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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCBC-637-MEDICAL OFFICE Staff MinutesMay 07, 2015 ITEM NO. 1, C.B.C. 637 — NEW MATTERS Applicant: Address: Description: ORDINANCE REQUIRMENTS: Chapter 15, Sec. 15-96. Perimeter planting strips. White Daters. Owner AAA Group of Investors Developer Markus Construction LLC P.O. Box 241400 Little Rock, AR 72223 Agent Tim Daters White Daters & Associates, Inc. 124 Fillmore Street Strong and Waters Lot 7, Block 2 (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 and removal of a portion of the perimeter planting strip along the north and south property lines to less than the six (6) feet nine (9) inches that is typically required for developments in areas designated "mature" by the Department of Planning and Development and approved by the Planning Commission and the City Beautiful Commission. FINDINGS: The property located at 124 Fillmore Street is currently platted as residential lot zoned 0-3 General Office District. AAA Group of Investors proposes to remove the existing office building and construct a new MRI clinic. The facility will be located in the rear of the lot with the parking adjacent to the street. The structure is proposed with 2,000 gross square feet of building area. The property is located within the Mid -town Design Overlay District. To the south is a parking lot serving a rehabilitation facility located on West Markham Street. To the north is a multi -family building. Along Fillmore Street in this area is a mix of office and residential uses. To the west, across the alley, are multi -family units facing Pierce Street and across Pierce Street is the Mid -town shopping center. The site plan indicates the placement of nine (9) parking spaces. For an office use the zoning ordinance would typically require the placement of five (5) parking spaces. Staff does not feel the parking as indicated to be excessive. The existing trees located on the site will be removed to construct the new building. In addition the site plan indicates the placement of a five foot nine inch (5'9') landscape strip along the northern perimeter and the southern perimeter of the site adjacent to the building. The southern perimeter adjacent to the parking lot does not include a landscape strip. The site is located within the Designated Mature Area of the City which allows the landscape strip to be reduced to six feet nine inches (6'9") by the landscape ordinance. Plant material required for this perimeter area includes trees a minimum of two (2) inches in caliper spaced an average of not less than thirty (30) linear feet. Additionally, three (3) shrubs or vines a minimum of eighteen (18) inches in height at installation are also to be provided for every thirty (30) linear feet of perimeter planting strip The site plan review filed with the Planning Commission was placed on the April 23, 2015 Subdivision Hearing Agenda to request rezoning from 0-3, General Office to PD-O to allow the redevelopment of this site with a medical office clinic. Staff was supportive of this request and The Planning Commission voted to approve this request and it passed unanimously. In addition the Midtown Redevelopment District No. 1 Advisory Board reviewed the request at their April 3, 2015 meeting. The Advisory Board voted to support the request. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff is supportive of the request to allow the reduced perimeter landscape strips as purposed. The site abuts an existing paved parking lot to the south. The Midtown Design Overlay District requires pedestrian connectivity between the public sidewalk along the street and the entrance to the building. To accomplish this, the applicant has proposed to install a four (4) foot wide sidewalk along the south perimeter of the site; thus allowing safe connectivity rather than making pedestrians walk through the parking lot. The sidewalk is replacing what would have been the southern landscape strip.