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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesNovember 14, 2002 ITEM NO.: 4 FILE NO.: LU02-18-05 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Ellis Mountain Planning District Location: 12201 Colonel Glenn Rd. Request: Office to Commercial Source: Robert M. Brown, Development Consultants, Inc. PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Ellis Mountain Planning District from Office to Commercial. The Commercial category includes a broad range of retail and wholesale sales of products, personal and professional services, and general business activities. Commercial activities vary in type and scale, depending on the areas that they serve. The applicant wishes to develop the property for an office and contractor yard. This application has been expanded to include the Crystal Valley Fire Station, which is surrounded on three sides by the applicant's property. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is currently zoned C-4 Open Display Commercial at the corner of Colonel Glenn and Lawson Road, 0-3 General Office (with a Conditional Use Permit for a contractor/maintenance yard) at the back of the property, and R-2 Single Family west of the fire station. The applicant's property is approximately 5.15+ acres in size and occupied by a vacant commercial building and two sheds while the back of the property is vacant. The applicant's property wraps around the Crystal Valley Fire Station located next to the city limit. The property to the North is vacant land zoned 0-3 General Office with a Conditional Use Permit for a parking lot, while the neighboring property to the northeast is zoned Planned Office Development and occupied by two office/warehouse buildings. The land to the east is zoned C-3 General Commercial occupied by a grocery store, R-2 Single Family occupied by a house, and 0-2 Office and Institutional occupied by a house. The land to the south and west is zoned R-2 Single Family and consists of houses built on large lots. An auto repair business is located on the neighboring lot to the west of the applicant's property. November 14, 2002 ITEM NO.: 4 (Cont.) _ FILE NO.: LU02-18-05 FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On January 16, 2001 a change was made from Mixed Use and Suburban Office to Commercial and Office at the southeast corner of 1-430 and Colonel Glenn Road about 3/ of a mile east of the applicant's property to fit the pattern of land use located in the vicinity of that application area. On September 19, 2000 a change was made from Low Density Residential & Mixed Office Commercial at W. 36th Street and Bowman Road about 9/10 of a mile northeast of the application area to allow Mixed Uses at that location. On April 6, 1999 a change was made from Office & Community Shopping to Mixed Office Commercial across the street to the north of the amendment area to reflect changes of use in the neighborhood. The portion of the applicant's property covered by this amendment application is shown as Office on the Future Land Use Plan. The part of the applicant's property located at the southwest corner of Colonel Glenn Road and Lawson Road is shown as Commercial. The property to the north and northeast is shown as Mixed Office Commercial. The property to the east is shown as Community Shopping while the property to the south is shown as Office. The property to the west and northwest is shown as Single Family. MASTER STREET PLAN: Colonel Glenn Road is shown on the Master Street Plan as a Principal Arterial while Lawson Road is shown as a Minor Arterial. There is a Class I Bikeway shown from Lawson Road to Burlingame Road and on Lawson Road from Colonel Glenn Road to David O'Dodd Road. Both streets are currently built as rural 2 -lane roads and will require half street improvements to bring the streets into compliance with the Master Street Plan. Class I bikeway design standards provide a paved roadway that is separated from the main roadway of any streets the bikeway parallels. The exact route and location of the bikeways will need to be determined to establish the nature of the applicant's responsibility for half street improvements. PARKS: The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Plan Master Plan of 2001 shows that the applicant's property is within eight blocks of the J. A. Fair High School in the eight -block strategy that shows all of the recreation providers within the city, which includes public schools. The plan does not show existing or proposed park facilities operated by the City of Little Rock within eight blocks of the applicant's property. An increase in population in the vicinity of the applicant's 2 November 14, 2002 ITEM NO.: 4 (Cont. FILE NO.: LU02-18-05 property may necessitate the need for new park facilities operated by the Parks and Recreation Department. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There is not any historic districts near -by 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 applicant's property is located in a developing rural area at the western city limit. Most of Colonel Glenn Road is developing as a large-scale commercial corridor starting east of 1-430 and continuing to the applicant's property. The applicant's property is located in the transition between the developing commercial uses to the east and the semi -rural area to the west. The neighborhood to the south of Lawson Road is residential in character. The land next to the amendment area would remain shown as Office and provide a buffer between the intense uses along Colonel Glenn Road and the less intense rural and residential areas to the west and southwest. The dividing line between the residential and non-residential areas is defined by a ridgeline that runs through the applicant's property. There is a change in topographical elevation between the site and the land to the north and west. This application would allow development that could be viewed by neighboring residential uses built at higher elevations. Measures should be taken to minimize and isolate any negative visual impacts on the neighboring properties. This amendment would also establish the ridgeline as a natural boundary between the developing urban areas to the east from the semi -rural land to the west. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Gibraltar/Pt. West/Timber Ridge, Parkway Place Property Owners Association, Spring Valley Manor Property Owners Association, and John Barrow Neighborhood Association. Staff has received two (2) comments from area residents. One (1) was in support, and one (1) was neutral. 3 November 14, 2002 ITEM NO.: 4 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU02-18-05 STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is appropriate. A change to Commercial at this location, along with a buffer shown as Office, should act as a boundary between the residential and non-residential areas. LANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (NOVEMBER 14, 2002) The applicant was notified that only seven members of the Planning Commission were present. Robert Brown, the applicant, requested that the item be heard. Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the commission. Monte Moore made a presentation of item 4.1 so the discussion could coincide with the discussion for item 4. See item 4.1 for a complete discussion concerning the Long -Form Planned Development -Commercial. Robert Brown spoke in support of the application and discussed Right -of -Way abandonment issues along Col. Glenn Road. A motion was made to approve the item as presented. The item was approved with a vote of 6 ayes, 0 noes, 4 absent, and 1 abstain. 4