HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOD Staff Report 100225OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMUNICATION
September 16, 2025 AGENDA
Subject I Action Required I Approved By
An Ordinance
Ordinance
Approving a Planned
Resolution
Zoning Development
Approval
titled Master Company
Information Report
— PCD, located at 9911
W. Markham Street (Z-
9858-A)
Submitted by:
Department of Planning and
Development
Delphone Hubbard
SYNOPSIS The applicant requests to rezone the .22- acre property from
0-3 to PCD to allow commercial use of an existing
building.
FISCAL IMPACT None.
RECOMMENDATION The Planning Commission recommends approval. Staff
recommends denial.
BACKGROUND The applicant is proposing to rezone .22 acres from 0-3 to
PCD to allow for the use of an existing 1,520-square-foot
office building for office space and food services. The
existing building will be split into two Suites (A and B).
Suite A, 895 square feet, will be consolidated into a cafe,
bakery, ice cream and pizza restaurant, with a minor area
for storage. Suite B, 625 square feet, will be used for
Office space.
The property is located in 0-3 zoning. A one-story, brick
and frame 1,520-square- foot vacant office building exists
in the middle of the property located on the corner of
Markham Street and Oak Lane. (South) directly behind
the property is single-family residential, North of the
property are multifamily apartment complexes, with office
buildings mixed around the entire north, east and west
vicinities, as well as a faith -based institution. The Future
Background
Continued
Land Use Plan shows Suburban Office (SO) for the
requested area. Surrounding the property to the West,
Southwest and North is Office Use, Northeast is Public/
Institutional, to the East is Mixed Urban Use and to the
Southeast is Residential.
The proposed business will operate Monday through
Sunday, from 6 am until midnight, with a maximum of
two (2) employees at any given time. The 895 square foot
space in Suite A is expected to have a 15-person seating
capacity. There will not be a drive-thru window.
Two concrete parking areas exist on the property. There
are eight (8) parking spaces in the (North) front and four
(4) parking spaces in the (South) rear. Access drives from
Oak Lane serve both parking areas. Section 36-502 of the
City's Zoning Ordinance requires one (1) space per five
hundred (square feet) of gross floor area for Office and
one (1) space for each one hundred (100) square feet of
gross floor area for restaurants. The proposed parking plan
conforms to the City's Ordinance Code.
A Commercial dumpster will be placed on the northwest
corner of the building and will be screened and secured. A
fence will be constructed along the southern property line.
Site lighting will be low and directed away from adjacent
properties, per Section 36-278 of the City Ordinance
Code.
On August 14, 2025, the Planning Commission voted 10
ayes, 0 noes, and 1 absent to approve the PCD rezoning.
There were no objectors present.
All owners of the property located within 300 feet of the
site and all neighborhood associations registered with The
City of Little Rock were notified of the public hearing.
Please see the attached Planning Commission minute
record for the complete staff analysis.
2
1 ORDINANCE NO.
2
3 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING A PLANNED ZONING DEVEOPMENT
4 AND ESTABLISHING A PLANNED COMMERCIAL DISTRICT TITLED
5 MASTER COMPANY — PCD, LOCATED AT 9911 W. MARKHAM
6 STREET (Z-9858-A), CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, PULASKI COUNTY,
7 ARKANSAS, AMENDING THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP OF THE
8 CITY OF LITTLE ROCK; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
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BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CITY OF LITTLE
ROCK, ARKANSAS.
SECTION 1. That the zoning classification of the following described
property be changed from 0-3, General Office District to PCD, Planned Commercial
District.
Z-9858-A — DESCRIBED AS A PART OF LOT 8, WEST MARKHAM STREET
SUBDIVISION, IN THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK, PULASKI COUNTY, ARKANSAS,
DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING AT A POINT IN THE NORTH LINE OF
SAID LOT 8, WHICH IS 100 FEET EAST OF THE NW CORNER OF SAID LOT 8,
THENCE EAST ALONG SAID NORTH LINE 91.5 FEET OF THE WEST RIGHT-OF-
WAY LANE OF OAK LANE DRIVE, THENCE SOUTH ALONG THE WEST RIGHT-
OF-WAY OF OAK LANE DRIVE, 105 FEET; THENCE WEST 91.5 FEET, THENCE
NORTH 105 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING. LESS AND EXCEPT THAT
PART TAKEN BY THE CITY OF LITTLE ROCK IN EASEMENT DEED RECORDED
AS INSTRUMENT NO. 79-06397, DATED FEBRUARY 21, 1979, RECORDS OF
PULASKI COUNTY, ARKANSAS.
SECTION 2. That the preliminary site development plan/plat be approved
as recommended by the Little Rock Planning Commission.
Page 1 of 2
1 SECTION 3. That the change in zoning classification contemplated for
2 Master Company — PCD, located at 9911 W. Markham Street (Z-9858-A) is conditioned
3 upon obtaining final plan approval within the time specified by Chapter 36, Article VII,
4 Section 36-454 (e) of the Code of Ordinances.
5 SECTION 4. That this Ordinance shall not take effect and be in full force
6 until final plan approval.
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8 SECTION 5. That the map referred to in Chapter 36 of the Code of
9 Ordinances of the City of Little Rock, Arkansas, and designated district map be and is
10 hereby amended to the extent and in the respects necessary to affect and designate the
11 change provided for in Section 1 hereof.
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13 SECTION 6. Severability. In the event any title, section, paragraph, item,
14 sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this ordinance is declared or adjudged to be invalid or
15 unconstitutional, such declaration or adjudication shall not effect the remaining portions of
16 the ordinance which shall remain in full force and effect as if the portion so declared or
17 adjudged invalid or unconstitutional was not originally a part of the ordinance.
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19 SECTION 7. Repealed. All laws, ordinances, resolutions, or parts of the
20 same that are inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed to the
21 extent of such inconsistency.
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23 PASSED:
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25 ATTEST:
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28 City Clerk
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30 APPROVED AS TO FORM:
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33 City Attorney
APPROVED:
Mayor
Page 2 of 2
NAME: Master Company — PCD
LOCATION: 9911 W. Markham Street
OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT:
Pavithran Indira (Owner)
9911 W. Markham Street
Little Rock, AR 72205
ENGINEER/SURVEYOR:
Brooks Surveying, Inc.
20820 Arch Street Pike
Hensley, AR 72065
AREA: .22 acres
mog e .
CURRENT ZONING
VARIANCEM/AIVERS
NUMBER OF LOTS: 1
PLANNING DISTRICT: 2
O-3
None requested.
A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT'S STATEMENT:
FILE NO.: Z-9858-A
FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF
CENSUS TRACT: 22.08
The applicant is proposing to rezone .22 acres from 0-3 to PCD to allow for the
use of an existing 1,520 square foot office building for office space and food
services. The existing building will be split into two Suites (A and B). Suite A, 895
square feet, will be consolidated into a cafe, bakery, ice cream and pizza
restaurant, with a minor area for storage. Suite B, 625 square feet, will be used for
Office space.
B. EXISTING CONDITIONS:
The property is located in 0-3 zoning. A one-story, brick and frame 1,520-square-
foot vacant office building exists in the middle of the property located on the corner
of Markham Street and Oak Lane. (South) directly behind the property is single-
family residential, North of the property are multifamily apartment complexes, with
office buildings mixed around the entire north, east and west vicinities, as well as
a faith -based institution. The Future Land Use Plan shows Suburban Office (SO)
1
FILE NO.: Z-9858-A
for the requested area. Surrounding the property to the West, Southwest and North
is Office Use, Northeast is Public/ Institutional, to the East is Mixed Urban Use and to
the Southeast is Residential.
C. NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATIONS:
All owners of property located within 300 feet of the site and all neighborhood
associations registered with the City of Little Rock were notified of the public
hearing.
D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS (PLANNING):
1. All proposed developments shall have ADA Access shall be shown to and from the
Right-of-Way(s), this being all ROWs and private drives.
2. Handicap Parking shall include one van stall 11ft wide with a 5ft minimum aisle.
3. Drives may not exceed 40% of the lot width.
4. All sites shall show ADA stalls and aisles on the plan as required by Code.
5. Site survey shows a double frontage lot, (meaning they have connectivity from one
street through to another and this is prohibited.
6. Dumpster enclosures must be permitted as a fence and anything 7ft in height or
taller measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall/fence shall be
designed by an Arkansas Licensed Engineer (Structural).
7. Contact Planning and Development Dept., Engineering Division at 501-371-4817
or at 501-918-5348 for inspections of any work in the public right-of-way prior to
placement of concrete or asphalt or for on -site clarification of requirements prior to
commencing work. Failure to do so can result in removal of any improperly placed
concrete or asphalt at the expense of the owner or contractor.
8. Hauling of cut and/or fill material on or off project sites over municipal streets
require approval prior to a grading permit being issued. Contact Public Works Traffic
Engineering at 621 S. Broadway 501-379-1800 with any questions or for more
information.
9. Damage to public and private property due to hauling operations or operations of
construction related equipment from a construction site shall be repaired by the
responsible party prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
FILE NO.: Z-9858-A
ENGINEERING COMMENTS (PUBLIC WORKS):
1. No Comments
E. UTILITIES/FIRE DEPARTMENT/PARKS/COUNTY PLANNING:
Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: No comments.
Entergy: No comments received.
Summit Utilities: No comments.
AT & T: No comments received.
Central Arkansas Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the
time of request for water service must be met.
Fire Department: Full Plan Review
Parks and Recreation: No comments received.
County Planning: No Comments received.
F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE:
Building Code:
Project is subject to full commercial plan review and approval prior to issuance of
a building permit. For information on submittal requirements and the review
process, contact a commercial plans examiner: Curtis Richey at 501.371.4724;
cricheyCa7littlerock.gov or Tim Whitener at 501-371-4875 twhitener@littlerock.g_ov
Landscape: No Comments
G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING:
Rock Region Metro: No comments received.
