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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2 Staff ReportDEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 723 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-1334 Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax: (501) 399-3435 STAFF REPORT ITEM NO. One. DATE: April 8, 2013 APPLICANT: John Emerson ADDRESS: 1301 Scott Street COA REQUEST: Onsite Parking, Fencing, & Bike Racks PROJECT BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION: The subject property is located at 1301 Scott Street. The property's legal description is "Lots 1 and 2 and the north 1/2 of 3, Block 21, Original City of`Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas." This multifamily building was built in 1887. The 2006 survey form states: "Original Queen Anne Style structure with turrets, roof decoration and window designs typical of this style. Several craftsman additions include porch and large multi -windowed addition on south." "Changes in renovation included porch removal, attic conversion to 2nd floor, added sleeping porch and breakfast room." It is considered a "Contributing Structure" to the MacArthur Park Historic District. �a '- � �: • Abe e 7 m,� This application is for Onsite Parking, Fencing, & Bike Racks. The parking will be off the alley and to the south Location of Project side of the building. The fencing will be along the alley to hide/protect the ac units and there will be two bike racks, one on the north and one on the south side. A law office will be occupying the building. PREVIOUS ACTIONS ON THIS SITE: On May 6, 2008, a COC was issued to rTaibi Kahler for the removal of inappropriate roof structure and installation of appropriate roof repairs. 1 of 13 PROPOSAL AND WRITTEN ANALYSIS OF THE APPLICATION BASED OFF OF INTENT AND GUIDELINES: This application has been reviewed by the CZDC at their March 28, 2013 meeting, the commission approved gravel paving for the vehicular use area, bike racks and fencing. L� Site 140.0' f..lEAS, 139,7' On page 69, the Guidelines state: 2. Commercial, Office, and Institutional Parking: When houses or buildings are used for commercial, office, school, church, apartments, or other institutional use, parking should be located in rear yards. If 'this is not possible, parking may be in a side yard but located to the rear of the front wall of the structure. Fencing or shrubbery should screen the parking area. Parking lots between buildings should align edge screening with the front fagades of adjacent buildings and the side property lines. Parking areas h I LEGEND Development plan for 1301 Scott Street A. Bike Rack; Wine 3 loop wave Model H2543BL black; on gravel paving ; B. Landscape Shrubbery screening C. none D.Parking for 5 cars, 3' wide slots. 18' deep. On Gravel paving E. none F. Parking for 3 can on gravel paving, under House. G. B' high cedar fence with wire top, around condensing units. H.4 condensing units relocated to here from under house. I. Remove existing chain link fence along edge of alley paving. J. Gravel paving drive. All paving to be SB2 with small gray churt on top. K. One loop Bike rack on gravel paving L. Landscape shrubbery screening M.2' wlde landscaped area, with conc. Curb N. 31Y' wide landscape area with conc. curb as auto bumper. IT, 11 E>< L. b, f- 3 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PLAN for 1301 SCOTT STREET 3/6/1013 CR'.a r.,wetL `R H+rt�-. FN�I JM1TS 'zo I-& -OyS r �i61Tl�ssmrraru3strtilri3TffliiLi? 't � + JIS}illffflf trsi,3i$f1t'rllt#itilFFfili�Nlllitii}'r1N � >. In}i�fpp should be suneaced wit grave or concrete, not asphalt, aggregate, or brick. For security lighting please refer to Lighting previous page. 2of13 The applicant proposes to meet the standards for number of parking spaces required by the CZDC. Neither the HDC nor the City of Little Rock dictates the number of spaces required in the CZDC area. The plan provides for 8 spaces on site and 5 from the Villa Marre in addition to two bike racks. A letter is on file with the agreement between the two parties for shared parking. There will be signage at the parking area to signify that the parking is for the Villa Marre and Emerson Poynter only. Signage should be no larger than 18"x24", which is the standard size for parking signs. There will be five parking spaces angled iri towards the house along the alley. Three more spaces will be provided on the south side of the house in an alcove under the second