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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes for Z-9889December 14, 2023 ITEM NO.: 20 FILE NO.: Z-9889 NAME: SBC/Lake Nixon – Solar Farm – PD-I LOCATION: Southwestern corner of Colonel Glenn Road & Cooper Orbit Road DEVELOPER: Second Baptist Church (Owner) 222 E. 8th Street Little Rock, AR 72202 OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: Chris Ellis (Agent) Second Baptist Church 222 E. 8th Street Little Rock, AR 72202 SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: Tyler Group 240 Skyline Drive Conway, AR 72032 N/A AREA: 5.07 acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: N/A PLANNING DISTRICT: 18 CENSUS TRACT: 42.07 CURRENT ZONING: AF VARIANCE/WAIVERS: None requested. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant proposes to rezone 5.07 acres of an overall 30.98 acre site from AF to PD-I to develop a solar farm. The solar farm will exclusively service Second Baptist Church which is contained on the overall tract. December 14, 2023 ITEM NO.: 20 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9889 2 B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The overall site is contained on the north and south sides of Cooper Orbit Road. The property extends westward to Joiner Road before continuing further south to the intersection of Cooper Orbit Road and Colonel Glenn Road. The majority of the property is zoned AF (Agriculture & Forestry). The eastern portion of the site contains two (2) smaller portions zoned PD-R and R-2. The surrounding properties contain a mixture of zoning and uses. The overall site is located within the City’s Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). C. NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATIONS: All owners of property located within 300 feet of the site and all neighborhood associations registered with the City of Little Rock were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: No comments E. UTILITIES/FIRE DEPARTMENT/PARKS/COUNTY PLANNING: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No comments. Entergy: No comments received. Summit Utilities: No comments. AT & T: No comments received. Central Arkansas Water: 1. All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Fire Department: Maintain Access: Fire Hydrants Maintain fire apparatus access roads at fire hydrant locations as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.1 Access road width with a hydrant. Where a fire hydrant is located on a fire apparatus access road, the minimum road width shall be 26 feet, exclusive of shoulders. December 14, 2023 ITEM NO.: 20 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9889 3 Grade Maintain fire apparatus access roads as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.2 Grade. Fire apparatus access roads shall not exceed 10 percent in grade except as approved by the fire chief. If the grade exceeds 10 percent, approval will be denied and the applicant must submit request to be reviewed by Fire Chief for Approval. Loading Maintain fire apparatus access road design as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D102.1 Access and loading. Facilities, buildings or portions of buildings hereafter constructed shall be accessible to fire department apparatus by way of an approved fire apparatus access road with an asphalt, concrete or other approved driving surface capable of supporting the imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 75,000 pounds. Dead Ends Maintain fire apparatus access roads at dead end locations as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.4 Dead Ends. Dead-end fire apparatus access roads in excess of 150 feet shall be provided with width and turnaround provisions in accordance with Table D103.4. Requirements for Dead-end fire apparatus access roads. Gates Maintain fire apparatus access road gates as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.5 Fire apparatus access road gates. Gates securing the fire apparatus access roads shall comply with all of the following criteria: 1. Minimum gate width shall be 20 feet. 2. Gates shall be of swinging or sliding type. 3. Construction of gates shall be of material that allow manual operation by one person. 4. Gate components shall be maintained in an operable condition at all times and replaces or repaired when defective. 5. Electric gates shall be equipped with a means of opening the gate by fire department personnel for emergency access. Emergency opening devices shall be approved by the fire code official. 6. Manual opening gates shall not be locked with a padlock or chain and padlock unless they are capable of being opened by means of forcible entry tools or when a key box containing the keys to the lock is installed at the gate location. December 14, 2023 ITEM NO.: 20 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9889 4 7. Locking device specifications shall be submitted for approval by the fire code official. 8. Electric gate operators, where provided, shall be listed in accordance with UL 325. 9. Gates, intended for automatic operation shall be designed, constructed and installed to comply with requirements of ASTM F 2200. Fire Hydrants Locate Fire Hydrants as per Appendix C of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code. Section C101 – C105, in conjunction with Central Arkansas Water (Daniel Tull 501-377-1245) and the Little Rock Fire Marshal’s Office (Capt. Tony Rhodes 501-918-3757, or Fire Marshal Derek N. Ingram 501-918-3756 Number and Distribution of Fire Hydrants as per Table C105.1. Parks and Recreation: No comments received. County Planning: 1. Dedicate R/W to meet Master Street Plan it City requires for Colonel Glenn Road and Cooper Orbit Road. Contact Pulaski County for Quit Claim deed template for R/W dedication. 