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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-8176 Staff AnalysisFILE NO.: Z-8176 NAME: Little Rock Bridge Club — Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 7415 Indiana Street OWNER/APPLICANT: Highlands Baptist Church/Terry Burruss PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit is requested to allow for construction of a new building for the Little Rock Bridge Club (private recreational use) and a reduction in on -site parking for the existing church; all on R-2 zoned property. SITE LOCATIO The site is located on the south side of Indiana Street, east of Mississippi Avenue. 2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: The site is located on the northern fringe of a single family neighborhood, where uses transition from single family to denser residential and multifamily. The proposed Bridge Club is to replace an existing building, which is in the past, has been used for church functions. Staff has concerns about the compatibility of the proposed use with the adjacent neighborhood. The site has a rear yard relationship with single family residences. The proposed Bridge Club is proposed to have activities seven days a week, extending as late as 11:00 p.m. Staff is concerned that the increase in activity on this site could negatively impact the adjacent residences. All owners of properties located within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet who could be identified and the Meriwether Neighborhood Association were notified of this request. 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: The portion of the church site in question is comprised of six lots located east of the church building. The six lots contain a 2,500 square foot residential structure and a 64 space paved parking lot. Access to the parking lot is via four curb cuts onto Indiana Avenue. Five of the six lots are to be sold to the Bridge Club and will be developed with a 4,800 square foot structure and 57 parking spaces. Access will be via two curb cuts; one on either side of the building. The sixth (western -most) lot will be retained by the church and will contain 13 parking spaces with a separate curb cut on to Indiana Avenue. A second, 26 space parking lot is located south of the church building with access off of Illinois Street. FILE NO.: Z-8176 (Cont. The church sanctuary has a seating capacity of 260 persons, requiring 52 on -site parking spaces. The church will have 39 on -site parking spaces and a cross parking agreement will allow the church to use the 23 Bridge Club spaces west of the Bridge Club on Sundays. 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: Site must comply with the City's Landscaping and Buffer Ordinances. A nine (9) foot wide landscape/land use buffer is required on the south perimeter. A fifteen (15) foot wide land use buffer is required on the east perimeter. As a component of each of these buffers, a six (6) foot tall, opaque screen is required. The screen can be either a wood fence, wall or dense, evergreen plantings. No less that eight percent (8%) of the interior of the parking areas is to be landscaped in islands. It appears the new parking area west of the building falls below this requirement. A water source is required to be located within seventy-five (75) feet of the landscape areas. 5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS: 1. The proposed land use would classify Indiana Street on the Master Street Plan as a commercial street. Dedicate right-of-way to thirty (30) feet from centerline. 2. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. 3. If disturbed area is one or more acres, obtain a NPDES storm water permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality prior to the start of construction. 4. A grading permit in accordance with Section 29-186(c) and (d) will be required prior to any land clearing or grading activities at the site. Site grading, and drainage plans will need to be submitted and approved prior to the start of construction. 5. Storm water detention will not apply to the proposed development. 6. Driveway locations and widths do not meet the traffic access and circulation requirements of Sections 30-43 and 31-210. Minimum driveway spacing on a commercial street is 250 feet. One of the existing driveways on the east side of the club house should be removed. An access easement must be provided thru the church's existing parking lot. The width of driveway must not exceed 36 feet. 2 LE NO.: Z-8176 6. UTILITY. FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS - Wastewater: Sewer available to this property. Entergy: Approved as submitted. CenterPoint Energy: No Comment received. AT&T (SBC): No Comment received. Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Additional fire hydrant(s) may be required. Contact the Little Rock Fire Department to obtain information regarding the required placement of the hydrant(s) and contact Central Arkansas regarding procedures for installation of the hydrant(s). Installation of a larger water main may be required. Fire Department: Fire hydrants may be required. Contact Fire Marshall's Office. County Planning: No Comments. CATA: The site is not located on or near a CATA bus route. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (FEBRUARY 22, 2007) The applicant was present. Staff presented the item and noted additional information was needed regarding signage, days and hours of operation, site lighting, dumpster location and fencing. Staff asked if the property was to be sold to the Bridge Club. Staff noted sale of the site would require a redesign to accommodate new perimeter landscaping and vehicle access. Staff requested a copy of the bill of assurance and asked if there would be any church use of the building. Staff noted the building as proposed required rear and front yard setback variances. Public Works, Landscape and outside agency comments were noted. Staff questioned what impact there would be on the required parking for the church. It was determined that selling the lots would likely create a variance for the number of parking spaces remaining on -site for the church. Staff stated the item should be deferred to address that issue. Staff commented that the plan did not provide the required buffers on the south and west perimeters. The applicant responded that the area was currently paved and used for parking. He stated the plan actually provided for the addition of landscaping in an area that was currently paved. 3 FILE NO.: Z-8176 Cont.) The applicant was advised to continue to work with staff to address the issues. AFF ANALYSIS: The Little Rock Bridge Club proposes to construct a new facility on the R-2 zoned property located at 7415 Indiana Street. The property is currently owned by Highlands Baptist Church and is located behind (east) the church building. The site in question consists of six lots which currently contain a 2,500 square foot residential structure and 64 paved parking spaces. The property is paved virtually property line to property line. The structure may have been used in the past by the church for church related activities. A six foot tall wood fence is located along the south and east perimeters of the property. The Bridge Club proposes to purchase the eastern five lots, remove the residential structure, refurbish the existing parking and build a new, 4,800 square foot club house. The building is to be constructed in two phases. Phase I will consist of 3,600 square feet and Phase II is to consist of a 1,200 square foot addition to the rear. The structure will be one-story in height with an exterior of stone veneer, EIFS and metal roof. Fifty-seven parking spaces will be located on either side of the building. The eastern -most curb cut will be closed and a new curb cut will be built west of the building. A five-foot landscape strip will be placed at the eastern end of the site and additional landscaping will be placed along the street perimeter and around the new building. The building will have a front yard setback of 187' and a rear yard setback of 21 feet. The code typically requires front and rear yard setbacks of 25 feet in the R-2 zoning district. Days and hours of the Bridge Club are proposed as follows: DAYS HOURS OF OPERATION 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday Tuesday 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Wednesday Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Any new site lighting will be shielded downward and into the site. No dumpster is proposed. The existing fencing will be repaired as required. The church will not use the facility but will have access to a portion of the parking. The applicant has responded to the question of parking for the church. The seating capacity in the church sanctuary is 260 persons, requiring 52 on -site 0 FILE NO.: Z-8176 (Cont. parking spaces (for churches built prior to 1988). Once the parking lot area is sold to the Bridge Club, the church will have 39 on -site parking spaces; 13 in the western -most lot behind the church along Indiana Street and 26 in the parking lot south of the church on Illinois. A perpetual cross parking agreement will be executed allowing the church use of the 23 Bridge Club parking spaces located west of the Bridge Club building. The church currently has an average attendance of approximately 50 persons on Sundays. With the cross parking agreement, the church will have access to 62 parking spaces; 10 more than required by code. The building is proposed to have a front yard setback of 187 ". That appears to line up with the church building to the west and is comparable to the setback of the existing residential structure which it is to replace. The proposed rear yard setback of 21 feet is only slightly less than the 25 feet required by the code. Although there is no buffer proposed for much of the southern portion of the site, new landscaping and buffer will be placed behind the building and on the east perimeter of the parking lot. The property is currently paved and the end result will be a net increase in landscaped area. No perimeter landscape strip is proposed along what will be the western perimeter of the Bridge Club site and although the landscape buffer proposed on the eastern perimeter is only 5 