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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6639 Staff AnalysisJuly 8, 1999 ITEM NO.: A FILE NO.: Z-6639 NAME: Gyst House Car Wash - Short -Form PD -C LOCATION: Northwest corner of Wright Avenue and Park Street DEVELOPER: ENGINEER: Gyst House McGetrick and McGetrick 2200 Wright Avenue 319 East Markham St., Ste. 202 Little Rock, AR 72202 Little Rock, AR 72201 AREA: 0.436 acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 ZONING: R-3 & C-3 ALLOWED USES: Single Family Residential and Commercial PROPOSED USE: Car Wash VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. BACKGROUND: Gyst House currently operates a car wash/detail shop at the northwest corner of Wright Avenue and Park Street. The property is zoned C-3 and the car wash has a nonconforming use status. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Gyst House proposes to redevelop the site by removing the existing building and constructing a new 4,450 square foot automated car wash building, expanding onto the R-3 zoned lot immediately north of the existing car wash site. The applicant proposes to access the site by utilizing a divided driveway from Park Street. There are nine (9) parking spaces proposed as noted on the attached site plan. The applicant has noted that the hours of operation will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The applicant has also noted that all work will be done within the enclosed building. July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6639 B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: As noted previously, Gyst House currently operates a car wash/detail shop on the property, utilizing a single existing building. There is a church and single-family residences to the south across Wright Avenue and two commercial buildings immediately west of the site. Additional single-family residences are located to the north, northwest and east across Park Street. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: The Wright Avenue, Central High and Downtown Neighborhood Associations were notified of the public hearing. As of this writing, staff has received several phone calls from persons with concerns relating to this proposed development. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. Wright Avenue is listed on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial. Traffic is 121000 vehicles per day. A dedication of right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline is required. 2.A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the corner of Wright Avenue and Park Street. 3. Stormwater detention ordinance applies to this property. 4. Contact Traffic Engineer, Bill Henry, for redesign of entrance. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available, not adversely affected. AP&L: No Comment received. Arkla: No Comment. Southwestern Bell: No Comment. Water: Contact Water Works regarding meter size and location. RPZ backflow protection will be required for the car wash. Fire Department: No Comment. County Plannin : No Comment received. K July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6639 LATA: CATA Route #16 serves this site. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: This request is in the Central City Planning District and was the subject of a Land Use Plan LU99-0807 that is pending before the Board of Directors. The use is consistent with the proposed Mixed Use category. Concerns arise over the layout of the site. The vehicular entrance should be off of Wright Avenue not the residential Park Street. Buffering should be greater to the north to buffer the residential uses to the north. Dumpsters should be screened and not visible from the front of the property. Landscape Issues: The proposed land use buffer along the northern perimeter of the site is two feet short of the minimum width requirement of six feet. A six foot high opaque screen is required along the northern perimeter. This screen may be a wooden fence with its face side directed outward or dense evergreen plantings. G. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised site plan to staff on May 7, 1999. The revised site plan shows the minimum six foot wide land use buffer along the north property line as required. The revised plan also shows the right-of-way dedication for Wright Avenue and the 20 foot corner radial dedication. As of this writing, the following site plan design issues have not been addressed by the applicant: 1_ Staff feels that the dumpster should be oriented away from the street. 2. Existing/proposed signage with details. 3. Type of screening to be utilized along the north property line. 4. Design of entry drive from Park Street. The ordinance would typically require 22 parking spaces for an automotive service type use of this size. The proposed site plan shows nine (9) off-street parking spaces. Based 3 July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6639 on the fact that the applicant is proposing an automated car wash and not a hand -wash facility as is currently on the property, the parking proposed should be adequate to serve the use. Staff feels that redevelopment of this site should prove to be a positive aspect for this general area and should have no adverse effects on the surrounding property. H. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the PD -C with the following conditions: 1. Resolution of the site plan design issues as noted in paragraph G of this report. 2. Compliance with the requirements as noted in paragraphs D, E, and F of this report. 3. Any site lighting should be low-level and directed away from adjacent property. 4. The dumpster must be serviced during daylight hours only. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENTS: (MAY 6, 1999) Pat McGetrick was present, representing the application. Staff gave a brief description of the proposed site plan. Mr. McGetrick noted that the proposed use would be an automated car wash with hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. He also noted that all of the work would be done within the enclosed building. Parking and screening/buffer issues were briefly discussed. Access to the property was also discussed. Public Works representatives noted that access to the site from Park Street was preferred. They also noted that the entry drive should be redesigned. After the discussion, the Committee forwarded the PD -C to the full Commission for resolution. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MAY 27, 1999) Pat McGetrick was present, representing the application. Mr. McGetrick requested that this item be deferred to the July 8, 1999 Planning Commission agenda due to the fact that 4 July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6639 there were only eight (8) planning commissioners present. The Commission offered a deferral to all applicants. The Chairman placed the item before the Commission for inclusion within the Consent Agenda for deferral to the July 8, 1999 Planning Commission agenda. A motion to that effect was made. The motion passed by a vote of 8 ayes, 0 nays and 3 absent. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JULY 8, 1999) Pat McGetrick was present, representing the application. Staff gave a brief description of the proposed site plan and a recommendation of approval with conditions. Staff noted that a few site design issues needed to be resolved and noted that the dumpster location would be acceptable if properly screened, based on the fact that the neighborhood is satisfied with the site plan. Staff also noted that Mabel Beeler of the neighborhood had contacted staff and stated that the neighborhood was satisfied with the site plan. Pat McGetrick addressed the Commission in support of the application. Mr. McGetrick noted the following with regards to the outstanding site design issues: a. The access drive to the property will not be divided. b. A 6 foot privacy fence will be constructed along the north property line. c. The dumpster area will be screened according to ordinance. d. A ground -mounted sign will be of monument type and approximately 8 feet by 10 feet in area. Mr. McGetrick also noted that as a result of a meeting with the neighborhood, the neighborhood wanted the access drive to be on Wright Avenue instead of Park Street. Commissioner Nunnley expressed concerns relating to traffic with the access drive on Wright Avenue. Bob Turner, of Public works, noted that Public Works would prefer access to be from Wright Avenue. Commissioner Nunnley asked about the traffic counts for Wright Avenue. 5 July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6639 Mr. Turner noted that it was approximately 12,000 vehicles per day. There was additional discussion concerning access to the property, including the number of lanes on Wright Avenue in this area. Commissioner Faust noted that the street had recently been restriped and contained three (3) lanes. It was the general consensus of the Commission that access to the property be from Wright Avenue. Commissioner Nunnley also expressed concerns with the number of parking spaces on the site. He asked if the vehicles would be hand -dried. Jim Lawson, Director of Planning and Development, noted that the car wash would be automated and the vehicles would leave the property after they are washed and dried. A representative from Gyst House noted that no vehicles would be parked on Park Street to be dried. He noted that all service of vehicles would be done on the site. Commissioner Putnam asked if Park Street allowed on -street parking. Mr. Turner noted that parking is allowed on Park Street. There was additional discussion regarding this issue. There was a motion to approve the PD -C rezoning subject to the conditions as noted by staff in paragraph H. of the agenda report and the following additional conditions: a. Access to the property to be from Wright Avenue. b. No servicing of vehicles on the street (on-site only) Reginald Wilson addressed the Commission with concerns relating to the buffer area along the north property line. Mr. McGetrick noted that a 6 foot wood fence and a 6 foot landscape buffer would be along the north property line. Mr. Wilson stated that he was concerned about the noise that would be generated by the automated car wash. C July 8, 1999 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: A (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-6639 Mr. McGetrick noted that the screening fence should provide the best sound buffer. There was a brief discussion relating to the hours of operation, buffer and noise levels. Mr. Wilson expressed concern with how the screening fence would look and if it would fit in with the neighborhood. Mr. McGetrick noted that the hours will be until dark during daylight savings time. He also noted that the fence could be moved to the south with a landscape area along its north side. Mr. Wilson indicated that the screening fence with landscaping along the north side would be satisfactory. Commissioner Nunnley asked about lighting. Mr. McGetrick noted that lighting would be on the building and shielded as not to reflect onto adjacent property. The previous motion was restated and seconded. The motion passed by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 nays and 1 absent. 