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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-6923-B Staff AnalysisJuly 24, 2014 ITEM NO.: C FILE NO.: Z -6923-B NAME: Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church Day Care and Private School — Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 4401 Woodlawn Drive OWNER/APPLICANT: Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit is requested to allow for the expansion of a previously approved day care and to allow for the addition of a small private school to this R-2 zoned church site. SITE LOCATION: The site is located on the south side of Woodlawn Drive, between Walnut and Ash Streets. 2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: The church has been a part of the neighborhood for decades. Surrounding uses are primarily single family homes on typical, urban lots. The Hillcrest Commercial district is located one block to the north, along Kavanaugh. Allowing the proposed increase in enrollment for the previously approved day care and the addition of the small private school to this existing, institutional site should not affect the church's continued compatibility with the neighborhood. Notice of the public hearing was sent to all owners of properties located within 200 feet of the site and the Hillcrest Neighborhood Association. 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: Total enrollment for the day care (6 weeks to 6 years old) is 58 children with 13 employees; requiring 18 parking spaces. The elementary school will have a maximum enrollment of 20 students in grades 1 thru 6 with 6 employees. Assuming one classroom per grade, the parking requirement is 12 parking spaces. Staff will park in the 25 space parking lot located across Walnut Street, freeing up the 20 space parking lot next to the church buildings for parents and for drop-off/pickup. Parents will enter the site from Ash Street and exit onto Woodlawn. During the drop-off and pickup times, there will be an attendant in the parking lot to help direct traffic flow. On street parking is available for other visitors to the church during the week. The Hillcrest Design Overlay District allows the use of on -street parking to meet parking requirements. July 24, 2014 ITEM NO.: C(Cont.)FILE NO.: Z -6923-B 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: No Comments. 5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS: 1. Is the applicant proposing a day care, afterschool care, and elementary school facility? Provide the child care and school hours? Provide times children are dropped off and picked up? Provide location of staff parking. 2. Vehicle stacking is not allowed on city streets. Provide a traffic circulation plan showing parking spaces, drop off/pickup areas, stacking areas, and vehicles circulation. Provide pavements widths and stack lengths. Will traffic circulation be directed by staff on site during start and dismissal times? Staggered start and dismissal times maybe needed. 6. UTILITY FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Entergy: Approved as submitted. Entergy has no objection to this proposal. Centerpoint Energy: No comment received. AT&T (SBC): No comment received. Water: No objection. All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding the size and location of the water meter. If there are facilities that need to be adjusted and/or relocated, contact Central Arkansas Water. That work would be done at the expense of the developer. Contact Central Arkansas Water if additional fire protection or metered water service is required. The Little Rock Fire Department needs to evaluate this site to determine whether additional public and/or private fire hydrant(s) will be required. If additional fire hydrant(s) are required, they will be installed at the Developer's expense. 2 July 24, 2014 ITEM NO.: C Cont. FILE NO.. Z -6923-B Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZ) is required on the domestic water service. This assembly must be installed prior to the first point of use. Central Arkansas Water (CAW) requires that upon installation of the RPZA, successful tests of the assembly must be completed by a Certified Assembly Tester licensed by the State of Arkansas and approved by CAW. The test results must be sent to CAW's Cross Connection Section within ten days of installation and annually thereafter. Contact the Cross Connection Section at 377-1226 if you would like to discuss backflow prevention requirements for this project. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. Place Fire hydrants per Code, maintain access, Fire sprinkler system. Building Codes Comment: Project is a change in occupancy and is therefore subject to current building code requirements. Review and approval is required by Building Codes Division before occupancy takes place. For information on submittal requirements and the review process, contact a commercial plans examiner: Curtis Richey at (501) 371-4724; cricheyPlittlerock.org or Mark Alderfer at (501) 371-4875; malderfer littlerock.or . County Planning: No Comments. CATA: Approved as submitted. Served by CATA Bus Route # 8 off of Lee Avenue and Route # 1 off Kavanaugh. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (MAY 21, 2014) The applicants were present. Staff presented the item and noted little additional information was needed. The applicants were asked to provide the hours of operation of the day care and the school. In response to a question from staff, the applicants stated no additional signage was requested beyond that approved on September 19, 2013. Public Works Comments were discussed. The applicants were asked to provide a traffic circulation plan showing drop-off/pickup areas, stacking areas and vehicle circulation. Staff noted that vehicle stacking on public streets was not permitted. The applicants stated employees would park in the lot across Walnut Street, freeing up to the on-site parking lot for use by the parents for parking and drop-off/pickup. M July 24, 2014 ITEM NO.: C (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -6923-B The applicants were advised to respond to staff issues by Wednesday, May 28, 2014. The Committee forwarded the item to the full Commission. STAFF ANALYSIS: Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church occupies the north half of the R-2 zoned block bounded by Woodlawn, Walnut, Ash and Lee. The main building is located on the east half of the block. The west half contain three smaller buildings and church parking lot. An additional parking lot is located across Walnut Street to the east. On October 26, 2000, a CUP was approved to allow a day care in the church. It was not done and that approval expired. On September 29, 2013, a CUP was approved to allow a day care for children ages 18 months to 5 years. The maximum capacity approved was 36 children with 8 employees. The day care was approved to be located in classroom space in the main church building. Approved days and hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. — 5:30 p.m. The playground is "tucked" into the "U-shaped" main building area. Operation of the day care is in partnership with Village Montessori. The church is now requesting a revision to the CUP to allow for an expansion of the day care and the addition of a small private school; continuing the partnership with Village Montessori. The day care is proposed to expand to include infants 6 weeks to 18 month with a maximum enrollment of 22 children with 5 employees. The private school is proposed to be only for elementary ages 1 to 6th grade with a maximum enrollment of 20 students total with 6 employees. The elementary school is proposed to be located in the main church building alongside the previously approved day care. The infant care program is proposed to be located in the structure located on the northwest corner of the church property. Days and hours of operation for the infant care are the same as the previously approved day care; Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. — 5:30 p.m. The elementary school will operate Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m. with after school care from 3:00 p.m. — 5:30 p.m. Staff will utilize the parking lot located across Walnut Street, east of the church. The on-site parking will be utilized for parking by parents and for drop-off/pickup. Parents will enter the site from Ash Street and exit onto Woodlawn. During the drop-off and pickup times, there will be an attendant in the parking lot to help direct traffic flow. With the staff taken out of the equation, the parking requirement for the day care and school is a total of 11 spaces (1 space for every 10 children in the day care and 1 space per classroom in the elementary school). To staff's knowledge, there are no outstanding issues. The expansion of the day care and addition of the elementary, with the small numbers proposed, appears to be a reasonable use on this established institutional site. The 1921 plat — bill of assurance does not address use issues. 4 July 24, 2014 ITEM NO.: C Cont. FILE NO.: Z -6923-B STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the revised CUP subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the comments in Sections 5 and 6 of the agenda staff report. 2. Operation of the day care and private school, including parking and drop-off/pickup, is to be as proposed and described in the staff analysis. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 12, 2014) The applicant was not present. There were no objectors present. Staff informed the Commission that the applicant had failed to correctly complete the notice requirement and the item needed to be deferred to the July 24, 2014 agenda. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and deferred to the July 24, 2014 agenda by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JULY 24, 2014) The applicants were present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval as outlined in the "staff recommendation" above. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and approved as recommended by staff by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent.