Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesDecember 4, 2003 ITEM NO.: 23 FILE NO.: LU03-08-02 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Central City Planning District Location: 2512 Center Street Request: Single Family to Mixed Use Source: Nat L. Conway PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Central City Planning District from Single Family to Mixed Use. 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 rebuild a cafe. Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include an area on both sides of Center Street between the applicant's property and the intersection of Roosevelt Road. This expansion would increase the area shown as Mixed Use located at Roosevelt Road and Louisiana Street. Staff has not expanded this application toward the west since Spring Street does not connect to Roosevelt Road. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is the site of a cafe destroyed by fire and is currently zoned R-4 Two Family and is 0.16 acres t in size. All of the property in the expanded area consists of houses and vacant lots zoned R-4 Two Family. The houses and business north of Roosevelt Road lie in the Capital Zoning District and are zoned N - Neighborhood Residential and Commercial, which allows single family, two- family, multi -family, professional offices, and commercial uses. The remainder of the property surrounding the expanded area consists houses and vacant lots zoned R-4 Two Family. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: On April 18, 2003, multiple changes were made from Industrial, Public Institutional, and Commercial to Light Industrial along Roosevelt Road east of Springer Boulevard starting about 1 mile east of the applicant's property. December 4, 2003 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU03-08-02 On April 18, 2003, a change was made from Public Institutional to Single Family east of the 1-30 /1-630 interchange starting a little less than 1 mile northeast of the application area. On April 18, 2003, multiple changes were made from Single Family, Commercial Mixed Use, Public Institutional, Light Industrial, Park / Open Space, Single Family, and Industrial to Service Trades District, Public Institutional, and Commercial in an area along Roosevelt Road east of 1-30 about a Y2 mile east of the amendment area to recognize existing conditions. On January 4, 2000 a change was made from Single Family to Mixed Use at 2311 Spring Street less than % of a mile northwest of the study area to accommodate proposed development. The applicant's property and all of the properties in the expanded area are shown as Single Family on the Future Land Use Plan. The area north of Roosevelt Road is shown as Multifamily. The area to the east is shown as Mixed Use on Roosevelt and Single Family to the south. The areas to the south and west are shown as Single Family. MASTER STREET PLAN: Center Street is classified as a standard residential street and is built to Master Street Plan specifications. There are no bikeways shown that would be affected by this amendment. PARKS: The Little Rock Parks and Recreation Master Plan of 2001 includes public school property, such as the Washington Magnet Elementary School as an element in the eight -block strategy of providing park and open space facilities within eight blocks of all residents of the City of Little Rock. The plan also shows South Little Rock Park located across the street from the school at 2701 S. Main Street as a mini -park of 2.0 ± acres in size designed to serve residents located in the immediate vicinity of the park. This amendment should not have an effect on existing park facilities since the amendment area would be accessed primarily from an area located north of the park facilities and should not increase traffic or the population of the neighborhood. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. December 4, 2003 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU03-08-02 ITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: The applicant's property is located in an area covered by the South End Area Improvement Plan "A Neighborhood Action Plan". The Office and Commercial Development Goal lists an action statement of encouraging more restaurants to locate in the area. The Residential Development goal lists an objective of introducing new housing stock into the neighborhood and lists an action statement of developing vacant lots with new housing. ANALYSIS, The applicant's property is isolated from other non-residential uses. Most of the non-residential uses in this neighborhood are located in nodes at the intersections of Roosevelt Road with Arch, Broadway, and Main Streets. The nodes are organized in such a manner that Commercial uses are located at the center of the nodes at the intersections. The less intense uses such as Mixed Use, Office, and Public Institutional form a transition between the Commercial uses and areas shown as Single Family or Multi -family. This application would increase the Mixed Use shown at Roosevelt and Louisiana in such a manner that it could reduce the potential for new housing and increase non-residential along the south side of Roosevelt Road. The houses located along Center Street are oriented towards the street, shown as a residential street. The residential design standards for Center Street is intended to accommodate 2,500 vehicles per day. Any non-residential development oriented toward Center Street would need to be designed in a way that would account for possible increases in traffic. A change to Mixed Use opens the potential for development of non-residential uses, which would not have frontage along an arterial, or Collector Street. The expanded area abuts an area that would remain as Single Family due to the hillside on the west side of Spring Street, which provides a physical separation between uses located on Spring Street and uses to the west. In addition, non- residential uses locating on Spring Street are not likely