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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6425-C Staff AnalysisJune 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: NAME: LOCATION: OWNER/APPLICANT: FILE NO.: Z -6425-C Little Rock Urban Prep Charter School — Conditional Use Permit 6711 West Markham Street Lutheran High School/Little Rock Urban Prep, Inc., Chris Travis PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit is requested to allow an open enrollment charter school to locate in the former church — private school facility located on this R-2 zoned, 4.8± acre tract. SITE LOCATION: The property is located at the SE corner of West Markham and Hughes Streets. 2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: The school is located in an area comprised primarily of single family homes. Residential properties are located to the north and east, across Markham and Hughes Streets respectively. The Christ Lutheran Church and School are located to the south. The large tract of R-2 zoned property east of this site has previously been approved for future expansion of Christ Lutheran and the school. Additional residential uses, single and multifamily, are located east and south of Christ Lutheran's property. The two schools and church form an institutional node. The school will not be expanding beyond its existing boundaries. The continued use of the site as a school is an appropriate use. The principal issue is that of traffic. The prior approval allowed an enrollment of up to 400 students. The current proposal is for up to 696 students. A traffic study has been completed and is being reviewed by Public Works staff. If traffic issues are adequately addressed, the proposed use should be compatible. All owners of properties within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet who could be identified and the Briarwood and University Park Neighborhood Associations were notified of this request. June 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -6425-C 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING - The proposed school is to have an enrollment of 696 students in grades kindergarten through 8th grade. There will be 36 classrooms, 44 teachers, 7 administrators and 60 kindergarten students. Those numbers require that the site have 93 parking spaces. The site contains 108 parking spaces. The site currently has 3 driveways onto Hughes Street. A traffic study has been completed by Peters and Associates to address the issue of drop-off/pick-up and vehicle stacking. That study is being reviewed by the City's Traffic Engineer and Public Works. The initial review of the study indicates a new entry only driveway being constructed on Markham Street, conversion of the two northern Hughes Street driveways to "exit only" and use of the southern Hughes Street driveway as full access, "entry and exit". A final report on staff's response to the traffic study will be presented at the public hearing. 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS - Any new vehicular use areas will need to be landscaped and buffered to comply with applicable City codes. 5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS: A 1. West Markham Street is classified on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial with special design standards. A dedication of right-of- way thirty-five (35) feet from centerline will be required. 2. A twenty (20) foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersection of W. Markham Street and S. Hughes Street. 3. A traffic study should be provided which models pickup and drop-off of the 700 students along with stacking at the intersection of W. Markham and Hughes Street. The current traffic signal does not provide a protected left turn movement. UTILITY. FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS - Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Entergy: No comments received. Centerpoint Energy: No comments received. AT&T (SBC): No comments received. 2 June 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -6425-C Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. 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. Please submit plans for water facilities and/or fire protection system to Central Arkansas Water for review. Plan revisions may be required after additional review. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding procedures for installation of water facilities and/or fire service. Approval of plans by the Arkansas Department of Health Engineering Division and Little Rock Fire Department is required. Contact Central Arkansas Water if additional fire protection or metered water service is required. A Capital Investment Charge based on the size of the meter connection(s) will apply to this project in addition to normal charges. This fee will apply to all connections including metered connections off the private fire system. Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZ) 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 (10) 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. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. County Planning: No Comments. CATA: CATA bus routes are located on both W. Markham and Hughes Streets. 3 June 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-642 SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (MAY 13, 2010) The applicants were present. Staff presented the item and noted little additional information was needed. Staff requested information regarding signage, dumpster location and screening, new fencing and site lighting. Public Works, Utility and Landscape Comments were noted. Staff stated a traffic study was required. The applicants responded that Peters and Associates had been retained to prepare the study and it would be submitted to staff within the week. The applicants were directed to contact the other agencies if there were questions about the other comments. Staff asked that the applicants respond by Wednesday, May 19,2 010. The Committee forwarded the item to the full Commission. STAFF ANALYSIS: On February 5, 1988, the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit allowing conversion of the former Olivet Baptist Church, located at 6711 West Markham Street, into the Lutheran High School. The approved plan included use of the existing building with no exterior changes to the building or the parking lots. Approval was granted subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the Screening and Buffer Comments. 