The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutPC applicant letCity of Little Rock Department of Planning and Development 723 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax: (501) 399-3435 or 371-6863 Planning Zoning and Subdivision December 31, 2019 Bradford Gaines Colliers International 1 Allied Drive, STE 1500 Little Rock, AR 72202 Dear Mr. Gaines: Enclosed is a copy of your item that is part of the agenda for the January 9, 2020 Planning Commission meeting. This hearing starts at 4:OOPM and takes place in the City Board Chambers, second floor City Hall, 500 West Markham. After the Planning Commission meeting you will receive correspondence on the next step in the City's review process. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at (501) 371-6819, wmalone@littlerock.gov . Sine rely, 4 j�Mf .V. Walter Malone, AICP Planning Manager January 9, 2020 ITEM NO.: 15 FILE NO.: A-336 NAME: Bear Den Annexation REQUEST: Accept 80 acres plus or minus to the City LOCATION: Along the north side of Chenal Drive, at Gordon Road (across from Germay and Sologne neighborhoods of Chenal) SOURCE: Bradford Gaines, Colliers International agent GENERAL INFORMATION: • The County Judge signed the annexation order December 23, 2019. • The Tract is undeveloped and wooded. The proposed used for area is single-family homes. • There is one property owner. This is a 100 percent property Owner annexation. • The site is contiguous to the City of Little Rock along the west, south and east sides. • The annexation request is to obtain City services. • The site is basically rectangular, approximately 2640 feet along the north and south property lines and approximately 1289 and 1340 feet respectively along the west and east property lines. • The site is zoned R-2, Single Family District. AGENCY COMMENTS: Public Safety: Fire: No Comment Received. Police: Little Rock Police Department had no comments or recommendations. Infrastructure and Community Facilities: Rock Region METRO Transit: No Comment Received. Parks and Recreation: No Comment Received. Public Works: Little Rock Solid Waste Division indicates they have no issues or concerns with the proposed annexation. The Engineering Division has indicted that their understanding is that Gordon Road will be improved to City Standard by January 9, 2020 ITEM NO.: 15 (Cont.) FILE NO. A-336 the property owner /developer of the land. And that this will commence without delay after annexation and purchase of the land. Pulaski County Planning: No Comment Received. Arkansas Geographic Information Office: AGIO expressed no concerns with the annexation and noted the applicant had followed ARK CODE 14-40-101. Utilities: Central Arkansas Water: No Comment Received. Entergy: Entergy has indicated they have not concerns or issues with that annexation, but that at time of subdivision additional easements may be required. Reliant- Energy: No Comment Received. Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No Comment Received. AT&T: No Comment Received. Schools Little Rock: No Comment Received. The annexation areas are not within the Little Rock School District. Pulaski County Special: No Comment Received. The annexation areas are within the Pulaski County Special School District. ANALYSIS: The City of Little Rock has annexed two areas in 1989 (ordinance 15631) and 1999 (ordinance 18146) which bound the application area on the west, south and east. The southern boundary is just north of Chanel Valley Drive. The only access is via Gordon Road which enters the annexation area near the southeast corner. The area requesting annexation is partly wooded and undeveloped. Bear Den Mountain is located in the northeast section of the annexation area. Bear Den Mountain is a rocky peak and it would be on the new City Limits if approved. Gordon Road enters the property near the southeast corner and moves in a northwesterly direction circling to the west of Bear Den Mountain and proceeding north to Two Towers Road. There are several large electric easements with high power transmission lines through the property. There is a 100 foot wide easement shown on the survey from southeast to northwest. It enters on the south Boundary 6,060 plus feet from the southeast corner and moves to north of the center of the tract asking for 2 January 9, 2020 ITEM NO.: 15 (Cont.) FILE NO. A-336 annexation. This easement does not appear to have a utility in it currently. There is a 180 foot wide easement with transmission line from southwest to northeast, entering the west boundary just north of the midpoint and moving to just north of the midpoint of the tract. The largest easement is 280 feet wide and contains a transmission line. The easement is basically north -south and starts that the confluence of the other two easements, just north of the center and moves north out of the tract asking for annexation. The property is currently zoned R-2, Single Family Residential District. It is wooded and undeveloped at this time. South of the property is R-2 zoned land with single - family subdivisions — the Germany and Sologne Neighborhoods of Chenal. To the west is undeveloped R-2 zoned land (within the City Limits) owned by Deltic Real Estate LLC. To the north is the ridge line with Shinall Mountain and Crystal Mountain where several radio and TV transmission towers are located. This area is outside the City Limits but zoned R-2 Single Family Residential District. To the east is wooded vacant land. The southern portion is zoned MF-12, Multifamily Residential District Twelve Units Per Acre and the northern portion is zoned OS, Open Space District. The MF-12 area has an approved site plan for an apartment development (approved in January 2019). The transmission lines with easements and the steep grades of Bear Den Mountain will make portions of the annexation area hard to develop if they can be developed at all. The full 80 acres will not be able to be developed at the densities allowed by the R-2 zoning. The owners of the property have indicated that they would be developing the land as zoned, i.e. for single-family homes. Between Bear Den Mountain and the easements on the property just over half of the area should be developable. This would result in less than 300 houses on this land. Based on the lot sizes of the subdivisions nearby this would result in 120 to 175 houses. Just under a half mile of Gordon Road would be included in this annexation. Gordon Road is a public county road with a `Mackey Order' 50 foot right-of-way. It is a chip seal road with open shoulders. The road does not meet Little Rock Master Street Plan standards. The applicant has provided the City with a letter indicating that once the land has been annexed and purchased, they intend to begin development of the area. At the time of subdivision and development of the area, Gordon Road will be rebuilt by the property owner/developer to City standards in the approximate alignment of the current road. The Public Works Department is satisfied with this commitment. There are 8-inch waste water lines along Chenal Valley Drive south of the annexation area. And there is a 12-inch water main along Chenal Valley Drive, as well as a 12-inch line along the eastern line of this tract from the water tower on Two Towers Road to Chenal Valley Drive. As part of the development of the land the developer will have to extend these services to the new development. 3 January 9, 2020 ITEM NO.: 15 (Cont.) FILE NO. A-336 The Pulaski County Judge signed the annexation order on Monday, December 23, 2019. This verifies that the annexation request meets all appropriate state laws. The closest fire station (Station 21) is located at 17000 Chenal Valley Drive. From this station via existing streets is approximately 1.8 miles to the annexation area. Station 23, Rahling Road, is the next closest station with runs of approximately 4.6 miles to the annexation area. Areas beyond the annexation area already must be serviced from these two stations. With land both east and west of the annexation area within the city limits; current police patrols would already naturally pass on Chenal Valley Drive. The Fire Department made comment on the proposed annexation. The Little Rock Police Department responded with 'no recommendations' on this annexation request. The police currently patrol along Chenal Valley Drive in front of the annexation site but do not patrol within the area — no businesses or homes currently exist in the area to be annexed. Staff Recommendation: Approval. 4