HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOD CommunicationsOFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMUNICATION
JULY 109 2007 AGENDA
Subject
Land Use Plan Amendment —
River Mountain Planning
District — LU07-01-01 at the
Pine Mountain Subdivision
Submitted by:
Planning and Development
Action Required I Approved By
gOrdinance
Resolution
Approval
Information Report
Bruce Moore
SYNOPSIS
Land Use Plan amendments in the River Mountain Planning
District to add the requirement that the entire subdivision be
modified for a change in zoning.
FISCAL IMPACT
N/A
RECOMMENDATION
Planning Staff recommends approval. The Planning
Commission reviewed this issue at its June 7, 2007 meeting and
recommended approval (nine in favor, zero against). There
were no objectors present.
CITIZEN
All residents within 300 feet who could be identified and the
PARTICIPATION
Pinnacle Valley, Secluded Hills, Westbury and Pankey
Neighborhood Associations were notified of the public hearing.
BACKGROUND
The Pine Mountain subdivision has been in place for many
years and is largely still owner occupied single-family houses.
The homes on Pine Mountain Road are subject to a Bill of
Assurance, which states that the land uses should be restricted
to single-family homes. These homeowners and residents wish
to remain in their residences without other lots in the
subdivision being converted one at a time to non-residential
uses. A similar designation is in place in east Little Rock in the
areas surrounding the Little Rock Airport. Those properties
were included in a Land Use Plan amendment as part of the
East of I-30 study. The ordinance stated that the areas around
the Little Rock Airport would ultimately be Light Industrial but
the changes had to be made at least at the block level. The idea
was to keep these neighborhoods from being piece-mealed
apart. This designation has allowed the residents in east Little
Rock to stay in their current locations without industrial uses
next door, until the airport or another future developer chooses
to redevelop the entire block.
The Pine Mountain Subdivision is shown as Transition on the
Future Land Use Plan with the northern most lot shown as
Single Family. The current category of Transition is "a land
use plan designation that provides for an orderly transition
between residential uses and other more intense uses.
Transition was established to deal with areas which contain
zoned residential uses and nonconforming nonresidential uses."
In areas shown as Transition, a Planned Zoning Development is
required if the use is to be anything other than Single Family.
The definition of Transition states, "Uses that may be
considered are low-density multi family residential and office
uses if the proposals are compatible with quality of life in
nearby residential areas." The proposed amendment would
leave the Pine Mountain Subdivision as Transition and Single
Family on the Future Land Use Plan, but it would stipulate that
zoning changes may only be made at the subdivision level.
This area of Transition is somewhat different than other areas
shown as Transition on the Future Land Use Plan because this
area is so small, well defined and totally developed with smaller
lot single-family houses. Any change in this neighborhood
would most likely impact the existing residents because this
area is so compact. While other areas of Transition along
Highway 10 may be undeveloped, this area has been developed
as single-family homes for years. Also, while most Transition
has frontage on an arterial, this area has no such frontage.
The city still believes the ultimate use of this area is likely to
become more intense residential or non-residential, but if and
when it transitions, it would be more appropriate to change the
whole area at one time. This would allow a more uniform
development with less curb cuts and better planning to develop
rather than the more haphazard lot by lot residential.
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