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Home My WebLink AboutZ-4336-I Staff AnalysisNovember 3,71992r ITEM NO.: 10 FILE NO.: Z -4336-I NAME: LOCATION: OWNER/APPLICANT: PROPOSAL: ORDINANCE DESIGN STANDARDS: 1. Site Location Arkansas Children's Hospital - Site Plan Review Northeast corner of Battery Street and Maryland Avenue (West 9th Street) Arkansas Children's Hospital by J. Richard Taylor, AIA, Agent To construct in two phases a six story 156,000 square foot addition to the hospital to be used for various clinics and hospital units. This proposal also includes a one story addition to the emergency room located on the ground floor of the wing connecting the main hospital and the Sturgis Medical Office Building. This site is located at the northeast corner of Battery Street and West 9th Street (Maryland Avenue), on the west side of the main Children's Hospital building. 2. Compatibility with Neighborhood All but two properties located within 200 feet of the proposed building are owned by Children's Hospital. The hospital owns or controls the majority of the property in the neighborhood bounded by Battery, Dr. Martin Luther King, I-630 and West 13th Streets. Other uses in the immediate area are extremely mixed including a variety of residential zonings, offices, Immanuel Baptist Church, commercial uses and even a small area of industrial zoning. The proposed additions should have little effect on the neighborhood. 3. On -Site ❑rives and Parkin Construction of this addition will displace approximately 50 parking spaces which will be reassigned in the surrounding Arkansas Children's Hospital parking lots. This will leave the hospital with 1,575 parking spaces; 1,552 regular and 25 handicapped. A portion of the existing drive will be removed. Traffic flow on this drive will be diverted south onto a second drive which is being converted to one way (to the south). 1 I l November 3, 1992 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 10 Continued FILE NO.: Z -4336-I 4. 'Screening and Buffers A 30 foot street side buffer is required adjacent to Battery Street. Only 17 feet of open space is shown. This 17 foot area is currently landscaped with grass and three to four trees. The applicant proposes to replant this area in trees and shrubbery as a part of this project. Applicant proposes the construction of an 11,000± square foot park at the southwest corner of West 9th Street and Wolfe Street (both now closed) to offset the reduction of landscape/buffer adjacent to Battery Street. Arkansas Children's Hospital has recently been working with the City to improve landscaping in the front parking lot located between the main entrance to the hospital and Marshall Street. 5. fLitv En ineer Comments Parking for the proposed addition needs to be addressed. Complete "future parking structure" prior to completion of final phase of this project. 6. Utility Comments Little Rock Municipal Water Works indicates there is a problem with the 8 inch water main that is under the proposed building addition. It will need to be relocated and/or replaced to provide adequate fire protection to this site and equivalent water facilities. 7. Analysis The proposal as submitted appears to be compatible with the hospital's commitment to growth while remaining in the central city area. Serious consideration needs to be given to addressing the hospital's long range parking needs. Parking is already at a premium in this area and the addition of 156,000 square feet of new clinics and offices will certainly exacerbate the situation. A "future parking structure" is indicated on the northwest corner of West 9th Street and Battery Street, directly across Battery Street from this proposed addition. It is time for the hospital to consider developing this parking structure. Perhaps the phasing of this proposed addition could be tied to completion of a parking structure. The proposed addition would have a finished height of 60 feet. 45 feet is the ordinance limit. The proposed structure also encroaches into the required 25 foot setback 2 November 3,'1992 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 10 Continued FILE NO.: Z -4336-I from the Battery Street property line. A 30 foot buffer is required adjacent to Battery Street. This application proposes only a 17 foot buffer in this area. Staff feels that the height and setback issues are not of major concern. Arkansas Children's Hospital owns the majority of the property in the immediate vicinity including the entire block directly west of this site, which is currently a parking lot for the hospital. This portion of Battery Street acts as little more than access and driveway for the hospital. Future plans are to tie the proposed addition to the proposed future parking structure with a skywalk which will extend over this portion of Battery Street. 8. Staff Recommendation Staff recommends approval of this application subject to City Engineer comments and resolution of the Little Rock Municipal Water Works' concern regarding the 8 inch water main which is under the proposed building addition. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (OCTOBER 15, 1992) The applicant was not present. Staff presented the application and outlined the concerns noted above such as the setback and height variance issues as well as the concerns noted regarding parking. A brief discussion took place in which the Committee then directed staff to contact the applicant and inquire as to what the hospital's daily parking needs currently are, and how those needs will be impacted by the addition of this 156,000 square feet of hospital space. The Committee felt that they could not tie the construction of the "future parking structure" to the construction of this project without knowing what the hospital's current parking needs and future parking needs are. The Committee then instructed the staff to contact the applicant to obtain from him an explanation as to why an encroachment into the required 25 foot setback was necessary. The Committee then forwarded this item to the full Commission for final resolution. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (NOVEMBER 3, 1992) J: Richard Taylor was present representing Arkansas Children's Hospital. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the application and stated that Mr. Taylor was prepared to address the two concerns raised by the Subdivision Committee review which were parking and the encroachment into the 3 November 3, 1992 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 10 Continued FILE NO.: Z-4335-I required setback. The Commission was also informed that a late letter was received from Arkla stating that there was an 8 inch gas main in the area of the proposed new construction. Mr. Taylor then addressed the Commission. He informed the Commission that Children's Hospital had acquired additional property which will be developed into parking lots, with approximately 300 parking spaces. He stated that Garver and Garver Engineering was in the early stages of developing a plan for the design of these new parking lots. Mr. Taylor then stated that this proposal was not necessarily a two phase project but may actually be three or four phases. Mr. Taylor then addressed the proposed setback encroachment. He explained that the most effective utilization of available space using standard hospital design for hallways and room size would require this 8 foot encroachment. Mr. Taylor explained that the remaining 17 feet off of Battery Street would be heavily landscaped. Commissioner Walker then spoke and expressed hope that Children's Hospital would develop a long range plan to design a more campuslike setting, incorporating its many scattered properties and establishing boundaries with appropriate buffers, landscaping and green space. Mr. Taylor explained that the hospital had a long range plan that is in continual fluctuation, and that they were sensitive to the concerns raised by Commissioner Walker. In response to a question from Chairman McDaniel, Mr. Taylor stated that Children's Hospital was aware of all utilities in the vicinity, including the 8 inch gas main mentioned earlier. Chairman McDaniel then urged Children's Hospital to develop a coherent master plan to show the Commission at a later date addressing some of the concerns that had been mentioned. Jim Lawson, Director of the Department of Neighborhoods and Planning, told the Commission that staff had met with the architect for Children's Hospital and discussed these very concerns and was working with Children's to develop a master plan for the hospital. After further discussion between Mr. Taylor and the Commission, Chairman McDaniel called the question. The vote to approve the item as submitted was 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. 4