HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-9618-A Staff ReportTFile No.: Z-9618-A
Owner: South Bowman LLC
Attn: Nico Marin
Applicant: Robert Kempkes / Taylor -Kempkes Architects
Address: 101 S Bowman Road
Description: Lot 1, Erwin Addition to the City of Little Rock, Pulaski County Arkansas
Zoned: C-3
Variance(s) Requested: The parking provisions of Section 36-502 to permit the renovation of commercial use to restaurant and expansion of an outdoor eating area without providing
additional parking.
Justification: The applicant’s justification is presented as per the attached letter dated September 07, 2021.
Present Use: C-3, Restaurant
Proposed Use: C-3, Restaurant
STAFF REPORT
Planning and Development Civil Engineering Comments:
No Comment.
B. Buffering and Landscape Comments:
No Comment.
C. Building Codes Comments:
No Comment.
D. Staff Analysis:
The C-3 zoned property is located at the southeast corner of Bowman Rd and West Markham Street. The property is occupied by a 16,562 square foot, two-story masonry building originally
developed in 2006 as a bank with an ancillary office area. Vehicular access is provided on both Bowman Rd and Markham St. Most of the parking is located on the north, south, and west
sides of the building with a drive aisle and 2-parking spaces are located between the east side of building and property line. The immediate surrounding properties fronting Bowman and
Markham are zoned commercial or R-2 and occupied by a large retail strip center, restaurants,
drive-thru bank, and open space. The adjacent east properties are occupied by a convenience store on the southeast corner of Markham and Alamo Dr and single-family residences that front
Alamo Dr.
Restaurant uses require 1 parking space for every 100 square feet while the office / institutional uses require 1 parking space for every 500 square feet. The building is divided with
8,506 square feet of restaurant space, and 8,056 square feet of office space. As the development exists, 102 parking spaces are required to meet the minimum code requirements, 86 parking
spaces are provided.
The applicant is proposing to increase the restaurant use by renovating the existing drive-thru canopy area for an additional outdoor eating space. The proposed restaurant spaces will
occupy at total of 8,506 square feet with the balance of the 8,056 square feet remaining as office or common space. The renovations will require an additional 16 onsite parking spaces.
Sec. 36-502(b)(3)(c) States, “Restaurants (and similar establishments serving food and beverages), 1.0 space for each one hundred (100) square feet of gross floor area.” Therefore, the
applicant is requesting a variance to allow a reduced amount of off-street parking for a restaurant in a C-3 zoning.
Based on the analysis above, Staff believes the proposal is in keeping with the commercial character and scale of the area and views the variance request as reasonable.
E. Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the requested reduced off-street parking requirement variance subject to the comments and conditions outlined in the staff analysis, of the agenda staff
report.
.