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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-3652-B Staff AnalysisFebruary 14, 2008 ITEM NO.: B FILE NO.: Z -3652-B NAME: Kroger -Beechwood Revised Short -form PCD LOCATION: Located at 614 Beechwood Street DEVELOPER: Kroger Corporation Attn. Steve Sheridan 800 Ridgelake Boulevard Memphis, TN 38119 SURVEYOR: Brooks Surveying 20820 Arch Street Pike Hensley, AR 72065 ATCHITECT: RPPY, Architects Attn. David Perry 713 West 2 d Street Little Rock, AR 72201 LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Roberts and Williams Attn. Barry Williams 1501 N. University Avenue, Suite 430 Little Rock, AR 72202 AREA: 3 acres CURRENT ZONING.- ALLOWED ONING: ALLOWED USES PROPOSED ZONING: PROPOSED US NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 PCD Grocery store Revised PCD Grocery store VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF February 14, 2008 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B Cont. FILE NO.: Z -3652-B BACKGROUND: Ordinance No. 14,021 adopted by the Little Rock Board of Directors on April 7, 1981, established Safeway Planned Commercial Development to allow a grocery store to locate on this site. Ordinance No. 15,800 adopted by the Little Rock Board of Directors on January 16, 1990, revised the previously approved PCD to allow the existing off- street parking provided by the PCD to be permitted as shared parking with an adjacent property so as to provide loading, driveway and parking for the US Postal Service. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: The applicant is proposing an amendment to the existing PCD to allow a new building expansion. The developers are proposing to enclose the two current covered porch areas and extend the building to the west by 21 -feet. Along with the expansion, Kroger will repave and make repairs to the existing parking lot. _ In addition to the lot repairs, Kroger will replant their current landscape areas and install an irrigation system to improve plant health and longevity. The parking lot, however, will not be changing in configuration or number of spaces. The current lot is used by many of the areas businesses including the Post Office. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: Kroger and associated parking encompass much of the block with two additional buildings containing retail and a postal facility located along Kavanaugh Boulevard. The structures to the east along Beechwood Street appear to be office and commercial uses. The structures to the west along North Palm Street appear to be single-family homes. There is a traffic light at the intersection of Beechwood Street and Kavanaugh Boulevard. Street parking is allowed along the east side of North Palm Street and along both sides of Beechwood Street. Street parking is also allowed along the south side of Woodlawn Drive. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has received a number of informational phone calls from area residents. All owners of property located within 200 feet of the proposed site along with the Hillcrest Residents Neighborhood Association and all residents, who could be identified, located within 300 -feet of the site were notified of the Public Hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. February 14, 2008 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -3652-B 2. Appropriate handicap ramps are required along Beechwood Street in accordance with Section 31-175 of the Little Rock Code and the Master Street Plan. 3. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. Obtain barricade permit prior to doing any work in the right-of-way from Traffic Engineering at (501) 379-1805 (Travis Herbner). 4. A 20 -foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersections of Woodlawn Avenue and Palm Street and Beechwood Street and Woodlawn Avenue. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available to this property. Entergy: No comment received. Center -Point Energy: No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: No objection. Fire Department: Fire hydrants may be required. Contact the Little Rock Fire Department for additional information. County Planning: No comment. CATA: The site is located near CATA Bus Route #1 — Pulaski Heights Route. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: This request is located in the Heights Hillcrest Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Commercial for this property. The applicant has applied for a revised Short form PCD. The request does not require a change to the Land Use Plan. Master Street Plan: Beechwood Street is shown as a Local Street and Kavanaugh Boulevard is shown as a Collector. The primary function of a Collector Street is to provide a connection from Local Streets to Arterials. The primary function of a Local Street is to provide access to adjacent properties. Local Streets, which are abutted by non-residential zoning/use or more intensive 3 February 14, 2008 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO_: B (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -3652-B zoning than duplexes, are considered as "Commercial Streets". These streets have a design standard the same as a Collector. Bicycle Plan: Class III bike routes are shown on Kavanaugh Boulevard and Beechwood Street. A Class III bikeway is a signed route on a street shared with traffic. No additional paving or right-of-way is required. Class III bicycle route signage may be required. Neighborhood Action Plan: The Hillcrest Neighborhood Action Plan covers this area. The Crime and Safety goal states: "Increase lighting and visibility around houses and businesses." The Zoning and Land Use goal states: "Encourage and improve the walkability of the neighborhood, specifically the intersection of Kavanaugh and Beechwood." Landscape: 1. Site plan must comply with the City's landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. All existing required landscaping should be replaced and in good botanical condition. 