Planning Division:
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FILE NO.: Z-9858-A
Future Land Use Plan for Z-9858-A
0 275 550 1,100 Feet N
Scale:1:2,500 A,
FILE NO.: Z-9858-A
Land Use Plan:
The request is in the Rodney Parham Planning District, District 2. The development
principles for this district seek to preserve and stabilize the existing development
while advocating for Neo-Traditional suburban development in areas not yet
developed. The Land Use Plan shows Suburban Office (SO) use for the requested
area. The Suburban Office (SO) use category provides for low intensity
development of office or office parks in close proximity to lower density residential
areas. To assure compatibility, a Planned Zoning District is required. The
application is for a Planned Commercial Development (PCD).
Surrounding the application area along the W. Markham Street corridor to the west
is Suburban Office (SO) use area characterized by a variety of office types.
Public/Institutional use area is to the northeast, across W. Markham Street from
the application is a faith -based institution. East of the application on the south side
of W. Markham Street is an area of Mixed Use (MX) with strip commercial
businesses. Southeast of the application is Residential Low (RL) density area
characterized by single-family homes in developed subdivisions
This site is not located in an Overlay District.
5
FILE NO.: Z-9858-A
Master Street Plan for Z-9858-A
TF,
r � -
I�ter' - .� •- DP.
MAW` NAWLN
0 285 570 1,140 Feet N
Scale: 1:2,500
A
FILE NO.: Z-9858-A
Master Street Plan:
W. Markham Street is a Minor Arterial on the Master Street Plan. Minor Arterials
are high volume roads designed to provide the connections to and through an
urban area. Curb cuts should be minimized to allow for continuous traffic flow while
still allowing some access to adjoining property. Deceleration Lanes are
required. Standard Right-of-way (ROW) is 90 feet. Sidewalks are required on both
sides. This street may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street
improvements.
Bicycle Plan:
W. Markham Street is not shown on the Master Bike Plan with existing or proposed
facilities in this area.
Historic Preservation Plan:
The application, as shown, should have no effect on identified historic resources-
H. ANALYSIS:
The applicant is proposing to rezone .22 acres from 0-3 to PCD to allow for the
use of an existing 1,520-square-foot office building for office space and food
services. The existing building will be split into two Suites (A and B). Suite A, 895
square feet, will be consolidated into a cafe, bakery, ice cream and pizza
restaurant, with a minor area for storage. Suite B, 625 square feet, will be used for
Office space.
The property is located in 0-3 zoning. A one-story, brick and frame 1,520-square-
foot vacant office building exists in the middle of the property located on the corner
of Markham Street and Oak Lane. (South) directly behind the property is single-
family residential, North of the property are multifamily apartment complexes, with
office buildings mixed around the entire north, east and west vicinities, as well as
a faith -based institution. The Future Land Use Plan shows Suburban Office (SO) for
the requested area. Surrounding the property to the West, Southwest and North is
Office Use, Northeast is Public/ Institutional, to the East is Mixed Urban Use and to the
Southeast is Residential.
The proposed business will operate Monday through Sunday, from 6 am until midnight,
with a maximum of two (2) employees at any given time. The 895 square foot space in
Suite A is expected to have a 15-person seating capacity. There will not be a drive-thru
window.
Two concrete parking areas exist on the property. There are eight (8) parking spaces in
7
FILE NO.: Z-9858-A
the (North) front and four (4) parking spaces in the (South) rear. Access drives from Oak
Lane serve both parking areas. Section 36-502 of the City's Zoning Ordinance
requires one (1) space per five hundred (square feet) of gross floor area for Office
and one (1) space for each one hundred (100) square feet of gross floor area for
restaurants. The proposed parking plan conforms to the City's Ordinance Code.
A Commercial dumpster will be placed on the northwest corner of the building and
will be screened and secured. A fence will be constructed along the southern
property line. Site lighting will be low and directed away from adjacent properties,
per Section 36-278 of the City Ordinance Code.
Staff is not supportive of the requested rezoning from 0-3 to PCD. Staff does not
feel that is represents an appropriate transition into a Single -Family Residential
area. South and Southeast of the property is zoned for R-2 consisting of single-
family homes. Staff feels that a business conforming to 0-3 would better serve as
a transition from Markham, a main arterial road, into the residential area. Staff does
not feel that it is appropriate to introduce commercial use at this location, a
relatively small property adjacent to single family use. Staff also has concerns with
the proposed hours of operation and parking. Although the number of parking
spaces conforms with typical ordinance requirements, staff does not feel that there
is adequate paved area in the rear parking area to allow vehicular maneuvering.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends denial of the requested PCD zoning.
PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 14, 2025)
The applicant was present. There were no persons registered in opposition. The
applicant presented their proposal for a two -suite cafe concept that would serve
various pastries and ice cream in one suite and the other suite would be used for office
use. After some discussion there was a motion to approve the application. There was
a second. The vote was (10) ayes, (0) nays and (1) absent. The motion passed. The
application was approved.
0