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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-5038-F Staff AnalysisJanuary 3, 2002 ITEM NO.: 6 FILE NO.: Z -5038-F NAME: Seven Acres Business Park -Revised Long -Form POD LOCATION: South side of Cantrell Road approximately 500 feet East of Bella Rosa Drive r,%"KrOT nvWv • ENGINEER: Bill Mathis White, Daters & Associates P.O. Box 22115 24 Rahling Circle Little Rock, AR 72221 Little Roc, AR 72223 AREA: 2.28 Acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 CURRENT ZONING: POD PROPOSED ZONING: POD CURRENT ALLOWED USES: Office/Warehouse/Showroom PROPOSED USE: Office mini -storage complex. VARIANCES /WAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. BACKGROUND: The Seven Acres Business Park was established by the Board of Directors by Ordinance No. 16,319, passed on December 15, 1992. This followed a recommendation of approval by the Planning Commission on November 3, 1992. The approved POD allowed office, showroom/warehouse uses on all lots except Lot 1. The building on Lot 1 was to be used for accessory commercial uses. On February 20, 1996, the Board of Directors passed Ordinance No. 17,118, amending the POD to allow the Golden Collision Center (auto repair business) to be constructed on Lot 4. An 1 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F Alltel cellular tower and Comcast cable equipment building were approved for placement on Lot 4 at a later date. On July 7, 1998, the Board of Directors passed Ordinance No. 17,764 amending the site plan for Lots 1 and 2. The office, showroom/warehouse building for Lot 2 was increased to 17,114 square feet in area and the revised plan maintained the 50 foot landscape buffer along the west property line. On December 20, 1999 the Board of Directors approved Ordinance No. 18,161 amending the site plan for Lot 2. Lot 2 --was subdivided into two lots with separate buildings on each lot. The total area for the two buildings was 12,816 square feet, a decrease from 17,764 square feet that was previously approved for Lot 2. The 50 -foot wide landscape area along the west property line was maintained. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: The applicant proposes to revise the previously approved site plan for Lot 1 only. The applicant proposed to develop Lot 1 of- Seven Acres Business Park with an office/commercial development. The development will consist of all office uses facing Cantrell Road and a mini - storage development to the rear. There will be five office suites ranging from 1400 square feet to 2400 square feet. The mini -storage will consist of four separate buildings ranging from 20' x 150' to 20' x 185' . The site will also contain a resident manager office and apartment (1880 square feet) for the mini -storage facility. The development includes 26-5x5 units, 32-5x10 units, 30-10x10 units, 42-10x15 units, 15-10x20 units and 8-10x30 units. There are 42 parking spaces proposed as a part of this development. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The proposed site is vacant and cleared with only a few trees on the site. All the lots within the Seven Acres Subdivision, with the exception of this lot, have developed. The uses include; an auto collusion repair business, an office/warehouse showroom and an office 2 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5038-F building with two suites. There is a wireless communication facility located on the south property line of this site. Other uses in the area include, a single-family residence immediately to the west of the site along Bella Rosa Drive and Cantrell Road to the north. There is a landscaping nursery to the east of the subdivision. A creek and floodway are located along the south property line of this subdivision. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: All property owners within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet of the site who could be identified and the Westchester Neighborhood Association were notified of the Public Hearing. As of this writing, staff has received no comment from the neighborhood. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. Property frontage needs to have the sidewalks and ramps brought up to the current ADA standards. 2. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the right-of-way prior to occupancy. 3. Sidewalks on Cantrell Road and Seven Acres Drive shall be shown conforming to Sec. 31-175 and the "MSP". 4. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. 5. Stormwater detention ordinance applies to this property. 6. Driveways shall conform to Sec. 31-210 or Ordinance 18,031. 7. A grading permit will be required on this development. 8. A grading permit and development permit for special flood hazard area is required prior to construction. 9. This development involves issues related to street lighting. The property owner may be responsible for installation of new streetlights or modification (if required) of existing streetlights. Property owner must contact Traffic Engineering (Steve Philpott @ 340-4880) to verify street lighting requirements for this project. 3 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available, not adversely affected. Enter No comment received. ARKLA: No comment received. Southwestern Bell: Approved as submitted. Water: An acreage charge of $300 per acre in addition to normal charges applies for water service to this property. 