HomeMy WebLinkAboutletter to board of directors from applicantAugust 28, 2001
«Name»
«Address»
((Address 1», AR ((Zip))
[� `?." nZ 4/ P/o/
SUBJECT: Rezoning Application 85 acres f Junior Deputy Road
Case # Z-7064
Dear ((Salutation)):
For your information
Jim Hathaway
THE HATHAWAY GROUP
100 Morgan Keegan Drive, Suite 120
Little Rock, AR 77202
(501) 663-5400 / (501) 663-5406 Fax
At its next meeting, the Little Rock Board of Directors will consider an application from the Good
Shepherd Ecumenical Retirement Center to rezone approximately 85 acres to the MF -12 zoning
classification with certain limiting conditions voluntarily proposed by Good Shepherd.
At its July 26 meeting, the Planning Commission voted 8-0 to approve this application which was
voluntarily amended by the applicant at the meeting so as to increase the buffer of undisturbed natural
vegetation around the perimeter of the property from 50' to 75'.
I have served as the real estate advisor to Good Shepherd Ecumenical Retirement Center for the past 11
years and I am representing Good Shepherd with this application. We believe that we have a very strong
case to present to you, but I am writing to you in advance of the forthcoming meeting in order to provide
you with certain materials that will help you better understand the reasoning behind Good Shepherd's
request.
I am enclosing the notification letter which was sent to all neighboring residents as well as a separate set of
materials which are stapled together and headed with a sheet entitled Question and Answers About Good
Shepherd's Zoning Request.
In addition to the attached materials, I would ask you to consider several other points as you prepare to hear
from all interested parties at the forthcoming public hearing. These points are as follows:
1. Good Shepherd has placed the subject property under a conditional contract and has the right to
buy it subject to the completion of a due diligence study and subject to the rezoning of the
property.
2. If the rezoning is not granted as proposed (i.e. to a density of 10 units per acres) Good Shepherd
cannot afford to purchase the property.
3. If the property is not purchased by Good Shepherd, it is not likely that it will remain as vacant
land for any extended period of time. The ownership is a Trust and the beneficiary of the Trust
lives out of state. The decision to sell the property was made only within the last year and, now
that it has been made, the property will be sold to a third party if Good Shepherd does not
purchase it.
4. If the property is developed for only single family residential use, it is likely that such a
development will involve small lots for affordable single family housing which would not obligate
the developer to retain any undisturbed buffer next door to the surrounding homeowners, nor
would it prohibit access to the property from either Romine or Kensington Place. The density
associated with such a single family development will have, in my opinion, more impact on the
City of Little Rock Board of Directors
August 28, 2001
Page 2
surrounding neighborhood in terms of total number of people, automobiles, traffic, or any other
indicator imaginable than the impact which would be caused by the gradual development of the
property for senior citizen housing.
5. We held 3 different meetings prior to the Planning Commission in an effort to present the facts
about this application to neighborhood association leaders and/or property owners lying within
200' of the property. In those meetings we have stressed that there are absolutely no plans to build
anything at this time, that the property will be developed only for senior housing, and that the
development will occur in phases over time as the demand for additional senior housing at Good
Shepherd develops.
6. Good Shepherd is governed by an independent Board of responsible individuals. A list Good
Shepherd's Board members is attached for your review.
7. Good Shepherd has an excellent track record and is a responsible organization. Good Shepherd's
mission i.e. to provide affordable housing for senior citizens has merit and social value.
8. Apartment housing for senior citizens is a far different animal than normal apartment housing for
the general public. The residents of Good Shepherd average 84 years of age. They are mature,
quiet, less than fully active individuals who are not troublesome to their neighbors.
Please consider all of the above as you prepare to vote on this matter.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss any points about this application with you in advance of the
meeting.
Sincerely,
James E. Hathaway, Jr., CRE
Vice Chairman
JEH:jIr
Attachments: Good Shepherd Board of Directors
Questions & Answers
Notification letter
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Questions and Answers
about Good Shepherd's Zoning Request
What is Good Shepherd Ecumenical
Retirement Center? Good Shepherd was founded
23 years ago in 1978 by 4 Christian denominations —
Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, and Episcopalian. Its
mission is to provide quality housing at an affordable price for
senior citizens. Good Shepherd is a non-profit organization.
Its present campus fronts on Aldersgate Road and has a
partial common boundary with the 85 acres to be purchased by
Good Shepherd. Currently, there are 395 senior housing
apartments at Good Shepherd plus an 80 bed full-service
Nursing Home owned by an independent operator.
