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HomeMy WebLinkAboutminutesApril 4, 2013 ITEM NO.: A FILE NO.: LU13-03-01 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment — West Little Rock Planning District Location: 8200-8300 Block of Cantrell Road Request: Residential Low Density to Commercial Source: Lewis Bunch, Heights Real Estate Company PROPOSAL/REQUEST: A Land Use Plan amendment in the West Little Rock Planning District from Residential Low Density 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 that they serve. The application is for general commercial development. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property has three single family houses on it and is currently zoned R-2 Single Family on 3.62 acres. The application area is the southern portion of the property: the frontage along Cantrell. To the north and west are single family homes zoned R-2 and to the southwest are Reservoir Park and the reservoir zoned PR and R-2 respectively. To the east is a combination of C-3 General Commercial with retail stores, MF -18 Multifamily and 0-2 Office and Institutional uses which are developed with multi -family housing. To the southeast is more C-3, C-1 Neighborhood Commercial, 0-3 General Office and PRD Planned Residential Development which are developed with the Pavilion in the Park development, apartments, elderly housing, offices and patio homes, respectively. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: The property is currently shown as RL Residential Low Density. To the north and west is also RL Residential Low Density. To the east is C Commercial on both sides of Cantrell Road. Across Cantrell Road to the south is O Office and PK/OS Park / Open Space. August 17, 1999, a change was made from Multifamily to Office 800 feet south and east of the site at 2300 Andover Court. March 18, 1997, A change from Single Family to Office at 8315 Cantrell across Cantrell from the application site. MASTER STREET PLAN: Cantrell Road is shown as a Principal Arterial at this location. The primary function of a Principal Arterial is to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Cantrell Road since it is a Principal Arterial. BICYCLE PLAN: There is a proposed Class I bike route that goes along the western portion of this property in question. It is planned to go through Reservoir Park and then travel northward to the Arkansas River and parallel Jimmerson Creek. A Class I bikeway is built separate from or alongside a road. Additional paving and right of way may be required. PARKS: This area is served by Reservoir Park which is across Cantrell Road form this site. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. ANAI YSIS- Cantrell Road from this site west is all residential use or Park/Open Space on the Future Land use Plan. To the east, to Perryville Road is shown as Commercial with a mixture of Multi -family and Office located behind. From Perryville to the bottom of Cantrell Hill in Riverdale, the frontage along Cantrell is residential with the exception of the Kavanagh and Cantrell intersection. That being said, the section of Cantrell from Perryville to this site forms on large node of Commercial almost one and one-quarter miles in length that includes the Mississippi and Cantrell intersection. Stripping out the reminder of Cantrell Road is not a sound planning principal. Conversion of part of the Residential Low Density areas to commercial resulting in a more "strip" commercial development along arterial streets can have negative traffic impacts. Cantrell Road in the area of the application is already at 35,000 ADT when the design value is 25,000 ADT (average daily trips). The commercial mentioned above is all developed with no vacant parcels to Staff's knowledge. It is occupied with a variety of uses from banks, retail shops, shopping centers, apartments and restaurants. This strip of Commercial has not significantly changed in the recent past. This is a stable developed section of Little Rock with both viable residential and non-residential uses. Changes have been made in the tenant composition, but no major expansion or contraction in the area since the 1997 amendment. In 1997, the area across the road at 8315 Cantrell was changed to Office for an office development. Prior to that, it was shown as Residential Low Density, zoned R-2, and was an isolated single family use surrounded by a commercial shopping center and a regional park. The park serves as a transition from the intense commercial "Pavilion in the Park" on the east to the Single Family homes to the west. 8315 Cantrell was supported in 1997 because the large institutional use of the park and reservoir on its' western border would stop the progression of non-residential uses to the west. However, the north side of the road does not have a large public park, institutional use or similar development as the Park on the south side to halt the progression of commercialization to the west. The Commercial developments and residential developments along the north side of Cantrell have been in place for decades. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the Robinwood neighborhood association. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. COMMISSION ACTION: January 10, 2013 This item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the February 21, 2013 agenda and was deferred with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent and 1 open position. COMMISSION ACTION: February 21. 2013 This item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the April 4, 2013 agenda and was deferred with a vote of 9 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent and 1 open position. COMMISSION ACTION: April 42013 Monte Moore made a brief presentation along with the zoning application presentation. See file Z-8889 for more details. Jeff Yates made a presentation and focused on infill and redevelopment of mid -city areas. Scott Christie spoke in opposition to the both applications. Jennifer Kidel, from Robinwood NA, was opposed to the both items. Her P.O.A. voted to oppose the action in a neighborhood association meeting. She spoke of 35,000 s.f. of rental space that is open in the area, 19,000 if you did not count the existing shopping center. Don Hamilton spoke in opposition to both applications. Allen Snook spoke against the application and stated that he purchased his property based on the existing zoning patterns. Ruth Bell of the League of Women Voters, was concerned with the application that takes residential and attaches it to the commercial. She is worried about commercial creep to the west and stripping out Cantrell Road. Jeff Yates spoke that he wanted to match the south side of the street that has already been changed to non-residential. He said that the times and changed and that conditions had changed. Ernie Peters, traffic engineer, spoke of the traffic plan and moderate changes to the traffic that the new commercial area would have on the existing traffic. A motion was made to approve the changes to the land Use Plan and the motion passed with a vote of 6 ayes, 3 noes, 1 abstention and one open position.