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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report_MinutesMarch 11, 2004 ITEM NO.: E FILE NO.: LU04-01-01 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - River Mountain Planning District Location: Northwest corner of Cantrell Rd. at Taylor Loop Rd. Request: Transition to Commercial Source: Frank Riggins, The Mehlburger Firm PROPOSAL/REQUEST Land Use Plan amendment in the River Mountain Planning District from Transition to Commercial. The Commercial category includes a broad range of retail and wholesale sales of products, personal and professional services, and general business activities. Commercial activities vary in type and scale, depending on the trade area that they serve. The applicant wishes to develop the property for a commercial retail shopping center. Staff is not expanding the application since the Land Use Plan in this area was reviewed within 10 months ago. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING The property is vacant land currently zoned R-2 Single Family and is about 4.27 acres t in size. The vacant land to the north is zoned R-2 Single Family while the property to the east consists of vacant property zoned C-3 General Commercial (owned by the applicant) and a shopping center farther to the east also zoned C-3. A drug store zoned Planned Development -Commercial sits next to the application area, while further to the south is a Planned Commercial Development for a bank on the south side of Cantrell east of Taylor Loop, a house zoned R-2 at the southeast corner of Cantrell and Taylor Loop, a bank zoned Planned Office Development on the southwest corner of Cantrell and Taylor Loop, and an antique store zoned PCD on the south side of Cantrell west of Taylor Loop Road. The property to the west is a large lot single-family house zoned R-2. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On August 19, 2003 a change was made from Transition to Commercial at 14410 Cantrell Road about 1/3 of a mile to the east of the applicant's property to accommodate proposed development. March 11, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: E (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-01 On February 18, 2003 multiple changes were made from Transition and Low Density Residential to Suburban Office, Single Family, Commercial, Park / Open Space, Office, and Public Institutional within a 1 mile radius of the application area along both sides of Cantrell Road to recognize existing conditions. On July 17, 2001 a change was made from Single Family to Commercial at Pankey Park a little less than 1 mile to the east of the study area to recognize existing conditions. On April 20, 1999 multiple changes were made from Single Family and Low Density Residential to Commercial, Office, Multifamily, and Park / Open Space at Cantrell and Black Road about a Y. mile to the east of the property in question to accommodate proposed development. The applicant's property is shown as Transition on the Future Land Use Plan. The neighboring properties to the east are shown as Commercial. The land to the northeast is shown as Transition. The neighboring property to the west is shown as Transition while the neighboring property to the north is shown as Single Family. MASTER STREET PLAN: Cantrell Road is shown on the Master Street Plan as a Principal Arterial and is built as a four -lane highway with an additional center turn lane. There is a Class I Bikeway shown starting at the intersection of Cantrell Road and Taylor Loop Road running south from Cantrell Road to Alexander Road. This bikeway begins on the south side of Cantrell Road opposite from the applicant's property and would not be affected by the proposed amendment. The applicant's property does not front directly onto Cantrell Road. However, the property would be accessed from a stub -out built on the north end of the Cantrell / Taylor Loop intersection. Improvements would need to be made to the Taylor Loop stub -out to insure access to the applicant's property. PARKS The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan of 2001 shows the Taylor Loop Park located a short distance to the southwest of the applicant's property. Taylor, Loop Park is about 35.0+ acres. Taylor Loop Park is listed as an undeveloped Community Park intended to remain as a passive open space parcel of undeveloped land and is designed to serve the open space needs of several neighborhoods. March 11, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: E (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-01 HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no historic districts that would be affected by this amendment Citv Recoanized Neiahborhood Action Plan: The applicant's property lies in the area covered by the River Mountain Neighborhood Action Plan. The Sustainable Natural Environment goal listed an objective of promoting the vigorous enforcement of the Landscaping & Excavation Ordinance. This action could result in the removal of trees in order to accommodate the development of uses possible in the Commercial land use category. I_1�/_1Ab96' The application area is located in an area of expanding commercial development Most of the property shown as Commercial in the vicinity of the applicant's property is developed with existing commercial uses. For some Commercial uses, such as the larger retail uses, the land available is built -out. For some of the less intense commercial uses some vacant land remains available. This application will expand the area already shown as Commercial at the intersection of Cantrell and Taylor Loop Roads. The commercial node located at the intersection of Cantrell and Taylor Loop is affected by uses located at Cantrell and Pinnacle Valley Road. The close proximity of intersections between two Minor Arterials with Cantrell Road creates pressure to develop both intersections