HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9693 - 909 N Street - BOA Staff RptFile No.: Z-9693
Owners: North Street Properties, LLC
Applicant: Jenifer King
Address: 909 North Street
Legal Description: Lots 2R, and 3R, W.B. Worthen’s Company Subdivision
Zoned: UU Urban Use District
Present Use: Office
Proposed Use: Office
Variance(s) Requested: The sign provisions of Sec. 36-342.1 to allow a ground mounted sign.
Justification: The applicant’s justification is presented as per the attached letter dated May 13, 2022
STAFF REPORT
Planning and Development Civil Engineering Comments:
No Comments
B. Buffering and Landscape Comments:
No Comments
C. Building Codes Comments:
No Comments
D. Staff Analysis:
The property at 909 North St. is currently occupied by a frame structure that was originally constructed as a single-family home in 1948. Since construction the structure has served
different uses and is now occupied by an Allstate insurance agency. Located on the south side of the street, east of N Chester and west of N Izard Street the approximate 1600 square
foot building is centered between the New Hope Korean Methodist Church to the west and an existing surface parking to the east. The properties to the north are undeveloped or occupied
by the Cliffs Condominiums and bordered by the Arkansas River further north. The adjacent southern property is occupied by the Effective Touch Spa and Salon that faces Garland St and
La Harpe Blvd. Additionally, the
properties located at this northwest edge of the downtown UU District have not yet developed as zero lot line buildings as is the intent of the Urban Use District.
The existing frame office building maintains the aesthetic of a single-family residence with a manicured lawn and shrubbery. The applicant has stated that the sign cannot be placed on
the building without blocking a doorway or a window and is requesting that a free-standing sign be allowed at the front of their business. The proposed small wooden sign is shown to
be placed in the lawn area on the west side of the centrally located entrance. The graphic provided indicates the sign will be 24-inches in height and 36-inches in width and provide
the name and logo of the business.
Section 36-342.1(c)(11) of the Little Rock Municipal Code states, “Ground mounted signs are discouraged and may only be permitted as a variance per Division 2 of this chapter.” Therefore,
the applicant is requesting to install a ground mounted sign.
The proposed post and panel ground mounted sign will be approximately 3-feet in total height, with approximately 6-square feet of sign face area. The subject ground sign is proposed
within a context of lower-volume commercial, industrial, and residential area that does not function as a typical UU District development. Within the above-described context, the requested
ground mounted sign is not inappropriate for pedestrian- and motorist-level wayfinding in the surrounding area.
Based on the above assessment and analysis, staff finds the requested variances to be reasonable.
E. Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the requested ground mounted sign as per the above staff analysis and as reflected in the submitted plans and elevations, with the following condition:
Add street addresses to the ground mounted (monument) sign per Section 36-557(f): “All on-premises ground-mounted signs shall have located on the face of the sign, in characters no less
than six (6) inches in height, the street address number of the business identified by the sign.