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Home My WebLink AboutZ-5981 Staff AnalysisFILE NO.: Z-5981 NAME: DOWNEN -- SHORT -FORM PLANNED COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT LOCATION: On the south side of Asher Ave., approximately 0.25 mile east of John Barrow Rd., at 8315 Asher Ave. DEVELOPER: SURVEYOR: RANDAL L. DOWNEN JAMES L. BUTLER, RLS 5309 Western Hills Ave. 5323 John F. Kennedy Blvd. Little Rock, AR 72204 North Little Rock, AR 72116 565-0329 753-4965 AREA: 1.23 AC. NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 ZONING: C-3 & R-2 PROPOSED USE Car Wash & Mini -Storage PLANNING DISTRICT: 10 CENSUS TRACT: 24.06 VARIANCES REQUESTED: None STATEMENT OF PROPOSAL: The applicant proposes the development of a mini -storage facility to the rear/south of his current car wash facility. The current car wash is a 4 -bay, self service type facility, which is 24 feet deep by 70 feet in length. This building sets approximately 70 feet south of the Asher Ave. right-of-way. The new mini -storage facility involves construction of five mini -storage buildings and a resident manager's office/apartment building. Three of the mini -storage buildings are to be constructed in a "U" shape around the perimeter of the site, with two other buildings in the courtyard area. Mini -storage building areas total 9,850 square feet of floor area. The office/apartment building contains 600 square feet and is situated immediately behind the car wash building along the west property line. A 16 foot landscape area is provided along the south property line abutting the residentially zoned property; a minimum 8 foot wide landscape buffer area is provided along both the east and west property lines of the portion of the site which is being developed for mini -storage use. Along the east and front property lines of the existing car wash use area, landscaping is to be added. All drives are proposed to be paved, and no change is proposed to be made to the parking lot which extends to the west property line to the west of the car wash; no landscaping is proposed in this area. Required landscaping is to be provided around the office/apartment building. Lighting fixtures are to be mounted on the corners and at the mid -point of the lengths of the buildings, and are not to be visible from beyond the site to the south, east, or west. The entire mini -storage use area is to be surrounded by an 8 foot high chain link fence, and access to the area will be by way of a key actuated gate. The site will be FILE NO.: Z-5981(Cont- accessible from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. seven days per week. The resident manager will have office hours of from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Mondays through Fridays, and 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays. A sign is proposed to be erected at the Asher Ave. frontage of the site. No variances are requested. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Review by the Planning Commission and approval by the Board of Directors is requested for establishment of a PCD. B. EXTSTING CONDITIONS: The front portion of the site contains a car wash facility, and almost the entire site is paved. The area to the rear, beginning approximately 150 feet south of the front property line, is undeveloped and is heavily wooded. An abandoned alley separates the two areas. There is a large mobile home park on the property to the east. There is undeveloped and heavily wooded -land -to---the -south. The existing zoning of the front/north tract is C-3; the rear portion of the site, south of the abandoned alley, is zoned R-2. The C-3 zoning district extends to all properties to the east and west, as well as to properties across Asher Ave. Properties to the south and at the southwest corner of the rear tract are zoned R-2. The residential lots which face Manor Dr., approximately 400 feet to the west of the applicant's property, are deep lots, and extend to beyond the PCD site. One lot, the one that extends behind the applicants property, with the house facing Manor Dr., is 650 feet deep. The east portion of this lot, behind the applicant's site, is heavily wooded. C. ENGINEERING/UTILITY COMMENTS: The Public Works staff comments that: 1) the plat has some technical deficiencies which will need correction; 2) dedicate 45' of additional right-of-way to provide the right-of-way required by the Master Street Plan will be required; 3) an in -lieu payment must be made for providing the required Master Street Plan improvements (including a sidewalk) along Asher Ave.; 4) AHTD must be contacted prior to any construction beginning and their approval must be obtained; 5) a stormwater detention analysis must be provided; and, 6) the driveway must be 5 feet from the property line and the apron may not extend beyond the extension of the property line perpendicular to the centerline of Asher Ave. Water Works comments that on-site fire protection will be required. E FILE NO.: Z-5981 'Cont. Wastewater comments that a sewer main is located on the site. No construction within the sewer easement is permitted. The owner is responsible for any damage to the existing sewer main during construction. Arkansas Power and Light Co. has not furnished comments to date. Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. approved the submittal without comment. Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co. approved the submittal without comment. The Fire Department has not furnished comments to date. D. ISSUE$/LEGAL/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: The Neighborhoods and Planning staff comments that: 1) The site plan needs to shown off-street parking spaces and sidewalks. 2) Landscape review notes that the areas set aside for buffers meet Ordinance requirements. In areas where the proposed structures will not provide appropriate screening adjacent to residential zones, it will be necessary to provide a 6' high opaque screen (either a wood "good neighbor" fence or dense evergreen plantings). Non -conforming landscape areas associated with the existing car wash and vehicular use areas must be brought into compliance with the Landscape Ordinance. The Planning staff comments that the area is in the Boyle Park Planing District, and that the adopted Land Use Plan reflects a planned mixed use for the front portion of the site and single-family use for the rear portion. Since the existing zoning of the site and of all abutting properties along Asher Ave. is C-3, the "MX" plan use is probably not appropriate. Since the area to the rear is not likely to develop in single-family uses, the single-family use designation is probably not appropriate in this area. There probably needs to be a land use study and an overall plan amendment made to adjust the plan in this area. The mini - storage use, with proper buffering, is unlikely to be a conflict with the surrounding uses. 3 FILE NO.: Z-59$1 Cont. E. ANALYSIS• There are only minor deficiencies in the submittal, and the applicant has indicated that these will be tended to. The mini -storage use, mixed in with the commercial uses along Asher Ave., and, both with the lack of development to the south/rear of the site and the unlikelihood that this area will develop as single-family uses, this proposed use should be no conflict any existing or future use. F. STAFF RECOMMENDATION : Staff recommends approval of the PCD. ST7BDIVI$ION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (APRIL 27, 1995) Mr. Randal Downen, the applicant, was present. Staff outlined the requested PCD application and reviewed with Mr. Downen the comments contained in the discussion outline. The Public works staff discussed their comments regarding the right-of-way and street improvements issues. The need to meet the Landscape and Buffer Ordinances was discussed by staff. The Committee discussed with Mr. Downen the comments offered, then forwarded the item to the full Commission for the public hearing. PLANNING COMM=ISSION ACTION: (MAY 16, 1995) Staff reported that all issues had been resolved, and staff recommended approval of the PCD. The item was included on the Consent Agenda for approval, and was approved with the approval of the Consent Agenda with the vote of 11 ayes, 0 nays, 0 abstentions, and 0 absent. 4