Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOD PackageOFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMUNICATION JULY 21,1998 AGENDA Subject Land Use Plan Amendment - 1900 and 2000 block of Commerce Street - LU98-08-02 Action Required Submitted By 4Ordinance Resolution Approval Information Report Item _ Cy Carney City Manager SYNOPSIS _ Land Use Plan Amendment - Central City District - 1900 and 200 block of Commerce Street - LU98-08-02 RECOMMENDATION Planning Staff recommends approval. CITIZEN June 25, 1998, Planning Commission Meeting (7-3-1 in favor). PARTICIPATION Notification was sent to the East of Broadway Neighborhood Association. A notice was also sent to the Downtown Neighborhood Association Action Plan Committee. BACKGROUND The request was for one lot to change from Single Family to Mixed Use so that the applicant could start a beauty salon. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include the lots facing Commerce on the west side of the 1900 block and those lots along Commerce in the 2000 block on both sides of the street. The area is composed of 7 houses, one abasndoned commercial two story storefront structure and 5 vacant lots. This site is located in the core of the Central City area. This particular neighborhood is characterized by one-story houses of a modest size, scattered churches, the occasional isolated commercial structure and many vacant lots. This neighborhood is currently undertaking a neighborhood action plan. BACKGROUND CONTINUED Distressed areas of the city need economic assistance. Applications for land use amendments and zoning changes indicate that there are citizens willing to make an investment into the neighborhood. Allowing small businesses and cottage industries to exist within a portion of a person's residence is a means to allow economic development to happen without further reduction of the already reduced number of housing stock in the area. Commerce Street has a bridge over I-630 making it possibly more significant than other north south streets in the area and provides a direct connection between Pettaway Park and MacArthur Park. This connection to the north and to the C-3 area to the south would make it a prime location to have mixed use. The Alert Center at 21st and Commerce is one block to the south. In depressed areas, investments are good investments as long as they are aesthetically compatible with the neighborhood. With Mixed Use land use classification, a PUD is required if a structure is entirely office or commercial or a mix of office, commercial and residential. The object is to make the proposed uses in these mixed areas are sympathetic to housing, to try to protect housing by requiring a PZD. F� June 25, 1998 ITEM NO.: 3 FILE NO.: LU98-08-02 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment -- Central City District Location: 1918 Commerce Request: Single Family to Mixed Use Source: Mable I. Ellis PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Central City Planning District from Single Family to Mixed Use. Mixed Use provides for a mixture of residential, office and commercial uses to occur. A Planned Zoning District is required if the use is entirely office or commercial or if the use is a mixture of the three. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include the lots facing Commerce on the west side of the 1900 block and those lots along Commerce in the 2000 block on both sides of the street. The area is composed of 7 houses, one commercial structure and 5 vacant lots. It is a total of 1.03± acres. The lot at the northwest corner of 20th and Commerce is a vacant isolated two story brick commercial store front building. CURRENT LAND USE AND ZONING: - The property is currently zoned R4 and is approximately 1/16 of an acre in size. Across Commerce Street, occupying a half of a block is the Metropolitan Baptist Church and is shown as Public Institutional on the Land Use Plan. Otherwise, the site is surrounded by R4 zoning and Single Family land use classification. RECENT AMENDMENTS: May 21, 1996, a change for Single Family to Mixed Use for a three block area between 26th and 27th east of I-30. March 5, 1996, a change from Single Family to Mixed Use on the west side of Bragg Street from 23rd to 24th. February 20, 1996, a change from Single Family to Public Institutional between Marshall and Battery from 13th to 14th Streets. January 16, 1996, a change from Single Family to Public Institutional an area west of I-30 between 18th and 19th Streets. June 25, 1998 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU98-08-02 MASTER STREET PLAN: Commerce, 19th, 20th and 21st Streets are shown as residential streets by the plan. BACKGROUND: This site is located in the core of the Central City area. This particular neighborhood is characterized by one-story houses of a modest size, scattered churches, the occasional isolated commercial structure and many vacant lots. This neighborhood is currently undertaking a neighborhood action plan. This land use case can and should set precedence for the future of cottage industries in distressed areas on a city wide basis. There are several distressed areas of the city that need economic jump-starting. The question is -as follows: Should we hold out for residential infill in these neighborhoods or should we open up development on the basis that any development is good development as long as it is aesthetically compatible with the existing neighborhood? Distressed