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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes for Z-7253-FSeptember 8, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 FILE NO.: Z-7253-F NAME: Central High School – Revised Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 1500 S. Park Street DEVELOPER: Little Rock School District 3601 S. Bryant Street Little Rock, AR 72204 OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: Little Rock School District 3601 S. Bryant Street Little Rock, AR 72204 SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: Polk Stanley Wilcox, Architects 801 S. Spring Street Little Rock, AR 72201 AREA: 21.0 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: 1 PLANNING DISTRICT: 8 CENSUS TRACT: 45 CURRENT ZONING: R-4 VARIANCE/WAIVERS: 1. Variance to allow increased building height. 2. Variance to allow reduced front yard setback. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant is requesting a Conditional Use Permit to allow the construction of two (2) new buildings including site improvements on the Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) campus. September 9, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7253-F 2 B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The school lies within the Central High Neighborhood Overlay District. The campus contains Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) and associated buildings and sports facilities. The boundary streets include W. Daisy Gatson Bates Drive to the north, S. Park Street to the east, W. 16th Street to the south and Jones Street to the west. There is a mixture of R-2, R-3, R-4, office, conditional uses and planned development zoning and uses in the general area surrounding the campus. C. NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATIONS: All owners of property 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. Provide finished floor elevations (FFE) for all buildings on site plan and grading and drainage plans. 2. A grading permit might be required prior to initiation of work. Grading permits are issued by the Planning and Development Dept. at 723 West Markham Street after approval of sediment and erosion control plans, grading and drainage plans, land survey, drainage study, and soil loss calculations per City’s stormwater management and drainage manual. Contact Planning and Development Dept., Civil Engineering Private Development at 501-371-4817 or at 501-918-5348 or Permits@littlerock.gov to schedule an appointment for issuance or to answer any questions. Permit cost is based on total project area at $100.00 for the less than ½ acre, $200.00 for ½ to 1 acre, and $200.00 for the first acre and $100.00 for each additional acre for project greater than 1 acre. 3. Any work involving one (1) or more acres of disturbed area requires a State of Arkansas NPDES permit. Contact the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, NPDES branch at 501-682-0744 for applications and information about General Stormwater Discharge Construction Permit #ARR150000. 4. Hauling of fill material on or off project sites over municipal streets require approval prior to a grading permit being issued by the Department of Planning and Development. Contact Public Works Traffic Engineering at 621 S. Broadway 501-379-1805 with any questions or for more information. 5. Damage to public and private property due to hauling operations or operations of construction related equipment from a construction site shall be September 9, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7253-F 3 repaired by the responsible party prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. 6. Contact Planning and Development Dept., Civil Engineering Private Development at 501-371-4817 or at 501-918-5348 for inspections of any work in the public right-of-way prior to placement of concrete or asphalt or for on- site clarification of requirements prior to commencing work. Failure to do so can result in removal of any improperly placed concrete or asphalt at the expense of the owner or contractor. 7. Provide as-built plans and data entry template of newly installed or modified public and private stormwater drainage system prior to issuance of the certificate of occupancy. The as-built plans should contain information as found on the City of Little Rock website at https://www.littlerock.gov/city- administration/city-departments/public-works/applications-details-and- manuals/. Provide the as-built plans and data entry template to Planning and Development Dept., Civil Engineering Private Development by email to csmith@littlerock.gov and cc dwarner@littlerock.gov. If you have any questions or desire additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Planning and Development Dept., Civil Engineering Private Development at 501-371-4817 or at 501-918-5348 or email Permits@littlerock.gov. 8. Any infrastructure within public right of way that is currently damaged or damaged during construction will be repaired or replaced at developer’s expense before a final certificate of occupancy can be released for the building. This includes but not limited to the following: noncompliant curb and gutter, asphalt, sidewalk, accessible ramps, storm drainage infrastructure, or concrete driveway aprons. All work within the public right- of-way shall conform to City of Little Rock Public Works Standard Details and ADA accessibility requirements. 9. A drainage study showing all hydrologic and hydraulic calculations for the proposed storm sewer pipe system, detention ponds and structures, and inlets is required. For final drainage report, sign, date, and seal the report per AR State Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Surveyors rules Article 12, Section B (1) (a). Provide engineer's certification statement saying this drainage report was conducted by yourself or directly under your supervision and attesting to the accuracy of the information within this report. 