floor. The applicant proposes a base of SB2 gravel with small chat gravel on top. There are small trees along the alley that will be removed, but one large tree located between the stairs and the southernmost parking space on the alley will be preserved. One tree near the handicap ramp will be removed. The trees that are located on the property line between the applicant's property and the Villa Marre are to be preserved. :-f Photo of trees and fence to be removed along alley Photo of trees along south property line with view towards 13th Street bordering Villa Marre property and showing oarkinci under building to left On page 70, the Guidelines state: 1. Heating, Air Conditioning units, and Ceiling Fans: HVAC units should be located where not readily visible from the street and should be screened with shrubbery or fencing. Window air -conditioners should be located in windows on the rear or side fagades and should not result in the removal or replacement of the original window sash or surround. Ceiling fans on porches should be mounted high enough so that they cannot be seen from the street. The applicant desires to move four ac units to the rear alley side of the structure from underneath the canopy on the south side of the structure. The location will be between the alley and the southernmost stairs to the second floor of the house (not to be confused with the handicap ramp on the northeast corner). They will place the ac units on a concrete pad and wish to enclose them with a "6' tall plain western cedar (fence) with a chain link security top that 3of13 lays flat across the rectangular shape of the fenced area." The gate will match the fence. The cedar will be allowed to weather naturally. This fence conforms to the guidelines. Bike Racks are not specifically called out in the design guidelines. However, the Secretary of Interior's Standards give guidance in standard numbers 3, 9 and 10, which respectively state the following (paraphrased): 3) changes that create a false sense of historical development shall not be undertaken. 9) New additions or alterations shall not destroy historic fabric and shall be differentiated from the old. 10) New additions and modifications shall be able to be removed later without harming the structure. The north bike rack will be installed just inside the fence gate along 13th Street at the sidewalk to the house in the lawn area with gravel paving underneath. The south one will be located in the south parking lot. The bike racks are definitely modern in style, yet simple in design, and will not create a false sense of history. There will be signage at the bike racks to state that the bike racks are for public use, not just clients of the law firm. Signage should be no larger than 18"x24", which is the standard size for parking signs. 1 Bike rack on north side Bike rack on south side J NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS AND REACTION: At the time of distribution, there were no comments regarding this application. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Approval with the following conditions: 1. Obtaining a building permit. COMMISSION ACTION: Aril 8. 2013 There was a brief presentation to the, Commission by Brian Minyard, Staff. There were nc questions of Staff by the Commission. John Emerson, the applicant, addressed the commission. The stated it was a big project and they plan to move into the office in mid to late May. They bought the property for $405,000. He stated that it needed a new roof. He mentioned the interior damage from water and has a contractor to replace the roof. He stated that the trees that are on the property line with the Villa Marre to the south would be killed with concrete paving. He has received approval from the CZDC for gravel on the parking area. He has also worked with Christy Marvel, City of Little Rock, to shield the parking with appropriate landscaping. Commissioner Randy Ripley stated that the Commission reviews what is visible from the street. Mr. Minyard stated that that the parking off the alley will be visible from 13th Street. The parking 4of13 under the house may or may not be visible from the street. He continued that a COC will be issued for the roof for the asphalt shingle portion and paint job. Commissioner Ripley asked about replacement windows. Mr. Emerson responded that they do not need replaced. Mr. Emerson spoke of screening on the Villa Marre side and the 13th Street side for the three car parking area. On the 13th Street side, they will add screening and will only see the parking if going east on 13th Street. He spoke of the shared parking arrangements between them and the Villa Marre. Commissioner Ripley asked if they were taking out trees. Mr. Emerson stated that they were adding a tree on Scott Street to replace one that was removed earlier. It is Bradford Pear to match the others on the street. He stated that only one tree is coming out for the parking along the alley. He is keeping the tree by the air conditioner unites and is trying to keep as many trees as possible to add to the historic nature of the house. Commissioner Ripley said that he was happy someone was doing something with the house. Commissioner Toni Johnson made a motion to approve as submitted. Commissioner Kwadjo Boaitey seconded and the motion passed with a vote of 6 ayes and 1 absent. 5of13 2 3 DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT 723 West Markham Street Little Rock, Arkansas 72 201 -1334 Phone: (501) 371-4790 Fax: (501) 399-3435 APPLICATION FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS Application Date: 3— & — v2'0 13 Date of Public Hearing: _ k— ZDl 3 at 5:00 p.m. Address of Property: .3 0 / S'C�. L I T 7L D A'+R 5. Property Owner (Printed Name, Address, Phone, Email): 71VI51 .#H41:E4 6 Z J".r C#8-7 z 6. Owner's Agent: (P(nted Name, Address, Phone, Email): 9017W 6* c�'�� .ram RVULL 7 LIAO7 RV AJ9 • 5-c: t 7 9 3 oS L 7)C❑c-4C 7a ( � 7. Brief Project Description: IwS a Lae L n . #11 1;,. r u,%.P- d7. +te la. t a.rA ea " -ona . 8. Estimated Cost of Improvements:Do 9. Zoning Classification: Is the propo d change a permitt se? Yes No 10. Signature of Owner or Agent: (The owner will need to author y Agent or person representing the owner at the public hearing). NOTE: Should there be changes during construction (design, materials, size, etc.) from the approved COA, applicant shall notify Commission staff and take appropriate actions. Approval by the Commission does not excuse applicant or property from compliance with other applicable codes, ordinances or policies of the city unless slated by the Commission or staff. Responsibility for identifying such codes, ordinances, or policies rests with the applicant, owner, or agent. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ............... ..............._.._. (This section to be completed by staff): Little Rock Historic District Commission Action _ Denied _ Withdrawn _ Approved _ Approved with Conditions — See Attached Conditions Staff Sign Date Revised 8/2012 '6of13 ock tle f Emerson Poynter LLP Li Houton ri Attorneys at Law li ]ohn G. Emerson Phone: 5(11.907.2555 Fax: 501.907.2556 jemersonC@emasonpoynLer.com Mr. Brian Minyard City of Little Rock Planning and Development Department 723 West Markham Street Little Rock, AR 72201 Re: 1301 Scott Street; Application for Certificate of Appropriateness Dear Mr. Minyard: Attached is our Application for Certificate of Appropriateness with certain Exhibits as attachments. Our Application pertains to the historical Rozelle-Murphy House in the Mansion district of the Quapaw. As you know the Rozelle-Murphy House ("RMH") was built in 1887 and is on the National Register. It was constructed in the American Queen Anne style with Colonial Revival and Craftsman style additions. The Rozelle family sold this house in 1900 to George W. Murphy, Attorney General of Arkansas. It has been used as commercial office space since 1953 and was most recently occupied by Kahler Communications. However, it has been vacant for the last three years and is in dire need of help now. The roof is in perilous shape and we want to rehabilitate this old jewel and save it. It is under a Historical Conservation Easement. I met with Ms. Theresa Russell and Mr. Tom Marr of AHPP regarding our plans and to obtain their guidance, My architect, Mr. Gene Levy, and I met with you, Ms. Christy Marvell, Mr. Mike Hood and Mr. Vince Floriani of the City of Little Rock to comply with Our requirements for parking, fencing. and landscaping. Also, the offices of the Capital Zoning Commissiou, specifically, Mr, Boyd Maher and Mr. Brad Johnson, have provided invaluable guidance for our plans to save RMH and to make its preservation and use consistent with the neighborhood and historical requirements. My partner, Scott Poynter, and I are the owners of a small law firm, Emerson Poynter I.I.P. We currently office in approximately 5500+ square feet in the Museum Center Building on President Clinton Ave. We have 5 lawyers including ourselves and three staff people for a total of eight people. The three staff people car pool together every day. Our office hours are 8-30 AM to 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday. We are creating a company, Cascade Investments, LLC, that will own the premises and Cascade will lease 1301 Scott to our law firm. We have a contract in place with the current owner, Mr. Taibi Kahler of Hot Springs and are closing on the property this month. Cover Letter The Museum Center • 500 President Clinton Avenue • Suite 305 • Little Rock, AR 72201 www.emersonpoynter.com 7of13 As I understand it, the issues presented in our application with the City of Little Rock are three items: Bike Racks, Fencing, and our Parking Plan. Documents related to all of these items are attached. Please let me know if there is any other documentary evidence that you require or would like to have and we will make sure it gets to your offices. Thank you again for all of the information and guidance that you and your colleagues at the City of Little Rock have kindly provided us. Very Truly Yours, J,h,G.TlEmerson cc: Mr. Boyd Maher, Capitol Zoning District Commission Ms. Theresa Russell, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Mr. Gene Levy, Cromwell Architects Engineers Mr. Scott E. Poynter, Cascade Investments, LLC Cover Letter 8of13 Attachment to A lication for Certificate of Approoriateness for 1301 Scott Street Bike Racks: Applicant proposes to install two black bike racks holding four bikes each. These bike racks are finished in black powder coat, manufactured by Global Industrial, Model Number T9A436701. See attached Fxhibit "A" with description and photograph from Global Industrial' S website. p6�. �• wf' G+a U�"'i 31�,WMe .ty,Q�� �Iz s'�3C>'L lE'encin : Applicant proposes fencing around four air conditioner condensing units on a concrete pad at the rear of the premises off the alley. This fencing will be 6 foot tall plain western red cedar with a chain link security top that lays flat across the rectangular box shape of the fenced area. Gate to the air conditioner units fenced area will be western red cedar. Cedar will be, unpainted and allowed to weather naturally. Sze attached Exhibit "B", the architectural site plan prepared by Mr. Gene Levy of Cromwell Architects Engineers based upon the Survey completed by Brooks Surveying, Inc. on March 1, 2013. ParkinL, Plan: Applicant proposes reduced parking per the Capitol Zoning District Commission. This plan provides eight parking places and two bike racks on -site off the alley at the rear of the premises with five parking places off -site immediately next door to the premises at the Villa Marre at 1321 Scott Street. See attached Exhibit "C", a letter from Villa Marre. See attached Exhibit "B", the architectural site plan prepared by Mr. Gene Levy of Cromwell Architects Engineers. Also see attached Exhibit '`D the Application Form and Supplement thereto as submitted to the Capitol Zoning Commission. Cover Letter continued 9of13 Little Rocks 1 remfer.Gaenr!oration March 4, 2013 Capital Zoning District Commission 410 South Battery Street Little Rock, AR 72201 To whom it may concern: After a recent meeting with Mr. John Emerson regarding his acquisition of the property located next to ours at 1321 Scott Street we, without reservation, enthusiastically endorse the plans he has for the property. It is our belief that it will add greatly to the neighborhood and we look forward to having a new neighbor. " As such and per a verbal understanding between all parties, we have agreed to'let Mr. Emerson and his company utilize the parking spares they need at the Villa Marre between the business hours of 8:00am — 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. Please feel free to cunt us should you have any questions. Best egar s, 1321 Scott Sweet Ijtde Rock, AR 72202 501.244,0409 info@thevillamarre.com - onvcv.TheVilla3tarre.com Letter forparking off site 10 of 13 �I Emerson Poynter LLP Attomeys at Law John G. Emerson Phone: 501.907.2555 Fax: 501.907.2556 jemcrson@emersonpoynter.com March 14, 2013 Mr. Boyd Maher E dtor, CZDC Mr. Brad rdan Pjl�uth oordinator, CZDC 4Battery Rock, AR 72201 Re: 1301 Scott, 2"d Supplement to Application Dear Mr. Maher and Mr. Jordan: Little Rock Houston Enclosed are fourteen (14) photographs of the large, old trees that straddle the property line between the Villa Marre ("VM") and the Rozelle-Murphy House ("RM"). I am enclosing