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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6732-A Applicationm w _ � Q k � W s o� 0 w ti City of Little Rock Department of anning and -Development Planning Zoning and 723 West Markham Subdivision Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 13 (501) 371-4790 MEMORANDUM TO: CHAIRMAN ERNEST AND PLANNING COMMISSIONERS FROM: �X' ALTER MALONE, PLANNING MANAGER SUBJECT: DOWNTOWN ZONING — CONDITIONAL USES DATE: AUGUST 23, 1999 Please find attached the properties where Conditional uses are requested. In most cases, this is to keep an existing use legal. In a couple of cases it is to keep the existing permitted uses in place. In order in minimize the creation of nonconforming uses, staff has offered to include these CUP requests as part of the downtown rezoning package — item 10 on your agenda. Attachment % Conclitiona Use for 12 Uses SouthWest Hotels Inc TRS: TINR12W 150 300 Feet Vicinity Map W� Case # Z -6730-B N Conditional Use for 12 uses `Arkansas Graphics 800 S. Gaines c-. Cr: 8 TRS: T1NR12W3 0 150 300 Feet PD: 5 warn: 1 Item # 10 Vicinity Map tinea lvlap Case # Z -6731-A Conditional Use for 12 Uses For Heartland Inm«ing, Inc CT. 1 TRS: T1NR12W10 PD: 8 Ward: 1 N 0 150 300 Feet Item # 10 z Area Map LL Case # 7-6732-A N Conditional Use for 12 Uses McElroy Metal Cr. 2 TRS: TINR12W 0 150 300 Feet PD: 7 Vicinity Map ------- War& 1 Item# 10 00 J Vicinity Map 'IN P. Case # Z -6732-B N Conditional Use for 12 uses,vindovs 822 E. 6th Street Cf: 2 TRS: TlNR121A2 0 150 300 Feet PD: 7 ward: I Item# 10 ........... EIIQ Qn LU ail p Case # Z -6735-A N Conditional Use for MW fan -0y for Park -view To,,wrs Cr: 3 TM: TlNR12WIl 0 150 300 Feet PD: 5 Vicinity Map Ward: 1 Item# 10 ' Conditional Use for Cl Uses avel 915 Cumberland for Poe Tr TRS: TINR12WIl 0 150 300 Feet Vicinity Map Area Map Case # Z -6734-B Conditional Use for C1 Uses 524 E 6th, Strahn CUP cr: 1 TRS: T1NR12W2 PD: 5 ward 1 N 0 150 300 Feet Item # 10 Vicinity Map N\ Area Map Case # Z -6734-C Conditional use for Cl uses 723 Cumberland Second Baptist Church CT: 3 TRS: TINR12Nk2 PD: 5 Ward- I N 0 150 300 Feet Item# 10 Area. Z,onmg :tet Case # Z -6734D N Conditional Use for MF & Cl uses Southest comer Clunberland and 9th Streets P . " CT. 3 r TRS: T1NRUIN2 0 150 300 Feet PD. 5 Vicinity wa-a: i Item # 10 f U ' � f I 1f L Area Map ~` Case # Z -6732-A N Conditional Use for 12 Uses NkElroy Metal f .. Cr: 2 TRS: T1NM A2 0 150 300 Feet PD: 7 Vicinity Map -------- :. ward i Item # 10 City of Little Rock Z- G732 A [)apartment of anning and DevelopmentPlanning Zoning and 723 West Markham Subdivision Little Rock, Arkansas 72 201-1 334 13 (501) 371-4790 March 16, 2000 J. Willis Brown, President Industrial Realty Co. P.O. Box 231 Little Rock, AR 72203 Dear Mr. Brown: This letter is to advise you that with the Board of Director's action on March 7, 2000, the conditional use permit (CUP) you requested for your property will become effective on September 7, 2000. This means that until September 7 the existing regulations exist for your property (Light Industrial "I2"). After that date the "Urban Use" with a CUP will be in effect. This expands the permitted uses to any residential, office, commercial or "I2" light industrial as defined by the Little Rock zoning code. If you have any questions, please contact me at 371-6819. Sincerely, J If Walter Malone, AICP Planning Manager FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION SEE Z-6730 FILES L7 LIL ------ ----------------- + 7 Area Map Case # Z -6732-A N Conditional Use for 12 Uses McElroy Metal Cr: 2 TRS: TINR12)A/2 0 150 300 Feet Tn6mm� PD: 7 Vicinity Map Ward: 1 Item# 3- q /1 Zoning Ordinance changes: l) Amend Section 36-2 Definitions -- adding: Drive Through -- means an establishment which by design of physical facilities or by the type of service offered, the customer conducts business from a motor vehicle. Pedestrian `urban' oriented -- means a development pattern designed at a human (pedestrian) scale and orientation. This includes provision of visual items of interest for the pedestrian -- window displays, streetscape amenities. Integral accessory use — means an outdoor or partially enclosed use area, which is an integral part directly servicing in a subordinate role a permitted interior use. Build -to -line — means the line where the exterior facade of a building is to be located excluding any projections. Commercial surface parking lot — means a surface parking lot, which has spaces for lease or sale on a daily, monthly or annual basis. Primay street — means the street with the highest classification in the Master Street Plan. ll) Amend Article lll, Section 36-156. Height and area exceptions -- Changing R-4 to R -4A in paragraph 2c. as follows: "Accessory buildings or structures in the R-1 through R -4A districts..." 111) Amend Article IV, Section 36-176. Districts established - adding: R -4A low density residential district UU urban use district 119 Amend Article V, Section 36-337. Districts - adding: R -4A low density residential district UU urban use district 10 Remove Article VI Sections 36-401 through 36-418 - Zoning Plan for Central Little Rock Urban Renewal Project. DRAFT DRAFT VI) Amend Section 36-524. Exceptions/modifications (zoning buffers) - adding: (11) Developments within the Urban Use (UU) District shall provide land use buffers only where abutting single-family and duplex use or zoning. Street buffers shall not be required. Land Use buffer. All sites developed. Modified or enlarged shall provide a land use buffer(s) as follows: 1. Side property lines at five (5) percent of the average width of the lot on both sides; 2. Rear property lines at five (5) percent of the average depth of the lot; 3. The minimum dimension shall be six (6) feet in all instances; 4. The maximum dimension required shall be forty (40) feet in all instances. VII)Adding two new Zone Districts to Article V District Regulations - Urban Use (UU) and Low Density Residential (R - 4A) SECTION—. URBAN USE DISTRICT (a) General Purpose and Intent. The Urban Use district established by this chapter is designed to assure the continuation of development consistent with a traditional urban form. The Urban Use district is designed to help create a compact, dense, distinguishable core area. The district is established in order to provide for an urban form allowing mid -rise and high rise structures. This District is to provide for the office, civic and business core of the City. Structures within the Urban Use district are encouraged to provide multiple uses within the same structure. The ground or street level of structures should include street oriented activity and pedestrian amenities. The resulting area is to be pedestrian `urban' oriented. (b) Application of Regulations. The regulations of this District shall apply to new development, redevelopment, expansion of existing development or exterior modifications. Routine repairs and maintenance shall not require compliance with this section. Except for construction of improvements in the public right of way required by the City, and redevelopment or expansion of existing development, all uses, structures or lots which existed on the effective date of this section which do not conform to the standards and guidelines established in this section, shall be treated as nonconforming according to the provisions of Article III of this chapter. DRAFT Z DRAFT (c) Development Criteria. (1) -Any lighting shall be placed so as to reflect light away from adjacent residential structures. Fixtures adjacent to roadways shall be of a design that minimizes glare to the motoring public. No excessive or unusual noise, odor or vibration shall be emitted so that it constitutes a nuisance, which substantially exceeds that general level of noise, odor or vibration emitted by uses adjacent to or immediately surrounding the site. Such comparisons shall be made at the boundary of the site. (2) All trash receptacles and pickup shall be oriented away from therip mart' street side of the property and screened from the public right-of-way. Trash receptacles shall be placed adjacent to alleys if alleys are available. (3) No new drive-in or drive-through facilities may be visible from the p wl .' 0914 of way or take direct access from the primary street. For developments with only one street frontage a conditional use review is required. (4) Building facade materials. OF ^' Farade materials may be any standard material, except corrugated or ribbed materials. (5) Landscaping a. All vehicular use areas and public right-of-way shall be in compliance with chapter 15, article IV. b. Street trees (tree types as listed in the landscape ordinance) shall be a minimum 3" caliper trees. The trees shall be located a minimum of 2'-0" off back of curb and shall be 30'- 0" on center, no closer than 30'- 0" to a street intersection, with a water source provided. The tree canopy shall be maintained at least 8 feet above the sidewalk. c. Unless otherwise approved, the