HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-7030 Staff AnalysisMay 21, 2001
Item No.: 5
File No.: Z-7030
Owner: The George W. Donaghey Foundation
Address: 8t' and Main Streets
Description: Long Legal
Zoned: UU
Variance Requested: A variance is requested from the
parking design provisions of
Section 36-511 to permit parking
stall widths of 8161".
Justification: The applicant's justification is
presented in the attached letters
and report.
Present Use of Property: Vacant and Surface Parking
Proposed Use of Property: Multi-level parking deck
Staff Report:
A. Public Works Issues:
Public Works supports 816" width of parking spaces for
employees. Customer spaces should be 9' wide.
B. Landscape Review:
Street trees must be at least 2 feet from the back of the
street curbing.
Exterior parking areas are required a 3 -foot wide building
landscaping between the public parking areas and building.
Some flexibility with this requirement is allowed.
Additionally, 8% of the interior of the exterior parking
area must be landscaped with interior landscape islands of
at least 150 square feet in area and 7 ;1 feet in width. A
9 -foot width perimeter landscape strip is required for the
exterior parking areas. Since this is within the designated
May 21, 2001
Item No.: 5 (Cont.)
"mature area", a 25% reduction of these Landscape Ordinance
may be allowed.
C. Staff Analysis:
A State of Arkansas Urban Campus complex is currently under
construction at 7th and Main Streets on UU zoned properties.
The campus consists of buildings at the northeast and
northwest corners of 7th and Main, the 14 -story Donaghey
Building at the southeast corner of 7th and Main, the new
Donaghey Plaza South Building at the southwest' corner of 7th
and Main and a multi -story parking structure to be located
on the east side of Main Street, spanning 8th Street. The
applicant is requesting a variance to allow all of the
parking spaces within the new parking deck to have a width
of 816". The Code requires a parking stall width of 9 feet.
The Code does permit compact car spaces in larger parking
lots or decks to be 8'6" in width. In that case, the
parking lot or deck must contain at least 50 spaces and then
a maximum of 20% of the spaces may be of the lesser width to
be designated for compact car parking.
It is the applicant's contention that a parking stall width
of 816" has become the national standard. A report
published by the Urban Land Institute and the National
Parking Association has been submitted in support of this
assertion. The applicant further states that the parking
deck will be predominantly used by all -day parking patrons
(with the exception of the visitor's section on the ground
level), a parking angle of 65 degrees is being used which
allows for easier maneuvering into and out of the spaces and
several existing downtown parking decks have parking spaces
of 816" in width.
Staff is willing to support the concept proposed by the
applicant. The study prepared by ULI and NPA certainly
seems to lend credence to the applicant's contention that,
nationwide, parking stall widths have been accepted to be
less than 9 feet. Staff is more swayed by the statement
that the preponderance of use of the deck will be by persons
who work in the nearby offices and thus, there will not be a
lot of "in and out" use of the spaces. Additionally, a
parking angle of 65 degrees is being used which does make
for easier maneuvering into and out of the parking spaces.
In one sense this is a self -policing issue in that, if
tenants are not able to comfortably park in this privately
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May 21, 2001
Item No.: 5 (Cont.)
owned parking deck, the owner will no doubt be informed and
the parking spaces can easily be restriped.
The applicant indicates that visitors parking will be
located on the ground level. It can be assumed that these
spaces will be used for in and out traffic and will be used
by persons less familiar with the parking deck and its
reduced stall widths. As such, staff believes it is
reasonable to require all visitors spaces to be 9 feet in
width, that they be clearly marked for visitor use and that
they be located for ease of access.
D. Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the variance request to have
parking stall width of 816" subject to compliance with the
following conditions:
1. Compliance with the City's Landscape Ordinance regarding
those surface parking spaces located east of the parking
deck, including any variance or waiver of those
requirements as may be granted by the City Beautiful
Commission.
2. A parking angle of 65 degrees is to be used for all
spaces less than 9 feet in width.
3. All visitors' spaces are to be 9 feet in width.
4. Visitors' spaces are to be clearly marked for visitor
use, and are to be grouped together near the entrance to
the parking deck for ease of access and identification.
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT:
Gary Langlais abstained on this issue.
(MAY 21, 2001)
Dickson Flake was present representing the application. There
were no objectors present. Dana Carney of the Planning Staff
presented the item. He explained why staff could not support a
reduced parking stall width for the entire facility. Mr. Carney
presented the staff recommendation as outlined above.
Dickson Flake addressed the Board. He stated a parking stall
width of 816" was common in the downtown parking decks and cited
several examples to support his assertion. Mr. Flake stated some
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May 21, 2001
Item No.: 5 (Cont.)
900 spaces are at the end of a lane, with straight -in access and,
as such, should be permitted to be 816" in width. Mr. Flake
stated all visitors spaces would be located in the same general
area of the parking deck. He described that area as having its
own entrance and containing only about 50 spaces.
Fred Gray asked Mr. Flake the number of visitors spaces and the
number of 900 spaces.
Mr. Flake responded that the number of visitor spaces would be
minimal and he did not know the number of 900 spaces. In
response to a question, Mr. Flake reiterated his contention that
the other downtown parking decks had parking spaces as narrow as
V411.
Norm Floyd stated he found most parking spaces in the decks cited
by the applicant to be 9 feet in width. He stated he went as far
as the 3rd level of the city -owned deck. Mr. Floyd questioned
the conclusion reached in the study presented by Mr. Flake.
Mr. Floyd stated it appeared to suggest not going to smaller
spaces but rather just the opposite. Mr. Floyd cited his
personal experiences as a driver of full-size vehicles. He
stated he would prefer to see the application modified to allow
only a percentage of the spaces to be of the narrower width.
Dickson Flake again stated he had been told that the parking
spaces in the other downtown decks were less than 9 feet in
width. Dana Carney responded that he and Jim Lawson, Director
of Planning and Development, had spent an afternoon measuring
parking spaces in the various decks cited by Mr. Flake.
Mr. Carney stated he had found no consistent stall width less
than 9 feet and had found many of the stalls to measure from just
under 9 feet to 12 feet in width. Mr. Carney stated no variance
had been granted to allow a reduced stall width in the decks
cited by Mr. Flake. Mr. Carney surmised that the decks were
built with proper 9 foot spaces but were subsequently restriped
to the various widths as a part of routine maintenance.
Fred Gray asked Mr. Flake if the proposed tenant was aware of the
requested reduction in stall width. Mr. Flake responded that the
tenant was aware and had entered into a 30 year lease.
William Ruck asked Mr. Flake how tall the deck was and how many
additional spaces were gained by reducing the stall width.
Mr. Flake responded that the deck had 7 levels and there would be
a 7% increase in the number of spaces.
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May 21, 2001
Item No.: 5 (Cont.)
Mr. Ruck stated the spaces could be restriped if the tenant
complains.
Dickson Flake stated he would agree to mark all visitors' spaces
and make them 9 feet in width. He asked not to have to cluster
the spaces. Fred Gray asked if Mr. Flake would ask his architect
to cluster the visitor spaces as much as possible. Mr. Flake
responded that he would.
Scott Richburg stated it was his understanding that all 900
spaces would have an open aisle behind them and would not share
backing area with another space. Mr. Flake responded that Mr.
Richburg was correct.
During the ensuing discussion, it confirmed by Mr. Flake that the
visitor spaces are not scattered throughout the 7 levels of the
parking deck; all visitor spaces are located in a separately -
entranced, 50 space area; the public cannot access the rest of
the deck; the area where the visitor spaces are located is
accessed from Main Street and consists of a single circle; and
the visitor spaces will be clearly marked.
A motion was made to approve the variance subject to compliance
with the following conditions:
1. Compliance with the City's Landscape Ordinance regarding
those surface parking spaces located east of the parking
deck, including any variance or waiver of those
requirements as may be granted by the City Beautiful
Commission.
2. A parking angle of 65 degrees is to be used for all spaces
less than 9 feet in width. 90° parking spaces may be 816"
in width if they are located so that there is not another
parking space directly across the aisle from them.
3. All visitors' spaces are to be 9 feet in width.
4. Visitors' spaces are to be clearly marked for visitor use,
and are to be located in the first floor, 50 space parking
area described by the applicant.
The motion was approved by a vote of 3 ayes, 1 noe, 0 absent and
1 abstaining (Langlais).
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