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HomeMy WebLinkAboutUntitled Extract Pages1721-23 Dennison Historic Rehabilitation Rezonin Request Summary: • Permit renewal of duplex use a Waive parking requirements ■ Allow STR-2 use, including STR, long term rental and owner occupancy. History, Context and Applicant: The home at the corner of Dennison and 18th St., two blocks south of Central High, has languished gutted and neglected since at least June, 2003 when records show prior owners were given 30 days to repair or demolish it. In 2020, still unsafe, it was sold by State Lands to a California speculator, who flipped it to Lawcraft LLC (100% owned by Paul Dodds) in 2021. Since 2004, Mr. Dodds has completely restored 17 houses with 29 units. All were vacant; most as bad as or worse than this one. He has served, in effect as a one-man community development corporation. It is satisfying work, but not easy. City cooperation can make it feasible — whence this application. Property when purchased in 2021 The eventual goal is to complete a full Historic Tax Credit (HTC) rehabilitation, entirely within the existing building footprint. The exterior will only change as permitted by HTC guidelines. Duplex use will keep the original look, as the house was first built with two front doors, like many neighboring homes. When completed, outside, it will seem like a perfect single-family home from 1905. Inside, it will be almost entirely new. Mr. Dodds tried for over a year to find a responsible investor to complete a proper HTC rehabilitation. Failing this, he will do this himself — if zoning makes it possible. This, his fourteenth HTC project, will be a hard one, given drastic cost increases and advanced neglect. Collapsed rear wing. The rest of the house is a gutted shell with large holes in roof. R-4 Zoning to Renew Disallowed Duplex Status When Lawcraft purchased 1721-1723 Dennison, Mr. Dodds believed it was still a legal duplex. Although 9-1-1 assigns the building two street numbers and these have long been posted on the building, and although the Assessor recognizes it as a multifamily, the City refused to recognize duplex status, given the house's UV status and location in an R-3 district. Existing R-4 Zoning within a Block, current Assessor's listing and duplex street numbering This was an unpleasant surprise, since Mr. Dodds successfully completed other renovations of UV and/or long vacant multi -family properties in R-3 zones (duplexes at 1725 S. Park and 2023 W. 17' and a fourplex at 2017-2019 W.17th). These full historic rehabilitations only worked with multi -family use. For Dennison, this used is now blocked. This area has included multi- family homes for around 115 years. The house across the street, and the lot caddy corner are both R-4, among many others nearby. Permission is thus requested to restore the home to its old duplex status as part of the STR-2 rezoning. Lot Limitations and Parking Waiver: This home is built on a 50x90 foot partial lot, which slopes several feet to Dennison and 18' St. At the rear, there are only 15 feet to the next lot, too narrow for two cars side by side, after driving up an awkward rise. This is not a problem for using the home, but is for zoning. Mr. Dodds has never seen anyone park on 18th Street between Dennison and Park. No wonder, as the entire block has been empty at least 20 years, with this ruin the only building left standing. Next to the building, two cars can easily park on Dennison and three more on 181h St. The house will not be densely occupied. The attached plan proposes two one bedroom, one bath apartments. It is rare that STR guests use more than one car. Waiving parking opens space for a pleasant, privacy fenced small patio garden area behind the house. Please do not vote for more unnecessary asphalt. ,LI { i" ~ Midweek midday parking situation when Central High in session. STR 2 Long Term Rental and/or Owner Occuancy Permission: In addition, we request STR 2 zoning. Mr. Dodds is a well -established Airbnb super -host with hundreds of positive reviews and zero known neighbor complaints. If STR use can yield bit more than a normal rental, it would help make the tight numbers work. The STR market is fickle and oversaturated. As part of this rezoning, we thus explicitly request that the property be permitted to be used, at the owner's option, for long term duplex rental and/or owner occupied use. While these uses should be permitted as of right for any STR-2 zoned property, the ordinance and procedures are not clear on this point, so we are making the request explicit. Mr. Dodds' existing duplex Airbnb in another historic rehab on next corner east at 1725 S. Park. Site Plan Review Criteria: a. Existing building will be retained as shown on survey, with no changes in foot print. b. There will be no parking on site. c. The only points of egress and ingress will be the two 4' walkways serving the front and back of the house. These will be retained. The rear fenced patio area will be shared, so that this rear access can serve both units. d. The property is at the corner of Dennison and 18tn St., existing City streets which will not be changed as part of this. e. The site is served by Little Rock Wastewater with an 8" main in the intersection of 18tn and Dennison, as well as Central Arkansas Water with a main and hydrant directly across Dennison from the house. The attached printout from December 4 from the LRWRA web site shows the map of the relevant utilities. This is long existing, downtown property also served by Entergy and Summit for gas and electric. There are no on -site hydrants existing or proposed. There is a city hydrant directly across Dennison. g. A new water line will be laid from the lot line. h. All property lines are shown on survey. L No rights of way on abutting streets. j. Landscaping shown on annotated survey. k. No handicapped parking to be provided or required. Respectfully Submitted December 8, 2023 Paul Dodds, Applicant and 100% owner of Lawcraft LLC Exhibits Attached: 1. Application for Planned Zoning Development — Short Form for February 8, 2024 Planning Commission consideration for 1721 Dennison (1A) and Application for STR — 2 zoning consideration at same meeting for 1723 Dennison (1B), including request for explicit permission also to use property for long term rental and/or owner occupancy. 2. Laha Engineer Survey of lot from October 19, 2023 showing existing building to be rehabilitated within current footprint. 3. Annotated survey marked to show landscaping and proposed patio area behind house 4. Little Rock Wastewater map showing utilities at intersection of Dennison and 181" including 8"sewer pipe, fire hydrant and water main (4A) and map showing 2' elevations (4B). 5. Print out of Pulaski County Assessors records showing property as duplex multi family 6. Print out of Little Rock zoning map showing multiple R-4 lots in direct vicinity, and this property with the duplex address of 1721-1723 Dennison. 7. Park Addition Bill of Assurance from May 6, 1889 8. Kate M. Illing Subdivision from August 10, 1901 amending the configuration of Block 18 of the Park Addition to have lots laid out east to west, in line with actual development, as opposed to north south. 9. Current configuration of interior gutted shell 10. Proposed configuration of duplex following complete renovation.