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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-3653 Staff AnalysisMarch 24, 1981 Item No. 3 - Z-3653 Owner: Frank B. Whitbeck Applicant: Frank B. Whitbeck Location: Southeast corner, Cantrell Road at North Street Request: Rezone from "0-3" General Office to "C-3" General Commercial Purpose: Conformity with existing use (Billboard) Size: 9300 square feet + Existing Use: Outdoor advertising sign SURROUNDING LAND USE AND ZONING North - Multifamily, Zoned "R-5" South - Single Family, Zoned "I-2" East - Single Family and Multifamily, Zoned "0-3" West - Industrial, Zoned "I-3" PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS No adverse comments have been received from any reviewing agency, and there are no Master Street Plan issues. This property has been occupied by a billboard for about thirty years, but said billboard is a nonconforming sign under the Little Rock Sign Code, and a nonconforming structure under the Little Rock Zoning Ordinance. The applicant lost a bid to gain setback waivers from the Board of Adjustment on March 16, 1981, so that the nonconformity of the structure would be solved. The Sign Code states that off -premise signs (billboards) are allowed only on property zoned for commercial or industrial use. However, billboards are not a use by definition of the Zoning Ordinance. The applicant is pursuing two angles with regard to the nonconforming sign question: (1) a request to rezone the property for commercial use, and (2) an application to the Sign Board of Review for relief from that provision of the.Sign Code. Staff feels that North Street has been established as the dividing point between industrial uses and multifamily and office uses, and that the long term viability of the industrial development in the area is doubtful. March 24, 1981 Item No. 3 - Continued STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends denial. COMMISSION ACTION The applicant was present and there were no objectors. The applicant read a prepared statement to the Planning Commission and answered a number of questions from Commissioners relative to other potential uses of the property and for the use of the existing billboard. There was a fairly lengthy discussion of the alternative uses for the property and, upon questioning of the Planning Commission, the owner stated that he had the property for over two years. The question was raised relative to the Highway Beautification Act of the Federal Highway Administration and its impact on the billboard proposed for the site. The Chairman requested that the matter be deferred so that the owner could check with the Highway Department relative to the impact of that Act on his proposal. The Commission moved to defer the request to the April 14 Planning Commission meeting. The motion to defer was passed: 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent.