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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-4343-Z Staff AnalysisApril 26, 2012 ITEM NO.: C FILE NO.: Z -4343-Z NAME: The Ranch Tract I Nursing Home — Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: East side of Ranch Blvd., south of Saratoga Drive OWNER/APPLICANT: Ranch Properties/White Daters and Associates PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit is requested to allow for the construction of a 54 bed nursing home/Alzheimer's care facility on this vacant, MF -18 zoned, 3.9 acre tract. 1. SITE LOCATION: t The site is located on the east side of Ranch Blvd., south of Saratoga Drive. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: The property is located in an area of mixed zoning and uses, where the uses transition from the residential lots in The Ranch to the Institutional, Office and Commercial uses along Ranch Drive and Cantrell Road. The residential neighborhood extends to the east and north. Arkansas Baptist High School is located across Ranch Blvd. to the west. Office uses are located to the southwest. Commercial and Office Uses are located along Cantrell and Ranch Drive to the south. The Leisure Arts facility is located to the southeast. Allowing this 3.9± acre parcel of MF -18 zoned property to be developed for a 54 bed nursing home/Alzheimer's care facility appears to be an appropriate use for this site and should be compatible with uses and zoning in the area. All owners of properties located within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet who could be identified and the Johnson Ranch, Chevaux and Coalition of West Little Rock Neighborhood Associations were notified of this request. 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: A 54 bed nursing home requires 54 on-site parking spaces based on a requirement of 1 space per each bed. The applicant is requesting a variance to allow for a 40 -space parking lot with a single driveway off of Ranch Blvd. A second driveway is to provide access to the dumpster and service area. April 26, 2012 ITEM NO.: C Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -4343-Z 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: Compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinance is required A twenty-three (23) foot wide land use buffer is required along the site's east perimeter where adjacent to single family residential properties. Seventy (70) percent of this buffer must remain undisturbed. The area appears to be allocated for this minimal requirement. Interior landscaping must be no less than eight (8) percent of the vehicular use area. Each landscape island must be no less than one hundred fifty (150) square feet in area and seven and one half (7.5) feet in width. A six (6) foot high opaque screen, either a wooden fence with its face side directed outward, a wall, or dense evergreen plantings, is required along the eastern perimeter of the site. Credit towards fulfilling this requirement can be given for existing trees and undergrowth that satisfies this year -around requirement. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, it will be necessary to provide an approved landscape plan stamped with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on this tree -covered site. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when properly preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. 5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS: At time of construction, sidewalks with appropriate handicap ramps are required in accordance with Section 31-175 of the Little Rock Code and the Master Street Plan. 2. At time of construction, repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. 3. At time of construction, a grading permit in accordance with Section 29-186 (c) and (d) will be required prior to any land clearing or grading activities at the site. Other than residential subdivisions, site grading and drainage plans must be submitted and approved prior to the start of construction. 2 April 26, 2012 ITEM NO.: C(Cont.)FILE NO.: Z -4343-Z 4. At time of construction, storm water detention ordinance applies to this property. 5. At time of construction, if disturbed area is one or more acres, obtain a NPDES storm water permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality prior the start of construction. 6. At time of construction, on site striping and signage plans should be forwarded to Public Works, Traffic Engineering for approval with the site development package. 7. Driveway locations do not meet the traffic access and circulation requirements of Sections 30-43 and 31-210. The driveway locations are required to be located at least 125 feet from the property line. A variance must be requested for the driveways to be located as shown. 8. At the time of construction, damage to public and private property due to hauling operations or operation of construction related equipment from a nearby construction site shall be repaired by the responsible party prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy. 9. Retaining walls designed to exceed fifteen (15) feet in height are required to seek a variance for construction. Provide proposed wall elevations. 10. Prior to construction of retaining walls, an engineer's certification of design and plans must be submitted to Public Works for approval. After construction, an as built certification is required for construction of the retaining wall. 6. UTILITY, FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Capacity Analysis required for this project prior to connection to Little Rock Wastewater System. Entergy: No comment received Centerpoint Energy: No comment received. AT&T (SBC): No comment received. Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. The Little Rock Fire Department needs to evaluate this site to determine whether additional public and/or private fire hydrant(s) will be required. If 3 April 26, 2012 ITEM NO.: C (Contj FILE NO.: Z -4343-Z additional fire hydrant(s) are required, they will be installed at the Developer's expense. Please submit plans for water facilities and/or fire protection system to Central Arkansas Water for review. Plan revisions may be required after additional review. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding procedures for installation of water facilities and/or fire service. Approval of plans by the Arkansas Department of Health Engineering Division and Little Rock Fire Department is required. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding the size and location of the water meter. A Capital Investment Charge based on the size of meter connection(s) will apply to this project in addition to normal charges. This fee will apply to all connections including metered connections off the private fire system. Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZ) is required on the domestic water service. This assembly must be installed prior to the first point of use. Central Arkansas Water (CAW) requires that upon installation of the RPZA, successful tests of the assembly must be completed by a Certified Assembly Tester licensed by the State of Arkansas and approved by CAW. The test results must be sent to CAW's Cross Connection Section within ten (10) days of installation and annually thereafter. Contact the Cross Connection Section at 377-1226 if you would like to discuss backflow prevention requirements for this project. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. Install Fire hydrants per Code; maintain access. County Planning: No Comments. CATA: The site is not located on a CATA bus route. SUBDIVISIDN COMMITTEE COMMENT: (FEBRUARY 22, 2012) Joe White was present, representing the application. Staff presented the item and noted additional information was needed regarding building height and design, signage, fencing and the height of the proposed retaining wall. Staff noted the requested parking variance and asked Mr. White to provide justification, including the number of employees by shift and days. Mr. White was asked to locate the mechanical equipment. Staff noted any roof -mounted 4 April 26, 2012 ITEM NO.: C (Cont. FILE NO.: z equipment would need to be screened from the residential properties located above the site to the east. Public Works and Landscape Comments were noted and discussed. Mr. White was advised to request a driveway spacing variance. Utility and outside agency comments were noted. The applicant was advised to submit responses to staff by February 29, 2012. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission. STAFF ANALYSIS: On April 22, 2010, the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit to allow for the development of the MF -18 zoned tract for a 54 bed nursing home/Alzheimer's care facility. The approved development consisted of a one- story building built around a central courtyard and a 54 space parking lot to be located between the building and Ranch Blvd. The building was to have a residential appearance, utilizing materials which complied with the covenants and restrictions at The Ranch. A 30 -foot wide undisturbed buffer, with screening, was to be located along the east perimeter, where the site abuts single family. Dumpster service was limited to daylight hours and signage was limited to a single ground -mounted sign and to exceed 6 feet in height and 24 square feet in area and a wall sign not to exceed 32 square feet in area. The item was approved on the consent agenda. The project has not been constructed. The applicant is now requesting approval of a revised CUP to allow construction of the 54 bed nursing home/Alzheimer's care facility. The building design has been changed but is still a one-story building built around a central courtyard. The area of the site has been increased slightly from 3.8 acres to 3.9 acres. Parking is now proposed to be located adjacent to the building rather than in front of the building. A second, service driveway is proposed on the south side of the site to provide access to the dumpster and service area. The facility will still be, "cut into" the hillside from Ranch Blvd., with a retaining wall not to exceed 15 feet in height. The 30 -foot undisturbed buffer on the east side is still proposed with a 6 -foot high opaque screen, either a wooden fence or dense evergreen plantings, to be placed on the property line adjacent to the single family properties. A single ground sign is proposed. The exterior of the structure will be residential in nature. It is a one-story building with a sloped architectural shingle roof. The exterior will be a combination of brick and siding to match the architectural style of The Ranch. The building will not exceed 30 feet in height. Dumpster service will be limited to daylight hours. The only proposed fencing is located on the east perimeter as an option to 5 April 26, 2012 ITEM NO.: C (Cont. 11��►[�1���C�k3� provide screening where the site is adjacent to residential properties. Screening will be either the fence or dense evergreen plantings. Two variances are requested. Neither driveway meets the requirement of spacing of 125 feet from the property line. Staff expects the use to be a relatively low traffic generator. One driveway is for access to the