planter well shall have placed at its base a six (6) inch thick section of approximately one (1) inch gravel with filter fabric laid on top to assist with drainage. (6) Sidewalks. a. Sidewalks shall consist of a minimum 5 foot concrete walk, excluding the first 2 feet from the curb. Sidewalks shall provide a minimum 7 foot horizontal clearance at a height of 4 feet from the ground. b. Sidewalk sales and daily display or vending that is stored inside the principal business building during closed business hours, s may be allowed. However, these activities shall not obstruct _pedestrian movement, fire lanes, or areas designated for access by the physically impaired. (7) Building orientation. Buildings must be oriented to the street. The primary entrance of the building shall be at street level on the street at the sidewalk. Entrances shall be designed so that the door will not swing beyond the property line. (8) Street -level floor. The ground -level (street fronting) floor of non-residential structures shall have a minimum of 60 35 percent transparent or window display. If at least 50 percent of the street -level office and retail space has direct access to the street, the total building square footage may be increased with additional floor(s) at a rate of 2 square feet for each one square foot of leasable space directly accessible to the street. On the street level the maximum area of sign may also be doubled if the above requirement is met. (9) Projections (all requirements for a franchise remain in place). a. Objects shall not project from the building facade over the public right of way except for awnings and balconies. b. Awnings shall not project more than 5'-0" from the building facade and have a minimum clearance of 9'-0" above the sidewalk. c. Balconies over the public right of way shall have a minimum clearance of 9'-0" above the sidewalk. The maximum projection shall be 4'0". (10) Parking requirements. No off-street parking shall be required. DRAFT 1-1 DRAFT a. Parking structures. The ground or street -level of a parking structure shall be constructed minimum clearance height of 12 feet to allow for active use other than parking (such as offices, light retailpersonal services and entertainmeng for at least 50 percent of the street frontage on the primaly street - For structures with only one street frontage the 50 percent requirement is exclusive of entrance driveways, stairwa s and pedestrian entrywayst [air peal�ia� - e�t#�ha�ga€ki�� ,DmGe i4h sill r#te air►mer}t: The �t�reithesaitamati�r uses�asg nr• Fha {r rc+ h4 n� '� 7 iao� fn a4ow4GF-a­�e46:f ^,-F.-I1nr. +ham Irt �ha.Tl �u'• If the parking structure includes the alternative uses at the time of initial construction, then the related structure may add one story in height. In addition, the maximum area devoted to signage on the first story may be doubled if the alternative uses are in place at initial construction. b. Parking lots. Surface parking is to be located behind or adjacent to a structure, never between the building and abutting street. Within this district n new commercial surface parking lots shall be permitted as a conditional use ordinannal If n arni�s irFrtra in;.ie..tra�fi'�es�_.h rtew nammarni.�I lot may be rsrlr�or� arifhin i�t,[iL+f nc lr�r�ry .��+ the total nraz —1-ain1- iv ri a�Iaf�si�-t.iC��nz+CGi��p�{T'E7FFf (11) Signs. Off -premise, pole, and monument signs are not allowed; otherwise, permitted signs shall be as in Section 36-553 "Signs permitted in institutional and office zones" of the Zoning Ordinance. (d) Use Regulations (1) Permitted Uses. Uses permitted shall include all those allowed in the Residential Districts, Office Districts and Commercial Districts as 'permitted uses', in Chapter 36. Except that, all uses must be inside or enclosed. Within the front setback where an integral accessory use is provided, the integral accessory use area need not be totally enclosed. (2) Conditional uses. Conditional uses shall include those allowed in the Light Industrial '1-2' District as 'permitted uses', in Chapter 36. Except that all uses must be inside or enclosed. Mix 6 9-MM, 0 _.'