HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6655 Staff AnalysisApril 26, 1999
Item No.: 5
File No.: Z-6655
Owner: Shugs Riverhouse, Inc. (under
contract for sale)
Address: 3421 Old Cantrell Road
Descriptio Parts of Lots 1, 2, 11 and 12,
Block 1, West Rock Addition
Zoned: C-3
Variance Requested: Variances are requested from the
area regulations of Section 36-301,
the building line provisions of
Section 31-12 and the parking
requirements of Section 36-502.
Justification: :Applicant's Statement:• Currently,
the property is zoned C-3
commercial which allows for a bank
branch location. To satisfy the
development requirements, the
applicant is requesting the
following variances;
1. An area variance, as per Section
36-301 of the Little Rock Code
of Ordinances permitting
construction of a new building
allowing for a reduction in the
front and rear yards.
2. A building line variance as
provided for in Section 31-12
requesting a new building to be
built across a platted building
line.
3. A parking variance as set forth
in the provisions of Section 36-
502 allowing for the reduction
of on-site parking.
The property was previously
occupied as a restaurant and did
April 26, 1999
Item No.: 5 (Cont.)
Present Use of Property:
Proposed Use of Property:
Staff Report:
A. Public Works Issues:
not meet current zoning guidelines
as established by the City of
Little Rock. The existing building
exceeds all building setback
requirements and does not have
sufficient parking for a commercial
application. The new development
will consist of a smaller ground
floor area, while its proposed use
will not require as many parking
spaces.
Vacant restaurant building
New, two-story bank building
1. Mart Drive is a commercial street; 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 Old Cantrell and Mart Drive.
3. Driveways shall conform to Section 31-210. Only one
driveway is permitted on Old Cantrell. Move driveway
shown on west side of site to the north in order to
provide additional stacking room for drive-through, and
to satisfy ordinance requirement for minimum separation
of 25 feet from property corner.
4. Provide design of streets conforming to
collector/commercial standards. Construct one-half
street improvements to these streets, including 5 foot
buffered sidewalks, with planned development.
5. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for
approval prior to start of work.
6. Improve corner curb radius to 30 feet minimum. (Existing
corner radius is 5 feet).
B. Staff Analysis:
The C-3 zoned property located at 3421 Old Cantrell Road is
currently occupied by a vacant restaurant building. The
applicant proposes to remove this structure and build in its
place a new, two-story bank building. The new building will
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April 26, 1999
Item No.: 5 (Cont.
have a front yard setback of 9.25 feet and the canopy over
the drive-thru will result in a rear yard setback of 10
feet. The code requires a front yard setback of 25 feet and
a rear yard setback of 15 feet for this lot. A 4,900 square
foot bank requires 12 on-site parking spaces. The site plan
submitted by the applicant proposes 13 parking spaces. Once
the required radial right-of-way dedication driveway
modification and landscaping are provided, the site may be
left with 11 parking spaces.
Staff is supportive of the requested setback and parking
variances. The existing building has a front yard setback
of 11-12 feet and a much greater portion of the building
lies within the front yard setback area. Only a small area
of the proposed new building falls within the required front
yard setback by comparison. Portions of the existing
building have a rear yard setback of 0 feet. The proposed
new building will meet the ordinance required 15 foot
setback with only a canopy over the drive-thru lane
extending into the required rear yard. The existing
building has a side yard setback on Mart Drive ranging from
1-12 feet. The new building will exceed the required
setbacks. Should a parking variance be necessary, staff
supports a variance. In addition to on-site parking spaces,
the bank will have a drive-thru service window with space to
stack 4-5 vehicles. The on-site parking should be adequate
to accommodate this small bank facility.
The current development on the site is extremely substandard
in the sense that it does not meet ordinance minimums for
setbacks, parking or landscaping. Staff believes the
proposed new development will be an asset to the area and
will result in a quality development on an extremely
difficult to develop site.
C. Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the requested setback and
parking variances subject to compliance with Public Works
Comments and compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer
Ordinances.
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT:
(APRIL 26, 1999)
Gary Dean and Luke Quinn were present representing the
application. There were no objectors present. Staff presented
April 26, 1999
Item No.: 5 (Cont.
the item and a recommendation of approval subject to compliance
with Public Works Comments and with the City's Landscape and
Buffer Ordinances.
Gary Dean addressed the Board in support of the application. He
presented a slightly revised site plan showing the drive-thru
driveway being moved farther away from the south property line.
The revised plan provided 12 on-site parking spaces and showed
the required radius at the corner of Mart Drive and Old Cantrell
Road. Mr. Dean stated that Mart Drive had a 60 foot right-of-way
with 36 feet of pavement. Mr. Dean stated that a waiver would be
requested from the Board of Directors regarding the two driveways
onto Old Cantrell Road and the location of the drive-thru
entrance off of Mart Drive.
In response to a question from Norm Floyd, Mr. Dean stated that
the proposed bank was oriented more to commercial transactions,
not traditional retail business. Mr. Dean stated that there
would be no ATM in the drive-thru lane.
Gary Langlais noted that four employee parking spaces were
accessed by the drive-thru lane. Mr. Dean responded that those
employees typically arrived in the morning and stayed all day.
Mr. Dean noted that 12 parking spaces were provided on-site. He
asked that the Board approve a parking variance in case the Board
of Directors denied the driveway waivers and a resulting revision
of the site plan caused the loss of a parking space.
Luke Quinn addressed the Board. He stated that he was a broker
representing the proposed buyer. Mr. Quinn stated that the
proposed bank did not currently have a presence in Little Rock.
He stated that the bank did not have much typical retail
activity.
A motion was made to approve the requested setback and parking
variances subject to compliance with Public Works Comments and
with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances. The motion was
approved by a vote of 4 ayes, 0 noes, 0 absent and 1 open
position.
At staff's request, the Board members clarified that the
condition to comply with Public Works Comments included any
waiver of those comments by the Board of Directors.
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