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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-5442-D Staff AnalysisFILE NO.: Z -5442-D NAME: James Mitchell School Revised Short -form PCD LOCATION: Located at 2410 South Battery Street DEVELOPER: Mitchell Elementary LLC Dr. George T. Blevins, Jr. 1704 West 19th Street Little Rock, AR 72202 SURVEYOR: Global Surveying Consultants, Inc. 217 West 2nd Street, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72201 ARCHITECT: Kwendeche, AIA 2124 Rice Street Little Rock, AR 72202 AREA: 2.502 + acres CURRENT ZONING: PCD NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 zoning lot FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF ALLOWED USES: Mixed Use Development — Residential, Office, Commercial, Public Quasi Public Uses PROPOSED ZONING: Revised PCD PROPOSED USE: Charter School — Gymnasium Wellness Center — Office Warehouse VARIANCESIWAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. BACKGROUND: The overall property located at 2410 S. Battery Street is divided into three basic areas: 1) the Main Building — the original structure built in 1908 with approximately 35,000 square feet including an attached addition, called the Annex; 2) a one story FILE NO.: Z -5442-D Cont. classroom addition with approximately 3,800 square feet; and 3) a single detached classroom building, built in 1970s with approximately 1,000 square feet all totaling approximately 39,800 square feet. The property was zoned R-4, Two-family District with a Conditional Use Permit to allow a school. Ordinance No. 20,004 adopted by the Little Rock Board of Directors on July 15, 2008, established the James Mitchell School Short -form PCD. The approval established uses for the site requiring a number of the uses to be reviewed through a revision to the PCD prior to the use locating on the site. The uses which were allowed without a public review were the public -quasi public type uses such as the pre -K-12 educational/day care — supplemental educational services, Saturday academy, summer program, pre -K program and/or day care, meeting space for the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association. The approval also allowed the owner to operate warehouse space for storage of merchandise for his internet distribution business. There was to be no walk-in customer traffic because the business involved internet sales only. A. PROPOSAUREQUIEST: The proposed development activities include a charter school in the main 33,000 square foot building of the former Mitchell Elementary School. The charter school is proposed with 550 students grades 6, 7 and 8 with 48 staff members utilizing 21 classrooms in the main 33,000 square foot building, 5 classrooms in the two existing outer buildings and 4 classrooms in the new gymnasium building. The normal hours of operation of the charter school are from 7 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. There will also be special programs from time to time such as open house, recitals or other school functions, which may be scheduled during the evening or weekend hours. The charter school will require a kitchen and cafeteria, which are both present in the basement of the annex. The school will also add a new gymnasium to function as the primary physical education (PE) venue in lieu of an outdoor playground. The new gymnasium is proposed for construction in the southwest segment of the property. The developers are requesting a variance for stacking spaces as shown on the Traffic Study. The developers request that the charter school be allowed to use the area directly in front of the school on 24th Street as a stacking space, as there are no houses fronting on this street within this block. There is precedent for this use in that during the time the property functioned as a public school, 24th Street served as the stacking space for buses and pickup and drop-off. The charter school will have few if any buses dropping off and picking up students. This will avoid the traffic backups, caused during the time this property was a public school, which were due to the large size of the buses and their long waiting periods. Additional stacking spaces are proposed, one way streets, and drop off zones are also indicated on the traffic study. 2 FILE NO.: Z -5442-D -(Con During the renovation of the historic main structure and annex, it is the intention of the developer to create an energy conscious, green facility meeting the criteria for the USGBC LEED certification. In recognition of the charter school's need to include physical education in the curriculum, during Phase 2, the developer will build a two story building, approximately 35,000 square feet on the southwest segment of the current site to accommodate the basic physical education needs of the middle school level charter school facility. The charter school's gym will include indoor and rooftop activity space, including an indoor regulation sized basketball court, multi -use with expanding bleachers for school assemblies; aerobics; paddle ball; volley ball; and community functions, locker and shower facilities; administrative office space; and a green roof or eco -roof for energy consciousness advantages as well as an external laboratory for academic projects. During off hours, the gymnasium facility may also be used as meeting/event rental space. The new gymnasium facility will be linked by a covered walkway to the main school building. Within the new building, during Phase 3 there will be a dedicated area created for use as a Wellness Center, a unique venue to serve the residents of the Wright Avenue Neighborhood and nearby communities, offering basic stationary exercise machines; free weights; and a juice bar. The Wellness Center and the Charter School Gym will have separate, accessible toilet facilities. The Wellness Center will have a central reception/check-in counter. Due to the sloping site, the main level of the gym will be built above parking spaces accessible from the west entry at Summit Avenue. On that level, an elevator lobby; receptionist, and other support facilities will occur to accommodate visitor parking in the paved parking area as well as