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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLR Port expandsion concepts 2008LITTLE ROCK PORT INDUSTRIAL PARK EXPANSION CONCEPTS MARCH, 2008 LITTLE. ROCK,­- PORT OCK,___.-PORT AUTNORIT i LITTLE ROCK PORT INDUSTRIAL PARK EXP ANSION CONCEPTS GENERAL The property encompassed by the current boundary of the Little Rock Port Industrial Park (Port) has reached total occupancy with only 33 acres remaining. While there is land available in the Slackwater Harbor, the tracts are small in nature, can only be leased by Federal constraints, can only be leased to a water transportation user, and the land has been deemed "Floodway" by FEMA, which imposes severe restrictions on new construction. Thus, the Port needs to expand its industrial park in order to have properties to serve additional industries interested in locating close to the barge, rail, airport, and highway facilities so readily available there. The proposed expansion of the Port will improve approximately 2,200 acres located adjacent to and south of the current southern Port property line and west of the property recently purchased by Welspun. The southern boundary of the study area is an extension of the south line of the Welspun property for a distance of 1.5 miles, and a line beginning approximately one half mile south of the previous line and extending west 1.5 miles to the Fourche Bayou. The westerly line of the study is a natural boundary - Fourche Bayou. Its gentle, curved shape divides the open, flat lands in the study area from the higher, hilly terrain to the west. A fully developed plan of this property showing existing and proposed roadways, Port Railroad extensions, and utilities is shown on Exhibit B - "Proposed Infrastructure" in this report. All of the available lands in this study are adjacent, or nearby, to the Port's Industrial Park and would be annexed to the City of Little Rock upon purchase. This report includes the following Exhibits: A. General Development Area B. Proposed Infrastructure C. Environmental Features D. Ownership Map E. Development Phases F. Topographic Map. Page 1 of 6 2. DEVELOPMENT PROCESS The development process required by the Little Rock Code begins with a plan for roadway access to serve tracts of appropriate size and shape owned by the developer, A "Preliminary Plat" of the entire expansion area is prepared by the Engineer and is filed with the City Planning Department for review. It shows the proposed infrastructure, including roads, lot lines, building setbacks, easements, and utilities. A Master Drainage Plan is also required by Public Works to assure that adequate outfall routes and detention are provided to protect downstream neighbors, The Planning Commission then reviews and approves the Preliminary Plat, which forms the basis for construction of streets under the review and acceptance of the Public Works Department. After the physical improvements are constructed and accepted, the Planning Staff reviews and approves a "Final Plat" and "Bill of Assurance" for the land in the r� first phase. The land is divided into numbered "Areas" (500, 501, 502, etc) by the streets shown on the Preliminary and Final Plats. Replats are then prepared on demand to define the "Tracts" in response to buyer requests. The development process, therefore, consists of the following steps: A. Concept Approval Meeting with Planning Staff B. Purchase of Property C. Preliminary Plat D. Subdivision Committee Review E. Planning Commission Review F. Construction of Infrastructure G. Final Plat H. Sale of Platted Lots. The Port Authority has maintained essential compliance with the above steps in the past. In 1969 the existing Industrial Park was created with large initial purchases of property. After a preliminary design conference and plan review, a _ Final Plat was approved and filed. Infrastructure construction was allowed to proceed as income from sales of property and other sources became available. "Replats" were filed to indicate the property sold to each industry. The exhibits