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HomeMy WebLinkAboutstaff reportMay 26, 2005 ITEM NO.: 21 FILE NO.: LU05-15-02 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Geyer Springs West Planning District Location: North Side of Baseline Road, west of 1-30 R• eguest: Single Family and Mixed Commercial Industrial to Mixed Use, Suburban Office, and Community Shopping Source: Kelton Price PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Geyer Springs West Planning District from Single Family and Mixed Commercial Industrial to Mixed Use, Suburban Office, and Community Shopping. Mixed Use provides for a mixture of residential, office and commercial uses to occur. A Planned Zoning District is required if the use is entirely office or commercial or if the use is a mixture of the three. The Suburban Office category provides for low intensity development of office or office parks in close proximity to lower density residential areas to assure compatibility. A Planned Zoning District is required. The Community Shopping category provides for shopping center development with one or more general merchandise stores. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include areas along Baseline Road towards Interstate 30. Staff has expanded the area of study due to the new alignments of Baseline Road, Mabelvale Pike, and Interstate 30 in the area. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The area under review is at the western edge of a developed area in Little Rock. West of the site is primarily undeveloped land. On the north side of Baseline Road are lands zoned R-2 (Single Family District) that is partly undeveloped, developed with several manufactured homes, a single family subdivision, a non conforming multifamily use, an office use in an old residential structure, and the State Highway Department headquarters. The south side of Baseline Road is zoned mostly C-3 (General Commercial District) and partly zoned C-4 (Open Display Commercial District) fronting Mabelvale Pike. The C-3 land south of Baseline Road consists of vacant land, several scattered single-family homes, and several scattered Manufactured homes. The C-3 land further south and fronting the 1-30 frontage Road is developed with a diner, an office, hotel, a furniture store, and a light industrial use. North and northwest of the application is the Fourche Creek and several of its tributaries. This area is low lying land that is partly in the Fourche Creek floodway and all zoned R-2. Northeast of the application area is undeveloped land zoned 1-2 (Light Industrial District). Immediately east-southeast of the application area is the Baseline Road/Mabelvale Pike/1-30 Interchange. The northeast quadrant of the interchange has land zoned C-3 and C-4 developed with 'several businesses, the southeast quadrant is zoned C-3 and 1-2 (Light Industrial District) and developed with a Wal-Mart Supercenter, a Home Depot, several small restaurants, banks, and retail establishments. The southwest quadrant of the interchange (west of Mabelvale Pike) is zoned C-4, 1-2, and R-2 developed with several small businesses, residences, and a large industrial _use. Additional R-2 land in the southwest quadrant is undeveloped. West of the application area is R-2 May 26, 2005 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 21 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU05-15-02 land developed with the Temple Baptist Church, and ball fields. Further west of the site is predominately rural undeveloped R-2 land and a PID (Planned Industrial Development) for the operation of the U -Pull It salvage yard. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: August 4, 2003, a change was made from Light Industrial to Commercial immediately south of the application area at the southwest corner of 1-30 and Mabelvale Pike for proposed and future development. The application area is shown as Single Family on both sides of Baseline Road and as Mixed Commercial Industrial fronting the Interstate 30 Frontage Road. North of the application area is land shown as Single Family. Northeast of the application area are small areas shown as Service Trades District and Suburban Office as well as land shown as Public Institutional and Light Industrial. Southeast of the property is shown as Community Shopping and south of the property is shown as Commercial. Southwest of the application area is shown as Public Institutional and also Light Industrial. A Park Open Space Strip separates the Light Industrial area from an adjacent Single Family area. West of the property is a Park/Open Space strip and further west is a large area shown as Service Trades District. Bicycle Plan: A Class III bikeway is shown on Baseline Road adjacent to the property. A Class III bikeway is a signed route on a street shared with traffic. No additional paving or right-of-way is required. Class III bicycle route signage may be required. A Class I bikeway is shown near the property following the Fourche Creek. A Class I bikeway is built separate from or alongside a road. The proposed class I bikeway will not be affected by the application. Master Street Plan: Baseline Road is shown as a Principal Arterial on the Master Street Plan and is built as a two lane rural road in front of the site. The primary function of a Principal Arterial is to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. Entrances and exits to the proposed site should