3. All existing fencing/dumpster enclosures, etc. should also be in good repair or replaced in conjunction with this request. 4. Special consideration should be given to the residential area along the east. 5. Street trees are required. A franchise agreement will be required in conjunction with the requirement. 6. This proposal/request eliminates any/all building landscaping. One option might be to turn a few of the parking spaces next to the building into landscape islands. Otherwise, a variance must be obtained from the City Beautiful Commission prior to the issuance of a building permit. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (October 18, 2007) Mr. Barry Williams was present representing the request. Staff presented an overview of the proposed development stating there were additional items necessary to complete the review process. Staff stated the site was located in the Hillcrest Design Overlay District and requested the applicant provide building elevations and the method proposed to break the massing of the western wall. Staff stated landscaping was located within the area proposed for the expansion and questioned the applicant if any of the landscaping would remain. .19 February 14, 2008 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -3652-B Public Works comments were addressed. Staff stated plans for work in the right of way would require permitting prior to construction. Staff also stated a 20 -foot radial dedication would be required at the intersections of the abutting streets. Mr. Williams stated a dedication would not be an issue at the Beechwood intersection but at the North Palm intersection. Since the developers were proposing a zero setback along North Palm Street and there was presently a zero setback along Woodlawn Drive, the dedication would interfere with the proposed building construction. Landscaping comments were addressed. Staff stated all existing landscaping should be in good condition and any dead or diseased landscaping should be replaced. Staff also stated building landscaping would be required adjacent to the parking area. Staff stated the front striped landscape islands could be redesigned and planted to provide the required building landscaping. Staff noted comments from the various other reporting departments and agencies suggesting the applicant contact them directly for additional information and clarification. There was no further discussion of the item. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action. H. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised site plan to staff addressing most of the issues raised at the October 18, 2007, Subdivision Committee meeting. The applicant has provided the landscaping to remain within the proposed expansion area, provided elevations of the proposed facades and provided a 20 -foot radial dedication at the intersection of Beechwood and Woodlawn Streets. The request includes a waiver of the radial dedication required at the intersection of Woodlawn and Palm Streets. According to the applicant, if the radial dedication is provided, the new dedication of right of way would place the corner of the building within the right of way. The site is located in the Hillcrest Design Overlay District. The ordinance states non-residential district regulations shall apply to any office and commercial zoned land within the District. New and renovated buildings (more than 50% - exterior surface area altered) shall be compatible with existing scale, setbacks and massing of the buildings in the immediate area. Ground level facades shall reflect the same building materials as existing commercial buildings in the one block area adjacent to and across from the location. Fagade materials may be any standard material, except, corrugated or ribbed materials. According to the Overlay, setbacks from streets and alleys shall meet current code requirements, except setbacks may align with surrounding structures. Wall projections or recesses a minimum of three feet depth and a minimum of 20 contiguous feet not to extend over twenty (20) percent of the facade shall be required. Arcades, display windows, entry areas or awnings shall exist along at least sixty percent of the facade. Buildings shall maintain a distinction between upper and lower levels; any elevation greater than eighteen feet in height shall contain an 5 February 14, 2008 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -3652-B architectural treatment, which visually divides the structure into `stories'. New construction wider than 100 linear feet shall be massed so as to visually break the structure at intervals not less than 100 feet. Rooflines shall be varied with a change in height every one hundred linear feet in building length. Parapets, mansard roofs, gable roofs, high roofs shall be used to conceal flat roofs and roof top equipment. Predominate exterior building materials shall not be smooth - faced concrete block, tilt -up concrete panels or prefabricated steel panels. Parking