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Home My WebLink AboutFAX with item to applicantCity of Little Flock 13 Department a Planning an Development Planning Zoning and 723 West Markham Subdivision Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 (501) 371-4790 FAX COVER SHEET DATE: q,(7,6'( -,o W93 COMPANY: FAX NUMBER: PHONE NUMBER: FROM: DIVISION: I- ( c VtV1 i dyj FAX NUMBER: 501 399-3435 PHONE NUMBER: (501) I� Q TOTAL .NUMBER OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER SHEET: COMMENTS: vyv,e ve � 9-7. / Co�>° 5 City of Little Rock Department of Planning and Development 723 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax: (501) 399-3435 or 371-6863 September 7, 2006 Stephen L. Maxwell Maxton Enterprises, LLC 5921 H Street Little Rock, Arkansas 722 Dear Maxton Enterprises, LLC, Planning Zoning and Subdivision Enclosed is a copy of your item that is a part of the agenda for the September 14, 2006 Planning commission meeting. If there are any questions, please call me. Sincerely, Eve Gieringer Planner I encl. September 14, 2006 ITEM NO.: 27 FILE NO.: LU06-04-01 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Heights Hillcrest Planning District Location: 5911 to 5921 H Street Request: Office to Mixed Office Commercial Source: Maxton Enterprises, LLC, Stephen L. Maxwell PROPOSAL / REQUEST: Land Use Plan amendment in the Heights Hillcrest Planning District from Office to Mixed Office Commercial. Mixed Office Commercial provides for a mixture of office and commercial uses to occur. The application is for selected Commercial uses along with existing offices to allow accessory uses up to 45% of the total floor area (3 out of 7 would be offices). Prompted by this Land Use Amendment request, the Planning Staff expanded the area of review to include the southeast and northeast corners of University and H Street. It is thought that the additional area would make the boundaries more logical because of existing uses. Office is planned from 5901 H Street west to University and is proposed to change to Mixed Office Commercial. Also, the Public Institutional area at the northeast corner of the H Street and University intersection is included to change to Office to better represent the current use. The library and its parking lot to the east of the application area is proposed to change from Single Family to Public Institutional. The plan amendment area now covers approximately 1.5 acres to MOC, 1.5 acres to PI and 3 acres to O. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The application site at 5921 H Street is currently zoned 03 General Office and is 0.2 acres ± in size, and this 03 zoning continues in the expanded application area west to University. The expanded application area is zoned for a Planned Commercial Development (PCD) on the north side of H Street at University. The expanded area to the east of the original application site is zoned R4 Two -Family and POD Planned Office Development. The school to the northeast is zoned R2 Single Family. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: This application area and the expanded area west to University is planned for Office use. The Office area extends west across University Avenue, and then follows University south. North of H Street is all planned for Public Institutional Use between University Avenue and North Fillmore Street, and part of this is included in the expanded application area to change from Public Institutional to Office. The area to the east and south of the application site is planned for Single Family Residential. September 14, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 25 (CONT. FILE NO.: LU06-18-04 March 5, 2002, Ordinance 18650 was passed to amend the northwest corner of University and Markham from Commercial and Office to Mixed Use. This is the Park Plaza Mall area. May 18, 2004, Ordinance 19095 was passed to amend the northeast corner of the Markham and University intersection from Multi Family and Office to Community Shopping. MASTER STREET PLAN: H Street is shown as a Collector on the Plan. The primary function of a Collector Street is to provide a connection from Local Streets to Arterials. University Avenue is shown as a Principal Arterial on the Master Street Plan. The primary function of a Principal Arterial is to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. BICYCLE PLAN: There is a Class III bike route on H Street. A Class III bikeway is a signed route on a street shared with traffic. No additional paving or right-of-way is required. PARKS: This area is within eight blocks of an existing park. Prospect Terrace Park on L Street is the closest park within range, and a school is located just north of the application site. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: This area is included in the Hillcrest Area Neighborhood Action Plan. Their plan states, "more mixed-use opportunities should be provided within the commercial areas, including parts of Kavanaugh, Markham Street, and Stifft Station. Mixed-use means more opportunities for residential over commercial in existing commercial areas." ANAI YSIS The application site currently has a small strip center on it facing H Street. Included in the strip center are a children's clothing store, a yoga studio, and a few offices. East of the application site is an optometrist's office and a city library, and then the office area dwindles into single-family residences. The library could be seen as a buffer between the residential and office areas. This land use pattern has been in place for many years. 2 September 14, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 25 CONT, FILE NO.: LU06-18-04 Commercial is most ideal at the intersection of two arterials like at University and Markham. Two main commercial areas serve this area: The Heights (an area bounded by University, Kavanaugh and Cantrell) and the intersection at Markham Street and University Avenue. The Land Use Plan shows a corridor of Office and Public uses links these two Commercial areas. Just in the past four years amendments have been made at the University/Markham intersection to accommodate more commercial type uses. This office corridor between the two commercial nodes has been shown on the Land Use Plan for some time and new offices have been built in this area, notably, two office buildings north of H Street and a new office development that is under construction at F and University. This shows that office uses are not only shown on the Land Use Plan but also actually desired by the market. Non-residential buildings in the area appear to be occupied. The Midtown retail center is currently under construction at Markham and University, but at least one store has opened at the time of this printing. The third building will be started soon and the center is mostly leased at this point. This location is directly across from a school, Forest Heights Middle School. Commercial use is preferred to be located away from school areas because of its higher intensity use pattern and possible traffic pattern conflicts. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Hillcrest Residents Association and Evergreen Neighborhood Association. Staff has received 2 comments from area residents. Both are in support. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. This portion of University is an office corridor and staff does not feel comfortable with the introduction of Commercial in the midst of this office corridor. 3 TRANSMISSION VERIFICATION REPORT TIME : 69/12/2666 13:18 DATE,TIME 69/12 13:15 FAX NO./NAME 96149799 DURATION 66:62:27 PAGE{S} 65 RESULT OK MODE STANDARD ECM