Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutes deniedAugust 26, 2004 ITEM NO.: J FILE NO.: MSP04-44 Name: Master Street Plan Amendment - Chenal Planning District Location: Dorado Beach Road Re uest: Remove Collector Extension Source: Frank Riggins, Mehlburger Engineering PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Master Street Plan amendment in the Chenal Planning District for the Removal of a Collector Extension named Dorado Beach Road. CURRENT MASTER STREET PLAN: The Extension of a Collector street (Dorado Beach) is shown as an east - west Collector that connects Hinson Road to the east with Beckenham to the west. Beckenham is proposed to connect with Rahling Road to the west. A portion of Beckenham currently connects with Hinson Road to the east. Hinson Road and Rahling Road are shown as a Minor Arterials on the Master Street Plan. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN: The Plan shows all of the land on both sides of Pebble Beach Drive and the built part of Dorado Beach Drive to be Single Family. The portion of the street in this application is shown as Low Density Residential. To the southeast, an area is shown as Multi -family on both sides of Hinson south of Hinson Road. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: This area is covered by the River Mountain Neighborhood Action plan. The plan does not state anything relevant to this application. ANALYSIS: Dorado Beach is the Collector through 120 t acres that was at one time to be a religious based campus with a church, school, retirement village, etc. That development had all of the vehicular traffic access from Hinson Road with no traffic August 26, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: J (Cont.) FILE NO.: MSP04-04 whatsoever utilizing Pebble Beach. That plan was not realized and the acreage has since developed in 40 t acre increments from west to east. This amendment to the Master Street Plan concerns the eastern most 40 t acres, the last area to be developed. The Commission first considered an east -west Collector in 1995 when Pebble Beach Estates was preliminary platted. This is the westernmost 40 t acre tract. This development has 116 lots, in which all of the lots have been built. At that time, the Planning Commission requested that Dorado Beach Drive be constructed to Collector standards. This request was fulfilled by the developer by constructing it to Collector standards from Beckenham (in the southwest corner of the development) to the east property line. In June of 1997, the commission reviewed the Woods At Hinson, now known as Pebble Beach Woods, for the 40 t acres adjacent to Pebble Beach Estates. This is the center forty f acre tract. This development has 118 lots, in which all but two of the lots have been built. Again, the Commission requested Dorado Beach Drive to be constructed to Collector Standards. This request was fulfilled by the developer by constructing it to Collector standards from the existing Dorado Beach Drive to the east property line. The current proposal is named Hickory Grove has 85 lots for Single Family homes. This is the easternmost forty -acre t tract abutting Hinson Road. The proposal is to build a gated community with a cul-de-sac on the eastern end of Dorado Beach Drive. The new development would be accessed from one point on Hinson Road. According to the GIS database, there are 343 homes that access either Hinson Road or Rhaling Road via Pebble Beach. These are homes in the following subdivisions; Longlea Estates, Hickory Hills, Pebble Beach Park, Hickory Ridge and Chenal Ridge. The lots in Pebble Beach Estates (116) and the 118 in Pebble Beech Woods, and the proposed 85 in Hickory Grove add up to 319 lots. These added lots almost double the traffic on Pebble Beach Road unless Dorado Beach has access to Hinson Road. The spacing of Collectors is to evenly distribute the traffic volumes over the network of streets, not to concentrate the traffic on one Collector in favor of another. The Master Street Plan states in Section 2: Road Classifications: `A Collector street is the traffic connection from residential streets to arterials or to activity centers, with the 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 quarter to half mile. The spacing of Collectors may be decreased and/or the right of way and paving surface increased due to density of residential development and locations of commercial areas or other large traffic generators. At the time of the subdivision, the exact location and additional need for Collectors will be determined by the Little Rock Planning Commission upon advice of the City staff:' The spacing of collectors in this area meets these criteria. The spacing along Rhaling Road from Pebble Beach to Beckenham and from Beckenham to the 2 August 26, 2004 SUBDIVISION Cont. FILE NO.: MSP04-04 unnamed Collector to the south are both slightly less than one-quarter mile. From that Collector to Champlin (a Minor Arterial) is just under one half mile. On Hinson Road, the distance from Pleasant Forrest to Pebble Beach, and from Pebble Beach to Dorado Beach, and from Dorado Beach to Beckenham are all just under one-half of a mile spacing. Each of the Collectors mentioned previously, meet the textbook spacing of Collectors. The spacing of Collectors in not to overwhelm one Collector in favor of another, but to more evenly distribute the traffic volumes. All of the above Collectors, both existing and proposed, function as the definition of collectors state in the Master Street Plan as"the traffic connection from residential streets to arterials or to activity centers, with the secondary function of providing access to adjoining property." They also all fit the spacing requirements set forth in the Plan. For Functional Classifications, the traffic volume on any existing or proposed collector does not determine the need for a collector, only the manner in which it is built. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Hillsborough Property Owners Association, Marlowe Manor Property Owners Association, DuQuesne Place Property Owners Association, Chenal Ridge Property, St. Charles Property Owners Association, Johnson Ranch Neighborhood Association, Maywood manor Neighborhood Association, Aberdeen Court Property Owners Association, hunters Cove Property Owners Association, Carriage Creek Property Owners Association, Bayonne Place Property Owners Association, Eagle Point Property Owners Association, Glen Eagles Property Owners Association, Hunters Green Property Owners Association, Charleston Heights/North Rahling Road Neighborhood Association, Margeaux Place Property Owners Association, Pleasant Valley Property Owners Association. Staff has received one comment from area residents, which was opposed to the change. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. The spacing of Collectors in the area is per the Master Street Plan and the spacing of Collectors in not to overwhelm one Collector in favor of another, but to more evenly distribute the traffic volumes. The current alignment meets all criteria for a collector, for spacing and for function. 3 August 26, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: J (Cont.) FILE NO.: MSP04-04 PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JULY 15, 2004) The applicant asked for the item to be deferred. Staff stated that it would be deferred to the August 26, 2004 agenda. A motion was made to waive the by-laws for a five-day notice to defer prior to the Planning Commission meeting. That motion was made and approved with a vote of 11 ayes, 0 noes, and 0 absent. A motion was made to defer and was approved with a vote of 11 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent. STAFF UPDA Traffic counts and a traffic study was provided by Peters & Associates at the last Planning Commission meeting. The traffic counts were made on Pebble Beach Drive just west of Hinson Road and another just east of Rhaling Road. The following are the findings in the report followed by Staff's analysis of each. The report states: "5,685 vehicles per day on Pebble Beach Drive, just west of Hinson Road is the highest traffic volume on Pebble Beach Drive in the area that was counted. This volume is approximately equal to the normal service volume for a collector street." Staff reports that the Master Street Plan states in the Design Specifications as amended by Ordinance #18,055 that the Designed Service Volume on a Collector Street is 5,000 vehicles per day. The Collector is designed to function at 5,000 cars per day, but can function at a higher or lower traffic count. The report states: 'As proposed, the subdivision consisting of approximately 83 lots would generate approximately 830 trips per day. Staff notes that the study uses the average of ten trips per day per single-family residence. The report states: "As proposed, the subdivision will have its own and only point for access on Hinson Road and no connections to Dorado Beach Drive." Staff notes that this is shown on the revised PD -R, which is another item on this agenda. The report states: "If a roadway connection is made from Dorado Beach Drive to Hinson Road, it would be possible for existing traffic to cut through the existing neighborhood from Pebble Beach Drive to Hinson Road. This cut -through could have a negative impact on existing residential streets." Staff contends that if the above mentioned cut -through could happen, then the opposite traffic pattern could also happen. In fact, without the proposed connection of Dorado Beach to Hinson Road, the traffic generated by the homes in Pebble Beach Estates (116) and the homes in Pebble Beach Woods (116) have be accessing Hinson and Rhaling Roads through the neighborhood to the north. Using an average of 10 trips per day (as used by the study), the homes in Pebble Beach Estates and Pebble Beach Woods generate 2320 trips onto Pebble Beach each day since there is no other outlet onto Hinson or Rahling Roads. 4 August 26, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: J tGont.] FILE NO.: MSP04-04 When the proposed Collector is finished, the amount of traffic on Pebble Beach generated by those homes will be decreased. The report states: "No intersection on Pebble Beach Drive from Hinson Road to Rahling Road has constrained operation due to intersection traffic volumes." Staff contends that if the volumes decrease slightly on Pebble Beach Drive with the addition of Dorado Beach connection as proposed, the traffic flow might improve at the existing intersections. The final paragraph in the report states that "We have the opinion the subdivision proposed and the adjoining neighborhoods are better served with exclusive access for the subdivision to Hinson Road and with no connection to adjacent neighborhood streets. This would assure that the satisfactory traffic operation on Pebble Beach Drive will continue to exist." Staff does not believe that the neighborhoods would be better served with the removal of the Proposed Collector, and reaffirms the statement from the recommendation that the spacing of Collectors in not to overwhelm one Collector in favor of another, but to more evenly distribute the traffic volumes throughout the area. Even if Pebble Beach will work at the higher volume, why should it have to when a Collector had been proposed which was originally added to the Master Street Plan in order to take the traffic from this area and not force it on to Pebble Beach. Public Works has also reviewed the study and has stated the Proposed Collector should be built as planned. Staff believes the change is not appropriate. The spacing of Collectors in the area is per the Master Street Plan and the spacing of Collectors in not to overwhelm one Collector in favor of another, but to more evenly distribute the traffic volumes. The current alignment meets all criteria for a collector, for spacing and for function. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 26, 2004) Brian Minyard, City Staff, made the presentation to the commission that included the history of the previous developments in the area. He also covered the traffic study as provided by the applicant. Randy Frazier, representing the applicant, covered the history of the area. He asked that the City analyze Dorado Beach Drive as to whether or not it needed to be a Collector street. He covered decisions before that required Dorado Beach Drive to be a Collector. He continued his presentation to dispel rumors that there was no financial gain with the different classification of the street and no financial gain for the additional smaller lots. 5 August 26, 2004 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: J Cont. FILE NO.: MSP04-04 Mr. Frazier stated the Dorado Beach Drive was built to a 31' wide section instead of a 36" wide section. He maintained that traffic on Montvale Drive and Valley Park Drive would increase if Dorado Beach Drive connected with Hinson Road. Greg Simmons, of Peters & Associates Traffic Engineers, gave the commission a presentation on their opinion of what would happen to the traffic if the connection was made or was not made. If the connection were not made, the traffic on Valley Park Drive and Montvale Drive would increase slightly. It is the opinion of Peters and Associates that if the Dorado Beach Drive were connected with Hinson Road, that Valley Park Drive would have a twenty-five percent increase and Montvale Drive would have a thirty-six percent increase in traffic. Some relief would be given to Pebble Beach Drive, but at the expense of Valley Park Drive and Montvale Drive. Commissioner Norm Floyd asked if there was stacking at Pebble Beach Drive and Hinson Road. Mr. Simmons responded that there was., but it was acceptable. Commissioner Bill Rector added all of the segments in the study without the connection of Dorado Beach Drive and Hinson and it totaled 1034 segments. If the connection was made, the segments totaled 2,013. He asked Mr. Simmons where the extra trips were generated. Ernie Peters stated the trip numbers were different for the diversion of traffic from Pebble Beach to the other streets. Commissioner Rector continued to ask how the trip numbers were generated. Mr. Simmons responded that the existing counts were added to the projected to get the final projected numbers. Chairman Mizan Rahman added that traffic engineering is more of an art than a science. Frank Riggins, representing the applicant, had nothing to add to the presentation. Commissioner Floyd asked Mr. Frazier a question about the rumored profit from the lots being no different. Mr. Frazier stated that each project is different and that they try for continuity of development with similar size lots within the subdivision. Mr. Riggins added that the number of lost changed because of street changes and alignment of roadway changes. Commissioner Bob Lowery asked if the roadway were abandoned, would it be a gated community? Mr. Frazier responded that the proposed subdivision would be a gated community. Commissioner Lowery stated that he was against gated communities and would vote against the amendment. Mr. Melvin Mayfield, a resident of the last house to the east on Dorado Beach Drive, wants the proposed collector removed. He spoke for the gated community and of the cut through traffic that would occur. He continued that traffic would cut through both ways, and suggested closing Valley Park Drive. Mr. Danny Broaddrick, a resident of Valley Park Drive, spoke in opposition to the application. He read the text of the petition that was given to staff. He stated that he A August 26, 2004 SUBDIVISION NO.: J [Cont. FILE NO.: MSP04-04 and other neighbors had been waiting for relief from traffic. Mr. Broaddrick stated that he was here last year on this same property. The traffic has increased on Valley Park Drive since that time. He continued that Valley Park was not built to handle that amount of traffic. A promise had been made earlier to make the connection, and other developers had built the collector. If the latest developer does not build the collector, is it fair? Marily Cash, a resident who lives on the corner of Valley Park Drive and Dorado Beach Drive, has lived there for five years and knew at the time of purchase that the connection would be made. She asked for road to be opened. Nancy Kirsch, a resident of Valley Park Drive, stated that the only way to relive traffic on Valley Park is to open Dorado Beach Drive. She commented that this was a diverse neighborhood. She continued that the Master Street Plan looks at logical ways to distribute traffic. Ruth Bell, of the Pulaski County League of Women Voters, supports long range planning. Two developers have already built the collector and asked why stop now when we are so short of the connection? Mr. Simmons asked for clarification of the Master Street Plan. A motion was made to approve the item as presented. The item was denied with a vote of 0 ayes, 9 noes, and 2 absent. F