dumpster and service area only. Staff supports a driveway spacing variance. The facility typically requires 54 parking spaces based on a ratio of one space per bed. The applicant is proposing 40 spaces. This applicant operates other similar facilities and has found that a lesser number of parking spaces are sufficient. They typically have 10-15 employees on staff on two shifts. Shift times are staggered to provide continuity of care. The applicant states as an assisted living Alzheimer's care facility, the ratio of staff to patients is not as high as in a conventional skilled care nursing home. Additionally, there is sufficient space on the site to expand the parking lot if it is later determined that additional parking is needed. To staff's knowledge, there are no outstanding issues. The Ranch Commercial bill of assurance contains the following statement: "Properties shall be developed, used or occupied in compliance with the applicable zoning and subdivision codes and regulations of the City of Little Rock." STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested conditional use permit subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the agenda staff report. 2. The undisturbed buffer area is to be marked with orange construction fencing prior to any site work and is to be protected throughout construction. 3. Signage is to be limited to a wall sign on the facade facing Ranch Blvd. and a single ground -mounted sign not to exceed 6 feet in height and 24 square feet in area. 4. No delivery trucks are to stop on Ranch Blvd. and back into the service drive. Nor are they to back out of the service drive onto Ranch Blvd. 5. Any roof -mounted mechanical equipment is to be screened from the residential properties to the east. Staff recommends approval of the driveway spacing and parking variances. 0 April 26, 2012 ITEM NO.: C (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -4343-Z PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MARCH 15, 2012) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff informed the Commission that on March 15, 2012 the applicant had requested deferral of the item to allow for possible changes to the site plan. Staff recommended approval of the deferral request. A motion was made to waive the bylaws to allow for the late deferral request. The motion was approved by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. The item was then placed on the consent agenda and approved for deferral to the April 26, 2012 meeting by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. STAFF UPDATE: The plan has been revised to basically "flip" the building and parking. The parking lot and service area are now located on the south side of the building with access off of a driveway that is shared with the lot adjacent to the south. A drop-off driveway and turn -around area now located in front of the building. There is no other change to the proposal or plan. There is no longer a driveway spacing variance. Staff has noted the proposed shared driveway cannot exceed 36 feet in width. To staffs knowledge, there are no outstanding issues. The item was presented to the Subdivision Committee on April 5, 2012 with only the driveway width being noted as an issue. REVISED STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested conditional use permit subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the agenda staff report. 2. The undisturbed buffer area is to be marked with orange construction fencing prior to any site work and is to be protected throughout construction. 3. Signage is to be limited to a wall sign on the fagade facing Ranch Blvd. and a single ground -mounted sign not to exceed 6 feet in height and 24 square feet in area. 4. No delivery trucks are to stop on Ranch Blvd. and back into the service drive. Nor are they to back out of the service drive onto Ranch Blvd. 5. Any roof -mounted mechanical equipment is to be screened from the residential properties to the east. Staff recommends approval of the parking variance. 7 April 26, 2012 ITEM NO.: C Cont, FILF NO.: Z -4343-Z PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (APRIL 26, 2012) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval as outlined in the "staff recommendation" above. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and approved as recommended by staff by a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. E SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENTS FEBRUARY 22, 2012 ITEM NO.: 4 THE RANCH TRACT I NURSING HOME CONDITIONAL USE FERMIT —EAST OF RANCH BLVD. SO OF SARATOGA DR Z -4343-Z Planning Staff Comments: 1. There is no Bill of Assurance for this acreage tract. 2. Provide building height. 3. Provide information on building design; materials, roof, etc.. 4. Provide signage plan; only one ground sign permitted. 5. Locate and describe any proposed fencing. 6. Dumpster service will be limited to daylight hours. 7. Provide height of retaining wall. 8. Provide justification for parking variance. 9. Provide number of employees by shift and days. 10. Locate mechanical equipment and screening from the residences that look down on the site, Variance/Waivers: • Reduced parking from fifty-four (54) to forty (40) spaces. Public Works: 1. At time of construction, sidewalks with appropriate handicap ramps are required in accordance with Section 31-175 of the Little Rock Code and the Master Street Plan. 2. At time of construction, repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. 