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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9131 Staff AnalysisAPRIL 25, 2016 ITEM NO.: 4 File No.: Owner: Applicant: Address: Description: Zoned: Z-9131 Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission David Bubbus, David's Burgers 400 President Clinton Avenue Northwest corner of President Clinton Avenue and St. Vincent Plaza UU Variance Requested: Variances are requested from the sign provisions of Section 36-353 and the building form provisions of Section 36-356 to allow a projecting sign with increased projection from a building, and a building addition with increased setback from a front property line. Justification: The applicant's justification is presented in an attached letter. Present Use of Property: Restaurant Proposed Use of Property: Addition to Restaurant STAFF REPORT A. Public Works Issues: No Comments. B. Staff Analysis: The UU zoned property at 400 President Clinton Avenue is occupied by the River Market's "Market Hall" building. The Market Hall building is located on the north side of President Clinton Avenue, between Ottenheimer Plaza and St. Vincent plaza. A smaller building housing a police sub -station is located immediately to the east at the northwest corner of President Clinton Avenue and St. Vincent Plaza. A fenced outdoor seating area is located on the east end of the Market Hall building, between it and the police sub -station building. The applicant, David's Burgers, will take over the Boulevard Bread restaurant space within the east end of the Market Hall building. As part of the project, the applicant proposes to add a one story addition that measures 21 foot by 40 foot to the Market Hall building on the east side near the current police building. It will be for public seating for patrons of the River Market with 15 booths for diners. There will be a double door on the east side of glass with no doors. It will feature two shades of brick, the primary color being the reddish brick (Garnet Smooth Brick) APRIL 25, 2016 ITEM NO.: 4 (CON'T. with the accent color of Dove Gray under the windows. There will be wall sconce lighting by the double doors on the east and under the awnings on the east side. There will be a 10'-4" separation between the police building and the proposed addition. The addition will be set back 18 feet from the front (south) property line along President Clinton Avenue. The fenced seating area along President Clinton Avenue will be removed and the plaza area in front of the addition will be for public use. It is unsure whether the tables and chairs will be replaced at this time. The applicant also proposes to install a new projecting sign at the southeast corner of the Market Hall building, over the sidewalk area. The proposed sign measures 4.75' wide by 3.1 feet tall. It is an oval shape with the background painted in red, white and multiple colors. The text is "David's Burgers" with a hamburger depicted in the center. There is a white stripe around the perimeter of the sign. The white stripe will be accented with white neon for illumination. The sign will be mounted with a 9'-6" clearance above the sidewalk. The applicant is requesting two (2) variances for the proposed project. The first variance is from Section 36-356(g)(1) of the City's Zoning Ordinance, which states that buildings shall have a zero (0) foot build to line along public right-of-way. As noted above, the proposed building will have an 18 foot setback from the front (south) property line along President Clinton Avenue. The second variance is from Section 36-353(e)(1)c. which states that projecting signs shall extend a maximum of three (3) feet from the face of a building. The proposed projecting sign will extend from the building 4.75 feet. Staff is supportive of the requested variances. Staff views the request as reasonable. The proposed addition will be a quality addition to the Market Hall building and will provide needed indoor seating area. The space between the building addition and President Clinton Avenue will be for public space, and may be used for outdoor seating in the future. Additionally, the proposed projecting sign will not be out of character with other building -mounted signs within the River Market District. The proposed sign exceeds the minimum clearance of nine (9) feet above the sidewalk area. The River Market Design Review Committee reviewed and approved the proposed project on March 8, 2016. Staff believes the proposed building addition and projecting sign will have no adverse impact on the adjacent properties or the general area. C. Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends approval of the requested building setback and sign variances, as filed. 2 APRIL 25, 2016 ITEM NO.: 4 (CON'T.) BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT (April 25, 2016) The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval as outlined in the "staff recommendation" above. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the consent agenda and approved as recommended by the vote of 4 ayes, 0 noes and 1 absent. 3 River Market Design Review Committee Kate East, Chair Jim Rice, Vice -Chair Presley Melton, Member Michael Hickerson, Member Michael McCallum, Member Planning and Development • 723 W. Markham • Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 • 501-371-4790 • fax 501-399-3435 March 8, 2016 ITEM NO.: 1 Name: David's Burgers Location: 400 President Clinton Avenue Request: Addition Source: D Alan Bubbus, David's Burgers PROPOSAL/REQUEST: The proposal is for Addition at the River Market Hall building for David's Burgers. Also included is a projecting sign. The history of the applications on the site: The proposal is to add a projecting sign at the corner of the existing River Market building in an oval shape that will measure 4.75' wide and 3.1' tall. It will be illuminated with white neon tubing around the perimeter. The second part of the proposal is to add a one story addition that measures 21 foot by 40 foot to the Market Hall building on the east side near the current Police building. It will be for public seating for patrons of the River Market with 15 booths for diners. Text from the Ordinance: Sec.36-353. Signs. (a) Signs in general. (1) Location. a. Signs shall not hide significant architectural detail or features of a building. b. Signs shall not visually clutter nor interfere with views of the building. Page 1 of 9 c. Wall signs shall be confined to the flat surface of the building and shall not project more than five (5) inches from the building facade. d. Signs shall not be painted directly on the face of a building. e. Awning valences are appropriate locations for signage. f. Freestanding signage is prohibited. g. Signs shall be adequately spaced from other signs. h. All signs must face public street right-of-way except those permitted on facades facing the Arkansas River. (2) Appearance. a. Signs shall be compatible with the architecture of the building on which it is located. b. Design of signs shall capitalize on the special character of the District. c. Window signs shall not cover more than twenty-five (25) percent of each glass panel. d. Awning signs shall not exceed twelve (12) square feet per awning. e. Neon illumination is permitted. f. Internally illuminated signs are prohibited. g. In accordance with federal law, businesses with registered trademarks are allowed to display the mark in signage which otherwise complies with City sign regulations. h. Advertising copy on signs is prohibited. i. Materials used in signs shall be sensitive to signs and architecture on adjacent sites. (e) Projecting signs. (1) Location. a. Projecting signs shall maintain a nine -foot clearance in all pedestrian walkways and a thirteen -foot clearance over vehicular use areas, i.e. alleys and driveways. b. Height of projecting signs shall not extend past the sill of the second story windows. c. Projecting signs shall extend a maximum of three (3) feet from the face of the building. d. The number of projecting signs shall be limited to one sign per one hundred (100) feet of street frontage per building. e. Projecting signs shall be placed at a ninety -degree angle to the building. f. Signs shall be spaced so not to conflict or obscure other signage. (2) Appearance. a. Projecting signs shall have a maximum of twenty five (25) square feet of sign face per sign. b. Thickness of projecting signs shall be limited to twelve (12) inches. c. Signage colors, typeface, and style shall be compatible with the district. (3) Sign illumination. a. Internally lit signs are prohibited. When projecting signs are externally lit, they shall be illuminated from a concealed source of light or a decorative source that is integral to the design of the sign. Page 2 of 9 b. Neon is permitted on projecting signs. illumination level shall be permitted on signs. maintenance review, by city staff, for . functionality. The proposed sign is a projecting sign measuring 4.75' wide by 3.1 feet tall. It is an oval shape with the background painted in red, white, and multiple colors. The text is "David's Burgers" with a hamburger depicted in the center. There is a white stripe around the perimeter of the sign. The white stripe will be accented with white neon for illumination. It is assumed that the sign is double sided. The ordinance states in Sec. 36-353(e)(1)c that "Projecting signs shall extend a maximum of three (3) feet from the face of the building." This sign projects 21 inches or 158% more than allowed by ordinance. The sign will be mounted with a 9'-6" clearance off the sidewalk, which is above the 9'-0" minimum. There are not any other projecting signs within that block, so the spacing conforms to the ordinance. Otherwise, the sign complies with the ordinance. No movement, flashing, or change of Each neon sign shall have a one-year 4.,5 Dav and night views of UL The proposal is to add a one story addition that measures 21 foot by 40 foot to the Market Hall building on the east side near the current Police building. It will be for public seating for patrons