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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesSeptember 17, 1998 ITEM NO.: 2 _ FILE NO.: LU98-18-02 Dame: Land Use Plan Amendment - Ellis Mountain District Location: Kanis and Bowman Roads - northwest corner Rxest: Mixed Office Commercial to Office and Mixed Office Commercial to Commercial Source: Dickson Flake PROPOSAL 1 REf7UEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Ellis Mountain Planning District at the northwest corner of Kanis and Bowman Roads from Mixed Office Commercial to Commercial and Mixed Office Commercial to Office. The current Land Use Plan recommends Mixed Office Commercial provides for a mixture of office and commercial uses to occur. Acceptable uses are office or mixed office and commercial. A Planned zoning District is required if the use is mixed office and commercial. Commercial includes a broad range of retail and wholesale sales of products, personal a professional services and general business activities. Commercial activities vary in type and scale, depending on the trade area that they serve. Office represents services provided directly to consumers (e.g., legal, financial, medical) as well as general offices, which support more basic economic activities. CURRENT LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is currently zoned as C-3 and R-2, comprised of approximately 8.8 acres, and is shown as Mixed Office Commercial on the Land Use Plan. Sam's and Walmart, shown as Commercial on the Land Use Plan and zoned C-3 lay immediately north of the site. To the northeast of the site is a shopping center, currently under construction, which is zoned C-3 with a Land Use shown as Commercial. Diagonally southeast of the site across Kanis is a liquor store and vacant land zoned C3 and MOC land use. South of the site, across Kanis, are mini -warehouse and general business zoned R2 and shown as Transitional on the Land Use Plan. Vacant undeveloped land lies to the east that is zoned R-2 and shown as MOC on the Land Use Plan. RECENT AMENDMENTS: May 20, 1997, a change from Office to Commercial on the north side of Chenal Parkway between Bowman and Autumn Roads. September 17, 1998 ITEM NO.: 2 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU98-18-02 January 16, 1996, a change from Low Density Residential to Suburban Office in an area east of Bowman Road, north of Sandpiper Subdivision, and south of Kanis Road. December 19, 1995, a change from Multi Family to Mixed Office Commercial southeast of the intersection of Kanis and Bowman Roads. December 19, 1995, a change from Office to Commercial for an area northwest of the Kanis and Shackleford Road intersection. February 7, 1995, a change from Office to Mixed Office and Commercial south of Chenal Parkway and west of Hermitage Road. MASTER STREET PLAN: Both Kanis Road and Bowman Road are shown as Minor Arterials on the plan. Both streets are currently two lane roads with open ditches. The Planning Commission recommendation for Kanis Road west of Bowman is an enhanced two-lane road. BACKGROUND: While this is a developing area of Little Rock, concerns have been voiced as to the intensity of development in the area. Over the last several years, parcels along Chenal Parkway have changed from office and multi -family to commercial. The planning commission just approved a land use recommendation for this site as Mixed Office Commercial as part of a larger study of Kanis Road which left the intensity of development on this site at the present level. The Rock Creek Neighborhood Plan has completed preliminary recommendations and states that they agree with the Kanis Land Use recommendations and wants any commercial development to be reviewed with a PZD. Both of these studies desire no increase in intensification on the site. It is reasonable with the existing zoning pattern to have an office or mixed development, as shown on the plan, for this site. There are some available sites for commercial development in the area either already zoned such or shown on the Land Use Plan. The Planning Commission recently denied an amendment of MOC to Commercial at the northeast corner of Kanis and Bowman Roads. With increased activity in the area, traffic congestion continues to build. With the enhanced two-lane roadway, any intensification of land use would be detrimental. 2 September 17, 1998 ITEM NO.: 2 Cont. FILE NO.: LU98-18-02 NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Parkway Place, Gibraltar Heights/Timber Ridge/Point West, Sandpiper, Spring Valley Manor, and Birchwood. Staff has received one comment from a neighbor of a neutral nature. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff does not support the change. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (SEPTEMBER 17, 1998) Brian Minyard of Staff presented the item and explained the changes to the application through time. Dickson Flake, the applicant spoke further of the application. He stated that he represented Mr. and Mrs. Jerry 'Hoot' Gibson, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Brantley, and Randy Bynum. He referenced his plans and maps and spoke of a proposed furniture store. He explained that the commercial areas would front onto Bowman Road with entrances and exits onto Kanis and Bowman. He read the Current Land Use and Zoning section of the staff report to the commission. He continued to speak of previous land use actions in the area, traffic concerns, and the proposed step down of commercial uses on his site. Commissioner Berry asked of Public Works about a capital project intended to widen Kanis between Shackleford and Bowman. Bob Turner of Public Works stated that there is not, it is one of the un -funded needs. The intersection at Kanis and Bowman is funded and will construct left turn lanes. Commissioner Berry made an observation that the Planning Commission turned down an application across the street and continued about the reality of Mixed Office Commercial versus Commercial. Commissioner Putnam asked about elevations adjacent to Kanis Road. Joe White, engineer, stated that the rise is about 15 feet. He continued that the office floor would have to be about 10 feet higher than existing. Commissioner Putnam stated that they had drifted into layout and design while trying to make a decision on a land use plan. He proposed to Staff that if you closed the ingress and egress on Kanis Road and put all the traffic out on Bowman, have you accomplished what you had planned to accomplish? 3 September 17, 1998 ITEM NO.: 2 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU98-18-02 Jim Lawson, Planning Director, stated that staff had met with the applicant a couple of times and that the applicant had impressed to Staff that the applicant needed this as a "commercial corner" (the corner of Kanis and Bowman). Discussion followed as to the definition of a "commercial corner". Mr. Lawson stated that his first impression of the drawing was what the land use difference is in a parking lot with a commercial use and a parking lot with an office? Mr. Lawson stated that if the access to Kanis was closed and left as a green strip, the service entrance (to the rear of the building) was left, that "we would be in pretty good shape". He spoke of the history of developing the MOC category. Discussion followed between Commissioner Mizan and Jim Lawson about percentages of office in the development. Commissioner Adcock asked Mr. Lawson to explain why he would be in agreement to close off the access to Kanis. Mr. Lawson stated that Staff is trying to create a softer effect on Kanis and spoke of traffic on Kanis and at the intersection. Bob Turner spoke of the requirements for roadway and signal improvements to be completed by the applicant. He further spoke of the design of Kanis Road. Commissioner Earnest spoke that the subject was a long way away from land use and stated that the desire of mixed office commercial was to have a mix of the two. He stated that the application was straight commercial and that percentages could be discussed. Jim Lawson stated that the commission would have to decide if this application met the intent of MOC with the office tract left. He further stated that the commission would have to be comfortable with that intent before they went on the zoning issue. Chairman Lichty asked why we had a land use plan? Mr. Lawson stated that he had just seen the drawing at the planning commission meeting for the first time. He reiterated that in the prior meetings that they had agreed to disagree that they needed a commercial corner. He continued that his interpretation of a "commercial corner" meant a building on the corner, not a parking lot on the corner. 4 September 17, 1998 ITEM NO.: 2 (Cont.) ]FILE NO.: LU98--18-02 Commissioner Putnam asked Mr. Lawson if traffic considerations were taken into account in the Land Use Plans or does it stay with the zoning? Mr. Lawson stated that in theory that commercial has more traffic than office. Mr. Putnam stated that with Kanis being a two-lane road, if they have access off of Kanis, any car that stops to turn left stops all of the traffic behind it. He advocates turning left at the light only. Commissioner Hawn stated that his first problem was that they were doing Land Use and Zoning on the same piece at the same meeting and that "it appears that we are just rearranging the same cookies in the box". Why do we need to re -land use it? Jim Lawson stated that the key as to the Land Use issue was that they are asking for C-3. Staff stated that Kanis Road needs to have a softer frontage, an office type of frontage. Commissioner Adcock asked of Mr. Turner and Mr. Flake if they could coordinate their roadwork at the same time. Mr. Turner stated that it should be possible. Chairman Lichty stated that a topic of discussion was the restriction of access to Kanis Road. Mr. Flake stated that his response was that "as long as we have the service drive, we would find a way to live with the other drive being limited." Commissioner Hawn made a motion to approve the amendment and was seconded. Commissioner Putnam questioned if it needed to be included about closing the second entrance on Kanis. The motion was not changed to add any conditions. The motion filed with a vote of 0 ayes, 11 noes and 0 absent. Jim Lawson stated that if a patron lived west of the site, that it should be possible to have a right out only on Kanis. Chairman Lichty stated that a percentage of mixes in MOC is a topic for further discussion. 5