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HomeMy WebLinkAboutboard of directors itemsOFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMUNICATION September 18, 2001 AGENDA Subject Master Street Plan Amend- ment — Chenal Planning District — MSPO 1 -0 1 SYNOPSIS RECOMMENDATION Action Required 4Ordinance Resolution Approval Information Report Submitted By Cy Carney City Manager A Master Street Plan Amendment in the Chenal District Area to Remove a Minor Arterial and Collector, Reclassify a Minor Arterial to Collector, and Realignment of Collector Planning Staff recommends approval. Planning Commission meeting on August 23, 2001 (10-0-1 in favor). BACKGROUND I Breakdown of proposed changes: 1) To remove the Minor Arterial for an extension of Chenal Valley Drive from Taylor Loop at Lucky Lane to Chenal Parkway at the northern intersection of Chenal Valley Drive. It is 6290 feet in length. This proposed Minor Arterial would traverse through undeveloped areas that are currently zoned open space. As stated in the draft by Ernie Peters of Peters and Associates dated July 2, 2001, "This arterial was not even considered as a connecting route in the 1995 Chenal Parkway Corridor Study, but the traffic projections associated with the more intense land uses, now proposed to be reduced, were included as contributing to Chenal Parkway Future volumes. The route shown on the MSP is one which is not essential as a part of the arterial network, nor will it be necessary to support land uses in the vicinity." BACKGROUND CONTINUED 2) To remove a Collector from the previous named Minor Arterial eastward to connect with Rahling Road north of the Pebble Beech intersection. It is 4745 feet in length. This connection will be made through the neighborhood. 3) To realign the La Marche Collector to intersect Taylor Loop Road at Lucky Lane. This segment is 2400 feet in length. This segment would add a northern segment onto the northern end of LaMarche to connect with Lucky Lane/Taylor Loop Road. According to the traffic study by Peters and Associates mentioned earlier, the proposed land uses can properly be served with a collector route on LaMarche Boulevard. In addition, "the total traffic volume projected to be generated by land uses which would be served by the proposed MSP collector routes is less than 7,000 vehicles per day." Due to the length and lack of alternative roads for this road to function, it is of utmost importance to prohibit driveways along this road. The only access off this roadway would be intersecting streets. 4) Staff expanded the application to include the western segment of Taylor Loop Road from Lucky Lane north to Cantrell Road to reclassify it from a Minor Arterial to a Collector. This segment is 1688 feet in length. Due to the existing conditions along Taylor Loop Road (west), the design standard road has to be four lanes. This would allow the road to carry the necessary vehicles, since no alternative roads would be available. FILE NO.: MSP -01-01 Name: Master Street Plan Amendment - Chenal Planning District Location: Various Locations in the Chenal Parkway and Rahling Road area Request: Remove Minor Arterial and Collector, Reclassify Minor Arterial to Collector, and Realignment of Collector Source: Tim Daters, White - Daters PROPOSAL / REQUEST: The request is a Master Street Plan Amendment for four changes in Township 2 North, Range 14 West Sections 23, 24, 25 and 26. They are: 1) to remove the Minor Arterial for an extension of Taylor Loop (west) from Taylor Loop at Lucky Lane to Chenal Parkway at the northern intersection of Chenal Valley Drive; 2) to remove a Collector from the previous named Minor Arterial eastward to connect with Rahling Road north of the Pebble Beech intersection; 3) To realign the La Marche Collector to intersect Taylor Loop Road at Lucky Lane. Staff expanded the application to include: 4) the western segment of Taylor Loop Road from Lucky Lane north to Cantrell Road to reclassify from a Minor Arterial to a Collector. The lengths of the segments are 1) 6290 feet, 2) 4745 feet, 3) 2400 feet and 4) 1688 feet. ANALYSIS: The bulk of the greater area is shown on the Future Land Use Plan as Single Family or Park/Open Space. There are nodes of non-residential areas along the arterials and primarily at the intersections of Cantrell Road, Chenonceau Boulevard, Chenal Parkway, Kanis Road and Taylor Loop Road. The development pattern is for a core of commercial development at the intersections of those roads. North of Cantrell Road at Chenonceau Boulevard and south of Chenal Parkway between the Kanis Road intersections, lies Mixed Office Commercial. Office uses form a buffer between the commercial uses and single-family residential areas with some multi -family adding to the transitioning process. The Regional Park 2000 is approximately five miles away and has 600+ acres. It will be a major destination for this section of town as well as the entire city. This park is located on Garrison Road and will be accessed via Cantrell Road or FILE NO.: MSP -01-01 (Cont.) Denny/Ferndale Cutoff. Access to these arterials from the neighborhoods via collectors or other arterials is of vital importance to the smooth flow of traffic. The primary function of Principal Arterials are to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within an urbanized area. These arterials are usually spaced three or more miles apart. The Principal