of the River Market with 15 booths for diners. There will be a double door on the east side of the building and one door on the north fagade. The south facade will feature a large expanse of glass with no doors. It will feature two shades of brick, the primary color being the reddish brick (Garnet Smooth Brick) with the accent color of Dove Gray under the windows. There will be wall sconce lighting by the double doors on the east and under the awnings on the east side. There will be a 10'-4" separation between the police building and the proposed addition. The fence along President Clinton Avenue will be removed and the plaza area in from of the addition will be for public use. It is unsure whether the tables and chairs will be replaced at this time or not. i ? SOIf'N ELiVATCN South Elevation (President Clinton Facade) F f • _ .riwu�.w. NORTH ELEVATOON North Elevation (River Facade) Page 3 of 9 �onM.•r ��wfrM��a..�.sn, ar+w. EAST Ei!VAT1liN East Elevation Brick colors by double doors r under a Text from the ordinance: Sec. 36-356. Building form. (a) Materials. (1) Historic materials or distinctive architectural features shall not be removed or hidden. (2) The type of materials and their color, texture, scale and detailing shall be compatible with those of buildings on adjacent sites. (3) Surface cleaning of historic structures shall be done with the gentlest possible method. Physical or chemical treatments, such as sandblasting or high pressure water cleaning, that cause damage to historic material shall be prohibited. (b) Roof types. Building roofs shall relate to the overall size, shape, slope, color and texture of roofs of buildings within the district. Page 4 of 9 (c) Openings. (1) Historical upper facade windows shall retain original dimensions and details. (2) Historical storefront configuration shall not be altered. (3) New construction shall have a pattern of windows and doors that resemble similar patterns on facades of adjacent buildings. (4) Primary entrances shall be parallel with the street. (d) Style and form. (1) Height Regulations. No building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall exceed a height of sixty (60) feet. Building height shall be defined, for the purpose of the River Market Design Overlay District, as the vertical distance from the highest point of the centerline of abutting private and public street frontages to the highest point of the roof or parapet wall. All structural embellishments as defined by Sec. 36-2 Definitions shall be reviewed by the River Market Design Review Committee for compliance. (2) Buildings shall maintain the distinction between upper and street levels. (3) Historical context of buildings shall be restored to original designs. (e) Mass. (1) New construction wider than the typical building width shall be visually massed to appear similar to buildings on adjacent sites. (2) The primary facade of a building shall be oriented parallel with the street. (1) Projections. (1) Objects shall not project from the building facade over the public right of way except for awnings, signs, and balconies. (2) Awnings shall not project more than five (5) feet from the building facade and have a minimum clearance of nine (9) feet above the sidewalk. (3) Balconies over the public right of way shall have a minimum clearance of nine (9) feet above the sidewalk. One (1) inch of projection is permitted for each additional inch of clearance above eight (8) feet, provided that no such projection shall exceed a distance of four (4) feet. Balconies shall not be supported with posts extending to the sidewalk. Mounting heights for balcony brackets shall conform to minimum clearance standards. (g) Setbacks. (1) Buildings shall have a zero (0) foot build to line along the public street right-of-ways. Analysis: The proposed building complies with the ordinance on all points except for setback form President Clinton Ave. Section Sec. 36-356(g)(1) states that "Buildings shall have a zero (0) foot build to line along the public street right-of-ways. "This building is proposed to have an 18' setback. According to Sec. 36- 366.1 Exceptions: "Property that can not be developed for any reasons without violating the standards of this article and that creates new or additional space shall be reviewed through the planned zoning district (PZD) section of the zoning ordinance, with the intent to devise a workable development plan which is consistent with the purpose and intent of the overlay standards. All other requests for variances for the overlay standards shall go to the Board of Adjustment." The setback is negated with the space in front of the building being public communal space for dining or other passive activities. Removing the fence also helps negate the setback issue. However, the floor plan could be flipped to meet the setback requirements. Page 5 of 9 Applicant will be responsible for obtaining a building permit and sign permit for each sign and a franchise for the sign. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval. Page 6 of 9