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HomeMy WebLinkAboutS-0057-LL Staff AnalysisSeptember 19, 2002 ITEM NO.: 2 NAME: Riverdale Addition Replat and Site Plan Review LOCATION: Riverfront Drive at Morgan Keegan Drive FILE NO.: S-57-LL DEVELOPER: ENGINEER: Irwin & Saviers McClelland Consulting Engineers 1701 Centerview Drive, Suite 201 900 West Markham Little Rock, AR 72211 Little Rock, AR 72201 AREA: 7.55 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 3 FT. NEW STREET: 0 CURRENT ZONING: PCD and 0-2 PLANNING DISTRICT: 4 — Heights/Hilicrest CENSUS TRACT: 15 VARIANCESNVAIVERS REQUESTED: Increased sign area (120 square feet). A. PROPOSAL: The applicant is proposing a three (3) lot subdivision and a zoning site plan review. A portion of the site was Final Platted in February of 2001 (Tract RH-5 a 2.87 acre site). The applicant is proposing to combine unrecorded Tract 7 and Tract RH-5 to form three (3) non-residential lots. The lots are currently zoned 0-2 (Tract 7) and PCD (Tract RH-5). The proposed lots range in size from 2 acres to 2.22 acres. The applicant will be closing the existing central cul-de-sac to allow for full development of the middle two (2) acre lot (Lot RH-513). The applicant also proposes a zoning site plan review for the southern lot (Lot RH-7A). The applicant has indicated the new office building will house the corporate office headquarters of Winrock Enterprises, which will employ approximately 65 professionals. The proposed building will be two (2) story and contain 22,000 square feet. The site will be landscaped and the building will be a "Green Building", incorporating elements of sustainable design, such as collection of rain water for reuse in landscape irrigation, natural daylighting, many September 19, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 2 FILE NO.: S-57-LL features which reduce energy consumption, and use of recycled building materials. The applicant is also requesting a single ground mounted sign to be located near the southern driveway. The applicant proposes the sign area to be 120 square feet or 30-foot in length and 4-foot in height. There are limited parking spaces proposed in the front of the building adjacent to River Front Drive. A remote parking lot is planned at the north end of the property (Lot RH-5A). A parking agreement will be executed to allow a shared parking situation between the three (3) lots and Lot RH-5A, which will house the parking lot. There will also be a cross access walking trail to connect the three (3) lots and the parking lot on the northern lot. B. EXISTING CONDITIO The site is a vacant grass covered site with office buildings backing up to the Arkansas River to the east. Southwest of the site is a vacant field used by the Little Rock Soccer Association as game and practice fields. A residential subdivision, Canel Pointe, is located to the south of the site and a vacant lot (zoned PCD) is located to the north of the site. Other uses in the area include office and multi -family. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has not received any comment from area residents. The Cedar Hill Terrace Property Owners Association and all property owners within 200-feet of the site were notified of the Public Hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: Public Works: No comment. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer main extension required with easements if service is required for the project. Contact Little Rock Wastewater Utility for additional details at 376-2903. AP & L: No comment received. ARKLA: No comment received. Southwestern Bell: A 10-foot utility easements along new property lines is required (5-foot each side of lot line). Contact Southwestern Bell at 373-5112 for additional details. Water: 8 inch water main will have to be relocated at the developer's expense. A water main extension will be required to serve Lots RH-5A and RH-5B. K September 19, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 2 FILE NO.: Fire Department: Place fire hydrants per code. Contact the Little Rock Fire Department at 918-3752 for additional details. County Planning: No comment received. CATA: The site is located on Bus Route #21 and has no effect on bus radius, turnout and route. F. ISSUES/TECHN ICAUDESIGN: Plannina Division: No comment. Landscape: Interior landscape islands must be at least 7 Y2 feet in width in order to count toward fulfilling the 8% interior landscaping requirement. Irrigation will be required to water landscaped areas. Prior to a building permit being issued, it will be necessary to submit an approved landscape plan with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (August 29, 2002) Mr. Ron Tabor was present representing the application. Staff presented the item stating the application was a two part proposal. Staff stated first the item was a plat/replat combination. Staff stated a lot, which, had been previously final platted and an unrecorded tract, were proposed to be platted as three (3) lots of approximately 2 acres each and the second was an office site plan review of an office building for Winrock International on the southern lot, Lot RH-7 currently zoned O-2. Staff stated there were easements, which needed to be included on the proposed plat along with driveway location and curb cuts clearly identified. Staff stated the parking area to the north would be required to be shown as a cross access parking agreement between the three lots on the plat. Landscaping comments were addressed along with the comments from the Water, Wastewater and Fire Department. Staff noted the comment from Southwestern Bell requesting easements be shown on the Final Plat. After the discussion, the Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action. 