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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report_MinutesAugust 26, 2004 ITEM NO.: 27 FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - River Mountain Planning District Location: South side of Cantrell Road west of Taylor Loop Road Request: Transition to Commercial Source: Charles Basham Staff requests that this item be deferred to the October 7, 2004 agenda due to lack of information being provided by applicant. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 26, 2004) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the October 7, 2004 Planning Commission meeting. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. October 7, 2004 ITEM NO.: I FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - River Mountain Planning District Location: South side of Cantrell Road west of Taylor Loop Road Request: Transition to Commercial Source: Charles Basham 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 desires to develop the property with commercial uses at the front of the property fronting Cantrell Road and office uses on the rear half of the property. Staff isnot expanding the application since the Land Use Plan in this area was reviewed within 12 months. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING The property is vacant currently zoned R-2, Single Family, and is 6.7 acres t in size. Bordering this property on the north and running northwest is Highway 10/Cantrell Road. The land directly north of Cantrell Road is zoned R2 with two homes and several outbuildings. Northwest of the property are several homes on large lots zoned POD, Planned Office Development and PDO, Planned Development Office, which have uses of residential, offices and a bank. Further to the northeast is a Walgreen's store zoned PDC and a development zoned C3, General Commercial District, anchored by a hardware store and other small businesses. Directly to the east of the site is a PCD with a large antique and home furnishings store. Further east are POD, Planned Office Development, PDO, Planned Development Office, and even farther east are areas zoned as R2 and PCD. These uses include banks, a church, offices, a hair salon, an animal clinic and single-family homes. South and east of the property is a R2 zone developed with single-family homes. A little further south and east is vacant land zoned PR for parks and recreational use. October 7. 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On April 6, 2004, a change was made from Transition to Commercial about a quarter mile northeast of the applicants property to accommodate proposed development. On August 19, 2003 a change was made from Transition to Commercial to about a half mile to the northwest of the property to accommodate a proposed development. On February 18, 2003 multiple changes were made within a 1 mile radius of the project site recognize existing conditions. These include Transition to Suburban Office north of the site, Transition to Single Family about quarter mile west of the site, Transition to Commercial about a half mile east of the site and on the opposite side of Cantrell Road, and Transition to Single family about one mile due east of the site. MASTER STREET PLAN Cantrell Road is shown as a Principal Arterial on the plan. Cantrell Road is built as a five -lane road through that area. East of the property is Taylor Loop Road and further east is Pinnacle Valley, both Minor Arterials, which are built below standard. The primary function of the Principal Arterial, Cantrell Road, is to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. A Minor Arterial provides connections to and though an urban area and their primary function are to provide short distance travel within the urbanized area not to provide access. PARKS: There are no parks immediately adjacent or accessible to this property. To the south and east of the property is Taylor Loop Community Park. Taylor Loop is an undeveloped park consisting of 35.0 acres and is separated from the property by a street lined with single-family homes. Running through the park is a creek. This area is not in a "Service Deficit Area". HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. October 7, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The area under review is located near the western edge of the River Mountain Neighborhood plan. The Sustainable Natural Environment goal listed one objective relative to this case: "to promote vigorous enforcement of Landscaping and Excavation Ordinance." The Infrastructure goal also listed an objective relevant to this case: "ensuring that roads are supportive of all transportation modes." To address the Sustainable Natural Environmental Goal for the neighborhood trees need to be preserved at the edge of properties in order to buffer different uses and runoff needs to be controlled. The property is located on a Principal Arterial and access points must be minimized to ensure that the guidelines for the Infrastructure goal are met. ANALYSIS: The Land Use Plan identifies this area as Transition. New development has occurred immediately northeast of Highway 10/Cantrell Road and Taylor Loop Road intersection in a C3 zoned area, as well as new development just east of Pinnacle Valley. The Future Land Use Plan shows a concentration of commercial uses located at the intersection of Taylor Loop and Cantrell Roads. Presently Highway 10/Cantrell Road has a node system in place. The existing Commercial node at Taylor Loop Road and Highway 10/Cantrell Road has 19.5 acres zoned for Commercial while the Land Use Plan recognizes 17.6 f acres available for Commercial uses. Amending this site would increase commercial zoning about 36% in the area and increase Commercial uses on the Land Use Plan by about 34%. Nodes on Highway 10/Cantrell Road are focused at major intersections. This Commercial node is focused at the Taylor Loop Road intersection and this change would result in an expansion of the existing node. The Land Use Plan identifies this area as Transition. Single Family lies directly south of the site and Commercial directly east. Most Transition areas along Highway 10/Cantrell Road were created to recognize that the area was not going to stay residential, and would allow some densification