areas of the city need economic assistance. Applications for land use amendments and zoning changes indicate that there are citizens willing to make an investment into the neighborhood. Allowing small businesses and cottage industries to exist within a portion of a person's residence is a means to allow economic development to happen without further reduction of the already reduced number of housing stock in the area. Commerce Street has a bridge over I-630 making it possibly more significant than other north south streets in the area and provides a direct connection between Pettaway Park and MacArthur Park. This connection to the North and to the C-3 area to the South would make it a prime location to have mixed use. The Alert Center at 21st and Commerce is one block to the South. In depressed areas, investments are good investments as long as they are aesthetically compatible with the neighborhood. On the northwest corner of 20th and Commerce Streets is an abandoned two story commercial storefront building. Across the street, is the Metropolitan Baptist church. This suggests, that at one time, this was a commercial node. Changing the land use on this storefront building will make it more desirable for redevelopment as a residence over either an office or commercial venture. With Mixed Use land use classification, a PUD is required if a structure is entirely office or commercial or a mix of office, commercial and residential. The object is to make the proposed uses in - these mixed areas are sympathetic to housing, to try to protect housing by requiring a PZD. 2 June 25, 1998 ITEM NO.: 3 Cont. FILE NO.: LU98-08-02 The Granite Mountain bus route travels along Rock Street which provides bus service within a block of the site. On the other hand, we should encourage areas with depleted housing stock to have infill'of residential structures that are compatible to existing structures. As stated before, Granite Mountain bus route is close to the site, but not actually on this block. The streets involved are local streets, not built to support commercial uses that generate large amounts of traffic and parking lots that are not in scale with the residential environment. Parking at certain "cottage industries" is not of a residential scale. The neighborhood action plan committee, which is currently working on the neighborhood plan, is trying to remove R-5 and C-3 from their neighborhood. There is a large amount of C-3 sites available to south, along 21st street for activities to locate. Much of the C-3 area is not used for commercial or office use, This may show a lack of need to add non-residential use options. The Central City Neighborhood Activists have certainly spoken against the loss of housing stock in the Central City. Many have called for programs to repopulate the areas to the ,19.60 levels. This would require significant construction'of new residential units. Therefore, the loss of any residential units could be considered a negative action. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood association: East of Broadway. A notice was also sent to the Downtown Neighborhood Association Action Plan Committee. As of this printing, staff has received one phone call of a positive nature and two of a neutral nature. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is appropriate. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 25, 1998) Brian Minyard of Planning staff presented the case with the surrounding uses and zoning. Mr. Minyard explained the expansion of the original area to the proposed amendment area. Two comments from the neighborhood were negative, one was neutral and three comments were positive. The Downtown Neighborhood Association President, Kathy Wells, sent a letter stating that she is against any wholesale changing to mixed use. She would propose that we change things on a per 3 Tune 25, 1998 ITEM NO.; 3 {Cont.} FILE Na.: LU98-08-02 use basis. The East of Broadway Association has noted that they are in favor of the change. Staff has recommended approval of the change. The applicant is here. The applicant, Mable Ellis, stated that she owned the building next to her house in which she would like to put a beauty shop. She lives in the neighborhood and it is her desire to improve her neighborhood. She stated that she has letters of support from her neighbors. Ruth Bell of the League of Women Voters of Pulaski County spoke of her concerns about considering this as a cottage industry issue since the Plans committee has "not yet come to grips with the cottage industry" concept. She spoke of the premature nature of approving the application prior to the resolution of the Plans Committee's work. She also spoke that it was "presumptuous for us here to tell a neighborhood that it is low down economically." Thirdly, she spoke that they had a problem when there was under-utilized commercial properties in the area, whether on plan or actually built. We do not think that this is an appropriate use. Stuart Yancy, who owns property in the area, spoke that he had met Ms. Ellis prior. He has several concerns about this item. He spoke that he had offered her a commercial space for lease some time ago. Mr. Yancy stated that some mixed use in some older neighborhoods in some instances is a viable plan that is realistic in many cases. He stated that he was not personally notified, and he stated that persons directly involved that he talked to have not been notified. Chairman Lichty asked staff to state for the record the procedure for notification. Brian Minyard, of the Planning Staff, stated that the tax records are checked from the assessors' office. Those persons directly involved are mailed letters notifying them of the change. Neighborhood associations are also notified and we notified the Downtown Neighborhood Action Plan Committee. Mr. Yancy stated that he does not own land in the land use amendment area. It is adjacent. He stated that he spoke with the owner of the commercial building on the corner and they said that they did not receive notification. He further commented that the notification was not adequate for the amendment. Chairman Lichty stated that the procedures had been followed. 