
be to extend the corporate limits in such a manner as to
achieve and maintain a logical and efficient city boundary;
to increase the tax base; and to protect the City's
interests. Factors to be considered include: the effect on
City services and the ability to serve the new areas; the
property's contribution to the City's tax base; and the
relationship to the public school districts.
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