be limited since Baseline Road is a Principal Arterial. Public Works is currently performing a traffic study on Baseline Road to monitor traffic conditions. Baseline Road may require dedication of right-of-way and half -street improvements. PARKS This application is in the Southwest Parks Planning Distri indicates opportunities the Fourche Creek Floodplain offers be linkages (bicycle and pedestrian paths) to other park planning Creek Greenway. West of the application is a creek that the connection to the Fourche Creek wetland area. Development 4 ct. The Southwest Planning District cause of its level terrain and potential districts utilizing the potential Fourche Parks plan envisions as a greenbelt in this area should reflect the potential May 26, 2005 UBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 21 (Cont. FILE NO.: LU05-15-02 greenbelt that exists on adjacent creeks. The nearby greenbelt would be southwest Little Rock's primary entrance to the proposed Fourche Creek greenway, Fourche Creek wetlands, and Hindman Community Park to the north. Currently no public parks are in the immediate area. A majority of this application area is within a Park Service Deficit Area that indicates that a park is not within 8 blocks. Pinedale Cove Park is the nearest park and located just under one mile south of the area and is on the opposite side of Interstate 30. Pinedale Park is a five -acre neighborhood park with a playground and picnic 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 located in an area covered by the West 65th Street Neighborhood Action Plan. The Land use and Zoning goal states two objectives relevant to this case. The first objective: "Promote protection of natural areas through development and zoning initiatives," with an action statement of "ensure that significant environmental features and functions are preserved." Development of this site should not harm the adjacent Fourche Creek and nearby wetlands. The second Land use and Zoning objective is "protect the residential integrity of neighborhoods by maintaining adequate separation between residential and non-residential uses," with an action statement "monitor rezoning requests before they are present to the Planning Commission/Board of Directors." The neighborhood should be actively involved in the design process since it is immediately adjacent to a single family neighborhood. The applicant has applied for a PCD, which could result in more defined zoning controls and adequate separation of uses. The Infrastructure goal, to implement an adequate infrastructure, has one objective related to this case: "Identify and construct neighborhood curbs, gutters, and sidewalks where needed." Various action statements support the construction of minor and principal arterials to standards. Since this application is along an unimproved section of a major arterial half street improvements would need to be made. The application area is developed in both the rural and urban context. Properties to the east have developed with intense uses while properties to the west have lower intensity uses or remain vacant. In the immediate area new construction has been minimal, most construction has occurred along Baseline Road and Mabelvale Pike south and east of Interstate 30 in the Community Shopping area. Over recent years this area's transportation infrastructure has changed greatly. A grade separated crossing for Baseline Road at 1-30 has been completed, as well as additional improvements to the Mabelvale Pike overpass. These improvements were done as part of a multi-million dollar project that widened and realigned Interstate 30 from Benton/Bryant to Geyer Springs Road. Now that the project is nearing completion access to the north side of Interstate 30 will be more direct from Baseline Road south of Interstate 30. The new roadway alignment and improvements, could serve as a catalyst for new development on the north side of Interstate 30. 3 May 26, 2005 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 21 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU05-15-02 A change to Mixed Use in this area would introduce the potential for more intense development in the area. The mixed-use category could allow for residential, commercial, and office in the area all governed through the PZD process. The PZD process would require review of an individual development or concept for property to be developed. Showing a large amount of Mixed Use along the north side of Baseline Road could lead to encroachment of high intensity uses on the adjacent Single Family area. A mixed use development which has a massing and height compatible with single family or is designed to complement the existing neighborhood can offer both employment and service opportunities for those in the immediate area. Care must be exercised to also protect the carrying capacity of Baseline Road. The access points must be limited. A development which respects the existing neighborhood in scale and massing can be a good neighbor. Development of this land will be adjacent to the 'private side' of several homes. Appropriate design including noise and light issues are important. Any new mixed use development must respect the 'private' areas of homes which will be adjacent. Residential development could occur in the Mixed Use Category and could range from single-family homes to multifamily dwelling units. The Park Open Space strip at the western edge