requirements within the district shall be 50% of that required by Article VIII of the zoning ordinance. The maximum parking allowed shall be the minimum standard established. Surface parking shall be limited to the side and rear of structures and no parking shall be allowed in the front -yard setback. Surface parking is to be located behind or adjacent to a structure, never between the building and any abutting street. Permitted signs shall be as in Section 36-553 signs permitted in institutional and office zones. On the street level, the maximum area of signage may be doubled if at least 50% of the street -level office and retail space has direct access to the street. The highest point on any commercial sign attached to the building shall not exceed the corresponding building height. Free standing commercial signs may not exceed 18 -feet in height. Neon lit signs greater than 30 square feet are prohibited. Off -premise signs are prohibited. Lighting shall be designed to prevent light from commercial developments from excessively illuminating the property in question, other properties or night sky. Only light fixtures that are categorized as full cut-off fixtures shall be permitted. The use of fully shielded floodlights is permitted but not encouraged. Down lighting is preferred. A lighting plan shall be submitted for staff review and approval prior to the issuance of a building permit. The elevation provided indicates the building will be constructed vertically of five different materials and horizontally columns will be added along the facade at critical points to break the long horizontal plane. The western wall will also include architectural elements to mimic a false front or entrance to also assist in breaking the massing. The western fagade is presently 164 -feet long and a 16.4 - foot addition to the front is proposed for a total building length of 180.4 feet. The site plan as proposed does appear to break the massing along the western facade as typically required by the Hillcrest Design Overlay District. The front of the existing building is 204 feet and a 21 -foot expansion is proposed. The building would have an overall length of 246 feet. The front vertical plane of the building is proposed with five different construction materials and the massing of the horizontal plane will be broken with the placement of columns and architectural features at the entrances of the building. Signage for the development has not been designed. The applicant has indicated signage will comply with the Design Overlay District requirements with a maximum height of eighteen feet. [01 February 14, 2008 SUBDIVISIO ITEM NO.: B (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -3652-B Parking on the site is consistent with typical ordinance standards. The site contains 131 parking spaces. The Design Overlay District states the parking required within the District shall be 50 percent of that required by Article VIII of the zoning ordinance and the maximum parking shall be the minimum standard established in Article VIII. Based on the typical ordinance standards, 122 parking spaces would be the maximum with 61 spaces being the parking required. The site plan has indicated the building setback of the wall to three (3) feet from the west property line. The original submission included a zero building setback. With the reduction of the expansion area, additional planting space will be added between the building and sidewalk along the western side. The existing trees have been indicated on the revised site plan and it appears that the older oak trees will remain. The trees located within the new building footprint are newer plantings of Bradford Pear and Leyland Cypress. With the new construction, the drip line of a number of the trees to be retained will be disturbed. Staff recommends if the trees are damaged during the construction process and must be removed, the replacement trees must be substantial trees of a minimum of four inch caliper or the maximum caliper allowed to be planted with a root ball. Staff is supportive of the development. Staff feels the developer has done an adequate job in addressing the key elements of the Hillcrest Design Overlay District. Staff also feels the developer is sensitive to the residences located along the western fagade by allowing a combination of construction materials and including architectural features to break the massing of the western wall. To staffs knowledge there are no outstanding technical issues associated with the request. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. Staff recommends if any trees are damaged during the construction process and must be removed, the replacement trees must be substantial trees of a minimum of four -inch caliper or the maximum caliper allowed to be planted with a root ball. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (NOVEMBER 8, 2007) The applicant was present. There were registered objectors present. Staff presented the item stating the applicant had submitted a request dated October 24, 2007, requesting a deferral of this item to the January 3, 2008, public hearing. 7 February 14, 2008 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -3652-B There was no further discussion of the item. The chair entertained a motion for placement of the item on the consent agenda for deferral. The motion carried by a vote of 11 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JANUARY 3, 2008) The applicant was present. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item with a recommendation of deferral of the item to the February 14, 2008, public hearing. Staff is supportive of the deferral request. There was no further discussion of the item. The chair entertained a motion for placement of the item on the Consent Agenda for Deferral. The motion carried by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant submitted a request dated January 4, 2008, requesting a deferral of this item to the March 27, 2008, public hearing. Staff is supportive of the deferral request. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (FEBRUARY 14, 2008) The applicant was present. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item stating the applicant had submitted a request dated February 11, 2008, requesting withdrawal of the item. Staff stated the withdrawal would require a waiver of the Commission's By-laws with regard to the late withdrawal request. Staff stated they were supportive of the withdrawal request. There was no further discussion of the item. A motion was made to approve the By-law waiver. The motion carried by a vote of 8 ayes, 0 noes and 3 absent. A motion was made to approve the item as presented by staff on the consent agenda. The motion carried by a vote of 8 ayes, 0 noes and 3 absent. E:3 ITEM NO.: 9, Z-3652-B NAME: Kroger-Beechwood Revised Short-form PCD LOCATION: located at 614 Beechwood Street Planning Staff Comments: 1. Provide notification of all property owners located within 200-feet of the site, complete with the certified abstract list, notice form with affidavit executed and proof of mailing. The notice must be mailed no later than October 24, 2007. The Office of Planning and Development must receive the proof of notice no later than November 2, 2007. 2. The site is located within the Hillcrest Overlay District of the City of Little Rock. The non-residential regulations shall apply to any office and commercial zoned land within the District. New and renovated buildings (more than 50%) — exterior surface area altered) shall be compatible with existing scale, setbacks and mass of the buildings in the immediate area. The Overlay District provides the following typical requirements. Provide details of each of the items and measures for addressing these items. a. Non-residential district regulations shall apply to any office and commercial zoned land within the District. New and renovated buildings (more than 50% - exterior surface area altered) shall be compatible with existing scale, setbacks and massing of the buildings in the immediate area. a. Facades: Ground level facades shall reflect the same building materials as existing commercial buildings in the one block area adjacent to and across from the location. Fagade materials may be any standard material, except, corrugated or ribbed materials. b. Setbacks from street and alley shall meet current code requirements, expect setbacks may align with surrounding structures. c. Height — the maximum building height shall be 39-feet or three stories, measured fro the "grade plane" to the ridge-line of the highest roof surface. d. Building form — Wall projects or recesses a minimum of three feet depth and a minimum of 20-feet contiguous feet not to extend over twenty percent of the facade shall be required. Arcades, display windows, entry areas or awnings shall exist along at least sixty percent of the facade. e. Buildings shall maintain a distinction between upper and lower levels; any elevation greater than eighteen feet in height shall contain an architectural treatment, which visually divides the structure into 'stories'. Item # 9 f. New construction wider than the 100 linear feet shall be massed so as to visually break the structure at intervals not less than 100 feet. g. Roof lines shall be varied with a change in height every one hundred linear feet in building length. Parapets, mansard roofs, gable roofs, high roofs shall be used to conceal flat roofs and roof top equipment. b. Exterior building fagade; predominate exterior building materials shall not be smooth -faced concrete block, tilt -up concrete panels or prefabricated steel panels. c. Parking — Standard parking requirements — Parking requirements within the district shall be 50% of that required by Article VIII of the zoning ordinance. The maximum parking allowed shall be the minimum standard established. d. Off-site parking — Where on -street parking is allowed it shall be credited toward the parking requirements at a rate of one space per ten linear feet of street frontage. Parking spaces within a common parking facility may be counted toward the parking requirements of any development. The total number of parking spaces within the common parking facility shall not be less than the sum of requirements for the various individual uses utilizing the facility. e. Parking facilities — surface parking shall be limited to the side and rear of structures. No parking shall be allowed in the front -yard setback. Surface parking is to be located behind or adjacent to a structure, never between the building and any abutting street. Any parking structure shall be required to have active uses on the ground level other than parking (such as quiet office, or neighborhood retail uses.) f. Signage — Permitted signs shall be as in Section 36-553 signs permitted in institutional and office zones. On the street level, the maximum area of signage may be doubled if at least 50% of the street -level office and retail space has direct access to the