The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink Aboutminutes deniedMarch 3, 2005 ITEM NO.: A FILE NO.: LU04-17-02 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Crystal Valley Planning District Location: 17415 Lawson Road Request: Neighborhood Commercial to Commercial Source: Kenny Loux PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Crystal Valley Planning District from Neighborhood Commercial to Commercial. The Commercial category includes a broad range of retail and wholesale sales of products, personal and professional services, and general business activities. The applicant would like to use an existing vacant building and graveled lot for a used car lot and vehicle maintenance activities. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include the entire Neighborhood Commercial extending southwest from the Lawson -Sullivan Road intersection. With these changes, 78% of the existing Neighborhood Commercial node would be converted to Commercial. It is thought that the additional area would make the boundaries more logical and incorporate existing businesses. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is partially developed with a mobile home in the center of the lot and a metal building located at the front of the lot currently zoned C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District and 1.97 acres t in size. The application is in the Extraterritorial Planning Area and the area has several non -conforming uses. The land north of the site and on the opposite side of Lawson Road is zoned R-2 -Single Family District consisting of several single family homes and mobile homes situated on narrow lots close to Lawson Road because of the hilly terrain rising from the roadway. Northwest of the site is an area zoned C-1 -Neighborhood Commercial District similar in terrain with additional homes, an abandoned multiple bay coin carwash, and land zoned C-3 with a garage and a small auto/parts salvage yard. Directly east of the property is a CUP - Conditional Use Permit for the Crystal Volunteer Fire Department. Further east at the Lawson/Sullivan Road Intersection is a PCD with two small business uses including Wickety Wax Candle Manufacturing and Tactfully Done Upholstery. On the opposite side of Sullivan Road are two small buildings, one a seasonal sno-cone outlet and the other an office use, Custom Advertising Products, Inc. Further southeast of the property are additional single family homes fronting Lawson Road on narrow lots. South of the site are several mobile homes on single family lots fronting Minton Road and vacant Woo�fed-taod Imme iy w� f. -is -a PCC# s asonar srso=tone-stand and�M&iie March 3, 2005 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.. A (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-17-02 home. Further to the west at Morehart Road is land zoned R-2 with several single family homes on large lots. Northwest of the property is additional R-2 land with an abandoned auto sales building with a gravel lot, and a mobile home with a small auto/parts salvage yard. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: June 1, 1999. A change was made from Single Family to Neighborhood Commercial on the south side of Lawson Road, west of Sullivan Road, expanding the existing Neighborhood Commercial to including the applicant's property for proposed development. The surrounding areas are shown as Single Family. A node of Neighborhood Commercial 6.4 acres t in size exists at the intersection of Sullivan and Lawson Roads. This node expands west from Sullivan Road on the south side of Lawson Road to include the applicant's property. MASTER STREET PLAN: Lawson Road and Sullivan Road are shown as Minor Arterials on the Master Street Plan. The purpose of a Minor Arterial is to provide connections to and through an urban area. Lawson Road may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements. Existing or proposed Class I, II, or III bikeways are not in the immediate vicinity of the development. PARKS: The property under review is not located in a recognized Park Planning District and does not show any existing or proposed parks in the area. 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. 2 March 3, 2005 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-17-02 ANALYSIS: This section of Lawson Road lies in a rural area of Pulaski County and was added to the City's Extraterritorial Planning Jurisdiction March 1, 1988. The present Neighborhood Commercial was established in 1992 to represent a small commercial node at the intersection of two minor arterial streets. Typically commercial areas are located at major intersections and limited to approximately five acres. The Neighborhood Commercial area was chosen to provide low intensity commercial activities in the area while protecting the area's rural character. Originally (1992) the area shown as Neighborhood Commercial was 2.4 acres t in size and on June 1, 1999 Ordinance #18,030 was approved expanding the Neighborhood Commercial area from the southwest corner of the Sullivan -Lawson Road intersection towards the applicant's property which was shown as Single Family. This expansion was initiated at the request of the owner of the land in 1999, not the present applicant. The expansion added 4.2 acres t of Neighborhood Commercial bringing the total amount shown to 6.4 acres t, more than double that of 1999. The existing Neighborhood Commercial area is surrounded by numerous single family homes in a rural atmosphere. Because of steep terrain on the north side of the roadway, a majority of the homes have situated themselves close to the roadway giving this section of Lawson Road a rural community atmosphere. The existing area presently shown as Neighborhood Commercial is more than adequate for area residents at this time. Due to the topography of the area developments on the north side of Lawson Road will have to be smaller scale to prevent major cuts