Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesJuly 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: F FILE NO.: LU01-17-01 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Crystal Valley Planning District Location: 13714 Crystal Valley Road Request: Single Family to Service Trades District Source: Franklin Riggs PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Crystal Valley Planning District from Single Family to Service Trades District. The Service Trades District provides for a selection of office, warehousing, and industrial park activities that primarily serve other office service or industrial businesses. The district is intended to allow support services to these businesses and to provide for uses with an office component. A Planned Zoning District is required for any development not wholly office. The applicant wishes to develop the property for mini -storage buildings. Staff is not expanding the application since the Land Use Plan in this area was reviewed 17 months ago. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The applicant's property contains two vacant buildings on land zoned R-2 Single Family and is approximately 1.27+ acres in size. The property to the north and east is zoned R-2 Single Family and occupied by single-family houses built on large lots. Apartments built around a golf course are located on land to the south zoned MF -6 Multi -family. The property to the west is a residence and buildings zoned Planned Commercial Development. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On May 6, 2000 multiple changes to Single Family, Public Institutional, Commercial, Mixed Office and Commercial, Suburban Office, Service Trades District, Parks / Open Space, and Mixed Use were made within a 1 -mile radius to the south and east of the study area. On May 19, 1998 a change was made from Single Family to Suburban July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: F, (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU01-17-01 Office on Crystal Valley Road at Gold Leaf Drive about 1 mile east of the applicant's property. On August 5, 1997 a change was made from Multi -family to Single Family south of Baseline Road and east of Wimbledon Loop about 2/3 of a mile southwest of the property in question. On October 15, 1996 multiple changes were made to Low Density Residential, Parks / Open Space, and Public Institutional at Baseline, Col. Carl Miller and Crystal Valley Roads including the property across the street to the south of the application area. MASTER STREET PLAN: This section of Crystal Valley Road is shown as a Collector Street on the Master Street Plan. A Collector Street is the traffic connection from residential streets to arterials or to activity centers, with the secondary function of providing access .to adjoining property. The Master Street Plan does not show any bikeways that would be affected by this application. Any development of this property would be subject to half street improvements for a Collector Street as specified in the Design Specifications found in Section 3 of the Master Street Plan. PARKS: The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan shows a 100 -Year Floodplain, and a Potential Greenbelt, along the banks of Haw Branch of Fourche Creek. The plan recommends the preservation of open spaces in flood plains to connect create Greenbelts that will serve as green space corridors throughout the city. Any development of this site should address increased impacts on the floodway of the creek and the ecological balance of the natural area that will affect run-off into Haw Branch. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The Office and Commercial Development Goal contains three action statements relative to this application. The first statement requested a three-year moratorium on Land Use Plan amendments in the neighborhood action plan study area. The second action statement supported the use of "...Planned Zoning Districts to influence more neighborhood friendly and better quality developments." The third action statement called for limiting commercial and office development to the area along Stagecoach Road between Baseline Road and Otter Creek Road. P% July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: F (Cont.) ANALYSIS: FILE NO.: LU01-17-01 The applicant's property is located in an area of growing residential developments. Most of the developed land in the immediate area consists of apartments and single-family homes. The residential development to the east of the applicant's property increases in intensity and to the west also increases with the apartment development at Eagle Hill Apartment complex. Most of the land to the north remains rural in character. The proposed land use would place incompatible uses in an area that is mainly residential in character. There is currently vacant property located along Stagecoach Road that is shown as Commercial. In time, commercial land uses in the area have sifted towards Stagecoach Road while the more intense land uses have concentrated along I-30. The proposed change in this amendment will place an intense land use on a collector street that is built to link less intense residential traffic to arterials. A Collector street is intended to serve as a traffic connection from residential streets to arterials or to activity centers, with the secondary function of providing access to adjoining property. The open space along Haw Branch will not be affected by the land use plan changes proposed. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Crystal Valley Property Owners Association, Plantation House Homeowners Association, and Otter Creek Homeowners Association. Staff has received 1 comment from area residents. The comment was neutral. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes this change is not appropriate. The applicant's property is located in an area characterized by the ongoing development of a variety of residential uses. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 14, 2001) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the July 26, 2001 Planning Commission Meeting. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 7 ayes, 0 noes, 3 absent and 1 open position. 3 July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: F (Cont. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: FILE NO.: LU01-17-01 (JULY 26, 2001) Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the commission. David Cannon, representative of the client, spoke on behalf of the application. Mr. Cannon addressed the compatibility of the zoning of the neighboring properties with the applicant's proposed use. Mr. Cannon asked the Planning Commission to think about a self -storage facility located on Green Mountain Drive and pointed out that it is not located on an arterial street and is located near residential uses. Mr. Cannon closed his remarks by stating that the Land Use Plan supported the establishment of a storage facility and that the Otter Creek / Crystal Valley Neighborhood Action Plan supported the application request. Franklin Riggs, the applicant, spoke on behalf of his application and stated that he cleared the property of existing structures, cleaned the property, and leveled the land for future use. Mr. Canon stated that the property across the street was zoned for Commercial uses. Commissioner Obrary Nunnley mentioned that the applicant was discussing a zoning issue and asked why there was not a simultaneous zoning application to discuss. Mr. Minyard, City Staff, replied that the applicant wanted to file for a Land Use Plan Amendment on a separate agenda prior to filing a Zoning application. Bob Turner, City Staff, stated that the Public Works Department would require half street improvements on Crystal Valley Road, shown as a Collector Street on the Master Street Plan, which borders applicant's property on two sides. Oley Rooker, President of the Crystal Valley Property Owners Association, stated three reasons why the Property Owners Association opposed the application. First, Crystal Valley Road makes a dangerous 45 degree angle turn next to the applicant's property and resulted in a traffic hazard. (Staff Comment: The curve is actually a 90 degree curve.) Second, several mini - storage warehouses are already located in the area covered by the Otter Creek / Crystal Valley Neighborhood Action Plan. Third, the business the applicant wishes to establish would cause an increase in traffic. 4 July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: F (Cont. FILE NO.: LU01-17-01 Susan Hardin, 804 Konrad Court, spoke in opposition to the application with claims that the applicant operated a contractors yard and burned trash on the property. Oley Rooker added a comment that the proposed mini -storage facility would increase crime in the neighborhood. Commissioner Nunnley asked Mr. Rooker if the Crystal Valley Property Owners Association opposed the Land Use Plan Amendment. Mr. Rooker stated that the Property Owners Association would prefer that the property remain Single Family on the Future Land Use Plan. A motion was made to approve the item as presented. The item was denied with a vote of 0 ayes, 9 noes, and 2 absent. 5