HomeMy WebLinkAboutstaff reportSeptember 14, 2006
ITEM NO.: 20 FILE NO.: LU06-18-05
Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Ellis Mountain Planning District
Location: 19618 Lawson Road
Request: Single Family to Service Trades District
Source: Pat McGetrick, McGetrick Engineering
PROPOSAL/REQUEST:
Land Use Plan amendment in the Ellis Mountain Planning District from Single Family to
Service Trades District. Service Trades District provides for a selection of office,
warehousing, and industrial park activities that primarily serve office service or industrial
businesses. The accompanying Planned Zoning District requested is for a Contractor's Yard.
Staff is not expanding the application since Staff could not determine a logical area of
expansion.
EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING:
The application property is rural. It is currently zoned R2 Single Family and is two acres t in
size. The northern portion of the property is wooded while the southern portion has a single-
family residence on it. The site is outside of the city limits, and it is surrounded by rural land.
Most of this area is zoned R2 Single Family with some AF Agricultural and Forestry zoning,
and single family residences are scattered along Lawson Road. The City zoned these areas
as part of the initiation of extra -territorial zoning. To the southwest of the area is one tract of
Planned Commercial Development. Along Lawson Road both to the east and west are a few
legal, non -conforming uses zoned R2 Single Family.
FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS:
The application area and most of the acreage surrounding it is planned for Single Family
Residential. To the east of this site on the south side of Lawson Road is planned Public
Institutional for a church, and to the west of this site is Park and Open Space for McHenry
Creek. Approximately half a mile east on Lawson Road is planned for Office use surrounding
the David O. Dodd intersection.
July 20, 2004 a change was made from Mixed Use to Mixed Office Commercial along the
north side of 36th Street between Bowman Road and 1-430, about a mile east of the site. This
change was made as a result of a rezoning request for office zoning.
April 6, 2004 a change was made from Single Family to Suburban Office at the southeast
corner of Kanis and Pride Valley Road, over two miles to the north of the site. This change
was for redevelopment of a structure for an office use.
September 14, 2006
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: 20 1C0NT) FILE NO.: LU06-18-05
February 4, 2003 a change was made from Multifamily to Mixed Office Commercial south of
Brodie Creek west of 1-430, about a mile to the northeast of the site. This change was made
to incorporate all the land south of Brodie Creek into one large proposal for a shopping center
development.
MASTER STREET PLAN:
Lawson Road is shown as a Minor Arterial on the plan. The primary function is to move
vehicles through and area the area, not to provide access to adjacent properties. These
roads tend to be four or five lane roads with sidewalks on both sides. Currently this section of
Lawson Road is not built to standard. Additional right-of-way and street improvements will
likely be required as part of the development process.
BICYCLE PLAN:
The Master Street Plan, Bicycle section, shows a Class I Bike route along Mc
Henry Creek to the south and south west of the site. A Class I bike route has a separate
paved path for the sole use of bicycles.
PARKS:
The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan does not indicate that the site is within 8 -
blocks of an existing public or private park or open space. However the Plan's 'Take it to the
Extreme' Trail is proposed to follow McHenry Creek in this area and with this addition the site
would meet the Plan's 8 -block goal.
HISTORIC 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 application area is outside of the city limits but is within the Little Rock Planning and
Zoning area. The section of Lawson Road from Church to McHenry Creek is a typical rural
development pattern near an urban area. It is primarily single-family homes along the road
with a scattering of non-residential uses. The use pattern has been in place for many
decades.
Lawson Road is classified as a Minor Arterial road. It is currently two lanes with open ditches.
The arterial design standard is for four lanes with curb and gutter and sidewalks. Additional
right-of-way will be required with redevelopment and widening is likely.
The City policy for land use is to develop using the 'node' concept, which means retail,
commercial and businesses should be grouped together around major intersections. These
types of uses should not line major roads. This is done in part to reduce traffic issues along
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September 14, 2006
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: 20 (CON
FILE NO.: LU06-18-05
the major roadways. The application site is almost a mile from the Lawson Road/Colonel
Glenn/Bowman Road intersection. This area has been developed as a commercial node.
Two miles to the west of the application site is another major intersection at Lawson Road
and the West Loop. Lawson Road is a major road and the non-residential uses should be
clustered or grouped at these major intersections, not along the roadway.
The recent addition of single-family homes indicates a continuing demand and desire for
residential along Lawson Road. In this section of Lawson Road the primary use is Single
Family. There are a couple of nonresidential uses in the general vicinity, but they existed
prior to the City implementing land -use regulations (zoning) in the area. The City has allowed
the expansion of one of these uses via the Planned Zoning District process. However, since
this new application is not an existing use, the land use should continue to show Single
Family for future residential development. Also, this area was just reviewed in the last year,
and this application is very similar to that request which was not approved.
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS:
Notices were sent to the Crystal Valley Property Owners Association. No comments have
been received at this time.
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff believes the change is not appropriate. The plan calls for Single Family in this area, and
a Service Trades District would create an island of high intensity use.
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