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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes - deferralMay 11, 2006 ITEM NO.: 17 FILE NO � LU06-16-01 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Otter Creek Planning District Location: East of Otter Creek South and north of the Railroad Request: Light Industrial to Industrial Source: Pat McGetrick, McGetrick & McGetrick PROPOSAL/REQUEST- Land ROPOSAL/REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Otter Creek Planning District from Light Industrial to Industrial. Industrial encompasses a wide variety of manufacturing, warehousing, research and development, processing and industrial related office and service activities. The accompanying Planned Zoning District is for a concrete batch plant. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include area to the south and east. This area is also shown as Light Industrial and current has the same owner. The new Industrial area would continue south to the Union Pacific Mainline and east to the proposed South Loop. It is thought that the additional area would make the boundaries more logical. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property for both the applicant's area and the expanded area is undeveloped wooded land, currently zoned 1-2 Light Industrial. The applicant's area is approximately 7.5 acres and the expanded area is 31 acrestin size. To the west is an industrial park of small warehouses, zoned 1-2 Light Industrial, where are a few small vacant tracts within this development. To the south is the Union Pacific Mainline then vacant (pasture land) zoned 1-2 Light Industrial. To the east is vacant land (pasture land) zoned C-3 General Commercial and 0-3 General Office. To the north is a Middle School zoned R-2 Single Family and vacant land zoned 1-2 Light Industrial and C-3 General Commercial. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: July 16, 2002, a change was made from Single Family to Low Density Residential, west of Heike Road at the County Line. This area is over a mile to the southeast of the site. The change was made to allow for a proposed development. May 11, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU06-16-01 April 2, 2002, a package of changes was made at the intersection of Vimy Ridge and County Line Road. A change from Single Family, Low Density Residential to Single Family, Suburban Office and Neighborhood Commercial. This area is a mile to the south of the application area. The changes were made to allow for future development. The City Land Use Plan shows the site for Light Industrial use. Light Industrial is shown west to the interstate highway and south to Alexander Road. The proposed South Loop alignment is a Land Use classification change line, with Mixed Commercial and Industrial shown to the east. To the north area several Public Institutional use areas with a small amount of Light Industrial and Commercial. The Commercial is along Mabelvale West Road. The Public Institutional is the remaining area along Mabelvale West Road. MASTER STREET PLAN: Mabelvale West Road and the South Loop are shown as an Arterial on the plan. The South Loop is adjacent to the expanded area. An Arterial functions to move traffic through and around the urban area or from activity centers to the Arterial system. These roads are designed to be four or more lanes and move large numbers of vehicles at high speed. The City Bond program proposes to build 'a connection' along the alignment of the South Loop, not the full Master Street Plan requirements. Additional right of way and street improvements may be required. BICYCLE PLAN: The Master Street Plan, bicycle section, proposes a Class I bike route along the proposed South Loop. A Class I route has a separate pavement for the sole use of bicycles. PARKS: The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan indicates this site is currently within 8 -blocks of an existing public or private park or open space. This site is part of the Mabelvale Middle School. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. K May 11, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 17(Cont.)FILE NO.: LU06-16-01 CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The site is in the Chicot West, 1-30 East Neighborhoods Plan Area. The Plan does not have Objectives that directly relevant to this application. The Plan does recommend the completion of the South Loop and calls for businesses to landscape and keep clean their street frontage. Also the Plan expresses concerns about drainage and flooding, both to correct current problems and require that new developments cause no additional problems. ANALYSIS: The application area is within a larger area that has been proposed for Industrial and Light Industrial use for decades. The original idea was for a rail switching yard and related uses. This did not happen and most of the land over the last decade has been reclassified to Light Industrial on the Plan and is zoned 1-2 Light Industrial. To the west is the Otter Creek Industrial Park. This area has been developing as small warehouse, distribution or light fabrication. There are two larger warehouse distribution centers (Dillard's and Affiliated Foods) within the park as well. The area under review is part of an area proposed as an expansion to this existing industrial park. There are two areas of 1-3 zoning with more intensive uses further to the southeast. The main line of the Union -Pacific Railroad is along the southern boundary of the expanded area. With this location, it may be possible to get a spur -line for a new industrial user in this location. This land is currently zoned 1-2, as is the land across the rail line. The land south of the rail line is open pastureland currently. The proposed South Loop alignment is the eastern boundary. This roadway is part of the current bond program under development. There is an existing Middle School to the north. The athletic fields for the school are adjacent to the proposed area of change. This is a section of Little Rock that has not experienced a great deal of new development in the past decade or so. However commercial development has started a mile to the northeast and there has been significant single-family develop a mile or so to the west (across Interstate 30). But the land to the south and east remains of a rural nature. With the main line for the railroad adjacent to the site, a major interstate highway just to the west and existing industrial uses to the west, this is a prime location of additional industrial development. The existing development is warehouse - distribution mostly with some like fabrication. There is a heavier industrial use to the southeast near Vimy Ridge Road. 3 May 11, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU06-16-01 There are two important and significant public uses to the north of this area, a hospital and middle school. A change in use should also look at any potential impacts on these existing uses. The middle school is adjacent to a portion of the amendment area. This happens to be the outdoor recreation portion of the school. Thus children will be playing and doing physical activities adjacent to the area of proposed change. Industrial use allows for the potential development of the most toxic industrial uses allowed by the City. These uses tend to have odors, dust, and or noise which makes them undesirable as a neighbor for residential and many other uses. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Meyer Lane Neighborhood Association and SW Little Rock UP. Staff has received no comments from area residents. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. The potential uses with this change would be detrimental to the adjacent public school. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MAY 11, 2006) At the request of the applicant this item was placed on consent agenda for deferral to June 22, 2006. By a vote of 10 for 0 against (1 absent) the consent agenda was approved. 2