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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesMay 9, 2002 ITEM NO.: 5 Name: Location: Reguest: Source: FILE NO.: LU02-18-02 Land Use Plan Amendment - Ellis Mountain Planning District 1000 Nix Road Low Density Residential to Suburban Office Terry Burrus, Terry Burrus, Architects PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Ellis Mountain Planning District from Low Density - Residential to Suburban Office. The Suburban Office category shall provide for low intensity development of office or office parks in close proximity to lower density residential areas to assure compatibility. A Planned Zoning District is required. The applicant wishes to develop the property for an office use. Prompted by this Land Use Plan Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include the area south of the applicant's property toward Kanis Road and extending west to the area already shown as Suburban Office. With these changes, the entirety of the Low Density Residential shown west of Nix Road would be eliminated. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The applicant's property is currently zoned R-2 Single Family with a Conditional Use Permit for a church and is approximately 0.47+ acres in size. The expanded area includes a house zoned R-2 located south of the applicant's property while the next lot further to the south at the corner of Kanis Road has a Conditional Use Permit for a manufactured home. To the west in the expanded area is a Planned Development - Office zone for an office building while the remainder of the expanded area is vacant land zoned R-2. The property to the north is developed with single family housing zoned R-2. A parcel of vacant property zoned R-2 located on the east side of Nix Road north of Laurel Oaks Drive is the subject of another item on this agenda. The property to the east consists of houses on large lots zoned R-2. The property south of Kanis Road is zoned R-2 and is composed of houses built on large lots. The one exception is a small office located in a Planned Office Development at the southwest corner of Kanis and White Road. May 9, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 5 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU02-18-02 FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On July 3, 2001 changes were made from Low Density Residential, Neighborhood Commercial, and Mixed Office Commercial in an area bounded by Bowman Road, Panther Creek, Cooper Orbit Road, and Brodie Creek starting about 3/ of a mile southwest of the applicant's property. On February 15, 2000 a change was made form Single Family to Low Density Residential at Westglen Drive and Gamble Road about % of a mile southeast of the application area. On March 2, 1999 multiple changes were made from Transition, Neighborhood Commercial, Multi -Family, Low Density Residential, Suburban Office, and Mixed Office Commercial to Single Family, Low Density Residential, Suburban Office, Mixed Office Commercial, Park/Open Space, Service Trades District, Commercial, and Communify Shopping along Kanis Road within a 1 mile radius of the property in question. The applicant's property, as well as the rest of the expanded area is shown as Low Density Residential on the Future Land Use Plan. The land to the north is shown as Single Family while the land to the east is shown as Low Density Residential. The land south of Kanis Road is shown as Low Density Residential east of White Road and Suburban Office west of White Road. The property immediately west of the expanded area is shown as Suburban Office. MASTER STREET PLAN: Nix Road is a Residential Street with open drainage and is not built to standard. Laurel Oaks Drive is a Residential Street built to standard. Half street improvements may be required to upgrade Nix Road to a Residential Street through the installation of curb and gutters. Kanis Road is shown as a Minor Arterial and is built as a rural two-lane road. There are no bikeways shown on the Master Street Plan that would be affected by this amendment. PARKS: The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan of 2001 shows that the applicant's property is located in a service deficit area. Park facilities would need to be developed to provide adequate park and open space areas to serve the area covered by this amendment as well as surrounding areas. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are not any historic districts near -by that would be affected by this amendment. 2 May 9, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 5 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU02-18-02 City Recognized Neighborhood Action Plan: The applicant's property lies in the area covered by the Rock Creek Neighborhood Action Plan. The Residential Development goal listed an action statement of requiring that city staff ensure both single-family and multi -family uses in newly developing areas, while allowing the multi -family to act as a buffer between single family and office. The Office and Commercial Development Goal contained an action statement recommending the aggressive use of Planned Zoning Districts to insure that new developments would be compatible with the existing neighborhood. This area is due for another land use study as a part of the review of the Rock Creek Neighborhood, Action Plan. ANALYSIS: At this time most of the houses along Kanis Road conform to the original rural pattern of development