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HomeMy WebLinkAboutS-1640 Staff Analysis��lleml NAME: Supreme Fixture Company Subdivision Site Plan Review LOCATION: located at 11900 Vimy Ridge Road Planning Staff Comments: 1. Provide notification of all property owners located within 200-feet of the site, complete with the certified abstract list, notice form with affidavit executed and proof of mailing. The notice must be mailed no later than September 30, 2009. The Office of Planning and Development must receive the proof of notice no later than October 9, 2009. 2. Provide in the general notes section of the site plan the building coverage and the parcel size. The floor area of principal and accessory structures both existing and proposed and the parking existing and proposed have been included. 3. Provide the total height and total area of the indicated monument sign. The zoning classification would typically allow a maximum sign height of 30 feet and a maximum area of 72 square feet. Wall signage is allowed at a maximum of 10 percent of the fagade having public street frontage. 4. Provide the maximum building height in the general notes section of the site plan. 5. Variances are being requested for the side yard setbacks along the north and south perimeters (15 feet required 7.9' south and 9.7' north). A variance from the landscape ordinance and buffer requirements is also being requested. The site plan as indicated does not meet the typical parking requirement. A parking variance is also being sought (105 required — 91 provided). Variance/Waivers: Parking — reduced number of parking spaces Setbacks Front — less than 50-feet Side yard South and North — less than 15-feet Landscape and buffer ordinance — reduced landscape strip Public Works Conditions: 1. Vimy Ridge Road is classified on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial. A dedication of right-of-way 45 feet from centerline will be required as shown on site plan. 2. With site development, provide the design of the street conforming to the Master Street Plan. Construct one-half street improvement to Vimy Ridge Road including 5- foot sidewalks with the planned development as shown on site plan. 3. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. Obtain barricade permit prior to doing any work in the right-of-way from Traffic Engineering at (501) 379-1805 (Travis Herbner). 4. Storm water detention ordinance applies to this property. Show the proposed location for storm water detention facilities on the plan. 5. Street Improvement plans shall include signage and striping. Traffic Engineering Item # 1. must approve completed plans prior to construction. 6. Streetlights are required by Section 31-403 of the Little Rock code. Provide plans for approval to Traffic Engineering. Streetlights must be installed prior to platting/certificate of occupancy. Contact Traffic Engineering 379-1813 (Steve Philpott) for more information. 7. Obtain permits prior to doing any street cuts or curb cuts. Obtain barricade permit prior to doing any work in the right-of-way. Contact Traffic Engineering at (501) 379- 1805 (Travis Herbner) for more information. Utilities and Fire Department/County Planning: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Entergy: No comment received. Center -Point Energy: No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. If there are facilities that need to be adjusted and/or relocated, contact Central Arkansas Water. That work would be done at the expense of the developer. Contact Central Arkansas Water if additional fire protection or metered water service is required. Please submit plans for water facilities and/or fire protection system to Central Arkansas Water for review. Plan revisions may be required after additional review. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding procedures for installation of water facilities and/or fire service. Approval of plans by the Arkansas Department of Health Engineering Division and Little Rock Fire Department is required. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. County Planning: No comment. CATA: The site is not located on a dedicated CATA Bus Route. Planning Division: No comment. Landscape: 1. Site plan must comply with the City's minimal landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. The zoning buffer ordinance requires an average street buffer of thirty-nine feet (39') along Vimy Ridge Road and in no case less than half. Currently, both parking lots encroach within this minimal buffer. Asphalt will need to be removed from both parking lots to meet this minimal City ordinance requirement or seek a variance. 3. The landscape ordinance requires a nine foot (9') landscape around the sites entirety. Currently both parking lots encroach into this minimal perimeter landscape strip. A variance must be obtained from the City Beautiful Commission. Item # 1. 4. The property to the north and an area on the east is zoned residential, therefore, a six (6) foot high opaque screen, either a wooden fence with its face side directed outward, a wall, or dense evergreen plantings, is required along the northern, and eastern perimeter of the site where abutting residentially zoned or used property. 5. The zoning buffer ordinance requires a fifteen foot (15') land use buffer along the southern perimeter of the site. Recently, a parking lot was added that encroaches into this area. Seventy percent (70%) of this area was to remain undisturbed. Currently, this area has been disturbed almost in its entirety. A row of parking should be removed along this property next to the residential property. The vegetative buffer should also be re-established in this area. A variance from this requirement may be approved by the Planning Commission. 6. Interior islands must be a minimum of one hundred and fifty square foot (150) in area to qualify towards the minimal landscape ordinance requirements. 7. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. 8. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, it will be necessary to provide an approved landscape plan stamped with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. 9. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on tree covered sites. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. Revised plat/plan: Submit four (4) copies of a revised preliminary plat/plan (to include the additional information as noted. above) to staff on Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Item # 1. October 15, 2009 ITEM NO.: 1 NAME: Supreme Fixture Company Subdivision Site Plan Review LOCATION: Located at 11900 Vimy Ridge Road DEVELOPER: Supreme Fixture Company, Inc. 11900 Vimy Ridge Road Little Rock, AR 72219 FN(-,INFFR- Mehlburger Brawley, Inc. 10 N. Shackleford Plaza, Suite 100 Little Rock, AR 72211 AREA: 5.69 acres RRENT ZONING PLANNING DISTRICT NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 1-2, Light Industrial 16 — Otter Creek CENSUS TRACT: 41.04 VARIANCESIWAIVERS REQUESTED: FILE NO.: S-1640 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF 1. A variance from Section 36-502 to allow a lesser number of required parking spaces 2. A variance from Section 36-320(e)(1) and (2) to allow reduced building setbacks. A. PROPOSAUREQUEST: Supreme Fixture Company, Inc. is requesting a multiple building site plan review for this 5.69 acre site located at 11900 Vimy Ridge Road. The existing facility is developed with office, warehouse and assembly space. The business supplies and installs commercial kitchen appliances and appurtenances. The number of employees at this facility is twenty-four (24). The owners have expanded the site with new buildings and site improvements which were not permitted in accordance with the City of Little Rock requirements. The request, although after site construction, is being made in an effort to October 15, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 1 (Cont. FILE NO.: S-1640 retroactively satisfy the City's permitting requirements. One-half street improvements will be completed to Vimy Ridge Road per the Master Street Plan and Boundary Street Ordinance requirements. The engineers are also confirming that the on -site drainage and detention storage are adequate and in accordance with the City of Little Rock requirements. The request includes the following variances be considered: 1. Building setback lines (shown and dimensioned on site plan). a. Requirements call for a 50-foot front building setback. The actual dimension when measured from the new right of way line after dedicating right of way will be 19.9 feet. b. Requirements call for a 15 foot side building setback. Along the northern property line, the actual measurements from property line to building range from 9.7 feet to 10.6 feet. Along the southernmost property line, the actual measurements from property line to building range from 7.9 feet to 14 feet. c. Requirements call for a 25 foot rear building setback. The rear setback complies with dimensioning ranging from 27.0 feet to 28.2 feet. 2. Parking: the site contains 7,098 square feet of office space, 40,671 square feet of plant space and 42,973 square feet of warehouse space. Based on these areas, the calculated parking space requirement is 105 parking spaces. The site currently provides 95 standard parking spaces plus 2 handicap spaces for a total of 97 parking spaces. With the right of way dedication and removal of parking associated with the required landscape strip 35 parking spaces will be removed from the site resulting in 62 total parking spaces available. The parking provided is less than the typical ordinance requirement. According to the applicant, although the parking provided does not meet the calculated number of spaces required, the number of parking spaces have proven to be adequate throughout several months of actual working conditions. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The area contains a mixture of uses including industrial, residential and commercial uses. There is a church located immediately north of this site and further north and northeast are industrial uses. South of the site on Vimy Ridge Road and Alexander Road are single-family residences. On the northwest corner of Alexander Road and Vimy Ridge Road is a convenience store located on C-3, General Commercial District zoned property. On the southeast corner of the intersection is a vacant property also zoned C-3, General Commercial District E October 15, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 1 (Cont. Lf ILE NO.: S-1640 and 1-2, Light Industrial zoned property. On the northeast corner of Alexander and Vimy Ridge Roads is vacant 1-3 zoned property. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has received a few informational phone calls from the area property owners. All property owners located within 200-feet of the site, the Alexander Road Neighborhood Association and Southwest Little Rock United for Progress were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. Vimy Ridge Road is classified on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial. A dedication of right-of-way 45 feet from centerline will be required as shown on site plan. 2. With site development, provide the design of the street conforming to the Master Street Plan. Construct one-half street improvement to Vimy Ridge Road including 5-foot sidewalks with the planned development as shown on site plan. 3. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. Obtain barricade permit prior to doing any work in the right-of-way from Traffic Engineering at (501) 379-1805 (Travis Herbner). 