. (e) sleight regulations. No building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall exceed a height of three (3) stories or 45 feet, whichever is less. Developments which provide a minimum 20 percent of the gross floor area for residential uses are entitled to a maximum height of five (5) stories or 75 feet, whichever is less. Any structure which is certified by CATA (Central Arkansas Transit Authority) as providing a portion of the structure for mass transit (such as a bus stop, etc.), is entitled to one bonus floor. All building height bonuses are cumulative not to exceed ten (10) stories or 150 feet. In the area bounded by Markham Street on the north, 9h street on the south, Scott Street on the east, and Broadway Street on the west, building height shall be controlled by the Adams Field Airport Zoning Ordinance (section 7-57, height limitations in the Little Rock Code of Ordinances). (1) Area regulations. (1) Front yard. Five foot build to line. If there is an adjacent structure, which is closer than five feet, then the new structure may be built using the line of the pre-existing structure. (In no case may a structure be built in the right-of-way.) A development with an integral accessory use may increase the setback (build -to line) to 20 feet. Along Capitol Avenue, west of Broadway Street and east of Scott Street, the front building line shall be 25 feet. Along Chester Street from 1-630 to La Harpe Boulevard the front building line shall be 10 feet. In no case is the storage or parking of vehicles allowed in the front setback. (2) Rear yard. No setback required except where adjacent to lots containing single family detached structures. In this case the rear yard shall have a set back of not less than twenty-five (25) feet. (3) Side yard. No setback required except where adjacent to lots containing single family detached structures. In this case the side yards shall have a set back of not less than four (4) feet. ,)?,AFT 6 DRAFT Sec. . R4 -A Low Density Residential (a) Purpose and intent. The purpose of the R -4A District is to protect existing developed residential neighborhoods. It is intended for single family use with conversions to two family units or the addition of accessory residential units. The R -4A district should be located in developed areas of the city where an environment suitable for moderate -density residential (use) and in an established medium -density residential areas where densification may facilitate their continuation as desirable residential areas. Accessory uses, conditional uses and home occupations are permitted as long as they do not have objectionable characteristics a and provided further that they otherwise conform to the provisions of this chapter. The district is intended to be an urban low to moderate -density residential area, where an occasional nonresidential use adds to the overall character of the neighborhood. (b) Use Regulations. (1) Permitted uses. Permitted uses are single-family and two-family residences. (2) Other uses. Accessory, home occupation, temporary, special and conditional uses allowed within the R -4A low-density residential district shall be the same as those in the R-1, R-2, R-3 single-family districts. In addition any by -right uses within the C-1 neighborhood commercial district may be allowed as conditional uses in R -4A as specifically approved by the Planning Commission. These uses must follow the development criteria listed under C-1 neighborhood commercial and have a traditional design consistent with the neighborhood. (3) Within the area bounded by Capitol Avenue on the north, 9th street on the south, 1-30 on the east, and Cumberland Street on the west, in addition to the above uses, multi -family use, as defined by R-5 urban residential district, shall be a permitted use. (c) Height regulations. No building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall exceed a height of thirty-five (35) feet. (d) Area regulations. (1) Front yard. There shall be a front yard setback having a depth of not less than tw4af4y-#"254 fifteen (15) feet. If there is an adjacent structure, which is closer than 2=5 15 feet, then the new structure may be built using the line of the pre-existing structure. In no case may a structure be built in the right-of-way. [)fzA,FT 7 ru-'R AFT (2) Side yard. There shall be a side yard on each side of the building having a width of not less than ten (10) percent of the average width of the lot, not to exceed five (5) feet. (3) Rear yard. There shall be a rear yard having a depth of not less than twenty-five (25) feet. (4) Lot area regulations. There shall be a lot area of not less than five thousand (5,000) square feet. In addition, there shall be a lot width of not less than fifty (50) feet and a lot depth of not less than one hundred (100) feet. (3) Accessory structures and additions. Accessory structures or principal building additions