of the area proposed for change to Mixed Use is identified as a potential greenbelt trail in the Park's Master Plan and residential development could utilize that amenity. Staff would encourage residential design that would not ignore the proposed greenway. Utilization of the greenbelt in the future would be ideal since this area is in a Park Service Deficit area. Review of floodplain maps for the area staff indicated that approximately four acres of the proposed Mixed Use area is in the floodway. In the event of development the floodway land could be dedicated to the city as open space for future greenway development and the land use plan could be updated to reflect the open space. Just west of the application area is a small area that is shown as Suburban Office on the plan with an office in an old two-story house. The area is approximately one half acre in size and the only Suburban Office in the immediate area. Staff has expanded that light office concept westward along Baseline to allow for similar office uses to occur on the north side of Baseline Road by indicating a strip of Suburban Office. This land use category requires a PZD (Planned Zoning District) which creates more stringent procedure for development of land. This process could result in development more compatible with the adjacent neighborhood and would allow staff to alleviate possible concerns by area residents as part of the site plan review process. The neighborhood action plan indicates a need to monitor rezoning requests and ensure adequate separation of uses. Since the land on the north side of Baseline Road is zoned R-2 (with several non -conforming uses), any change to a more intense use would require a PZD. The Suburban Office category could give area residents added means of expressing their concerns with development. This change could allow for additional light office development in the area and act as a buffer from more intense uses that are focused south of Baseline Road and fronting Interstate 30 and the proposed Mixed Use area to the west. South of Baseline Road is an area shown as Single Family and Mixed Office Industrial on the Land Use Plan. Most of the land in this area is zoned C-3 with the exception of a small section of C-4 at the eastern edge. Staff feels that Single Family development is not likely to occur in the existing Single Family area and that Industrial uses are not likely to occur either since commercial zoning has 4 May 26, 2005 UBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 21 _ (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU05-15-02 been established. Around the interchange are additional areas shown as Community Shopping that have developed with general merchandise stores that serve a regional market that are currently limited to the south side of Interstate 30. With the new Baseline Road/Mabelvale Pike/Interstate 30 interchange, similar development could occur on the north side of the interstate. The proposed change to Community Shopping will eliminate the potential for future industrial in the area. In the area 180 acres of Light Industrial exist. This changing this land would result in a loss of approximately 17 acres of land that could have been developed industrially. The nearby Light Industrial areas could absorb industry that may develop in the area. Also, approximately one quarter mile west of the current Mixed Commercial Industrial area is a 275 acre Service Trades District. Ample land exists in the Service Trades District for new industrial development. Staff envisions commercial development in this area to be similar to that on the south side of Interstate 30. The changed transportation infrastructure conditions could allow for commercial activity to follow Baseline Road to this area. Large Commercial activities would be more appropriate along the freeway in the new Community Shopping area. The Mixed Use and Suburban Office areas along the north side of Baseline Road could lead to smaller scale development and help prevent large commercial activity from encroaching on the neighborhood. The changes in the area can provide for a location for intense and less intense commercial activities and office to develop and could alleviate concerns of commercial activity leapfrogging to the north side of Baseline Road and surrounding the existing subdivision, Staff believes that appropriate development immediately adjacent to the subdivision should be low intensity, single family, or other residential uses to protect the neighborhood. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: South Brookwood Ponderosa, Stagecoach -Dodd Neighborhood Association, Crystal Valley Property Owners Association, Yorkwood Neighborhood Association, West Baseline Neighborhood Association, Cloverdale Neighborhood Association, Pinedale Neighborhood Association, Santa Monica Neighborhood Association, Allendale Neighborhood Association, Town & Country Estates Neighborhood Association, Chicot Neighborhood Association, Rob Roy Way Neighborhood Association, Legion Hut Neighborhood Association, Mavis Circle Neighborhood Association, and Deer Meadow Neighborhood Association. Staff has received one comment from a property owner regarding the proposed change to Community Shopping that was negative in nature STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes that the proposed changes are appropriate. 5 VN �. 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