4. Storm water detention ordinance applies to this property. Show the proposed location for storm water detention facilities on the plan. 5. Street Improvement plans shall include signage and striping. Traffic Engineering must approve completed plans prior to construction. 6. Streetlights are required by Section 31-403 of the Little Rock code. Provide plans for approval to Traffic Engineering. Streetlights must be installed prior to platting/certificate of occupancy. Contact Traffic Engineering 379-1813 (Steve Philpott) for more information. 7. Obtain permits prior to doing any street cuts or curb cuts. Obtain barricade permit prior to doing any work in the right-of-way. Contact Traffic Engineering at (501) 379-1805 (Travis Herbner) for more information. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available to this project. Enter : Easement must maintain right of way for 3-phase circuit, 30 feet. Any relocation cost and right of way cost are to be reimbursed to Entergy by the 3 October 15, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 1 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1640 Customer. Center -Point Enemy: No comment received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. If there are facilities that need to be adjusted and/or relocated, contact Central Arkansas Water. That work would be done at the expense of the developer. Contact Central Arkansas Water if additional fire protection or metered water service is required. Please submit plans for water facilities and/or fire protection system to Central Arkansas Water for review. Plan revisions may be required after additional review. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding procedures for installation of water facilities and/or fire service. Approval of plans by the Arkansas Department of Health Engineering Division and Little Rock Fire Department is required. Fire Department: Approved as submitted. County Planning: No comment. CATA: The site is not located on a dedicated CATA Bus Route. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Plannina Division: No comment. Landscape: 1. Site plan must comply with the City's landscape and buffer ordinance requirements. 2. The zoning buffer ordinance requires an average street buffer of thirty-nine feet (39') along Vimy Ridge Road and in no case less than half. Currently, both parking lots encroach within this minimal buffer. Asphalt will need to be removed from both parking lots to meet this minimal City ordinance requirement. 3. The landscape ordinance requires a nine foot (9') landscape around the sites entirety. Currently both parking lots encroach into this minimal perimeter landscape strip. A variance must be obtained from the City Beautiful Commission. 4. The property to the north and south is zoned residential, therefore, a six (6) foot high opaque screen, either a wooden fence with its face side directed rd October 15, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 1 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1640 outward, a wall, or dense evergreen plantings, is required along the northern and southern perimeters of the site where abutting residentially zoned or used property. 5. The zoning buffer ordinance requires a fifteen foot (15') land use buffer along the southern perimeter of the site. Recently, a parking lot was added that encroaches into this area. Seventy percent (70%) of this area was to remain undisturbed. Currently, this area has been disturbed almost in its entirety. A row of parking should be removed along this property next to the residential property. The vegetative buffer should also be re-established in this area. 6. Interior islands must be a minimum of one hundred and fifty square foot (150) in area to qualify towards the minimal landscape ordinance requirements. 7. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. 8. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, it will be necessary to provide an approved landscape plan stamped with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. 9. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on tree covered sites. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (September 24, 2009) Mr. Alan Smith of Mehlburger-Brawley was present representing the owner. Staff presented an overview of the request stating the site was currently under enforcement due to the building and parking expansion without proper permits. Staff stated there were a few outstanding technical issues in need of addressing prior to the Commission acting on the request. Staff requested Mr. Smith provide in the general notes section of the site plan the building coverage and the parcel size. Staff also requested the total height of the building be included in the general notes section of the site plan. Staff stated there were a number of variances being requested to allow the building and parking to remain as constructed. Staff stated the variances included building setbacks, landscape strips, land use buffers and parking. Staff stated the front and side yards did not meet the typical setbacks for industrial zoning. Staff stated the landscape strip around the parking areas did not fully comply with the Landscape Ordinance and the land use buffer on the north and south did not comply with the typical buffer ordinance standards. Public Works comments were addressed. Staff stated dedication of right of way and street construction would be required per the Boundary Street Ordinance and the Master Street Plan. Staff stated the City's Storm Water Detention 5 October 15, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 1 (Cont. FILE NO.: S-1640 Ordinance requirements would apply to the development of the property. Staff stated streetlights were required in conjunction with the new development. Landscaping comments were addressed. Staff stated the buffers along the northern and southern perimeters did not comply with the typical ordinance standards. Staff stated the landscape strip located along the southern perimeter of the parking area did not comply with the typical ordinance standards. Staff also stated the street buffers indicated did not comply with the typical ordinance standards. Staff stated variances from the City Beautiful Commission and the Planning Commission were required to allow the encroachments as currently existed. Staff noted comments from the other reporting departments and agencies suggesting the applicant contact them individually for additional clarification. There was no further discussion of the item. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action. H. ANALYSIS: Mr. Smith submitted a revised site plan to staff addressing the issues raised at the September 24, 2009, Subdivision Committee meeting. The revised plan indicates the removal of the parking located along the southern perimeter which encroaches into the landscape strip required by both the zoning buffer ordinance and the landscape ordinance. A note has been included stating a six foot wood fence will be placed along the northern perimeter to provide the required screening along this perimeter. There is an existing wood fence located along the southern perimeter. The request is a Subdivision Site Plan Review of multiple buildings on this site. The owners have expanded the site with new buildings and site improvements which were not permitted in accordance with the City of Little Rock requirements and is currently under enforcement for both building construction and landscaping requirements. The site contains 90,742 square feet of building space. Of the total square footage, 7,098 square feet is office space, 40,671 square feet is plant area and 42,973 square feet is warehouse area. The site presently contains 97 parking spaces. The site plan indicates six (6) parking spaces will be removed due to right of way dedication and 29 parking spaces removed to allow for the proper landscape strip . and buffering along the southern perimeter. This leaves 62 on -site parking spaces. The zoning ordinance would typically require 105 parking spaces to serve this industrial development thus necessitating a parking variance request. According to the applicant the parking as typically R October 15, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 1 Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1640 required by the ordinance exceeds their actual needs for parking. Staff is supportive of the parking variance as requested. As stated the buildings were constructed without permit review and have been constructed over the typical building setbacks for the current zoning. The front building setback is indicated at 19.9 feet, the northern side yard building setback is indicated at 14.0 feet and the southern side yard building setback is indicated at 7.9 feet. The property is zoned 1-2, Light Industrial District which requires a front building setback of 50 feet and a side yard setback of 15 feet. The rear building setback was set at 27.0 feet which meets the 25-foot setback typically required. The development composition includes a total site area of 248,018 square feet or 5.694 acres. The building contains 90,742 square feet resulting in a building coverage of 36.5 percent. The buildings are one story with a maximum building height is 24.2 feet. The site contains an existing sign which is to be relocated during the construction of the required street improvements. The sign is proposed with a maximum height of fourteen feet and a maximum sign area of 40 square feet. The signage complies with signage allowed in industrial zones or a maximum of 30 feet in height and a maximum sign area of 72 square feet. Building signage will also comply with the zoning ordinance or a maximum of ten percent of the facade area abutting the public street. Staff is supportive of the request. Although there are variances associated with the request staff feels the applicant has provided a good faith effort in removing a row of parking to allow for proper land use buffering and landscape strip along the southern perimeter. The building setback and land use buffer are not as typically required by the zoning ordinance along the northern perimeter but the applicant has indicated a six (6) foot wood fence will be placed along this perimeter to screen the abutting use which is a church on R-2, Single-family zoned property. The parking as indicated is somewhat less than the typical ordinance standard for a manufacturing business but according to the applicant the parking as indicated will adequately serve the businesses current needs and for the foreseeable future. To staff's knowledge there are no remaining outstanding technical issues in need of addressing. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as noted in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. 7 October 15, 2009 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 1 (Cont.� FILE NO.: S-1640 Staff recommends approval of the parking variance request. Staff recommends approval of the building setback and buffer variances as requested. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (OCTOBER 15, 2009) The applicant was present. There were no registered objectors present. Staff presented the item with a recommendation of approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as noted in paragraphs D, E and F of the agenda staff report. Staff also presented a recommendation of approval of the parking variance request and the building setback and buffer variances as requested. There was no further discussion of the item. The chair entertained a motion for approval of the item as presented by staff. The motion carried by a vote of 8 ayes, 0 noes and 3 absent. 0