HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesJuly 24, 2003
ITEM NO.: C
FILE NO.: LU03-11
Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - 1-430 Planning District
Location: Northwest corner of Wilson St. and W. 20th St.
Request: Single Family to Office
Source: Mystery Willis, c/o McGetrick & McGetrick Inc.
PROPOSAL / REQUEST:
Land Use Plan amendment in the 1-430 Planning District from Single Family to
Office. The Office category represents services provided directly to consumers
(e.g., legal, financial, medical) as well as general offices, which support more
basic economic activities. The applicant wishes to develop the property for quite
business uses.
Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded
the area of review to include the area between Wilson Street and Aldersgate
Road north of W. 20th Street to W. 18th Street, and the area west of Wilson Street
north of W. 18th Street to the areas currently shown as Suburban Office. With
these changes, the entirety of the Single Family west of Wilson Street north of W.
20th Street would be eliminated. This would establish Wilson Street and W. 20th
Street as the boundary between residential and non-residential uses.
EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING:
The property is a house currently zoned R-2 Single Family and is approximately
1.25 ± acres in size. The expanded area is developed with scattered single
family housing zoned R-2. The property on the west side of Aldersgate Road is
developed with two office buildings zoned Planned Office Development. The
vacant land on the north side of W. 18th Street west of Perry Street is vacant land
zoned 0-2 Office and Institutional. Further north the land on the west side of
Perry Street (west of the expanded area) is zoned R-2 and developed with
scattered single-family housing. One lot at the end of Perry Street, on the west
side, is zoned R -7A Mobile Home for manufactured housing located on that
property. The land north of the expanded area is zoned 0-2 and developed with
office buildings. A strip of land at the north boundary of the expanded study
area is zoned Open Space from Aldersgate Road to Junior Deputy Road. All of
the land east of Wilson Street and south of W. 20th Street is zoned R-2 and
developed with scattered single-family housing. The property at southwest
corner of the Aldersgate Road / W. 20th intersection is zoned Open Space for
Camp Aldersgate.
July 24, 2003
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: C Cont. FILE NO.: LU03-11-03
FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS:
On March 18, 2003 a change was made from Single Family to Suburban Office
at the northeast corner of Aldersgate Road and W. 18th Street less than '/4 of a
mile northwest of the applicant's property to establish W. 18th Street as a
boundary between residential and non-residential uses and to provide protection
to the Single Family uses through the use of Planned Zoning Developments.
On November 4, 2002 a change was made from Single Family to Low Density
Residential along Lehigh Street about 1 mile southeast of the application area to
provide higher density residential development.
On September 4, 2001 a change was made from Park/Open Space to Multi-
family less than 1/4 of a mile to the east of the property in question to
accommodate proposed development.
On April 6, 1999 a change was made from Single Family to Suburban Office
along the west side of Aldersgate Road in the 1600 through 1900 blocks less
than '/4 of a mile west of the study area to accommodate proposed development.
On March 2, 1999 multiple changes were made along the south side of Kanis
Road starting about 1/2 of a mile northwest of the area in question from Mixed
Office Commercial and Suburban Office to Neighborhood Commercial, Office,
and Community Shopping to recognize existing conditions.
The applicant's property and the expanded area are shown as Single Family on
the Future Land Use Plan. All of the property to the west and north of the
expanded area is shown as Suburban Office while all of the property to the east
and south is shown as Single Family.
MASTER STREET PLAN:
Wilson and W. 20th Streets are classified as Local Streets built for residential
traffic. These streets would need to be improved to handle commercial traffic.
There are no Bikeways shown that would be affected by this amendment.
PARKS:
The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan of 2001 shows that the
applicant's property lies in a service deficit area. Adequate park facilities would
need to be developed in order to fulfill the plan goals of providing park facilities
within an eight -block walking distance of all City of Little Rock Residents.
HISTORIC DISTRICTS:
There are no historic districts that would be affected by this amendment.
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July 24, 2003
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: C Cont. FILE NO.: LU03-11-03
CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN:
The applicant's property lies in an area covered by the John Barrow
Neighborhood Area Plan. The business and commercial development goal
contains the objectives of attracting job -generating businesses to the area and
encouragement of land assembly guidelines for construction of new business
and commercial facilities.
ANALYSIS:
Although the area shown as Single Family contains vacant pieces of property,
new housing is being constructed in this neighborhood. The Plan has tried to
keep the non-residential uses west of Aldersgate Road and north of W. 18th
Street west of Perry Street. Even when allowing these non-residential uses, they
were to be designed such that residential could be a viable option on the east
side of the areas shown as Suburban Office.
The strip of land zoned Open Space from Aldersgate Road to Junior Deputy
Road is intended to serve as a boundary between the non-residential uses south
of Kanis Road and the residential areas further to the south. This amendment
would further extend non-residential uses in an area south of W. 18th Street and
south of the Open Space zoned buffer.
In addition, this amendment area is located in an area of revitalizing single-family
development. The property in question is located in the Hicks Interurban
Addition, a neighborhood that has seen an increase in building permit activity
within the past five years. Thirteen building permits for new single-family houses
have been issued for the neighborhood within the past five years. Four of those
permits were issued in 2001, while five were issued during 2002. The trend of
increasing building permits for single family housing east of Aldersgate Road
indicates that this neighborhood is a growing and viable single-family residential
area. This amendment would introduce a use that is incompatible with the
current trend of single-family residential development in the area.
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS:
Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: John Barrow
Neighborhood Association, Campus Place Property Owners Association,
Kensington Place Property Owners Association, Pennbrook/Clover Hill Property
Owners Association, Sandpiper Neighborhood Association, Twin Lakes "A"
Neighborhood Association, Twin Lakes "B" Special Improvement District, Twin
Lakes B Prop. Owners Association, and Westbrook Neighborhood Association.
Staff has received one comment from area residents. Staff has received one
comment from area residents in support of the change.
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July 24, 2003
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: C (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU03-11-03
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff believes the change is not appropriate. This amendment would extend non-
residential uses into the heart of a revitalizing residential neighborhood and
compromise the viability of that neighborhood.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: May 15, 2003
The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the June 26, 2003
Planning Commission meeting. A motion was made to approve the consent
agenda and was approved with a vote of 11 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: June 26, 2003
During the consent agenda, Pat McGetrick, the applicant stated that he wished to
defer the application to July 24, 2003 since he was going to have only eight
commissioners eligible to vote. The overall consent agenda was approved with a
vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes, and 2 absent with a recusal from Fred Allen on this item.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION- July 24, 2003
Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the commission. Monte
Moore made a presentation of item D so the discussion could coincide with the
discussion for item C. See item D for a complete discussion concerning the
rezoning from R-2 Single Family to 0-1 Quiet Office.
Pat McGetrick, representing the applicant, spoke on behalf of the applicant and
gave a brief description of the applicant's plans for the property and the reasons
for choosing this site for developing quiet offices.
A motion was made to approve the item as presented. The item was denied with
a vote of 0 ayes, 9 noes, 1 absent, and 1 recuse. Commissioner Fred Allen
recused from the item.