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. Contact Marie Dugan at 992-2438 for details. Fire Department: Contact Dennis Free at 918-3752 for details concerning turn radius and fire hydrant placement. County Plannin : No comment received. CATA: Project site is located on Express Bus Route #25 but has no effect on bus radius, turnout and route. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: This request is located in the River Mountain Planning District. Currently the Land Use Plan shows Transition for this site. The applicant has applied for a revised Planned Office Development for a mini -storage warehouse with an office strip center facing Cantrell Road. The existing Planned Office Development consists of uses such as a cell tower, an office showroom warehouse and auto -body repair. The addition of an office strip center facing Cantrell Road with a mini -warehouse development in the rear would not be any more intense than uses that have already been approved. 4 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F City Recognized Neighborhood Action Plan: This site in the area covered by the River Mountain Neighborhood Action Plan, which is currently under review. The Land Use Plan will be reviewed as part of that plan review. Landscape Issues: Landscaping within the interior of the proposed parking lot is 613 square foot short of the 1,048 square foot interior landscaping requirement. Interior landscape islands must be at least 150 square feet in area to count toward fulfilling this requirement. One tree for each 15 linear feet will be required within the 50 -foot wide landscape buffer along the western perimeter of the site. It is recommended that at least 50% of the trees be evergreen to provide additional screening from Cantrell Road and from the Bella Rosa Subdivision. An irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. Prior to a building permit being issued, an approved landscape plan stamped with the seal of a registered landscape architect will be required. Building Codes: No comment received. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (December 6, 2001) Mr. Joe White was present, representing the application. Staff briefly described the proposed revision to the POD and noted some additions, which were needed on the site plan. Staff indicated roof treatment and building material on the mini -storage were items, which needed to be "spelled out" on the site plan. Staff also stated, as shown, the dumpster encroached into the street right-of-way of Seven Acres Drive. Staff also stated the buildings facing Cantrell Road were to be office uses only since the mini - storage development would be considered commercial. 5 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F Mr. Tad Borkowski, Public Works Staff, stated the City would require sidewalks be constructed on Cantrell Road and Seven Acres Drive as a part of the development. Mr. Borkowski also sated a grading permit would be required as a part of the development. Staff noted the comments submitted by Central Arkansas Water and the Fire Department and suggested the applicant contact these two agencies for details. Mr. Bob Brown, Planning and Development Staff, indicated the applicant should increase the size of the interior island to get credit for interior landscaping. Mr. Brown also suggested the applicant place evergreen trees along the western perimeter of the site to screen the site from Bella Rosa Drive and Cantrell Road. After the discussion, the Committee forwarded the revised POD to the full Commission for final action. H. ANALYSIS: The site is designated as Transitional Zone on the Future Land Use Plan. The definition for Transition Zone, adopted February 4, 1997, specifically excludes warehouse activities from the allowable uses in this designation. Warehousing activities was never an allowable use in Transition Zone other than along Kanis Road. The current definition states more appropriate uses include low-density multi -family residential and office uses if the proposals are compatible with quality of life in nearby residential areas. The applicant proposes, as a part of this development, 17,350 square feet of warehousing activity and 10,140 square feet of office activity. The primary activity on this site would be warehousing since of the 27,490 square feet of building space 63% is dedicated to mini -warehouse. On November 3, 1992, the Board of Directors approved Ordinance No. 16,319, which limited the commercial activity on all four lots to 10% of the gross floor area as recommended by the Planning Commission at the November 3, 1992 Public Hearing. In addition, the buildings on Lots 2, 3 and 4 were to be limited to office showroom warehouse as 2 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F defined in the Zoning Ordinance and the accessory commercial uses be limited to the building on Lot 1. The balance of Lot No. 1 was restricted to office uses. On July 7, 1998, the Board of Directors passed Ordinance No. 17,764 amending the POD as recommended by the Planning Commission at the June 11, 1998 Public Hearing. The amendment revised Lots 1 and 2 by decreasing the size of Lot 1 and changing from office and retail uses to strictly office uses. The size of the building increased from 13,200 to 21,000 square feet. Lot 2 increased in size slightly with the reduction of Lot 1. The proposed building increased in size also from 13,680 to 17,114 square feet. The existing proposal indicates the front office building is proposed to be three sides masonry with the rear and roof to be metal. The proposed mini -storage building will be an all -metal building. Staff feels, with the visibility from the Bella Rosa Subdivision and from Cantrell Road, the buildings backing up to the