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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCrystal Valley Trails Annexation draft item 17September 8, 2022 ITEM NO. 17: FILE NO.: A-342 NAME: Crystal Valley Trails Annexation REQUEST: Accept 168.9 acres plus or minus to the City LOCATION: Northside of Crystal Valley Road, north of Colonel Miller Road (15200 - 15800 blocks of Crystal Valley Road) SOURCE: Harrison Kemp, Mann & Kemp PLLC GENERAL INFORMATION: • This 100-percent owner annexation process request was submitted to the Pulaski County Judge’s Office in July 2022. When approved it will include all adjacent road rights-of-way as is the custom for the County. • The site is mostly wooded. There is a single-family house and a few out-buildings on a portion of the site. Approximately a year ago, the Little Rock Planning Commission approved a 551-lot single-family subdivision for the majority of this land. • There is one property owner. This is a ‘100-percent’ property owner annexation. • The site is contiguous to the City of Little Rock along a portion of its eastern boundary (approximately 656 feet). • The annexation request is to obtain City services. • The site is rectilinear in shaped. The western boundary starting on Crystal Valley Road is approximately 3961 feet in length, south to north. The northernmost boundary is approximately 1293 feet. Then the boundary proceeds south approximately 1307 feet, then east approximately 1319 feet to the easternmost boundary. This easternmost boundary is approximately 656 feet, then proceeds west approximately 658 feet and then south approximately 1982 feet to Crystal Valley Road. The southernmost boundary is along Crystal Valley Road approximately 1971 feet. • The site consists of approximately 168.9 acres. The current zoning is R-2, Single Family District. A preliminary plat for a single-family subdivision of 551 lots was approved for this land by the Little Rock Planning Commission in August 2021 . AGENCY COMMENTS: Public Safety: September 8, 2022 ITEM NO. 17: (Cont.) FILE NO. A-342 2 Fire: No Comment received. Police: Little Rock Police Department has indicated they have a concern about the impact on police services due to an expanded city limit. This is both for patrols as well as emergency responses. Infrastructure and Community Facilities: Rock Region METRO Transit: No Comment received. Written Parks and Recreation: No Comment received. Public Works: The Public Works Department has indicated they have no concerns or issues with the annexation (Civil Engineering). Pulaski County Planning: No Comment received. Arkansas Geographic Information Office: AGIO expressed no concerns with the annexation and noted the applicant had followed ARK CODE 14 -40-101. Utilities: Central Arkansas Water: No Comment received. Entergy: No Comment received. Reliant-Energy: No Comment received. Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No Comment received. AT&T: No Comment received. Schools: Little Rock: No Comment received. The annexation area is not within the Little Rock School District. Pulaski County Special: No Comment received. The annexation area is within the Pulaski County Special School District. ANALYSIS: The area requesting annexation is contiguous with the city limits along approximately 655.7 feet of the easternmost boundary. The City of Little Rock annexed the contiguous land east of the request area in 2003 - via Ordinance 19050 (Dyke Annexation). The annexation area has been mostly wooded for a couple of decades. Prior to that the September 8, 2022 ITEM NO. 17: (Cont.) FILE NO. A-342 3 southern half of this land had been cleared. The southern portion of the annexation area has a gradual slope from southwest to northeast. There is a more significant rise in the northern sixth of the site, a 60-plus foot rise (ridgeline). Most of this steep terrain is not included as residential lots in the approved preliminary plat. The property is zoned R-2, Single Family District. Based on the allowable number of units for the zoning of the land, the potential development is as many as a thousand single- family units. The Little Rock Planning Commission approved a 551 -lot single-family subdivision on a large portion of this land in August of 2021. The preliminary plat proposes development in seven phases with the first phase including 75 single-family lots. Later phases range from 52 to 111 single -family lots per-phase. The applicant has not provided a timeline for development of the land. The existing one single-family house with a few out-buildings would be removed with this development. The Land Use Plan Map shows the annexation area as Residential Low Density (RL) and Office (O). The Residential Low Density 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. The Office category represents services provided directly to consumers (e.g., legal, financial, medical) as well as general offices which support more basic economic activities. Except for the Office (O) area shown at the intersection of Colonel Miller and Crystal Valley Roads, RL is shown in all directions from the annexation area. The land to the west is a large-tract single-family subdivision (Plantation Acres), zoned R-2 (Single Family District). The development consists of lots over 2-aces in size. To the north and northeast is land zoned R-2 and wooded. To the southeast are two large tracts zoned R-2 and AF (Agriculture and Forestry District) with single-family houses. Across Crystal Valley Road to the south are larger tracts (2-acre plus) most of which have single- family houses on them. Most of the land south of Crystal Valley Road is zoned R-2 or AF. The northern half of the tract at the northeast corner of Colonel Miller and Crystal Valley Roads is zoned O-3, General Office District. The Pulaski County Accessors records indicate that this property is being use as a