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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Action Letter Approved 110920October 29, 2020 ITEM NO.: 4 FILE NO.: Z-9539 NAME: Rezoning from O-3 to C-3 LOCATION: 8300 Geyer Springs Road DEVELOPER: Maurice Mahmoud 10 Chalmette Court Little Rock, AR 72212 OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: Marion Scott Foster 1926 Salem Road Benton, AR 72019 SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: Arkansas Surveying and Consulting AREA: 0.80 acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: 2 PLANNING DISTRICT: 15 CENSUS TRACT: 41.03 A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant proposes to rezone the 0.80 acre property located at 8300 Geyer Springs Road from “O-3” General Office District to “C-3” General Commercial District. The rezoning is proposed to allow future commercial use of the property. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The property contains a vacant two-story office-type building which previously housed a school use. Paved parking is located on the north, east and west sides of the building. Driveways from Geyer Springs Road and West 83rd Street serve as access to the property. October 29, 2020 ITEM NO.: 4 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9539 2 C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: All owners of property located within 200 feet of the site and the Cloverdale, Upper Baseline Windamere, Wakefield and SWLR United for Progress Neighborhood Associations were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: No Comments. E. UTILITIES/FIRE DEPARTMENT/PARKS/COUNTY PLANNING: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No comments received. Entergy: No comments received. CenterPoint Energy: No comments received. AT & T: No comments received. Central Arkansas Water: No comments received. Fire Department: No Comments. Parks and Recreation: No comments received. County Planning: No comments received. F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Code: Project is a change in occupancy and is therefore subject to current building code requirements. Review and approval is required by Building Codes Division before occupancy takes place. For information on submittal requirements and the review process, contact a commercial plans examiner: Curtis Richey at 501.371.4724; crichey@littlerock.org or Steve Crain at 501-371-4875; scrain@littlerock.gov Landscape: No Comments. October 29, 2020 ITEM NO.: 4 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9539 3 G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No Comments. Planning Division: The request is in the Geyer Springs West Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Public Institutional (PI) for the requested area. The Public Intuitional category includes public and quasi-public facilities that provide a variety of services to the community such as schools, libraries, fire stations, churches, utility substations, and hospitals. The application is to change the property from O-3 (General Office District) to C-3 (General Commercial District) to allow for the future development of the site. (Note: the surrounding Land Use is used to help determine the appropriate future use when a Public Instruction designated site is requested for different use.) Surrounding the application area, the Land Use Plan shows Commercial (C) to the north and south along Geyer Springs Road. To the west is Public Institutional (PI) use. To the east along the east side of Geyer Springs Road is shown as Mixed Office Commercial (MOC). 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 Public Intuitional category includes public and quasi-public facilities that provide a variety of services to the community such as schools, libraries, fire stations, churches, utility substations, and hospitals. Mixed Office Commercial provides for a mixture of office and commercial uses to occur. Acceptable uses are office or mixed office and commercial. Master Street Plan: To the east is Geyer Springs Road and it is a Minor Arterial on the Master Street Plan. To the north is 83rd Street which is a Local Street 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 Geyer Springs Road since it is a Minor Arterial. The primary function of Local Streets is to provide access to adjacent properties. Local Streets that are abutted by non-residential zoning/use or more intensive zoning than duplexes are considered as “Commercial Streets”. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. Bicycle Plan: There are no bike routes shown in the immediate vicinity. October 29, 2020 ITEM NO.: 4 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9539 4 H. ANALYSIS: Maurice Mahmoud, owner of the 0.80 acre property located at 8300 Geyer Springs Road, is requesting that the property be rezoned from “O-3” General Office District to “C-3” General Commercial District. The rezoning is proposed to allow future commercial use of the property. The property is located at the southwest corner of Geyer Springs Road and West 83rd Street. The property contains a two-story office-type building which was previously used as a school. Paved parking is located on the north, east and west sides of the building, with driveways from Geyer Springs Road and West 83rd Street. The property is located in an area of mixed uses and zoning along Geyer Springs Road. The vast majority of the properties which front on Geyer Springs Road are zoned commercial (C-1, C-3 and C-4). There are several O-3 zoned parcels in the general area. R-2 zoning is located further away from Geyer Springs Road. Church and school uses are located west of the site. The City’s Future Land Use Plan designates this property as “PI” Public Institutional, based on the past use of the property. The requested C-3 zoning will not require a plan amendment, based on the adjacent land use designations to the north and south being “C” Commercial. Staff is supportive of the requested C-3 rezoning. Staff views the request as reasonable. The proposed C-3 zoning will be compatible with the area as the majority of the properties which front on Geyer Springs Road, between I-30 and Baseline Road, are zoned commercial. The proposed C-3 zoning will represent a continuation in the zoning pattern along Geyer Springs Road, and should have no adverse impact on the adjacent properties or the general area. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested C-3 rezoning. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (OCTOBER 29, 2020) Scott Foster was present, representing the application. There were no supporters and three (3) registered objectors. Staff presented the application with a recommendation for approval. The applicant deferred to the registered opposition. Valerie Tatum, President of the Geyer Springs Neighborhood Association, addressed the Commission in opposition to the application. She expressed concerns regarding the City’s notification requirements for neighborhood associations, the proximity of the Exalt October 29, 2020 ITEM NO.: 4 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9539 5 Academy to the proposed the subject property, the number of available parking spaces, the potential use in the C-3 zoning, and the subsequent hours of operations. As a former tenant at this location, Dr. Tatum briefly explained the challenges related to the adverse conditions of the building while leasing the property. In closing, she reviewed the list of questions proposed to the Commission related to the proposed rezoning and the applicant’s proposed use for the rezoning request. Trinidee Sanders addressed the Commission in opposition of the application. As a 25-year resident of the southwest community, she expressed concerns with the dissemination of information regarding the proposal to members of the community. Ms. Sanders also stated her opposition to the application is based on the nature of the potential business within the C-3, General Commercial District. Tasha O’Neal, President of the Chicot Neighborhood Association, addressed the Commission in opposition of the application. Her concerns were related to the nature of the proposed business and the high number of similar businesses within the same area. Ms. O’Neal expressed the need for more community-involvement as it relates to business proposals for the Southwest Community. The Commission noted the need for the neighborhood associations to development better means of communicating and involving each association. However, the scope of their responsibility included only the rezoning request. The Staff offered that the all notification requirements were fulfilled by the applicant. There was a motion to approve the application as recommended by staff. The motion was seconded. The vote was 9 ayes, 2 nays and 0 absent.