contained in this study will be sufficient for presentation to the Planning Staff at a pre -design conference, and this can take place at any time. J J Page 2 of 6 1 A Preliminary Plat will be necessary so that development will continue in an organized fashion through the generations. The previous practice, however, is rl that the LRPA files a Final Plat which includes all of the presently acquired I property, and dedicates rights of way, setbacks, and easements for the area. Land is sold not by predetermined lots, but by replatting tracts of land according to the need of the incoming industry. Thus, we have not recommended a series of lot shapes and sizes, but left this to be defined by potential buyers. 1 This development will require a large investment of funds for property and infrastructure. A phased development has been indicated, but this phasing is not 1 mandatory as long as growth proceeds in accordance with the approved Preliminary Plat. 3. ROADWAYS and LOTS r In general, a plan for minimum road construction has been indicated in this Report. Zeuber Road extends from the existing industrial Park into the expansion area and will be the major east -west roadway serving the proposed development. Zeuber will be extended to Thibault Road (extended) near the east side of the property. Since the existing roads began as gravel or `'chip and seal" rural faun roads, they have traditionally received a minimum of 3 1/2 to 7 inches of asphalt to withstand industrial traffic loading. Paved shoulders are also necessary to achieve Little Rock's minimum "Industrial Street" cross section. The extension of new roadways to the south and west in the study area leads traffic west of Fourche Bayou along a connection road to State Highway 365 approximately '/ mile outside of the study area. A major drainage structure or bridge is required to cross .Fourche Bayou. This road is required to serve all the 9 property within Phase A as well as the Phase C area. The route of the future South Loop has not yet been defined, but an environmental ! evaluation may soon be commissioned by MetroPlan. This will result in a more definite route for South Loop. The route shown connecting to Fourche Dam Pike/Thibault Road at the south line of the existing Industrial Park has been considered in the past by a MetroPlan study as it provides the most efficient J connection to I-440 through the Port Industrial Park, and also serves Welspun and other potential industrial sites. J J Page 3 of 6 J 4. RAIL SERVICE As shown on Exhibit B, rail service from the existing Port property will be .� extended into the expansion area in the form of three loops which roughly define I the phases. The location of their common center line follows along a gas transmission line/Entergy transmission line to avoid additional severance of the land. The tracks also lie along the edge of environmentally preserved areas or flood plains. The route along the west in Phase A-1 follows Fourche Bayou. A loop to the east in Phase B follows the westerly line of the Welspun site, and can .� provide a connection to a future outbound route desired by Welspun. The Phase C track lies along the Fourche Bayou on the west, and property lines on the south and east. Rail service to industrial sites is generally desirable on the rear or the sides rather than on the front. The three loops provide this arrangement in most cases. 5. UTILITY SERVICE A. Water Central Arkansas Water has a 24 -inch water main entering the west side of the Park along Frazier Pike with an operating pressure of approximately 75 psi. A 16 -inch water main extends south along Thibault Road from the 1 24 -inch to the southeast corner of the Port property. This 16 -inch line would be extended into the expansion area south along Thibault Road to reconnect with the existing system at Frazier Pike, south of the Welspun property. From this 16 -inch line, a new 16 -inch line will be constructed west, along the proposed railroad track, to tie in at Dulin Road, and a new 16 -inch line will be extended west along Zeuber Road