2. Volunteer Fire Department approval for solar farm prior to requesting and address. 3. Obtain a driveway permit from PCRB (501-340-6800) for any new driveway or driveway improvements or work in the County Right-of-Way. F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Code: No comments received. Landscape: 1. Any new site development must comply with the City’s minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. Refer to the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15 Landscaping and Tree Protection, and Chapter 36, Article IX – Buffers and Screening. 2. Site development plans, with landscape and screening, must be submitted for review, and approval, prior to site clearing and tree removal. G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No comments received. December 14, 2023 ITEM NO.: 20 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9889 5 Planning Division: The request is in the Ellis Mountain Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Public/Institutional (PI) for the requested area. The Public/Institutional (PI) category includes public and quasi-public facilities that provide a variety of services to the community such as schools, libraries, fire stations, churches, utility substations, and hospitals. The application is to rezone from AF to PD-C for a solar farm. Surrounding the wooded and undeveloped application area is all Low Density Residential (RL). The Residential Low Density (RL) category provides for single family homes at densities not to exceed 6 dwelling units per acre. Such residential development is typically characterized by conventional single-family homes but may also include patio or garden homes and cluster homes, provided that the density remains less than 6 units per acre. This site is not in an Overlay District. Master Street Plan: Cooper Orbit Road is a collector on the Master Street Plan. Collectors are designed to connect traffic from Local Streets to Arterials or to activity centers, with the secondary function of providing access to adjoining property. The standard Right of way is 60’. Sidewalks are required on one side of Collectors. This street may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements. Bicycle Plan: The Master Bike Plan shows no facilities in this area. Historic Preservation Plan: This property is not developed and is not located in a Historic District. H. ANALYSIS: The applicant proposes to develop 5.07 acres of an overall 30.98 acre site from AF to PD-I to develop a solar farm. The solar farm will exclusively service Second Baptist Church which is contained on the overall tract. The overall site is contained on south side of Cooper Orbit Road, west of Colonel Glenn Road. The property is zoned AF (Agriculture & Forestry). The surrounding properties contain a mixture of zoning and uses. The overall site is located within the City’s Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ). December 14, 2023 ITEM NO.: 20 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9889 6 The site plan shows ingress/egress along Joiner Road from the south. The applicant notes the proposed solar array will allow church facilities to reduce the impact of fossil fuel use thus allowing financial resources to be allocated elsewhere. The applicant provided current plans demonstrating measures to mitigate noise emissions generated from the inverters, noting that noise will not be detected beyond the boundary of the property. The solar farm development will be secured by a high-security perimeter fencing around the entire solar array. The site plan shows a 4x8 foot church sign to be located along Colonel Glenn Road. All signs shall comply with Section 36-554 of the City’s zoning ordinance (signs permitted in industrial zones). The applicant notes additional signage/placards will be installed in accordance to the National Electric Code. The applicant notes no other buildings or additional structures are planned for this location. All sight lighting must be low-level and directed away from adjacent properties. The applicant provided responses and additional information to all issues raised during staff’s review of this application. To staff’s knowledge, there are no outstanding issues. The applicant is requesting no variance with the requested PCD rezoning. Staff is supportive of the requested PCD rezoning. Staff views the request as reasonable. The property is located in the City’s Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) on 30 a plus total acre tract. Staff feels the proposed use should have no adverse impact on the surrounding properties. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the requested PCD zoning, subject to compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in paragraphs E, and F, and the staff analysis, of the agenda staff report. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (DECEMBER 14, 2023) The applicant was present, representing the application. Staff presented the item and a recommendation for approval. There were 6 persons present in opposition. Carolyn Jolley, Roy Jolley, Heather Wigley, Hamilton Kemp, Andrew Black, and Kevin Garland all spoke about concerns of the solar structure being an “eye-sore”, the structure causing December 14, 2023 ITEM NO.: 20 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-9889 7 issues with run-off and flooding and the depletion of wildlife and forestry. There was much discussion concerning the project. There was a motion to approve. The motion was seconded. The vote was 1 aye, 10 nays and 0 absent. The motion failed and the application was denied.