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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesFebruary 12007 ITEM NO.: D FILE NO.: LU06-19-07 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Chenal Planning District Location: Either side of Kanis Rd, from Chenal Pkwy to Denny Road Request: Single Family, Multifamily, Public Institutional & Neighborhood Commercial to Single Family, Low Density Residential, Multifamily, Suburban Office, Neighborhood Commercial and Commercial Source: Staff PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Chenal Planning District from Single Family, Multifamily, Public Institutional & Neighborhood Commercial to Single Family, Low Density Residential, Suburban Office, Neighborhood Commercial and Commercial. Single Family provides for single-family homes at densities not to exceed six units per acre. Low Density Residential accommodates a range of housing types including single-family attached and detached, duplex, townhomes, patio or garden homes and multifamily or a combination provided the overall density is between six and ten dwelling units per acre. Suburban Office provides for low intensity development of office or office parks in close proximity of lower density residential areas to assure compatibility. Neighborhood Commercial is limited to small-scale commercial development in close proximity to a neighborhood, providing goods and services to that neighborhood market. Commercial is a broad range of retail and wholesale sales of products, personal and professional services, and general business activities. This package of changes was generated as a result of a City Board of Director's instruction to review the Land Use Plan in the Kanis Road corridor from Chenal Parkway to Stewart Road. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The properties involved in the amendment are mostly vacant either wooded or pasture land. There are three businesses on the properties as well as two homes. Of the approximately 78 acres included in the changes approximately 14 acres is zoned commercial (9.5'C -l' Neighborhood Commercial and 4.5'C-3' General Commercial); 6 acres is zoned office ('0-2' Office and Institutional); 19 acres multifamily ('MF -24' Multifamily District 24 units per acre) and 39 acres of single-family ('R-2' Single Family). Northwest are single-family subdivisions and the Chenal Country Club, most of this area is zoned 'R-2" Single Family. To the west and south are single-family homes generally in subdivisions of 5 to 10 acres lots. The land is generally zoned 'R-2'. Northeast of the area is zoned 'C-2' February 1� 2007 ITEM NO.: D (Cont. Shopping Center, 'MF -24' and 'MF -18' Multifamily zoning, '0-2' Office and Institutional. The closest tracts are wooded, however further to the northeast is developed with office buildings, and commercial centers. To the east is 'C-3' General Commercial and 'PCD' Planned Commercial District. This land is currently wooded or former pastureland. Further to the east along Chenal Parkway are car dealerships; a shopping center and small commercial buildings also zoned Planned Commercial District or 'C-3'. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: August 15, 2006, Three Land Use Plan amendment packages were approved. These amendments changed Single Family, Low Density Residential, Multifamily, Mixed Use, Neighborhood Commercial and Office areas to Single Family, Mixed Use, Office Neighborhood Commercial, Commercial and Mixed Office/Commercial. The changes were in areas to the north and northeast of this proposed amendment package continuing along Rahling Road. The changes were made to allow for future development and some were related to reclassifications of the land. June 27, 2006 a change was made from Office, Neighborhood Commercial and Low Density Residential to Mixed Office Commercial approximately a mile to the northeast of this amendment package east of Kirk Road and north of Chenal Parkway. The changes resulted from a Planned Commercial reclassification to allow for future development. May 18, 2004, a change from Single Family to Office, south of Cantrell Road between Chenonceau and Chevaux, over two miles to the north of the site. This change was made related to a Planned Office reclassification to allow for future redevelopment of the land. January 20, 2004, a change from Office to Mixed Use south of Rahling Road either side of Champlin Drive, over a mile to the northeast of the application area. This change was made to allow for future development of the land (no reclassification was included). June 17, 2003, changes from Office, Multifamily and Single Family to Multifamily and Low Density Residential south of Chenal Parkway around Rahling Road, north of the application area. These changes were made to reflect new zoning in the area for future development. June 4, 2002, a change from Single Family to Suburban Office south of Cantrell Road either side of Drew, over two miles to the north of the site. This change was made related to a Planned Office District reclassification to allow for future redevelopment of the land. 6 February 1y 2007 ITEM NO.: D (Cont. FILE NO.: LU06-19-07 The Land Use Plan in this area generally reflects the existing land use with only minor changes. This is common for the areas outside the city limits. The Plan shows a small amount of Commercial use at the proposed intersection of Kanis Road with the `West Loop'. Multifamily is shown as a transition from this Commercial to the Single Family surrounding. A large Public Institutional use area is shown to the north of this use grouping. The proposal