HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6734-B ApplicationCity of Little Rock
Department of anning and -Development Planning
Zoning and
723 West Markham Subdivision
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334
13 (501) 371-4790
IT111Tto] M X2Il l"
TO: CHAIRMAN ERNEST AND PLANNING COMMISSIONERS
FROM: J�" 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
Area Map
}} Case # -6730-A N
Conditiona Use for 12 Uses
SouthWest Hotels Inc
Cr: 9
TRS: T1NR12W3 0 150 300 Feet
a PD: 5
Vicinity Map ------ ward: 1 Item # 10
Vicinity Map
Case # 7-6730-B
Conditional Use for 12 uses
Arkansas Graphics
800 S. Gaines
CT. 8
TRS: T1NRIM
PD: 5
a
Ward 1
0 150 300 Feet
Item # 10
Vicinity Map
Area Map
Case # 7-6731-A
Conditional Use for 12 Uses
For Heartland Imaging, Inc
Cr: 1
TRS: T1NR12W10
PD: 8
Ward 1
0 150 300 Feet
Item # 10
0 0G
r�Im!
Area Map
Case # 7-6732-A N
Conditional Use for 12 Uses
McElroy Metal
Cr. 2
TRS: TINRITK0 150
300 Feet
PD: 7
Vicinity Nbp ------ Ward I Item# 10
1
aA
7
a
X703 �
DOIT Ij ao
R
Area Map
%. Case # 7-6732-B N
Conditional Use for 12 uses,windows
822 E. 6th Street
TRS: T1NR12V(2 0 150 300 Feet
PD. 7 -
vlcirlty Map - _ _ - - - _ ward: 1 Item # 10
YJ r
E3 E:7 C3
L
QCD
CDo
r
ED
- s�?o I
4_
CDC
El a �
Vicinity Map
Area Map
Case # Z -6735-A
Conditional Use for Multifamily
for Parkview Towers
CT: 3
TRS: TINR12W11
PD: 5
Ward: 1
0 150 300 Feet
Item # 10
Vicinity Mqr
tirea. map
Case # z -6734A
Conditional Use for Cl Uses
for Poe Travel
915 Cumberland
CT: 3
TRS: TlNR12W11
PD: 5
Ward: 1
N
0 150 300 Feet
Item # 10
Case # Z -6734-B N
`3 Conditional Use for Cl Uses
524E 6th, Strahn CUP
- 1
CF. 1
TRS: T1NR12W2 0 150 300 Feet
PD: 5
Vicinity Map ward 1 Item # 10
0
Case # 7-6734-C N
Conditional use for Cl uses
723 Cumberland
Second Baptist Church
Cr: 3
TRS: TINRMNQ 0 150 300 Feet
PD: 5
vicinity Map ........ . Ward. I Item# 10
Area Zoning
Case # 7.6734-D
_ N
Conditional Use for W & Cl uses
Southest corner Cumberland and
9th Streets
s-
Cr: 3
TRS: TINR121A2 0 150 300 Feet
------- .. � PD: 5
Vicinity Map ,ti ward: 1 Item # 10
a 00
1 37
Vicinity Mar
ILu
lul
a
M�
Case # M732 -C
Conditional Use for 12 uses
CollinsByrd, 6th /7th Streets
Cr. 3
TRS: TINR12M
PD: 7
Ward. 1
N
0 150 300 Feet
Item # 10
q /l
Zoning Ordinance changes: 'IRA Opr
1) 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 fagade 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.
Primary street — means the street with the highest classification in the
Master Street Plan.
11) Amend Article Ill, 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
I10 Amend Article V, Section 36-337. Districts - adding:
R -4A low density residential district
UU urban use district
19 Remove Article V1 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 (UQ) 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. Ube
�iqhtof 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. o.s.,,wy building fonnrirzm
glass. Fagade 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.
CRAFT
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.