7 FILE NO.: Z-6639 NAME: Gyst House Car Wash - Short -Form PD -C LOCATION: Northwest corner of Wright Avenue and Park Street DEVELOPER: ENGINEER: Gyst House McGetrick and McGetrick 2200 Wright Avenue 319 East Markham St., Ste. 202 Little Rock, AR 72202 Little Rock, AR 72201 AREA: 0.436 acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 ZONING: R-3 & C-3 ALLOWED USES: Single Family Residential and Commercial PROPOSED USE: Car Wash VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. BACKGROUND: Gyst House currently operates a car wash/detail shop at the northwest corner of Wright Avenue and Park Street. The property is zoned C-3 and the car wash has a nonconforming use status. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: Gyst House proposes to redevelop the site by removing the existing building and constructing a new 4,450 square foot automated car wash building, expanding onto the R-3 zoned lot immediately north of the existing car wash site. The applicant proposes to access the site by utilizing a divided driveway from Park Street. There are nine (9) parking spaces proposed as noted on the attached site plan. The applicant has noted that the hours of operation will be from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The applicant has also noted that all work will be done within the enclosed building. FILE NO.: Z-6639 (Cont.) B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: As noted previously, Gyst House currently operates a car wash/detail shop on the property, utilizing a single existing building. There is a church and single-family residences to the south across Wright Avenue and two commercial buildings immediately west of the site. Additional single-family residences are located to the north, northwest and east across Park Street. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: The Wright Avenue, Central High and Downtown Neighborhood Associations were notified of the public hearing. As of this writing, staff has received several phone calls from persons with concerns relating to this proposed development. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. Wright Avenue is listed on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial. Traffic is 12,000 vehicles per day. A dedication of right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline is required. 2.A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the corner of Wright Avenue and Park Street. 3.Stormwater detention ordinance applies to this property. 4.Contact Traffic Engineer, Bill Henry, for redesign of entrance. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available, not adversely affected. AP&L: No Comment received. Arkla: No Comment. Southwestern Bell: No Comment. Water: Contact Water Works regarding meter size and location. RPZ backflow protection will be required for the car wash. Fire Department: No Comment. County Planning: No Comment received. CATA: CATA Route #16 serves this site. FA FILE NO.: Z-6639 (Cbnt.) F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: G Planning Division: This request is in the Central City Planning District and was the subject of a Land Use Plan LU99-0807 that is pending before the Board of Directors. The use is consistent with the proposed Mixed Use category. Concerns arise over the layout of the site. The vehicular entrance should be off of Wright Avenue not the residential Park Street. Buffering should be greater to the north to buffer the residential uses to the north. Dumpsters should be screened and not visible from the front of the property. Landscape Issues: The proposed land use buffer along the northern perimeter of the site is two feet short of the minimum width requirement of six feet. A six foot high opaque screen is required along the northern perimeter. This screen may be a wooden fence with its face side directed outward or dense evergreen plantings. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised site plan to staff on May 7, 1999. The revised site plan shows the minimum six foot wide land use buffer along the north property line as required. The revised plan also shows the right-of-way dedication for Wright Avenue and the 20 foot corner radial dedication. As of this writing, the following site plan design issues have not been addressed by the applicant: I. Staff feels that the dumpster should be oriented away from the street. 2. Existing/proposed signage with details. 3. Type of screening to be utilized along the north property line. 4. Design of entry drive from Park Street. The ordinance would typically require 22 parking spaces for an automotive service type use of this size. The proposed site plan shows nine (9) off-street parking spaces. Based on the fact that the applicant is proposing an automated car wash and not a hand -wash facility as is currently on the property, the parking proposed should be adequate to serve the use. 3 FILE NO.: Z-6639 (Cont.) Staff feels that redevelopment of this site should prove to be a positive aspect for this general area and should have no adverse effects on the surrounding property. H. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the PD -C with the following conditions: 1. Resolution of the site plan design issues as noted in paragraph G of this report. 2. Compliance with the requirements as noted in paragraphs D, E, and F of this report. 