10. Obtain Traffic Control permits prior to doing any street cuts or curb cuts. Obtain Traffic Control permits prior to doing any work on city streets or in the right-of-way. Contact Traffic Engineering at 501-379-1800 for more information. 11. Per City Rev. Code 29-99, stormwater detention for developments is required. Provide stormwater detention infrastructure to satisfy this requirement. September 9, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7253-F 4 12. The Department requires three (3) phase sediment and erosion control (SEC) plans to be submitted for all construction projects showing best management practices (BMPs) for mitigating sediment runoff and erosion along with vegetation specifications for temporary and permanent soil stabilization. Phase 1 SEC plans shall show SEC BMPs during the stripping, clearing, grubbing, and rough grading of the site. Phase 2 SEC plans shall show SEC BMPs during construction of utilities, buildings, roadway infrastructure and drainage infrastructure. Phase 3 SEC Plans shall show SEC BMPs for final grading, seeding, and landscaping of the site. 13. Sediment and Erosion Control plans shall also show the pertinent information as outlined in ADEQ ARR150000 Permit Part II section A-4-H (1-14) and Part II section A-4-I-2 (A-B). 14. Per City Code 30-43, maximum driveway width allowed is 20 feet and shall be 5 feet from the property line for a residential property adjacent to a residential street. Label proposed driveway width on plans and distance to property lines to verify conformance with City Code. 15. Provide accessible route from the accessible parking stalls’ aisles to proposed buildings’ entrances in accordance with Section 402 & 502 of ICC A117.1-2017 and 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Sections 1104. 16. Proposed gate access for proposed science building from public sidewalk on W. 16th Street cannot be a manually operated gate. For use within an accessible route from the public sidewalk for handicapped individual ingress and egress, the gate access shall be an automatically operated gate with accessible access to open the gate such as a keypad, keycard, or push button per Section 402 of ICC A117.1-2017. E. UTILITIES/FIRE DEPARTMENT/PARKS/COUNTY PLANNING: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No comments received. Entergy: No comments received. Summit Utilities: No comments received. AT & T: No comments received. Central Arkansas Water: No comments received. Fire Department: Maintain Access: Fire Hydrants. September 9, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7253-F 5 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. 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. Commercial and Industrial Developments – 2 means of access. - Maintain fire apparatus access roads as per Appendix D of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D104.1 Buildings exceeding three stories or 30 feet in height. Building or facilities exceeding 30 feet or three stories in height shall have at least two means of fire apparatus access for each structure. Section D104.2 Building exceeding 62,000 square feet in area. Buildings or facilities having a gross building area of more than 62,000 square feet shall be provide with two separate and approved fire apparatus access roads. Exception: Projects having a gross building area of up to 124,000 square feet that have a single approved fire apparatus access road when all building are equipped throughout with approved automatic sprinkler systems. D104.3 Remoteness. Where two fire apparatus access roads are required, they shall be placed a distance apart equal to not less than one half of the length of the maximum overall diagonal dimension of the lot or area to be served, measured in a straight line between accesses. Gates Maintain fire apparatus access road gates as per Appendix D of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.5 Fire apparatus access road gates. Gates securing the fire apparatus access roads shall comply with all of the following criteria: September 9, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7253-F 6 1. Minimum gate width shall be 20 feet. 2. Gates shall be of swinging or sliding type. 3. Construction of gates shall be of material that allow manual operation by one person. 4. Gate components shall be maintained in an operable condition at all times and replaces or repaired when defective. 5. Electric gates shall be equipped with a means of opening the gate by fire department personnel for emergency access. Emergency opening devices shall be approved by the fire code official. 6. Manual opening gates shall not be locked with a padlock or chain and padlock unless they are capable of being opened by means of forcible entry tools or when a key box containing the keys to the lock is installed at the gate location. 7. Locking device specifications shall be submitted for approval by the fire code official. 8. Electric gate operators, where provided, shall be listed in accordance with UL 325. 9. Gates, intended for automatic operation shall be designed, constructed and installed to comply with requirements of ASTM F 2200. Parks and Recreation: No comments received. County Planning: No comments. F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Code: No comments received. Landscape: 1. Any new site development must comply with the City’s minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. A perimeter planting strip is required along any side of a vehicular use area that abuts adjoining property, or the right-of-way of any street. This strip shall be at least nine (9) feet wide. One (1) tree and three (3) shrubs or vines shall be planted for every thirty (30) linear feet of perimeter planting strip. 3. Screening requirements will need to be met for the vehicular use areas adjacent to street rights-of-way. Provide screening shrubs with an average linear spacing of not less at three (3) feet within the required landscape area. Provide trees with an average linear spacing of not less than thirty (30) feet. September 9, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7253-F 7 4. Building landscape areas shall be provided at the rate equivalent to planter strip three (3) feet wide along the vehicular use area. One (1) tree and four (4) shrubs shall be planted in the building landscape areas for each forty (40) linear feet of vehicular use area abutting the building. 