feet in width, there currently is no landscaping in that area. Signage is to consist of a 64 square foot monument style sign in the front yard of the Bridge Club property. Although the applicant has done a fair job of addressing site plan related issues, staff still has concerns about the proposed use. The site has been used as parking for a church. The greatest impact on adjacent residences would typically be limited to activities on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. The proposed Bridge Club is to operate seven (7) days a week, at times up to 11:00 p.m. The amount of traffic generated and intensity of activity on the site could be such that adjacent residences will be negatively impacted. To accommodate the proposed use, variances are requested to allow reduced building setbacks, reduced perimeter landscape buffers and reduced on -site parking for the church. No bill of assurance for the subdivision has been provided. Staff is not able to recommend approval of the application. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends denial of the application. STAFF REPORT: On March 6, 2007, the applicant requested deferral of this item to allow staff and the applicant to continue to study the issue. Staff supports deferral of the item to the April 26, 2007 Agenda. 5 FILE NO.: Z-8176(Cont.) PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MARCH 15, 2007) The applicant was not present. There were no objectors present. Staff informed the Commission that the applicant had requested deferral of the item. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and approved for deferral to the April 26, 2007 agenda. The vote was 8 ayes, 0 noes and 3 absent. STAFF UPDATE: On April 5, 2007, the Subdivision Committee reviewed the issue specifically related to the church parking. The applicant explained the parking availability and the cross -parking agreement that would assure use of some of the Bridge Club parking on Sundays. The applicant briefly discussed changes that had been made to the plan to address some of staff's concerns that were raised at the initial Subdivision Committee meeting and reflected in the analysis above. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION (APRIL 26, 2007) The applicant was present. There were two (2) objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of denial. Staff informed the Commission that the applicant had located a copy of the bill of assurance which did not address use issues. Jim Hathaway addressed the Commission on behalf of the Bridge Club. He stated the club was currently located in the Tanglewood shopping center but had outgrown its current space. He stated the club desired to stay in the area. Mr. Hathaway introduced the club members who were present and presented a club roster to the Commission. He showed a presentation board drawing of the existing and proposed improvements. Mr. Hathaway stated the site was approximately 35,000 square feet in area; of which, 23,000 square feet were paved, 2,700 square feet were occupied by the building and 7,000 square feet were green space. He stated the new development would result in a 3,300 square foot building, 11,400 square feet of green area and a corresponding reduction in paved area.. He showed a conceptual sketch of the building; stating it would be one story in height and would be residential in character. Mr. Hathaway stated the parking needs had been addressed for the church. Mr. Hathaway addressed the issue of the variances. He stated the proposed front yard setback was the same as the existing house and lined up with the adjacent church building. He stated the phase I building more than met the required rear yard setback and the phase II addition could be modified to provide the required 9 FILE NO.: Z-8176 lC rear yard. He reiterated his statement that the new plan provided more green space than currently exists. Mr. Hathaway stated a five (5) foot landscape strip was being provided on the east perimeter and the bridge club would take up the five (5) foot sidewalk along the south perimeter and replace it with a five (5) foot landscape strip to provide more green area. Mr. Hathaway provided a chart showing the scheduled game times within the hours of operation; stating that there were not activities throughout the entire time the facility was open. He stated there were twelve (12) — fourteen (14) tables in use on Monday and Thursday mornings, with four (4) persons per table. At other times, he stated, there would be six (6) — eight (8) tables in use. He presented a roster of the club's members and stated the club was a quiet use that would not disrupt the neighborhood. Clayton Johnson, of the Meriwether Neighborhood Association, spoke in opposition. He stated the neighborhood was surrounded by numerous non-residential uses that generated excessive traffic through the neighborhood. Mr. Johnson stated several of those uses used the neighborhood streets for access. He stated there would be noise on the club site late at night when members were leaving. He asked the Commission not to approve any more non-residential uses in the neighborhood. Ruth Bell, of the League of Women Voters, spoke in opposition. She stated the League had concerns about the late hours and the potential impact on adjacent residences. Mr. Hathaway asked the Commission to consider the proposed development in contrast to what could be built on the site. He stated the club would have less impact than if the site were developed as five (5), two-story residences. He stated the new development would result in the removal of a dilapidated structure and the addition of increased green area. Mr. Hathaway stated access to the church parking lot was currently off of Indiana Street and there was no way to change that since the church building was located between the parking lot and Mississippi Ave. He stated the applicants had invited eighty-six (86) neighbors to a meeting and seven (7) came. Mr. Hathaway stated he felt the immediate neighbors were satisfied, as evidenced by the fact that none of them were present in opposition. In response to questions from Commissioner Yates, Mr. Hathaway stated all site lighting would be directed downward and into the site and the lighting could be timed to coincide with the facility's hours of operation. Commissioner Yates asked about gating the parking lot after hours to prevent illicit activities. Mr. Hathaway responded that the site would be secure but he could not commit to gating the driveways. 7 FILE NO.: Z-8176 (Cont. In response to a question from Commissioner Meyer, Director of Planning and Development Tony Bozynski stated the site could be developed as single-family residences or perhaps rezoned to accommodate a low -density residential use such as condominiums. Mike Hood, of Public Works stated the traffic generated by five (5) single family residences would be fifty (50) vehicle trips per day. There was a discussion of the use and how it was determined that the use was appropriate to consider as a conditional use. Deputy City Attorney Cindy Dawson asked the applicant to clarify the various amendments he had offered. Mr. Hathaway stated the full front and rear yard setbacks would be provided and a five (5) foot landscape strip would be provided on the south and east perimeters. Vice -chair Taylor asked if staff supported the application, as amended. Tony Bozynski responded that staff was still opposed to the application. A motion was made to approve the application as amended, including all staff comments and conditions, except the recommendation of denial. The motion was approved by a vote of 6 ayes, 5 noes and 0 absent. 0 April 26, 2007 ITEM NO.: B FILE NO.: Z-8176 NAME: Little Rock Bridge Club — Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 7415 Indiana Street OWNER/APPLICANT- Highlands Baptist Church/Terry Burruss PROPOSAL: A conditional use permit is requested to allow for construction of a new building for the Little Rock Bridge Club (private recreational use) and a reduction in on -site parking for the existing church; all on R-2 zoned property. 1. SITE LOCATION: The site is located on the south side of Indiana Street, east of Mississippi Avenue. 2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: The site is located on the northern fringe of a single family neighborhood, where uses transition from single family to denser residential and multifamily. The proposed Bridge Club is to replace an existing building, which is in the past, has been used for church functions. Staff has concerns about the compatibility of the proposed use with the adjacent neighborhood. The site has a rear yard relationship with single family residences. The proposed Bridge Club is proposed to have activities seven days a week, extending as late as 11:00 p.m. Staff is concerned that the increase in activity on this site could negatively impact the adjacent residences. All owners of properties located within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet who could be identified and the Meriwether Neighborhood Association were notified of this request. 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: The portion of the church site in question is comprised of six lots located east of the church building. The six lots contain a 2,500 square foot residential structure and a 64 space paved parking lot. Access to the parking lot is via four curb cuts onto Indiana Avenue. Five of the six lots are to be sold to the Bridge Club and will be developed with a 4,800 square foot structure and 57 parking spaces. Access will be via two curb cuts; one on either side of the building. The sixth (western -most) lot will be retained by the church and will contain 13 parking spaces with a April 26, 2007 ITEM NO.: B (Cont. FILE NO.: Z-8176 separate curb cut on to Indiana Avenue. A second, 26 space parking lot is located south of the church building with access off of Illinois Street. The church sanctuary has a seating capacity of 260 persons, requiring 52 on -site parking spaces. The church will have 39 on -site parking spaces and a cross parking agreement will allow the church to use the 23 Bridge Club spaces west of the Bridge Club on Sundays. 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: Site must comply with the City's Landscaping and Buffer Ordinances. A nine (9) foot wide landscape/land use buffer is required on the south perimeter. A fifteen (15) foot wide land use buffer is required on the east perimeter. As a component of each of these buffers, a six (6) foot tall, opaque screen is required. The screen can be either a wood fence, wall or dense, evergreen plantings. No less that eight percent (8%) of the interior of the parking areas is to be landscaped in islands. It appears the new parking area west of the building falls below this requirement. A water source is required to be located within seventy-five (75) feet of the landscape areas. 5. PUBLIC WORKS COMMENTS: 1. The proposed land use would classify Indiana Street on the Master Street Plan as a commercial street. Dedicate right-of-way to thirty (30) feet from centerline. 2. Repair or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public right-of-way prior to occupancy. 3. If disturbed area is one or more acres, obtain a NPDES storm water permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality prior to the start of construction. 4. A grading permit in accordance with Section 29-186(c) and (d) will be required prior to any land clearing or grading activities at the site. Site grading, and drainage plans will need to be submitted and approved prior to the start of construction. 5. Storm water detention will not apply to the proposed development. 6. Driveway locations and widths do not meet the traffic access and circulation requirements of Sections 30-43 and 31-210. Minimum driveway spacing on a commercial street is 250 feet. One of the existing driveways on the east side of the club house should be IA April 26, 2007 ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-8176 removed. An access easement must be provided thru the church's existing parking lot. The width of driveway must not exceed 36 feet. 6. UTILITY. FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS: Wastewater: Sewer available to this property. Entergy: Approved as submitted. CenterPoint Energy: No Comment received. AT&T (SBC): No Comment received. Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Additional fire hydrant(s) may be required. Contact the Little Rock Fire Department to obtain information regarding the required placement of the hydrant(s) and contact Central Arkansas regarding procedures for installation of the hydrant(s). Installation of a larger water main may be required. Fire Department: Fire hydrants may be required. Contact Fire Marshall's Office. County Planning: No Comments. CATA: The site is not located on or near a CATA bus route. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (FEBRUARY 22, 2007) The applicant was present. Staff presented the item and noted additional information was needed regarding signage, days and hours of operation, site lighting, dumpster location and fencing. Staff asked if the property was to be sold to the Bridge Club. Staff noted sale of the site would require a redesign to accommodate new perimeter landscaping and vehicle access. Staff requested a copy of the bill of assurance and asked if there would be any church use of the building. Staff noted the building as proposed required rear and front yard setback variances. Public Works, Landscape and outside agency comments were noted. Staff questioned what impact there would be on the required parking for the church. It was determined that selling the lots would likely create a variance for the number of parking spaces remaining on -site for the church. Staff stated the item should be deferred to address that issue. V, April 26, 2007 ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-8176 Staff commented that the plan did not provide the required buffers on the south and west perimeters. The applicant responded that the area was currently paved and used for parking. He stated the plan actually provided for the addition of landscaping in an area that was currently paved. The applicant was advised to continue to work with staff to address the issues. STAFF ANALYSIS: The Little Rock Bridge Club proposes to construct a new facility on the R-2 zoned property located at 7415 Indiana Street. The property is currently owned by Highlands Baptist Church and is located behind (east) the church building. The site in question consists of six lots which currently contain a 2,500 square foot residential structure and 64 paved parking spaces. The property is paved virtually property line to property line. The structure may have been used in the past by the church for church related activities. A six foot tall wood fence is located along the south and east perimeters of the property. The Bridge Club proposes to purchase the eastern five lots, remove the residential structure, refurbish the existing parking and build a new, 4,800 square foot club house. The building is to be constructed in two phases. Phase I will consist of 3,600 square feet and Phase 11 is to consist of a 1,200 square foot addition to the rear. The structure will be one-story in height with an exterior of stone veneer, EIFS and metal roof. Fifty-seven parking spaces will be located on either side of the