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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report for A-341 Z-9699July 14, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 FILE NO.: A-341 / Z-9699 NAME: Thibault Zeuber Annexation and I-3, Heavy Industrial Zoning REQUEST: Accept 23.3 acres plus or minus to the City LOCATION: Northwest of the Thibault - Zeuber Roads intersection SOURCE: Grant Cox, agent GENERAL INFORMATION:  The Pulaski County Judge was scheduled to have a hearing to sign the Judge’s Order verifying that the applicant meets all the requirements of the voluntary annexation process and approving the annexation on Tuesday July 12, 2022.  The site is mostly cleared with no structures. The property owners indicated that they plan to market the land for future industrial development.  There are two property owners. Both owners have signed the petition of annexation.  The site is contiguous to the City of Little Rock along the north boundary.  The annexation request is to obtain City services.  The site is rectangular shaped. The northern and southern boundaries are approximately 1314 and 1319 feet, respectively. The eastern and western boundaries are approximately 767 and 771 feet, respectively. Zeuber Road is along the southern boundary and Thibault Road is along the eastern boundary of the annexation area.  The site consists of approximately 23.26 acres, currently not zoned. AGENCY COMMENTS: Public Safety: Fire: Little Rock Fire Department has indicated they have no issues or concerns with the proposed annexation. Police: No Comment received. Infrastructure and Community Facilities: Rock Region METRO Transit: No Comment received. July 14, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO. A-341 / Z-9699 2 Parks and Recreation: No Comment received. Public Works: No Comment received. Pulaski County Planning: No Comment received. Arkansas Geographic Information Office: AGIO expressed no concerns with the annexation and noted the applicant had followed ARK CODE 14-40-101. Utilities: Central Arkansas Water: No Comment received. Entergy: No Comment received. Reliant-Energy: No Comment received. Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No Comment received. AT&T: No Comment received. Schools: Little Rock: No Comment received. The annexation area is not within the Little Rock School District. Pulaski County Special: No Comment received. The annexation area is within the Pulaski County Special School District. ANALYSIS: The area requesting annexation is contiguous with the City limits along its northern boundary. The City of Little Rock annexed the area to the north of the site in 1979 - via Ordinance 13370 (Little Rock Port South Annexation). The annexation area has been farm land since at least the 1960s. There are no structures in the area of annexation. The area has a gentle slope from north to south. The land falls off approximately four feet in the approximately 770 feet from north to south. The entire region in which the annexation is located (both areas currently with in the City and outside) is protected by a levee system. The southern half of the annexation area is within the 100-year floodplain. The property currently is not zoned. There is no zoning outside the City in this area. The land within the City to the north and northeast is zoned I-3, Heavy Industrial District. This land is part of the Port Industrial Park. It is partially developed with manufacturing and industrial structures. All the lands to the east, west and south are not zoned and are outside the current City Limits. To the immediate west and south, across Zeuber Road, July 14, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO. A-341 / Z-9699 3 from the annexation area there are warehouse distribution types of uses. The land to the east, across Thibault Road, is vacant and mostly former farmland. This land was recently acquired by a prospective industrial user (TREK) to manufacture their product. Much of the land further to the south and east is either agricultural in use or wooded. The Land Use Plan Map shows the annexation area as Industrial (I). The Industrial category encompasses a wide variety of manufacturing, warehousing research and development, processing, and industry related office and service activities. Industrial development typically occurs on an individual tract basis rather than according to an overall development plan. The Land Use Plan Map shows Industrial (I) in all directions from the annexation area. Most of the land to the south, east and west of the annexation area is either agricultural in use or wooded. The applicant has requested the land be zoned I-3, Heavy Industrial District (Z-9699) as part of their annexation request. The land to the south, east and west of the annexation area is currently not zoned and outside of the City. The land to the north is zoned I-3, Heavy Industrial District. The I-3 land is partially developed with manufacturing and warehouse uses as part of the Port Industrial Park. The Little Rock Port has acquired land beyond this annexation to the east, southeast and southwest and is marketing it for industrial development. The owners of the annexation area agree with the City that industrial development of their land is most appropriate future use. The applicant has provided the City with a letter from the Arkansas GIS Office (AGIO) confirming the request meets all the requirements of Section 14-40-101 (dated December 21, 2021). This confirms that the area requesting annexation is contiguous to the City of Little Rock and all requirements of Arkansas Law have been fulfilled. This annexation is following the property owner voluntary annexation process. The Pulaski County Judge set a hearing for June 13 to consider the request. This Order will set the exact boundaries of the annexation. The norm is to include all adjacent rights-of-way. Once staff has received the Judge’s Order the annexation ordinance will be drafted with the legal proved in the Judge’s Order. Once the Planning Commission has added, no further action on this annexation will occur until receipt of the Judge’s Order. Approximately 1315 linear feet of Zeuber Road and 770 linear feet of Thibault Road are included in this annexation. Zeuber and Thibault Roads are two-lane roads with shoulders. There are open ditches on both sides of the roads. Zeuber Road is shown on the Master Street Plan as a Collector. Thibault Road is shown on the Master Street Plan as a Minor Arterial. The primary function of a Collector Road is to provide a connection from Local Streets to Arterials. 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. Zeuber and Thibault Roads has been constructed to ‘Industrial Street’ design standards with shoulders and open ditches. The Master Bike Plan shows a Class III Bike Route along Zeuber Road and a Class II Bike Route along Thibault Road. A Class III route shares the roadway with a sign or July 14, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO. A-341 / Z-9699 4 street marketing. A Class II route dedicates a portion of the roadway for the sole use of bicycles. The streets have been marked with bike lanes on the shoulders (a class II Bike Route). Upon annexation, the City will be responsible for the continuing maintenance of approximately 2100 linear feet of roadway and related drainage structures. (This is Thibault and Zeuber Roads.) The infrastructure was improved prior to the Amazon Annexation in 2021. The County widened both roads and added shoulders with open ditches for drainage. The roads are currently constructed to the City’s industrial design approved for roads in the Port district. Since there are not currently any structures on the land and the proposed use would be non-residential, there will not be any solid waste services provided to this land by the City. The Public Works Department did not respond to the request for comment on the annexation. A 16-inch water service line exists along Zeuber Road and Thibault Road to both the east and south of the annexation area. A 30-inch force wastewater service line is along Zeuber Road and Thibault Road to the south and east of the annexation area. As part of the development of any land within the annexation area, the developer will have to extend these services from the existing service lines to any new development. No comments have been received from either Central Arkansas Water or Little Rock Water Reclamation on the proposed annexation. The closest fire station (Station 4) is located at 7500 Lindsey Road. From this station via existing streets is just over a mile to the annexation area. Station 13, at 1105 East Roosevelt Road, is the next closest station with runs of over 5.5 miles to the annexation area over current roads. The Fire Department responded they have no concerns or issues with this annexation. The Little Rock Police Department did not respond to a request for comments on this annexation. The annexation would increase the linear feet of road where the Department might have to respond to traffic issues. Currently portions of both roads on within the Little Rock. It is likely to patrol the areas inside the City a vehicle would pass over the roadway proposed to be annexed. The annexation area is undeveloped. Neither public safety agency expects significant new demand. Staff Recommendation: Approval of the annexation and classification of the land as I-3, Heavy Industrial District.