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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-7310-A Staff AnalysisFebruary 15, 2007 ITEM NO.: 10 FILE NO,' Z -7310-A NAME: Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church — Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 3801 Springer Blvd. OWNER/APPLICANT'. Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church/Ron Woods PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit is requested to allow for removal of the existing church and construction of a new church building on this R-2 zoned property. SITE LOCATION: The property is located on the southeast corner of Springer Blvd. and East 38 th Street, in the Granite Mountain Neighborhood. 2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: Although the property fronts onto a State Highway, the church is located within what is primarily a residential neighborhood. Single family homes on R-2 zoned properties are located adjacent to the east and across East 38 th and Springer to the north and west. A city park is adjacent to the south. Farther to the north, an apartment complex is located on C-3 zoned property and the Watershed facility is located in a former R-2 zoned school building. Single family homes and another park are located to the south. With proper attention to screening and parking issues, there is no reason the church cannot continue to be compatible with the neighborhood. All owners of properties located within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet of the site who could be identified and the Granite Mountain Neighborhood Association were notified of this request. 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: The church currently has 30 parking spaces, none of which are entirely on the church's property. The parking spaces on the north side of the church are located partially in the oversized 80 -foot right-of-way of East 38th Street. The parking on the south side of the church is partially in a parking lot that serves a city park. The City has had an arrangement for 40 years that allows the shared parking. The Parks Department has submitted a letter agreeing to allow the shared parking to continue. The existing church has a total seating capacity of 300± persons. The new sanctuary will seat a total of 349, requiring 87 parking spaces under the current code. The applicant has previously stated that most of the church members are from the immediate community and many walk to church. February 15, 2007 ITEM NO.: 10 (Cont. FILE NO.: Z -7310-A Under this proposal, 14 new parking spaces and a drop-off driveway will be built resulting in an available total of 44± parking spaces. In light of the relatively small increase in overall seating, staff supports a variance to allow a reduced number of parking spaces, counting the existing parking and the new spaces. 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: 5 Site plan must comply with the City's minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. The landscape ordinance and the street buffer ordinance requires a minimum of six foot nine inches of landscaped area along 38 th Street and the parking area to the south. Current proposal does not allow for this minimum requirement. A variance from this minimum requirement will require approval from the City Beautiful Commission prior to the issuance of a building permit. The buffer ordinance requires an average of thirteen (1 T) foot and in no case less than half for the buffer along the east perimeter. Screening is required between the church site and the adjacent residential property to the east. In conjunction with this project, the parking lot along 38 th Street needs to be redesigned allowing for the minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS.� 1 . Springer Boulevard is classified on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial. A dedication of right-of-way 45 feet from centerline will be required. The proposed parking lot appears to encroach into the new right-of-way. 2. A twenty (20) feet radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersection of 38 th Street and Springer Boulevard. 3. For information purposes at the time of building permit issuance, the property will be subject to the Boundary Street ordinance. This ordinance requires the adjacent streets and sidewalk to be improved to 2 February 15, 2007 ITEM NO-: 10 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -7310-A meet the Master Street Plan, which includes street widening, curb and gutter installation, and sidewalk installation. 6, UTILITY. FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS: Wastewater: Sewer available to this property. Entergy: Approved as submitted. CenterPoint Energy: No Comments received, AT&T (SBC): No Comments received. Water: Contact Central Arkansas Water if larger and/or additional water meter(s) are required. If larger and/or additional water meter(s) are required a Capital Investment Charge based on the size of the meter connection(s) will apply in addition to normal charges. Fire Department: Additional fire hydrant may be required, contact Fire Marshall Dennis Free at 918-3710. County Planning: No Comments. CATA: The site is located on a CATA bus route. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (JANUARY 11, 2007) The applicant was present. Staff presented the item and noted there was additional information needed; including property owner authorization, bill of assurance, cover letter, building design and height, building area and setbacks, signage, typical days and hours of use, site lighting, dumpster location and screening and seating capacity of the new sanctuary. Staff asked if any other uses were proposed such as day care. Staff noted approval would need to be provided from the Parks Department for use of the parking driveway and parking area. Staff noted the property was located in the Granite Mountain Corridor Design Overlay District and the following changes would need to be made or the application would have to be refilled as a PZD: (a) Ground mounted sign must be monument style; maximum of 6' in height and 30 square feet in area. (b) Streetscape and paved bike path to comply with Section 36-434.6. (c) Surface parking cannot be located between the building and Springer Boulevard. 