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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-8416-A Staff AnalysisJune 30, 2011 ITEM NO.: 6 FILE NO.: Z-8416-A NAME: Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church Parking Lot — Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 1215 S. Schiller Street OWNER/APPLICANT: Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church/Patrick McGetrick PROPOSAL: fA conditional use permit is requested to allow for the expansion of an existing church parking lot onto these two vacant, R-4 zoned lots. SITE LOCATION: The church is located on the southeast corner of West 12th and S. Schiller Streets. The proposed parking lot expansion is located at the south end of the church property, on the east side of S. Schiller Street. 2. COMPATIBILITY WITH NEIGHBORHOOD: The church is located in an area of mixed zoning and uses; including a variety of residential uses, a beauty salon, Central High and the Central High Visitors Center facilities. The property is outside of the Central High DOD. Single-family residences are located to the south and east. A few vacant lots, including these two, are scattered throughout the area. With attention given to properly screening and landscaping, the proposed parking lot expansion should be compatible with the neighborhood. Notice was sent to all owners of properties located within 200 feet of the site, all residents within 300 feet who could be identified and the Central High and Capitol Hill Neighborhood Associations. 3. ON SITE DRIVES AND PARKING: An existing parking lot is located directly south of the church. Three (3) driveways provide access to that parking lot. This proposal is to expand the parking lot onto two (2) vacant lots adjacent to the south. Each of the residential lots have a driveway; resulting in a total of five (5) driveways on the site. The applicant proposes to reconfigure the existing driveways and create one driveway for the new parking lot; resulting in a total of four (4) driveways. Access will also be provided onto the alley, which will be improved by the applicant. Additional parking is located east of the alley. June 30, 2011 ITEM NO.: 6 Cont. FILE NO.: Z-8416-A 4. SCREENING AND BUFFERS: Site plan must comply with the City's landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. The zoning buffer ordinance will require a land use buffer along the southern perimeter of the site. Seventy percent (70%) of the area must remain undisturbed. If sufficient vegetation is not present then additional landscaping will be required to be planted within this land use buffer area. Screening is required due to the residential use along the western perimeter of the site. This screening is to be a six (6) foot high opaque screen, either a wooden fence with its face side directed outward, a wall, or dense evergreen plantings. Preserved vegetation may suffice for this screening requirement thus eliminating the need for an opaque fence. This area is not to be thinned/cleared out and must provide a year around screening to suffice. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on this site. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when properly preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. 5. PUBLIC WORDS COMMENTS: 1. Driveway locations and widths do not meet the traffic access and circulation requirements of Sections 30-43 and 31-210. Only a total of two (2) driveways can be installed to access the existing parking lot and the proposed parking lot. The width of driveway must not exceed thirty-six (36) feet. 2. At time of building permit issuance since the alley is being used for access to the parking lots, the alley should be repaved providing a width of twenty (20) feet of asphalt adjacent to the property. 6. UTILITY FIRE DEPT. AND CATA COMMENTS: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Entergy: Approved as submitted. Centerpoint Energy: Approved as submitted. 2 June 30, 2011 ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) _ FILE NO.: Z-8416-A AT&T (SBC): No comments received. Water: No objections. All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Contact Central Arkansas Water if additional fire protection or metered water service is required or regarding the size and location of the water meter. Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZ) is required on the domestic water service. This assembly must be installed prior to the first point of use. Central Arkansas Water (CAW) requires that upon installation of the PRZA, successful tests of the assembly must be completed by a Certified Assembly Tester licensed by the State of Arkansas and approved by CAW. The test results must be sent to CAW's Cross connection Section within ten (10) days of installation and annually thereafter. Contact the Cross connection Section at 377-1226 if you would like to discuss backflow prevention requirements for this project. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. County Planning: No Comments. CATA: Approved as submitted. A CATA bus route is located along 12`h Street. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (JUNE 9, 2011) Patrick McGetrick was present, representing the application. Staff presented the item and noted additional information was needed regarding any future fencing, site lighting and signage. The applicant was advised to provide a copy of the bill of assurance. In response to a question, Mr. McGetrick stated he thought the previously approved charter school was still operating in the church. Public Works and Landscape Comments were discussed. Mr. McGetrick stated he would get with Public Works staff to address the driveway issue. The Committee determined it was appropriate to require a nine (9) foot wide land use buffer on the south; based on the width of the new parking lot, not the overall depth of the entire church site. Mr. McGetrick asked if the screening requirement along the south perimeter could be waived if that neighboring property owner requested such. Staff responded that the screening requirement could be waived but the minimum landscaping requirements must be installed. 3 June 30, 2011 ITEM NO.: 6(Cont.)FILE NO.: Z-8416-A The applicant was advised to submit responses to staff issues no later than Wednesday, June 15, 2011. The Committee forwarded the item to the full Commission. TAFF ANALYSIS; Liberty Hill Missionary Baptist Church is located at the southeast corner of West 12th and Schiller Streets. The church building is located on the corner and parking is located south of the church, along the east side of Schiller Street. On November 13, 2008, the Commission approved a conditional use permit to allow a charter school to locate in a portion of the existing church building. The church is requesting approval of a conditional use permit to allow for the extension of the parking lot onto two (2) vacant residential lots adjacent to the south of the existing parking lot: The existing parking lot driveways will be reconfigured and a new driveway will be constructed. When the project is complete, there will actually be one less driveway than currently exists on the site. For this reason and due to the light traffic volume on Schiller Street, Public Works staff will support a driveway spacing variance to allow the driveways as proposed. The revised plan indicates the required landscape areas, as agreed to at Subdivision Committee. No signage is proposed. The neighboring property owner to the south has requested that screening not be installed. Landscaping will be placed in this area as would typically be required in perimeter planting strips. Lighting will be installed on existing poles at the corners of the property. The lighting will be low-level and directed inward to the site. The century -old bill of assurance for Centennial is handwritten and illegible but likely does not address use issues. To staff's knowledge, there are no issues. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested C.U.P. subject to compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the agenda staff report. Staff recommends approval of a driveway spacing variance to allow the driveways as proposed. Staff recommends approval of a buffer/screening variance on the south perimeter subject to that area being landscaped as typically required in a perimeter landscape strip. El June 30, 2011 ITEM NO.: 6 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-8416-A PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (JUNE 30, 2011) The applicant was present. There was one objector present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval as outlined in the "staff recommendation" above. Patrick McGetrick, the applicant, stated he would reserve his time to respond to issues that might be raised by the objector. Kinyonna Tilmon, of 1318 S. Summit St., spoke in opposition. She stated the church had existing parking lots that were not being used. She questioned the loss of green space. Mr. McGetrick stated the lots were currently vacant. He stated two (2) of the four (4) existing trees on the site would be saved. Mr. McGetrick stated the existing parking was being re -striped which would result in the loss of some of the spaces. He stated the church had expansion plans. He stated the new parking would be landscaped and the alley would be improved. In response to a question from Commissioner Nunnley, Mr. McGetrick stated the expansion plans had not been formalized. In response to a question from Commissioner Fountain, Mr. McGetrick stated the alley would be paved and widened. A motion was made to approve the application, including all staff comments and conditions. The motion was approved by a vote of 10 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. 5