these photographs to support our request for a variance that we be allowed to surface our parking area with SB2 gravel covered with fine chat. The ancient trees we are seeking to protect are a historic characteristic of the mansion area. It is our position that the rule requiring asphaltic concrete hot mix with a 5 inch compacted base or a four inch concrete slab would result in the death of these ancient trees. The root zone of these trees is in the area set aside for parking of vehicles. Alternative paving that we have found such as Grasscrete also requires the construction of a base and/or sub -base that would damage the root zone of these ancient trees. Thus, we believe alternative paving would not work either. In our opinion, the only paving that works is gravel. All of these photographs were taken by me on March 13, 2013. Photo 1 depicts part of the front of RM and the Carriage House of VM with the bare canopy of the trees in question. Photo 2 depicts the view from Scott Street looking east. See small orange survey flag at corner of our wrought iron fencing. VM gravel parking to right. Trees in question are in middle of photo on fence line. The Museum Center • 500 President Clinton Avenue • Suite 305 • Little Rock, AR 72201 www.emersonpoynter.com Letter concerning trees on south side of property 11 of 13 Photo 3 depicts gravel drive and parking area of VM. See trees in question at upper left. Photo 4 depicts gravel drive and parking area of VM with the ancient trees VM saved by using gravel. Photo 5 depicts the fence line, carriage house of VM to right, trees in question in the middle of photo. Photo 6 depicts the 3 trees in question and their root zone primarily on RM property. Photo 7 depicts trees in question and their root zone in parking area. Photo 8 depicts the wrought iron fence, trees in question and part of parking area. Photo 9 depicts part of the root zone of the trees in question/ Photo 10 depicts a view from the alley towards Scott Street. An orange Survey flag can be seen in the lower middle of the photo. The large trees in question are in the upper portion of the photograph. Photo 11 depicts the roots of these trees searching for room and ooching north from their base into the area for parking. Photo 12 is a view of the roots while looking to the east to the alley. As can be seen the trees have grown over the fence line and moved the old low iron fence. Photo 13 depicts our 6' tall Office Manager standing by two of the three trees to provide some scale and also show the roots. Photo 14 depicts our Office Manager next to the tree that is the closest to Scott Street. You can place Photos 4 and 5. side by side and have a fuller view of the three trees and the view next door to the Villa Marre. . Gentlemen, we believe that the use of SB2 with small chat will be more historically correct, will be more aesthetically pleasing, will comport with what has been approved for use as a paving surface at the historical Ville Marre immediately next door, will be more pleasing to the neighbors, will enhance the premises and the historic neighborhood in which it sits, and will save the lives of three very old trees which add greatly to the historical appearance of the Rozelle- Murphy House. Thank you for your consideration of our request. AIm erely, G. Emerson Letter conceming trees on south side of property continued 12of13 Emerson Poynter LLP Attorneys at Law 4_ March 21, 2013 Mr. Boyd Maher Executive Director Capitol Zoning District Commission 410 South Battery Street Little Rock, AR 72201 Cover Letter Little Rock Houston John G. Emerson, P.C. Phone: 501.907.2555 Fax: 501.907.2556 jemerson@emersonpoynter.com Re: Supplement to Emerson Application for 1301 Scott, The Rozelle-Murphy House Dear Mr. Maher: Enclosed as another Supplement to our Application is a letter from a Registered Forester, Mr. James Guldin, regarding the trees on the south property line with Villa Marre, I also attach an architectural drawing from our architect, Gene Levy, which better depicts the adjacent Villa Marre property parking and our proposed parking. Thank you for your consideration of this Supplement. ry Truly Yours, ohn G. Emerson JGE:lh cc: Mr. Brian Minyard City of Little Rock Ms. Theresa Russell Arkansas Historic Preservation Program Mr. Gene Levy Cromwell Architects Engineers Mr. Scott E. Poynter Cascade Investments, LLC The Museum Center - 500 President Clinton Avenue - Suite 305 - Little Rock. AR 72201 www.emersonpoynter.00m 13 of 13