to loop in with the Dulin Road extension. This loop will provide the 3000 gallons per minute fire flow with excellent residual pressures required for the Port area. North/south extensions off the 16 -inch loop will be made with 12 -inch water main. The layout of the water mains is shown in Exhibit B. Substantial storage volume is available for fire flow conditions. B. Sewer .1 The water table at this tract is approximately elevation 235 MSL (0 to 10 feet deep) based on geotechnical information collected in the existing industrial park. Sewering of this tract by gravity collectors is possible, but is expected to be quite expensive due to the dewatering which will be J required to install the gravity lines. A sewerage plan using force mains and grinder pump stations on each site is the more desirable and cost- effective alternative. Pressure collector lines can be constructed with a 1 standard depth of three feet more economically than gravity collectors j Page 4 of 6 J below the water table. This system type is used to generate the values shown in the cost estimates. Little Rock Wastewater (LRW) is currently in design of a new 30 -inch force main connecting its Arch Street Pump Station to its Fourche Treatment Facility. This 30 -inch line will run along Zeuber Road and will be the basis for sewer collection in the proposed Port Industrial Park expansion area. In order to serve the area, new publicly owned, smaller diameter force mains will be extended from LRW's proposed 30 -inch line. These smaller mains will be connected to individual grinder pump stations on each site. Depending on flow characteristics and hydraulics from the individual industries, one or more booster pump stations may be required within the new system, prior to connecting with the 30 -inch force main. A plan for sewerage based on these premises is shown in Exhibit B of this report. Final routes and sizing of the new system will naturally be dictated and driven by the actual size, type, and location of new industries, as they begin to occupy the Expansion Area, 6. FEMA FLOOD PLAINS The study area is affected by two very notable environmental features: flood plains and wetlands. Much of the area lies within the designated FEMA Flood Plain, and a Flood Plain Development Permit will need to be issued by the City of Little Rock. There has been no .formal wetlands study done at this time, It is 1 likely that some of the low areas are of marginal wetlands value and these areas could be filled and become usable sites. In fact, filling of lands below the 100 year flood is very likely to be permitted in this backwater situation. However, the cost of a formal wetlands study would be substantial. The costs for any filling of these areas has not been included in this Report, Revised flood maps and elevations have recently been released by FEMA, and the matters related to development limitations are currently being dealt with on a political level throughout Arkansas, These matters will eventually be resolved, l but until then development can proceed in accordance with existing Flood Plain - j maps. These extensive Flood Plains are shown in light blue shading on Exhibit C. All of the Port of Little Rock, and the lands noted in the study area, are protected by a levee under the jurisdiction of the Fourche Island Levee District. FEMA is requiring certification of levees. This levee is participating in the Provisional J Accredited Levee (PAL) program in partnership with FEMA and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The results of the certification process will not be known for at least two years. The Fourche Island Levee District has paid the initial $12,000 to participate in the PAL program. Upon receipt of the Corps recommendations J Page 5 of 6 J for certification, the Fourche Island Levee District must work with the Corps to 9 implement these recommendations. These costs are unknown at this time. ] While there is a risk of non -certification, and that risk should be noted, there is a j high enough level of confidence in the process to proceed. 