Where is the Property which is the
subject of these applications? The Property
consists of 84.6± acres of undeveloped land on the east side
of Junior Deputy Road. See Exhibit A attached.
What applications have been filed? Good
Shepherd has filed two inter -related applications concerning
the Property. One application is to change the City's Master
Land Use Plan for the Property to Multi -Family (MF). The
second application is to rezone the Property to the MF -12
zoning classification, which means that a maximum of 12 units
of multi -family housing may be built per acre. A Public Hearing
regarding these applications will be held by the Little Rock
Planning Commission on Thursday, July 26, 2001 at 4:00 p.m.
on the second floor of City Hall at 500 West Markham.
Why have these applications been filed
by Good Shepherd? Good Shepherd feels there will
be a growing need for affordable senior housing as our
population ages over the next 20-30 years, and has been
considering the Property for some time as potential land for
future expansion of its campus. When the present ownership
recently decided to sell, Good Shepherd entered into a
contract to purchase the Property conditioned upon a
satisfactory due diligence study and the rezoning of the
Property.
Why is the multi -family zoning needed?
There are two reasons. First, the type of housing generally
used to provide affordable housing for independent senior
citizens is multi -family or apartment housing. Second, the
purchase price of the Property is such that Good Shepherd
must ultimately develop the Property with more living units
than would be allowed under single-family zoning.
Are there any current plans to build? There
are no current plans to build anything. These applications, if
approved, will allow Good Shepherd to build multi -family
housing on the Property in the future for senior citizens only.
How does Good Shepherd intend to
develop the Property? The Property will be
developed sequentially in phases over time as the need for
senior housing in the community grows. It is projected that full
development of the Property will not be completed for 20 years
or more. In addition to the housing units, there will also be
several buildings to serve the residents, including an inter-
denominational chapel, an administration and activities center,
and a wellness center. The construction of these components
will be completed over time while maintaining a "campus feel",
the lake and as much of the natural vegetation on the Property
as possible.
Is Good Shepherd willing to place
restrictions on the Property for the
benefit of the neighboring property
owners? Yes! Good Shepherd has peacefully co -existed
with the surrounding single-family neighborhoods for 23 years
and desires to continue to be a good neighbor. Attached as
Exhibit B is a page entitled "Good Shepherd's Proposal," which
lists 5 limiting conditions which are being voluntarily proposed
by Good Shepherd in an effort to minimize the impact of the
development which will be allowed as per the requested
rezoning.
What is the profile for a Good Shepherd
resident? Most residents are widows or widowers since
only 500± residents live in the 395 apartments on campus.
Only 150± cars are owned by the 500± residents. The
average age for a Good Shepherd resident is 84. Over 80% of
the residents have moved to Good Shepherd from a former
residence in central Arkansas.
Why is Good Shepherd's application good
for the surrounding neighborhood?
➢ The Property will be used only for senior citizen
housing and/or related functions.
➢ Senior citizens are older, more responsible,
quieter, neighbors without small children or pets.
➢ Good Shepherd will create a 50' undisturbed
natural buffer around the perimeter of the
Property.
➢ No building larger than a one-story house can be
built closer than 150' from a neighboring resident.
➢ Access to the Property will be limited to Aldersgate
Road.
➢ The long term use of the Property will be clearly
established thereby eliminating uncertainty and
the possibility of a less desirable use.
➢ Good Shepherd has an excellent trach record as a
good neighbor and will work to maintain it.
FOR THE ANSWERS TO ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, CALL JIM HATHAWAY AT 663.5400.
071701
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EXHIBIT B
Good Shepherd's Proposal
Good Shepherd is voluntarily proposing to amend the subject rezoning
request so as to include the following conditions:
75'
A permanent W buffer strip of undisturbed natural vegetation shall be created
around the entire perimeter of the Property — except for that portion of the
perimeter which abuts the current Good Shepherd campus.
2. All current and future access to the Property shall be via Aldersgate Road
through the existing Good Shepherd campus. No access to the Property shall be
permitted from Junior Deputy, Romine or Kensington Roads.
3. No building taller than 25' in height may be constructed within 150' of that portion
of the perimeter of the Property which is adjacent to any ownership other than
Good Shepherd.
4. The use of the entire Property shall be limited only to housing for the elderly, as
defined in the Little Rock Zoning Ordinance, together with other buildings directly
related to housing for the elderly such as a chapel, wellness center, and an
administration building.
5. The maximum number of living units to be built on the Property shall be limited to
10 living units per gross acre.
If the rezoning is approved, the above conditions will be included in the
rezoning ordinance which will be filed of record and will "run with the
land".
