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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6582 Staff AnalysisOctober 29, 1998 r. ITEM NO.: 6A NAME: LOCATION: OWNER/APPLICANT• PROPOSAL: ORDINANCE DESIGN STANDARDS: 1. Site Location: FILE NO.: Z-6582 City of Little Rock Alert Center - Conditional Use Permit 2401 East 6`h Street Square Deal, Inc. and Baird, Inc./ City of Little Rock A conditional use permit is requested to allow for construction of a City of Little Rock Neighborhood Alert Center on this R-3 zoned property. The property consists of 3 lots located at the southeast corner of East 6`h and Calhoun Streets. 2. Compatibility with Neighborhood: The site is located just east of the East Little Rock Industrial District, on the fringe of a residential neighborhood. A large area of I-3 zoned properties extend west of the site, containing a variety of warehousing and manufacturing uses. The East End Park and Nat Hill Community Center are located across 6`h Street, to the north. An elementary school occupies two blocks south of the site. The school itself is located at the southern end of the two -block site. A scattering of single family homes are nearby. A larger area of residential properties extends further to the south and east. The proposed alert center is ideally located so as to be compatible with the neighborhood. The East Little Rock Neighborhood Association and East End Civic League were notified of the proposal. 3. On -Site Drives and Parkin: This 1,500 square foot office requires four on-site parking spaces. The proposed site plan shows five on-site parking spaces, one of which is designated for handicap use. Large areas of parking are located on the park and community center properties directly across 6`h Street. The site plan proposes one driveway on East 6`h Street and one on Calhoun Street. October 29, 1998 ITEM NO.: 6A (Cont.) 4. Screening and Buffers: FILE NO.: Z-6582 Compliance.with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances is required..---. Areas set aside for buffers and landscaping meet or exceed ordinance requirements. A 6 foot high opaque screen either a wood fence or dense evergreen planting, is required along the southern and eastern property lines. 5. Public Works Comments: 1. Dedicate right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline on East 6th Street and Calhoun Street. 2. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. 3. Property frontage needs to have the sidewalks and ramps - brought up to current ADA standards. 4. All driveways shall have concrete aprons per City Ordinance. 6. Utility and Fire Department Comments: No comments were received from the utility companies or fire department. The applicant should contact the various agencies to determine what requirements pertain to this proposal. The site is located on a LATA bus route. 7. Staff Analysis: The City of Little Rock requests a conditional use permit to allow for construction of an alert center on this R-3 zoned property. The site consists of 3 vacant, grass -covered lots. The City proposes to construct a one-story, 1,500 square foot structure. The structure will be residential in appearance and will be located near the center of the property. A single driveway, entering the site from East 6th and from Calhoun Street, and 5 on-site parking spaces will be constructed. Additional parking is available on other city owned properties across East 6th Street. The alert center will house offices for code enforcement officers, police officers and a neighborhood facilitator. An area will be available for small neighborhood meetings. This new alert center is to replace one currently housed in rented space two blocks to the east at 2525 3/ East 6th Street. The property is located at a point of transition between the I-3 zoned East Little Rock Industrial District and an adjacent residential neighborhood. Adjacent institutional uses include a city park, elementary school and the Nat Hill Community Center. One single family home - is adjacent to the east. Vacant, boarded -up buildings are - on the block to the west. The site is perfectly located to 2 October 29, 1998 ITEM NO.: 6A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6582 serve the neighborhood residents and to serve as a gateway to the neighborhood from the industrial area. No signage has been proposed. Staff recommends that signage be limited to that permitted in office zones. Ground - mounted signs are limited to 6 feet in height and 64 square feet in area in office zones. Typical alert center signage is less than that. Wall signage is limited to no more than 10 percent of the fagade. Again, that exceeds the typical alert center signage. Placement of the structure exceeds all required R-3 setbacks. Once right-of-way is granted for East 6th Street, the structure will have a front yard setback of 22 feet, 3 feet less than the 25 feet required by the Ordinance. It will be difficult to move the structure back any further due to the presence of a storm drain which runs across the property. 8. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the requested conditional use permit subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with Public Works Comments 2. Signage is to be limited to that allowed in office zones. 3. Any site lighting is to be low-level and directional, aimed away from adjacent residential properties. 4. Compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances Staff also recommends approval of a front yard setback variance to allow a setback of 22 feet once the required right-of-way for East 6`h Street is dedicated. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (SEPTEMBER 24, 1998) Due to the urgency of this proposal and the time constraints involved, staff was unable to present this item to the Subdivision Committee. The issue is very simple and there are no site plan concerns. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (OCTOBER 29, 1998) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with Public Works comments 2. Signage is to be limited to that allowed in office zones. 3 October 29, 1998 ITEM NO.: 6A Cont. FILE NO.: Z-6582 3. Any site lighting is to be low level and directional aimed away from adjacent residential properties. 4. Compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances. Staff also recommended approval of a front yard setback variance to allow a setback of 22 feet once the required right-of-way for East 6th Street is dedicated. There was no further discussion. The conditional use permit and setback variance were placed on the Consent Agenda and approved by a vote of 8 ayes, 0 noes and 3 absent. 4