3. Any site lighting should be low-level and directed away from adjacent property. 4. The dumpster must be serviced during daylight hours only. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENTS: (MAY 6, 1999) Pat McGetrick was present, representing the application. Staff gave a brief description of the proposed site plan. Mr. McGetrick noted that the proposed use would be an automated car wash with hours of 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. He also noted that all of the work would be done within the enclosed building. Parking and screening/buffer issues were briefly discussed. Access to the property was also discussed. Public Works representatives noted that access to the site from Park Street was preferred. They also noted that the entry drive should be redesigned. After the discussion, the Committee forwarded the PD -C to the full Commission for resolution. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MAY 27, 1999) Pat McGetrick was present, representing the application. Mr. McGetrick requested that this item be deferred to the July 8, 1999 Planning Commission agenda due to the fact that there were only eight (8) planning commissioners present. The Commission offered a deferral to all applicants. The Chairman placed the item before the Commission for inclusion within the Consent Agenda for deferral to the July 8, 1999 Planning Commission agenda. A motion to that effect was made. The motion passed by a vote of 8 ayes, 0 nays and 3 absent. 4 FILE NO.: Z-6639 (Cont. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JULY 8, 1999) Pat McGetrick was present, representing the application. Staff gave a brief description of the proposed site plan and a recommendation of approval with conditions. Staff noted that a few site design issues needed to be resolved and noted that the dumpster location would be acceptable if properly screened, based on the fact that the neighborhood is satisfied with the site plan. Staff also noted that Mabel Beeler of the neighborhood had contacted staff and stated that the neighborhood was satisfied with the site plan. Pat McGetrick addressed the Commission in support of the application. Mr. McGetrick noted the following with regards to the outstanding site design issues: a. The access drive to the property will not be divided. b. A 6 foot privacy fence will be constructed along the north property line. c. The dumpster area will be screened according to ordinance. d. A ground -mounted sign will be of monument type and approximately 8 feet by 10 feet in area. Mr. McGetrick also noted that as a result of a meeting with the neighborhood, the neighborhood wanted the access drive to be on Wright Avenue instead of Park Street. Commissioner Nunnley expressed concerns relating to traffic with the access drive on Wright Avenue. Bob Turner, of Public works, noted that Public Works would prefer access to be from Wright Avenue. Commissioner Nunnley asked about the traffic counts for Wright Avenue. Mr. Turner noted that it was approximately 12,000 vehicles per day. There was additional discussion concerning access to the property, including the number of lanes on Wright Avenue in this area. Commissioner Faust noted that the street had recently been restriped and contained three (3) lanes. It was the general consensus of the Commission that access to the property be from Wright Avenue. 61 FILE NO.: Z-6639 (Cont.) Commissioner Nunnley also expressed concerns with the number of parking spaces on the site. He asked if the vehicles would be hand -dried. Jim Lawson, Director of Planning and Development, noted that the car wash would be automated and the vehicles would leave the property after they are washed and dried. A representative from Gyst House noted that no vehicles would be parked on Park Street to be dried. He noted that all service of vehicles would be done on the site. Commissioner Putnam asked if Park Street allowed on -street parking. Mr. Turner noted that parking is allowed on Park Street. There was additional discussion regarding this issue. There was a motion to approve the PD -C rezoning subject to the conditions as noted by staff in paragraph H. of the agenda report and the following additional conditions: a. Access to the property to be from Wright Avenue. b. No servicing of vehicles on the street (on-site only). Reginald Wilson addressed the Commission with concerns relating to the buffer area along the north property line. Mr. McGetrick noted that a 6 foot wood fence and a 6 foot landscape buffer would be along the north property line. Mr. Wilson stated that he was concerned about the noise that would be generated by the automated car wash. Mr. McGetrick noted that the screening fence should provide the best sound buffer. There was a brief discussion relating to the hours of operation, buffer and noise levels. Mr. Wilson expressed concern with how the screening fence would look and if it would fit in with the neighborhood. Mr. McGetrick noted that the hours will be until dark during daylight savings time. He also noted that the fence could be moved to the south with a landscape area along its north side. N FILE NO.: Z-6639 (Cont.) Mr. Wilson indicated that the screening fence with landscaping along the north side would be satisfactory. Commissioner Nunnley asked about lighting. Mr. McGetrick noted that lighting would be on the building and shielded as not to reflect onto adjacent property. The previous motion was restated and seconded. The motion passed by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 nays and 1 absent. 7