MN
44
DRAFT
a. Parking structures. The ground or street -level of a parking structure
shall be constructed (minimum clearance height of 12 feet
allow for active use other than parking such as offices li ht
retail, personal services and entertainment] for at least 50
percent of the street frontage on the rima street For
structures with only one street frontage the 50 percent
reguirement is exclusive of entrance driveways: stairways_ and
pedestrian entryways hn,.a at
lea Cf .0- PArnent of the st-wn4 In-I&T,
n4rinFpro. frrrt}nro /avnli.i e. -u a at eptrn nna drlue, riays n4na ic+ r.n.-I
r
n'
rffincc. liri-} ro4rtii ndre+nnrs�ronino,crtnri nn!==n,M4
may be Gon St.
as 41; f,F Ioyel .,f the RU1, Rtl ire h;a5; height of '! 7 fnn4 4n
height
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 ne new commercial surface parking lots
shall be permitted as a conditional use
nwrv.rvnapge Ire} mnae he nrlrlari wi4 n_ _er�+ _76_1049_ac.
(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.
6
DRAFT
(e) Height 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, &A Wh 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).
(t) 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.
1DRAFT
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 � 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 ) fifteen(15] feet. If there is an adjacent structure,
which is closer than 25 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.
DRAFT
(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 Riven, to Urban Use and R -4A Districts.
a
City of Little Rock -2-4713y-z
Department of anning and Developmen!Planning
Zoning and
723 West Markham Subdivision
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334
13 (501) 371-4790
March 16, 2000
James E. Strahn
524 East 6h Street
Little Rock, AR 72202
Dear Mr. Strahn:
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 (High Density Residential "HR"). After that date the "Low Density
Residential—R4A" with a CUP will be in effect. This expands the permitted uses to
Single Family, Duplex, Multifamily or permitted neighborhood commercial "C1" uses as
defined by the Little Rock zoning code.
If you have any questions, please contact me at 371-6819.
Sincerely,
Walter Malone, AICP
Planning Manager
FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION
SEE Z-6730 FILES
Vicinity Map
Area Map
Case # Z -6734-B
Conditional Use for C1 Uses
524 E 6th, Sb7alm CUP
Cr: I
TRS: TINR12)W
PD: 5
Ward: I
0 150 300 Feet
Item # 3
City of Little Rock
I:R
epar men o Planning an o
eve pmen Planning
Zoning and
723 West Markham Subdivision
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334
(501) 371-4790
August 24, 1999
James E. Strahn
524 East 6h Street
Little Rock, AR 72202
Dear Mr. Strahn:
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
l7
524 East 6th Street
Little Rock, AR 72202
August 19, 1999
Mr. Walter Malone, AICP
Planning Manager
Department of Planning and Development
723 West Markham
Little Rock, AR 72201-1334
Dear Mr. Malone:
I appreciate your meeting with me today. The information you gave me was
very helpful. As per our conversation,) would like to request a conditional use of
C-1 for the property at 524 East 6t' Street with the following legal description;
That part of Trapnall Block in Stevenson's Addition to the City of Little Rock,
Pulaski County, Arkansas, more particularly described as follows: Begin at the
Southeast comer of said Trapnall Block, which is the Northwest corner of the
Intersection of East fih Street and Sherman Street in said City, and run thence along
the West side of Sherman Street, 81.5 feet to an iron pin, thence West parallel to East
6a' Street 75 feet to an iron pin, thence South parallel to Sherman Street 81.5 feet to an
iron pin on the South line of said Block; thence East along the South line of said Block
75 feet to the point of beginning.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Gam.
96�
& es E. Strahn
Phone: 399-9850
Email: (strahn@alltel.net)
Area Map
Case # Z -6734-B N
Conditional Use for Cl Uses
.�, 524 E 6th, Strahn CUP
r •- - CI': 1
TRS: T1NR12W2 0 150 300 Feet
�PD: 5
i
Vicinity Map ward 1 Item # 10
grkansas
Arkansas Democrat V Gazette
�Commlssloll ti
rotes rev I
of zolli-na
dovvt�v _�
BY ERICA V ERNER
ARY-NNSAS ❑E`1oc%, T•G.kzETTE
Dotivntow 1 Little Rock will see
ficant coning change
its "most signi
evei;" Planning Director jivd Law-
son said, if new Clotst►ratipisPsion on j
by
the planning i
Thursday take effect.
