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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9077 Staff AnalysisITEM NO.: 19. Z-9077 NAME: Little Rock Community Mental Health Center Short -form PD-O LOCATION: located at 1020 Daisy L. Gaston Bates Planning Staff Comments: 1. Provide notification of property owners located within 200-feet of the development including the certified abstract list, notice form with affidavit executed and proof of mailing. The notice must be mailed no later than September 23, 2015. The Office of Planning and Development must receive the proof of notice no later than October 2, 2015. 2. Was this facility relocated from near UAMS/VA? If so did the program offer overnight stay at the former location? 3. Provide details of how the facility will operate, the supervision, actions to be taken if/when a client leaves the facility. Where are the clients that will be offered housing transferred from to this facility? 4. Provide the days and hours of operation for the facility. 5. Provide the number of clients served on a daily basis. The cover letter states eight (8) to ten (10) beds for the facility. At what capacity does the center plan to operate? How often does the center anticipate all the beds to be full? 6. What is the length of stay for the clients being treated and/or being provided service by the organization? Variance/Waivers: None requested. Public Works Conditions: 1. A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersection of Daisy L. Gaston Bates Drive and Chester Street. Utilities and Fire Department/County Planning: Wastewater: No objection. Entergy: Entergy does not object to this proposal. Electrical service is already being provided to the structure. Contact Entergy should the service requirements change due to this proposal. CenterPoint Energy: No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: 1. All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. 2. If there are facilities that need to be adjusted and/or relocated, contact Central Arkansas Water. That work would be done at the expense of the developer. Fire Department: Maintain Access: Fire Hydrants. Maintain fire apparatus access roads at fire hydrant locations as per Appendix D of the 2012 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. Fire Hydrants. Locate Fire Hydrants as per Appendix C of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code. Section C101 — C105, in conjunction with Central Arkansas Water (Jason Lowder 501.377.1245) and the Little Rock Fire Marshal's Office (Captain Tony Rhodes 501.918.3757). Number and Distribution of Fire Hydrants as per Table C105.1. Parks and Recreation: No comment received. County Planning: No comment. ROCK REGION METRO: Building Code: Project is subject to full commercial plan review and approval prior to issuance of a building permit. For information on submittal requirements and the review process, contact a commercial plans examiner: Curtis Richey at 501.371.4724; cricheV@Iittlerock.oM or Mark Alderfer at 501.371.4875; malderferCcDlittlerock.org. Planning Division: This request is located in the Central City Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Commercial (C) for this property. The commercial category includes a broad range of retail and wholesale sales of products, personal and professional services, and general business activities. Commercial activities vary in type and scale, depending on the trade area that they serve. The applicant has applied for a rezoning from 1-2, Light Industrial District to PDO (Planned Development Office District) to allow for the use the site for adult and senior care and services with overnight stay. Master Street Plan: Chester Street is a Minor Arterial and Daisy L. Gaston Bates Drive is a Collector on the Master Street Plan. A Minor Arterial provides connections to and through an urban area and their primary function is to provide short distance travel within the urbanized area. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Chester Street since it is a Minor Arterial. The primary function of a Collector Street is to provide a connection from Local Streets to Arterials. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. Bicycle Plan: A Class II Bike Lane is shown along Daisy L. Gaston Bates Drive. Bike Lanes provide a portion of the pavement for the sole use of bicycles. Landscape: No comment. Revised plat/plan: Submit four (4) copies of a revised preliminary plat/plan (to include the additional information as noted above) to staff on Wednesday, September 23, 2015. FILE NO.: Z-9077 NAME: Little Rock Community Mental Health Center Short -form PD-O LOCATION: Located at 1020 Daisy L. Gatson Bates DEVELOPER: Little Rock Community Mental Health Center, Inc. c/o Kutak Rock, LLP Attn. Amy C. Bagnall 124 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 2000 Little Rock, AR 72201-3706 SURVEYOR: Brooks Surveying 20820 Arch Street Pike Hensley, AR 72065 AREA: 0.96 acres CURRENT ZONING ALLOWED USES PROPOSED ZONING PROPOSED USE VARIANCE/WAIVERS- NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 1-2, Light Industrial Industrial - Daycare FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF Adult services — add overnight stay None requested. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT'S STATEMENT: Pinnacle House is located at 1020 West Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive, which is at the corner of Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive and Chester Street. Community Mental Health Center, Inc. (CMHC) purchased the property in 2007 and since that time has operated it as an adult day care facility providing social services, day activities, job training and resources, individual and group therapy, administration of medication and other related services to adults with mental health issues. Pinnacle House serves 35 to 60 people each day through its various day programs. FILE NO.: Z-9077 (Cont. In order to better serve the community and its patrons, CMHC plans to add eight (8) to ten (10) overnight beds to Pinnacle House which would allow CMHC to provide emergency shelter and short term crisis stabilization care to patients who are transitioning from a higher level of care into intermediate, supervised or independent living situations. The only exterior change to the property will be the addition of a driveway to the east side of the building, which will be used for patrons being delivered to the facility by automobile or transfer ambulance. The modification of the facility will also