single-family home (not taxed as a business). In the vicinity of the annexation the develop pattern is generally rural residential. To the east inside Little Rock is a developing single-family subdivision, Seinna Lake. It is a more traditional subdivision with lots just over a third of an acre in size. The applicant has provided the City with a letter from the Arkansas GIS Office (AGIO) confirming the request meets all the requirements of Section 14-40-101 (dated June 14, 2021). This confirms that the area requesting annexation is contiguous to the City of Little Rock and all requirements of Arkansas Law have been fulfilled. This annexation is following the 100% owner annexation process. The request was submitted to the Pulaski September 8, 2022 ITEM NO. 17: (Cont.) FILE NO. A-342 4 County Judge’s Office for approval in July 2022. The Judge’s Order sets the exact boundaries of the annexation which by custom includes all adjacent rights-of-way. Approximately 1971 linear feet of Crystal Valley Road is included in this annexation. Crystal Valley Road is a two-lane road without paved shoulders. There are open ditches on both sides of the road. Crystal Valley Road is shown on the Master Street Plan as a Minor Arterial. A Minor Arterial provides connections to and through an urban area and their primary function is to provide short distance tr avel within the urbanized area. The design standard for a Minor Arterial is a four or five lane roadway with curb and gutter and sidewalks on both sides of the road. This road is not built to standard . There is no bike route shown in the vicinity of the annexation on the Master Bike Plan. The preliminary plat approval requires the developer to construct the required improvements to north half of approximately 1200 linear feet of Crystal Valley Road. This would be the eastern portion of the 1971 linear feet included in the annexation. These improvements would be widening the roadway (addition of a travel lane) and installing underground storm drainage along the northern edge of the roadway. A sidewalk would also be required to be constructed along the north side of Crystal Valley Road at time of development. Similar improves are required on the western portion of Crystal Valley Road with Phase V of subdivision development. Upon annexation, the City will be responsible for the continuing maintenance of approximately 1971 linear feet of roadway and related drainage structures. At time for development of the land the city will review and approve the design and construction of the required improves to Crystal Valley Road. Then the Public Works Department will be responsible for the continuing maintenance. The Public Works Department indicated they have no concerns or issues with the proposed annexation (Engineering Section). The annexation will create and in-out-in-out situation along Crystal Valley Road. Starting at Stagecoach Road, Crystal Valley Road is within the city lim its for 0.7 miles of roadway. When the road turns north, just west of Turnberry Drive, Crystal Valley Road is outside of the city limits. This annexation would bring a portion of Crystal Valley Road into the city, some 0.8 miles west of the exiting the city limits. The portion coming in to he City is some 0.37 miles the roadway. (Crystal Valley Road would be in the city for 0.7 miles, out for 0.8 miles then in for 0.37 miles then out). This is a similar pattern to that what already exists along Kanis Road from Chenal Parkway west passed Chenal Downs Boulevard. There is an existing single-family structure on the land. The ultimate development proposal is for a single-family subdivision. The City shall have to provide solid waste service to the annexation area after development on the new houses. The City charges each residence a month fee for solid waste which is design ed to fully cover the cost of providing the service. The Public Works Department, Solid Waste Division did not respond to the request for comment on the annexation. September 8, 2022 ITEM NO. 17: (Cont.) FILE NO. A-342 5 There is not a water service line along Crystal Valley Road adjacent to the annexation area. A 12-inch service line is along Colonel Miller Road approximately 1340 feet to the south of the annexation. 12-inch water service lines can be found 2000 feet to the west (near Plantation Acres Drive) and 2020 feet to the east (near Sienna Lake Drive) along Crystal Valley Road The nearest wastewater service line (10-inch line) is along Haw Creek to the south over 2000 feet away. To get access to this service line would require traversing land that will be outside of Little Rock (un-incorporated county). As part of the development of any land within the annexation area, the developer will have to extend these services from the existing service lines to any new development. No comments have been received from either Central Arkansas Water or Little Rock Water Reclamation on the proposed annexation. The closest fire station (Station 24) is located at 8801 Stagecoach Road. From this station via existing streets is just under two miles to the annexation area. Station 18, at 11500 Mabelvale West Road, is the next closest station with runs of approximately 4 and a quarter miles to the annexation area over current roads. The Fire Department did not respond to the request for comments/concerns about this annexation. The Little Rock Police Department has indicated they have a concern about the impact on police services due to an expanded city limit. This is both for patrols as well as emergency responses. Initially the responses would be to any incident on the 1971 linear feet of added street. But long term would be the addition of some 551 homes and the streets created to support the subdivision. It should be noted that this will be done in increments over an unknown timeline. Staff Recommendation: Approval of the annexation.