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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-4670-A Staff AnalysisMay 6, 2004 ITEM NO.: 14 FILE NO.. Z -4670-A NAME: Second Presbyterian Church — Revised Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 600 Pleasant Valley Drive OWNER/APPLICANT: Second Presbyterian Church/The Holloway Firm PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit is requested to allow for construction of a building for youth services and activities on this existing, R-2 zoned, 8.6t acre tract. 1. 2. 3 SITE LOCATION: The property is located on the south side of Cantrell Road, between Pleasant Valley Drive and Interstate 430. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD; The proposal is to construct an additional building on the existing church site. No expansion of the church property is proposed. The church property is located at the northern edge of a large residential neighborhood. The site is buffered from the single family residences by multifamily developments on the east and south, Interstate 430 on the west and Cantrell Road on the north. The church is a compatible use for this location. Allowing the addition of the proposed building should not affect the church's continued compatibility with the neighborhood. All owners of property located within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet who could be identified and the River Ridge and Pleasant Valley Neighborhood Associations were notified of this request. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: Access to the site is via two driveways off of Pleasant Valley Drive. The site currently has 375 parking spaces. The sanctuary of the church has seating for 580 persons and the assembly area of the new building will seat 50 persons. At a ratio of one parking space for every 4 seats, a maximum of 157 parking spaces are required. No changes to the driveways or parking area proposed. May 6, 2004 ITEM NO.: 14 Cont. FILE NO.: Z -4670-A 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: Compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinance is required. The proposed structure encroaches into the required 36 -foot wide land use buffer area along the southern perimeter of the site. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. Prior to a building permit being issued, it will be necessary to provide landscape plans 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. Additional credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when properly Preserving trees of 6 -inch caliper or larger. Preserved trees must be protected with temporary fencing placed out to the trees dripline. Special attention to the existing parkway corridor along Pleasant Valley Drive would be appreciated to maintain the park like setting. 5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS: 1. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. Sidewalk construction with appropriate handicap ramps would normally be required. 2. 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. Site grading, and drainage plans will need to be submitted and approved prior to the start of construction. 3. Stormwater detention ordinance applies to this property. The project may qualify for a contribution in -lieu of construction at the time of the building permit. 6. UTILITY FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS: Wastewater: Sewer available, not adversely affected. Entergy: No Comments received. CenterPoint Energy: CenterPoint has a 4" steel main in the area. Any required relocation is the responsibility of the applicant. 2 May 6, 2004 ITEM NO.: 14 Cont. FILE NO.: Z -4670-A Southwestern Bell: No Comments received. Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Additional fire hydrant(s) will be required. Contact the Little Rock Fire Department to obtain information regarding the required placement of the hydrant(s) and contact Central Arkansas Water regarding procedures for installation of the hydrant(s). This development will have minor impact on the existing water distribution system. Proposed water facilities will be sized to provide adequate pressure and fire protection. Fire Department: A fire hydrant may be required. Contact Fire Department for placement. COL111ty Planning: No Comments. CATA: A CATA bus route is located on Pleasant Valley Drive. UBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (APRIL 15, 2004) The applicants were present. Staff presented the item and noted additional information was needed on building height and design, signage, hours of use, lighting, fencing, use of the outdoor patio area, number of parking spaces and the seating capacity in the church. Staff asked that'a copy of the bill of ass«rance be provided. Staff asked if thought had been given to either adding on to the existing building to locating the proposed new building elsewhere on the site. The applicant responded that all options were considered and this proposal was arrived at because it did not involve the loss of parking spaces or excessive grading. The applicant stated the trees would be preserved between the proposed building and the adjacent Cambridge Place Condominium development. Public Works and Landscape Comments were presented and discussed. The applicant was advised that the structure encroached on the required land use buffer along the south perimeter. Utility comments were noted. The applicant was advised to contact the individual utilities, if there were questions. 3 May 6, 2004 ITEM NO.: 14 (Cont. FILE NO.: Z-46 The applicant was advised to meet with the neighbors. He responded that one meeting had already taken place. The applicant was advised to respond to staff issues by April 21, 2004. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission. STAFF ANALYSIS: The R-2 zoned, 8.6t acre tract located at 600 Pleasant Valley Drive is currently occupied by the facilities of Second Presbyterian Church. The church is requesting approval of a conditional use permit to allow for construction of a new building on the site to accommodate services and meetings for youth. No changes are proposed to the existing driveways or parking areas. The new building will be located on a undeveloped area at the southeast corner of the site. The distance slope across the building site is 12 feet. Therefore, the south elevation of the new building will show one floor and the north elevation will show two floors. The highest point of the roof is 30 ft. 8 -inches with the skylight being 36 feet 8 -inches above the first floor. The main roof is a pyramid shape with composition fiberglass shingles that will blend with the existing church roof. In an effort to mitigate the impact of the structure on adjacent properties, a substantial portion of the roof has been eliminated using a flat roof instead. A new ground mounted sign will be placed adjacent to the driveway, north of the building. The sign will be 3 feet tall and 2 feet by 3.5 feet in area. It is anticipated that the building will be used for youth activities on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. through 8:30 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. — 8:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Activities will include Sunday School, bible study, youth group meetings and school tutoring programs. On Sunday evenings during the school year and on Wednesdays during the summer, the youth get together for dinner and social activities between 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The director of youth ministries and other adults will supervise all activities. The existing site lighting on the parking lot adjacent and to the west is on the north side and the fixtures are shielded downward. Any future area -wide exterior lighting would be likewise. The only exterior lighting on the proposed building would be under the covered porch and around the patio. No uplighting on the exterior of the building is proposed. No new fencing is anticipated with the new development. Currently, there is a shadowbox fence located on the south boundary of the church property, separating it from the adjacent Cambridge Place development. Chainlink fencing is located along the church's north and west perimeter, where adjacent to the Interstate and Hwy. 10 right-of-way. The 2 May 6, 2004 NO.: 14 Cont. FILE NO.: Z -4670-A proposed patio area will be used as a gathering place in good weather and for small group discussion and learning, under adult supervision. The property has never been platted so there is no bill of assurance. A fire hydrant will be installed. On April 22, 2004, the applicant submitted a revised site plan and responses to issues raised at Subdivision Committee. Those responses are reflected in the analysis above. The applicant did consider locating the building elsewhere on the site. It was determined that locating the building at this location would be most feasible. Locating the building elsewhere would cause significant grading problems requiring extensive retaining walls and would likely cause the loss of parking spaces. Expansion of the existing church building would cause intrusion into other activity areas. The Zoning Ordinance requires a 36 -foot buffer on the south side of the church property, where it is adjacent to Cambridge Place. The site plan has been modified to provide a 32 -foot buffer between the new building and the south property line. The new building will require the removal of 9 trees out of the 36 existing in this area. Additional trees of large caliper will be placed in the south buffer area. The building has been slightly reduced in size to provide the additional buffer depth. Staff is supportive of the requested conditional use permit. The applicant has done a good job of responding to issues raised by staff and has attempted to mitigate the impact of the new development on adjacent properties. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested conditional use permit subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the staff comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the staff report. 2. No amplified music is to be played on the patio. Staff recommends approval of a variance to allow the reduced buffer on the south side of 32 feet subject to additional plantings of larger caliper trees as proposed by the applicant. 5 May 6, 2004 ITEM NO.. 14 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -4670-A PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MAY 6, 2004) The applicant was present. There were several objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval subject to compliance with the conditions outlined in the "Staff Recommendation" above. Linda K. Smith, representing the church, stated the church agreed to all staff comments and conditions. She asked those present in support of the application to raise their hands. Several persons responded. Ms. Smith stated the church had been at this location for 36 years. Marie Dugan, of 104 Cambridge Place Drive, spoke in opposition to the item. She stated a Conditional Use Permit should be used to enhance a neighborhood, not harm it. She questioned why the church wanted to move its young people away from the church and nearer the neighbors. She made note of two other locations on the site that she felt were better suited for the new building. Ms. Dugan stated she felt the location was chosen to provide higher visibility for the church. She voiced concerns about trash, noise and -the loss of trees. Ms. Dugan stated activities in and around the youth building would not be compatible with the neighbors. She pointed out several problems on the site; including over -lighting, poor dumpster maintenance, noise and a decrepit garage building. She urged the Commission to make the church choose an alternate site. Commissioner Allen asked Ms. Dugan what she meant by youth activities not being compatible with the neighborhood. Ms. Dugan responded that many of the neighbors were older and retired. Commissioner Allen asked what she meant by "less than desirable activities", Ms. Dugan responded that she was referring to youth activities in close proximity to older residents. Commissioner Rector noted that Ms. Dugan had made reference to "late-night activities". He stated the staff report noted activities would cease at 8:34 p.m. Ms. Dugan responded that there would be informal congregating on the patio area after hours. Blake Hendrix, a resident of Cambridge Place, spoke in opposition. He also voiced concern about having youth activities in close proximity to elderly neighbors. He also suggested that the building could be located elsewhere on the site. In response to a question from Chairman Rahman, Mr. Hendrix stated there was a 6 foot tall, "shadow box" fence between the church and the condominiums. He asked if the item could be deferred for further discussions to take place. Linda Smith responded that the architect and engineer both agreed that the proposed location was best. She stated the dumpsters were temporary; in association with a remodeling project. Ms. Smith stated the church could not afford to lose any parking spaces. She stated the screening fence was actually 6'8" tall. In response to a question from Commissioner Rector, Ms. Smith stated there would be no unsupervised use of the patio area. D May 6, 2004 ITEM NO.: 14 Cont. FILE NO.: Z -4670-A Commissioner Rector stated the site needed some cleaning -up. He asked if the impact of the lighting on the roof of the existing building could be lessened. The applicant responded that there would be no external lighting on the new building, other than porch lighting on the north side of the building. Ms. Smith stated the roof lighting on the existing building could be turned off from midnight to 5;00 a.m. In response to a question from Commissioner Taylor, the applicant stated the building could be reduced or moved to provide the required 36 -foot buffer. After a brief discussion, the applicant amended the application to provide the required 36 -foot buffer and to turn off the roof lighting on the existing church building from midnight until the following evening each day. A motion was made to approve the application as amended, including all staff comments and conditions. The motion was approved by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent and 1 recusing (Lowry). 7