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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2 Staff ReportSTAFF REPORT DATE: December 2, 2004 APPLICANT: Jim Etters ADDRESS: 1000 McGowan Street, Little Rock, AR 72202 COA REQUEST: To allow placement of 84 individual air conditioning units adjacent to the development PROJECT BACKGROUND, DESCRIPTION, AND ANALYSIS: The subject property is located west of Interstate 30 (1-30), on the west side of McGowan Street, between East Tenth and Eleventh Streets. The property's legal description is "Lot 1 Block 48, Original City of Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas." Recently a Certificate of Appropriateness was approved to allow for construction of a three-story building to facilitate a living quarter complex for University of Arkansas Law students. Originally approved with the COA were for the placement of individual air conditioning units on the sloped hip asphalt shingle roof not viewable from the street. With many units placed on the roof and the resulting penetrations of the roof, the applicant was not able to get the roof bonded by his insurance company, which has resulted in this new application for a COA. The new COA request approval of 84 individual 1.5-ton air conditioning units placed along the front and rear of the foundation screened from view by bushes. Half of the air conditioning units would be located alongside the rear of the building while the remainder would be alongside the front of the building, distributed equally from the entrance. There are several criteria related to this case in the District's guidelines. The Mechanical Systems Design Guidelines mention three items directly related to this case: A. HVAC units should be located where not readily visible from the street. B. If visible, should be screened with shrubbery or fencing. C. Window air -conditioners should be located in windows on the rear or side facades and should not result in the removal of replacement of the original window sash or surround. The Landscaping Design Guidelines mention several items related to this case: A. Plant beds of railroad ties, cut wood, brick, concrete, or other structural material should be avoided. B. Plant materials other that that which may be required for parking lots do not require approval. C. A special "Note" states although landscape planting does not require approval, general rules of thumb to consider are to use landscape plants native to the area and traditional plants such as boxwoods, dogwoods, and azaleas; maintain, not remove, historic or early landscaping, especially trees; keep new landscape patterns as historically traditional for the neighborhood; and avoid concealing architectural features of the historic building. These guidelines indicate that the placement of the individual units must not be visible from the street and the intended bush screen needs to be consistent with landscaping and vegetation in the area. At this time Planning Staff has not received written information regarding the placement of the HVAC units, the size of the units, type of shrubs, and the shrubs size at maturity. Staff has received verbal information indicating that the units will be placed alongside the front and rear of the building and will be 2' wide X 2'deep X 25" tall and will be concealed by holly bushes that should grow to a height of approximately three feet. The individual HVAC units will be located one foot away from the building foundation and be spaced one foot away from each other. A row of holly bushes will be one foot from the HVAC units (four feet from the building foundation) and will be planted close enough together to prevent view from the street level. The applicant has not indicated whether or not shrubs will be planted at ends of the HVAC rows to provide additional screening. The applicant has verbally stated that the units will not be visible from the street because of the placement of the shrubs. Also Staff feels additional information regarding the possibility of clustering the units into four or five groups to minimize the linear effect of the units. At the time of distribution the applicant had not identified the specifics of the planting placement of the holly bushes and their maintenance. Staff feels the applicant should plant the shrubs at 24" on center and/or guarantee 100% screening in three years time. Also staff recommends a requirement stating a minimal height requirement of at least 25" to ensure proper screening. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS AND REACTION: At the time of distribution, there were no comments regarding this application. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of this project as long as the Mechanical and Landscaping Design Guideline are met, the HVAC units are not readily visible from the street, the applicant submits formal drawings indicating the placement of the individual units and the shrubs, and addresses how future maintenance will be provided for both the shrubs and the HVAC units.