include some interior remodeling to provide appropriate accommodations for sleeping and bathing. The space will accommodate staff who will provide line of sight supervision twenty-four (24) hour per day. A security officer will also be on duty during all hours of operation. The current 1-2, Light Industrial District zoning allows the adult day care center by right. However, the modification of use planned by CMHC is not allowed under the current zoning because 1-2, Light Industrial District does not allow any overnight care facilities. CMHC is requesting a rezoning to Planned Development Office to allow 0-3, General Office District uses as allowable uses and allow the facility for care of psychiatric patients as provided in the Little Rock Municipal Code Section 36-281(b)(3)(f). B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The property is located at the intersection of South Chester Street and Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive. The property is zoned 1-2, Light Industrial District. Philander Smith College is located across South Chester Street to the east. There are surface parking lots located to the south of this site across Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive which are owned and used by the College for additional parking. To the north of this site is an armored car business, a church and funeral home. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has not received any comment from area property owners. All property owners located within 200 feet of the site along with the Downtown Neighborhood Association were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersection of Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive and Chester Street. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING - Wastewater: No objection. 7 FILE NO.: Z-9077 Cont. Entergy: Entergy does not object to this proposal. Electrical service is already being provided to the structure. Contact Entergy should the service requirements change due to this proposal. CenterPoint Enemy: No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: 1. All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. 2. If there are facilities that need to be adjusted and/or relocated, contact Central Arkansas Water. That work would be done at the expense of the developer. Fire Department: Maintain Access: Fire Hydrants. Maintain fire apparatus access roads at fire hydrant locations as per Appendix D of the 2012 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. Fire Hydrants. Locate Fire Hydrants as per Appendix C of the 2012 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code. Section C101 — C105, in conjunction with Central Arkansas Water (Jason Lowder 501,377.1245) and the Little Rock Fire Marshal's Office (Captain Tony Rhodes 501.918.3757). Number and Distribution of Fire Hydrants as per Table C105.1. Parks and Recreation: No comment received. County Planning: No comment. Rock Region Metro: The area is currently served by METRO on the Route 15. We have no objection to the reuse of this building for an Adult Daycare. The bus service for this facility we feel is an asset for this installation. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Building Code: Project is subject to full commercial plan review and approval prior to issuance of a building permit. For information on submittal requirements and the review process, contact a commercial plans examiner: Curtis Richey at 501.371.4724; crichey littlerock.org or Mark Alderfer at 501.371.4875; malderfer littlerock.or . 3 FILE NO.: Z-9077 (Cont. Planning Division: This request is located in the Central City Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Commercial (C) for this property. The commercial category includes a broad range of retail and wholesale sales of products, personal and professional services, and general business activities. Commercial activities vary in type and scale, depending on the trade area that they serve. The applicant has applied for a rezoning from 1-2, Light Industrial District to PDO (Planned Development Office District) to allow for the use the site for adult and senior care and services with overnight stay. Master Street Plan: Chester Street is a Minor Arterial and Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive is a Collector on the Master Street Plan. A Minor Arterial provides connections to and through an urban area and their primary function is to provide short distance travel within the urbanized area. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Chester Street since it is a Minor Arterial. The primary function of a Collector Street is to provide a connection from Local Streets to Arterials. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. Bicycle Plan: A Class II Bike Lane is shown along Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive. Bike Lanes provide a portion of the pavement for the sole use of bicycles. Landscape: No comment. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (September 16, 2015) The applicant was present. Staff presented an overview of the request stating additional information was needed to forward the item to the Commission for final action. Staff requested additional information concerning the activities on the site both currently and proposed. Staff also requested how patients were screened and the length of stay proposed for the clients. Public Works comments were addressed. Staff stated a radial dedication of right of way was required at the intersection of Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive and Chester Street. Staff noted no additional landscaping was required unless the improvements to the building exceeded fifty percent (50%) of the replacement cost of the building. Staff noted the comments from the various other agencies. There were no more issues for discussion. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action. H. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised cover letter to staff addressing a number of the questions raised at the September 16, 2015, Subdivision Committee meeting. The applicant has provided a detailed description of the activities on the site. 0 FILE NO.: Z-9077 (Cont. The applicant has also provided information on the screening and length of stay for the clients. The request is to rezone the site from 1-2, Light Industrial District to Planned Development Office to allow the Pinnacle House to provide additional services to their clientel. The 1-2, Light Industrial zoning classification allows adult day care as a by right use. The expanded program to be offered by Pinnacle House includes overnight stay which is not allowed within the 1-2, Light Industrial zoning classification. The request includes 0-3, General Office District uses as allowable uses for the site. This will allow the facility to offer care of psychiatric patients and allow overnight stay and treatment of these clients. The Pinnacle House Program site is fully owned and controlled by LRCMHC, and has operated as a mental health day treatment program since 2007. As proposed, the program will provide nine (9) beds in a supervised shelter environment for non -substance -using individuals experiencing a mental health related crisis that requires 24-hour placement for a period ranging from one (1) day to possibly a week to ten (10) days. Persons with presenting substance abuse issues will be served by referral to other community based substance abuse programs, such as that operated by Quapaw Substance Abuse. The facility will operate within the requirements established by the Arkansas Division of Behavioral Health Services and recognized certification standards applicable to this type stabilization program. LRCMHC staff will be onsite at all times; these staff will include mental health professionals (e.g. licensed social workers, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, etc.), as well as mental health paraprofessionals (specially -trained bachelors -level staff) and security officers. Prior to admission each individual will be assessed to determine the appropriate level of service intervention required, and those individuals with higher stabilization assessed needs will be referred elsewhere. Each person admitted to the program will undergo additional mental health assessment to establish an overall treatment plan designed to address the needs of the particular individual. Each plan is reviewed for appropriateness by a licensed physician, either a psychiatrist or a psychiatric resident. During each individual's brief overnight stay (one night up to a week to ten (10) days), plans will be developed in concert with the individual that address follow-up treatment and supportive services, including such things as housing, transportation and functional supports. As well, while the person is at the program, staff will engage the individual in treatment services. Care management services will also be assigned should it be determined the individual could benefit from such services. Care management includes arrangement or provision of transportation should a person choose to leave the facility. Any transportation needed to transfer to other types of facilities would be arranged or provided. Security personnel would be available to assist in arranging transportations. In a limited number of situations an individual's 5 FILE NO.: Z-9077 (Cont. psychiatric status might deteriorate to a point of requirement an involuntary hold until transfer to a secure facility can be arranged. Again, the purpose of the program is a voluntary placement offering short term care in conjunction with other services while crisis is stabilized and resolved. LRCMHC accepts referrals from individuals, other health, social and human service agencies and the judicial system. Many of the individuals that will utilize the facility for overnight services will be persons that LRCMHC has screened or assessed for entry to the mental health system with these individuals coming from any number of community locations including local hospital emergency rooms. LRCMHC provides housing or housing assistance to more than 300 individuals and families, and in some situations mental health related crisis may result in a need for short-term placement. The facility currently operates Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 5:00 pm with direct client services typically ending by 3:30 pm. With the expanded program offering night care to include nine (9) beds for supervised placement, Pinnacle House will offer day services and activities seven (7) days a week and supervision 24-hours per day. Pinnacle House day programs currently serve 35 to 60 people each day through its various services. LRCMHC does not expect that number to significantly vary from its current operations, although the lower number (35) could be restated with assurance to 42. With regard to the utilization of the nine (9) beds, it is anticipated that the occupancy will range from 50 to 85 percent. Based on previous experiences, bed occupancy during holiday periods will be lower while higher occupancy will be experienced in late summer and early fall and in midwinter. Only during these periods of high occupancy would the nine (9) beds be full and then only for a day or two consecutively. LRCMHC intends that the overnight care be provided only on a short-term basis at Pinnacle House, with the maximum stay being then (10) nights with an average of 2.5 days. The patients receiving day services at the facility are generally more long term, with some clients receiving services over a period of years, due to the chronicity of their illness. LCMHC owns, operates and partners with other facilities that provide long term housing accommodations for its patients. The overnight beds at this facility will simply be an avenue for providing short-term, stabilization to those patients that are assessed as not requiring inpatient hospitalization but need living accommodations and a lower level of supervision before moving to transitional or community housing somewhere more permanent. Staff is supportive of the applicant's request. LRCMHC currently operates from this facility and has done so for a number of years with little to no complaints. The request is to allow the facility to expand services being offered to the clients which includes the allowance of overnight stay for observation and to determine :10M WA WIN M[RM the best placement for the clients. It is anticipated the average length of stay will be 2.5 nights and very seldom will all the beds be occupied in a single night. Proper security and staffing will be provided for the center. Staff does not feel the addition of the overnight stay service for the clients of Pinnacle House will have a significant impact on the area. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (OCTOBER 8, 2015) The applicant was present. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item with a recommendation of approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and approved as recommended by staff by a vote of 9 ayes, 0 noes and 2 absent. 7