HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-5934-A Staff AnalysisItem No.: 1
File No.: Z-5934-A
Owner: City of Little Rock as Trustee for the Central Arkansas Library System
Address: 120 Commerce Street
Description: Part of Block 8, Pope's Addition
Zoned: GB
Variance Requested:
Justification:
Present Use of Property: Proposed Use of Property:
A variance is requested from
the parking provisions of Section 36-417 to permit a reduction in the number of required on site parking spaces.
The site has been maximized for parking with no additional space being available. The new downtown zoning which will be effective in a few months will not require parking.
Vacant building
Book sales, coffee shop, artist co-op and galieries, meeting room
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Staff Report:
Public Works Issues: No Comments.
Staff Analysis:
The Central Arkansas Library System proposes to remodel the vacant Cox Building located at 120 Commerce Street as a mixed use development.
The building is 3 stories with a basement and has a total of 18,000 square feet, divided roughly into 4,500 square feet per level. The basement level is to be used by the Friends of
the Library for book sorting and quarterly public book
sa1es. The first f1oor is to contain a retai1 book store and coffee shop. The second f1oor wi11 be deve1oped as an artists' co-op; containing studios and ga11eries. The third f1oor
wi11 house an art ga11ery and a 75 person meeting room. It has been determined that the mixture of uses requires 67 on-site parking spaces based on the fo11owing parking requirements
taken from Section 36-417 of the Code:
.
Art gal1ery 1 space per 400 sq. ft.
Art studio 1 space per 300 sq. ft.
Book store 1 space per 300 sq. ft.
Restaurant/coffee shop 1 space per 300 sq. ft. Auditorium (other public seating uses) 1 space per 3 seats
On December 27, 1994, the Board approved a parking variance for the Main Library building located west of Rock Street. As part of that development, a 54 space parking lot was developed
east of Rock Street, north of East 2nd Street.
That parking 1ot was subsequently expanded to the east, to the Cox Bui1ding. Through this proposed redeve1opment of the Cox Building, the overall parking 1ot wil1 be redesigned resu1ting
in a tota1 of 85 parking spaces. This gain of 31 spaces is 1ess than the 67 spaces needed for the Cox Building.
Staff is supportive of the requested parking variance. The project is 1ocated within the pedestrian oriented River Market district which depends upon off-site parking located on the
surrounding streets and public parking 1ots. The proposed development is compatib1e with uses in the area and the avai1ab1e on-site parking exceeds that typical1y found in the River
Market area.
On March 7, 2000, the Board of Directors passed the Ordinance rezoning this property to Urban Use district as part of the major Downtown Rezoning Initiative. The Urban Use District has
no on-site parking requirement. The new zoning designation wi11 be effective in September 2000, at which point this parking variance wou1d no longer even be necessary.
Staff Recommendation:
Staff recommends approval of the requested parking variance.
BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT: (APRIL 24, 2000)
The applicant was present. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item and a recommendation of approval.
The applicant offered no additional comments.
The item was placed qn the Consent Agenda and approved by a vote of 3 ayes, 0 noes, 1 absent and 1 abstaining (Floyd).