building. The eastern -most curb cut will be closed and a new curb cut will be built west of the building. A five-foot landscape strip will be placed at the eastern end of the site and additional landscaping will be placed along the street perimeter and around the new building. The building will have a front yard setback of 187' and a rear yard setback of 21 feet. The code typically requires front and rear yard setbacks of 25 feet in the R-2 zoning district. Days and hours of the Bridge Club are proposed as follows: DAYS HOURS OF OPERATION Monday 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Tuesday 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday M April 26, 2007 ITEM NO.: B (Cont. FILE NO.: Z-8 Any new site lighting will be shielded downward and into the site. No dumpster is proposed. The existing fencing will be repaired as required. The church will not use the facility but will have access to a portion of the parking. The applicant has responded to the question of parking for the church. The seating capacity in the church sanctuary is 260 persons, requiring 52 on -site parking spaces (for churches built prior to 1988). Once the parking lot area is sold to the Bridge Club, the church will have 39 on -site parking spaces; 13 in the western -most lot behind the church along Indiana Street and 26 in the parking lot south of the church on Illinois. A perpetual cross parking agreement will be executed allowing the church use of the 23 Bridge Club parking spaces located west of the Bridge Club building. The church currently has an average attendance of approximately 50 persons on Sundays. With the cross parking agreement, the church will have access to 62 parking spaces; 10 more than required by code. The building is proposed to have a front yard setback of 187 ". That appears to line up with the church building to the west and is comparable to the setback of the existing residential structure which it is to replace. The proposed rear yard setback of 21 feet is only slightly less than the 25 feet required by the code. Although there is no buffer proposed for much of the southern portion of the site, new landscaping and buffer will be placed behind the building and on the east perimeter of the parking lot. The property is currently paved and the end result will be a net increase in landscaped area. No perimeter landscape strip is proposed along what will be the western perimeter of the Bridge Club site and although the landscape buffer proposed on the eastern perimeter is only 5 feet in width, there currently is no landscaping in that area. Signage is to consist of a 64 square foot monument style sign in the front yard of the Bridge Club property. Although the applicant has done a fair job of addressing site plan related issues, staff still has concerns about the proposed use. The site has been used as parking for a church. The greatest impact on adjacent residences would typically be limited to activities on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. The proposed Bridge Club is to operate seven (7) days a week, at times up to 11:00 p.m. The amount of traffic generated and intensity of activity on the site could be such that adjacent residences will be negatively impacted. To accommodate the proposed use, variances are requested to allow reduced building setbacks, reduced perimeter landscape buffers and reduced on -site parking for the church. No bill of assurance for the subdivision has been provided. Staff is not able to recommend approval of the application. 5 April 26, 2007 10116MI [+K•Ti�i STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends denial of the application. STAFF REPORT: FILE NO.: Z-8176 On March 6, 2007, the applicant requested deferral of this item to allow staff and the applicant to continue to study the issue. Staff supports deferral of the item to the April 26, 2007 Agenda. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (MARCH 15, 2007) The applicant was not present. There were no objectors present. Staff informed the Commission that the applicant had requested deferral of the item. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and approved for deferral to the April 26, 2007 agenda. The vote was 8 ayes, 0 noes and 3 absent. STAFF UPDATE: On April 5, 2007, the Subdivision Committee reviewed the issue specifically related to the church parking. The applicant explained the parking availability and the cross -parking agreement that would assure use of some of the Bridge Club parking on Sundays. The applicant briefly discussed changes that had been made to the plan to address some of staffs concerns that were raised at the initial Subdivision Committee meeting and reflected in the analysis above. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (APRIL 26, 2007) The applicant was present. There were two (2) objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of denial. Staff informed the Commission that the applicant had located a copy of the bill of assurance which did not address use issues. Jim Hathaway addressed the Commission on behalf of the Bridge Club. He stated the club was currently located in the Tanglewood shopping center but had outgrown its current space. He stated the club desired to stay in the area. Mr. Hathaway introduced the club members who were present and presented a club roster to the Commission. He showed a presentation board drawing of the 0 April 26, 2007 ITEM NO.: B (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-8176 existing and proposed improvements. Mr. Hathaway stated the site was approximately 35,000 square feet in area; of which, 23,000 square feet were paved, 2,700 square feet were occupied by the building and 7,000 square feet were green space. He stated the new development would result in a 3,300 square foot building, 11,400 square feet of green area and a corresponding reduction in paved area.. He showed a conceptual sketch of the building; stating it would be one story in height and would be residential in character. Mr. Hathaway stated the parking needs had been addressed for the church. Mr. Hathaway addressed the issue of the variances. He stated the proposed front yard setback was the same as the existing house and lined up with the adjacent church building. He stated the phase I building more than met the required rear yard setback and the phase II addition could be modified to provide the required rear yard. He reiterated his statement that the new plan provided more green space than currently exists. Mr. Hathaway stated a five (5) foot landscape strip was being provided on the east perimeter and the bridge club would take up the five (5) foot sidewalk along the south perimeter and replace it with a five (5) foot landscape strip to provide more green area. Mr. Hathaway provided a chart showing the scheduled game times within the hours of operation; stating that there were not activities throughout the entire time the facility was open. He stated there were twelve (12) — fourteen (14) tables in use on Monday and Thursday mornings, with four (4) persons per table. At other times, he stated, there would be six (6) — eight (8) tables in use. He presented a roster of the club's members and stated the club was a quiet use that would not disrupt the neighborhood. Clayton Johnson, of the Meriwether Neighborhood Association, spoke in opposition. He stated the neighborhood was surrounded by numerous non-residential uses that generated excessive traffic through the neighborhood. Mr. Johnson stated several of those uses used the neighborhood streets for access. He stated there would be noise on the club site late at night when members were leaving. He asked the Commission not to approve any more non-residential uses in the neighborhood. Ruth Bell, of the League of Women Voters, spoke in opposition. She stated the League had concerns about the late hours and the potential impact on adjacent residences. Mr. Hathaway asked the Commission to consider the proposed development in contrast to what could be built on the site. He stated the club would have less impact than if the site were developed as five (5), two-story residences. He stated the new development would result in the removal of a dilapidated structure and the addition of increased green area. Mr. Hathaway stated access to the church parking lot was currently off of Indiana Street and there was no way to 7 April 26, 2007 ITEM NO.: B (Cont. FILE NO.: Z-8176 change that since the church building was located between the parking lot and Mississippi Ave. He stated the applicants had invited eighty-six (86) neighbors to a meeting and seven (7) came. Mr. Hathaway stated he felt the immediate neighbors were satisfied, as evidenced by the fact that none of them were present in opposition. In response to questions from Commissioner Yates, Mr. Hathaway stated all site lighting would be directed downward and into the site and the lighting could be timed to coincide with the facility's hours of operation. Commissioner Yates asked about gating the parking lot after hours to prevent illicit activities. Mr. Hathaway responded that the site would be secure but he could not commit to gating the driveways. In response to a question from Commissioner Meyer, Director of Planning and Development Tony Bozynski stated the site could be developed as single-family residences or perhaps rezoned to accommodate a low -density residential use such as condominiums. Mike Hood, of Public Works stated the traffic generated by five (5) single family residences would be fifty (50) vehicle trips per day. There was a discussion of the use and how it was determined that the use was appropriate to consider as a conditional use. Deputy City Attorney Cindy Dawson asked the applicant to clarify the various amendments he had offered. Mr. Hathaway stated the full front and rear yard setbacks would be provided and a five (5) foot landscape strip would be provided on the south and east perimeters. Vice -chair Taylor asked if staff supported the application, as amended. Tony Bozynski responded that staff was still opposed to the application. A motion was made to approve the application as amended, including all staff comments and conditions, except the recommendation of denial. The motion was approved by a vote of 6 ayes, 5 noes and 0 absent. E:3