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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-7512 Staff AnalysisMarch 25, 2004 ITEM NO.: B FILE NO.: Z-7512 NAME: Interstate 630 Self -Storage — Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 5700 West 10th Street OWNER/APPLICANT: Sidney Thom/Scott Richburg PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit is requested to allow for construction of a mini -warehouse development on this C-3 zoned, 4.7 acre tract. SITE LOCATION: The property is located between West 10th Street and 1-630, west of Filmore Street and adjacent to the Freeway Medical Tower. 2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: The property is located in an area of mixed zoning and uses including a highrise medical office building, a large church, a funeral home and cemetery, a hotel (being renovated) and a variety of other office and small commercial uses. 1-630 borders the site to the north and the War Memorial Golf Course is located north of the interstate. The use is compatible with the neighborhood. Staffs primary concern, beyond the floodway issue, has been the appearance of the development from 1-630 and from West 10th Street. The applicant has committed to building design and perimeter treatment that have satisfied staffs concerns. In many ways, the development will appear "office -like" when viewed from these roadways. All owners of property located within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet who could be identified and the War Memorial and Oak Forest Neighborhood Associations were notified of the proposal. 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: The site will be accessed via a single driveway off of West 10th Street. Four (4) parking spaces are located outside of the fenced compound, adjacent to the office. Once inside the compound, customers will park adjacent to their rental unit. There is adequate paved area adjacent to each of the buildings for this purpose. No areas of outside storage for boats, campers, etc. are proposed. March 25, 2004 ITEM NO.: B(Cont.)FILE NO.: Z-7512 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: Compliance with the City's Landscape and Buffer Ordinances is required. Area set aside for buffers and landscaping meet with ordinance requirements. This takes into account the reductions allowed within the designated mature area. Prior to a building permit being issued, it will be necessary to submit landscape plans stamped with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. An irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. 5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS: 1. The proposed land use would classify 10th and Filmore Streets on the Master Street Plan as a commercial street. Dedicate right-of-way to 30 feet from centerline. 2. A 20 feet radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersection of the streets. 3. Public Works will support a five year deferral, or until adjacent development occurs, for constructing one half of the remaining platted portion of Filmore Street, and a deferral for constructing sidewalks on all of Filmore. 4. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. 5. Storm water detention ordinance applies to this property. Facilities must be designed in a manner that allows access to the top of bank for maintenance. 6. Until FEMA flood maps are revised to reflect the channelization work on this site, no work for improvements in the currently mapped floodway can be approved. A special Grading Permit for Flood Hazard Areas will be required per Section 8-283 for all other areas within the mapped floodplain. 7. The plan must show dedication of a 25' access easement along both sides of the mapped floodway. Landscaping that would obstruct equipment access should not be placed in the easement. 2 March 25, 2004 ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-7512 8. Prepare a letter of pending development addressing street lights as required by Section 31-403 of the Little Rock Code. Contact Traffic Engineering at (501) 379-1813 (Steve Philpott) for more information regarding 6. UTILITY FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS: Wastewater: Relocation of existing 8" along east side of property required at Developer's expense. No construction allowed within the easement of the existing sewer main outfall located on this property. Entergy: No Comments received. CenterPoint Energy: No Comments received. Southwestern Bell: SBC has copper and fiber cables in R -O -W of West 10th Street. Locate all utilities before excavating in area. Water: A Capital Investment Charge based on the size of the meter connection(s) will apply to this object in addition to normal charges. This fee will apply to all meter connections including any metered connections off the private fire system. The Little Rock Fire Department may require an additional public fire hydrant in conjunction with this development. The fire hydrant could be installed by Central Arkansas Water's forces at Developer's expense, but would need to be coordinated with the contractor for this project. This development will have minor impact on the existing water distribution system. Proposed water facilities will be sized to provide adequate pressure and fire protection. Fire Department: Contact Fire Marshall Dennis Free at 918-3752. Re: fire hydrant placement. County Planning: No Comments. CATA: CATA Bus Routes are located along West 12th Street and University Avenue, to the south and west respectively. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (OCTOBER 9, 2003) The applicants were present. Staff presented the item and noted additional information was needed regarding building height and design, signage, employees, days and hours of operation, site lighting, fence height and access to the site. Staff questioned whether one dumpster would be adequate for a Ecl March 25, 2004 ITEM NO.: B FILE NO.: Z-7512 development of this size. Staff noted that the roofing should be constructed of non -reflective materials. Staff noted the site was highly visible from 1-630 and care should be taken in designing the view of the site from that perimeter. Staff asked the applicant to clarify that the use was solely mini -warehouses, especially with two of the buildings being two -stories in height. Staff noted that proof of an access easement through the property adjacent to the west to the land locked northwest corner of this site must be provided. Staff noted that several variances were being requested as follow: ■ Roadside buffer variance along Interstate 630 from 30 ft. to 15 ft. ■ Variance on width of drainage easement along Coleman Creek Floodway so setback line corresponds to existing drainage easement. • Deferral of boundary street improvements along Filmore Street for 5 years. • Approval of conditional use permit for portion of site within existing floodway contingent upon receipt of FEMA firm map revision, which is underway. • Reduced setback from proposed new floodway. • Reduced setbacks on north and east perimeters. Jim Lawson, Director of Planning and Development, noted a substantial portion of the site was in the floodway. He stated he did not feel it was appropriate to approve development in the floodway contingent upon obtaining FEMA approval. The applicant responded that the property owner had begun the process of having the FEMA flood map revised since the floodway had been channelized some 20 years previous. He stated it should take 60-90 days to have a response from FEMA. Mr. Lawson stated staff was not comfortable that the channelization and retaining wall had been constructed correctly. Mike Hood, of Public Works, commented that the project may have been done without City review and approval. Mr. Lawson stated he was concerned about the appearance of the project and the amount of development proposed for the site. Staff noted some telephone calls had been received from individuals expressing concern about the development. The applicants were urged to meet with area property owners. Public Works Comments were discussed. It was noted that right-of-way to 25 feet from centerline would be acceptable for Filmore Street. Staff stated an unobstructed, 25 foot access easement was required along both sides of the mapped floodway. The applicants stated they would request approval of an unobstructed 15 foot easement along both sides of the proposed new floodway line. The applicant was advised to continue meeting with staff to address the floodway issues. 4 March 25, 2004 ITEM NO.: B(Cont.)FILE NO.: Z-7512 Landscape comments were discussed. It was noted that a 6 foot opaque screen is not required on the east perimeter since the Filmore Street right-of-way will be extended to border the entire east side of the development. The Committee instructed the applicant to respond to staff issues by October 15, 2003. The item was then forwarded to the full Commission. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (OCTOBER 30, 2003) The applicant was not present. There were no objectors present. Staff informed the Commission that the applicant had requested deferral of the item to the December 18, 2003 meeting in order to pursue resolution of the FEMA map issue. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and deferred as recommended by staff. The vote was 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. STAFF REPORT: The applicant has requested that this item be deferred to the February 12, 2003 Agenda in order to continue pursuing resolution of the FEMA issue. Staff supports this one last deferral. If the item is not ready to be presented at the February 12, 2004 meeting, it should be withdrawn and refiled at a later date. All appropriate information should be submitted prior to the January 15, 2004 Subdivision Committee meeting. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (DECEMBER 18, 2003) The applicant was not present. There were no objectors present. Staff informed the Commission that the applicant had requested that the item be deferred to the February 12, 2004 agenda. Staff recommended approval of the deferral as noted in the staff report above. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and approved for deferral to the February 12, 2004 meeting. The vote was 11 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent. STAFF REPORT: The applicants appeared at the January 15, 2004 Subdivision Committee meeting. They stated they were confident the FEMA issue would be resolved soon and they were prepared to submit a revised site plan in response to FEMA 0 March 25, 2004 ITEM NO.: B Cont. FILE NO.: Z-7512 and Public Works concerns. They stated many of the variances had been eliminated. They asked for one additional deferral, to the March 25, 2004 meeting. Staff advised the applicants that the revised site plan would need to be submitted for staff review and the item would be scheduled for the March 4, 2004 Subdivision Committee meeting, if the deferral were granted. It was the unanimous consensus of the Committee that one additional deferral would be appropriate. The item was forwarded to the full Commission. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (FEBRUARY 12, 2004) Staff presented the item and recommended that it be deferred to the March 25, 2004 Commission meeting. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and approved for deferral by a vote of 11 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (MARCH 4, 2004) The applicants were present. Staff presented the item and informed the Committee that the floodway issue had been resolved. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had submitted a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) and revised Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). The floodway is now shown as being confined to the channel adjacent to be proposed development. The applicant had slightly modified the site plan to provide the required setbacks and access easement along the newly mapped floodway. Additionally, the plan had been modified to provide the required interstate buffer and building setbacks on the north and east perimeters. As a result of the modifications, no variances were being requested. Staff informed the Committee that the applicant would dedicate the required right-of-way for Filmore Street but was requesting a 5 -year deferral of the requirement to do half - street improvements. Staff voiced support for this deferral. Staff noted there were a few additional items needed to complete the review; including specific building heights, sign height, specific hours of access to the mini -warehouses and details of building design. Staff reminded the applicant that an access easement through the adjoining property to the billboard site was still needed. Public Works and Landscape Comments were presented and discussed. Staff acknowledged the floodway revision and noted the addition of the required access easements. The applicant presented renderings of the building elevations as viewed from both 1-630 and West 10th Street. The Committee noted the "office -like" C� March 25, 2004 ITEM NO.: B(Cont.)FILE NO.: Z-7512 appearance of the development. Staff asked the applicant to describe the proposed elevations in a revised cover letter, thus making them a part of the application. The applicant was advised to respond to staff issues by March 10, 2004. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission. STAFF ANALYSIS: A conditional use permit is requested to allow for development of a mini - warehouse complex on this vacant, C-3 zoned, 4.768 acre tract. The property fronts onto West 10th Street and has a rear yard relationship to 1-630. The proposed development is to consist of an office/apartment building and 10 buildings containing 78,190 square feet of mini -warehouse space. Two of the mini -warehouse buildings will be two -stories in height. Some of the buildings will be heated and cooled for "conditioned storage". The proposed development will be done in three phases. Phase I consists of all of the perimeter buildings; buildings A, B, C, H, H1, H2 and the manager's office/apartment building. All required fencing and perimeter landscaping and buffering will be completed with Phase I. Phase II consists of three interior, one-story buildings; buildings D, E and F. Phase Ill will be the construction of the final interior two-story building; building G. Required right-of-way and floodway dedication and repair to the 10tH Street Frontage will occur with Phase I. A 5 -year deferral of the required street improvements to Filmore Street is being requested. Staff supports that deferral. The office/apartment building will be constructed with a brick veneer and architectural shingles to coordinate with the design of the church located across West 10th Street, to the south. The storage building adjacent to West 10th Street (Building A) will have a stucco finish. The portion of the two-story building visible from 1-630 (Building C) will be constructed to resemble an office building with tempered glass windows and painted aluminum spandrels. This treatment will be for the north wall and the angled, northwest wall of building C. The saw- toothed northern end of building H, which will be visible from 1-630, will have a stucco finish. All roofs, other than the office/apartment building, will be flat -roofs of non -reflective standing seam metal. The remaining walls of all of the buildings will be constructed of standing seam metal material. Signage will consist only of a single, monument style, ground mounted sign on West 10th Street and a wall sign on the north facade of building C. The monument sign will be 6 feet in height and 160 square feet in area and the area of the wall sign will not exceed 10% of the building's fagade. Both signs comply with ordinance standards. 7 March 25, 2004 ITEM NO.: B (Cont:) FILE NO.: Z-7512 Facility office hours will be 9:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 12 noon — 4:00 p.m., Sunday. Access by keypad will be available 6:00 a.m. — 10:00 p.m. each day. Special access at other hours will be made available to tenants by use of a special code. Site lighting will consists of wall -mounted fixtures facing the interior of the property. Fixtures will be placed on 70 feet centers. One dumpster, with required screening, will be located on the site. For the most part, the buildings themselves provide perimeter security. Gaps between the perimeter buildings will be filled in by an 8 foot tall, wrought iron fence. Staff is supportive of the requested conditional use permit. The use is compatible with uses and zoning in the area. The applicant is proposing construction of a quality development and has answered staffs two primary concerns; the appearance of the site from West 10th Street and 1-630 and the floodway issue. As proposed, the appearance from both rights-of-way will be inoffensive. The applicant has worked with FEMA and has completed the floodway revision. The floodway now corresponds to the channel. The applicant has provided the required setback from the floodway and has shown Public Works access along both sides of the floodway. An on-site fire hydrant has been shown and the buildings have been relocated off of the sewer easement. Other than for the 5 -year deferral of improvements to Filmore Street, no variances are requested. The applicant has clarified that the use of the site will be for mini - warehouse, as defined by the Code. To staffs knowledge, there are no outstanding issues. The property is not covered by a bill of assurance. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested conditional use permit subject to compliance with the staff comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the staff report. Staff recommends approval of the requested 5 -year deferral of required improvements to Filmore Street. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MARCH 25, 2004) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval subject to compliance with the conditions 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. The vote was 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent.