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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9562 Staff Report 030421March 11, 2021 ITEM NO.: 7 FILE NO.: Z-9562 NAME: Rezoning from R-2 to C-3 LOCATION: 5804/5808 Baseline Road DEVELOPER: Baseline Developers, Inc. 108 Jack Evans Court Sherwood, AR 72120 OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: Baseline Developers, Inc. – Owner Thomas Pownall/Thomas Engineering Co. – Agent SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: Thomas Engineering Co. 3810 Lookout Road North Little Rock, AR 72116 AREA: 3.74 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: 2 PLANNING DISTRICT: 14 CENSUS TRACT: 41.07 CURRENT ZONING: R-2 VARIANCE/WAIVERS: None requested. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant proposes to rezone the 3.74 acre property from "R-2" Single Family District to "C-3" General Commercial District. The rezoning is proposed to allow future commercial development of the property. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: Two (2) one-story structures are located within the south half of the property, along the Baseline Road frontage. A paved parking area is located on the south side of the buildings. The remainder of the site is mostly grass covered. There are a few March 11, 2021 ITEM NO.: 7 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9562 2 trees located on the north side of the buildings and along the east perimeter of the property. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: All owners of property located within 200 feet of the site and all neighborhood associations registered with the City of Little Rock were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: 1. Baseline Road is classified on the Master Street Plan as a principal arterial with a special design standard. Dedication of right-of-way to 45 feet from centerline will be required. E. UTILITIES/FIRE DEPARTMENT/PARKS/COUNTY PLANNING: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: Sewer Available to this Site. Entergy: No comments received. CenterPoint Energy: No comments. AT & T: No comments received. Central Arkansas Water: No comments received. Fire Department: Maintain Access: Fire Hydrants. Maintain fire apparatus access roads at fire hydrant locations as per Appendix D of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.1 Access road width with a hydrant. Where a fire hydrant is located on a fire apparatus access road, the minimum road width shall be 26 feet, exclusive of shoulders. Grade Maintain fire apparatus access roads as per Appendix D of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.2 Grade. Fire apparatus access roads shall not exceed 10 percent in grade except as approved by the fire chief. If the grade exceeds 10 percent, approval will be denied and the applicant must submit request to be reviewed by Fire Chief for Approval. March 11, 2021 ITEM NO.: 7 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9562 3 Loading Maintain fire apparatus access road design as per Appendix D of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D102.1 Access and loading. Facilities, buildings or portions of buildings hereafter constructed shall be accessible to fire department apparatus by way of an approved fire apparatus access road with an asphalt, concrete or other approved driving surface capable of supporting the imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 75,000 pounds. Parks and Recreation: No comments received. County Planning: No comments received. F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Code: No comments received. Landscape: No comments. G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No comments. Planning Division: The request is in the Geyer Spring East Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Commercial (C) for the requested area. 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 to change the property from R-2 (Single Family District) to C-3 (General Commercial District) to allow the future commercial development of the site. Surrounding the application area, the Land Use Plan shows Commercial (C) to the north east and west. Residential High Density (RH) is shown to the south across Baseline Road from the site. Commercial (C) land use is also shown to the southeast and southwest along and south of Baseline Road. The Commercial (C) 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. Within the Commercial area is a shopping center and auto related retail to the west; with a liquor store, mobile home park, and mini-storage to the east. Within the Commercial area south of Baseline Road, to the southeast and southwest are two single-family houses and various retail commercial uses. The Residential High Density (RH) category accommodates residential development of more than twelve (12) dwelling units per acre. The area shown for this use across Baseline Road, due south of the application area, is an apartment complex. March 11, 2021 ITEM NO.: 7 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9562 4 Master Street Plan: To the south is Baseline Road and it is shown as a Minor Arterial on the Master Street Plan. A Minor Arterial provides connections to and through an urban area and their primary function is to provide short distance travel within the urbanized area. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Baseline Road since it is a Minor Arterial. This street 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 II Bike Route shown on Baseline Road. A Bike Lane provides a portion of the pavement for the sole use of bicycles. H. ANALYSIS: Baseline Developers, Inc., owner of the 3.74 acre property located at 5804/5808 Baseline Road, is requesting that the property be rezoned from "R-2" Single Family District to "C-3" General Commercial District. The property is located on the north side of Baseline Road, approximately 750 feet east of Geyer Springs Road. The rezoning is proposed to allow future commercial re-development of the site. The property currently contains two (2) commercial buildings located within the south one-third of the site. Paved parking is located on the south side of the buildings. The remainder of the site is undeveloped. The site is located in an area of mixed uses and zoning along Baseline Road. Commercial uses and zoning (C-3) are located east and west of the existing commercial buildings. A mobile home park (R-2) is located along the remainder of the east property boundary. Three (3) single family structures (R-2) are located across Elrod Drive to the west. A large commercial development is also located to the west. A commercial parking lot and a cell tower site is located to the north. A multifamily development and mixed commercial uses are located to the south, along the south side of Baseline Road. The City’s Future Land Use Plan designates this property as "C" Commercial. The requested C-3 zoning will not require a plan amendment. Staff is supportive of the requested C-3 zoning. Staff views the request as reasonable. The property has a history of commercial use, including a car sales business and other related auto uses. The proposed C-3 zoning will represent a continuation of the commercial zoning along the Baseline Road frontage, a principal arterial. The requested rezoning should have no adverse impact on the general area. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested C-3 rezoning.