The commissioners voted to acing
pleteiy rezone do�vnt classif cations
a mishmash of zoning
dating from the 19603 with one uni- i
form set of rules. Tr1eeNv intendedlcto
tion. urban use, is
help downtown Little Rock attain a
mixed-use, where in el like cities likehat-
bvi-
rnnt atmosphere portland, Ore,
tanooga, Tenn.,
The commissioners' vote is a
oard,
recommeridation io the city
ythe matter
which will likely ee p ANNING, Page 5B
s Continued from Page 1 B
next month. As the plan stands, the
rules woulddt 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 ofglass.
-It creates a district especially
designed for downtown," Lawson
said. -'ani we never had that."
The commissioners voted 1K
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
a FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 17,19
Copyright 0 1999, Arkansas Derrecrat•Gezette,
throughout downtown, and city offi- ,
cials want the new rules in place to I
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 Rack -Framework for the Fu-
ture; the Downtown Corridors Plan;
the Six Bridges Framework Plan; and -
the Capitol Zoning District's Capitol
Area Framework Master Plan.
Despite their different focuses, the
pians all support pedestrian -friendly,
mixed-use environments where the
different pursuits of work, play and
home can co -exist in harmony.
Provisions of the proposed "ur-
ban use" zone, a classification not
found elsewhere in the city, include:
2 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.
i 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.
■ New parking rules. Linder 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.
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Arkansas Democrat V (gazette • • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1999 ® 9,0
Zoning
a 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:
C1 Developers who pledge to de-
vote 20 percent of their building's
floor area to residential use would
get two extra stories.
0 Developers who provide part of
their building for a mass -transit
use. such as a bus stop. would get
one extra story.
13 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.
12 Developers of a building with a
parking deck would get to Odd an
extra stork' to their building if -the
Parkin g deck is built with office or
retail space on the ground level.
For Little Rack, 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 11anager Walter
Malone. Incentives have been suc-
cessful in other cities, he said.,
The regulations would take ef-
fect 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-
%vork Plan: and the Capitol Area
Framework Master Plan. The four
plans -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 haying
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 regutations
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. The new zoning regu-
lations were developed over the
past year by a committee made up
of three planning commissioners,
three property owners and three
representatives of downtown asso-
ciations.
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'12A o SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1999 Is •
zoning
s Continued from Page 1A
thus far in soliciting property own-
ers' input.
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 ru,,les would cre-
ate a new zoning "classification,
``urban use," for the 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
tail, 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
Seeond 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 skyscraper 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.
"Were 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. '`Dur 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 ltilizan Rah-
man; Planning Commissioner
Craig Berry; Downto►vn 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
�s �o(Cd
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1
Arkansas
Arkansas Democrat (�a�ette
Commission
votes revamp i. -
of
of zoning. !
downtown
BY ERICA WERNER
ARk-%NSA5 U%10CK%'r-G:VF TE
Downtown Little Rock will see
its most significant zoning change
ever," Planning Director i a Law-
son y
said, if new Clea approved
p elan an
the Planning
Thursday take effect.
The commissioners voted to corn- `
pletely Tezone downtown, replacing
a mishmash of zoning classifications
dating from the 1960s with one uni-
form set of rules. The new classifica-
tion. "urban use,'' is intended to
help do%vntO%% n Little Rock attain a
mixed-use, urban feet like the vi-
brant atmosphere in cities like Chat-
tanooga..
hattanooga.. Tenn., and Portland, Ore.
1 The commissioners' vote is a
recommendation to the the matter
which will t See PLANNING, Pa9g 58
Planning
le Continued from Page 1B
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
piles 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 0 1999, Arkansas Democrat -Gazette,
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 District's 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.
Provisions 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.
0 Placing stiffer restrictions on
where drive-in and drive-through
facilities can be built.
■ 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.
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Arkansas Democrat y- (gazette .. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1999 ®-9a
Zoning L
• Continued from Page 1 A
town. But under the new rules, de-
velopers could build taller build-
ings outside the skyscraper area if
they give something in exchange:
C1 Developers who pledge to de-
vote 20 percent of their building's
floor area to residential use would
get two extra stories.
® Developers who provide part of
their building for a mass -transit
use, such as a bus stop, would get
one extra story.
® 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.
U 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 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
plans. -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
walr 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. The new zoning regu-
lations were developed over the
past year by a committee made up
of three planning commissioners,
three property owners and three
representatives of downtown asso-
ciations.