had been for a hospital or school complex at this site. A second Public Institutional use area is shown along Kanis just east of Rock Creek. This too was to have been a school site. A small area of Neighborhood Commercial is also shown at the Stewart- Kanis-Denny Roads intersection. To the south, west and northwest is shown for Single Family. To the northeast across Rock Creek is generally shown for intense development Commercial and Office with some Multifamily. MASTER STREET PLAN: Kanis Road, Denny Road, Stewart Road, and the Proposed West Loop (Rahling- Edswood) are shown as Arterials on the plan. The primary purpose of an Arterial is to move vehicles and goods in and through the area. Direct access to these roads should be limited if provided at all. These roads are not currently built to standard, additional right-of-way and pavement are likely to be required with future developments. BICYCLE PLAN: A Class I Route is shown along Kanis Road, east of the West Loop and along the West Loop. Class I routes have a separate paved area from the motorized traffic and may parallel the street. If included with the sidewalk, the resulting pathway must be wide enough for both uses on both sides of the roadway. A Class II route is shown along Kanis Road, west of the West Loop. A Class II bikeway is located on the street as either a 5 -foot shoulder or six foot marked bike lane. Additional paving and right of way may be required. .,. The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan indicates that most of the area included in this amendment is within 8 -blocks of a public or private outdoor recreation area. It should be noted that there is a portion, which does not meet this standard. Additional recreational and outdoor space opportunities in this general area should be pursued based on the Plan. 3 February 1� 2007 ITEM NO.: D Cont. FILE NO.: LU06-19-07 ISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The property under review is not located in an area covered by a City of Little Rock recognized neighborhood action plan. ANALYSIS: The initiative to review the Land Use Plan along Kanis Road from Chenal Parkway to Stewart Road was at the request of the Little Rock Board of Directors. This was made as the result of a Land Use Plan amendment just west of Chenal Parkway on the north side of Kanis Road to Commercial from Multifamily. Staff had been opposed to this change in part due to a concern it could lead to further commercial requests along Kanis, making Kanis lined with commercial from Chenal Parkway to at least the alignment of the proposed West Loop. The Board of Directors recognized that even though they felt the requested change should be made that Staff's concerns should be addressed. As a result, Staff was instructed to work with the Little Rock Planning Commission to develop a revised Plan to address Staff's concern about further commercialization of Kanis Road. Staff developed several options and presented these to the Plans Committee of the Little Rock Planning Commission. Two options were developed to present to the full Planning Commission. This was done at an Informal meeting of the Little Rock Planning. About this time several requests were made to amend the Land Use Plan in the vicinity, mostly to the north. The Planning Commission instructed staff to work with the Plans Committee and review the impacts of the requested changes with the corridor study underway. This was done and presentations on the various Land Use Plan Amendments were made to the Commission and City Board of Directors in the spring of 2006. The Land Use Plan study recommendation was developed and distributed to the affected property owners for comment. From this a final package was developed, which is now presented to the Planning Commission for consideration. The amendment area is outside the city limits of Little Rock but adjacent to the south and southwest. The major growth corridor of the City has been immediately to the northeast of the amendment area. New subdivisions have C! February 12007 ITEM NO.: D Cont. FILE NO.: LU06-19-07 been built during the last ten years to the northwest and northeast within the city. In addition, many large -lot (5 to 10 acre tract) subdivisions have been developed to the south, west and southwest outside the City of Little Rock. The overall development pattern has been set for the vicinity. That is moderate density north of Kanis Road with lower density development south of Kanis Road. Staff believes this is not just a current situation but also the likely future development pattern for the area. South of Kanis the land has been subdivided into tracts of five acres or more with large high-end homes constructed on each lot. This investment means that a major change is not likely. To the north are subdivisions of more suburban nature within the large 'Chenal' development. Even with the possibility of annexation in the future only limited densification is likely to the south of Kanis Road. Any change in use along Kanis Road with new development should be done in a manner that is sensitive to this development pattern both to the north and south of the road. The Plans Committee indicated that with the difficulty of getting multifamily development in many areas, areas already zoned for multifamily within the study area should not be changed if at all possible. This along with the density issue and the Board's guidance to prevent a commercial 'strip' were the over arching principles used to guide the study. There are two large Public Institutional use areas shown on the Plan within the study area. Neither is developed at this time. This is not the standard practice of the City. That is the City only shows Public Institutional when the use exists or is about to develop. These two areas were shown on a Plan done by a private consultant for the City. Based on common practice of the City these two areas were determined to be areas where changes should be proposed. One Public Use area is east of Rock Creek along the south side of Kanis Road. All of the remaining land east of Rock Creek on the Plan is Commercial or Mixed Office Commercial. The zoning is currently Planned Commercial Districts, 'R-2' Single Family and a small area of 'C-3' General Commercial at the intersection with Chenal Parkway. Remembering the density issue, Staff and the Plans committee recommendation was for this area to be Suburban Office. This recognizes that the areas east of the creek are non-residential while attempting to 'step-down' in intensity as one moves west and south. The second Public use area on the Plan within the study area is along the alignment of the West Loop, likely to be Rahling Road extended, to the north of Kanis Road. This land is mostly in one ownership and is zoned MF -24, MF -18 (both multifamily zonings: one 18 -units per acre, the other 24 -units per acre) with some 'O-2' Office and Institutional zoning. The zoning pattern is based on the proposed alignments of Rahling Road, La Grande Drive and Champagnolle February 1 2007 ITEM NO.: D (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU06-19-07 Drive. All are Collectors or Arterials on the City Master Street Plan. The zoning pattern has been in place for approximately twenty years. Using the principle to maintain existing Multifamily zoned areas and increased density north of Kanis Road, the proposal became to change most of the area to Multifamily with a small area changed to Suburban Office (the Champagnolle-Rahling intersection). The commercial node at the intersection of Kanis Road with the West Loop was designed to be small. The major commercial was and is to be at Rahling Road and Chenal Parkway. When looking at the zoning and ownership pattern along the south side of Kanis it was determined that only a minor change was possible. This was to recognize the ownership with a large single-family home. Most of the tract is shown for Single Family and there is a large home on the site. The Multifamily had been shown as a transition from the commercial node to the single-family. Keeping in mind the lower density guide, the proposal is to remove the multifamily from the Plan for the southwest quadrant and show only Single Family for this area. On the north side of the `node' the existing zoning and use goes beyond the current Commercial area into the area shown for Multifamily. Thus a change to expand the 'node' to more accurately display areas already committed to future commercial uses is proposed. A large amount of Low Density Residential is added to the northwest of the 'node'. This is to provide a transition and reflect the increase in density to the north of Kanis Road. At the Denny-Kanis Road intersection is a Neighborhood Commercial Node. The proposal is to enlarge the node along the north side of Denny. This expansion more accurately reflects the already existing 'C-1' Neighborhood Commercial. There is one commercial use already in place at this intersection within the area proposed, which is only partially currently shown for Neighborhood Commercial. Also at this node, at the southwest corner of Stewart and Kanis Road an area is shown going to Single Family from Neighborhood Commercial. This reflects a recent request to split a tract for two single-family homes. In general, the package attempts to more accurately reflect the currently and likely future use pattern based on the zoning and currently use pattern. In addition the principals of maintaining existing zoned multifamily areas, removing non-developed Public Use areas and protecting the low density single-family areas to the south were used to develop an overall package for the corridor. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the Parkway Place Neighborhood Associations. Staff has received no comments from area residents at the time of this writing. 0 February 162007 ITEM NO.: D (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU06-19-07 STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the changes are appropriate. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (NOVEMBER 9, 2006) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to December 21, 2006 to allow Staff time to review new information. By a vote of 9 for, 0 against (Rahman, Allen absent) the consent agenda was approved. STAFF UPDATE.- Mr. PDATE: Mr. Elmer Tucker contacted Staff prior to the Public Hearing and requested that his property at the southwest corner of Kanis and Stewart Roads not be changed on the Land Use Plan. Since the proposed package of changes was designed to more accurately reflect the existing and likely short-term future development pattern, Staff agrees with removal of the site. A property owner not within the areas suggested for changes, contact staff about including their property in the package of changes before the Commission. In order to accomplish this the item was deferred. Mr. Walter Murray provided staff with information on his site and a neighbor to the south across Kanis Road. These properties, 18520 and 18601 Kanis Road, are requesting Neighborhood Commercial on the Land Use Plan. Both are current Single Family with homes on them and a R-2 single-family zoning classification. Staff presented the revised package to the Plans Committee at their November 29, 2006 meeting. At that time Staff reviewed the purpose of the Study and the previously agreed to method for developing the package. The new changes were discussed. The addition is not consistent with the guidelines used for the Study: to prevent strip commercialization of Kanis, and to reflect the existing zoning/use pattern and the likely future development pattern for the area. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (DECEMBER 21, 2006) Walter Malone, Planning Staff, reviewed the area and reminded the Commission that this effort started a year ago with a re-classification. Mr. Malone went over each of the changes and the reasons for them. When staff sent out the notices to surrounding residents (supplemental notice) a couple of property owners 7 February 15, 2007 ITEM NO.: D (Cont. FILE NO.: LU06-19-07 asked to be included. This addition is a Single Family to Neighborhood Commercial area just east of the Denny-Kanis split on both sides of Kanis Road. Staff is not supportive of this change, since it could need to the commercialization of Kanis Road, (one of the things the study was to prevent). The Murray's should explain the benefits to the change. Staff requested two votes. One on the original request and a second on the added area. Ms. Ruth Bell, League of Women Voters, addressed the Commission. She indicated the League supported the original package of changes but did not support the addition. The Commission asked if the Murrays were present. No one responded from the floor. After some discussion, the Commission decided it was appropriate to differ the additional area to allow the Murrays to be present and address the Commission, but not to hold up the entire package. A motion was made to differ to February 1, 2007 the additional area. By a vote of 11 for, 0 against the motion was approved. A second motion was made to approve the original package of changes. By a vote of 11 for 0 against the package was approved. STAFF UPDATE: The Planning commission on December 21, 2006 deferred the request to add an area of Neighborhood commercial either side of Kanis Road, east of the Denny Road split. This was done to allow the property owners to attend the hearing and present their reasons for amending the Plan from Single Family to Neighborhood Commercial. Staff, at the meeting, indicated they could not support the request due to concerns about the further commercialization of Kanis Road. No other changes have occurred since the December 21 meeting. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (FEBRUARY 15, 2007) Walter Malone, Planning Staff, reviewed the request and reminded the Commission of the original Kanis Land Use Plan review. Mr. Malone indicated the changes in the amendment approved in December by the Commission and stated those changes are awaiting the outcome of this item prior to presentation to the Board of Directors. Since the concern was to prevent `strip commercial along Kanis', Staff can not support this expansion of the Neighborhood Commercial Node at Denny-Kanis-Stewart. Walter Murray, applicant, thanked the Commission for hearing their request. Mr. Murray pointed out the large amount of C-1 zoning to the west of his property and the Neighborhood Commercial designation. The area is changing and they 1.1 February 15, 2007 ITEM NO.: D (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU06-19-07 are not against the changes but it is no longer a single-family area. Mr. Murray discussed all the commercial use to the east of the application area along Kanis Road, discussing some of the actual uses. The four acres of Mr. Murray's land will not be developed single-family like that in Chenal. Since the area is changing they are asking for Neighborhood Commercial now. Though they have on specific plans for a new use, they wish to take this opportunity rather than ask later. Mr. Murray assured the Commission that his property would not created additional traffic problems. He then discussed the Pulaski Academy site on Denny Road and the traffic that could be created from that development. Ruth Bell, League of Women Voters, addressed the Commission. The concern is 'wall to wall' commercial and quality of life for the residents of the City. Ms. Bell reminded the Commission about the previous studies of Kanis Road (three). The aim of these studies was to let development happen without losing the charm of Kanis Road. Ms. Bell asked the Commission to honor Staff's recommendation and not line Kanis with Commercial use. There was discussion about the Kanis-Denny-Stewart intersection design. Mr. Mike Hood, Civil Engineer Manager reviewed some of the design options. These have only been preliminary studied. Kanis Road is a Minor Arterial, which is a five -lane section; current Kanis Road is a two -lanes with open ditches (rural design). A question about the remaining Single Family use area along Kanis was asked. Mr. Malone reviewed the proposed Low Density Residential change to the east of the site and the use changes south of Kanis Road. There would be very little single-family along Kanis with or without this amendment. Most would be south of the road and Mr. Malone reminded the Commission about the density change the study had been based on, with large lot residential to the south and more urban -suburban development to the north. Commission Meyers expressed support of the request and the desirability of commercial areas close to residential. Commission Williams moved approval with Commissioner Meyer seconding. By a vote of 5 for, 4 against and 2 absent the request was denied. X7