HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC2001-008 Staff Report And Recommendations Prepared By Anne Guthrie 06/01/2001City of Little Rock
t;wlk HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
STAFF REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
PREPARED BY: V. Anne Guthrie DATE: 1 June 2001
APPLICANT: -City of Little Rock -- CURRAN HALL
ADDRESS: 615 E. Capitol & 600 Ferry
COA REQUEST: Amendment to approved COA and new construction of a fourteen -spaced
parking lot for the Visitor's Center
PROJECT BACKGROUND, DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS: The subject properties are
located north of I-630. Curran Hall (615 E. Capitol) is located across the street from the new
post office and 600 Ferry is located southeast of Curran on the southwest corner of 6th and Ferry
streets. Curran is the district's oldest extant structure and is in the process of being rehabilitated
to serve as the city's Visitor Center. The three lots on Ferry were purchased by the city in 1996 to
serve as Center parking. The area land use is as follows: a county office west of Curran; an office
and single-family on the northwest corner of 6th and Ferry; apartments to the west on the south
side of 6th; and four single-family houses on Ferry.
The project request involves amending the previously approved COA for on -site parking south of
Curran and constructing a new parking lot at 600 Ferry, which consists of three lots. The project
entails the construction of parking for the Visitor Center; the lot is located about 100' southeast
of Curran. The parking lot has fourteen parking spaces, at 45' angle, with four horizontal spaces
for RVs along the west side of the lot. Each 45' space is 9' x 18.9' with nine along the east side;
the remaining five spaces are in the middle, with a landscaped island on each end (north and
side). There are two curb cuts: one on 6th, which is 28' wide and approximately 32' from the
corner at Ferry; the cut on Ferry is 16' wide and located on the south end of the lot. There is a 6'
fence on the west; an existing privacy fence is on the south. Both lots are concrete and meet
city's standards for landscaping of parking lots.
The district's design guidelines for parking lots, on page 45, state that the lot: should not be
located in front yards of houses (project complies); should be gravel or smooth concrete instead
of asphalt, aggregate (project complies); should be screened through plantings of hedges, shrubs,
trees or fences at edges and in medians within (project complies); for commercial uses, should be
located in rear yards if possible, but when necessary in a side yard, should be located no closer
than the front wall of the structure (not applicable); on vacant lots between buildings should
align edge screening with front facades of adjacent buildings (not applicable); and lastly, on
corner lots should have edge screening on both the primary and secondary streets (project
complies). The project complies with four criteria; the other two criteria do not apply.
NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACT AND REACTION: At the time of distribution, there were no
objections, by letter or phone, to the applicant's request.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: It is staff recommendation that the request to amend 615 E.
Capitol be approved and for parking on 6th and Ferry streets be approved conditionally:
should there be any alterations prior to or during construction, staff will be notified and
appropriate actions taken; and the landscaping will be maintained properly.