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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesJune 3, 2004 ITEM NO.: F FILE NO.: LU04-10-01 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Boyle Park Planning District Location: 7616 - 7620 Col. Glenn Rd. Request: Office to Mixed Use and Single Family. Source: Eugenia Williams PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Boyle Park Planning District from Office to Mixed Use and Single Family. The Mixed Use category 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 applicant wishes to develop the property with a billiards hall, restaurant, or Hispanic food store. The Singe Family category provides for single-family houses at densities not to exceed 6 dwelling units per acre. Such residential development is typically characterized by conventional single family homes, but may also include patio or garden homes and cluster homes, provided that the density remain less than six units per acre. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include all of the area shown as Office along Col. Glenn Road from area shown as Public Institutional at Stannus Street to the area shown as Light Industrial west of Whitfield Street. This amendment would change the houses fronting Whitfield Street from Office to Single Family while the remainder of the study area would change from Office to Mixed Use. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The original application area consists of about .44 acres t of land zoned 1-2 for a vacant doll factory. The expanded amendment area consists of 3.19 acres t of land zoned 1-2 occupied by a large one-story building serving as a shopping center anchored by a grocery store which includes the space left vacant by a closed doll factory. The east part of the expanded area consists of a beauty salon and an office at the corner of Col. Glenn and Stannus Street. Two houses zoned 1-2 is located in the northwest corner of the expanded area and is accessed from Whitfield Street. The neighboring land northwest of the expanded area is a vacant tract of land zoned MF -12 Multifamily. The land to the north consists of single family houses zoned R-3 Single Family. The land to the east across Stannus Street is the Wilson Elementary School zoned R-2 with a June 3, 2004 SUBDIVISIO ITEM NO.: F (Cont. FILE NO.: LU04-10-01 Conditional Use Permit. The neighboring land to the south across Col. Glenn Road is zoned 1-2 Light Industrial and is developed with a mixture of industrial buildings. A large tract of vacant land zoned C-3 General Commercial sits between the amendment area and the 1-2 zoned industrial building to the west. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On January 20, 2004 a change was made from Mixed Use to Commercial on the south side of Col. Glenn Road at Vinewood lane about a'/ mile to the southwest of the applicant's property to accommodate proposed development. On July 17, 2001 a change was made from Commercial, Single Family, and Low Density Residential to Park / Open Space at the Jack Stephens Youth Golf Academy starting less than % of a mile south of the amendment area to recognize existing conditions. The applicant's property and the expanded amendment area are shown as Office on the Future Land Use Plan. The land to the north is shown as Single Family while the land east of Stannus Street is shown as Public Institutional. The land to the south is shown as Light industrial with a small tract shown as Single Family to the southwest. The neighboring tract of land to the west is shown as Light Industrial. MASTER STREET PLAN: Col. Glenn Road is shown as a Principal Arterial on the Master Street Plan and is currently being widened to a five -lane cross section by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department as a part of a project to improve State Highway 5. Stannus Street is a local street in the process of being improved at the intersection of Col. Glenn Road. Whitfield Street is a local street that does not connect to Col. Glenn Road. There are no bikeways shown that would be affected by this amendment. PARKS: The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan of 2001 list the Jack Stephens Youth Golf Academy, at 6620 Falls Boulevard, as a Large Urban Park of more than 50 acres. The northwest corner of the park is located about .15 miles south of the applicant's property on Western Hills Avenue and is intended primarily to teach the sport of golf to the city's youth. The Wilson Elementary School is located less than a block to the east of the applicant's property on Stannus Street. The Park System Master plan includes public school facilities within the Eight -block strategy of providing park and open space facilities within an eight - FA June 3, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: F (Cont. FILE NO.: LU04-10-01 block walking distance of all City of Little Rock residents. Additional park facilities may need to be developed in the future to serve a broader group of citizens. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The area under review is located within the John Barrow Neighborhoods Plan area. The Plan has several objectives, which recommend adding more business opportunities in the area. The plan specifically wants more medical related offices, a sit down restaurant and a grocery store. However, the plan supports placing the recommended uses in the northern part of the plan area, while the applicant's property is located in the southern part. ANALYSIS: The expanded study area is located in an intense corridor of development along Col. Glenn Road from University Avenue to the Col. Glenn / Stagecoach Road split. However, the application area is an anomaly in that it is the only existing commercial use in the vicinity of Col. Glenn and Stannus, yet it is not zoned for commercial uses, nor is it shown as Commercial. The neighboring property zoned for commercial uses lies vacant in an area shown as Light Industrial while the application area consists of property developed for retail uses on land zoned 1-2 and shown as Office on the Future Land Use plan. A change to Mixed Use would recognize the existing mixture of commercial and office uses within the application area. New non-residential developments in areas shown as Mixed Use are subject to the Planned Zoning Development Process. The use of PZD's in an area shown as Mixed Use would provide some transition between the industrial development on the south side of the street and the residential areas to the north. Although Office would be compatible with the Public Institutional shown for the school to the east, the PZD requirement of Mixed Use would institute a review process for new developments locating near the school. A change to Mixed Use would protect the integrity of the residential area to the north and serve as a buffer between the Public Institutional shown to the east and the Light Industrial shown to the west. 3 June 3, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: F(Cont.) _ FILE NO.: LU04-10-01 Although the area currently shown as Office is intended to act as a buffer between the Single Family to the north and the Light Industrial shown to the south, the existing development pattern does not protect the integrity of neighboring uses from more intense development. Future Office developments could locate in the amendment area and not be subject to the PZD process. A change to Mixed Use and the requirement of PZD's would enhance the opportunity to create a physical buffer between incompatible uses in addition to that, which is required in the standard site plan review process for office developments. A change to Mixed Use would provide the opportunity to enhance the integrity of the neighborhood to the north. A change to Mixed Use in the expanded area opens the potential for retail uses to locate across the street from Wilson Elementary School. However, the school is accessed from W. 40th Street, while the property located at the eastern edge of the study area would be accessed from either Col. Glenn or Stannus Street. The housing stock located on W. 418t Street should act as a buffer to limit further expansion to the north. However, any future PZD located at Col. Glenn and Stannus would need to respect the integrity of both the school and the neighborhood to the north and to avoid placing incompatible uses on the site. The PZD process should be used in order to encourage commercial uses locating near the school be developments, which would not interfere with the function of the school. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Brownwood Terrace Neighborhood Association, John Barrow Neighborhood Association, Broadmoor Neighborhood Association, College Terrace Neighborhood Association, Leander Neighborhood Association, Point O'Woods Neighborhood Association, University Park Neighborhood Association, Westwood Neighborhood Association, Neighborhood Connections, SW Little Rock UP, and WCLR Coalition of Neighborhoods. Staff has not received comments from area residents or Neighborhood Associations at this time. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is appropriate. A change to Mixed Use would recognize existing conditions. 4 June 3, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: F (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU04-10-01 PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (APRIL 22, 2004) Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the commission. Donna James made presentations of item 22.1 so the discussion could coincide with the discussion for item 22. See item 22.1 for a complete discussion concerning the Short Form Planned District - Commercial. Eugenia Williams, the applicant, spoke for the Valdez's. She spoke of the enforcement issues and the validity of them. She also spoke of the city needing to acknowledge the Spanish population. Betty Snyder, of the John Barrow Neighborhood Association, stated that she supported the grocery store and supported the Land Use Plan amendment. James LaBorde, of the Westwood Neighborhood Association, is opposed to the restaurant/billiard hall. He does support the grocery store. Mike Kumpuris, of the Coll. Glenn Planning Committee, stated that the committee is for business and that the change would be better for the neighborhood. Bill Allen, the owner of the Hometown IGA located next door, supports the grocery store. He stated that the building in question was designed for carryout liquor only by the ABC because of the close proximity to the school. He stated the real estate professional should explain all the rules and regulations to prospective buyers. He opposes the noise that accompanies serving liquor late night. James Douglas, a lifelong resident of the area, stated that prejudice is bad and that the neighborhood had changed over time. He supports the grocery store but dies not support beer sales. After discussion by the committee on the absence of the Valadezes, a motion was made to defer the item to the June 3, 2004 agenda. The item was approved with a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 3, 2004) Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the Commission. Donna James made a presentation of item F.1 so the discussion could coincide with the discussion for item F. See item F.1 for a complete discussion concerning the Short Form Planned Development - Commercial. A motion was made to approve the item as presented. The item was approved with a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent. G