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HomeMy WebLinkAboutS-1135-B Staff AnalysisMarch 30, 2000 ITEM NO.: 9 FILE NO.: 5-1135-B NAME: The Villas at Hickory Creek - Subdivision Site Plan Review LOCATION: West side of Hinson Road, approximately one-third mile south of Pebble Beach Dr. DEVELOPER: ENGINEER: Tony Meredith Central Arkansas Engineering P. O. Box 13160 1012 Autumn Rd., Ste. 2 Maumelle, AR 72113 Little Rock, AR 72211 AREA: 37.53 acres ZONING: MF-6 NUMBER OF LOTS: 2 FT. NEW STREET: Approx. 2,000 linear feet ALLOWED USES: PROPOSED USE: VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: Multifamily Residential Condominium Development 1.Deferral of street improvements for the western portion of a proposed collector street. BACKGROUND: The property is zoned MF-6, multifamily district (six units per gross acre allowed). A "Declaration of Covenants" was filed and recorded in 1981 which runs with this property. The private covenants regulate the property's use and portion of the property's development. The private covenants state that the property will be developed for condominium units developed pursuant to the Horizontal Property Act being Act 60 of 1961 (units for sale only, no March 30, 2000 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: 5-1135-B rental units). The covenants designate certain areas of the property as OS (Open Space) and requires a six foot high privacy fence be constructed at one location prior to any construction. The covenants also state that structures built in one area of the property not exceed one and one-half stories in height. Based on the fact that the applicant is proposing more than one (1) structure on the property, a multiple building subdivision site plan must be reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission. The residential density proposed (4.76 units per gross acre) conforms to the MF-6 zoning. Staff reviewed the proposed site plan based on the MF-6 ordinance development standards, also considering the private covenant requirements. A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: The applicant proposes to construct 22 condominium buildings within the north 18.47 acres of the property. Each building will contain four (4) units for a total of 88 condominium units. The applicant has noted that these will not be rental units and will be in accordance with the Horizontal Property Act 60 of 1961. As part of the proposed development, the applicant will extend Dorado Beach Drive to the east to connect with Hinson Road, as required by the Master Street Plan. Access to this development will be from this street, near its intersection with Hinson Road. The applicant proposes the following phases for this development: Phase I - Construction of the eastern section of the collector street, making connection to Hinson Road and access to the proposed condominium development. Phase II - Construction of the condominium development (22 buildings and associated parking and drives) and construction of the remainder of the collector street. A clubhouse, pool and guardhouse at the gated entrance are also shown on the site plan as part of this phase. Phase III - Improvements to Taylor Loop Creek, south of the collector street connection with Hinson Road. Phase IV - Future MF-6 condominium development within the south 14.41 acres. F, March 30, 2000 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont. FILE NO.: 5-1135-B Although the western portion of the collector street is noted as part of Phase II, the applicant is requesting a five (5) year deferral on these street improvements. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site is currently undeveloped and heavily wooded. The Windsor Court Condominium development and single family residences are located to the south, with single family residences to the north. There is undeveloped R-2 property to the west, with single family residences further west. Single family residences and undeveloped R-2 property are also located across Hinson Road to the east. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: As of this writing, staff has received a number of phone calls from persons requesting information on this application. The Pleasant Valley, Hillsborough and Marlow Manor Property Owners Associations were notified of the public hearing. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: PUBLIC WORKS CONDITIONS: 1. Dorado Beach Drive is listed on the Master Street Plan as a collector street. 2. Provide design of street conforming -to "MSP" (Master Street Plan) . 3. Plans of all work in right-of-way shall be submitted for approval prior to start of work. 4. Construct bridge with Phase I and connect to Hinson Road. 5. Dedicate Regulatory Floodway easement to the City of Little Rock. 6. Prepare a letter of pending development addressing street lights as required by Section 31-403 of the Little Rock Code. All requests should be forwarded to Traffic Engineering. 7_ Hinson Road has a 1998 average daily traffic count of 16,000. 8. A Grading Permit per Secs. 29-186(c) and (d) will be required with building permit. 9. A Grading Permit for Special Flood Hazard Area per Sec. 29-186(b) will be required with building permit. 10. Contact the ADEQ for approval prior to start work. 3 March 30, 2000 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1135-B 11. Contact the USACE-LRD for approval prior to start of work. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer main extension required with easements to serve property. AP&L : No Comment. Arkla: No Comment received. Southwestern Bell: No Comment received. Water: On site fire protection will be required. On site facilities will be private. A public water main adjacent to the proposed road will be required. An acreage charge of $300 per acre applies in addition to normal charges. Fire Department: No Comment. County Planning: No Comment received. CATA: No Comment received. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: No Comment. Landsca a Issues: Areas set aside for buffers and landscaping meet with ordinance requirements. A six foot high opaque screen, either a wooden fence with its face side directed outward or dense evergreen plantings, is required north, east and west of this site. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees on this tree covered site as feasible. Extra credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six inch caliper or larger. G. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised site plan, building elevations, grading plan and additional information to staff on March 15, 2000. The revised plan addresses the issues as raised by staff and the Subdivision Committee. rd March 30, 2000 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1135-B The revised plan notes that the buildings will be one-story in height, with a mean building height of 21 feet. Screening fences have been shown on the plan as required. The applicant has noted that each condo unit will have a two -car garage. The applicant also notes that the project will have private internal garbage pickup. The building elevations submitted by the applicant show that the buildings will be one-story in height and constructed of a mixture of brick and siding. A copy of the elevations submitted will be included in the information for Planning Commission review. The grading plan notes that the maximum cut will be approximately 30 feet near the southwest corner of Phase II. The area where the street is proposed will be cut and filled downward to the north. The "Declaration of Covenants", as referred to earlier in this report, calls for a 100 foot "Open Space" area along the north boundary of this property. The covenants state that this area conform to the second purpose set forth in the "Purpose and Intent" section of the Little Rock Zoning Ordinance dealing with Open Space Districts, which is as follows: "(2) To be utilized as a buffer zone between uses which, due to their nature, height, siting or other circumstance, are not compatible with each other. In this case, no building or structure (principal or accessory) may be erected, no trees may be removed and no paving for wheeled vehicles will be allowed." A portion of the street turnabout which the applicant proposes to construct extends into this open space area. The applicant also proposes to do some site work within the southern portion of this buffer area. The covenants also call for a six foot high privacy fence on the south side of the north open space buffer, to be constructed at least 30 days prior to any construction. 5 March 30, 2000 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: 5-1135-B The applicant is proposing to construct the fence within the 100 foot open space area, approximately 40 feet south of the north property line. To staff's knowledge, the covenant provision for the 100 foot north open space buffer is the only area of the covenants that this site plan does not conform to. As noted in paragraph A. of this report, the applicant is requesting a five (5) year deferral of street improvements for the western portion of the proposed collector street. As of this writing, Public Works has not made a recommendation on the deferral request. This recommendation will be presented at the public hearing. The site plan as proposed by the applicant conforms to the City's Ordinances with respect to density, building setbacks, building heights, parking, screening, landscaping, buffers, and street construction. Although staff is typically limited to this technical ordinance review, staff will recommend that the developer conform to all of the provisions as set forth in the "Declaration of Covenants" as referred to previously, based on the long standing history associated with this property. Staff feels that the proposed development will have no adverse effect on the general area. H. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the proposed site plan subject to the following conditions: 1. Compliance with the requirements as noted in paragraphs D, E and F of this report. 2.Any site lighting should be low-level and directed away from adjacent property. 3. Public Works will present a recommendation on the deferral of street improvements for the west portion of the collector street at the public hearing. 4. The applicant must conform to the "Declaration of Covenants" as signed by the previous property owner on April 20, 1981. a. The north 100 foot buffer area must remain undisturbed. The site plan must be redesigned so that no site work or street construction take place within this 100 foot wide area. 6 March 30, 2000 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) FILE NO.: S-1135-B b. The six (6) foot privacy fence must be moved to be setback at least 100 feet from the north property line. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (MARCH 9, 2000) Raymond Hickey, Kay Maris and David Carpenter were present, representing the application. Staff briefly described the proposed site plan, noting several items which needed to be shown on the plan. Staff noted that the proposed building setbacks conformed to the MF-6 Zoning Ordinance requirements. Staff also noted that typical building elevations and a grading plan needed to be provided. In response to a questions from staff, Mr. Hickey noted that existing trees would be preserved within the perimeter buffer areas. Bob Brown, of the Planning Staff, noted that at least 60 percent of the trees within these buffer areas should be preserved. The Public Works requirements were discussed. Bob Turner, of Public Works, noted that access to Hinson Road (bridge) needed to be made initially with Phase I and not a future phase. This issue was discussed at length. A deferral of the bridge construction was briefly discussed. Constructing the bridge and deferring the remainder of the street construction to the west was also discussed. The traffic volume which would be generated by the proposed development was also briefly discussed. The grading of the site was briefly discussed. Mr. Hickey noted that all cuts would be 30 feet or under. The Covenants which run with this property were discussed at length. Staff noted in addition to the requirement that there be no rental units on the site, the Covenants also made provision for "open space" areas along the north, east and south perimeters of the property, and that privacy fencing be constructed in certain areas and that buildings constructed in a certain area be no more than one and one-half stories in height. After the discussion, the Committee forwarded the site plan to the full Commission for final action. 7 March 30, 2000 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 9 (Cont.) PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: FILE NO.: S-1135-B (MARCH 30, 2000) Staff informed the Commission that the applicant submitted a letter on March 22, 2000 requesting that this application be withdrawn, without prejudice. Staff supported the withdrawal as requested. The Chairperson placed the item before the Commission for inclusion within the Consent Agenda for withdrawal without prejudice. A motion to that effect was made. The motion passed by a vote of 9 ayes, 0 nays and 2 absent. 8