7. WETLANDS The Corps of Engineers has indicated that the low lying land and a part of the farmland may be classified as "wetlands" or "farmed wetlands," but their policy is not clear at this time. A "Section 404 Permit" will almost certainly be required of all the areas indicated by swamp symbols on the USGS quadrangle sheets. I Mitigation (replacement) of such lands will be required in a factor of 2:1, 3:1, or as much as 4:1. No cost has been assigned to this type of wetland mitigation in the project cost estimates. The purchase price has not been adjusted for this reason, either. We have identified these areas as "Preserved Natural Areas" on the Exhibits. Naturally occurring woodlands will provide attractive buffers for industrial sites and existing ponds are to be preserved, and can be made into excellent site E enhancements. It is estimated that at least 500 acres of the 2,200 acre total are unbuildable wetlands. 8. PROBABLE COSTS The estimates of probable cost for the phased expansion are presented in a table entitled "Engineer's Opinion of Probable Cost." General costs per linear foot (L.F.) for these items are: Street Construction $450 per L.F. Road Upgrades $200 per L.F. Railroad Track $310 per L.F. 16" Water Main $110 per L.F. 6" SS Force Main $65 per L.F. J Page 6 of 6 J w' i ,." .� r - �~ `e'� rr•��,; ��'ITT i µ:=, '>, i .LE ROCK NATIONAL AIRPORT — .. �'' v • . , %•ur `�i '�e �4•'arT•. f , � "VV �,� ��r � i c�! � r.s :,� �%�' •J.��'-� �_y`�ti. _ J ' .. .. r .! 1 :al _ I':k • � � yy� ' J'- �L�� 1 t �' .f F � 5 � J .� . _TSTAT -_ _ _' �.ti. _ � �, � :`�:��• ��,.:.. -�r E 4-0a — _ _ �• .: .. •!. . W `r / '� ---.SCALE: 000 O� - fit. r ,•� •�` LINDSEY!' AM I. -i r.. r; 1 _ .: 1k .sl ,LITTLE ROCK PART IPfDUTRIAL PARK FRAZIER PIKE COLLEGE . I ~ . [V� SLCJANI= 47RIVE CITY OF LITTLE. BOCK STATION n + r10 FOURCHE 7,. { i +I i"V" - z V_ rc ZEUBER ROAD ; _ _ TREATMEN TWIBAULT + ::::• -PLANT , WELSPUN t INDUSTRIAL PARC EXPANSION r , THIBAULTROA 7.7 or - C_9 W m q 71 ClY lFiad'S` .ry y'r 6; 'i �7 l,ii !► l it v 477 •Jik, ��A 365 ' I 33B II PROPOSED 601PROVEiBIT'S PROPOSED PSMST AL PARK EXPANSION SIVIROVM EXfSTRNQ STREETS/ROADS NEW rxm7 TIAL STREETS PORT RAIRDAD TRACKS —16 so W— WATER - — - FM--- Mr SMTARY SEWER FORCE MM BY OTHERS r SANITARY SEWER FORCE IIIAEIS 110 1000 . 2000 4000 SCALE: 1 .. N6 �0 be; EXHIBIT B PROPOSED INFRASTRUCTURE LITTLE ROCK PORT INDUSTRIAL PARK EXPANSION 8E""ma[Ri%ww GARVER ENGINEERS 0 _a 0 0 i �0 a x K. 1. .c L AT O NAL; R7+ A.. a-~ [: s�y.e� _ t .'3v.' •y' - •, .. - •� -syr IL 9O COLLEGE-_'�- � � _, �� � 9a STATL7N EXfST.. ��-i'1OLE ROCK q - �+ �# PSR _ SMAL.,PARK •.I �•".� - � . �-j4'.1y7� .. [ .t yr [ � � --F E � '+ �,� _, s ..r • F �� CITY OF LITTLE FLOCK � r•- Lucas r.. � - � �.. ,a -.. ;; �. . FRENCH MARKLA JANE M, - - ' REALTY SAUGUS ENTERGY • 4 28 ACp HA IN I, p 60 AC. r 11I �- ;r+' WILLIAM M. ¢ 8grl 6IIRCHE, r, ac 5oAp f = yTRFATMENT` C.. 50 ACC.. Col1 14 AC. X PLANT .. ! 1911Y ...� 177.41 Cl7H•A0 RK 1•:.. - .r. TYLER c i' - (�� - }.• f �; RED JANE ! BUILDERS ' 60 AC. BAUOU5 5ELZ t .�-, i MARK WILLIAM M. � BS AC. JAMES �v ea AC. STI RS DOROUGH ------ - 130 AC. BDAC40 AC. a 35 Ap n"�•uu� 7�r�.� *� - .•r..y4 :. y. ppppp f _ 1900' d 70 AA� RfCHRRi7 ,• . J �. , j r MARY L. FOURCHE MARY JACK RATCLIFFE ISLAND, INC TO EY TYLER �• i i60 AC. ! WILLIAM M. VIRDY 40 AC. 46 AC. f • DOROUGH 60 AC. FLETCNI R LIFFE JR. 30 AC. J-_., � ....' �1, 7. � �,Y . {1 1 c 80 AC. 1 _� •• .. IRAIIY 7604 j1CAROLYN •� is 11� 'r� . r• r 16 AA j THA$AQLT JANE A1� - SAURUS JANE WORTHEN BANK OUNAWAY TRUSTEE MVRA BAUL7US Al + 6D AC. 120 AC. 7H[14A ao AC. OAhIMAWAWAY 80 RC.A. , 1 . JLBEFLNS{30 r, f[}pCi i.C[I-� �sn { a C. OWIMEF _ �- SCALE 1 • - 20w y . HIA i. CtlNNA & MARY L. WILLIAM M. •+ a RATCLIFFE RA LIFFE DUPRFEScc T 16O Ac. CORDi1GH [. 40 AC. 1 (14O p t, �0.1f.wh. . seRti sa.ea w m EXHIBIT D YA YA11.1 SPfR , rj r. 12-6 AC. - - WOWNERSHIP MAP fM> n o� i� °a �I LL11 I I wE LSPUN 1000 2000 3000 2000 EXHIBIT E DEVELOPMENT PHASES LITTLE ROCK PORT INDUSTRIAL PARK EXPANSION 0l"EMBER 10, 4007 GARVER ENGINEERS