or fills, which is supportive of the Neighborhood Commercial concept. Also, when future street improvements are made to Lawson Road topography will prevent large commercial development from occurring on the north side of the property. Showing this land as Commercial would result in a strip of Commercial shown on the south side of Lawson Road. Identifying a strip of Commercial could lead to large scale high intensity strip commercial development, which could be incompatible with adjacent uses. Incompatible uses could result in pressure to expand the Commercial in the area resulting in larger scale more intense uses. Due to the topography north of Lawson Road large scale Commercial uses will be limited unless major cut and fill operations are undergone. Further changes could also result in a higher intensity Commercial node at the Stewart and Lawson Roads intersection. Since the area in question is shown as Neighborhood Commercial, uses could be limited in scale and intensity leading to more desirable commercial activities. The Neighborhood Commercial shown does indicate a strip of Commercial on the south side of Lawson Road and could lead strip commercial. However, since it is Neighborhood Commercial, scale and intensity can be limited making future development more compatible with surrounding land uses. Limiting uses in this area to Neighborhood Commercial will be more compatible with surrounding Single Family and the existing Neighborhood Commercial in the area. 3 March 3, 2005 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-17-02 Almost 90%, 5.6 acres t, of the Neighborhood Commercial shown is being used for commercial or office use. Generally the businesses located in the area are not targeted at the immediate area residents. Auto repair, candle manufacturing, scrap yards, advertising agencies, and upholstery typically draw from a larger demographic area as compared to the local sno-cone shops. In turn showing this area as Commercial might better recognize the existing businesses in the area and facilitate similar businesses in the future. However, in the area there is an abundance of land shown as Commercial or Mixed Commercial Industrial. This Neighborhood Commercial area makes up just 25% of the 33 acres t identified for commercial uses within a mile of the site. Uses of higher intensities have been centered at the intersection of Marsh and Lawson Roads while the lower intensity uses have been centered at the present location of the Neighborhood Commercial. Changing this area to a higher intensity use could be considered premature due the amount of Commercial shown less than a mile west of the property. The land west of the application is more suitable for Commercial activities focusing on a larger demographic area. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Crystal Valley Property Owners Association and the Plantation House Homeowners Association. Staff has received four comments from area residents. None are in support, two are opposed to the change, and two were neutral. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. A Neighborhood Commercial area provides low intensity uses to a local area. Higher intensity commercial uses would be incompatible with the existing rural residential character of the community, and land is shown less than a mile west that can facilitate the applicant's request. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (DECEMBER 2, 2004) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the January 20, 2005 Planning Commission meeting. A motion was made to wavier the by-laws for a five-day notice to defer prior to the Planning Commission meeting. That motion was made and approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes, and 2 absent. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant has not submitted any alternatives or scheduled any meetings with Staff - regarding-this�application.—The=apphcation-remaifls== nchanged. n March 3, 2005 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-17 PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JANUARY 20, 2005) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the March 3, 2005, 2004 Planning Commission meeting. A motion was made to waive the by-laws for a five-day notice to defer prior to the Planning Commission meeting. That motion was made and approved with a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant has not submitted any alternatives or scheduled any meetings with Staff regarding this application. The application remains unchanged. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MARCH 3, 2005) Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the commission. Donna James made a presentation of item A.1 so the discussion could coincide with the discussion for item A. See item A.1 for a complete discussion concerning the Loux Short Form Planned Commercial Development. Wes Lowder, of Mehlberger Engineering, spoke and represented the applicant. He asked for persons in support of the application that was in the audience to stand. Sonny Simpson, of Redbud Lane, spoke in support of the application and spoke of the applicants' response to earlier requests from the neighborhood in an effort to be a good neighbor. Kathleen Oleson, of the Pulaski County League of Women Voters, stated that the owner may move and the C-4 type use would be there permanently. She continued that the previous commercial zoning of the land does not mean that you would be required to zone the PCD. A motion was made to approve the item as presented. The item was denied with a vote of 0 ayes, 10 noes, and 1 absent. 5 PLAN AMENDMENT Case: LU04-17-02 N NC TO C Al Location. 17415 LAWSON ROAD OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS PD: 17 0 450 900 Feet CT: 42.08 TRS: T1NR14W23 Vicinity Map AREA ZONING Case: LU04-17-02 N Location: 17415 LAWSON ROAD OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS PD: 17 0 450 900 Feet CT: 42.08 TRS: T1NR14W23