that characterized the area at the time of annexation. The latest developments in the area consist of the two properties zoned PD -O located on the north side of Kanis and a POD on the south side of Kanis Road. The latest residential development in the area is a Conditional Use Permit for the manufactured home on the corner of Kanis and Nix Road. Most of the residential development in the neighborhood has been Single Family and Multi -family developments. This amendment would not affect the amount of land available for Single Family or Multi - Family development but could decrease the amount of vacant land available for Low Density Residential development. A large portion of the land shown as Low -Density Residential remains vacant. However, most of the developed uses in the area shown as Low Density Residential are either developed as single family homes or offices, in spite of the vacant land available already shown as Suburban Office, Mixed Office Commercial, or Single Family. The applicant's property is also located in the area that was covered by the Kanis Road Study. The current land use pattern in the area places the more intense land uses at the edge of the neighborhood along Kanis Road, W. Markham Street, and Chenal Parkway. The non-residential uses are concentrated at intersections located at the edges of the study area while the higher density residential areas are located along Minor Arterials and Collector Streets to the north. The higher density residential areas serve as a buffer between the Single Family and non-residential uses to the north. The non-residential uses to the south are less intense with the areas shown as Low Density Residential separating the non-residential uses to preserve a residential character along Kanis Road. A change to Suburban Office could increase the amount of non-residential development located near areas shown as Single Family. Although the applicant's property is located in close proximity to a residential area, the Suburban Office category requires the use of Planned Zoning Districts to minimize the 3 May 9, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: FILE NO.: LU02-18-02 impact of quite office uses near a residential area. Approval of Suburban Office will decrease the buffer formed by the current Low Density Residential land uses shown. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Gibraltar/Pt. West/Timber Ridge, Parkway Place Property Owners Association, and Spring Valley Manor Property Owners Association. Staff has received three comments from area residents. None are in support, one is opposed to the change and two were neutral. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate at this time. With an impending review of a City Recognized Neighborhood Action Plan, this amendment would be premature. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MAY 9, 2002) Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the commission. Donna James made a presentation of item 5.1 so the discussion could coincide with the discussion for item 5. See item 5.1 for a complete discussion concerning the Short Form Planned Office Development. Tim Franklin spoke in opposition to the item and sited concerns with the potential for the increase of noise, which could result from future development of the property. Mr. Franklin addressed concerns that the proposed development of the property could increase traffic on Nix Road and stated that the road could not handle such an increase. Mr. Franklin also expressed concerns that future development of the property could alter the topography of the property and result in an increase in storm water run-off. Brian C. Gibson spoke in opposition to the item and stated that he did not oppose the current Low Density Residential future land use category shown for the property. Mr. Gibson said that he opposed any Office or Commercial use of the property. Mr. Gibson mentioned that his property neighbors the applicant's property and described how an alteration of the applicant's property could result in the flooding of his own property. Mr. Gibson also stated his concern that non-residential development on the applicant's property could result in a decrease in property values in the neighborhood and closed his remarks by stating that the area in question is not a commercial area. Commissioner Richard Downing, explained the difference between the zone change request and the future land use plan amendment application. Mr. Gibson stated that he was opposed to both the Future Land Use Plan Amendment and the Zoning May 9, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 5 Cont.) FILE NO.: LU02-18-02 change request. Jim Lawson, City Staff, added comments about the zoning request, by mentioning that the property is presently zoned R-2 Single Family with a Conditional Use Permit for a church, stated that the zoning application consists of a requested change from R-2 Single Family to a Planned Office Development, and concluded with a statement that a change from a church to an office was not a major change since both have a similar impact on the neighborhood due to the fact that churches have offices. Charlotte Yarborough, the applicant, spoke in support of her application and stated that her business with eleven employees would have less of an impact on the neighborhood than the church would have. A motion was made to approve the item as presented. The item was denied with a vote of 0 ayes, 7 noes, and 4 absent. 5