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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Action Letter - Withdrawn 081822August 11, 2022 ITEM NO.: A FILE NO.: Z-9681 NAME: Rezoning from I-2 to I-3 LOCATION: East side of Thayer Street (2000 Block) DEVELOPER: Stedman Williams 3616 Stonehedge Drive Little Rock, AR 72204 OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: Stedman Williams 3616 Stonehedge Drive Little Rock, AR 72204 SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: Brooks Surveying 20820 Arch Street Pike Hensley, AR 72065 AREA: 1.00 acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: 1 PLANNING DISTRICT: 8 CENSUS TRACT: 11 CURRENT ZONING: I-2 VARIANCE/WAIVERS: None requested. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant is proposing to rezone the 1.00 acre located on the East side of Thayer Street (2000 Block) from “I-2” Industrial to “I-3” Industrial to allow for development of a contractor maintenance yard and ready-mix concrete plant. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The property is currently vacant and is heavily wooded. The property contains varying degrees of slope, primarily sloping downward from north to south. August 11, 2022 ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9681 2 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: No comment. E. UTILITIES/FIRE DEPARTMENT/PARKS/COUNTY PLANNING: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No comments received. Entergy: No comments received. CenterPoint Energy: No comments received. AT & T: No comments received. Central Arkansas Water: NO OBJECTIONS: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Fire Department: Maintain Access:  Fire Hydrants. 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 August 11, 2022 ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9681 3 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. Fire Hydrants Locate Fire Hydrants as per Appendix C of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code. Section C101 – C105, in conjunction with Central Arkansas Water (Daniel Tull 501-377-1245) and the Little Rock Fire Marshal’s Office (Capt. Tony Rhodes 501-918-3757, or Fire Marshal Derek N. Ingram 501-918-3756 Number and Distribution of Fire Hydrants as per Table C105.1. Parks and Recreation: No comment received. County Planning: No comments received. F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Code: No comments received. Landscape: No comment. G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No comments received. August 11, 2022 ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9681 4 Planning Division: The request is in the Central City Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Industrial (I) for the requested area. The Industrial (I) category encompasses a wide variety of manufacturing, warehousing research and development, processing, and industry related office and service activities. Industrial development typically occurs on an individual tract basis rather than according to an overall development plan. The application is to rezone from Light Industrial District (I-2) to Industrial District (I-3) to allow for the storage of raw materials and the use of the property as a ready-mix plant. Surrounding the application area, the Land Use Plan shows Industrial (I) to the north, west and south. To the east is Parks/Open Space (PK/OS) and Residential Low Density (RL). The Parks/Open Space category includes all public parks, recreation facilities, greenbelts, flood plains, and other designated open space and recreational land. The Residential Low Density (RL) category provides for single- family homes at densities not to exceed 6 units per acre. Such residential development is typically characterized by conventional single-family homes but may include patio or garden homes and cluster homes, provided that the density remains less than 6 units per acre. According to the Land Use Plan, the PK/OS area is a buffer between the Industrial area and the Residential Low-Density area to the east. In the Plan, the PK/OS area covers the rear half the of the single-family homes existing in the RL area. There are no parks or open spaces that exists in this area today. The single-family homes directly abut the applicant area. West of the property, across Thayer Street, is the Arkansas Midland Railroad tracks, a Class 1 Railroad. Across the tracks, further west, is Public/Institutional (PI). This category includes public and quasi-public facilities that provide a variety of services to the community such as schools, libraries, fire stations, churches, utility substations, and hospitals. This property is the Roselawn Cemetery. The land surrounding the applicant property is currently zoned Light Industrial District (I-2) to the north, west, and south. I-2 is designed to accommodate a wide range of industrial and related uses which conform to high development standards. Industrial establishments of this type may either be located in extensive areas devoted solely to these uses or may provide a buffer between commercial districts and other industrial uses which involve more objectionable influences. Directly east, the majority of land is zoned Single-family (R-3). R-3 p rovides an appropriate district for existing developed areas occupied by smaller scale single-family housing while at the same time maintaining reasonable standards of light, air and similar amenities for living. The requested zoning, Industrial District (I-3), is a heavy industrial district designed to accommodate industrial uses which involve August 11, 2022 ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9681 5 potentially objectionable uses and hazards, and which, therefore, cannot be reasonably expected to conform to a high level of performance standards, but which are essential to the economic viability of the city. The applicant land is currently zoned Light Industrial District (I-2) and is a vacant lot. Master Street Plan: To the west of the site is Thayer Street, a Local Street on the Master Street Plan. The primary function of Local Streets is to provide access to adjacent properties. Local Streets that are abutted by non-residential zoning/use or more intensive zoning than duplexes are considered as “Commercial Streets”. This street may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. Bicycle Plan: There is a proposed Class I Bike Path shown to the west of the property running parallel to the railroad tracks. Historic Preservation Plan: There are no existing historic sites on this land. However, the site is a quarter of a mile from the Central High Historic District to the east. Equally, it is 150 feet from the Lamb-McSwain House (PU9974), an Individually listed structure on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is also a quarter of a mile east of the Roselawn Memorial Gatehouse (PU3166), a NRHP Individually listed structure. H. ANALYSIS: The applicant is proposing to rezone the 1.00-acre property located on the East side of Thayer Street (2000 Block) from “I-2” Light Industrial to “I-3” Industrial to allow for development of a contractor maintenance yard and ready-mix concrete plant. The property is currently vacant and is heavily wooded. The property contains varying degrees of slope, primarily sloping downward from north to south. The site is located within an area just south of Wright Avenue and is primarily surrounded by I-2 Light Industrial zoned properties to the north, and south, with Thayer Street along the west border. The property is bordered by a developed R-3 zoned residential area to the east. The City’s Future Land Use Plan designates this property as “I” “Industrial”. The requested I-3 zoning does not require an amendment to the future land use plan. August 11, 2022 ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9681 6 Staff does not support the proposed rezoning. Staff does not consider the proposed I-3 zoning appropriate for the site. The surrounding properties to the north, south, and west are zoned “I-2” Light Industrial. The site’s shallow lot depth does not allow for appropriate natural buffer transition to occur between a heavy industrial use and the residential zoned properties to the east. The proposed I-3 zoning is too intense for the size of the property and will have a negative impact on the abutting residential zoned properties. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends denial of the requested I-3 rezoning. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MAY 12, 2022) Staff informed the Commission that the applicant failed to send the required notifications to surrounding property owners. Staff recommended the application be deferred to the June 9, 2022 agenda. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and deferred as recommended by staff. The vote was 10 ayes, 0 nays, 0 absent and 1 open position. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 9, 2022) Staff informed the Commission that the applicant failed to send the required notifications to surrounding property owners. Staff recommended the application be deferred to the July 14, 2022 agenda. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and deferred as recommended by staff. The vote was 10 ayes, 0 nays, 0 absent and 1 open position. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JULY 14, 2022) The item was placed on consent agenda for deferral. By a vote of 10 for, 0 against, 0 absent, and 1 vacant position the consent deferral was approved. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 11, 2022) The applicant was not present. There were no persons present registered in opposition. Staff informed the Commission the applicant failed to send notifications to surrounding property owners as required. This application has been deferred two (2) previous times. In accordance with Planning Commission By-Laws, Staff recommends this application be withdrawn. The item remained on the consent agenda and withdrawn as recommended by staff. The vote was 9 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent and 1 open position.