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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9630 -5400 Hawthorne Road - BOA Staff RptDECEMBER 16, 2021 ITEM NO. 10 Z-9630 1 File No.: Z-9630 Owners: Jane Rich McDonald Rev Trust Applicant: John Allison Address: 5400 Hawthorne Road Legal Description: Lot 1, Block 6, Newton’s Addition, to the City of Little Rock, Pulaski County Arkansas Zoned: R-2 Present Use: Vacant Proposed Use: Single-family Residence Variance(s) Requested: A variance is requested from the area regulations of Sec. 36- 254 to allow a reduced front yard and rear yard setback in the R-2 district. Justification: The applicant’s justification is presented as per the attached letter dated October 14, 2021. STAFF REPORT A. Planning and Development Civil Engineering Comments: No Comments. B. Buffering and Landscape Comments: In October 2020 the City adopted the “Heights Landscape Design Overlay District,” requiring installation of one tree per 40 linear feet of street frontage within the Heights District Boundary, applicable to [among other types] residential construction in excess of 600 square feet. C. Building Codes Comments: The required fire separation distance (building to property line) prescribed by the building code terminates at five (5) feet. Buildings are allowed to be closer than five (5) feet if they have properly constructed fire walls which provide the requisite one (1) hour fire resistance rating. When buildings are five (5) feet or more from the property line, the requirement no longer applies to the wall itself, only the projections such as eaves or overhangs. Openings such as doors and windows are limited when the exterior wall is three (3) feet from the property line and are prohibited when the exterior wall is less than DECEMBER 16, 2021 ITEM NO. 10 Z-9630 2 three (3) feet from the line. There is no restriction on openings when the exterior wall is more than three (3) feet from the property line. Contact the City of Little Rock Building Codes at (501)371-4832 for additional details. D. Staff Analysis: The property at 5400 Hawthorne Rd is in a predominantly R-2 zoned neighborhood, within the Heights Landscape Design Overlay District. This overlay district generally has no bearing on the subject variance requests. The subject property is located on the northwest corner of Hawthorne Rd and Tyler St. The parcel was originally developed with a single-story masonry home in 1948. The applicant has stated that the existing home will be razed, and a new one-story single-family home constructed facing Hawthorne Rd. The survey indicates the lot to be 50 feet in width and 140 feet in length. The applicant desires to create a home that will align with the other houses on Hawthorne Street and proposes the house to be a story and a half to keep the structure in scale with the surrounding properties. To accomplish this, it is being requested that the front and rear of the new home be allowed to encroach on the adjacent setbacks. The provided sketch shows the front porch of the home to be built 19.3-feet from front property line. The rear of the home will include a garage as part of the primary structure and be accessed from Tyler Street. The rear façade is shown to be located 9-feet from the north property line indicating that the proposed structure will encroach into the rear yard setback 9-feet. Section 36-254(d)(1) states, “There shall be a front yard setback having a depth of not less than twenty-five (25) feet.” Section 36-254(d)(3) states “There shall be a rear yard setback having a depth of not less than twenty-five (25) feet. “Therefore, the applicant requests variances to allow the extension of the primary structure into the front yard setback to no more than 5.7-feet reducing the front yard setback to 19.3-feet. Additionally, the applicant is requesting to extend the back of the structure into the rear yard setback 16-feet, reducing the rear yard setback to 9-feet. In Staff' s opinion, the proposed setback reductions will pose no negative effect upon the health, safety, or welfare of the public, and will not detract from the value or aesthetic of the neighborhood or surrounding properties. E. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the requested front yard setback reduction from 25 feet to a minimum to 19.3-feet, per the attached site plan. DECEMBER 16, 2021 ITEM NO. 10 Z-9630 3 Staff recommends approval of the requested rear yard setback reduction from 25 feet to a minimum to 9-feet, per the attached site plan. Additionally, the variances are recommended for approval as per the submitted survey / site plan sketch and are subject to the following conditions: 1. A building permit being obtained for all construction. 2. Install trees, if deemed applicable at the time of building permitting, in accordance with Heights Landscape Design Overlay District requirements.