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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9955-A Staff Report 062424ITEM NO.: 25 FILE NO.: Z-9955-A NAME: Okpala Auto Sales – PD-C LOCATION: 1417 W. Roosevelt Road DEVELOPER: Ike Okpala (Owner) Okpala Auto Sales 15 Bentley Circle Little Rock, AR 72210 OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: Ike Okpala 15 Bentley Circle Little Rock, AR 72210 SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: Watson Land Survey 10700 Hwy 35 North Sheridan, AR 72510 AREA: 0.78-acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: 1 PLANNING DISTRICT: 8 CENSUS TRACT: 8 CURRENT ZONING: C-3 VARIANCE/WAIVERS: None requested. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant is proposing to rezone a 0.18-acre site from C-3 to PD-C to operate an auto sales business. The proposed development will contain an auto display area in the front portion of the site and an office in the rear portion of the site. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site is located on the south side of W. Roosevelt Road. There are no structures on the property. The existing concrete slab appears to be mostly intact. The property contains chain-link fencing along the east and west property lines. A developed alley way runs north-south along the east property line. Properties in the general area contain mostly residential zoning and uses with a mixture of zoning and uses located throughout the area. C. NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATIONS: All owners of property located within 300 feet of the site and all neighborhood associations registered with the City of Little Rock were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: No comments. E. UTILITIES/FIRE DEPARTMENT/PARKS/COUNTY PLANNING: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No comments received. Entergy: No comments received. Summit Energy: No comments received. AT & T: No comments received. Central Arkansas Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Fire Department: Maintain Access: Fire Hydrants. Maintain fire apparatus access roads at fire hydrant locations as per Appendix D of the 2021 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. Grade Maintain fire apparatus access roads as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.2 Grade. Fire apparatus access roads shall not exceed 10 percent in grade except as approved by the fire chief. If the grade exceeds 10 percent, approval will be denied, and the applicant must submit request to be reviewed by Fire Chief for Approval. Loading Maintain fire apparatus access road design as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D102.1 Access and loading. Facilities, buildings or portions of buildings hereafter constructed shall be accessible to fire department apparatus by way of an approved fire apparatus access road with an asphalt, concrete or other approved driving surface capable of supporting the imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 75,000 pounds. Commercial and Industrial Developments – 2 means of access. - Maintain fire apparatus access roads as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1. Section D104.1 Buildings exceeding three stories or 30 feet in height. Building or facilities exceeding 30 feet or three stories in height shall have at least two means of fire apparatus access for each structure. Section D104.2 Building exceeding 62,000 square feet in area. Buildings or facilities having a gross building area of more than 62,000 square feet shall be provided with two separate and approved fire apparatus access roads. Exception: Projects having a gross building area of up to 124,000 square feet that have a single approved fire apparatus access road when all buildings are equipped throughout with approved automatic sprinkler systems. D104.3 Remoteness. Where two fire apparatus access roads are required, they shall be placed a distance apart equal to not less than one half of the length of the maximum overall diagonal dimension of the lot or area to be served, measured in a straight line between accesses. 30’ Tall Buildings - Maintain aerial fire apparatus access roads as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D105.1 – D105.4 D105.1 Where Required. Where the vertical distance between the grade plane and the highest roof surface exceeds 30’, approved aerial fire apparatus access roads shall be provided. For the purposes of this section the highest roof surfaces shall be determined by measurement to the eave of a pitched roof, the intersection of a roof to the exterior wall, or the top of the parapet walls, whichever is greater. D105.2 Width. Aerial fire apparatus access roads shall have a minimum unobstructed with of 26’, exclusive of shoulders, in the immediate vicinity of the building or portion thereof. D105.3 Proximity to building. At least one of the required access routes meeting this condition shall be located within a minimum of 15 feet and a maximum of 30 feet from the building and shall be positioned parallel to one entire side of the building. The side of the building on which the aerial fire apparatus access road is positioned shall be approved by the fire code official. D105.4 Obstructions. Overhead utility and power lines shall not be located over the aerial fire apparatus access road or between the aerial fire apparatus road and the building. Other obstructions shall be permitted to be placed with the approval of the fire code official. Dead Ends. Maintain fire apparatus access roads at dead end locations as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.4 Dead Ends. Dead-end fire apparatus access roads in excess of 150 feet shall be provided with width and turnaround provisions in accordance with Table D103.4. Requirements for Dead-end fire apparatus access roads. Gates Maintain fire apparatus access road gates as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.5 Fire apparatus access road gates. Gates securing the fire apparatus access roads shall comply with all the following criteria: Minimum gate width shall be 20 feet. Gates shall be of swinging or sliding type. Construction of gates shall be of material that allows manual operation by one person. Gate components shall be maintained in an operable condition at all times and replaced or repaired when defective. Electric gates shall be equipped with a means of opening the gate by fire department personnel for emergency access. Emergency opening devices shall be approved by the fire code official. Manual opening gates shall not be locked with a padlock or chain and padlock unless they are capable of being opened by means of forcible entry tools or when a key box containing the keys to the lock is installed at the gate location. Locking device specifications shall be submitted for approval \by the fire code official Electric gate operators, where provided, shall be listed in accordance with UL 325. Gates, intended for automatic operation shall be designed, constructed and installed to comply with requirements of ASTM F 2200. Fire Hydrants Locate Fire Hydrants as per Appendix C of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code. Section C101 – C105, in conjunction with Central Arkansas Water (Jason Lowder 501-377-1245) and the Little Rock Fire Marshals Office (Capt. Tony Rhodes 501-918-3757, or Fire Marshal Derek N. Ingram 501-918-3756 Number and Distribution of Fire Hydrants as per Table C105.1. Parks and Recreation: No comments received. County Planning: No comments. F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Code: No comments received. Landscape: Any new site development must comply with the City’s minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. Refer to the Code of Ordinances, Chapter 15 Landscaping and Tree Protection, and Chapter 36, Article IX – Buffers and Screening. G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No comments received. Planning Division: The request is in the Central City Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Commercial (C) for the requested area. The Commercial (C) 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 application is to rezone from C-3 to PD-C. Surrounding the application area to the north and west at the intersection of West Roosevelt Road and Dr Martin Luther King Drive is Commercial (C) with convenience, discount retail, and a package store. Directly north across West Roosevelt Road is an auto repair business. Master Street Plan: West Roosevelt Rd is a Principal Arterial on the Master Street Plan. Principal Arterials are roads designed to serve through traffic, and to connect major traffic generators or activity centers within urbanized areas. The standard Right of way of 110 feet is required. Sidewalks are required on both sides. This street may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements. Bicycle Plan: West Roosevelt Rd is not shown on the Master Bike Plan Map with existing or proposed facilities in this area. Historic Preservation Plan: This property is not located in a Historic District. ANALYSIS:  The applicant is proposing to rezone a 0.18-acre site from C-3 to PD-C to operate an auto sales business. The proposed development will contain an auto display area in the front portion of the site and an office in the rear portion of the site. The site is located on the south side of W. Roosevelt Road. There are no structures on the property. The existing concrete slab appears to be mostly intact. The property contains chain-link fencing along the east and west property lines. A developed alley way runs north-south along the east property line. Properties in the general area contain mostly residential zoning and uses with a mixture of zoning and uses located throughout the area. The applicant proposes to display vehicles for sale located in the front portion of the property fronting W. Roosevelt Road. A 14x32 square foot sales office will be located in the southeast corner of the property. Staff feels the required setbacks for the auto sales office comply with the code as it will be sited inside the building line as indicated on the site plan. Access to the property will be from W. Roosevelt Road, through the twenty (20) foot platted alley way, running from north to south along the east property line, near the northwest corner of the property. The applicant proposes to secure the site with perimeter fencing. The height and fence type were not provided at this time. The applicant notes that the entrance to the property will be gated. Any fences erected on the site must comply with Section 36-516(2)(e)(2) of the City’s Zoning Ordinance. The applicant did not provide a signage at this time. Any signage placed on the site must comply with Section 36-555 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance (signs allowed in commercial zones). The site plan does not show a dumpster area on the property. Any dumpster installed on the site must be screened as per Section 36-523 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance. All sight lighting must be low-level and directed away from adjacent properties. Staff is supportive of the proposed PD-C zoning. There are commercial uses located to the east and west of the proposed auto sales use. There are additional commercial uses and zoning, including an auto repair use, extending north along Marting Luther King Drive. The proposed site is along a heavily travelled major traffic arterial. Staff feels the proposed use will not have an adverse impact on surrounding properties. STAFF RECOMMENDATION:  Staff recommends approval of the requested PD-C zoning, subject to compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in paragraphs E and F, and the staff analysis, of the agenda staff report.