street. The heights point on any commercial sign attached to the building shall not exceed the corresponding building height. Free standing commercial signs may not exceed 18 -feet in height. Neon lit signs greater than 30 square feet are prohibited. Off -premise signs are prohibited. g. Lighting — The purpose of the section is to regulate the intensity of exterior lighting. The intent is to prevent light from commercial developments from excessively illuminating the property in question, other properties or night sky. Only light fixtures that are categorized as full cut-off fixtures shall be permitted. The use of fully shielded floodlights are permitted but not encouraged. The following are specific standards for lighting intensity based upon the activities performed involved. Values are presented in allowable foot-candles (fc) maintained (measured horizontally) at grade and are to be averaged throughout the site. Pedestrian areas/sidewalks Minimum 0.2 fc Maximum 1.0 fc - Building entries Minimum 1.0 fc Maximum 10.0 fc - Parking areas Minimum 2.0 fc Maximum 4.0 fc. Up lighting may be used to illuminate a building, landscaping element or architectural feature, provided the lighting design has a maximum luminance of 12 fc, measured in a vertical plane. Down lighting is preferred. Item # 9 3. 4. 5. 6. k. A lighting plan shall be submitted for staff review and approval prior to the issuance of a building permit. Section 36-434.15(6)(a)(b)(c) provides details of the requirements for submission of the lighting plan. The site plan indicates a total of 131 on-site parking spaces. Based on the square footages the existing parking required is 97 spaces and with the proposed expansion 122 spaces will be required. Will there be a modification to the existing signage? Provide details of the proposed modification including changes to ground mounted or building signage. Provide a building elevation for the structure modifications. Provide the percentage of exterior surface area to be altered. Dimension the building and the building setbacks from property lines. VariancelWaivers: None requested. l �J Public Works Conditions: 1. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right- of-way prior to occupancy. 2. Appropriate handicap ramps are required in accordance along Beechwood Street with Section 31-175 of the Little Rock Code and the Master Street Plan. 3. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. Obtain barricade permit prior to doing any work in the right-of-way from Traffic Engineering at (501) 379-1805 (Travis Herbner). 4. A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersections of Woodlawn Avenue and Palm Street and Beechwood Street and Woodlawn Avenue. Utilities and Fire Department/County Planning: r r ' Wastewater: Sewer available to this property.��' Entergy: No comment received. Center -Point Energy: No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: No objection. Ib lAJV- . Fire Department: Fire hydrants may be required. Contact the Little Rock Fire Department for additional information. County Planning: No comment. CATA: The site is located near CATA Bus Route #1 — Pulaski Heights Route. Plannina Division: This request is located in the Heights Hillcrest Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Commercial for this property. The applicant has applied for a revised Short form PCD. Item # 9 The request does not require a change to the Land Use Plan. Master Street Plan: Beechwood Street is shown as a Local Street and Kavanaugh Boulevard is shown as a Collector. The primary function of a Collector Street is to provide a connection from Local Streets to Arterials. The primary function of a Local Street is to provide access to adjacent properties. Local Streets which are abutted by non-residential zoning/use or more intensive zoning than duplexes are considered as "Commercial Streets". These streets have a design standard the same as a Collector. Bicycle Plan: Class III bike routes are shown on Kavanaugh Boulevard and Beechwood Street. A Class III bikeway is a signed route on a street shared with traffic. No additional paving or right-of-way is required. Class III bicycle route signage may be required. Neighborhood Action Plan: The Hillcrest Neighborhood Action Plan covers this area. The Crime and Safety goal states: "Increase lighting and visibility around houses and businesses." The Zoning and Land Use goal states: "Encourage and improve the walkability of the neighborhood, specifically the intersection of Kavanaugh and Beechwood." Landscape: 1. Site plan must comply with the City's minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. All existing required landscaping should be replaced and in good botanical condition. 3. All existing fencing/dumpster enclosures, etc. should also be in good repair or replaced in conjunction with this request. 4. Special consideration should be given to the residential area along the east. 5. Street trees are required. A franchise agreement will be required in conjunction with the requirement. 6. This proposal/request eliminates any/all building landscaping. One option might be to turn a few of the parking spaces next to the building into landscape islands. Otherwise, a variance must be obtained from the City Beautiful Commission prior to the issuance of a building permit. Revised plat/plan: Submit four (4) copies of a revised preliminary plat/plan (to include the additional information as noted above) to staff on Wednesday, October 24, 2007. Item # 9