of conventional on-site construction are permitted by right. Vlll) Modify map to change the area, from Cross to 130 and 1630 to River, to Urban Use and R -4A Districts. City of Little Rock O Department a anning an eve opmen Planning Zoning and 723 West Markham Subdivision Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 (501) 371-4790 August 24, 1999 J. Willis Brown, President Industrial Realty Co. P. O. Box 231 Little Rock, AR 72203 Dear Mr. Brown: We have received your letter with the C.U.P. information. We will present the property described in your letter for a C.U.P. at the September 2, 1999 Planning Commission hearing. Thank you for your time and assistance with this effort. Sincerely, Walter Malone, AICP Planning Manager WM:aa Industrial Realty Co. PO Box 231 Little Rock AR. 72203 501-340-6203 8-13-99 To: Walter Malone C/O Department of Planning and Development City of Little Rock. 723 West Markham Little Rock, AR. 72201-1334 Sub: New Zoning Classifications: Request for C.U.P. This is a request for Industrial Use (I-2)as a conditional use; per your letter dated 8-9-99 Legal Description: Ref: Property Tax Parcel NO 34L0250001400 and 34L0250001500 Rectortown ADDN Blk-009 Lot -001 Rectortown Addn Lts 1 thru 12 This is a one Block Area:South of 4th street, East of Rector, North of Capitol, West of Collins This is on the East side of I-30 Current Use: Being used by McElroy Metal, Metal Service Center and Building Components. Industrial Realty Co. Inc. J. Willis Brown President Arkansas Arkansas Democrat � (�a�ette �Commisslonl;. voies peva P I �3ni of � downtowfn BY ERICA yVERNER DL%1ocR_�TGxZcrre Dotivntown Little Rock will see its "most significant zoning change Law - ever. • Planning Director Jimaby son said, if new rules appi the Planning Commission on Thursday take effect. I The commissioners voted to com- pletely rezone downtown, replacing a mishmash of zoning classifications ; dating from the 1960s mrith one uni- form set of rules. The new ciassi£•ica- " tion. -,urban use, is intended to l help downto%,m Little Rock attain a " nixed -use, urban feel like the vi- brant atmosphere in cities like G'kiat- I tanooga. Tenn., and Portland, Ore. The coinmissioners' vote is a reconimendation to the city board, which will 1iSea PLANNING e matter page 58 Planning • Continued from Page 1 B next month. As the plan stands, the rules wouldn't take effect until six months after approval by the city board to allow time for developers to make the necessary adjustments. The area affected stretches from the Arkansas River, on the north to In- terstate 630 on the south and from Cross Street on the west to a few blocks past Interstate 30 on the east. The comprehensive new rules, in the works for years, range from mandat- ing that all buildings start 5 feet from the street to requiring that one-third of the ground -floor wall space on com- mercial buildings be made of glass. "It creates a district especially designed for downtown," Lawson said, "and we never had that." The commissioners voted 10-0, with commissioner Rohn Muse ab- sent, to approve the new zoning rules and also voted 10-0 to approve a new land -use plan encompassing downtown west to the state Capitol. A land -use plan is a vision for how an area should look, while zoning rules are the laws that mandate how and where buildings can be built. The Planning Commission does not have the authority to zone from Cross Street past the state Capitol because that area is the purview of the Capitol District Zoning Commis- sion, the state agency that controls development around the Capitol and the Governor's Mansion. The new zoning rules aim to ex- tend some of the charming charac- teristics of the River Market District ■ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 19� Copyright* 1999, Arkansas Democrat -Gazette, I throughout downtown, and city offi- cials want the new rules in place to facilitate a range of efforts focused on bringing morning -to -night activi- ties and residential living downtown. On Tuesday, the city board will vote on a resolution of support for a package of four initiatives- Downtown Little Rock -Framework for the Fu- ture; the Downtown Corridors Plan; the Six Bridges Framework Plan; and the Capitol Zoning Districts Capitol Area Framework Master Plan. Despite their different focuses, the plans all support pedestrian -friendly, mixed-use environments where the different pursuits of work, play and home can co -exist in harmony. Proi-isions of the proposed "ur- ban use" zone, a