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Home My WebLink Aboutstaff reportJuly 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: 15.1 FILE NO.: LU01-11-02 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - I-430 Planning District Location: W. 24th St. and Junior Deputy Rd. Request: Park/Open Space to Multi -Family Source: James E. Hathaway, Jr., The Hathaway Group PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment located in the I-430 Planning District from Park/Open Space to Multi -Family. Multi -Family accommodates residential development of ten (10) to thirty-six (36) dwelling units per acre. The applicant wishes to expand the Good Shepard Ecumenical Retirement Center by developing housing for senior citizens. Staff is not expanding the application since the Land Use Plan in this area is currently under review. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is vacant land currently zoned R-2 Single Family and is approximately 85+ acres in size. A pond occupies approximately 5.47+ acres of the property near the boundary of the Good Shepard Retirement Center. The property to the west is zoned MF -18 Multifamily with a small parcel zoned R-6 High -Rise Apartment District. The property to the southwest is developed for the Good Shepard Ecumenical Retirement Center. A strip of land located along the banks of a stream at the southwest corner of the applicant's property is zoned Open Space. The land along the stream is a park belonging to the Kensington Place Property Owners Association. The remainder of the surrounding land is zoned R-2 Single Family and is fully developed with single-family housing. FUTURE LAND USE ' PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On March 6, 2001 a change took place from Single Family to Office at 1911 John Barrow Road about a 1-� mile east of the applicant's property. On September 19, 2000 a change took place from Single Family to Office at 2109 John Barrow Road about a 1� mile east of the applicant's property. July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: 15.1 (Cont. FILE NO.: LU01-11-02 On April 6, 1999 a change took place from Single Family to Suburban Office on the west side of Aldersgate Road about 1/3 of a mile northwest of the applicant's property. On March 2, 1999 a change took place from Suburban Office to Office on the southwest corner of Kanis Road and Shackleford West Boulevard about 1 mile northwest of the application area. On March 2, 1999 a change was made from Mixed Office Commercial to Community Shopping on the southwest corner of the Kanis Road and Shackleford Road intersection about 2/3 of a mile northwest of the amendment area. On December 1, 1998 a change was made from Multi -Family to Mixed Office and Commercial on the north side of Labette Drive west of John Barrow Road about 4/10 of a mile northeast of the area in question. On July 7, 1998 a change took place from Single Family to Mixed Office and Commercial on John Barrow Road north of W. 40th Street about 9/10 of a mile southeast of application area. The applicant's property is shown as Park/Open Space. The land to the southwest is shown as Multi -Family while a strip of Park/Open Space shown along the banks of a stream flowing south from the applicant's property. The remainder of the surrounding land is shown as Single Family. Most of the recent changes in the area have taken place along Kanis and John Barrow Roads resulting in a reduction of the amount of land available for residential uses with most changes to categories with an office component. MASTER STREET PLAN: Romine Road and the part of Junior Deputy north of Romine are shown on the Master Street Plan as Collector Streets. The remainder of Junior Deputy Road, Marlyn Drive, Belshire Drive, and Kensington Drive are classified as Residential Streets. The segment of W. 24th Street (referred to in the location of this application area) is an un -built Residential Street. The Master Street plan also shows a Class II Bikeway following Junior Deputy Road and Romine Road from Kanis Road to W. 32nd Street. Development of this amendment area would have a greater impact on the Junior Deputy / Romine Road Collector Street since the portion of Junior Deputy Road fronting the property dead ends to the south of the application area and W. 24th Street is un -built. Marlyn Drive is a stub -out off of Romine Road able to provide access into the northern portion of the property. If Marlyn Drive is extended to access the applicant's property, traffic 2 July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: 15.1 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU01-11-02 patterns on Romine Road will be affected. Kensington Drive will also be impacted since Belshire Drive is a stub -out that is accessed from the east by Kensington Drive. PARKS: The 2001 Little Rock Parks and Recreation Plan does not show any parks or open spaces that would be directly affected by this amendment. This property is not shown on the new Master Parks Plan. A small stream originating on this property flows into Brodie Creek. Any development of this property should address increased impacts on the floodway of the stream and the ecological balance of the natural area that will affect run-off into Brodie Creek. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The applicant's property is located in an area covered by the John Barrow Neighborhood Action Plan. The plan contains a Housing & Neighborhood Revitalization Goal of improving the overall appearance and safety of the neighborhood. The goal listed an objective of enhancing the housing opportunities for seniors in the area. The action statement supporting the enhancement of housing opportunities for seniors encourages the development of additional affordable housing in the John Barrow Neighborhood area. The appearance and safety goal is supported by the objectives of reviewing the appropriateness of existing zoning classifications and also a goal of determining design standards for new construction of single, two, and multi -family housing in the area. The plan recommends a policy to determine if existing zoning classifications compromise the interest to revitalize the housing and infrastructure and improve the overall appearance of the John Barrow Neighborhood Area. The final applicable action statement states that the design for new construction should be aesthetically pleasing and compatible with existing architecture in the area. ANALYSIS: Most of the single-family homes neighboring the subject property face Romine Road and Kensington Drive. The Ecumenical Retirement center is a large campus oriented towards Aldersgate Road across from Camp Aldersgate. Currently the only street frontage for the subject property is on Junior Deputy Road. The houses on the west side of Junior Deputy Road face the subject property. The property does not front on Romine Road or Kensington Drive but 3 July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: 15.1 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU01-11-02 could be accessed from those streets via Marlyn Drive and Belshire Drive. The main conflict in compatibility would concern any possible development on the northwest portion of the applicant's property that could face Junior Deputy Road and as a result face the single-family residences across the street. Another conflict of uses exist between the applicant's property and the houses located on Romine Road and Kensington Drive. Without sufficient buffers, the neighboring properties would be impacted by intense residential uses on the applicant's properties. Any development of this property would need to have a sufficient buffer between any buildings and parking lots and the neighboring single-family residences. Potential development of this property would also affect the traffic patterns in the single-family area depending on the placement of new structures on the property, making a review of traffic patterns necessary. The pond located on the property occupies a significant portion of the property. As a result, less land may be available (if the pond is not filled) allowing a higher concentration of dwelling units per acre on a smaller amount of land. Since the measurement of dwelling units per acre would include acreage for the entire property, each structure built on the property could contain a larger amount of dwelling units and remain within the proper density allowed. Since the applicant can locate large open areas any where on the property with other areas of high density, there is a great unknown as to the actual impact due to massing and scale on the existing homes. A change to Low Density Residential would allow for a lower density of dwelling units on the property. Since Single Family and Multi -Family units already exist in the neighborhood, Low Density Residential would provide for housing types not already available -in the neighborhood. Low Density Residential would also provide a buffer between the less intense Single Family to the east and the more intense Multi -Family to the west by capping the density at a lower level. Leaving a buffer of Park/Open Space along the edges of the property next to the areas shown as Single Family and would also minimize the conflict between intensity of land uses. As an alternative, a Planned Development could also provide for the review of the scale and massing of future development on the property to minimize impact on neighboring properties. 4 July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: 15.1 (Cont. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: FILE NO.: LU01-11-02 Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Campus Place Property Owners Association, Kensington Place Property Owners Association, Pennbrook/Clover Hill Place Property Owners Association, Sandpiper Neighborhood Association, Sewer District #147, Twin Lakes "A" Neighborhood Association, Twin Lakes "B" Neighborhood Association, and Westbrook Neighborhood Association. Staff has received four comments from area residents, all of which are neutral but concerned. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change to Multi -Family is not appropriate. A change to Low Density Residential would be more preferable with a strip of Park/Open Space to buffer between intensities in use. 61 July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: 15.1 (Cont. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: FILE NO.: LU01-11-02 Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Campus Place Property Owners Association, Kensington Place Property Owners Association, Pennbrook/Clover Hill Place Property Owners Association, Sandpiper Neighborhood Association, Sewer District #147, Twin Lakes "A" Neighborhood Association, Twin Lakes "B" Neighborhood Association, and Westbrook Neighborhood Association. Staff has received four comments from area residents, all of which are neutral but concerned. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change to Multi -Family change to Low Density Residential would be strip of Park/Open Space to buffer between PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: is not appropriate. A more preferable with a intensities in use. (JULY 26, 2001) Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the commission. Dana Carney made a presentation of item 15 so the discussion could coincide with the discussion for item 15.1. See item 15 for a complete discussion concerning the zoning application for a change from R-2 Single Family to MF -12 Multi -family. Commissioner Norm Floyd asked if the Commission would be approving a change from Park/Open Space to Multi -family or Low Density Residential. Mr. Minyard, City Staff, stated that the applicant could ask to have the application amended to request a change to Low Density Residential instead of Multi -family. Jim Hathaway, representative of the applicant, spoke on behalf of the application. Mr. Hathaway stated that the applicant wished to amend the application to request a change to Low Density Residential instead of Multi -family. Kathleen Olsen, representing the Little Rock League of Women Voters, stated support for the amended change to Low Density Residential. Commissioner Floyd asked if the change to Low Density Residential would moot the zoning application for MF -12 Multi -family. Jim Lawson, City Staff, stated that the applicant also added a 5 July 26, 2001 ITEM NO.: 15.1 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU01-11-02 condition to the zoning application that would limit the density to 10 units per acre. Mr. Lawson stated that the change to MF -10 Multi -family would fit the requirements of the Low Density Residential land use category. A motion was made to approve the item as amended by the applicant. The item was approved as amended by the applicant for a change from Park/Open Space to Low Density Residential with a vote of 7 ayes, 1 noes, and 3 absent. 6