HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-8276 Staff AnalysisOCTOBER 29, 2007
ITEM NO.:
In
File No.: Z-8276
Owner: Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation
Applicant: Howard B. Patterson, Jr., AECC/AECI
Address: 1 Cooperative Way
Description: South side of Interstate 30, 700+ feet west of
Scott Hamilton Drive
Zoned: 1-2
Variance Requested: A variance is requested from the height provisions of Section
36-201 to allow a communication tower, which exceeds the maximum height allowed.
Justification: The applicant's justification is presented in an attached letter.
Present Use of Property: Arkansas Electric Coop Campus
Proposed Use of Property: Arkansas Electric Coop Campus
STAFF REPORT
A. Public Works Issues:
No Comments.
B. Staff Analysis:
The 1-2 zoned property at 1 Cooperative Way is occupied by the Arkansas
Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC) campus. The AECC property fronts
on the Interstate 30 frontage road and extends south to Baseline Road. The
campus consists of a multi -building development within the north half of the
property. The main office buildings for AECC are located near the northeast
corner of the development. There are access drives from the 1-30 frontage
road and Cooperative Way, which extends to the campus from Scott Hamilton
Drive. The western and southern portions of the property are undeveloped
and wooded.
OCTOBER 29, 2007
ITEM NO.: 4 (CON'T.
AECC proposes to construct a 190 foot tall, self-supporting, communications
tower near the center of the northern half of the property, just south of AECC's
main office building. The tower will be lattice type metal construction (three -
sided). The tower will support a radio link between AECC headquarters at 1
Cooperative Way and AECC's new Disaster Recovery Data Center at 17420
Hwy. 365 S. Please see the applicant's attached cover letter for further
details.
Section 36-201(e)(1)a. of the City's Zoning Ordinance allows steel or other
metal ground -mounted radio towers with a maximum height of 75 feet.
Therefore, the applicant is requesting a variance to allow the proposed
communications tower with a height of 190 feet.
Staff is supportive of the requested variance. Given the overall size of the
property, staff views the request as reasonable. The proposed tower will be
located approximately 750 feet from the east property line, 590 feet from the
west property line and over 750 feet from the nearest residential structure
along Orchard Drive. The tower will be located over 1,200 feet from the
nearest manufactured home along Community Lane, and over one -quarter
mile from the nearest residential structure along Dowan Drive to the
southwest. Given the fact that the west and south portions of the overall
property are wooded, the proposed tower will go fairly unnoticed from the
surrounding residential properties. Additionally, the tower will not be out of
character with the area. There are two (2) monopole towers immediately to
the west within an office/warehouse development and a communications tower
within the school property across Scott Hamilton Drive further to the west.
Staff believes the proposed radio communications tower will have no adverse
impact on the adjacent properties or the general area.
C. Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the requested tower height variance, as filed.
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT: (OCTOBER 29, 2007)
The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the
item and a recommendation of approval.
Staff added the following condition to the recommendation of approval:
The applicant must submit a letter from the FAA approving the tower height
prior to its construction.
The applicant offered no additional comments.
The item was placed on the Consent Agenda and approved as recommended by
staff by a vote of 4 ayes, 0 nays and 1 recusal (Winchester)..
4V 1
Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation
Proposed radio tower at 1 Cooperative Way, Little Rock, AR
The proposed tower will be 190 ft. tall, of the self-supporting type. The proposed tower
site meets all setback requirements.
The tower will support a radio link between Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation
(AECC) headquarters at 1 Cooperative Way, Little Rock and AECC's new Disaster
Recovery Data Center at 17420 Hwy 365 S. This high -capacity radio link is necessary to
provide continuous realtime updates to the backup equipment at the Disaster Recovery
Data Center. The radio link will be in the 5.8 GHz unlicensed microwave band. The
tower site is located on the grounds of AECC's Little Rock headquarters.
Contact Justin Nowlin Onowlin@aecc.com, 570-2636) or Pat Patterson
(ppatterson@aecc.com, 570-2256) with questions.