classification not found elsewhere in the city, include. ® Mandating that buildings face the street and have their entrances at street level on the sidewalk. Buildings would also be required to be built five feet from the street. Current regulations vary. In the in- dustrial zone west of Broadway, buildings must be set back at least 35 feet from the street. East of Broadway buildings can be built right on the street. ■ Requiring that 35 percent of the street -facing, ground -level walls of commercial structures be glass, ei- ther windows or display cases. ■ Placing stiffer restrictions on where drive-in and drive-through facilities can be built. Y New parking rules. Under the proposed rules, off-street parking would not be required. Businesses west of Broadway are currently re- quired to have some parking. Under the proposed rules, business- es would not be allowed to have parking lots in front. The lots would need to be on the side or in back ■ Mandating that new buildings have trees outside. wr If- ■ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 19� Copyright* 1999, Arkansas Democrat -Gazette, I throughout downtown, and city offi- cials want the new rules in place to facilitate a range of efforts focused on bringing morning -to -night activi- ties and residential living downtown. On Tuesday, the city board will vote on a resolution of support for a package of four initiatives- Downtown Little Rock -Framework for the Fu- ture; the Downtown Corridors Plan; the Six Bridges Framework Plan; and the Capitol Zoning Districts Capitol Area Framework Master Plan. Despite their different focuses, the plans all support pedestrian -friendly, mixed-use environments where the different pursuits of work, play and home can co -exist in harmony. Proi-isions of the proposed "ur- ban use" zone, a classification not found elsewhere in the city, include. ® Mandating that buildings face the street and have their entrances at street level on the sidewalk. Buildings would also be required to be built five feet from the street. Current regulations vary. In the in- dustrial zone west of Broadway, buildings must be set back at least 35 feet from the street. East of Broadway buildings can be built right on the street. ■ Requiring that 35 percent of the street -facing, ground -level walls of commercial structures be glass, ei- ther windows or display cases. ■ Placing stiffer restrictions on where drive-in and drive-through facilities can be built. Y New parking rules. Under the proposed rules, off-street parking would not be required. Businesses west of Broadway are currently re- quired to have some parking. Under the proposed rules, business- es would not be allowed to have parking lots in front. The lots would need to be on the side or in back ■ Mandating that new buildings have trees outside. CD ct cu r� vi •.+ D B�,Q O !�=0C6cz+o•� pD O cs rami A ] Q � I v n4 44) Z P--a7zmss! t ' viasq -4,J vi rx� Opi ca��� �'cdtl ^v ,� ow ri C.5 >❑ _o+ rop qac �-, � a� a> cn U3 A�� �ay Q� V3 0 ra=. ai2o�o��'o Wl Dc0itC 5�0Qq,00od Arkansas Democrat .; f (1iazette • . WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1999 • 91 Zoning L • Continued from Page 1A town. But under the new rules, de- velopers could build taller build- ings outside the skyscraper area if they give something in exchange: ® Developers who pledge to de- vote 20 percent of their building's floor area to residential use would get two extra stories. N Developers who provide part of their building for a mass -transit use. such as a bus stop, would get one extra story. M Developers who devote 50 per- cent of their ground -floor space to retail or office space directly ac- cessible from the street would get to add 2 square feet of floor space to their building for every square foot of space used for retail or street -accessible office space. 0 Developers of a building with a parking deck would get to Odd an extra story to their building if -the parking deck is built with office or retail space on the ground level. "For Little Rock, this is the first attempt to try to use incentives in- stead of using the traditional method of saying. 'You've got to do it,'" said Planning Manager Walter Malone. Incentives have been suc- cessful in other cities, he said., The regulations would take ef- fect ffeet six months after approval by the city board and would not apply to existing or already approved structures. They would go hand in hand with the package of four down- town -vision plans the city board discussed Tuesday night: Down- town Little Rock -Framework for the Future; the Downtown Corri- dors Plan; the Six Bridges Frame- work Plan; and the Capitol Area Framework Master Plan. The four plan& -focus on different areas of downtown with the goal of creat- ing pedestrian -friendly develop- ment. The area affected by the new zoning stretches from the Arkan- sas River on the north to Inter- state 630 on the south and from Cross Street on the west to a few blocks past Interstate 30 on the east. The skyscraper area is a rec- tangle from Second Street on the north to Ninth Street on the south and from Broadway on the west to Scott Street on the east, with an extension west to Gaines Street between Fourth and Sixth streets. Besides the height incentives, the "urban use" classification in- cludes a host of new regulations. They include a mandate that all buildings start five feet from the right of way and a requirement that one-third of the ground -floor wall space on commercial build- ings be made of glass. Even if the rules are approved by the city board, developers could get around them by applying for a variance from the Board of Adjustment, which annually grants some 100 exceptions to city zoning regulations, including the one based on the FAA require- ment. Many existing downtown build- ings were built with variances, in- cluding the 40 -story TCBY tower and the 30 -story Regions Bank building across the street. The de- velopers of the Acxiom building planned for Third and Sherman streets got a variance from exist- ing zoning rules to build up to 17 stories and would not be affected by the new rules, since the plans are already approved. By imposing a height limit of 45 feet throughout most of the down- town area, with buildings allowed to be three times that tall if incen- tives are taken, city planners say they are offering developers more flexibility in some parts of down- town than current zoning regula- tions do. Some areas east of Interstate 30 are now zoned industrial, a classi- fication which allows heights up to 60 feet. But because of the limited uses allowed in industrial zones, those 60 feet would mostly be used by smokestacks, and, moreover, most of downtown's industrial area is now reserved for the Clin- ton presidential library. In most other parts of down- town, buildings are not now al- lowed to be over 45 feet tall. The area of downtown west of Broadway is zoned mostly light in- dustrial and commercial. The height limit in light industrial is 45 feet and the limit in commercial is 35 feet. Most buildings in what would become the skyscraper district are allowed a "floor area ratio" of 15, meaning developers are al- lowed 15 square feet of floor space in their building for every 1 square foot of land their building sits on. That means that if a developer owned 5 square feet of land and wanted to cover all of it with a building, the building could be 15 stories tall, with each story having 5 square feet of floor space. If a developer owned 5 square feet of land and wanted to build on only 1 square foot of it, his building could be 75 stories high, with each story having 1 square foot of floor space. Part of the area just west of In- terstate 30 is zoned high-density residential, and a "floor area ra- tio" of 2.3 is allowed. Other parts are zoned general business, with a "floor area ratio" of 5. Just east of Interstate 30 is an area of two-fam- ily zoning, where buildings are al- lowed to be 35 feet tall. The new zoning regulations would preserve the residential area around MacArthur Park by creating another new zoning clas- sification for it, "low-density resi- dential." "Low-density residential" is dif- ferent from residential zoning classifications in other parts of the city because it allows small com- mercial and multifamily develop- ments as conditional uses. That means developers wanting to es- tablish a small commercial enter- prise or a multifamily develop- ment could get a conditional -use permit from the Planning Commis- sion rather than having to go. be- fore the city board to get the prop- erty rezoned. Under the new rules, MacArthur Park and Riverfront Park would be classified "open space," as opposed to "public in- dustrial," the classification now in place. The "open space" classifi- cation is more restrictive to en- sure that the areas are preserved as parks. Under the new rules, buildings in the "urban use" areas would all be required to start five feet back from the right of way. Currently buildings in the light industrial area west of Broadway have a front setback of 50 feet, while most buildings east of Broadway do not have to be set back at all from the right-of-way. 