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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCBC-#673 ApplicationJuly 22, 2022 9 ITEM NO. 1 C.B.C. 67A<— NEW MATTERS Applicant: Address: Description: ORDINANCE RE UIRMENTS: Chapter 15, Sec. 15-96. Perimeter planting strips. Phillip Lewis Engineering Owner National Holdings LLC Agent Phillip Lewis 18406 Cantrell Road Part of the northwest % of the Southwest % of Section 14, Township 2 North, Range 14 West, Pulaski County Arkansas (a) A perimeter planting strip is required along any side of a vehicular use area that abuts adjoining property or the right-of-way of any street, highway or freeway. This strip shall be at least nine (9) feet wide. The perimeter planting strip adjacent to freeways or expressways shall be at least thirty (30) feet wide except within mature areas. VARIANCE REQUESTED To allow a reduction of the north, east, and west perimeter planting strips to less than the nine (9) feet as typically required by the Department of Planning and Development and approved by the Planning Commission and the City Beautiful Commission. FINDINGS: The property located at 18406 Cantrell is located in the Highway 10 Design Overlay District. The 0.20- acre site was a legal lot of record prior to the adoption of the design overlay. Due to being a lot of record before the Overlay District was created the existing structures and setbacks will be allowed to continue as nonconforming. The property contains a one-story block commercial building which was previously used in conjunction with an auto repair business. In January of 2021 the owner of the property petitioned the Little Rock Planning Commission to revise the previously approved PCD zoning, requesting "C-3" General Commercial District permitted uses. The request was unanimously approved, and the building and existing parking area have both recently been renovated by the applicant. The building is 1,500 square feet in area with a small canopy covering at the southwest corner and paved parking is located on the south and west sides of structure. With the renovation and redesign of the parking area on the west side of the building, nine (9) parking spaces were provided (including two (2) under the existing canopy). A retail use within the existing building would typically require five (5) on -site parking spaces. An office use would require three (3) spaces and a restaurant would require 15-spaces. Staff believed the proposed parking was sufficient to serve the development but did not support a restaurant use on the property, as there is not sufficient parking for this use. In May of 2021 the applicant purchased the adjacent 0.14-acre parcel to the north for the purpose of additional parking. The applicants engineer developed a parking layout and submitted a plan to staff for review. The proposed plan provided 13 additional parking spaces for a total of 22. These parking bays are indicated to be 8.5-feet in width and 18.5-feet in length with an open paved area to serve as an undesignated drive aisle and open maneuvering area. A parking space 8.5-feet in width is classified as "compact" by the Little Rock City Zoning code. In addition, code will not allow more than 20-percent of the total spaces to be designated as less than 9-feet in width. All parking spaces except for the one handicap space are shown to be compact. The proposed parking layout also requires the landscape perimeters to be reduced from the required 9-feet width to 5-feet, requiring a variance from the landscape code. After review of the applicant's proposed parking layout Staff provided a sketch that rectified some of the above -described issues. The staff layout was able to provide parking spaces 9-foot in width, 20-foot in depth with a 20-foot drive aisle (or 9x18 and a 22-foot drive aisle) as prescribed by the parking design requirements of Sec. 36-511 of the city code. This layout also provides additional interior landscape areas which eliminates the wide expanses of paving while also providing 1 additional parking space for a total of 23. Staffs resolution will also provide portions of the landscape perimeters to taper from 9-feet or greater to approximately 3-feet in width as opposed to the uniform 5-foot perimeter proposed by the applicant. In either case the landscape perimeters or portions of the perimeter that fall below the required 9-feet will still require a variance, which includes all four sides of the combined sites. The applicant has indicated that they would prefer to pursue the original design as provided by their engineer. Staff has communicated to the applicant that to develop the parking as proposed may require an additional variance from the Board of Adjustment to allow more than 20-percent of the parking spaces to be compact as designated by the city zoning code. In addition, staff has demonstrated that an alternate options are possible which could bring the site closer to compliance, provide an additional parking space, add interior and building landscape areas, and provide perimeter landscape areas between the parking area and the property lines. Staff is not supportive of the site plan as summitted but can support the reduction of the perimeter planting strips to a degree. As submitted the plan could not be approved for permit for without an additional variance from the Board of Adjustment for the reduction of parking stall size. Staff has also demonstrated that there are optional solutions that would allow larger perimeter landscape spaces, additional interior and building landscape areas, and eliminate any vehicular circulation problems that could arise form open expanses of paving. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Due to other available options Staff is opposed to the design as submitted but could support a reduction in the perimeter landscape areas contingent on a different design as outline in the above report. Staff recommends denial of the requested variance of the perimeter reduction.