Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHDC2006-013 Staff Analysis 1422 Townhomes Short-Form PD-R Located At 1414 South Rock Street 10/26/2006October 26, 2006 ITEM NO.: 20 FILE NO.: Z-8115 NAME: 1422 Townhomes Short -form PD-R LOCATION: Located at 1414 —1422 South Rock Street DEVELOPER: _ _ . Page Paul Dwellings, Inc. 5228 R Street Little Rock, AR 72207 ENGINEER: Crafton Tull and Associates 10825 Financial Center Parkway, Suite 300 Little Rock, AR 72211 AREA: 0.51 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 1 Zoning Lot FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF CURRENT ZONING: R-4, Two Family ALLOWED USES: Two-family residential PROPOSED ZONING: PD-R PROPOSED USE: Townhouse development — five units VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED: None requested. A. PROPOSAUREQUEST: The developer is proposing the construction of five two story adjoining town homes containing 1300 square feet with detached garages, interior courtyard and space for outdoor living. The concept of "Intown Living" will have a 25-foot front yard setback on Rock Street, 18-foot setback on 15th Street, 33-foot setback to the rear alley entrance and a 10-fpot setback that includes green space to the north property line. The building materials reflect the revival of mid-201n century and a new optimism of the future of MacArthur Park Historic District (i.e. (apartments at 418-422 15th Street). Inside the town homes will continue to stress the user-friendly green technologies like; CFL lighting, low -volatile paints, European shower heads, self -programmable thermostats, IKEA kitchens and scored concrete floors. Outside green space will include green fences for privacy October 26, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 20 Cont. FILE NO.: Z-8115 at the rear of the garages, a permeable parking pad (gravel), plantings along the west edge of the rear alley, which will be the entrance and exit. Street trees within the City right-of-way will be planted along the roadways with the aid of Tree Streets. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site is currently vacant. The area is predominately residential with a scattering of single-family and multi -family units. The site is located in the MacArthur Park Historic District. Two blocks west of the site is Main Street with a number of office and commercial businesses. A number of the homes in the area were damaged or destroyed by a tornado a few years ago. C. NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS: The MacArthur Park Property Owners Association, the East of Broadway Neighborhood Association, all ownrs of property located within 200 feet of the site and all residents, who could be identified, located within 300 feet of the site were notified of the public hearing. As of this writing, staff has received several informational phone calls from area residents. D. ENGINEERING COMMENTS: Public Works: 1. A 20 foot radial dedication of right-of-way is required at the intersection of Rock Street and East 15th Street. 2. With site development, provide the design of the street conforming to the Master Street Plan. Construct one-half street improvements to East 15th and Rock Streets including 5-foot sidewalks with the planned development. 3. Alley must be improved with at least 18 feet of asphalt pavement for the length of the property. E. UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING: Wastewater: Sewer available to this property. Entergy: No comment received. Center -Point Energy: No comment,received. AT & T: No comment received. Central Arkansas Water: All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding the size and location of the water meters. 2 October 26, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 20 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-8115 Fire Department: Place fire hydrants per code. Contact the Little Rock Fire Department for additional information. County Planning: No comment. CATA: The site is located on a dedicated CATA Bus Route #6 — the Granite Mountain Route. F. ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN: Planning Division: This request is located in the Central City Planning District. The Land Use Plan shows Low Density Residential for this property. The applicant has applied for a rezoning to Planned Residential Development to allow the placement of five two-story, multi -family residential dwellings, each containing a detached garage. The request does not require a change to the Land Use Plan. Master Street Plan: South Rock Street and East 15th Street are both shown as Local Streets on the Master Street Plan. These streets may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements. The primary function of a Local Street is to provide access tG adjacent properties. Bicycle Plan: A Class III bike route is shown one block east of Rock Street on Commerce Street. A Class III bike route is also shown two blocks south of this site on East 17th Street and one block north of the site on Daisy Bates Drive. A Class III bikeway is a signed route on a street shared with traffic. City Recognized Neighborhood Action Plan: The applicant's property lies in the area covered by the Downtown Neighborhood Action Plan. The housing goal focuses on redeveloping this area of the city. It states a need to develop vacant and abandoned lots. It also states a need for the promotion of home ownership. This application, which is redeveloping vacant lots and will be for sale to individuals, fulfills these goals. Another goal for this neighborhood was to repopulate the area, which would require higher densities than the traditional single-family detached home in some areas. 