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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6544 Staff AnalysisSeptember 3, 1998 ITEM NO.: 6 FILE NAME: Neighborhood Resource Center - Short -Form POD LOCATION: Block bounded by West 12`h, West 13`h, Pine and Oak Streets DEVELOPER: ENGINEER• City of Little Rock Jameson & Architecture Darlene Garrett Innovations Group 500 W. Markham Street 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Little Rock, AR 72201 Little Rock, AR 72206 AREA: 1.75 Acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: Q ZONING: R -3/C-3 ALLOWED USES: Single -Family Z-6544 PROPOSED USE: City Offices and Related Uses VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: 1. None BACKGROUND: The proposed site for the Little Rock Neighborhood Resource Center is the old Lee Elementary School site at the southeast corner of West 12`h and Pine Streets. The school was built in 1906. The building was sold to the City of Little Rock in 1997 and the City currently holds title to the property. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: The City of Little Rock is proposing to renovate and convert the 42,609 square foot building to city/community related offices with a minimal amount of associated commercial use. The proposed uses for the building include the following: First Floor - Alert Center Offices - UALR Neighborhood Leadership Program Classrooms and Technology Center - Neighborhood Technical Assistance area including a small library - Community Training room - Future Auditorium September 3, 1998 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont )_ FILE NO.: Z-6544 Second Floor - Housing Programming Offices - Little Rock Police Department special operations offices -- Unassigned office/commercial space Basement - Break room - Unassigned office/commercial space The proposed commercial uses within the building will be limited to 10 percent of the total floor area of the building. Examples of commercial uses which could be in the building include small nonprofit or for-profit retail store(s), selling such items as City T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc., a commercial kitchen (catering) or a child care facility. New driveway and parking for approximately 32 vehicles will be constructed along the west and south side of the building. A future pavilion is also proposed to be located near the northwest corner of the property as part of an urban park and picnic area. The project and its programming are being developed and will be sustained through numerous sectors of the community. These include, but are not limited to, the City of Little Rock, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Southwestern Bell, neighborhood associations and community- based organizations. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site contains the old Lee Elementary School building which is a two-story brick structure with a basement. The general area contains a mixture of uses and zoning. Single-family residences and a vacant commercial building are located across West 13`h Street to the south, with single-family residences to the east across Oak Street. There is a mixture of single-family and commercial uses to the north, along the north side of West 12`h Street. The Union Rescue Mission Thrift Store and a church are among the uses located to the west across Pine Street. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has received no neighborhood comment on this item. The Stephens Area Faith, Pine to Woodrow, Forest Hills and Hope Neighborhood Associations were notified of the public hearing. E September 3, 1998 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 6(Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6544 D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. West 12`h Street is listed -on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial. A dedication of right-of-way to 35 feet from centerline is required. 2. Pine Street is listed on the Master Street Plan as a collector street Oak and 13`h require commercial street right-of-way. Dedicate right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline including 20 feet radial dedication of right- of-way at all four street corners or request waiver from Planning Commission and Board of Directors. 3. Sidewalks shall be shown conforming to Sec. 31-175 and the "MSP". 4. All driveways shall be concrete aprons per City Ordinance. 5. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Existing 6" located in 12`h Street. Location and condition of private service unknown. AP&L: No Comments received. ARKLA: No Comments received. Southwestern Bell: No Comments. Water: Contact the Water Works about water requirements for domestic, irrigation and fire protection. Fire Department: No Comment. CountV PZannin : No Comments received. CATA: No Comments received. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: The site is in the I-630 District. The Plan recommends Public Institutional use. A neighborhood plan process has started in the area. The use requested is public in nature. There is some retail use included in the project. As long as the primary use remains Public and any signage for the retail use is not independent but part of the development 3 September 3, 1998 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO. 6 _(Cont.) FILE NO. 2--6544 signage, the inclusion of a small amount of retail is not in conflict with the Plan. Landscape Issues: No Comments. G. ANALYSIS• A revised site plan was submitted to staff on August 18, 1998. The plan shows a metal wall sign to be located on the west side of the building. Any signage must comply with the ordinance standards for office signs. Any of the commercial uses within the building must be part of the development signage and have no independent signage. As noted earlier, the City will construct new drives and parking for approximately 32 vehicles along the west and south sides of the building. There is also a large amount of on -street parking in the general area. The applicant has also noted that Public Works is working on a plan to have designated parking along Oak Street. The new parking which will be constructed, along with the on -street parking in the general area should be sufficient to serve the proposed use. It should also be noted that many of the visitors to the center will be within walking distance from the nearby neighborhoods. In addition, if it is determined that additional parking is needed, an agreement could possibly be worked out with the property owner to the west to use a portion of that commercial parking lot. The applicant noted at the Subdivision Committee meeting that typical hours of operation will be from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. The evening hours may vary depending on the specific meeting, class, etc. which is scheduled. Staff feels that the renovation of this building will be a definite improvement for the neighborhood and the use as a neighborhood resource center will benefit the city in general. The proposed use should have no adverse effect on the area. H. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the POD zoning, subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with paragraphs D, E, and F of this report. 2 September 3, 1998 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 5 Cont. FILE NO.: Z-5544 2. Commercial uses within the building will be limited to 10 percent of the total floor area. 3. Signs for any commercial use must be part of the development signage and have no independent signage. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (AUGUST 13, 1998) Darlene Garrett and Jessie Trigleth were present, representing the application. Staff briefly explained the project. Ms. Garrett reviewed the proposed uses for the building. She noted that the typical hours of operation would be from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. There was a brief discussion of the Public works issues, including right-of-way dedication and sidewalks. Staff noted that the area for commercial uses within the building should be limited to 10 percent of the total floor area. After the brief discussion, the Committee forwarded the issue to the full Commission for resolution. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (SEPTEMBER 3, 1998) Staff presented a positive recommendation on this application, as there were no further issues for resolution. There were no objectors to this matter. The Chairman placed the item before the Commission for inclusion within the Consent Agenda for approval as recommended by staff. A motion to that effect was made. The motion passed by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 nays and 1 absent. 5 .. Z-6544 NAME: Neighborhood Resource Center - Short -Form POD LOCATION: Block bounded by West 12`h, West 13`h, Pine and Oak Streets DEVELOPER: ENGINEER• City of Little Rock Jameson & Architecture Darlene Garrett Innovations Group 500 W. Markham Street 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Little Rock, AR 72201 Little Rock, AR 72206 AREA: 1.75 Acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 ZONING: R -3/C-3 ALLOWED USES: PROPOSED USE: VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: 1. None BACKGROUND: Single -Family City Offices and Related Uses The proposed site for the Little Rock Neighborhood Resource Center is the old Lee Elementary School site at the southeast corner of West 12`h and Pine Streets. The school was built in 1906. The building was sold to the City of Little Rock in 1997 and the City currently holds title to the property. A. PROPOSAL RE UEST: The City of Little Rock is proposing to renovate and convert the 42,609 square foot building to city/community related offices with a minimal amount of associated commercial use. The proposed uses for the building include the following: First Floor - Alert Center Offices - UALR Neighborhood Leadership Program Classrooms and Technology Center - Neighborhood Technical Assistance area including a small library - Community Training room - Future Auditorium FILE NO.: Z-6544 (Cont.) Second Floor - Housing Programming Offices - Little Rock Police Department special operations offices - Unassigned office/commercial space Basement - Break room - Unassigned office/commercial space The proposed commercial uses within the building will be limited to 10 percent of the total floor area of the building. Examples of commercial uses which could be in the building include small nonprofit or for-profit retail store(s), selling such items as City T-shirts, coffee mugs, etc., a commercial kitchen (catering) or a child care facility. New driveway and parking for approximately 32 vehicles will be constructed along the west and south side of the building. A future pavilion is also proposed to be located near the northwest corner of the property as part of an urban park and picnic area. The project and its programming are being developed and will be sustained through numerous sectors of the community. These include, but are not limited to, the City of Little Rock, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Southwestern Bell, neighborhood associations and community- based organizations. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site contains the old Lee Elementary School building which is a two-story brick structure with a basement. The general area contains a mixture of uses and zoning. Single-family residences and a vacant commercial building are located across West 13`h Street to the south, with single-family residences to the east across Oak Street. There is a mixture of single-family and commercial uses to the north, along the north side of West 12`h Street. The Union Rescue Mission Thrift Store and a church are among the uses located to the west across Pine Street. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has received no neighborhood comment on this item. The Stephens Area Faith, Pine to Woodrow, Forest Hills and Hope Neighborhood Associations were notified of the public hearing. 2 FILE NO.: Z-6544 (Cont.) D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1, West 12`h Street is listed on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial. A dedication of right-of-way to 35 feet from centerline is required. 2. Pine Street is listed on the Master Street Plan as a collector street Oak and 13`h require commercial street right-of-way. Dedicate right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline including 20 feet radial dedication of right- of-way at all four street corners or request waiver from Planning Commission and Board of Directors. 3. Sidewalks shall be shown conforming to Sec. 31-175 and the "MSP". 4. All driveways shall be concrete aprons per City Ordinance. 5. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Existing 6" located in 12`h Street. Location and condition of private service unknown. AP&L: No Comments received. ARKLA: No Comments received. Southwestern Bell: No Comments. Water: Contact the Water Works about water requirements for domestic, irrigation and fire protection. Fire Department: No Comment. County Planning: No Comments received. LATA: No Comments received. F. ISSUESITECHNICALIDESIGN: Planning Division: The site is in the I-630 District. The Plan recommends Public Institutional use. A neighborhood plan process has started in the area. The use requested is public in nature. There is some retail use included in the project. As long as the primary use remains Public and any signage for the retail use is not independent but part of the development signage, the inclusion of a small amount of retail is not in conflict with the Plan. 3 FILE NO.: Z-6544 (Cont.) _ Landscape Issues.: No Comments. G. ANALYSIS: A revised site plan was submitted to staff on August 18, 1998. The plan shows a metal wall sign to be located on the west side of the building. Any signage must comply with the ordinance standards for office signs. Any of the commercial uses within the building must be part of the development signage and have no independent signage. As noted earlier, the City will construct new drives and parking for approximately 32 vehicles along the west and south sides of the building. There is also a large amount of on -street parking in the general area. The applicant has also noted that Public Works is working on a plan to have designated parking along Oak Street. The new parking which will be constructed, along with the on -street parking in the general area should be sufficient to serve the proposed use. It should also be noted that many of the visitors to the center will be within walking distance from the nearby neighborhoods. In addition, if it is determined that additional parking is needed, an agreement could possibly be worked out with the property owner to the west to use a portion of that commercial parking lot. The applicant noted at the Subdivision Committee meeting that typical hours of operation will be from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. The evening hours may vary depending on the specific meeting, class, etc. which is scheduled. Staff feels that the renovation of this building will be a definite improvement for the neighborhood and the use as a neighborhood resource center will benefit the city in general. The proposed use should have no adverse effect on the area. H. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the POD zoning, subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with paragraphs D, E, and F of this report. 2. Commercial uses within the building will be limited to 10 percent of the total floor area. 3. Signs for any commercial use must be part of the development signage and have no independent signage. 4 FILE NO.: Z-6544 (Cont.) SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (AUGUST 13, 1998) Darlene Garrett and Jessie Trigleth were present, representing the application. Staff briefly explained the project. Ms. Garrett reviewed the proposed uses for the building. She noted that the typical hours of operation would be from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. There was a brief discussion of the Public works issues, including right-of-way dedication and sidewalks. Staff noted that the area for commercial uses within the building should be limited to 10 percent of the total floor area. After the brief discussion, the Committee forwarded the issue to the full Commission for resolution. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (SEPTEMBER 3, 1998) Staff presented a positive recommendation on this application, as there were no further issues for resolution. There were no objectors to this matter. The Chairman placed the item before the Commission for inclusion within the Consent Agenda for approval as recommended by staff. A motion to that effect was made. The motion passed by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 nays and 1 absent. A