HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9645 BOA Action Letter - Approved As Filed 010322DECEMBER 16, 2021
ITEM NO. 15 Z-9645
1
File No.: Z-9645
Owners: Keith Wolter & Jill Mhyre
Applicant: Phil Purifoy - Fennell Purifoy Architects
Address: Overlook Circle, Little Rock Arkansas 72207
Legal Description: Lot 29, Overlook Park and 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 area regulations of Sec. 36-254
to allow a reduced front yard setback in the R-2 district
Request from the area regulations of Sec. 36-513 to allow a
driveway to exceed the 20-foot width limitation.
Justification: The applicant’s justification is presented as per the attached
letter dated October 19, 2021.
STAFF REPORT
A. Planning and Development Civil Engineering Comments:
No Comments.
B. Buffering and Landscape Comments:
No Comments.
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.
DECEMBER 16, 2021
ITEM NO. 15 Z-9645
2
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
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 371-4832 for additional details.
D. Staff Analysis:
The R-2 zoned property located in the Overlook neighborhood on Overlook Circle is
currently an undeveloped wooded lot with mature vegetation. The adjacent and
surrounding properties are occupied by single-family residences or undeveloped
R-2 zoned parcels. The terrain along Overlook Circle is generally characterized as
having a higher elevation on the south side of the street and sloping to the properties
at a lower elevation on the north side of the road.
The applicant is proposing to build a new single-family residence and has stated that
the site has a significant slope and several existing trees. The desire is to locate and
orient the new home parallel to the existing grades, minimizing retaining wall heights
and the overall impact on the site. A moderate retaining wall on the south side of the
house will allow the necessary retaining wall on the north side to be lower in height
without requiring the house to be pushed further down the hill.
The property owner also desires to have a two-space parking pad at the east end of
the site to accommodate vehicles for their children or guest. This parking will be
immediately adjacent to a bridge which leads to the main entry of the house. The
finish grades of the house were determined for this bridge entry to align
approximately with the level of the street. A driveway will lead to a lower-level garage
on the west side of the house.
The provided sketch indicates the that approximately 2-feet of the southeast corner
of the house will cross the 25-foot front building line. However, the retaining walls
required to create the lower-level terrace and upper-level parking pad cross the
building line a parallel distance of 66-feet 4-inches on the western end of the house.
The walls will be approximately 42” above grade on the upper level with the lower-
level terraces being approximately 12-feet below the street level. Within the 66-feet
4-inches the walls are at varying distances in the front yard setback beginning at
25-feet at the east, ending at the property line on the western edge of the parking
pad. The parking pad is also shown to be 22-feet 8-inches wide exceeding the
20-foot maximum parking pad width.
Section 36-254(d)(1) states, “There shall be a front yard setback having a depth of
not less than twenty-five (25) feet.” The applicant requests a variance to allow a
reduction of the required front yard setback to 0 to allow the southeast corner of the
home and the retaining walls required to locate the house to be within the setback.
DECEMBER 16, 2021
ITEM NO. 15 Z-9645
3
Sec. 36-513(d) states, “No person, including any owner, tenant, manager, or
occupant of property used as a residence, shall allow any person to, keep, store or
park any motor vehicle on any portion of a front yard or corner street side yard of
any property used as a residence, except on a paved surface or on an unpaved
designated driveway area and parking pad not to exceed twenty (20) feet in
width….” Therefore, the applicant is requesting expand the maximum width of the
carport from 20-feet to 22-feet 8-inches.
Based on the above analysis, Staff believes the proposal is in keeping with the
character and scale of the neighborhood and views the variance request as
reasonable.
E. Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the requested platted front building line reduction
from 25 feet to a minimum of 0-feet as presented on the attached survey / site plan.
Staff additionally recommends the width expansion of the parking pad from
maximum 20-feet in width to a width of 22-feet 8-inches.
Case No:
Name:
Location:
City of Little Rock Planning & Development
Title:
Sketch
±
R2
PR
NOT
R4
City Limits
City Limits
SU
NSET
PT
PINE VALLEY RDKINGWOOD RD
REBSAMEN PARK RD
OVERLOOK DR
TIMBERLAKE DR
BELTWOOD STBRIDGEVIEWLN
SUNSET CIRTALLYHO LN
RIVER OAKS CIR
HAYFIELD RD
HEARTHSIDE DR GREATHOUSE BEND DR
ROCKWOOD RD
OVERLOOK CIR
WOODGLEN RD
^_
Vicinity Map
Case:
Location:
CT:
Ward:
TRS:
PD:
Area Zoning
±
Z-9645
Overlook Circle
3
49
T2N R13W 24
3
City of Little Rock Planning & Development
Rev: 11/9/2021
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