3 October 26, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 20 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-8115 Landscat-e: 1. Compliance with the City's. landscape and buffer ordinances minimal standards is required. 2. Street trees are recommended along the perimeter streets. 3. A six (6) foot high opaque screen, either a wooden fence with its face side directed outward, a wall, or dense evergreen plantings, is required along the western perimeter of the property. The buffer ordinance requires that seventy percent (70 %) of this area remain undisturbed. 4. Additional landscaping may be required in conjunction with any new on site parking. 5. An automatic irrigation system to water landscaped areas will be required. 6. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, it will be necessary to provide an approved landscape plan stamped with the seal of a Registered Landscape Architect. 7. The City Beautiful Commission recommends preserving as many existing trees as feasible on tree covered sites. Credit toward fulfilling Landscape Ordinance requirements can be given when preserving trees of six (6) inch caliper or larger. G. SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT: (October 5, 2006) Mr. Page Wilson was present representing the request. Staff presented an overview of the proposed development indicating there were few outstanding issues associated with the request. Staff requested Mr. Wilson provide building elevations, construction materials and a dimensioned site plan. Staff also requested any proposed signage be included on the proposed site plan. Public Works comments were addressed. Staff stated a 20-foot radial dedication was required at the intersection of Rock and East 15t" Street. Staff stated the existing alley must be improved 16' a minimum of 18-feet of pavement for the length of the property. Landscaping comments were addressed. Staff stated screening would be required along the western perimeter of the property. Staff also noted street trees were encouraged. Staff noted the placement of the trees in the right-of-way would require a franchise agreement .with the City of Little Rock. Staff noted comments from the various other reporting departments and agencies suggesting the applicant contact them directly for additional information and clarification. There was no further discussion of the item. The Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action. IH October 26, 2006 SUBDIVISION ITEM NO.: 20 Cont. FILE NO.: Z-8115 H. ANALYSIS: The applicant submitted a revised site plan to staff addressing most of the issues raised at the October 5, 2006, Subdivision Committee meeting. The applicant has provided staff with a dimensioned site plan, construction materials and building elevations. The applicant has also indicated no signage will be utilized within the development. The building materials include stucco, James Hardie siding products, low-e metal casing windows and a distinctive lat-roof using membrane technology. The site plan indicates a 25-foot setback from Rock Street, 18-feet from 15th Street, 33-feet from the rear alley and a 10-foot setback from the north property line. The site plan includes 18.4 percent of the site as public open space and 33.8 percent as private open space. The site plan indicates a total building area of 22,500 square feet with each unit containing 3,753 square feet of building area including the living area, garage and patio area. The units are proposed with two car garages accessed from the existing alley. The typical minimum parking required for a multi -family development would be one and one-half spaces per unit or seven spaces. The indicated parking is more than adequate to serve the needs of the development. The screening of the patio areas is proposed as "green fencing". The site plan indicates the fencing will be placed to separate the individual patio areas and offer privacy to the homeowner. The fencing will be a maximum of six feet in height. Staff is supportive of the proposed request. The proposed site plan indicates the placement of owner occupied townhouse units on this site adding reinvestment into the area. The site is located within the MacArthur Park Historic District. Prior to the item being forwarded to the Board of Directors for final action, the Historic District Commission will review the request to determine if the building deign and construction materials are compatible with minimum standards. To staff's knowledge there are no outstanding issues associated with the request. Staff feels the development as proposed should have minimal impact on the area. STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Staff recommends approval of the request subject to compliance with the comments and conditions as outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the above agenda staff report. 5 s w moor 59Eru 1b. ROCK STREET Z-8115 0 TOWNHOMES 0 SHORT —FORM PD—R C)