Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutLU-19-02 Staff AnalysisOctober 2, 2008 ITEM NO.: A FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Chenal Planning District Location. The east side of Rahling Road, south of Pebble Beach Drive Request: Low Density Residential and Single Family to Multi Family, Commercial, Office, Single Family and Open Space Source: Tim Daters, for Deltic Timber Co. PROPOSAL / REQUEST: The applicant has requested a deferral to the October 2, 2008 Planning Commission hearing. Staff is supportive of this request. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 21, 2008) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the October 2, 2008 hearing at the request of the applicant. By a vote of 9 for and 0 against the consent agenda was approved. PROPOSAL/REQUEST: A Land Use Plan amendment in the Chenal Planning District from Low Density Residential and Single Family to Multi Family, Commercial, Office, Single Family and Park/Open Space. The applicant has also filed a large rezoning for this site and a Master Street Plan -amendment for this site. The applicant is proposing these changes to allow for commercial uses, multi family residential which would accommodates ten to thirty six units per acre, office uses and some open space. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is vacant and undeveloped. It is currently zoned MF-18 and R-2 and is approximately 73 acres in size. All of the properties to the north, east and south are also zoned R-2 Single Family and are mostly developed with single family residences. A portion of that land is still vacant and undeveloped. The west side of Rahling Road is zoned OS Open Space and R-2 Single Family; this area is undeveloped. Southwest of the amendment area is zoned 0-3 General Office for a medical office and MF-18 for an apartment complex. To the northwest along Rahling is a large area of undeveloped land that is zoned MF-12 Multi Family District. October 2, 2008 ITEM NO.: A (Cont. FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: The amendment area is currently shown as Low Density Residential and Single Family on the future land use plan. This area is surrounded by Single Family on the north, east and south. There is a strip along the west side of Rahling shown as Park Open Space and a strip farther north along Rahling shown as Multi Family. West of the amendment area is shown as Mixed Use and Multi Family at the corner of Kirk and Rahling Roads. August 15, 2006, Ordinance 19582 amended the eastern intersection of LaGrande and Rahling Roads from Multi Family to Mixed Office Commercial to allow for future development. June 17, 2003, changes from Office, Multifamily, and Single Family to Multifamily and Low Density Residential located northeast of Chenal Parkway around Rahling Road. These changes were made to reflect new zoning in the area for future development. MASTER STREET PLAN: Rahling Road is shown as a Minor Arterial. A Minor Arterial provides connections to and through an urban area and their primary function is to provide short distance travel within the urbanized area. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Rahling since it is a Minor Arterial. Wellington Plantation Drive and Beckenham Drive are both shown as proposed Collectors through this site and intersecting with Rahling Road. The primary function of a Collector Street is to provide a connection from Local Streets to Arterials. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. BICYCLE PLAN: A Class I bike route is shown along Rahling Road. A Class I bikeway is built separate from or alongside a road. Additional paving and right of way may be required. According to the Master Parks Plan, half of the amendment area is within eight blocks of a park. The northern half of this amendment site is not within eight blocks according to the Parks Plan, although the west side of Rahling Road is zoned for Open Space and is used for a walking trail. 2 October 2, 2008 ITEM NO.: A (Cont. HISTORIC DISTRICTS: I9L��0[*IN0 1: • 1 There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLAN: This area is covered by both the Rock Creek and the River Mountain Neighborhood Action Plans. Rock Creek's Residential goal states: Ensure that future developments of existing undeveloped land meet neo-traditional design standards, including the placement of neighborhood passive green space and community services within developing neighborhoods. River Mountain's Sustainable Environment goals states: Vigorously enforce the ordinance for hillside protection and for tree preservation. ANALYSIS: This amendment area is approximately 73 acres of undeveloped, wooded land along Rahling Road. This amendment proposes to add 41.13 acres of Multi Family, 19.91 acres of Commercial, 2.24 acres of Office, 7.99 acres of Park/Open Space and 1.62 acres of Single Family. The majority of this land is currently shown as Single Family on the Plan. This vicinity has been