Arterials in this area are Chenal Parkway and Cantrell Road and fulfill the function of Principal Arterials. Minor arterials provide the connections to and through an urban area. Their primary function is to provide short distance travel within and around the urbanized area. Generally, these roads are spaced at one -mile intervals and have a right of way of 90 feet. Since a minor arterial typically is a high volume road, a minimum of four travel lanes is required. Newly created or major construction of existing roads in recommended minor arterials are to use approved sections as shown in the Master Street Plan text. A lesser standard may be acceptable in areas of rugged topography or other areas where development will be limited. This lesser standard can only be used in cases where unusual conditions would substantially reduce or eliminate the amount of direct access to the road and substantially reduce the density of surrounding development. The standard Minor Arterial is to be used in all cases except where the City staff and Planning Commission find an unusual condition occurs. The curb cuts should allow based on the primary function of the road is to carry traffic and only secondarily is the road to provide access to adjoining property. Roadways that have very limited curbcuts and those that only allow left turn lanes at the intersecting streets can carry additional traffic volume with the same level of service. The removal of the turning movements (people exiting and entering the street) greatly enhances the safety of the street. A Collector street is the traffic connection from residential streets to arterials or to activity centers, with secondary function of providing access to adjoining property. The Collector system should not be continuous, but should direct traffic to arterials. This class of road is generally at a spacing of a quarter to half mile. FA FILE NO.: MSP -01-01 (Cont.) The amendments are as follows: 1) To remove the Minor Arterial for an extension of Chenal Valley Drive from Taylor Loop at Lucky Lane to Chenal Parkway at the northern intersection of Chenal Valley Drive. It is 6290 feet in length. This proposed Minor Arterial fits the definition of a Minor Arterial as follows. The spacing between Chenonceau Boulevard and Rahling Road fulfills the spacing requirement of one -mile intervals. This arterial would provide connections to Cantrell Road for those people living on the northern undeveloped sections of Chenal Valley Drive and visa versa for those people living on Taylor Loop Road to Chenal Parkway. It provides the "connections to and through" the area. 2) To remove a Collector from the previous named Minor Arterial eastward to connect with Rahling Road north of the Pebble Beech intersection. It is 4745 feet in length. Collectors should be spaced at a quarter to one half mile (1320 to 2640 feet apart.) Looking at Chenal Valley Drive extension (segment #1 in this application), there are two collectors serving the area to the east; one at Taylor Loop Road and the other is this collector (#2 in this application) 3200 feet to the south. With a length of almost two miles, four to eight collectors would be the standard. With the rugged terrain, a lesser amount could serve the area if less development occurs in the rugged areas. When analyzing Taylor Loop/Rahling Road Minor Arterial, there are three collectors to the west for a street that is almost three miles in length. Normally, six to twelve collectors would be the norm. When these collectors were laid out in the early design stages, development patterns and topography (rugged terrain) were analyzed and the pattern of collectors and minor arterials were laid out with less than normal spacing. 3) To realign the La Marche Collector to intersect Taylor Loop Road at Lucky Lane. This segment is 2400 feet in length. This segment would add a northern segment onto the northern end of La Marche to connect with Lucky Lane/Taylor Loop Road. This collector would replace two collectors and a minor arterial. 3 FILE NO.: MSP -01-01 (Cont.) Clearly, the spacing on this collector would be far below the normal spacing, even with reduced numbers factoring in the rugged terrain. 4) Staff expanded the application to include the western segment of Taylor Loop Road from Lucky Lane north to Cantrell Road to reclassify from a Minor Arterial to a Collector. This segment is 1688 feet in length. If the other changes take place, it is more logical to have this section as a collector than a minor arterial. It is either the continuation of a collector or a Minor Arterial. There are Class Two Bikeways proposed on the following collectors: La Marche, Chenal Valley Drive (southern section that intersects Rahling Road), and collector #2 of this application. There is also a Class One Bikeway proposed along the entire length of Rahling Road and that eastern north -south leg of Taylor Loop Road. A Class One Bikeway has total separation of the cyclists and motorists. Class Two bikeways are paved sections that are striped for bikeways that are part of the roadway. These routes may be either a smooth paved shoulder or a section of the paved roadway. Removing these roads from the master street plan in essence alters the Bikeway Plan also. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Deferral. Recommendation, held for additional information. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 14, 2001) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the July 26, 2001 Planning Commission Meeting. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 7 ayes, 0 noes, 3 absent and 1 open position. STAFF UPDATE: Staff has requested additional information and time to review current information provided by applicant. Applicant has requested a deferral to the August 23, 2001 agenda via fax on July 6, 2001. 4 FILE NO.: MSP -01-01 (Cont.) PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: The item was placed on the consent August 23, 2001 Planning Commission to approve the consent agenda and w 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. STAFF UPDATE: (JULY 26, 2001) agenda for deferral to the meeting. A motion was made as approved with a vote of 1) To remove the Minor Arterial for an extension of Chenal Valley Drive from Taylor Loop at Lucky Lane to Chenal Parkway at the northern intersection of Chenal Valley Drive. It is 6290 feet in length. This proposed Minor Arterial would traverse through undeveloped areas that are currently zoned open space. As stated in the draft by Ernie Peters of Peters and Associates dated July 2, 2001, "This arterial was not even considered as a connecting route in the 1995 Chenal Parkway Corridor Study, but the traffic projections associated with the more intense land uses, now proposed to be reduced, were included as contributing to Chenal Parkway Future volumes. The route shown on the MSP is one which is not essential as a part of the arterial network, nor will it be necessary to support land uses in the vicinity." 2) To remove a Collector from the previous named Minor Arterial eastward to connect with Rahling Road north of the Pebble Beech intersection. It is 4745 feet in length. This connection will be made through the neighborhood. 3) To realign the La Marche Collector to intersect Taylor Loop Road at Lucky Lane. This segment is 2400 feet in length. This segment would add a northern segment onto the northern end of La Marche to connect with Lucky Lane/Taylor Loop Road. According to the traffic study by Peters and Associates mentioned earlier, the proposed land uses can properly be served with a collector route on La Marche Boulevard. In addition, "the total traffic volume projected to be generated by land uses which would be served by the proposed MSP collector routes is less that 7,000 vehicles per day." Due to the length and lack of alternative roads for this road to function, it is of utmost importance to prohibit driveways along this road. The only access off this roadway would be intersecting streets. 5 FILE NO.: MSP -01-01 (Cont.) 4) Staff expanded the application to include the western segment of Taylor Loop Road from Lucky Lane north to Cantrell Road to reclassify it from a Minor Arterial to a Collector. This segment is 1688 feet in length. Due to the existing conditions along Taylor Loop Road (west), the design standard road has to be four lanes. This would allow the road to carry the necessary vehicles, since no alternative roads would be available. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff does not oppose the removal of the minor arterial and the collector (Segments #1 and #2). With the changes to the arterial and collector system mentioned above, Staff believes the realignment of the collector with the conditions of no access to the street other than intersecting streets are necessary (Segment #3). Staff recommends an enhanced design standard for the collector on the remaining portion of the former arterial (Segment #4). PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 23, 2001) The item was placed on the consent agenda for approval including all staff comments, recommendations, and applicant amendments approved by the staff. A motion was made to approve the consent agenda and was approved with a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. 11 IVU5LCl JLI CGL rias 1 Case # NEP0101 Chenal and Rhalmg Area Cr: 42.06 'IRS: T2NR14'%24 PD: 19 Ward 5 0 0.5 1 1.5 Niles Item # A ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE MASTER STREET PLAN (15,519) IN THE CHENAL PLANNING DISTRICT FROM COMMERCIAL, LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONAL, AND SINGLE FAMILY TO SINGLE FAMILY, NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL AND OFFICE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. WHEREAS, as the Little Rock Planning Commission believes it appropriate to amend the plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS. SECTION 1. That the Minor Arterial for an extension of Chenal Valley Drive from Taylor Loop at Lucky Lane to Chenal Parkway at the northern intersection of Chenal Valley Drive be removed from the Plan. SECTION 2. That the Collector from the previous named Minor Arterial eastward to connect with Rahling Road north of the Pebble Beech intersection be removed from the Plan. SECTION 3. That the La Marche Collector be realigned to intersect Taylor Loop Road at Lucky Lane on the Plan. Curb cuts will be limited to intersecting streets only. SECTION 4. That Taylor Loop Road from Lucky Lane north to Cantrell Road be reclassified from a Minor Arterial to a Collector. The design standard shall be a four -lane section with turn lanes as appropriate with an 80' right of way. SECTION 5. That the ordinance shall take effect and be in full force from and after its passage and approval. PASSED: ATTEST: City Clerk APPROVED: Mayor