3 September 19, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM H. ANALYSIS: FILE NO.: S-57-LL The applicant submitted to staff a revised drawing indicating all driveway locations, the trail as a cross access easement and the parking lot located on Lot RH5-A as a cross access and parking easement. The applicant has indicated a single ground mounted sign to be located near the south driveway entrance. The sign will be approximately 30-foot long and 4-foot high (120 square feet in area) with 12-inch lettering on the west face. There will be ground lighting on the front of the sign for illumination. The permitted sign allowable under the Ordinance [Section 36-553 (a) (2)] is 64 square feet. Staff is supportive of the request to allow the increased sign area since the face side lettering would only be 30 square feet in area. The sign would act as a decorative wall in the landscaped area and not strictly a monument sign with lettering on the entire face of the wall. The applicant also proposes the building to be no more than 45-feet in height as required by 0-2 zoning district. The applicant proposes the building to be approximately 22,000 square feet in area. Minimum estimated parking required for a building would be 52 spaces or 95% of one space per 400 square feet of gross floor area. The applicant proposes the placement of 16 on -site parking spaces and a cross access easement with a parking area to the north containing 215 parking spaces. Although, the parking lot will be shared between all three lots in the preliminary plat there should not be any adverse impact with regard to parking and the proposed lot should be sufficient to meet the parking demands of the area. Staff is supportive of the proposed preliminary plat and the office site plan review. The proposal includes a variance to allow an increased sign area, which staff supports. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the proposed replat of Lots RH-5 and Tract - 7 into three (3) non-residential lots and the zoning site plan review for Lot RH-7 subject to compliance with the conditions outlined in Paragraphs D, E and F of this report. Staff recommends approval of the requested sign variance, as proposed. 4 September 19, 2002 ITEM NO.: 2 FILE NO.: S-57-LL NAME: Riverdale Addition Replat and Site Plan Review LOCATION: Riverfront Drive at Morgan Keegan Drive DEVELOPER: Irwin & Saviers 1701 Centerview Drive, Suite 201 Little Rock, AR 72211 ENGINEER: McClelland Consulting Engineers 900 West Markham Little Rock, AR 72201 AREA: 7.55 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 3 FT. NEW STREET: 0 CURRENT ZONING: PCD and 0-2 PLANNING DISTRICT: 4 — Heights/Hillcrest CENSUS TRACT: 15 VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: Increased sign area (120 square feet). A. PROPOSAL: The applicant is proposing a three (3) lot subdivision and a zoning site plan review. A portion of the site was Final Platted in February of 2001 (Tract RH-5 a 2.87 acre site). The applicant is proposing to combine unrecorded Tract 7 and Tract RH-5 to form three (3) non-residential lots. The lots are currently zoned 0-2 (Tract 7) and PCD (Tract RH-5). The proposed lots range in size from 2 acres to 2.22 acres. The applicant will be closing the existing central cul-de-sac to allow for full development of the middle two (2) acre lot (Lot RH-513). The applicant also proposes a zoning site plan review for the southern lot (Lot RH-7A). The applicant has indicated the new office building will house the corporate office headquarters of Winrock Enterprises, which will employ approximately 65 professionals. The proposed building will be two (2) story and contain 22,000 square feet. The site will be landscaped and the building will be a "Green Building", incorporating elements of sustainable design, such as collection of rain water for reuse in landscape irrigation, natural daylighting, many September 19, 2002 SUBDIVISION M NO.: 2 FILE NO.: S-57-LL features which reduce energy consumption, and use of recycled building materials. The applicant is also requesting a single ground mounted sign to be located near the southern driveway. The applicant proposes the sign area to be 120 square feet or 30-foot in length and 4-foot in height. There are limited parking spaces proposed in the front of the building adjacent to River Front Drive. A remote parking lot is planned at the north end of the property (Lot RH-5A). A parking agreement will be executed to allow a shared parking situation between the three (3) lots and Lot RH-5A, which will house the parking lot. There will also be a cross access walking trail to connect the three (3) lots and the parking lot on the northern lot. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site is a vacant grass covered site with office buildings backing up to the Arkansas River to the east. Southwest of the site is a vacant field used by the Little Rock Soccer Association as game and practice fields. A residential subdivision, Canel Pointe, is located to the south of the site and a vacant lot (zoned PCD) is located to the north of the site. Other uses in the area include office and multi -family. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has not received any comment from area residents. The Cedar Hill Terrace Property Owners Association and all property owners within 200-feet of the site were notified of the Public Hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: Public Works: No comment. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer main extension required with easements if service is required for the project. Contact Little Rock Wastewater Utility for additional details at 376-2903. AP & L: No comment received. ARKLA: No comment received. Southwestern Bell: A 10-foot utility easements along new property lines is required (5-foot each side of lot line). Contact Southwestern Bell at 373-5112 for additional details. Water: 8 inch water main will have to be relocated at the developer's expense. A water main extension will be required to serve Lots RH-5A and RH-5B. K September 19, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 2 FILE NO.: S-57-LL Fire Department: Place fire hydrants per code. Contact the Little Rock Fire Department at 918-3752 for additional details. County Planning: No comment received. CATA: The site is located on Bus Route #21 and has no effect on bus radius, turnout and route. F. ISSUESITECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: No comment. Landscape: Interior landscape islands must be at least 7'/2 feet in width in order to count toward fulfilling the 8% interior landscaping requirement. Irrigation will be required to water landscaped areas. Prior to a building permit being issued, it will be necessary to submit an approved landscape plan with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (August 29, 2002) Mr. Ron Tabor was present representing the application. Staff presented the item stating the application was a two part proposal. Staff stated first the item was a plat/replat combination. Staff stated a lot, which, had been previously final platted and an unrecorded tract, were proposed to be platted as three (3) lots of approximately 2 acres each and the second was an office site plan review of an office building for Winrock International on the southern lot, Lot RH-7 currently zoned O-2. Staff stated there were easements, which needed to be included on the proposed plat along with driveway location and curb cuts clearly identified. Staff stated the parking area to the north would be required to be shown as a cross access parking agreement between the three lots on the plat. Landscaping comments were addressed along with the comments from the Water, Wastewater and Fire Department. Staff noted the comment from Southwestern Bell requesting easements be shown on the Final Plat. After the discussion, the Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action. 0 September 19, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 2 H. ANALYSIS: FILE NO.: S-57-LL The applicant submitted to staff a revised drawing indicating all driveway locations, the trail as a cross access easement and the parking lot located on Lot RH5-A as a cross access and parking easement. The applicant has indicated a single ground mounted sign to be located near the south driveway entrance. The sign will be approximately 30-foot long and 4-foot high (120 square feet in area) with 12-inch lettering on the west face. There will be ground lighting on the front of the sign for illumination. The permitted sign allowable under the Ordinance [Section 36-553 (a) (2)] is 64 square feet. Staff is supportive of the request to allow the increased sign area since the face side lettering would only be 30 square feet in area. The sign would act as a decorative wall in the landscaped area and not strictly a monument sign with lettering on the entire face of the wall. The applicant also proposes the building to be no more than 45-feet in height as required by 0-2 zoning district. The applicant proposes the building to be approximately 22,000 square feet in area. Minimum estimated parking required for a building would be 52 spaces or 95% of one space per 400 square feet of gross floor area. The applicant proposes the placement of 16 on -site parking spaces and a cross access easement with a parking area to the north containing 215 parking spaces. Although, the parking lot will be shared between all three lots in the preliminary plat there should not be any adverse impact with regard to parking and the proposed lot should be sufficient to meet the parking demands of the area. Staff is supportive of the proposed preliminary plat and the office site plan review. The proposal includes a variance to allow an increased sign area, which staff supports. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the proposed replat of Lots RH-5 and Tract - 7 into three (3) non-residential lots and the zoning site plan review for Lot RH-7 subject to compliance with the conditions outlined in Paragraphs D, E and F of this report. Staff recommends approval of the requested sign variance, as proposed. E September 19, 2002 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 2 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-57-LL PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (SEPTEMBER 19, 2002) Mr. Ron Tabor was present representing the application. There were no objectors present. Staff presented the item stating Staff was unaware of any unresolved issues associated with the project. Staff presented a recommendation of approval of the proposed Replat of Lots RH-5 and Tract-7 into three non-residential lots and the zoning Site Plan Review for Lot RH-7 subject to compliance with the conditions outlined in the "Staff Recommendation" above. Staff stated they also recommended approval of the requested sign variance as proposed. There was no further discussion. The item was placed on the Consent Agenda for Approval and approved, as recommended by Staff, by a vote of 11 ayes, 0 noes and 0 absent. 5