walk up visitors from the surrounding neighborhood. Public and service access to the new facility will be from Summit Avenue on the west and during Phase 2 a new vehicular drive will be created from the existing loading dock area on the Battery Street side to an existing parking area. The new facility will be pedestrian friendly, offering walk-up access points around the perimeter of the building. The overall site will accommodate 86 off-street parking spaces. The developers are negotiating with Gospel Temple Baptist Church which lies on the northeast corner of Roosevelt Road and Battery Street, for the use of their 48 space parking lot as additional off-street parking. The new facility will embody a similar architectural character to compliment the original school building, including the use of patterned brick veneer, precast concrete accents, and a large accentuated window openings. The developer intends to create an energy conscious, green facility following the criteria for USGBC LEED certification. Given the need to serve as a dual purpose facility for the charter school as well as the overall community, the Gym and Wellness 3 FILE NO.: Z -5442-D Cont. Center will be operated on a full time basis, seven days per week from 6 am to 9 pm Monday through Friday, 7 am to 6 pm Saturday and noon — 6 pm on Sunday. The Wellness Center will have a maximum of three full time paid staff persons on duty at any time. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site is a former elementary school campus. The area is predominately residential with a scattering of commercial and office uses located along Roosevelt Road. To the east is a property zoned PCD which was approved for a daycare facility. To the west along Roosevelt Road is a property zoned C-3, General Commercial District which is presently vacant. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has received one informational phone call from an area resident. All property owners located within 200 feet, all residents, who could be identified, located within 300 feet of the site, the Downtown Neighborhood Association, the MLK Neighborhood Heritage Enrichment Center, the Southend Coalition, the South End Neighborhood Association and the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersections of Roosevelt Road/South Summit Avenue; South Summit Avenue/West 24th Street; West 24th Street/South Battery Street; and South Battery Street/ Roosevelt Road. 2. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. Much of the sidewalk is in need of repair due to cracking, shifting, or removal. 3. Due to the proposed use of the property, the Master Street Plan specifies that South Battery Street for the frontage of this property must meet commercial street standards. Dedicate right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline of the pavement. 4. Obtain permits for improvements (Roosevelt Road) within State Highway right-of-way from AHTD, District VI. 5. Develop plans for pick-up and drop-off and a traffic study showing pick-up and drop-off of students, which includes the projected number of students at capacity. Contact Bill Henry in Traffic Engineering at 379-1816 if you have any questions or desire additional information. C! FILE NO.: Z -5442-D Cont. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Enter : Approved as submitted. Center -Point Ener : No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZA) is required on the dornestic 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 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. Contact Central Arkansas Water if additional fire protection or metered water service is required. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. County Planning: No comment. CATH: The site is located on CATA Bus Route #14 — the Rosedale Route. F. ISSUESfTECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: This request is located in the Central City Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Mixed Use for this property. The applicant has applied for revised Short -form Planned Commercial Development. The request does not require a change to the Land Use Plan. Master Street Plan: Roosevelt Road is shown as a Principal Arterial. The primary function of a Principal Arterial is to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Roosevelt Road since it is a Principal Arterial. Battery Street is shown as a Local Street. The primary function of a Local Street is to provide access to adjacent properties. Local Streets, which are abutted by non-residential zoning/use or more intensive zoning than duplexes are considered as "Commercial Streets". These streets have a design standard the same as a Collector. These streets I.1 FILE NO.: Z -5442-D Cont. may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. Bicycle Plan: There are no bike routes shown in the immediate vicinity. Nei hborhood Action Plan: The property under review is not located in an area covered by a City of Little Rock recognized neighborhood action plan. Landscape: 1. The site plan must comply with the City's landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. The zoning buffer ordinance requires an average fifteen foot (15') wide street buffer along South Battery Street and along South Summit Avenue and at no point to be less than half. 3. The landscape ordinance requires a nine foot (9) wide landscape strip around the sites entirety. The site is located within the Designated Mature Area of the City, which allows the landscape strip to be reduced to six feet nine inches (69"). Per City ordinance staff can reduce this requirement by twenty-five percent (25%) or 6.75'. A variance for any lesser amount must be obtained from the City Beautiful Commission prior to the issuance of a building permit. 4. The landscape ordinance requires a minimum of eight percent (8%) of the paved areas be landscaped with interior islands of at least seven and one-half feet (7'/z') in width and 150 square feet in area. 5. A small amount of building landscaping will be required in conjunction of this request. 6. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. 7. 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. 8. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on this site. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (May 21, 2009) Kwendeche was present representing the request. Staff presented the item stating the request was to allow a Charter School, construction of a gymnasium and the addition of a media outlet on the site. Staff stated there were a number of issues in need of addressing related to the site plan and the proposed use of the public streets for stacking and drop-off. Staff suggested the applicant contact A FILE NO.: Z -5442-D Cont. Bill Henry of Traffic Engineering to assist in the development of a traffic analysis study for the site. Staff questioned the activities to take place on the site. The applicant stated the use of the property would be for a charter school and the owners office/warehouse business. The applicant stated in a later phase a wellness center or fitness center would be added as a use to the gymnasium. The applicant stated the wellness center would be offered to the area residents through a membership charged to allow use of the equipment. He stated the center activities would be separate from the charter school. Public Works comments were addressed. Staff stated radial dedications were required at the intersections of the abutting streets. Staff stated dedications of right of way were required for all abutting streets per the Master Street Plan. Landscaping comments were addressed. Staff stated street buffers were required along the perimeters of the site. Staff stated a small amount of building landscaping would be required with the redevelopment of the site. Staff stated an automatic irrigation system would be required to water any new landscaped areas. Staff also stated any new paved areas would require landscaping per the Landscape Ordinance. Staff noted comments from the other reporting departments and agencies suggesting the applicant contact them individually for additional clarification. There was no further discussion of the item. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action. H. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised cover letter and site drawing to staff addressing the issues raised at the May 21, 2009, Subdivision Committee meeting. Public Works staff has worked with the applicant to prepare a traffic analysis which staff feels is a workable solution to stacking, pick-up and drop-off for the charter school. This will be accomplished by converting South Summit Avenue and West 24th Street to one-way streets with South Summit Avenue flowing north from Roosevelt Road and West 24th Street flowing east from South Summit Avenue. South Battery Street will be widened to allow stacking, drop-off and pick-up for special needs students, staff and visitors. All day street parking will be allowed on South Summit Avenue and West 24th Street. The site is proposed as a charter school serving grades 6 – 8. The parking requirement for a school is based on teacher population, students and administrators. The ordinance typically requires grades 1-8 to provide 1.0 space per classroom plus 1.0 space for each teacher, employee and administrator on the largest shift. The school is proposed with 21 classrooms and 48 staff members. The parking typically required for a school of this size is 69 parking spaces. The site plan indicates 86 on-site parking spaces. 7 FILE NO.: Z-5442-D(Cont.) In addition to the charter school, the developers are requesting to utilize the site for the owners officelwarehouse (internet sales only) use. The use has two employees who access the site periodically to fill orders for shipment by FedEx or UPS. The area of the office/warehouse is 1,000 square feet. Based on the typical parking required for an office development two parking spaces would typically be required. The applicant is also proposing to use the gymnasium as a wellness center or health studio or spa as defined by the City of Little Rock's ordinances. The parking typically required for this type use is based on the minimum parking requirements for a commercial use or one space per 300 square feet of gross square feet space. The wellness center is proposed within the gymnasium serving the charter school. The floor area proposed for the wellness center has not been provided to staff therefore staff cannot make a determination if the parking proposed is adequate to serve this use in addition to the other two additional uses. The site plan has not indicated signage. Staff recommends signage be limited to signage allowed in office zones or a maximum of six feet in height and sixty-four square feet in area. Building signage should also be limited to a maximum of ten percent of the fagade area abutting a public street. The development is proposed in multiple phases with the charter school in the first phase and construction of the new gymnasium in the second phase. The addition of the wellness center is proposed in the third phase. Phase it is proposed to begin construction in the near future due to school's need to provide physical educational opportunities for the students. Staff feels the school as proposed and the traffic impact study prepared for the site will allow the use of the property in a manner, which will not significantly impact the neighborhood. The site has functioned as a school for a number of years with minimal impact on the neighborhood. A school was a use identified as an allowable use in the original PCD. Staff has concerns with the proposed wellness center (a commercial physical fitness center) being a part of the approval. Staff feels the wellness center should not be a part of the current approval for the school and should be reviewed at the time to owner intends to add the use to the site. According to the applicant's cover letter the wellness center is not proposed until Phase III. Staff's concerns are related to traffic flows within and around the site for the school activity and how the addition of the commercial activity will affect these flows. Staff feels at the time the wellness center is more of a reality the use should be reviewed for appropriateness and to determine if the site can handle the additional traffic for the commercial use. 1. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. 13 FILE NO.: Z -5442 -❑(Cont.) Staff recommends the wellness center not be a part of the current approval and be reviewed at the time the owner desires to place the use on the property to determine if the use is appropriate and if the site can handle the addition of the commercial use. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 11, 2009) The applicant was not present. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item stating the applicant had submitted a request dated May 27, 2009, requesting a deferral of the item to the July 23, 2009, public hearing. Staff stated the additional time was necessary to address concerns raised at the May 21, 2009, Subdivision Committee meeting. Staff stated they were supportive of the deferral request. There was no further discussion of the item. The Chair entertained a motion for placement of the item on the Consent Agenda for deferral. The motion carried by a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JULY 23, 2009) The applicant was present. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item stating the applicant had amended the request to comply with the staff write-up in the agenda by removing the wellness center from the current application request. Staff stated the applicant had indicated at the time the use was proposed the owner would bring the wellness center aspect of the development back through the review process to determine at that time if the use was appropriate and if the site could handle the additional traffic generated from the commercial use. Staff stated they were now supportive of the request. Staff presented a recommendation of approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. There was no further discussion of the item. The chair entertained a motion for placement of the item on the consent agenda for approval as recommended by staff. The motion carried by a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. X July 23, 2009 ITEM NO.: I NAME: James Mitchell School Revised Short -form PCD LOCATION: Located at 2410 South Battery Street DEVELOPER: Mitchell Elementary LLC Dr. George T. Blevins, Jr. 1704 West 19th Street Little Rock, AR 72202 SURVEYOR: Global Surveying Consultants, Inc. 217 West 2nd Street, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72201 ARCHITECT: Kwendeche, AIA 2124 Rice Street Little Rock, AR 72202 AREA: 2.502 ± acres CURRENT ZONING: PCD NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 zoning lot FILE NO.: Z -5442-D FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF ALLOWED USES: Mixed Use Development — Residential, Office, Commercial, Public Quasi Public Uses PROPOSED ZONING: Revised PCD PROPOSED USE: Charter School — Gymnasium Wellness Center — Office Warehouse VARIANGE5IWAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. BACKGROUND: The overall property located at 2410 S. Battery Street is divided into three basic areas: 1) the Main Building — the original structure built in 1908 with approximately 35,000 square feet including an attached addition, called the Annex; 2) a one story July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5442-D classroom addition with approximately 3,800 square feet; and 3) a single detached classroom building, built in 1970s with approximately 1,000 square feet all totaling approximately 39,800 square feet. The property was zoned R-4, Two-family District with a Conditional Use Permit to allow a school. Ordinance No. 20,004 adopted by the Little Rock Board of Directors on July 15, 2008, established the James Mitchell School Short -form PCD. The approval established uses for the site requiring a number of the uses to be reviewed through a revision to the PCD prior to the use locating on the site. The uses which were allowed without a public review were the public -quasi public type uses such as the pre -K-12 educational/day care — supplemental educational services, Saturday academy, summer program, pre -K program and/or day care, meeting space for the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association. The approval also allowed the owner to operate warehouse space for storage of merchandise for his internet distribution business. There was to be no walk-in customer traffic because the business involved internet sales only. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: The proposed development activities include a charter school in the main 33,000 square foot building of the former Mitchell Elementary School. The charter school is proposed with 550 students grades 6, 7 and 8 with 48 staff members utilizing 21 classrooms in the main 33,000 square foot building, 5 classrooms in the two existing outer buildings and 4 classrooms in the new gymnasium building. The normal hours of operation of the charter school are from 7 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. There will also be special programs from time to time such as open house, recitals or other school functions, which may be scheduled during the evening or weekend hours. The charter school will require a kitchen and cafeteria, which are both present in the basement of the annex. The school will also add a new gymnasium to function as the primary physical education (PE) venue in lieu of an outdoor playground. The new gymnasium is proposed for construction in the southwest segment of the property. The developers are requesting a variance for stacking spaces as shown on the Traffic Study. The developers request that the charter school be allowed to use the area directly in front of the school on 24th Street as a stacking space, as there are no houses fronting on this street within this block. There is precedent for this use in that during the time the property functioned as a public school, 24th Street served as the stacking space for buses and pickup and drop-off. The charter school will have few if any buses dropping off and picking up students. This will avoid the traffic backups, caused during the time this property was a public school, which were due to the large size of the buses and their long 2 July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5442-D waiting periods. Additional stacking spaces are proposed, one way streets, and drop off zones are also indicated on the traffic study. During the renovation of the historic main structure and annex, it is the intention of the developer to create an energy conscious, green facility meeting the criteria for the USGBC. LEED certification. In recognition of the charter school's need to include physical education in the curriculum, during Phase 2, the developer will build a two story building, approximately 35,000 square feet on the southwest segment of the current site to accommodate the basic physical education needs of the middle school level charter school facility. The charter school's gym will include indoor and rooftop activity space, including an indoor regulation sized basketball court, multi -use with expanding bleachers for school assemblies; aerobics; paddle ball; volley ball; and community functions, locker and shower facilities; administrative office space; and a green roof or eco -roof for energy consciousness advantages as well as an external laboratory for academic projects. During off hours, the gymnasium facility may also be used as meeting/event rental space. The new gymnasium facility will be linked by a covered walkway to the main school building. Within the new building, during Phase 3 there will be a dedicated area created for use as a Wellness Center, a unique venue to serve the residents of the Wright Avenue Neighborhood and nearby communities, offering basic stationary exercise machines; free weights; and a juice bar. The Wellness Center and the Charter School Gym will have separate, accessible toilet facilities. The Wellness Center will have a central reception/check-in counter. Due to the sloping site, the main level of the gym will be built above parking spaces accessible from the west entry at Summit Avenue. On that level, an elevator lobby; receptionist, and other support facilities will occur to accommodate visitor parking in the paved parking area as well as walk up visitors from the surrounding neighborhood. Public and service access to the new facility will be from Summit Avenue on the west and during Phase 2 a new vehicular drive will be created from the existing loading dock area on the Battery Street side to an existing parking area. The new facility will be pedestrian friendly, offering walk-up access points around the perimeter of the building. The overall site will accommodate 86 off-street parking spaces. The developers are negotiating with Gospel Temple Baptist Church which lies on the northeast corner of Roosevelt Road and Battery Street, for the use of their 48 space parking lot as additional off-street parking. 3 July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: l Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5442-D The new facility will embody a similar architectural character to compliment the original school building, including the use of patterned brick veneer, precast concrete accents, and a large accentuated window openings. The developer intends to create an energy conscious, green facility following the criteria for USGBC LEED certification. Given the need to serve as a dual purpose facility for the charter school as well as the overall community, the Gym and Wellness Center will be operated on a full time basis, seven days per week from 6 am to 9 pm Monday through Friday, 7 am to 6 pm Saturday and noon — 6 pm on Sunday. The Wellness Center will have a maximum of three full time paid staff persons on duty at any time. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site is a former elementary school campus. The area is predominately residential with a scattering of commercial and office uses located along Roosevelt Road. To the east is a property zoned PCD which was approved for a daycare facility. To the west along Roosevelt Road is a property zoned C-3, General Commercial District which is presently vacant. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has received one informational phone call from an area resident. All property owners located within 200 feet, all residents, who could be identified, located within 300 feet of the site, the Downtown Neighborhood Association, the MLK Neighborhood Heritage Enrichment Center, the Southend Coalition, the South End Neighborhood Association and the Wright Avenue Neighborhood Association were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersections of Roosevelt Road/South Summit Avenue; South Summit Avenue/West 24th Street; West 24th Street/South Battery Street; and South Battery Street/Roosevelt Road. 2. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. Much of the sidewalk is in need of repair due to cracking, shifting, or removal. 3. Due to the proposed use of the property, the Master Street Plan specifies that South Battery Street for the frontage of this property must meet commercial street standards. Dedicate right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline of the pavement. 51 July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5442-D 4. Obtain permits for improvements (Roosevelt Road) within State Highway right-of-way from AHTD, District VI. 5. Develop plans for pick-up and drop-off and a traffic study showing pick-up and drop-off of students, which includes the projected number of students at capacity. Contact Bill Henry in Traffic Engineering at 379-1816 if you have any questions or desire additional information. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Entergy: Approved as submitted. Center -Point Energy: No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZA) 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 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. Contact Central Arkansas Water if additional fire protection or metered water service is required. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. County Planning: No comment. CATA: The site is located on CATA Bus Route #14 — the Rosedale Route. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: This request is located in the Central City Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Mixed Use for this property. The applicant has applied for revised Short -form Planned Commercial Development. The request does not require a change to the Land Use Plan. :6i July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5442-D Master Street Plan: Roosevelt Road is shown as a Principal Arterial. The primary function of a Principal Arterial is to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Roosevelt Road since it is a Principal Arterial. Battery Street is shown as a Local Street. The primary function of a Local Street is to provide access to adjacent properties. Local Streets, which are abutted by non-residential zoning/use or more intensive zoning than duplexes are considered as "Commercial Streets". These streets have a design standard the same as a Collector. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. Bicycle Plan: There are no bike routes shown in the immediate vicinity. Neighborhood Action Plan: The property under review is not located in an area covered by a City of Little Rock recognized neighborhood action plan. Landscape: 1. The site plan must comply with the City's landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. The zoning buffer ordinance requires an average fifteen foot (15') wide street buffer along South Battery Street and along South Summit Avenue and at no point to be less than half. 3. The landscape ordinance requires a nine foot (9') wide landscape strip around the sites entirety. The site is located within the Designated Mature Area of the City, which allows the landscape strip to be reduced to six feet nine inches (69"). Per City ordinance staff can reduce this requirement by twenty-five percent (25%) or 6.75'. A variance for any lesser amount must be obtained from the City Beautiful Commission prior to the issuance of a building permit. 4. The landscape ordinance requires a minimum of eight percent (8%) of the paved areas be landscaped with interior islands of at least seven and one half feet (7'/2') in width and 150 square feet in area. 5. A small amount of building landscaping will be required in conjunction of this request. 6. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. 7. 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. 9 July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I Cont. FILE NO.: Z -5442-D 8. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on this site. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (May 21, 2009) Kwendeche was present representing the request. Staff presented the item stating the request was to allow a Charter School, construction of a gymnasium and the addition of a media outlet on the site. Staff stated there were a number of issues in need of addressing related to the site plan and the proposed use of the public streets for stacking and drop-off. Staff suggested the applicant contact Bill Henry of Traffic Engineering to assist in the development of a traffic analysis study for the site. Staff questioned the activities to take place on the site. The applicant stated the use of the property would be for a charter school and the owners office/warehouse business. The applicant stated in a later phase a wellness center or fitness center would be added as a use to the gymnasium. The applicant stated the wellness center would be offered to the area residents through a membership charged to allow use of the equipment. He stated the center activities would be separate from the charter school. Public Works comments were addressed. Staff stated radial dedications were required at the intersections of the abutting streets. Staff stated dedications of right of way were required for all abutting streets per the Master Street Plan. Landscaping comments were addressed. Staff stated street buffers were required along the perimeters of the site. Staff stated a small amount of building landscaping would be required with the redevelopment of the site. Staff stated an automatic irrigation system would be required to water any new landscaped areas. Staff also stated any new paved areas would require landscaping per the Landscape Ordinance. Staff noted comments from the other reporting departments and agencies suggesting the applicant contact them individually for additional clarification. There was no further discussion of the item. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action. H. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised cover letter and site drawing to staff addressing the issues raised at the May 21, 2009, Subdivision Committee meeting. Public Works staff has worked with the applicant to prepare a traffic 7 July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION NO.: I (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -5442-D analysis which staff feels is a workable solution to stacking, pick-up and drop-off for the charter school. This will be accomplished by converting South Summit Avenue and West 24th Street to one-way streets with South Summit Avenue flowing north from Roosevelt Road and West 24`h Street flowing east from South Summit Avenue. South Battery Street will be widened to allow stacking, drop-off and pick-up for special needs students, staff and visitors. All day street parking will be allowed on South Summit Avenue and West 24" Street. The site is proposed as a charter school serving grades 6 – 8. The parking requirement for a school is based on teacher population, students and administrators. The ordinance typically requires grades 1-8 to provide 1.0 space per classroom plus 1.0 space for each teacher, employee and administrator on the largest shift. The school is proposed with 21 classrooms and 48 staff members. The parking typically required for a school of this size is 69 parking spaces. The site plan indicates 86 on-site parking spaces. In addition to the charter school, the developers are requesting to utilize the site for the owners office/warehouse (internet sales only) use. The use has two employees who access the site periodically to fill orders for shipment by FedEx or UPS. The area of the office/warehouse is 1,000 square feet. Based on the typical parking required for an office development two parking spaces would typically be required. The applicant is also proposing to use the gymnasium as a wellness center or health studio or spa as defined by the City of Little Rock's ordinances. The parking typically required for this type use is based on the minimum parking requirements for a commercial use or one space per 300 square feet of gross square feet space. The wellness center is proposed within the gymnasium serving the charter school. The floor area proposed for the wellness center has not been provided to staff therefore staff cannot make a determination if the parking proposed is adequate to serve this use in addition to the other two additional uses. The site plan has not indicated signage. Staff recommends signage be limited to signage allowed in office zones or a maximum of six feet in height and sixty-four square feet in area. Building signage should also be limited to a maximum of ten percent of the fagade area abutting a public street. The development is proposed in multiple phases with the charter school in the first phase and construction of the new gymnasium in the second phase. The addition of the wellness center is proposed in the third phase. Phase II is proposed to begin construction in the near future due to school's need to provide physical educational opportunities for the students. 0 July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I (Cont.) _ FILE NO.: Z -5442-D Staff feels the school as proposed and the traffic impact study prepared for the site will allow the use of the property in a manner, which will not significantly impact the neighborhood. The site has functioned as a school for a number of years with minimal impact on the neighborhood. A school was a use identified as an allowable use in the original PCD. Staff has concerns with the proposed wellness center (,a commercial physical fitness center) being a part of the approval. Staff feels the wellness center should not be a part of the current approval for the school and should be reviewed at the time to owner intends to add the use to the site. According to the applicant's cover letter the wellness center is not proposed until Phase III. Staff's concerns are related to traffic flows within and around the site for the school activity and how the addition of the commercial activity will affect these flows. Staff feels at the time the wellness center is more of a reality the use should be reviewed for appropriateness and to determine if the site can handle the additional traffic for the commercial use. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. Staff recommends the wellness center not be a part of the current approval and be reviewed at the time the owner desires to place the use on the property to determine if the use is appropriate and if the site can handle the addition of the commercial use. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 11, 2009) The applicant was not present. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item stating the applicant had submitted a request dated May 27, 2009, requesting a deferral of the item to the July 23, 2009, public hearing. Staff stated the additional time was necessary to address concerns raised at the May 21, 2009, Subdivision Committee meeting. Staff stated they were supportive of the deferral request. There was no further discussion of the item. The Chair entertained a motion for placement of the item on the Consent Agenda for deferral. The motion carried by a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. 0' July 23, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: I ILE NO.: 7-5442-D PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JULY 23, 2009) The applicant was present. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item stating the applicant had amended the request to comply with the staff write-up in the agenda by removing the wellness center from the current application request. Staff stated the applicant had indicated at the time the use was proposed the owner would bring the wellness center aspect of the development back through the review process to determine at that time if the use was appropriate and if the site could handle the additional traffic generated from the commercial use. Staff stated they were now supportive of the request. Staff presented a recommendation of approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. There was no further discussion of the item. The chair entertained a motion for placement of the item on the consent agenda for approval as recommended by staff. The motion carried by a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. 10 ITEM NO.: 6. Z -5442-D NAME: James Mitchell School Revised Short -form PCD LOCATION: located at 2410 South Battery Street Planning Staff Comments: 1. Provide notification of all property owners located within 200 feet of the site, complete with the certified abstract list, notice form with affidavit executed and proof of mailing. The notice must be mailed no later than May 27, 2009. The Office of Planning and Development must receive the proof of notice no later than June 5, 2009. 2. The site plan indicates the utilization of West 24th Street for stacking. The site plan indicates approximately 220 feet of stacking capacity. 3. The cover letter indicates the wellness center (fitness center) will be open during off hours of the school and close at 9:00 pm. Will the public be allowed to access the wellness center while the charter school is in session? 4. The cover letter indicates 400 students, grades K-8 and 42 staff members. The school is proposed to operate from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Provide the number of classrooms, the number of students per grade and the number of administrators/teachers per grade. 5. Provide a narrative of the media center use. Will the media center utilize any external devices such as satellite dishes, antennas or towers? Will the center just be for radio broadcasting or will television production also take place? 6. The radius located over the covered walkway does not allow for adequate maneuvering. 7. Provide a maximum building height in total feet. 8. Provide the total square footage of the wellness center. 9. Will the wellness center be a membership/members only center? If so where will the members park. 10. Has the charter school been approved by the State. 11. Does the charter school utilize bus service? 12. Parking — a. Nursery, kindergarten and day care centers, 1.0 spaces per administrator, teacher and employee on the largest shift plus one space per facility vehicle plus one space per 10 persons licensed capacity. b. Elementary (grades 1 — 5) one space per classroom plus one space for ever teacher, employee and administrator on the largest shift. Stacking space for drop-off and pick-up shall be required on the site. Stacking space shall be adequate to accommodate private vehicles and school buses. c. Middle (Grades 1 — 8) one space per classroom plus one space for each teacher, employee and administrator on the largest shift. Stacking space for drop-off and pick-up shall be required on site. Stacking space shall be adequate to accommodate private vehicles and school buses. Item # 6. d. Health Studio or Spa — one parking spacer per 300 square feet of gross floor area. 13. Identify the potential office users, the hours of operation of the office uses, the number of employees, potential parking demand. 14. Provide details of the temporary warehouse and office space identified on the site plan. Days and hours of operation, the number of employees, activities taking place on the site. Variance/Waivers: None requested. Public Works Conditions: 1. The radius at the covered entry must be redesigned and show sufficient area for a SU -30 vehicle to successfully maneuver the turning movement. 2. A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersections of Roosevelt Road/South Summit Avenue; South Summit Avenue/West 24th Street; West 24th Street/South Battery Street; and South Battery Street/Roosevelt Road. 3. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right- of-way prior to occupancy. Much of the sidewalk is in need of repair due to cracking, shifting, or removal. 4. Due to the proposed use of the property, the Master Street Plan specifies that South Battery Street for the frontage of this property must meet commercial street standards. Dedicate right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline of the pavement. 5. Obtain permits for improvements (Roosevelt Road) within State Highway right-of- way from AHTD, District VI. 6. Develop plans for pick-up and drop-off and a traffic study showing pick-up and drop- off of students which includes the projected number of students at capacity. Contact Bill Henry in Traffic Engineering at 379-1816 if you have any questions or desire additional information. Utilities and Fire Department/County Planning: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Entergy: No comment received. Center -Point Enema: No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZA) 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 days of installation and annually Item # 6. thereafter. Contact the Cross Connection Section at 377-1226 if you would like to discuss backflow prevention requirements for this project. Contact Central Arkansas Water if additional fire protection or metered water service is required. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. County Planning: No comment. CATA: The site is located on CATA Bus Route #14 — the Rosedale Route. Planning Division: This request is located in the Central City Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Mixed Use for this property. The applicant has applied for revised Short form Planned Commercial Development. The request does not require a change to the Land Use Plan. Master Street Plan: Roosevelt Road is shown as a Principal Arterial. The primary function of a Principal Arterial is to serve through traffic and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Roosevelt Road since it is a Principal Arterial. Battery Street is shown as a Local Street. The primary function of a Local Street is to provide access to adjacent properties. Local Streets which are abutted by non-residential zoning/use or more intensive zoning than duplexes are considered as "Commercial Streets". These streets have a design standard the same as a Collector. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. Bicycle Plan: There are no bike routes shown in the immediate vicinity. Neighborhood Action Plan: The property under review is not located in an area covered by a City of Little Rock recognized neighborhood action plan. Landscape, 1. The site plan must comply with the City's landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. The zoning buffer ordinance requires an average fifteen foot (15') wide street buffer along South Battery Street and along South Summit Avenue and at no point to be less than half. Currently, the "New Paved Driveway" is located within this area. 3. The landscape ordinance requires a nine foot (9') wide landscape strip along the sites entirety. The landscape ordinance requires a nine foot (9') wide landscape strip around the sites entirety. The site is located within the Designated Mature Area of the City which allows the landscape strip to be reduced to six feet nine inches (69"). ). Per City ordinance staff can reduce this requirement by twenty-five percent (25%) or 6.75 '. A variance for any lesser amount must be obtained from the City Beautiful Commission prior to the issuance of a building permit. 4. The landscape ordinance requires a minimum of eight percent (8%) of the paved areas be landscaped with interior islands of at least seven and one-half feet (7'/z') in Item # 6. width and 150 square feet in area. The proposed plan does not currently reflect this minimum requirement. 5. A small amount of building landscaping will be required in conjunction of this request. 6. Street trees are highly recommended. 7. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. 8. 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. 9. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on this site. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. Revised plat/plan: Submit four (4) copies of a revised preliminary plat/plan (to include the additional information as noted above) to staff on Wednesday, May 27, 2009. Item # 6.