with non-residential uses, which would result in a large node of non-residential uses on Cantrell Road with a center on both intersections creating a "double node." However, the creek and flood -plain running parallel to Pinnacle Valley Road with the accompanying land use designation of Park / Open Space should be used to minimize the intensification of non-residential uses expanding northward from Cantrell Road from Taylor Loop to Pinnacle Valley Road. If the stub -out at the north end of the Taylor Loop / Cantrell intersection is extended further to the north to form a link with Pinnacle Valley Road, the stub -out would result in a link between two Minor Arterials and create pressure to develop non-residential uses to the north, as well as resulting in a street that would be used as an arterial even though it would not be intended or designed to be used as such. The development of the applicant's property should be done in a manner that would limit non-residential use expansion to the north and be done in such a way to buffer the area shown as Single Family to the north and the existing R-2 residential units to the west. March 11, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: E (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-01 The current category of Transition shown for the applicant's property is intended to serve as a step between less intense land uses and more intense land uses. The Transition shown for the applicant's property provides a step down of intensity from the Commercial uses to the east to the less intense uses to the west and from the Commercial fronting Cantrell Road to the Single Family shown to the north. A change to Commercial would reduce the buffer between the intense uses fronting Cantrell Road and the less intense uses located to the north and west. This action would also reduce the amount of land available for office or residential development along Cantrell Road in areas shown as Transition. The pattern for office developments in the area has been to show Office or Suburban Office to recognize existing offices. The changes to Office and Suburban Office have reduced the likelihood of new residential development fronting Cantrell Road. However, most of the new residential development has taken place in areas shown as Single Family, Low Density Residential, and Multi- family on land not directly accessed from Cantrell Road. The Transition category along Highway 10 accommodates mixture of office or residential uses intended to prevent the development of commercial strips along Cantrell Road. The pattern for new office developments in areas shown as Transition has been the conversion of residential structures into offices. The application area is located in an area of expanding Commercial development. Most of the property shown as Commercial in the vicinity of the applicant's property is developed with existing Commercial uses. For some commercial uses, such as the larger retail uses, the land available is built -out. For some of the less intense Commercial uses some vacant land remains available. Much of the area shown as Transition to the south and west of the applicant's property was changed on February 18, 2003 Board of Directors meeting. The changes discussed at the January 9, 2003 Planning Commission involved a proposed change from Transition to Commercial to recognize the drug store adjacent to the application area fronting Cantrell Road and a change from Transition to Suburban Office to the west along Cantrell Road east of Rummel Road where it was felt that future residential development was unlikely. The areas west of the applicant's property and along Pine Mountain Road remained shown as Transition and consist of land developed with residential uses. The areas shown as Transition were preserved do in large part to the vacant land available for future residential development. The remaining areas shown as Transition could also provide access to areas shown as Single Family, which do not have direct access to Cantrell or Pinnacle Valley Roads. March 11, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: E (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-01 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Pleasant Valley Property Owners Association, River Valley Property Owners Association, Pankey Community Improvement Association, Piedmont Neighborhood Association, Pleasant Forest Neighborhood Association, Secluded Hills Property Owners Association, Walton Heights-Candlewood Neighborhood Association, Westbury Neighborhood Association, Westchester/Heatherbrae Property Owners Association, Chenal Ridge Property Owners, and Charleston Heights/North Rahling Road N.A. Staff has not received comments from area residents or Neighborhood Associations at the time of this writing concerning this change. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS Staff believes the change is appropriate with a required PZD to review any development for compatibility of massing and relationship issues. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (January 29, 2004) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the March 11, 2004 Planning Commission meeting. A motion was made to wavier the by-laws for a five-day notice to defer prior to the Planning Commission meeting. That motion was made and approved with a vote of 11 ayes, 0 noes, and 0 absent. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 11 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (March 11, 2004) The item was placed on the consent agenda for approval. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. Vicinity Map e s 05 � M i AREA ZONING Case: LU04-01-01 N A Location: CANTRELL ROAD AT TAYLOR LOOP Ward: 5 PD: 1 0 175 350 700 Feet v CT: 42.05 TRS: T2NR13W19 Vicinity Map PLAN AMENDMENT Case: LU04-01-01 N A Location: CANTRELL ROAD AT TAYLOR LOOP Ward: 5 PD: 1 0 175350 700 Feet CT: 42.05 TRS: T2NR13WI9