since the street does not intersect Roosevelt Road. A change to Mixed Use requires non-residential uses on Center Street to develop through the Planned Zoning Development Process. Any PZD approved for non-residential uses on Center Street would need to be implemented in a way that would protect the integrity of the neighboring residential uses. The expanded area sits across the street from an area within by the Capitol Zoning District. The zoning district is intended to preserve the neighborhood December 4, 2003 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 23 Cont. FILE NO.: LU03-08-02 surrounding the Governor's Mansion. However, the amendment area would not be affected by the regulations of the zoning district due to its location outside the district's boundaries. Nevertheless, any development located in the amendment area would need to respect the character of the neighborhood north of Roosevelt Road. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Coalition of LR Neighborhoods, Downtown Neighborhood Association, Capitol Hill Neighborhood Association, Central High Neighborhood Association, Coalition of SE Neighborhoods, East of Broadway Neighborhood Association, Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association, MLK Neighborhood Association, Quapaw Quarter Neighborhood Crime Watch Assoc., South End Neighborhood Association, South End Neighborhood Developers, Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association, Quapaw Quarter Assoc. (No contact currently available at this time), MacArthur Park Neighborhood Association, and Community Outreach Neighborhood Organization. Staff has received one comment from area residents. The comment received was neutral. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. This application would introduce non-residential uses oriented toward a residential street contrary to the current development pattern of the neighborhood. 4 December 4, 2003 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU03-08-02 surrounding the Governor's Mansion. However, the amendment area would not be affected by the regulations of the zoning district due to its location outside the district's boundaries. Nevertheless, any development located in the amendment area would need to respect the character of the neighborhood north of Roosevelt Road. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Coalition of LR Neighborhoods, Downtown Neighborhood Association, Capitol Hill Neighborhood Association, Central High Neighborhood Association, Coalition of SE Neighborhoods, East of Broadway Neighborhood Association, Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association, MILK Neighborhood Association, Quapaw Quarter Neighborhood Crime Watch Assoc., South End Neighborhood Association, South End Neighborhood Developers, Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association, Quapaw Quarter Assoc. (No contact currently available at this time), MacArthur Park Neighborhood Association, and Community Outreach Neighborhood Organization. Staff has received one comment from area residents. The comment received was neutral. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. This application would introduce non-residential uses oriented toward a residential street contrary to the current development pattern of the neighborhood. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (December 4, 2003) Brian Minyard, City Staff, made a brief presentation to the Commission. Donna James made a presentation of item 23.1 so the discussion could coincide with the discussion for item 23. See item 23.1 for a complete discussion concerning the Short Form Planned Commercial Development. Mary Alford of the Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association opposes the item. She spoke of less traffic in the neighborhood since the restaurant closed. Ricky Dawson opposes the application and lives across Center Street. He spoke of trash that was left by the customers. M December 4, 2003 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: LU03-08-02 Deborah Dawson also lives across the street and opposes the application. She spoke of the traffic being backed up by the customers parked in the middle of the street. Charlotte Lockhart lives at 28th and Center and opposes the application. She stated that she built a new house and the traffic forced her to take Main Street to go to her house instead of coming straight down Center Street. Nat Conway, the applicant, spoke in favor of the application. He stated the business had been there since 1942. He spoke of the trash problems, prostitutes in the neighborhood, crack houses nearby and the boarded up houses. Commissioner Allen asked for the applicant to describe how the business would be an asset to the neighborhood. Mr. Conway responded that it would be a new building and provided a place for people to go. Commissioner Lowry asked about the loud music in the streets. Mr. Conway responded that he had no control over what Napped in the street. He stated that he has worked with the policemen on different occasions, but it did not stop. Commissioner Mizan asked how long he had been operating the business. Mr. Conway stated since 1981. Commissioner Mizan asked if he could relocate somewhere else in the area. Mr. Conway stated that he owned that property and that he would have to buy property elsewhere and get it zoned. Commissioner Williams asked the hours of operation. The reply was from 11 or 12 in the morning till 10 at night. Jim Lawson, Director of Planning, stated that Donna James, Dana Carney and he were part of a team that boarded houses earlier in the year with the Housing Department in an effort to curb vandalism in the area. He stated that this area has had reinvestment in the recent past. He stated that the restaurant/club could kill the possibility of new homes in the area. Commissioner Meyer commented about the lack of parking in the application. 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. 5