The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink Aboutstaff report and minutesSeptember 18, 2003 ITEM NO.: 7 FILE NO.: LU03-09 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - 1-630 Planning District Location: Mary Street at Brack Street Request: Multi -family to Commercial Source: Steve Wortman, Kaufman Lumber Co. PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the 1-630 Planning District from Multi -family to Commercial. The Commercial category includes a broad range of retail and wholesale sales of products, personal and professional services, and general business activities. Commercial activities vary in type and scale, depending on the trade area they serve. The proposed use is for commercial uses. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include the area to the north, which houses a vacant church building. It is thought that the additional area would make the boundaries more logical since there would be a partial block left of Multi -family with commercial on two sides and Industrial to the north. Currently, that property is in negotiations to be purchased by the user to the north and staff expects a zoning application forthcoming on that piece of property. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is currently zoned R-3 Single Family and R-5 Urban Residence and is approximately 1.25 ± acres in size. 1-2 Light Industrial zoning lies to the north where a contractor's storage yard is located. To the west, an apartment complex is zoned PRD, single family houses zoned R-3 Single Family, and C-3 General Commercial houses Kaufman Lumber Company's retail building and other commercial uses. South of the site is C-3 and C-4 Open Display zoning with a variety of commercial uses. To the east lies C-4 and 1-2 zoned land with construction trade uses. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On July 17, 2001 a change was made from Commercial, Single Family and Low Density Residential to Park / Open Space at the Jack Stevens golf course located about 1 mile southwest of the study area to recognize existing conditions. On October 17, 2000 multiple changes were made from Light Industrial, Industrial, Commercial, Multi -family, Single Family, Low Density Residential, and Public Institutional to Commercial, Light Industrial, Office, Public Intuitional and September 18, 2003 EM NO.: 7 (Cont. FILE NO.: LU03-09-03 Park / Open Space within a 1 mile radius to the south of the applicant's property to recognize existing conditions. On April 20, 1999 a change was made from Single Family to Mixed Use at the intersection of W. 20th and Pine Street located about 1 mile northeast of the application area to recognize existing conditions. On April 20, 1999 a change was made from Single Family to Mixed Use on the west side of the W. 23rd and Cedar Street intersection less than 1 mile to the northeast of the amendment area to recognize existing conditions. The expanded application area is shown as Multifamily on the Future Land Use Plan. To the north, the plan shows Single Family at the intersection of W. 22nd and S. Harrison Street, Industrial immediately north of the study area, with a strip of Park / Open Space further north. The property to the east and south of the amendment area is shown as Commercial on the plan. The land to the west along Mary Street is shown as Multi -family. MASTER STREET PLAN: Lucie, Mary and Brack Streets are shown as local streets on the plan. Improvements to the streets would require commercial standards. Access to this property would likely be from Asher Avenue, which is a Principal Arterial, located two blocks south. PARKS: The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan of 2001 lists Curran Conway Park, located at W. 24th and Monroe Streets, as a Community Park providing 25.0 ± acres of developed parkland. This park is located north of the expanded study area and is in conformance to the plan goal of providing park and open space facilities within eight blocks of all residents of the City of Little Rock. There are no current plans to expand Curran Conway Park. Although this amendment is likely to reduce the size of the area shown as Multi -family on the Future Land Use Plan, it is not likely to significantly reduce the number of park users. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The applicant's property lies in the area covered by the Oak Forest Neighborhood Action Plan. The Economic Development goal stated to "create a 2 September 18, 2003 ITEM NO.: 7 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU03-09-03 healthy economic climate that encourages investment, reinvestment, and diversity of employment opportunities." ANALYSIS: This application would be an expansion of an area shown as Commercial and a reduction of an area shown as Multi -family. The current Multi -family shown for the study area is not developed with Multi -family residences. This amendment would establish Mary Street as a boundary between residential and non- residential uses. The change to Commercial would extend Commercial uses shown south of the Mary / Brack Street intersection along the east side of Mary Street north to the industrial shown to the north. The only buffer in the neighborhood is the strip of Park / Open Space which buffers land shown as Single Family from the property shown as Industrial. This change would also recognize the existing Multi -family located west on Mary Street and would allow for some new development of property shown as Multi- family north of Lucie and west of Mary Streets. The existing multi -family uses inside the area shown, as Multi -family should serve to protect the high-density integrity of the residential development west of Mary Street. Most of the neighboring areas currently shown as Commercial front Asher Avenue are developed with existing commercial uses. Although new commercial developments located east of Mary Street would not front Asher Avenue, a change to Commercial would allow future development to take place in harmony with the existing uses along Asher, and in harmony with the area shown as Industrial on W. 32nd Street. Unlike the areas shown as Commercial, most of the residential uses in the neighborhood located north of W. 32nd St. are oriented towards Fair Park Boulevard. A change to Commercial would also maintain W. 32nd Street as a boundary dividing the neighborhood into two areas. The first area, south of 32nd Street, would remain primarily non-residential along the arterial streets with high density residential uses or vacant land at the center of the area. The second area north of 32nd Street, and the strip of Park / Open Space would remain an area characterized by traditional single family houses. A change to Commercial would maintain this division in the neighborhood. In addition, the amendment area would be a small extension of the already existing corridor of Commercial uses along Asher Avenue extending from University Avenue, to W. Roosevelt Road. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Capitol Hill Neighborhood Association, Capitol View Stifft Station Neighborhood Association, 3 September 18, 2003 ITEM NO.: 7(Cont.)_-FILE NO.: LU03-09-03 Oak Forest Neighborhood Association, Forest Hills Neighborhood Association, Goodwill Neighborhood Association, Pine to Woodrow Neighborhood Association, War Memorial Neighborhood Association, Stephens Area Faith Neighborhood Association, Hope Neighborhood Association, Midway Neighborhood Association, Curran -Conway Neighborhood Association, Love Neighborhood Association, and S. O. A. Neighborhood Association. At this time, Staff has not received any comments from area residents or neighborhood associations. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is appropriate. The change would establish a continuity of compatible uses along the east side of Mary Street. 4 September 18, 2003 ITEM NO.: 7 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU03-09-03 Oak Forest Neighborhood Association, Forest Hills Neighborhood Association, Goodwill Neighborhood Association, Pine to Woodrow Neighborhood Association, War Memorial Neighborhood Association, Stephens Area Faith Neighborhood Association, Hope Neighborhood Association, Midway Neighborhood Association, Curran -Conway Neighborhood Association, Love Neighborhood Association, and S. O. A. Neighborhood Association. At this time, Staff has not received any comments from area residents or neighborhood associations. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is appropriate. The change would establish a continuity of compatible uses along the east side of Mary Street. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (SEPTEMBER 18, 2003) The item was placed on the consent agenda for approval. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. 0