2. Compliance with Public Works Comments 3. The maximum enrollment will be 200 students. 4. Compliance with the following terms agreed to at the January 22, 1998 neighborhood meeting. a. The school will construct additional parking on the site once the existing parking reaches 90% capacity. b. The Lutheran Association and Christ Lutheran Church will share the cost with the City for a traffic light at the intersection of Hughes and Markham Streets. Their part will be between 20-25% of the cost of the traffic light, with the City paying the remaining 75-80%. L! June 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: 9(Cont.)FILE NO.: Z -6425-C c. The applicant will submit a plan showing how cars will enter and exit the parking lot for dropping off and picking up children at the school. d. The applicant will pay the cost for the installation of two flashing school zone signs on Hughes Street. On May 11, 2000, the Commission approved a revision to the C.U.P. allowing for construction of a 16,000 square foot, detached gymnasium building and an increase in the student population from 200 to 250. The gymnasium building was to be located on the front of the property, with a 25 foot setback from the West Markham Street property line. This plan included the addition of 45 parking spaces, bringing the total number of proposed parking spaces to 136. The 45 new spaces were to be constructed once the existing, 91 space parking lot was regularly filled 90% usage. The school restated its agreement to participate in the cost of traffic signal at Markham and Hughes, as per the February 1998 C.U.P. approval. The Commission's approval was granted subject to the following conditions: a. Comply with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances. b. Comply with Public Works Comments. c. Comply with Fire Department Comment. d. All exterior lighting must be low intensity and directed downward and inward to the property and not towards any residential zoned area. On August 22, 2002, the Commission approved a revision to the C.U.P. allowing for construction of a two-story, 34,000 square foot gymnasium to be built as an addition to the school rather than as a freestanding structure. The addition also contained classroom space. The revision to the C.U.P. also included the future construction of a three-story classroom addition onto the north side of the existing building, the phased construction of an addition 100 parking spaces and increasing the student population from 250 to 400. The gymnasium addition and the phase I parking expansion (17 spaces) were constructed. Approval was granted subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the staff comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of this report. 2. Compliance with the approved site plan and the development plan outlined in the applicant's cover letter and addendum; including the continued agreement to participate in the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of West Markham and Hughes as agreed to in 1998. 5 June 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -6425-C 3. The Phase II parking is to be constructed at the time the three-story classroom addition is constructed or at the time the existing parking reaches 90% capacity, whichever occurs first. 4. Signage is to be limited to that permitted in office zones. 5. Site lighting is to be low-level and directional, aimed inward to the site. Lutheran High School is now closing and an open enrollment charter school, Little Rock Urban Prep, Inc., is proposing to occupy the site. The proposed charter school is to have an enrollment of 696 students in grades kindergarten through 8th grade. No changes are proposed to the building other than for some interior remodeling to create additional classrooms. No additional parking is proposed. The wooded area north of the building will be used as playground area. A chain link fence will enclose the playground. Signage will consist of the existing stone wall -ground sign at the northwest corner of the property and possible wall signs on the building. Days and hours of operation are those typical for a public school. The dumpster has been indicated at the southeast corner of the site. The required dumpster screening will be installed. A new "entry only" driveway will be installed off of West Markham Street. Two new light fixture will be installed on the east side of the driveway. The lighting will be low-level and shielded downward and into the site. The traffic study has been completed and final review by staff is underway as of this writing. The major focus of the study is to assure that there is adequate stacking space on the site to accommodate students being dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon. To accomplish this, a new "entry only' driveway is to be built off of Markham Street, the two northern driveways off of Hughes will be converted to "exit only" and the southern drive off of Hughes will be full access, "entry and exit". Three pick-up/drop-off locations will be located on the site. Staff's response to the study is forthcoming. There is no bill of assurance for this acreage tract. To staff's knowledge, there are no outstanding issues. There is no bill of assurance for this acreage tract. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommendation is forthcoming. n June 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: 9(Cont.)FILE NO.: Z -6425-C PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 3, 2010) Chairman Jeff Yates recused on this item. Two persons present indicated they were opposed to the item, one indicated support and one had questions. Two e-mails from persons expressing concerns about traffic had been received by staff and forwarded to the Commission. A letter had been submitted by the Briarwood Area Neighborhood Association in which the Association stated it had no objection to the proposed school but wanted assurances that the City and the school would work to resolve any traffic issues. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval subject to compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the agenda staff report. Staff added the following additional condition to the Public Works comments: " After review of the traffic study dated May 19, 2010 for traffic associated with the operation of the UCPC School, staff believes the proposed plan is acceptable. The plan shows driveway and parking improvements, public street striping, on-site striping and signage to be installed. Prior to opening of the school, the driveway and parking improvements, public street striping, on-site striping and signage must be installed as shown on the May 19, 2010 traffic study. Plans must be submitted to staff for the proposed improvements for review prior to installation and permitting." Staff briefly described the traffic study results, noting particularly the installation of a new entrance -only driveway on Markham and the conversion of the two northernmost driveways on Hughes Street to one-way exit only driveways. Commissioner Nunnley asked if the original approval to allow for the conversion of the church into the Lutheran High School limited use of the site to the Lutheran school only. Staff responded that this was a new application since the use was changing from a private school to a public charter school and the enrollment was changing from a maximum of 400 to a maximum of 696. Chris Travis, attorney representing UCPC, spoke in support of the item. He made reference to the traffic study. Mr. Travis stated they had met twice with the Briarwood Neighborhood and once with the University Park neighborhood. He stated all meetings were positive. Ernie Peters, of Peters and Associates Engineers, spoke of the traffic study his firm had completed. He stated they had worked closely with Little Rock Traffic Engineering and had made changes as suggested by staff. Mr. Peters stated the conclusion was that the site could accommodate the school, with traffic 7 June 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont. FILE NC.: Z -6425-C improvements noted in the plan and recommended by staff. He presented a power point showing elements of the traffic study. Chris Travis stated information packets will be provided to parents of children at the school, including traffic instructions. He stated each will be specific based on the ages of the children and the specific drop-off/pick-up area. Mr. Travis stated parents will be instructed not to use the Briarwood neighborhood streets. Nat Banihatti, of the Little Rock Traffic Engineer's office, stated staff had reviewed the traffic study and had worked with Mr. Peters. He stated staff had made suggestions and changes were made. Mr. Banihatti stated staff agreed that the traffic plan would work. Commissioner Nunnley asked if staff had considered the existing traffic flow through the neighborhood. Mr. Banihatti responded that they had and had come to the conclusion that the proposed school would not impact traffic in the neighborhood. Ruth Bell, of the League of Women Voters, asked if the traffic study had taken into consideration the opening of the new Target store on S. University Avenue. She also asked what recourse there would be for the neighborhood if the traffic plan did not work. Jim Bell, one of the directors of the Briarwood Area Neighborhood Association, read from the letter submitted by the Association. He asked that the school and City commit to addressing traffic issues. Mr. Bell stated he had three points of concern. He stated the Lutheran School currently had an enrollment of 121 students so the real increase in traffic is from 121 to 696, not 400 to 696. He stated there would be traffic generated by two schools since the Christ Lutheran elementary school, with an enrollment of 232 students, was located just to the south of this site. He stated additional traffic through the neighborhood would be generated by persons going to the new Target store. Lynn Smith, of 2 Pilot Point Place, spoke also of his concerns with traffic. He stated he was already impacted by traffic created by Hall High School and Catholic High School . He questioned how the traffic model would relate to reality. Mr. Smith stated he also needed assurance that the students would be supervised. He referenced a recent incident where high school students were caught stealing from his property. William Wooly, of 6904 Briarwood, spoke of his concerns. He stated the Lutheran High School approvals grew from 200, to 250, to 400. He stated the school never had more than 200 students. He stated traffic from Christ Lutheran School already backs onto Hughes Street. Mr. Wooly stated the proposed charter school would create traffic problems on Markham Street.and would push traffic into the neighborhood. June 3, 2010 ITEM NO.: g Cont. FILE NO.: Z -6425-C Lynn Smith asked why the school was locating at this site if the target students were to be from southwest and central Little Rock. Chris Travis stated his client could not control traffic generated by Christ Lutheran School or Target. He stated UCPC could instruct its parents regarding traffic patterns. Mr. Travis stated the traffic study was comprehensive and complete and took into account all area uses. He stated the children were ages kindergarten through 8th grade and the children would never be turned loose in the neighborhood. Mr. Peters commented that the peak hour traffic generated by Target would not conflict with the peak hour traffic generated by the school. In response to a question from Commissioner Brock, applicant Jackie Jackson stated the school had a current enrollment of 562 students. Commissioner Rouse commented that he did not know of any school in Little Rock that did not have traffic issues. Commissioner Nunnley stated he was not opposed to the school, only the proposed enrollment number. A brief discussion then followed between the two commissioners regarding traffic at various schools. Commissioner Harpool asked if there would be off-duty police officers to help with traffic control. Ms. Jackson responded that there would be only at the beginning to help get people trained in the traffic pattern. She stated the practice would continue if it was found to be needed. In response to a question from Commissioner Changose Ms. Jackson stated the children would be coming from the local school district, other school districts and from those being home -schooled. She stated the proposed school would be for boys only and would be filling a need. Ruth Bell asked again what the recourse was for the neighborhood if the traffic plan did not work. Ms. Jackson committed to continue working with the neighborhood to address any concerns. A motion was made to approve the application, including all staff comments and conditions. The motion was approved by a vote of 7 ayes, 1 noe, 2 absent and 1 recusing (Yates). E