Tuesday, July 17, 2001
July 10, 2001
VIA CERTIFIED MAIL
«FirstName» « LastName»
«Address1»
((City)), AR ((Zip))
85 Acres Fronting Junior Deputy Road
Application filed by Good Shepherd Ecumenical Retirement Center to
(a.) Change the Master Land Use Plan from PK -OS to MF; and
(b.) Rezone the Property to MF -12
I have been retained to represent the Good Shepherd Ecumenical Retirement Center ("Good
Shepherd") who has entered into a contract to purchase 85 acres of vacant, undeveloped land
fronting Junior Deputy Road (the "Property"). Please see Exhibit A attached.
With the consent of the present ownership, Good Shepherd has filed two inter -related
applications concerning the Property. One application is to change the city's Master Land Use
Plan for the Property to MF (Multi -Family). The second application is to rezone the Property to
the MF -12 classification, which means that a maximum of 12 units of multi -family housing may
be built per acre. Copies of both applications are also attached to this letter.
A Public Hearing will be held by the Little Rock Planning Commission to consider these two
applications on Thursday, July 26 at 4:00 p.m. on the second floor of City Hall at 500 West
Markham. I am writing to you in advance of the Planning Commission meeting to provide you
with background information about Good Shepherd's applications, and to invite you to a meeting
of the neighboring property owners at which time I will explain Good Shepherd's plans in more
detail and be able to answer any questions you may have.
You are invited to a meeting of neighboring property owners to be held on July « MeetingDatev
at 7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria on the ground floor of the Moore Building which is the tallest
building on the Good Shepherd campus. Signs giving directions to the meeting room will be
posted for your convenience in the lobby.
Good Shepherd was founded 23 years ago by four Christian denominations — Methodist,
Presbyterian, Catholic and Episcopalian. Its mission is to provide quality housing at an
affordable price for senior citizens. Good Shepherd is a non-profit organization. Its present
campus, consisting of 30 acres t, fronts on Aldersgate Road and has a common boundary with
a part of the eastern boundary of the Property near a small lake located on the southern portion
of the Property. Currently there are 395 units of senior housing located at Good Shepherd, plus
an 80 bed full-service Nursing Home owned by an independent operator.
FirstName» « LastName»
July 10, 2001
Page 2
Good Shepherd has provided safe, secure, apartment -style housing for senior citizens since
1978. It has successfully co -existed with neighboring single-family neighborhoods without
incident throughout those 23 years. The average age for the 500 Good Shepherd residents is
84. Only about 30% of the residents own automobiles. Most residents live independently in
mid -rise and high-rise apartments, although one building is devoted to residents who are
provided daily assistance with some of their needs but who are not yet ready for the services of
a nursing home.
Three years ago, Good Shepherd caused a long term Master Plan to be created to provide a
framework for the direction and decisions of future Boards. Numerous professionals were
engaged to prepare the Master Plan. You are no doubt aware that people are now living longer
than ever before and that a significantly higher percentage of our population will become senior
citizens during the next 20 years. A key recommendation of the long term Master Plan was that
Good Shepherd should prepare for the future growth in the senior citizen population by
acquiring additional land which could then be developed gradually over time to meet the
increasing future demand for senior housing. Due to its proximity, the Property was then
identified as a logical acquisition. Negotiations were carried on for over 18 months before the
parties finally reached agreement on the terms of a contract in late May.
Good Shepherd is well aware that neighboring single-family home owners may have concerns
about the development of the Property. In an effort to ease any such concerns, Good Shepherd
is proposing a series of voluntarily imposed conditions which would be written into the zoning
ordinance, thereby insuring that such conditions will "run with the land," and will not be
subsequently revoked. These conditions will Iv?, the creationrr t buffer strip
wndistur�od 1 nd around the perimgt!g 2f t.hQ._P_Lmau, the creation of building height limitation
for portions of the Property in proximity to nearby homes, the limiting of all access to the
Property to internal streets to be built through the current Good Shepherd campus via
Aldersgate Road, limiting the use of the Property to housing only for senior citizens, and limitin
the density to a maximum of 10 units to the acre. We will discuss these conditions in detail at
the meeting on July (WeetingDate)).
I look forward to meeting with you on July ((Meeting Date)). It is our goal to work together to
maintain your neighborhood's quality while allowing Good Shepherd the opportunity to expand
its mission of providing quality housing for senior citizens.
Applicant agreed at Planning
JAMES E. HATHAWAY, JR., CRE Commission Meeting to increase
VICE-CHAIRMAN the buffer from 50 ft. to 75 ft.
JEH/slm
Enclosures: Exhibit A
Notice of Public Hearing — (a) Land Use Plan; (b) Rezoning