growing almost continually over the past twenty years. Many single-family subdivisions have been built during this time both to the east and to the south of this area. While much of this area is planned for Single Family use, the Land Use Plan has also allotted room for Low Density Residential and Multi Family Development. Along Rahling Road, there are currently 17 acres of undeveloped Multi Family and 28 acres of undeveloped Low Density Residential. Low Density Residential provides an option other than Single Family detached for future development. The Plan classifications and zoning have been in place for approximately two decades with no proposals for development. Rahling Road provides the link between the major commercial center of Chenal Parkway with Cantrell Road to the north. - When the Land Use Plan and zoning for the Chenal (Deltic) ownership and surrounding areas was approved in the mid-1980s, a major office and commercial center was proposed at and near the intersection of what is now Chenal Parkway and Rahling Road. This general area has been seen as the community or regional shopping and employment center of western Little Rock. The retail is just now developing with the recent construction of the 'Promenade at Chenal'. Rahling Road is not currently constructed to full Master Street Plan standard. The traffic volumes, while not yet to the number that would require the developer to widen Rahling, are moving beyond the normal design volume for a two-lane road. As development of this section of Little Rock continues based on the 3 October 2, 2008 ITEM NO.: A (Cont. FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 current Land Use Plan, Rahling Road volumes should reach Arterial design numbers in the next few years. There is already a 28-acre section of Low Density Residential shown for a portion of this site. North of this site along Rahling Road is a 17 acre section of Multi Family that is undeveloped. This amendment is proposing to reconfigure this existing plan to add a net total of approximately 6.2 acres of Multi Family/LDR while adding 19.91 acres of Commercial to an area that is currently proposed for residential uses. The Master Street Plan shows two Collector streets (Beckenham and Wellington Plantation Drives) intersecting Rahling Road near this amendment site. The neighborhoods to the east of this application have concerns about these connections and the traffic through their neighborhoods that may result. The applicant has filed a Master Street Plan amendment as a separate item on this agenda to modify the configuration of these two Collectors. This application is also proposing to add 2.24 acres of Office and 19.91 acres of Commercial. This area of Little Rock still has nearly 100 acres of undeveloped Office within a mile of this application and approximately 40 acres of undeveloped Commercial and Neighborhood Commercial along Rahling Road just west of this application area. The existing commercial and office is part of a large 'node' around the Chenal Parkway-Rahling Road intersection and includes intersections of these roads with Kanis Road, Kirk Road and Wellington Boulevard (all Arterials). Rahling Road has been planned to be residential with various densities of residential proposed on the Plan and zoned. There has already been some intensification of land use and zoning along Rahling Road in the Kirk Road and Chenal Valley Drive area. The City does have a Land Use Policy of discouraging 'stripping' or lining of Arterials with commercial Uses and concentrating such uses in 'nodes'. The proposed amendment would continue to line Rahling Road with commercial uses. Office areas along Rahling Road are narrow lots with buildings designed and laid out with a 'retail feel', strengthening the 'strip' feel. Showing several areas of different use implies multiple access points along Rahling, which is an Arterial. Access should be limited to Rahling because it is an Arterial. Multiple access points could have significant impact on pedestrian and vehicular traffic. While each of these separate areas might be designed and built to work together, the normal development pattern is for each separate use area to develop independently. The amendment would create at least four new use areas with all that is associated with this along Rahling Road. 121 October 2, 2008 ITEM NO.: A (Cont. FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 Also, by placing destination uses (commercial and office) at the end of the collectors, the trips from the neighborhoods to the east and south of the application area could increase thereby causing more traffic on the collectors. Some trips from the immediate neighborhood might no long proceed further west along the Arterial to areas at Kirk and Chenal Parkway, but stop at the proposed commercial and office areas. However, additional trips east of the amendment area, that might have been attracted to the commercial and office at Napa Valley and Rodney Parham may well move west along Beckenham to the proposed commercial and office areas. As well, trips that might have gone south and west along Kirk to commercial and office areas may be attracted up Wellington Plantation Drive to the proposed new uses. EIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Chenal Ridge POA and The Villages of Wellington. Staff has received four phone calls against this amendment from area residents. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (OCTOBER 2, 2008) Walter Malone, Planning Staff reviewed the Land Use Plan in the area. Mr. Malone talked about the major commercial area at Rahling Road and Chenal Parkway. This area is only now beginning to development after twenty years of zoning. There have been changes along Rahling Road to Commercial and Office around Kirk Road. Staff is concerned that by making the changes proposed, Commercial and Office, Rahling Road will be combined with commercial and office rather than the originally proposed various densities of residential. Monte Moore, Planning Staff, presented the related reclassifications, Z-8165-A. (See Item A.1 for a complete minute record.) Most of the presentation by representatives of the applicant dealt the transportation issues of the western part of Little Rock and some history of development of roads in the City. In addition, the applicant's consultant presented the findings of a traffic study dealing with the street changes and reclassifications. A Motion was made to approve the Land Use Plan Amendment. By a vote of 8 for, 2 against the Plan amendment was approved. 5 August 21, 2008 ITEM NO.: A FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Chenal Planning District Location: The east side of Rahling Road, south of Pebble Beach Drive Request: Low Density Residential and Single Family to Multi Family, Commercial, Office, Single Family and Open Space Source: Tim Daters, for Deltic Timber Co. ROPOSAL / REQUEST: The applicant has requested a deferral to the October 2, 2008 Planning Commission hearing. Staff is supportive of this request. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 21, 2008) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the October 2, 2008 hearing at the request of the applicant. By a vote of 9 for and 0 against the consent agenda was approved. FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 Name: Land Use Plan Amendment - Chenal Planning District Location: The east side of Rahling Road, south of Pebble Beach Drive Request: Low Density Residential and Single Family to Multi Family, Commercial, Office, Single Family and Open Space Source: Tim Daters, for Deltic Timber Co. PROPOSAL / REQUEST: The applicant has requested a deferral to the October 2, 2008 Planning Commission hearing. Staff is supportive of this request. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 21, 2008) The item was placed on the consent agenda for deferral to the October 2, 2008 hearing at the request of the applicant. By a vote of 9 for and 0 against the consent agenda was approved. PROPOSAL / REQUEST -- A Land Use Plan amendment in the Chenal Planning District from Low Density Residential and Single Family to Multi Family, Commercial, Office, Single Family and Park/Open Space. The applicant has also filed a large rezoning for this site and a Master Street Plan amendment for this site. The applicant is proposing these changes to allow for commercial uses, multi family residential which would accommodates ten to thirty six units per acre, office uses and some open space. EXISTING LAND USE AND ZONING: The property is vacant and undeveloped. It is currently zoned MF-18 and R-2 and is approximately 73 acres in size. All of the properties to the north, east and south are also zoned R-2 Single Family and are mostly developed with single family residences. A portion of that land is still vacant and undeveloped. The west side of Rahling Road is zoned OS Open Space and R-2 Single Family; this area is undeveloped. Southwest of the amendment area is zoned 0-3 General Office for a medical office and MF-18 for an apartment complex. To the northwest along Rahling is a large area of undeveloped land that is zoned MF-12 Multi Family District. FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 (Cont. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN AND RECENT AMENDMENTS: The amendment area is currently shown as Low Density Residential and Single Family on the future land use plan. This area is surrounded by Single Family on the north, east and south. There is a strip along the west side of Rahling shown as Park Open Space and a strip farther north along Rahling shown as Multi Family. West of the amendment area is shown as Mixed Use and Multi Family at the corner of Kirk and Rahling Roads. August 15, 2006, Ordinance 19582 amended the eastern intersection of LaGrande and Rahling Roads from Multi Family to Mixed Office Commercial to allow for future development. June 17, 2003, changes from Office, Multifamily, and Single Family to Multifamily and Low Density Residential located northeast of Chenal Parkway around Rahling Road. These changes were made to reflect new zoning in the area for future development. MASTER STREET PLAN: Rahling Road is shown as a Minor Arterial. A Minor Arterial provides connections to and through an urban area and their primary function is to provide short distance travel within the urbanized area. Entrances and exits should be limited to minimize negative effects of traffic and pedestrians on Rahling since it is a Minor Arterial. Wellington Plantation Drive and Beckenham Drive are both shown as proposed Collectors through this site and intersecting with Rahling Road. The primary function of a Collector Street is to provide a connection from Local Streets to Arterials. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements for entrances and exits to the site. BICYCLE PLAN: A Class I bike route is shown along Rahling Road. A Class I bikeway is built separate from or alongside a road. Additional paving and right of way may be required. PARKS: According to the Master Parks Plan, half of the amendment area is within eight blocks of a park. The northern half of this amendment site is not within eight blocks according to the Parks Plan, although the west side of Rahling Road is zoned for Open Space and is used for a walking trail. HISTORIC DISTRICTS. - There are no city recognized historic districts that would be affected by this amendment. KA FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 (Cont. CITY RECOGNIZED NEIGHBORHOOD ACTION PLA This area is covered by both the Rock Creek and the River Mountain Neighborhood Action Plans. Rock Creek's Residential goal states: Ensure that future developments of existing undeveloped land meet neo-traditional design standards, including the placement of neighborhood passive green space and community services within developing neighborhoods. River Mountain's Sustainable Environment goals states: Vigorously enforce the ordinance for hillside protection and for tree preservation. ANALYSIS - This amendment area is approximately 73 acres of undeveloped, wooded land along Rahling Road. This amendment proposes to add 41.13 acres of Multi Family, 19.91 acres of Commercial, 2.24 acres of Office, 7.99 acres of Park/Open Space and 1.62 acres of Single Family. The majority of this land is currently shown as Single Family on the Plan. This vicinity has been growing almost continually over the past twenty years. Many single-family subdivisions have been built during this time both to the east and to the south of this area. While much of this area is planned for Single Family use, the Land Use Plan has also allotted room for Low Density Residential and Multi Family Development. Along Rahling Road, there are currently 17 acres of undeveloped Multi Family and 28 acres of undeveloped Low Density Residential. Low Density Residential provides an option other than Single Family detached for future development. The Plan classifications and zoning have been in place for approximately two decades with no proposals for development. Rahling Road provides the link between the major commercial center of Chenal Parkway with Cantrell Road to the north. When the Land Use Plan and zoning for the Chenal (Deltic) ownership and surrounding areas was approved in the mid-1980s, a major office and commercial center was proposed at and near the intersection of what is now Chenal Parkway and Rahling Road. This general area has been seen as the community or regional shopping and employment center of western Little Rock. The retail is just now developing with the recent construction of the 'Promenade at Chenal'. Rahling Road is not currently constructed to full Master Street Plan standard. The traffic volumes, while not yet to the number that would require the developer to widen Rahling, are moving beyond the normal design volume for a two-lane road. As development of this section of Little Rock continues based on the current Land Use Plan, Rahling Road volumes should reach Arterial design numbers in the next few years. There is already a 28-acre section of Low Density Residential shown for a portion of this site. North of this site along Rahling Road is a 17 acre section of Multi Family that is undeveloped. This amendment is proposing to reconfigure this existing plan to add a net total of approximately 6.2 acres of Multi Family/LDR 3 FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 (Cont. while adding 19.91 acres of Commercial to an area that is currently proposed for residential uses. The Master Street Plan shows two Collector streets (Beckenham and Wellington Plantation Drives) intersecting Rahling Road near this amendment site. The neighborhoods to the east of this application have concerns about these connections and the traffic through their neighborhoods that may result. The applicant has filed a Master Street Plan amendment as a separate item on this agenda to modify the configuration of these two Collectors. This application is also proposing to add 2.24 acres of Office and 19.91 acres of Commercial. This area of Little Rock still has nearly 100 acres of undeveloped Office within a mile of this application and approximately 40 acres of undeveloped Commercial and Neighborhood Commercial along Rahling Road just west of this application area. The existing commercial and office is part of a large 'node' around the Chenal Parkway-Rahling Road intersection and includes intersections of these roads with Kanis Road, Kirk Road and Wellington Boulevard (all Arterials). Rahling Road has been planned to be residential with various densities of residential proposed on the Plan and zoned. There has already been some intensification of land use and zoning along Rahling Road in the Kirk Road and Chenal Valley Drive area. The City does have a Land Use Policy of discouraging 'stripping' or lining of Arterials with commercial uses and concentrating such uses in 'nodes'. The proposed amendment would continue to line Rahling Road with commercial uses. Office areas along Rahling Road are narrow lots with buildings designed and laid out with a 'retail feel', strengthening the 'strip' feel. Showing several areas of different use implies multiple access points along Rahling, which is an Arterial. Access should be limited to Rahling because it is an Arterial. Multiple access points could have significant impact on pedestrian and vehicular traffic. While each of these separate areas might be designed and built to work together, the normal development pattern is for each separate use area to develop independently. The amendment would create at least four new use areas with all that is associated with this along Rahling Road. Also, by placing destination uses (commercial and office) at the end of the collectors, the trips from the neighborhoods to the east and south of the application area could increase thereby causing more traffic on the collectors. Some trips from the immediate neighborhood might no long proceed further west along the Arterial to areas at Kirk and Chenal Parkway, but stop at the proposed commercial and office areas. However, additional trips east of the amendment area, that might have been attracted to the commercial and office at Napa Valley and Rodney Parham may well move west along Beckenham to the proposed commercial and office areas. As well, trips that might have gone south and west along Kirk to commercial and office areas may be attracted up Wellington Plantation Drive to the proposed new uses. C! FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 Cont.) NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: Notices were sent to the following neighborhood associations: Chenal Ridge POA and The Villages of Wellington. Staff has received four phone calls against this amendment from area residents. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff believes the change is not appropriate. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION. (OCTOBER 2, 2008) Walter Malone, Planning Staff reviewed the Land Use Plan in the area. Mr. Malone talked about the major commercial area at Rahling Road and Chenal Parkway. This area is only now beginning to development after twenty years of zoning. There have been changes along Rahling Road to Commercial and Office around Kirk Road. Staff is concerned that by making the changes proposed, Commercial and Office, Rahling Road will be combined with commercial and office rather than the originally proposed various densities of residential. Monte Moore, Planning Staff, presented the related reclassifications, Z-8165-A. (See Item A.1 for a complete minute record.) Most of the presentation by representatives of the applicant dealt the transportation issues of the western part of Little Rock and some history of development of roads in the City. In addition, the applicant's consultant presented the findings of a traffic study dealing with the street changes and reclassifications. A Motion was made to approve the Land Use Plan Amendment. By a vote of 8 for, 2 against the Plan amendment was approved. 5 December 18, 2008 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: H (Cont. FILE NO.: LU08-19-02 addition, the applicant's consultant presented the findings of a traffic study dealing with the street changes and reclassifications. A Motion was made to approve the Land Use Plan Amendment. By a vote of 8 for, 2 against the Plan amendment was approved. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant has requested an amendment to their application to change the northern area from Multi Family to Office. Staff is still not supportive of this request. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (DECEMBER 18, 2008) The item was placed on consent agenda for deferral to February 5, 2009 hearing. By a vote of 6 for, 0 against and 3 vacancies the consent agenda was approved. Ce