west property line should be brick or masonry on the west facade. The applicant proposes the land use buffer adjacent to the west property line to be planted with one tree for every 15 -linear foot. The proposal includes 50% of the trees to be evergreen plantings. This is consistent with the landscape recommendations presented in this report. The property owner adjacent to the site on the south has requested a wooden fence be put in place along the south perimeter of this site. The adjacent property owner has recently constructed a new office building which fronts to the rear of this site. The proposal indicates a chain link fence but does not indicate if there will be security wire added to the fence. Staff is not supportive of the proposed amendment to the existing POD. Ordinance No. 170,764 eliminated any commercial activity on the proposed site and the proposed development does not comply with the Highway 10 Overlay District Ordinance and the proposed development is not consistent with the Future Land Use Plan. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends denial of the application, as filed. 7 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JANUARY 3, 2002) Mr. Joe White, White, Daters and Associates, and Mr. Bill Mathis, the property owner, were present representing the application. There was one objector present. Staff presented the item with a recommendation of denial. Staff stated the area in question was shown on the Future Land Use Plan as Transitional and the current definition of Transitional does not allow for warehousing. Staff stated warehousing on HWY 10 was never an allowable use under, the Transitional category. Mr. White stated the POD as well as the needs of the area had changed from when originally filed in 1992. He stated the mini -warehouses were different than traditional warehousing. Mr. White stated the applicant's willingness to screen the development should eliminate the concern of warehousing on HWY 10. He stated mini -warehouse would only generate 10 cars per day, much less than an office or commercial development. Ms. Ruth Bell, League of Women's Voters, spoke in opposition to the application. Ms. Bell stated any non-compliance with the HWY 10 Overlay District should not be supported. She stated the use seemed intense and not totally an appropriate use for the property. Commissioner Floyd stated the Commission had turned down mini - warehouse in a lot less intrusive areas within the last few years. He questioned the need for this type of activity on a scenic corridor. Commissioner Berry stated the Commission relied on Staff and the Future Land Use Plan to determine placement of activities. He stated if conditions had changed then the Land Use Plan should be changed to reflect the current needs of the area. Commissioner Rector questioned the commercial aspect of a mini - warehouse. He asked if mini -warehouse were a commercial use because of the traffic they generated or the look of the development. Mr. Lawson stated mini -warehouse was a C-4 use. Mr. Lawson stated staff had tried to assist the applicant with the look of 8 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F the development to allow the development to not appear commercial. He stated the look was the issue the Commission should be concerned with. Mr. Lawson stated the applicant had tried to reduce the intensity with screening and fencing. Commissioner Rahman stated the development was not a project which should be added to a scenic corridor. He stated a development similar to this project was denied on Pinnacle Valley Road. Commissioner Faust stated the use is a Conditional Use in C-3 zoning and a by -right use in C-4 zoning. She stated the project was a commercial project and should not be added to HWY 10. Mr. Lawson stated the concern should be the look. He stated when driving down HWY 10 if what you saw was an office building then it should not matter what use was behind the office building. He stated with screening and buffering the development could work. Commissioner Rector stated the development was not the typical mini -warehouse. He stated the ordinance should be changed to consider developments such as one similar to this development. Commissioner Rector stated the demand for services like auto repair and mini -warehousing was in all areas of the city but the question was where do we put the developments. Commissioner Lowery made a motion for approval of the application to include all staff comments (a vote in favor of the application). The vote was 2 ayes, 9 noes and 0 absent. 0 January 3, 2002 ITEM NO.: 6 FILE NO.: Z -5038-F NAME: Seven Acres Business Park•Revised Long -Form POD LOCATION: South side of Cantrell Road approximately 500 feet East of Bella Rosa Drive DEVELOPER: ENGINEER: Bill Mathis White, Daters & Associates P.O. Box 22115 24 Rahling Circle Little Rock, AR 72221 Little Roc, AR 72223 AREA: 2.28 Acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 CURRENT ZONING: POD PROPOSED ZONING: POD CURRENT ALLOWED USES: Office/Warehouse/Showroom PROPOSED USE: Office mini -storage complex. VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. BACKGROUND: The Seven Acres Business Park was established by the Board of Directors by Ordinance No. 16,319, passed on December 15, 1992. This followed a recommendation of approval by the Planning Commission on November 3, 1992. The approved POD allowed office, showroom/warehouse uses on all lots except Lot 1. The building on Lot 1 was to be used for accessory commercial uses. On February 20, 1996, the Board of Directors passed Ordinance No. 