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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-8629-A Staff AnalysisJULY 28, 2014 ITEM NO.: 3 File No.: Z-8629-A Owner: Chow Time Corp. — Little Rock Applicant: Thomas R. Pownall Address: 102 S. Rodney Parham Road Description: West side of S. Rodney Parham Road, approximately 300 feet south of W. Markham Street Zoned: C-3 Variance Requested: A variance is requested from the parking provisions of Section 36-502 to allow construction of a new restaurant with reduced parking. Justification: The applicant's justification is presented in an attached letter. Present Use of Property: Undeveloped Proposed Use of Property: Restaurant STAFF REPORT /0 Public Works Issues: No Comments B. Landscape and Buffer Comments: 1. Site plan must comply with the City's minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. Street buffers will be required at six (6) percent of the average depth of the lot. The minimum dimension shall be one-half (Y2) the full width requirement but in no case less than nine (9) feet. Easements cannot count toward fulfilling this requirement. The plantings, existing and purposed, shall be provided within the city's landscape ordinance requirements. 3. A perimeter planting strip is required along any side of a vehicular use area that abuts adjoining property or the right-of-way of any street. One (1) tree and three (3) shrubs or vines shall be planted for every thirty (30) linear feet of perimeter planting strip. 4. Screening requirements will need to be met for the vehicular use areas adjacent to street right-of-ways. Provide screening shrubs with an average linear spacing of not less at three (3) feet within the required landscape area. Provide trees with an average linear spacing of not less than thirty (30) feet. J U LY 28, 2014 ITEM NO.: 3 (CON'T. 5. A land use buffer will be required when an adjacent property has a dissimilar use of a more restrictive nature. As a component of all land use buffer requirements, opaque screening, whether a fence or other device, a minimum of six (6) feet in height shall be required upon the property line side of the buffer. A minimum of seventy (70) percent of the land use buffer shall be undisturbed. Easements cannot count toward fulfilling this requirement. The plantings, existing and purposed, shall be provided within the landscape ordinance of the city, section 15-81. The property to the south is zoned R-2 therefore, a buffer a minimum of 6% of the average lot depth is required on the south property line. 6. Eight percent (8%) of the vehicular use area must be designated for green space; this green space needs to be evenly distributed throughout the parking area(s). The minimum size of an interior landscape area shall be one hundred fifty (150) square feet for developments with one hundred fifty (150) or fewer parking spaces. Interior islands must be a minimum of seven and one half (7 1/2) feet in width. Trees shall be included in the interior landscape areas at the rate of one (1) tree for every twelve (12) parking spaces. 7. Landscape areas shall be provided between the vehicular use area used for public parking and the general vicinity of the building, excluding truck loading or service areas not open to public parking. These areas shall be equal to an equivalent planter strip three (3) feet wide along the vehicular use area. 8. An irrigation system shall be required for developments of one (1) acre or larger. For developments of less than one (1) acre a there shall be a water source within seventy-five (75) feet of the plants to be irrigated. 9. Dumpsters shall be screened from abutting properties and streets. The screen shall exceed the height of the dumpster or trash containment areas by at least two (2) feet not to exceed eight (8) feet total height. 10. 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 preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. C. Staff _Analysis: The C-3 zoned property at 102 S. Rodney Parham Road is currently vacant. A one-story restaurant building which previously occupied the site was removed approximately two (2) years ago. Paved parking was located on the north, south and west sides of the previous building. Access drives from S. Rodney Parham Road and Sunnymeade Drive to the east serve the property. The applicant proposes to construct a new one-story restaurant building, as noted on the attached site plan. The proposed building will have a total area of 12, 416 JULY 28, 2014 ITEM NO.: 3 (CON'T. square feet and be located within the same area of the property as the previous building. The applicant is proposing to utilize the two (2) existing access drives, and provide newly designed parking spaces on the north, south and west sides of the new building. A total of 111 parking spaces is proposed with the re- development. The new site plan will provide increased landscaped areas from the previous site plan. The applicant is requesting one (1) variance with the proposed property re- development. Section 36-502(b)(3)c. of the City's Zoning Ordinance requires a minimum of 124 paved parking spaces for the proposed restaurant building. Therefore, the applicant is requesting a variance to allow 111 parking spaces for the site. On January 31, 2011, the Board of Adjustment approved a parking variance for a restaurant (same applicant) on the site with the same proposed site design. The approval expired after two (2) years as the applicant was not ready to pursue the project. The applicant is now ready to proceed, and is asking that the variance be re -instated. Staff is supportive of the requested parking variance. Staff views the request as reasonable. The applicant is providing 90 percent of the required parking spaces which should be sufficient to serve the proposed restaurant use. As noted previously, increased landscaping is being provided with the new parking design. Without the increased landscaping, the applicant could possibly provide more parking spaces. Additionally, the site is located relatively close to the Midtown Design Overlay District (approximately one (1) mile to the east), which allows a development to have half of the parking spaces as typically required by ordinance. Staff feels that the amount of proposed parking will be sufficient to serve the new restaurant use. Staff believes the new restaurant construction will be a quality re- development of the site and have no adverse impact on the adjacent properties or general area. D. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the requested parking variance, subject to compliance with the Landscape and Buffer requirements as noted in paragraph B. of the staff report. BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT (July 28, 2014) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the application with a recommendation of approval. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda for approval as recommended by staff. The vote was 5 ayes, 0 nays and 0 absent. The application was approved.