of use while being compatible with existing homes in the area. This particular area of Transitional use area could now be recognized as a buffer between the two uses of different intensities immediately adjacent to this property, Commercial and Single Family. Located in the Commercial area is an antique and home furnishings store that backs directly to homes in a Single Family area. The back of the store is visible on Westchester Drive from Taylor Loop Road to Westchester Cove (approximately five single family homes) even with the existing ten -foot natural October 7, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 buffer. In ideal circumstances Commercial uses will not back directly on a Single Family area with a small natural buffer, instead the buffer will be a use of less intensity. In this case some of the buffer has been lost and minimized as a result of the existing PCD, so it is important that the remainder is preserved. Amending the land use plan would further decrease the buffer between the area's Commercial and Single Family areas even more and would put two uses adjacent to each other with a minimal natural buffer in place. However, in the general area there is vacant land shown as Commercial on the Land Use Plan and zoned for Commercial development. It is questionable that Commercial development of this property is justifiable because property is readily available for this type of development in nearby existing commercial areas. Furthermore, commercial development of this property along Highway 10/Cantrell Road could create pressure to develop land west and north of this property with commercial uses, expanding the commercial node and decreasing buffers with Single Family areas. A study involving the Highway 10/Cantrell Road corridor will be started soon analyzing the area's Land Use Plan and determine what types of land uses will be appropriate for this section of Little Rock. This study will take inventory of existing uses, growth patterns, and identify the need and appropriateness of specific land uses along the Highway 10 corridor. This study will provide guidance on future land use decisions in the area. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following: Walton Heights-Candlewood Neighborhood Association, Pleasant Valley Property Owners Association, Pankey Community Improvement Association, Pleasant Forest Neighborhood Association Pleasant Forest Neighborhood Association, Westbury Neighborhood Association, Westchester/Heatherbrae Property Owners Association, Secluded Hills Property Owners Association, Piedmont Neighborhood Association, and River Valley Property Owners Association. Staff has received one comment from an area resident of neutral nature. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff requests that this item be deferred to the October 7, 2004 agenda due to lack of information being provided by applicant. October 7, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: August 26, 2004 The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the October 7, 2004 Planning Commission meeting. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant has met with the Westchester Neighborhood Association, which has resulted in a site plan change. This does not change the application as filed. At the present time the Planning Staff is reviewing the Land Use Plan along Highway 10, which includes this site upon request of the Board of Directors. The Highway 10 Land Use Review's intent is to address specific demand for uses in specific locations and identify appropriate locations for different uses between Pankey and the Joe T. Robinson School's. The review has just begun and the Planning Staff is still receiving information on the current Highway 10 Land Use Plan. Any change at this time would be premature and possibly detrimental to the study effort. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (OCTOBER 7, 2004) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the December 2, 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. The motion was made and approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes, and 2 absent. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. December 2, 2004 ITEM NO.: B FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - River Mountain Planning District Location: South side of Cantrell Road west of Taylor Loop Road Request: Transition to Commercial Source: Charles Basham 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 desires to develop the property with commercial uses at the front of the property fronting Cantrell Road and office uses on the rear half of the property. Staff is not expanding the application since the Land Use Plan in this area was reviewed within 12 months. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING The property is vacant currently zoned R-2, Single Family, and is 6.7 acres t in size. Bordering this property on the north and running northwest is Highway 10/Cantrell Road. The land directly north of Cantrell Road is zoned R2 with two homes and several outbuildings. Northwest of the property are several homes on large lots zoned POD, Planned Office Development and PDO, Planned Development Office, which have uses of residential, offices and a bank. Further to the northeast is a Walgreen's store zoned PDC and a development zoned C3, General Commercial District, anchored by a hardware store and other small businesses. Directly to the east of the site is a PCD with a large antique and home furnishings store. Further east are POD, Planned Office Development, PDO, Planned Development Office, and even farther east are areas zoned as R2 and PCD. These uses include banks, a church, offices, a hair salon, an animal clinic and single-family homes. South and east of the property is a R2 zone developed with single-family homes. A little further south and east is vacant land zoned PR for parks and recreational use. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On April 6, 2004, a change was made from Transition to Commercial about a quarter mile northeast of the applicants property to accommodate proposed development. December 2, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 On August 19, 2003 a change was made from Transition to Commercial to about a half mile to the northwest of the property to accommodate a proposed development. On February 18, 2003 multiple changes were made within a 1 mile radius of the project site recognize existing conditions. These include Transition to Suburban Office north of the site, Transition to Single Family about quarter mile west of the site, Transition to Commercial about a half mile east of the site and on the opposite side of Cantrell Road, and Transition to Single family about one mile due east of the site. MASTER STREET PLAN Cantrell Road is shown as a Principal Arterial on the plan. Cantrell Road is built as a five -lane road through that area. East of the property is Taylor Loop Road and further east is Pinnacle Valley, both Minor Arterials, which are built below standard. The primary function of the Principal Arterial, Cantrell Road, is to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. A Minor Arterial provides connections to and though an urban area and their primary function are to provide short distance travel within the urbanized area not to provide access. PARKS: There are no parks immediately adjacent or accessible to this property. To the south and east of the property is Taylor Loop Community Park. Taylor Loop is an undeveloped park consisting of 35.0 acres and is separated from the property by a street lined with single-family homes. Running through the park is a creek. This area is not in a "Service Deficit Area". HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The area under review is located near the western edge of the River Mountain Neighborhood plan. The Sustainable Natural Environment goal listed one objective relative to this case: "to promote vigorous enforcement of Landscaping and Excavation Ordinance." The Infrastructure goal also listed an objective relevant to this case: "ensuring that roads are supportive of all transportation modes." December 2, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 To address the Sustainable Natural Environmental Goal for the neighborhood trees need to be preserved at the edge of properties in order to buffer different uses and runoff needs to be controlled. The property is located on a Principal Arterial and access points must be minimized to ensure that the guidelines for the Infrastructure goal are met. ANALYSIS: The Land Use Plan identifies this area as Transition. New development has occurred immediately northeast of Highway 10/Cantrell Road and Taylor Loop Road intersection in a C3 zoned area, as well as new development just east of Pinnacle Valley. The Future Land Use Plan shows a concentration of commercial uses located at the intersection of Taylor Loop and Cantrell Roads. Presently Highway 10/Cantrell Road has a node system in place. The existing Commercial node at Taylor Loop Road and Highway 10/Cantrell Road has 19.5 acres zoned for Commercial while the Land Use Plan recognizes 17.6 t acres available for Commercial uses. Amending this site would increase commercial zoning about 36% in the area and increase Commercial uses on the Land Use Plan by about 34%. Nodes on Highway 10/Cantrell Road are focused at major intersections. This Commercial node is focused at the Taylor Loop Road intersection and this change would result in an expansion of the existing node. The Land Use Plan identifies this area as Transition. Single Family lies directly south of the site and Commercial directly east. Most Transition areas along Highway 10/Cantrell Road were created to recognize that the area was not going to stay residential, and would allow some densification of use while being compatible with existing homes in the area. This particular area of Transitional use area could now be recognized as a buffer between the two uses of different intensities immediately adjacent to this property, Commercial and Single Family. Located in the Commercial area is an antique and home furnishings store that backs directly to homes in a Single Family area. The back of the store is visible on Westchester Drive from Taylor Loop Road to Westchester Cove (approximately five single family homes) even with the existing ten -foot natural buffer. In ideal circumstances Commercial uses will not back directly on a Single Family area with a small natural buffer, instead the buffer will be a use of less intensity. In this case some of the buffer has been lost and minimized as a result'of the existing PCD, so it is important that the remainder is preserved. Amending the land use plan would further decrease the buffer between the area's Commercial and Single Family areas even more and would put two uses adjacent to each other with a minimal natural buffer in place. However, in the general area there is vacant land shown as Commercial on the Land Use Plan and zoned for Commercial development. It is questionable that December 2, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 Commercial development of this property is justifiable because property is readily available for this type of development in nearby existing commercial areas. Furthermore, commercial development of this property along Highway 10/Cantrell Road could create pressure to develop land west and north of this property with commercial uses, expanding the commercial node and decreasing buffers with Single Family areas. A study involving the Highway 10/Cantrell Road corridor will be started soon analyzing the area's Land Use Plan and determine what types of land uses will be appropriate for this section of Little Rock. This study will take inventory of existing uses, growth patterns, and identify the need and appropriateness of specific land uses along the Highway 10 corridor. This study will provide guidance on future land use decisions in the area. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS Notices were sent to the following: Walton Heights-Candlewood Neighborhood Association, Pleasant Valley Property Owners Association, Pankey Community Improvement Association, Pleasant Forest Neighborhood Association Pleasant Forest Neighborhood Association, Westbury Neighborhood Association, Westchester/Heatherbrae Property Owners Association, Secluded Hills Property Owners Association, Piedmont Neighborhood Association, and River Valley Property Owners Association. Staff has received one comment from an area resident of neutral nature. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff requests that this item be deferred to the October 7, 2004 agenda due to lack of information being provided by applicant. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 26, 2004) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the October 7, 2004 Planning Commission meeting. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant has met with the Westchester Neighborhood Association, which has resulted in a site plan change. This does not change the application as filed. December 2, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 At the present time the Planning Staff is reviewing the Land Use Plan along Highway 10, which includes this site upon request of the Board of Directors. The Highway 10 Land Use Review's intent is to address specific demand for uses in specific locations and identify appropriate locations for different uses between Pankey and the Joe T. Robinson School's. The review has just begun and the Planning Staff is still receiving information on the current Highway 10 Land Use Plan. Any change at this time would be premature and possibly detrimental to the study effort. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (OCTOBER 7, 2004) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the December 2, 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. The motion was made and approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes, and 2 absent. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant has contacted Staff and amended the Land Use Plan Amendment to better reflect the current application. The applicant now requests a change from Transition to Mixed Office Commercial and Suburban Office. This applicant requests the northern half fronting Cantrell Road as Mixed Office and Commercial (MOC) and the southern half as Suburban Office. The MOC category provides for a mixture of office and commercial uses to occur. Acceptable uses are office or mixed office and commercial, and a Planned Zoning District is required if the use is mixed office and commercial. The Suburban Office category provides for low intensity development of office or office parks in close proximity to lower density residential areas and to assure compatibility a Planned Zoning District is also required. Since the initial application, staff has received 45 comments relating to the Land Use Plan Amendment. All 45 comments were negative in nature with over 80% (37 comments) in support of the existing Transition land use category and 10 comments recommending a compromise regarding the office use closest to the existing single family subdivision. Their suggestion was a 100 foot wooded buffer separating the properties from the proposed development similar to the buffer set by the construction of the current David Claiborne / Victorian Garden building over fifteen years ago. As part of the Transition land use category, proposals are to be "compatible with the quality of life in nearby residential December 2, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 areas." The buffer proposed by the adjacent neighborhood is a request that can be strengthened with the existing Transition land use category due to its neighborhood compatibility clause. Staff has not received any new comments about the revised application; however, the applicant is scheduled to meet with the Westchester Neighborhood Association, which might result in additional comments. The applicant's new request more accurately reflects the type of development that will be on the site. Suburban Office requires a Planned Zoning District (PZD) and this change would continue the requirement of a PZD for new non-residential developments, while the Mixed Office Commercial also will require a PZD for this application since it includes commercial activity. In an area shown as Transition, office uses are allowed, and some office uses allow up to 10% of commercial accessory uses that are "clearly incidental to the primary use." In this particular case the applicant has concentrated his commercial uses on one lot creating an area of commercial that is not "clearly incidental" to the primary office uses, which has resulted in this Land Use Plan Amendment to MOC. The addition of MOC to this area could result in additional commercial activities focused offsite, not the nearby office uses, resulting in an expansion of commercial activities west on Cantrell Road. Showing this area as Mixed Office Commercial will add 4 acres t of potential commercial activity to the area. This would be a 20% increase and could be viewed as a catalyst for future commercial expansion west of the Taylor Loop and Cantrell Road commercial node. A change to Suburban Office for the southern half of the site is not necessary because the applicant's office activity is an allowed use in the Transition area. This amendment would remove the possibility of multifamily or single family development in this area. Staff feels that the existing Transition in this area will allow for developments to be more compatible with the surrounding low intensity developments and provides for a step down in intensity from the Taylor Loop and Cantrell Road commercial node. Since the purpose of Transition is to provide "an orderly transition between residential uses and other more intense uses," keeping this category will allow for development compatible with the nearby uses. At this present time independent commercial use is not appropriate for this site, and the existing Transition category allows for the applicant's office development. Staff recommends denial of the amended Land Use Plan Amendment. December 2, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-01-05 PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (DECEMBER 2, 2004) The item was placed on the consent agenda for withdrawal. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. M MI ��0 0 0 �I • 1 I i a 0 o P Q p PCD T to MOC 'I PR Area Zoning Case: LU04-01-05 N TtoMOC&SO n Location: South of Cantrell Rd., N West of Taylor Loop Rd. Ward: 5 PD: 1 CT: 42.11 0 100200 400 Feet TRS: T2NR13W19 mmmm=� SF T Plan Amendment Case: LU04-01-05 T to MOC & SO Location: South of Cantrell Rd., West of Taylor Loop Rd. Ward: 5 PD: 1 CT: 42.11 0 100200 v 400 Feet TRS: T2NR13W19