3. At time of construction, a grading permit in accordance with Section 29-185 (c) and (d) will be required prior to any land clearing or grading activities at the site. Other than residential subdivisions, site grading and drainage plans must be submitted and approved prior to the start of construction. 4. At time of construction, storm water detention ordinance applies to this property. 5. At time of construction, if disturbed area is one or more acres, obtain a NPDES storm water permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality prior the start of construction. 5. At time of construction, on site striping and signage plans should be forwarded to Public Works, Traffic Engineering for approval with the site development package. 7. Driveway locations do not meet the traffic access and circulation requirements of Sections 30-43 and 31- 210. The driveway locations are required to be Iocated at least 125 feet from the property line. A variance must be requested for the driveways to be Iocated as shown. 8. At the time of construction, damage to public and private property due to hauling operations or operation of construction related equipment from a nearby construction site shall be repaired by the responsible party prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy. 9. Retaining walls designed to exceed fifteen (15) feet in height are required to seek a variance for construction. Provide proposed wall elevations. 10. Prior to construction of retaining walls, an engineer's certification of design and plans must be submitted to Public Works for approval. After construction, an as built certification is required for construction of the retaining wall. Utilities and Fire De artment/County Planning: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Capacity Analysis required for this project prior to connection to Little Rock Wastewater System. Entergy: No comment received ITEM NO.: 4. CON' (Z -4343 -Z) Centerpoint Energy: No comment received. AT&T (SBC): No comment received. Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. The Little Rock Fire Department needs to evaluate this site to determine whether additional public and/or private fire hydrant(s) will be required. If additional fire hydrant(s) are required, they will be installed at the Developer's expense. Please submit plans for water facilities and/or fire protection system to Central Arkansas Water for review. Plan revisions may be required after additional review. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding procedures for installation of water facilities and/or fire service. Approval of plans by the Arkansas Department of Health Engineering Division and Little Rock Fire Department is required. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding the size and location of the water meter. A Capital Investment Charge based on the size of meter connection(s) will apply to this project in addition to normal charges. This fee will apply to all connections including metered connections off the private fire system. Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZ) is required on the domestic water service. This assembly must be installed prior to the first point of use. Central Arkansas Water (CAW) requires that upon installation of the RPZA, successful tests of the assembly must be completed by a Certified Assembly Tester licensed by the State of Arkansas and approved by CAW. The test results must be sent to CAW's Cross Connection Section within ten (10) days of installation and annually thereafter. Contact the Cross Connection Section at 377-1226 if you would like to discuss backflow prevention requirements for this project. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. Install Fire hydrants per Code; maintain access. County Planning: No Comments. CATH: The site is not located on a CATA bus route. Plannina Division: No Comments. LandsMe: Compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinance is required. A twenty-three (23) foot wide land use buffer is required along the site's east perimeter where adjacent to single family residential properties. Seventy (70) percent of this buffer must remain undisturbed. The area appears to be allocated for this minimal requirement. Interior landscaping must be no less than eight (8) percent of the vehicular use area. Each landscape island must be no less than one hundred fifty (150) square feet in area and seven and one half (7.5) feet in width. The circular driveway at the south perimeter appears to encroach into the required nine (9) foot landscape strip; show dimension. A six (6) foot high opaque screen, either a wooden fence with its face side directed outward, a wall, or dense evergreen plantings, is required along the eastern perimeter of the site. Credit towards fulfilling this requirement can be given for existing trees and undergrowth that satisfies this year -around requirement. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, it will be necessary to provide an approved landscape plan stamped with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. ITEM NO.: 4. CUNT Z -4343-Z The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on this tree -covered site. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when properly preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or Iarger. Other: Submit responses to staff issues and four (4) copies of a revised site plan (if required) no later than Wednesday February 29, 2012. Required notices are to be sent via certified mail to all owners of properties located within two hundred (200) feet of the site no later than Wednesday February 29, 2012. The City provided notice form must be used. Proof of notice is to be provided to staff no later than March 9, 2012.