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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9645 -Lot 129 Overlook Circle - BOA Staff RptDECEMBER 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. 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. 15 Z-9645 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 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. 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 DECEMBER 16, 2021 ITEM NO. 15 Z-9645 3 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.