Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-3660-C Staff AnalysisMay 27, 1999 ITEM NO.: 11 FILE NO.: S-1248 NAME: Otter Creek Town Center - Subdivision Site Plan Review and Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: Northwest corner of Interstate 30 and Interstate 430 DEVELOPER: ENGINEER: Otter Creek Land Co. McGetrick and McGetrick #2 Otter Creek Court 319 East Markham St., Ste. 202 Little Rock, AR 72209 Little Rock, AR 72201 AREA: 258 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 2 FT. NEW STREET: Approximately 9,000 linear feet ZONING: C-3 and C-4 ALLOWED USES: Commercial PROPOSED USE: Commercial VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: The applicant is proposing a multiple building site plan for the 258 acre property at the northwest corner of I-30 and I-430. The property is zoned C-3 and C-4 and the applicant is proposing C-3 type uses for the entire property. The applicant has noted that no auto dealerships are planned for the property. The only exception to this is the 128,650 square foot building (with 49,150 square foot garden center) which faces I-30. The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit for this building to allow for the operation of a home center due to the fact that most of the building falls within the C-3 zoning (a home center is a conditional use in C-3 zoning). The applicant is proposing building, parking areas, access and street design as noted on the attached site plan. May 27, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 11 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1248 There are also areas noted as being reserved for future development. The applicant is proposing a total of 994,531 square feet of commercial building area and 5,610 parking spaces. The proposed Lot 1 as noted on the attached site plan shows three (3) large retail buildings and three (3) smaller commercial buildings, totaling 264,480 square feet. There are 1,390 parking spaces proposed for this parcel. Lot 2 as noted on the site plan contains multiple commercial buildings totaling 610,051 square feet and a 120,000 square foot theatre (5,000 seats). A total of 4,220 parking spaces is proposed for this parcel. The applicant has noted that a revised preliminary plat would be submitted as part of this application. A preliminary plat for this property was approved by the Planning Commission on August 6, 1998. None of the property has been final platted. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The 258 acre site is currently undeveloped and mostly wooded. The property is the former proposed Otter Creek Mall site. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: The Otter Creek Neighborhood Association was notified of the public hearing. As of this writing, staff has received no comment from the neighborhood. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. AHTD approval required. 2. Traffic impact study will be required. 3. The inner road needs to be named and approved by this office. Avoid any name with "Otter Creek" attached to it. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer main extension required with easements to serve property. AP&L: Utility easements (30 feet) requested along the north and west property lines and 10 foot easements requested along both sides of the proposed street. 2 May 27, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 11 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1248 Arkla: No Comment. Southwestern Bell: No Comment. Water: Installation of water facilities is required including off site water mains. Fire Department: No Comment. County Planning: No Comment received. CATA: CATA Express Route #30 serves near this site; too much parking in the front of buildings on the south side of the site. Could some parking spaces be re -located to the back of the facilities or does the pond offer views for the garden offices? F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: No Comment. Landscape Issues: The proposed street buffer along Interstate 30 does not meet the average width requirements of sixty feet. The proposed width is about twenty feet for the most part. The minimum requirement with transfers would be forty feet. The proposed average street buffer width proposed along Creek Road falls about ten feet below the minimum width requirement of twenty-three feet. The full requirement without transfers is thirty-four feet. The proposed street buffer width for the street planned to go through the center of the two developments meets the ordinance requirement of twenty feet when averaged out, though it drops to a width of about ten feet in areas. A three foot wide landscape strip is required between public parking areas and the buildings. Some flexibility with this requirement is allowed. Dumpsters location must be shown. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible. Extra credit toward fulfilling 3 May 27, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 11 (Cont.) FILE NO.: 5-1248 Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six inch caliper or larger. Prior to a building permit being issued, a detailed landscape plan must be approved by the Plans Review Specialist. G. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised site plan to staff on May 13, 1999. The revised plan addresses some of the concerns raised by the Subdivision Committee. The revised plan shows the 45 foot setbacks and building lines within the C-4 zoned portion as required. Dumpster locations are also shown. One of the concerns that staff has with the site plan is the uninterrupted traffic flow from one end of the proposed street to the other, in front of the grocery, home center and entertainment complexes. Staff felt that traffic calming devices should be designed to break up this drive. The revised plan shows a single traffic circle near the southeast corner of the property between the grocery and home center complexes. Staff feels that this is not adequate and that additional traffic calming devices should be installed. As noted earlier, total proposed parking for Lot 1 is 1,390 spaces, with 4,220 spaces proposed for Lot 2. The minimum ordinance requirement for Lot 1 is 1,175 spaces, 215 spaces over the minimum requirement. The minimum requirement for Lot 2 is 3,711 parking spaces, 509 spaces over the minimum. Staff feels that the total number of parking spaces should be reduced, with additional landscaping provided, especially within the street buffer areas. There are also Public Works issues which need to be resolved, primarily the issue of traffic and circulation. The applicant has submitted a traffic study to Public Works, but as of this writing no response from Public Works has been received. Staff will attempt to have this issue resolved prior to the public hearing. Although staff is relatively pleased with the concept of the proposed site plan, there are issues which need to be resolved. Issues relating to internal traffic circulation, number of parking spaces and Public Works Traffic issues 4 May 27, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 11 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1248 need to be resolved before this plan can be fully supported by staff. H. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the site plan subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the requirements as noted in paragraphs D, E and F of this report. 2. Any site lighting should be low-level and directed away from adjacent property. 3. A revised preliminary plat must be submitted to staff. 4. The issue relating to internal traffic circulation must be resolved (traffic calming). 5. Staff feels that the total number of parking spaces should be reduced with additional landscaping provided. 6. The Public Works traffic issues must be resolved. 7. Staff recommends approval of the conditional use permit for the home center. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENTS: (MAY 6, 1999) Pat McGetrick and Tommy Hodges were present, representing the application. Staff gave a brief description of the site plan and noted additional information which needed to be shown on a revised site plan. Mr. Hodges noted that the garden offices shown on the original site plan submitted would be removed. Staff noted that the drives in front of the grocery store complex and the home center complex needed to be broken -up to provide traffic calming in these areas. The Public Works requirements were briefly reviewed. Public Works Staff noted that a traffic impact study for this proposed development would be required. The future one-way service roads for I-30 were briefly discussed. Mr. Hodges noted that the service road issue and the future off -ramp issue (I-430) had been worked out with the State Highway Department. Staff noted that many of the proposed street buffers do not meet the average width requirements. Mr. McGetrick indicated that the appropriate buffers would be shown on a revised site plan. After the discussion, the Committee forwarded the site plan to the full Commission for final action. May 27, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 11 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1248 PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MAY 27, 1999) Pat McGetrick and Tommy Hodges were present, representing the application. There were no objectors present. Staff gave a detailed description of the proposed site plan. Tommy Hodges addressed the Commission in support of the application. He noted that he was available to answer any questions. Frank Riggins, representing the City Beautiful Commission, encouraged the developer to save as many mature trees within the site as possible. Commissioner Muse asked for clarification on the landscaped areas and tree preservation. Mr. Hodges noted that a number of the trees around an existing pond on the site would be preserved. He stated that 90 to 100 acres of the property would be given to the Arkansas Game and Fish Department for preservation. He noted that there would be a park -like setting around the pond area. He also noted that this property was cleared several years ago and the trees which are currently on the site are young, small trees. Mr. Hodges stated that 300 to 400 parking spaces were eliminated on the site plan in order to provide increased landscape buffers and to redesign the internal traffic circulation. Commissioner Adcock asked when the project construction would begin. Mr. Hodges stated that construction was anticipated to begin in late summer of 1999. A motion was made to approve the site plan as recommended by staff. The motion passed by a vote of 7 ayes, 0 nays, 3 absent and 1 abstention (Lowry). 2