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Department officials hope the zoning changes will be on the agenda at the Oct. 19 Board of Di- rectors meeting. As the plan stands, the new rules would take effect six months after the board's approval, with existing and al- ready approved structures not af- fected. -The proposed rules would cre- ate a new zoning classification, "urban use," for th(F area from the Arkansas River on the north to In- terstate 630 on the south and from 'Cross Street on the west to a few blocks past Interstate 30 on the east. Buildings in the "urban use" zone would be limited to 45 feet tall, or three stories, except for in a central skyscraper district, where buildings could rise to about 200 feet, or 15 stories. Developers could build taller buildings outside the skyscraper zone by taking advantage of incen- tives, a new approach by the Plan- ning Department to encourage res- idential and retail space by allow- ing developers who make room for such uses to have extra stories on their buildings. Besides the proposed height rules, the "urban use" classifica- tion includes a host of new regula- tions, including a mandate that all buildings start 5 feet from the right of way and a requirement that one-third of the ground -floor wall space on commercial buildings be made of glass. The proposed skyscraper dis- trict would be a rectangle from Second Street on the north to Ninth Street on the south and from Broadway on the west to Scott Street on the east, with an extension west to Gaines Street between Fourth and Sixth streets. Now, the area where skyscrap- ers can be built stretches to River - front Park, rather than stopping at Second Street. The area between Eighth -Street, the southern border of the current skyscraper district, and In- terstate 630 is now zoned "general business." So is the northern part of the area between Scott Street, the current sk, scraper district's eastern border. and Interstate 30. Buildings in those areas can now go up to five stories, but un- der the proposed plan they'd be limited to three. So under the pro- posed plan the skyscraper area would shrink somewhat, and height restrictions in two border- ing areas would be more limiting. "H'e're generally not in favor of height restrictions in that area, or not in favor of that restrictive of a height requirement." said Bob East of East -Harding Inc. construc- tion, speaking as president of Downtown Partnership, a business development group. "Our problem is we have not reviewed it in depth and we need to." The proposed zoning plans are an outgrowth of Downtown Little Rock -Framework for the Future, a process conducted because of a recommendation during Future - Little Rock, the city's early '90s goals -setting project. The Framework for the Future plan will also be on the board's agenda Oct. 19, and the board will be asked to support it in a package of three other plans that envision a lively, pedestrian -friendly down- town area where people work, play and sleep. Framework for the Future is a set of goals, not rules or ordinances. A Downtown Zoning Committee met between August 1998 and De- cember 1998 to develop the recom- mendations of the Framework for the Future steering committee into zoning regulations. Drafts of the regulations were sent out to more than 900 property owners for comment in May. Sitting on the Downtown Zoning Committee were: then -Planning Commission Chairman Larry Lichty, now a city director; Plan- ning Commissioner Mizan Rah- man; Planning Commissioner Craig Berry_ Downtown Neighbor- hood Association President Kathy Wells; Mark Zoeller of the MacArthur Park Property Owners' Association; Barbara Patty of the Pulaski County League of Women Voters; Henry Lee, owner of CnCr �°Q CD 00 0, (D �* N `' � > " y M p CD > CG y n �C ❑ 1y = C M vZ. �rrCMD Enema.>Cr1 �:V- W"O O �Cr ooCD �d 0-m� on o (off a c �h CD :� CD(D 1 p fDO Uj¢'� � r CD p M 8,y r - <�:l en (D rJ3 CIQm CDCn0 CDP 2 g, CD W CD McEn ' Cn _::�fD � M� (D < o VC Dp O .•. CD e•' CD E. �Z W On CD rr a7 �..Y cC O (f4 (D Cn R CD CD M aCnU�x a� a7 CtixD ~' rL �. CD 'C :v��RRay�rR°� o� C's Cn CMD a' tip, E O 0 o o e+ 'r7 ,�, FL7• CD (D C �: m (D V, (D Cr ,xo rn CD �rn f�D 9 !:� r -L iCD SD CD rJ2 W CD In � R gL � y►°t r� o r r tj- � r° y �< ... CD Cn CD fD (�D•' .. a, o a"ts p rs SID (n cD Co O CDS. 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