HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesFebruary 14, 2002
ITEM NO.: 6
FILE NO.: LU02-08-02
Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Central City
Planning District
Location: 1201 W. 10th St.
Request: Single Family to Office
Source: Marceliers Hewett, Hewett Law Firm
PROPOSAL / REQUEST:
Land Use Plan amendment in the Central City 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 a bail bonds office.
EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING:
The property is currently zoned R-4 Two Family and is
approximately .16+ acres in size. The property to the north
and east is zoned 0-3 General Office with a church located to
the north and a youth/counseling center located to the east.
The property to the south and west is zoned R-4 Two Family and
is occupied by an assortment of duplexes and houses.
FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS:
On July 17, 2001 a change was made from Low Density Residential
to Public Institutional at the Terry Mansion located about 1
mile east of the applicant's property.
On September 19, 2000 a change took place from Service Trades
District to Park/Open Space, Public Institutional, and Mixed
Use at 1100 Cantrell Road about �h of a mile northwest of the
property in question.
On March 7, 2000 multiple changes took place resulting in
changes to Mixed Use Urban north of I-630 and west of I-30
starting about 850 feet north of the site in question.
On June 15, 1999 a change took place from Single Family to
Mixed Use and Public Institutional in the 2200 block of Wright
Avenue about 1 mile southwest of the application area.
February 14, 2002
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU02-08-02
On April 20, 1999 a change took place from Commercial, Low
Density Residential, Public Institutional to Mixed Use at Scott
Street from W. 16th Street to I-630 about :h of a mile east of
the study area.
On April 20, 1999 a change took place from Single Family to
Commercial at Scott Street from W. 17th Street to W. 19th Street
about 9/10 of a mile southeast of the property under review.
On April 20, 1999 a change took place from Multi -Family to Low
Density Residential on Gaines Street between W. 13th Street and
W. 15th Street about :h of a mile southeast of the area under
review.
The applicant's property is shown as Single Family on the
Future Land Use Plan. The property to the north is shown as
Single Family and Public Institutional. The northeast corner
of the Cross Street / W. 10th Street Intersection is shown as
Commercial. The property across the street to the east is
shown as Public Institutional and Single Family. The property
to the south and west is shown as Single Family.
MASTER STREET PLAN:
W. 10th Street and Cross Street are both classified as Standard
Residential Streets and built to that standard. Approval of
this amendment will call for improving at least one of the
streets to the Local Commercial Street standard. There are no
bikeways affected by this amendment.
The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan of 2001 shows
9th Street Park, located at W. 9th and Pulaski Streets (adjacent
to the Martin Luther King School), as a mini -park under five
acres. This park provides a playground and two basketball
pads. This park sits one block west of the property under
review and serves the goal of providing park facilities within
eight blocks of all Little Rock residents. Approval of this
amendment would place non-residential uses closer to 9th Street
Park and isolate it from the nearby residential areas it is
intended to serve.
2
February 14, 2002
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.)
HISTORIC DISTRICTS:
FILE NO.: LU02-08-02
The applicant's property is not located in a Historic District.
City Recognized Neighborhood Action Plan:
The applicant's property lies in the area covered by the
Downtown Neighborhoods Plan for the Future Neighborhood Action
Plan. The Housing Goal lists two objectives recommending the
rehabilitation of derelict structures and reusing blighted
properties to increase homeownership in the study area. The.,
plan also contains an objective under the housing goal of
promoting downtown living.
ANALYSIS:
The application area is located in a fragile neighborhood that
is surrounded by non-residential uses on all four sides. Two
types of Public Institutional uses are located in the
neighborhood. The first type of Public Institutional uses
consists of the Arkansas Children's Hospital and the Martin
Luther King School located to the northwest of the neighborhood
and serves the region and city. The second type of Public
Institutional uses consists of the church, located to the north
and east of the application area, is of a smaller scale well
matched to serve the neighborhood. Commercial uses are located
in the northeast corner of the neighborhood and consist of
building separated from the neighborhood by parking lots. The
north edge of the neighborhood is the I-630 freeway. South of
W. 10th Street, the neighborhood has remained a residential area
in spite of the loss of housing units. The east and west edges
of the neighborhood provide for uses serving larger areas of
the region instead of the neighborhood. A change to Office at
this location would introduce a type of use that would be more
appropriately located to either the east or the west. A change
to Office also places non-residential uses near the heart of
the neighborhood and invites further non-residential
development into the neighborhood and causing further isolation
of the residents in the area.
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February 14, 2002
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.)
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS:
FILE NO.: LU02-08-02
Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations:
Capitol Hill Neighborhood Association, Central High
Neighborhood Association, East of Broadway Neighborhood
Association, Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association, MLK
Neighborhood Association, South End Neighborhood Association,
South End Neighborhood Developers, and Wright Avenue
Neighborhood Association.
Staff has received no comments from area residents. Capitol
Hill Neighborhood Association, which covers this site, is
neutral to the change.
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff believes the change is not appropriate. A change to
Office would introduce non-residential uses into the
neighborhood.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION:
(FEBRUARY 14, 2002)
Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the
commission. Donna James made a presentation of item 6.1 so the
discussion could coincide with the discussion for item 6. See
item 6.1 for a complete discussion concerning the Short -form
Planned Development -Office.
Carl Lindsey, representing the property owners, spoke on behalf
of the applicant and described the nature of the business that
would take place on the property.
Rita Carpenter White, representing Mt. Zion Baptist Church,
spoke in opposition to the application. Ms. White stated that
the proposed business would be detrimental to the church.
Rose Cooke spoke in opposition to the application and described
how she felt the proposed business would affect the church's
ministry to the elderly and youth.
Earnest Fingers, also representing Mt. Zion Baptist Church,
spoke in opposition to the application and expressed a desire
to maintain the property for residential uses.
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February 14, 2002
SUBDIVISION
ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU02-08-02
Commissioner Bob Lowry initiated a discussion to find out if
the members of the church opposed the land use plan amendment,
zoning, or proposed business. The discussion concluded when
Jim Lawson, Director of Planning, stated that the church
opposed all non-residential uses on the applicant's property.
A discussion took place about possible methods that could be
used to preserve the residential character of the neighborhood.
During this discussion, Commissioner Fred Allen asked if the
church was willing to work on a compromise with the property
owners. Ellen Carpenter, speaking on behalf of the church
membership, stated that the church was not interested in a
compromise on this issue.
A motion was made to approve the item as presented. The item
was denied with a vote of 0 ayes, 11 noes, and 0 absent.
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