17,118, amending the POD to allow the Golden Collision Center (auto repair business) to be constructed on Lot 4. An 1 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5038-F Alltel cellular tower and Comcast cable equipment building were approved for placement on Lot 4 at a later date. On July 7, 1998, the Board of 17,764 amending the site plan showroom/warehouse building for square feet in area and the re landscape buffer along the west Directors passed Ordinance No. for Lots 1 and 2. The office, Lot 2 was increased to 17,114 vised plan maintained the 50 foot property line. On December 20, 1999 the Board of Directors approved Ordinance No. 18,161 amending the site plan for Lot 2. Lot 2 =was subdivided into two lots with separate buildings on each lot. The total area for the two buildings was 12,816 square feet, a decrease from 17,764 square feet that was previously approved for Lot 2. The 50 -foot wide landscape area along the west property line was maintained. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: The applicant proposes to revise the previously approved site plan for Lot 1 only. The applicant proposed to develop Lot 1 of Seven Acres Business Park with an office/commercial development. The development will consist of all office uses facing Cantrell Road and a mini - storage development to the rear. There will be five office suites ranging from 1400 square feet to 2400 square feet. The mini -storage will consist of four separate buildings ranging from 20' x 150' to 20' x 185'. The site will also contain a resident manager office and apartment (1880 square feet) for the mini -storage facility. The development includes 26-5x5 units, 32-5x10 units, 30-10x10 units, 42-10x15 units, 15-10x20 units and 8-10x30 units. There are 42 parking spaces proposed as a part of this development. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The proposed site is vacant and cleared with only a few trees on the site. All the lots within the Seven Acres Subdivision, with the exception of this lot, have developed. The uses include; an auto collusion repair business, an office/warehouse showroom and an office K January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5038-F building with two suites. There is a wireless communication facility located on the south property line of this site. Other uses in the area include, a single-family residence immediately to the west of the site along Bella Rosa Drive and Cantrell Road to the north. There is a landscaping nursery to the east of the subdivision. A creek and floodway are located along the south property line of this subdivision. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: All property owners within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet of the site who could be identified and the Westchester Neighborhood Association were notified of the Public Hearing. As of this writing, staff has received no comment from the neighborhood. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. Property frontage needs to have the sidewalks and ramps brought up to the current ADA standards. 2. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the right-of-way prior to occupancy. 3. Sidewalks on Cantrell Road and Seven Acres Drive shall be shown conforming to Sec. 31-175 and the "MSP". 4. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. 5. Stormwater detention ordinance applies to this property. 6. Driveways shall conform to Sec. 31-210 or Ordinance 18,031. 7. A grading permit will be required on this development. 8. A grading permit and development permit for special flood hazard area is required prior to construction. 9. This development involves issues related to street lighting. The property owner may be responsible for installation of new streetlights or modification (if required) of existing streetlights. Property owner must contact Traffic Engineering (Steve Philpott @ 340-4880) to verify street lighting requirements for this project. 3 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available, not adversely affected. Entergy: No comment received. ARKLA: No comment received. Southwestern Bell: Approved as submitted. Water: An acreage charge of $300 per acre in addition to normal charges applies for water service to this property. 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. Contact Marie Dugan at 992-2438 for details. Fire Department: Contact Dennis Free at 918-3752 for details concerning turn radius and fire hydrant placement. County Planning: No comment received. CATA: Project site is located on Express Bus Route #25 but has no effect on bus radius, turnout and route. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: This request is located in the River Mountain Planning District. Currently the Land Use Plan shows Transition for this site. The applicant has applied for a revised Planned Office Development for a mini -storage warehouse with an office strip center facing Cantrell Road. The existing Planned Office Development consists of uses such as a cell tower, an office showroom warehouse and auto -body repair. The addition of an office strip center facing Cantrell Road with a mini -warehouse development in the rear would not be any more intense than uses that have already been approved. 