3 February 15, 2007 ITEM NO.: 10 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -7310-A (d) Lighting must conform to national accepted dark sky principals and maximum height of light poles should be twenty (20) feet. Public Works and Landscape Comments were discussed. The applicant stated he would likely revise the plan to remove the parking from between the building and Springer Blvd., which would address some of those concerns. He stated he would provide the current and proposed seating capacity to see if the existing parking would be sufficient. The gplicant stated a variance would be requested to allow the parking lot on East 38t Street to continue to be used in its current state, as it is located in the right-of-way. The applicant was advised to respond to staff issues by January 17, 2007. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission. STAFF ANALYSIS: Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church is located on the R-2 zoned property at 3801 Springer Blvd. The property contains a single -story, brick and frame church building. Parking is located on the north and south sides of the building. The parking on the north side is partially within the oversized right-of-way of East 38t' Street and the parking on the south side is partially on city parks property. In 2002, the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit to expand the building by adding onto the sanctuary, adding a second floor onto the fellowship/education wing and constructing a parking lot between the building and Springer Blvd. The expansion was to increase the church's seating capacity to 498 seats. Since that date, the church has decided that it is more feasible to remove the existing building and replace it with a new building. The new building will be one- story in height with a standing seam metal roof. The building will have a height of 366" to the ridge line with a steeple extending 23'6" above the ridge. The building will have a brick veneer on the north, south and west facades and a veneer of either brick or metal on the east fagade. The structure will be placed on the site to comply with all required setbacks under the R-2 zoning district. Total seating in the sanctuary, including congregation, choir loft and pulpit area, is 349 seats. This represents an increase of 49 seats over the existing sanctuary. The new building will have a total area of 9,930± square feet, an increase of 1,500± square feet over the existing building. No additional uses are proposed, such as day care of private school. Activities will be those typically associated with a small church; Wednesday and Sunday worship, with some activities throughout the week. A drop-off driveway will be located on the south side of the church, with access through the existing shared driveway/parking lot. A letter of approval has been El February 15, 2007 ITEM NO.: 10 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -7310-A provided by the City's Park Department to allow continued shared use of the driveway and parking lot. A new, 14 -space parking lot is proposed. The original submittal included a parking lot to be located between the building and Springer Blvd. Under the Granite Mountain Corridor Design Overlay District, surface parking cannot be located between the building and Springer Blvd. To comply with the DOD, the parking was relocated to the rear of the building. No new site lighting is currently proposed. If any is added later, it will comply with nationally accepted dark sky principals with a maximum pole height of 20 feet, as required by the DOD. No dumpster is proposed. A single ground - mounted, monument style sign is proposed. The sign will comply with the DOD limits of 6 feet in height and 30 square feet in area. Staff is supportive of the proposed C.U.P. The applicant submitted responses to all issues raised at Subdivision Committee, as reflected in the analysis above. There is no bill of assurance for this property. STAFF RECOMMEN)ATION-1 Staff recommends approval of the requested C.U.P subject to compliance with the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the agenda staff report. 2. Compliance with the Granite Mountain Corridor Design Overlay District Standards. Staff recommends approval of buffer and parking variances to allow a reduction in the number of required parking spaces and to allow continued use of the existing parking lots located on the north and south sides of the property, as they currently exist subject to the parking in the right-of-way being franchised through the department of Public Works. Staff recommends approval of a building line variance to allow the slight encroachment across the building line along East 381h Street and the canopy encroachment across the building line on the south side subject to a replat being filed as required by Section 31-12. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (FEBRUARY 15, 2007) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval, subject to compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in the "staff recommendation " above. Staff also recommended approval of the buffer, parking and building line variances as noted in the staff recommendation. There was no further discussion. The item, 5 February 15, 2007 ITEM NO.: 10 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z -7310-A including the variances, was placed on the consent agenda and approved as recommended by staff. The vote was 8 ayes, 0 noes and 3 absent. R.