HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC2011-003 Land Use And Zoning InformationLAND USE AND ZONING
Objective: Establish a sustainable growth plan for the city, which will benefit these
neighborhoods.
• City directors should pass a sustainable growth plan ordinance.
Objective: Develop regulations modified for the special needs of older areas that have long
been developed.
• Repeat language of the River Market Design Guidelines in ordinance 17,240:
"Guidelines and strategies must be in place to protect the Downtown
Neighborhoods from the negative impact of poorly planned or incompatible
projects. Incompatible development has the potential to destroy the attributes that
will attract people to the Downtown Neighborhoods. Buildings, signs, street
furnishings and landscaping should all be designed to complement and encourage
pedestrian use during the day and night. Careful planning is necessary to insure
the proper placement of such items to avoid visual clutter."
• Review and remove spot zoning areas of unsuitable use, such as a block of C-3
commercial property that in fact has residences on the land, and which is surrounded
by other residences zoned residential, on East 21 st Street.
• Incorporate Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in the design
of new structures, modified as necessary to fit character of the neighborhood. (See
draft city ordinance.)
• Allow garages and storage buildings on lot lines (reduced setbacks).
• Encourage home -based occupations, a lower level of activity than a home business,
without the traffic or noise concerns of a home business.
• Encourage mixed -use (both residential and business) activity in small commercial
structures in residential blocks, but do not lift restrictions to protect homeowners
from traffic and noise.
• Review sign ordinances and consider changing sizes for commercial structures that
are out of character with the neighborhoods. For example, provide for no signs on
poles; for no backlit signs, favoring a directional light on the sign instead; and for no
spillover, favoring shaded lights instead that focus light where desirable, and avoid
light undesirable to neighbors. Many commercial firms are close, or even next door,
to residences in our neighborhoods, and these provisions would remove some
problems.
• Establish and enforce standards for minimum repair and appearance on commercial
structures.
• Support expanded application of design guidelines for new development.
Model Design Overlay Concept
The Downtown Neighborhoods are unique historic areas. Collectively, they
represent some of the most important phases in Little Rock's history, from the boom era of the
post -Civil War years to the tumultuous school integration period of the late 1950s.
23
All of this history is embodied in the neighborhoods' buildings, many of which already
are recognized landmarks. Dunbar Junior High School, the Villa Marre, Trinity Episcopal
Cathedral, the Hotze and Hornibrook Houses, and the Governor's Mansion are just a few of the
scores of significant structures in the Downtown Neighborhoods.
In recognition of the importance of preserving the historical and architectural character of
neighborhoods that are among the city's oldest, two sections of the Downtown Neighborhoods
presently receive some protection from harmful development. A small portion of the MacArthur
Park Historic District extends south of I-630, into the Downtown Neighborhoods, and the
Capitol Zoning Mansion Area encompasses about 90 square blocks surrounding the Governor's
Mansion. In both of these special districts, review procedures help to ensure that new
development enhances the neighborhoods' unique character rather than destroying it.
Very detailed architectural guidelines such as those followed in the MacArthur Park
Historic District and the Mansion Area probably are not warranted in most other sections of the
Downtown Neighborhoods. However, some level of protection is needed to prevent, or at least
to provide an opportunity to modify, new development of the type that recently occurred at 15th
and Rock Streets, a project which clearly does not "fit" the neighborhood and was strenuously
opposed by neighbors -- but was allowed by city zoning.
A "design overlay" for the Downtown neighborhoods would enable residents to monitor
development proposals and participate in their review. Design standards would concentrate on
the major features of new construction --siting, height and width, roofline, materials, placement
and proportions of windows and doors, parking --rather than on the smaller details that
sometimes consume time in the MacArthur Park Historic District and the Mansion Area. The
object would not be to stop new development but to make sure new development strengthens
and enhances the Downtown Neighborhoods.
Siting
New buildings should be positioned on their sites in a manner similar to nearby existing
buildings. In a residential area, this means having the same front- and sideyard setbacks as
surrounding houses; in a commercial district, it may mean having no setbacks at all.
Height and Width (Proportion)
In order to fit into an established neighborhood, the height/width ratios, or proportions, of new
buildings should mimic those of existing buildings. In the Downtown Neighborhoods, this
generally will mean that new buildings that are wide and low should be discouraged because the
majority of existing late-19th and early-20th century buildings are more vertical in proportion
than horizontal.
Roofline
Shape
The shape of the roof of a new building should be similar to roofs of existing buildings. Gabled
and hipped roofs predominate on houses in the Downtown neighborhoods; roofs of other shapes
(flat, mansard, etc.) Should be discouraged on new houses.
Pitch
24
The pitch, or degree of slope, of a roof is a critical element in the design of houses and other
buildings that will be located in a residential setting. Existing houses in the Downtown
Neighborhoods generally have steeply -pitched roofs; lower rooflines should be discouraged in
new construction.
Materials
Wood is the predominant building material in the Downtown Neighborhoods, with the majority
of existing houses being sheathed in clapboard siding. A number of brick houses and commercial
also are present. New construction generally should employ these materials --wood and/or brick --
and avoid other types of materials that have not traditionally been used in the Downtown
Neighborhoods (stucco or Dryvit; stone; concrete block; aluminum, vinyl, and steel siding, etc.)
Windows and Doors
Fenestration --the arrangement, proportions and design of windows and doors --is an important
design element that often is given little consideration in new construction. The fenestration of
new buildings should be similar to that of existing buildings in the Downtown Neighborhoods.
Generally, this will mean generously -sized window and door openings that are taller than they
are wide; placing several door and/or window openings in all facades (i.e., no blank walls); and
having a front door that faces the street and clearly says "this is the main entrance to this
house/building." (Note: New buildings sometimes have their main entrances off a parking lot
rather than facing the street. This arrangement definitely should be discouraged in the Downtown
Neighborhoods.)
Parking
The Downtown Neighborhoods developed before automobiles became the primary mode of
transportation for most people, so driveways, garages and parking lots are not part of the historic
development pattern of the neighborhoods. In order to accommodate cars without destroying the
historic character of the Downtown Neighborhoods, parking behind buildings should be
encouraged. Alley access to rear parking should be promoted. Front -yard parking should not be
allowed in either residential or commercial development.
25