4 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont. City Recognized Neighborhood Action Plan: FILE NO.: Z -5038-F This site in the area covered by the River Mountain Neighborhood Action Plan, which is currently under review. The Land Use Plan will be reviewed as part of that plan review. Landscape Issues: Landscaping within the interior of the proposed parking lot is 613 square foot short of the 1,048 square foot interior landscaping requirement. Interior landscape islands must be at least 150 square feet in area to count toward fulfilling this requirement. One tree for each 15 linear feet will be required within the 50 -foot wide landscape buffer along the western perimeter of the site. It is recommended that at least 50% of the trees be evergreen to provide additional screening from Cantrell Road and from the Bella Rosa Subdivision. An irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. Prior to a building permit being issued, an approved landscape plan stamped with the seal of a registered landscape architect will be required. Building Codes: No comment received. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (December 6, 2001) Mr. Joe White was present, representing the application. Staff briefly described the proposed revision to the POD and noted some additions, which were needed on the site plan. Staff indicated roof treatment and building material on the mini -storage were items, which needed to be "spelled out" on the site plan. Staff also stated, as shown, the dumpster encroached into the street right-of-way of Seven Acres Drive. Staff also stated the buildings facing Cantrell Road were to be office uses only since the mini - storage development would be considered commercial. 5 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F Mr. Tad Borkowski, Public Works Staff, stated the City would require sidewalks be constructed on Cantrell Road and Seven Acres Drive as a part of the development. Mr. Borkowski also sated a grading permit would be required as a part of the development. Staff noted the comments submitted by Central Arkansas Water and the Fire Department and suggested the applicant contact these two agencies for details. Mr. Bob Brown, Planning and Development Staff, indicated the applicant should increase the size of the interior island to get credit for interior landscaping. Mr. Brown also suggested the applicant place evergreen trees along the western perimeter of the site to screen the site from Bella Rosa Drive and Cantrell Road. After the discussion, the Committee forwarded the revised POD to the full Commission for final action. H. ANALYSIS: The site is designated as Transitional Zone on the Future Land Use Plan. The definition for Transition Zone, adopted February 4, 1997, specifically excludes warehouse activities from the allowable uses in this designation. Warehousing activities was never an allowable use in Transition Zone other than along Kanis Road. The current definition states more appropriate uses include low-density multi -family residential and office uses if the proposals are compatible with quality of life in nearby residential areas. The applicant proposes, as a part of this development, 17,350 square feet of warehousing activity and 10,140 square feet of office activity. The primary activity on this site would be warehousing since of the 27,490 square feet of building space 63% is dedicated to mini -warehouse. On November 3, 1992, the Board of Directors approved Ordinance No. 16,319, which limited the commercial activity on all four lots to 10% of the gross floor area as recommended by the Planning Commission at the November 3, 1992 Public Hearing. In addition, the buildings on Lots 2, 3 and 4 were to be limited to office showroom warehouse as 6 January 3, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5038-F defined in the Zoning 'Ordinance and the accessory commercial uses be limited to the building on Lot 1. The balance of Lot No. 1 was restricted to office uses. On July 7, 1998, the Board of Directors passed Ordinance No. 17,764 amending the POD as recommended by the Planning Commission at the June 11, 1998 Public Hearing. The amendment revised Lots 1 and 2 by decreasing the size of Lot 1 and changing from office and retail uses to strictly office uses. The size of the building increased from 13,200 to 21,000 square feet. Lot 2 increased in size slightly with the reduction of Lot 1. The proposed building increased in size also from 13,680 to 17,114 square feet. The existing proposal indicates the front office building is proposed to be three sides masonry with the rear and roof to be metal. The proposed mini -storage building will be an all -metal building. Staff feels, with the visibility from the Bella Rosa Subdivision and from Cantrell Road, the buildings backing up to the west property line should be brick or masonry on the west facade. The applicant proposes the land use buffer adjacent to the west property line to be planted with one tree for every 15 -linear foot. The proposal includes 50% of the trees to be evergreen plantings. This is consistent with the landscape recommendations presented in this report. The property owner adjacent to the site on the south has requested a wooden fence be put in place along the south perimeter of this site. The adjacent property owner has recently constructed a new office building which fronts to the rear of this site. The proposal indicates a chain link fence but does not indicate if there will be security wire added to the fence. Staff is not supportive of the proposed amendment to the existing POD. Ordinance No. 17,764 eliminated any commercial activity on the proposed site and the proposed development does not comply with the Highway 10 Overlay District Ordinance and the proposed development is not consistent with the Future Land Use Plan. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends denial of the application, as filed. 7