5. Eight percent (8%) of the vehicular use area must be designated for green space; this green space needs to be evenly distributed throughout the parking area(s). The minimum size of an interior landscape area shall be one hundred fifty (150) square feet for developments with one hundred fifty (150) or fewer parking spaces. Interior islands must be a minimum of seven and one half (7 1/2) feet in width. Trees shall be included in the interior landscape areas at the rate of one (1) tree for every twelve (12) parking spaces. 6. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas shall be required for developments of one (1) acre or larger. 7. The development of two (2) acres or more requires the landscape plan to be stamped with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. 8. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on this site. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No comments received. Planning Division: No comments. H. ANALYSIS: The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit to allow the construction of two (2) new buildings including site improvements on the Little Rock Central High School (LRCHS) campus. The site plan indicates a new science building with gated access along W. 16th Street to be located on the south side of the existing academic building. The new science building will contain twenty-nine (29) new classrooms and will replace all temporary buildings including the Campus Building Inn. No increase in the number of students, teachers or staff is anticipated as the new facility is meant to replace all portable classroom buildings on campus. The site plan indicates a setback thirty (30) feet from the front property line. The science building will be three (3) stories in height and contain approximately fifty-nine (59,000) thousand square feet. September 9, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7253-F 8 The applicant is proposing a height of forty-eight (48) feet for the new science building. Section 36-256 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance allows a maximum building height of thirty-five (35) feet. Staff supports the variance request for an increased building height of forty-eight (48) feet. The applicant does note the height of the new science building will not exceed the height of the existing academic building. Staff feels the proposed height increase will have no negative impact on the area. A fire lane will be constructed between the existing academic building and new science building with an access gate located along W. 16th Street. The fire lane will run northwest and terminate at the southwestern corner of the existing academic building. The area will also include an outdoor plaza and courtyard. A new parking lot will be constructed immediately west of the proposed science building. The parking lot construction will take advantage of two existing curb cuts along W. 16th Street to access the parking area. The parking lot will provide a total of seventy-one (71) new parking spaces. A loading dock and maintenance drive will be created on the north side of the campus along W. 14th Street and will provide emergency access through the campus to the south where a circle drive will be extended. The south wall of Quigley Stadium along W. 16th Street will be demolished for the construction of a new field house facility. The field house will be two (2) stories in height and contain an indoor practice field. The proposed field house structure will be approximately fifty (50) feet in height. The applicant is also requesting a variance for increased building height for the proposed field house building. Staff also supports this variance request. The total area of the new field house will be approximately sixty-thousand (60,000) square feet. The applicant is proposing a front yard setback of ten (10) feet from the property line along W. 16th Street for the new field house. Section 36-256 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance requires a front yard setback not less than twenty-five (25) feet. Staff supports the variance request for a reduced front yard setback for the field house. Staff feels this will have no negative impact on the area. The applicant is proposing a new scoreboard which will be mounted to the north face of the new field house facing the football field. Staff is supportive of the requested conditional use to allow construction of the new buildings including all site improvements and variance requests for an increased building height for the three (3) story academic building and reduced front yard setback for the proposed fieldhouse. Staff feels that this is a good location for growth of the Central High School campus. Staff believes that the proposed September 9, 2022 ITEM NO.: 8 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7253-F 9 additions and improvements will be a quality addition to the overall Central High School campus and should have no adverse impact on the surrounding properties. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested conditional use permit, including variances, subject to compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in paragraphs D, E and F, and the staff analysis, of the agenda staff report. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (SEPTEMBER 8, 2022) The applicant was present. There were no persons present registered in opposition. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval as outlined in the "staff recommendation" above. There was no further discussion. The item remained on the consent agenda as recommended by staff, including all staff comments and conditions. The vote was 8 ayes, 0 nays, 2 absent and 1 open position.