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Home My WebLink AboutBoard of Directors itemsOFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMUNICATION FEBRUARY 19, 2013 AGENDA Subject Approval of Land Use Plan Amendment LU13-24-01 Submitted By: Planning and Development Action Required I Approved By Ordinance Resolution Approval Information Report Bruce Moore SYNOPSIS To approve Land Use Plan changes SE of the I-30, I-530 and I-440 Interchange in Section 23, 24, and 26 TIN R12W (LU13-24-01). FISCAL IMPACT none RECOMMENDATION Staff recommended approval. The Little Rock Planning Commission 9 ayes, 0 nays, I absent and 1 open position to approve the changes. CITIZEN The following Neighborhood Associations were contacted: PARTICIPATION Granite Mountain neighborhood Association. No comments were received solely concerning the Future Land Use Plan amendments. BACKGROUND This application is part of a land swap between the applicant and the City of Little Rock. That swap exchanged land with the City receiving land that is closer to the heart of Gilliam Park on top of the hill to the north and the mining interest receiving land to the south next to the active mine. This swap consolidates the north and west side of Granite Mountain in the north half of Sec 23 to be in City control. This amendment and land swap, effectively pushes the mining interest further away from the downtown core and further from the bulk of the residents in the Granite Mountain community and replaces it with the land for a nature center. BACKGROUND CONTINUED This swap would increase the area to be used as parkland for Gilliam Park, but even more, reduces the use of mining the land in the future. This land, that the city received, is also adjacent to the Fourche Bottoms urban wetland park and is in the view shed of that park. City of Little Rock Resolutions numbers 13,330, 11,190, and 11,099 refer to Audubon Arkansas operating a nature center utilizing this property that is ecologically sensitive. Sensitive areas such as the Fourche Creek and Gilliam Park as noted. This area has a proliferation of mining uses on adjacent parcels to the south and southeast. While the use is already there, it is important to protect the view corridor entering and exiting the city via I-530. The freeway is currently lined with a buffer of trees and forest and that buffer should remain on the newly acquired land that is the subject of this amendment. 4 I ORDINANCE NO. 2 3 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE LAND USE PLAN 4 (16,222) IN THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN / SWEET HOME 5 PLANNING DISTRICT SOUTHEAST OF THE 1-30,1-530 6 AND I-440 INTERCHANGE IN SECTION 23, 24, AND 26 7 OF TIN R12W (LU13-24-01) AND FOR OTHER 8 PURPOSES; 9 10 WHEREAS, the Little Rock Planning Commission has reviewed the package 11 of suggested changes and now recommends them for adoption. 12 13 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 14 OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK: 15 16 SECTION 1. Southeast of the I-30, 1-530 and 1-440 Interchange in Section 17 23, 24, and 26 TIN R12W, the Land Use Plan is changed from Park/Open Space to 18 Mining. 19 SECTION 2. Severability. In the event any title, section, paragraph, item, 20 sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this ordinance is declared or adjudged to be 21 invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration or adjudication shall not affect the 22 remaining portions of the ordinance which shall remain in full force and effect as if 23 the portion so declared or adjudged invalid or unconstitutional was not originally a 24 part of the ordinance. 25 SECTION 3. Repealer. All laws, ordinances, resolutions, or parts of the 26 same that are inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed to 27 the extent of such inconsistency. 28 29 30 31 [Page 1 of 21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 PASSED: ATTEST: City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: City Attorney // APPROVED: Mayor [Page 2 of 21 FILE NO.: LU13-24-01 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment — Granite Mountain / Sweet Home Planning District Location: SE of the 1-30, 1-530 and 1-440 Interchange in Section 23, 24, and 26 TIN R12W Request: Park/Open Space to Mining Source: Haskell L Dickinson 11, McGeorge Contracting Company PROPOSAL/REQUEST: A Land Use Plan amendment in the Granite Mountain / Sweet Home Planning District from Park/Open Space to Mining. The mining category provides for the extraction of various natural resources such as bauxite, sand, gravel, limestone, granite or other. Mining uses will include assurances that these resources be properly managed so as not to create a hazard, nuisance or the disfigurement or pollution of the land. The use will be for future mining activities. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include an area of land that is currently zoned Mining that is under that same ownership as the property in question. Without that change, there would be an island of PK/OS within the mining. This change would make the Future Land Use plan more logical and representational. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is wooded and currently zoned PR Park and Recreation and is 178 acres ± in size. (34 acres is the expansion area that is already zoned Mining.) To the north is Gilliam Park zoned PR Park and Recreation. To the south is land zoned 1-3 Heavy Industrial, R-2 Single Family and M Mining all of which has mining activities on them. To the west is Interstate 530 and beyond that is more areas shown as Mining. To the east and northeast is land that is both zoned un -zoned and has a mixture of uses from small commercial, single family housing and multi -family housing. That land is zoned is PRD Planned Residential Development, R-2 Single Family and PR Park and Recreation. Commercial uses are along Springer Boulevard. Those uses include a small grocery store, a liquor store and vacant commercial buildings. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: December 12, 2000, a change was made from commercial, Public Institutional, Multi Family and Single Family to Low Density Residential between Gilliam Park Road and Edge Street at Granite Mountain Circle one half of a mile to the northeast. FILE NO.: LU13-24-01 (Cont. MASTER STREET PLAN: There are no roads classified higher than a local street in the area of the application. The application does border Interstate 530, but there is no access to that interstate from the property. There are no proposed streets listed in the Master Street Plan for this area either. Access to the site is from the south through private property. BICYCLE PLAN: The closest bike route to this site is along highway 365 and East Dixon Road and is shown as a Class 11. A Class II bikeway is located on the street as either a 5' shoulder or six foot marked bike lane. Additional paving and right of way may be required. PARKS: According to the Master Parks Plan, this areas is not in a park deficit area since it boarders Gilliam Park. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. ANALYSIS: This application is part of a land swap between the applicant and the City of Little Rock. That swap exchanged land with the City receiving land that is closer to the heart of Gilliam Park on top of the hill to the north and the mining interest receiving land to the south next to the active mine. This swap consolidates the north and west side of Granite Mountain in the north half of Sec 23 to be in City control. This amendment and land swap, effectively pushes the mining interest further away from the downtown core and further from the bulk of the residents in the Granite Mountain community and replaces it with the land for a nature center. This swap would increase the area to be used as parkland for Gilliam Park, but even more, reduces the use of mining the land in the future. This land, that the city received, is also adjacent to the Fourche Bottoms urban wetland park and is in the view shed of that park. City of Little Rock Resolutions numbers 13,330, 11,190, and 11,099 refer to Audubon Arkansas operating a nature center utilizing this property that is ecologically sensitive. Sensitive areas such as the Fourche Creek and Gilliam Park as noted. This area has a proliferation of mining uses on adjacent parcels to the south and southeast. While the use is already there, it is important to protect the view corridor entering and exiting the city via 1-530. The freeway is currently lined with a buffer of trees and forest and that buffer should remain on the newly acquired land that is the subject of this amendment. i•. FILE NO.: LU13-24-01 (Cont. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the Granite Mountain neighborhood association. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is appropriate. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JANUARY 10, 2013) This item was placed on the consent agenda for approval and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent and 1 open position. 3 jet Land Use Plan Amendment Case: LU 13-24-01 N Location: S and W of Gillam Park PK/OS to M Wa rd: 1 PD: 24 0 5001,000 2.000 Fcel CT: 40.01 TRS: T1 N R12W26 PR os r f - 1 l t I f R2 D 1 Area Zoning Case: LU 13-24-01 N Location: S and W of Gillam Park PK/OS to M Ward: 1 PD: 24 0 5001,000 2,000 Feet CT: 40.01 TRS: T1 N R12W26