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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZ-3612-B Staff Report 070224July 11, 2024 ITEM NO.: 23 FILE NO.: Z-3612-B NAME: Sherman Holdings – PCD LOCATION: 10120 North Rodney Parham Road DEVELOPER: Sherman Holdings, Incorporated 421 Boundary Lane Carbondale, CO 81623 OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: Jeff Yates (Agent) 415 N. McKinley Street Little Rock, AR 72205 SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: Joe White & Associates 25 Rahling Circle, Suite A-2 Little Rock, AR 72223 AREA: 0.80 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: 4 PLANNING DISTRICT: 2 CENSUS TRACT: 22.04 CURRENT ZONING: C-3 VARIANCE/WAIVERS: None requested. BACKGROUND: On February 18, 2024, the Little Rock Planning Commission approved rezoning from C-1 to C-3 to allow future commercial uses of the property. On March 19, 2024, the rezoning of the property was approved by the Little Rock Board of Directors with Ordinance No. 22,415. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant is now proposing to rezone the property from C-3 to PCD to allow a digital pylon sign (billboard) at the northeast corner of N. Rodney Parham Road July 11, 2024 ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-3612-B 2 and Breckinridge Drive. The applicant is requesting C-3 permitted uses as alternate uses for the property. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The property is located at the northeast corner of N. Rodney Parham and Breckinridge Drive. The site contains an existing bank branch. Properties in the general area contain a mixture of zoning and uses in all directions. 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 Utilities: No comments. AT & T: No comments received. Central Arkansas Water: 1. All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Fire Department: 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. July 11, 2024 ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-3612-B 3 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 July 11, 2024 ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-3612-B 4 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 of the following criteria: 1. Minimum gate width shall be 20 feet. 2. Gates shall be of swinging or sliding type. 3. Construction of gates shall be of material that allows manual operation by one person. 4. Gate components shall be maintained in an operable condition at all times and replaced or repaired when defective. 5. 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. 6. 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. 7. Locking device specifications shall be submitted for approval by the fire code official. 8. Electric gate operators, where provided, shall be listed in accordance with UL 325. 9. 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 Marshal’s 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 received. July 11, 2024 ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-3612-B 5 F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Code: No comments received. Landscape: No comments received. G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No comments received. Planning Division: The request is in the Rodney Parham 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-1 to PCD. Surrounding the application area is a large area of Commercial (C) uses. This site is located within the Highway 10 Overlay (Ord. 15965). Master Street Plan: North Rodney Parham Road is a Minor Arterial on the Master Street Plan. Minor Arterials are high volume roads designed to provide connections to and through an urban area. Curb cuts should be minimized to allow for continuous traffic flow while still allowing some access to adjoining property. Deceleration Lanes are required. Standard Right-of-way (ROW) is 90 feet. Sidewalks are required on both sides. This street may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements. Bicycle Plan: North Rodney Parham Road is on the Master Bike Plan as a Proposed Class 2 Bike Lane. Class 2 Bike Lanes provides a portion of the pavement for the sole use of bicycles. Historic Preservation Plan: This property is not located in a Historic District. July 11, 2024 ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-3612-B 6 H. ANALYSIS: The applicant is now proposing to rezone the property from C-3 to PCD to allow a digital pylon sign (billboard) at the northeast corner of N. Rodney Parham Road and Breckinridge Drive. The applicant is requesting C-3 permitted uses as alternate uses for the property. The property is located at the northeast corner of N. Rodney Parham and Breckinridge Drive. The site contains an existing bank branch. Properties in the general area contain a mixture of zoning and uses in all directions. The site plan shows an existing bank branch (Regions Bank) with drive-thru service. Ingress/Egress to the property is located at the southwest corner of the property at N. Rodney Parham Road. The proposed billboard sign will have an overall height not to exceed thirty-five (35 feet. The sign face will be twelve (12) feet by thirty (36) feet in area. The billboard sign will be the only change to the property. The applicant is requesting C-3 permitted uses as alternate uses for the property. The site plan shows the proposed billboard sign to be located at the intersection of N. Rodney Parham Road and Breckinridge Drive and between the front (north) property line and the twenty-five (25) foot setback. Typically, the ordinance requires off-premises signs to be setback twenty-five (25) feet from the front property line in C-3 zoning. Typical ordinance requirements allow billboard signs to be located no less than one thousand (1000) feet from another billboard sign. The proposed billboard sign is approximately 730 feet (as measured) from an existing billboard sign to the east. Section 36-556(a)(4), Off-premises signs states “No billboard site shall be located less than one thousand (1000) feet from another billboard site. The separation requirement shall be measured along the nearest edge of pavement between points directly opposite the signs, provided that only on streets separated by a median, each side of the street shall be considered separately for distance purposes.” The applicant provided the following statement in support of the requested reduction from an existing billboard sign: “The intersection and the area around it are seeing many changes and reinvestment since the devastating tornado on March 13, 2023. This sign would be a part of that reinvestment and provide another opportunity for businesses in the area to be seen. There are in fact well over 25 current and future businesses in the Colony West shopping center & Breckinridge Village who will be able to benefit from the additional exposure of being on this sign.” July 11, 2024 ITEM NO.: 23 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-3612-B 7 The applicant further notes the selection of this location is influenced by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) rules and scenic corridor regulations governing Interstate 430, requirements of distance from the I-430 interchange limit this sign being further west and this location best meets those requirements, and the spacing requirements of the City. Staff is not supportive of the requested location of the billboard sign. The proposed billboard sign does not comply with the typical setback or typical separation requirements for off-premises signs. Staff also feels the billboard sign may create traffic concerns regarding sight distance at the intersection. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends denial of the requested PCD rezoning.