4 June 25, 1998 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU98-08-02 Mr. Yancy thought it was premature for the change with the current action plan being developed, and that it was in opposition to the current land use plan. He stated that Mrs. Bell's comment of not fully utilizing commercial property in the area was a problem. He supports infill of commercial and cottage industries, but does not feel that this is the case. Walter Malone stated that the Downtown Neighborhood Plan would come to the Planning Commission in mid to late fall of 1998. They are currently reviewing the policy plan. Commissioner Rohn Muse asked where the boundaries of the two different neighborhood associations were. Walter Malone explained the boundaries. Commissioner Muse asked if the neighborhood action plan included representatives from East of Broadway as well. Mr. Malone stated that it does. Commissioner Hawn was concerned that staff stated that this item should set a precedence. He stated that it should not set precedence and that it my be in our bylaws that we cannot set precedence. Commissioner Faust asked questions concerning the history of land use in the area. Discussion ensued between Commissioner Faust and Mr. Malone concerning the historic land use in the area, vacancy rates in the commercial areas, and the area being one of the most demolitions and the least reinvestment. Commissioner Faust restated the DNA letter that they "support mixed uses in the neighborhood" at intersections. "But they're concerned of the timing." Commissioner Rahman asked what was the issue that initiated the plan use amendment. Jim Lawson explained that we expanded the area because it was a good candidate for the mixed use classification. He further commented that the question was "if the area would make it on its, own or do we need to take some action. We feel that this area will not come back by itself, and we need to take action. We took her application to another step." Commissioner Rahman spoke that existing commercial structures should be used before creating more and that other areas are more appropriate. Walter Malone spoke that the Mixed Use does not mean that the area cannot be Single Family. He continued that if you are not going to be residential, you must use the Planned Unit Development process which makes sure that areas are compatible with the residential. Chairman Lichty spoke that he wondered if it was the time to act on this with the current neighborhood action plan in process. 5 June 25, 1998 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont_) FILE NO.: LU98-08-02 Commissioner Putman spoke that staff had put in a lot of time and effort to present this item and the staff recommended approval. He spoke that we were going overboard on discussion. Mr. Lawson suggested that the commission could deny the request and she could come back and file a P.O.D. with a conditional use instead of a P.C.D. which would be in conflict with your plan. Commissioner Berry spoke that the Mixed Use can be a tool for this neighborhood. Commissioner Hawn spoke of the pending document of the neighborhood plan. "The plan is not here yet... We need to encourage development downtown instead of knocking pine trees down out west." Commissioner Earnest spoke in favor of the action. Commissioner Hawn moved that we adopt the Land Use plan as presented. Motion was seconded. Motion was approved, with 7 ayes and 3 nayes and 1 absent. 6 Vicinity Ma Ul- - 19TH 0 ria a 20TH — P1 j-jO Q i a ° C �o aQ�Q ]9 El El o 13 ❑ � ■ 7 f n LI p W c =? ID 11 Q Cl fl C c� CD 8 O a min ■ ��• ifr���11� CIO Pp Cl j-jO Q d a ° C �o aQ�Q ]9 El El o 13 ❑ CD n LI p W c =? ID 11 Q Cl fl C c� CD 8 O a C23❑d o 0, o CIO Pp Cl ❑Q�� ©�❑ OED ; u a MX D Q P Plan Amendment LU98-08-02 1900 & 2000 BLOCK OF COMMERCE ST. SF TO MX TRS T1 N R12W11 PD s WARD _ 1 0 200 400 Item No. 3 Vicinity Ma Existing Zoning LU98-08-02 1900 & 2000 BLOCK OF COMAMRCE ST. TRS T1N R19W11 PD s WARD. 7 —` o zoo 4W Item No. 3 o • Q o Q 19TH a Qp oQ Q d Vicinity Ma Existing Zoning LU98-08-02 1900 & 2000 BLOCK OF COMAMRCE ST. TRS T1N R19W11 PD s WARD. 7 —` o zoo 4W Item No. 3 ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE LAND USE PLAN (16,222) IN THE CENTRAL CITY DISTRICT FROM SINGLE FAMILY TO MIXED USE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. . BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS. SECTION 1. That Single Family on the west side of Commerce Street in the 1900 block and on the east and west sides of Commerce in the 2000 block be amended to Mixed Use. SECTION 2. That the Land Use Plan be changed from Single Family to Mixed Use on the attached sketch and be changed in the Land Use Narrative. PASSED: ATTEST: APPROVED: City Clerk Mayor