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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC minutes 021926February 12, 2026 ITEM NO.: 3 FILE NO.: Z-10234 NAME: Apex Duplexes – Conditional Use Permit LOCATION: 3800 Block of Elam Street (westside) & SWC of Elam Street & W. 39th Street OWNER/AGENT: Kendel Grooms, ESQ. (Agent) 32 Caurel Court Little Rock, AR 72223 Ryan Brooks (owner) SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: Bond Consulting Engineers, Inc. 2601 T.P. White Drive Jacksonville, AR 72076 AREA: 1.07 acres NUMBER OF LOTS: 7 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: 6 CURRENT ZONING: R-3 A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant is requesting a conditional use permit to develop a total of 1.07 acres for seven (7) duplexes. The property is comprised of seven (7) platted lots, located along the west side of the 3800 Block of Elam Street and the SWC corner of Elam Street and W. 39th Street. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: The application includes seven (7) lots on the west side of Elam Street from 3800 Elam Street to 3822 Elam Street and 3900 Elam Street. Six of the seven lots are vacant, grass covered and undeveloped. The corner lot located at 3800 Elam Street is occupied by a one-story 1,236 square-foot single-family residential home. The front and back yards are fenced in and there are several mature trees on the property. The Future Land Use shows Residential Low Density, “RL”. The current zoning is R-3. February 12, 2026 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10234 2 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 DIVISION): No Comments. ENGINEERING COMMENTS (PUBLIC WORKS): 1. Elam St. is classified on the Master Street Plan as a residential street. A dedication of right-of-way 25 feet from centerline will be required. 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: NO OBJECTIONS; All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met Fire Department: All projects submitted for zoning approval must comply with the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, 2021 Edition, including any comments or requirements provided by the Little Rock Fire Marshal's Office, prior to acceptance. Maintain Access: Fire Hydrants. Maintain fire apparatus access roads at fire hydrant locations as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.1 Access road width with a hydrant. Where a fire hydrant is located on a fire apparatus access road, the minimum road width shall be 26 feet, exclusive of shoulders. Grade Maintain fire apparatus access roads as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D103.2 Grade. Fire apparatus access roads shall not exceed 10 percent in grade except as approved by the fire chief. If the grade February 12, 2026 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10234 3 exceeds 10 percent, approval will be denied and the applicant must submit request to be reviewed by Fire Chief for Approval. Loading Maintain fire apparatus access road design as per Appendix D of the 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Vol. 1 Section D102.1 Access and loading. Facilities, buildings or portions of buildings hereafter constructed shall be accessible to fire department apparatus by way of an approved fire apparatus access road with an asphalt, concrete or other approved driving surface capable of supporting the imposed load of fire apparatus weighing at least 75,000 pounds. F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Codes: No comments received. Landscape: No Comments. G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No comments received. Planning Division: The request is in District 10, the Boyle Park Planning District. The development principles of this district include developing facilities for all modes of transportation, retaining land in environmentally sensitive areas as open space—especially along Rock Creek—and limiting commercial development along John Barrow Road to between 32nd and 37th Streets. The Land Use Plan shows Residential Low Density (RL) use for the application area. The Residential Low Density (RL) category provides for single-family homes at densities not to exceed 6 dwelling units per acre. Such residential development is typically characterized by conventional single-family homes but may also include patio or garden homes and cluster homes, provided that the density remains less than 6 units per acre. The application is for a CUP for seven duplexes. Surrounding the application area is an area designated for Residential Low Density (RL) use and is characterized by single-family homes, duplexes, and churches. This site is not located in an Overlay District. February 12, 2026 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10234 4 Land Use Plan: Master Street Plan: Elam St. is a local street on the Master Street Plan. Local Streets are roads designed to provide access to adjacent property with the movement of traffic being a secondary purpose. The standard Right-of-way is 50’. Sidewalks are required on one side. This street may require dedication of right-of-way and may require street improvements. W. 39th Street has dedicated public right of way but is not constructed. Bicycle Plan: Elam St. 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 requesting a conditional use permit to develop a total of 1.07 acres for seven (7) duplexes. The property is comprised of seven (7) platted lots, located along the west side of the 3800 Block of Elam Street and the SWC corner of Elam Street and W. 39th Street. The application includes seven (7) lots on the west side of Elam Street from 3800 Elam Street to 3822 Elam Street and 3900 Elam Street. Six of the seven lots are vacant, grass covered and undeveloped. The corner lot located at 3800 Elam Street is occupied by a one-story 1,236 square-foot single-family residential home. The front and back yards are fenced in and there are several mature trees on the property. The Future Land Use shows Residential Low Density, “RL”. The current zoning is R-3. Each of the seven (7) duplexes will be one-story structures. Each unit will be 1,089 square feet with a 6.7-foot front porch facing east towards Elam Street. Section 36-502 requires three (3) off-street parking spaces for each duplex for the proposed development. Each duplex has a parking pad consisting of 4 parking spaces with access from Elam Street. February 12, 2026 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10234 5 The site plan shows each duplex having a forty-six (46) foot setback from the east (front) property line, a six (6) foot setback from the north and south property lines, and a thirty-one and a half (31.5) foot setback from the west (rear) property line. Each duplex meets setback requirements notated in Section 36-255. Each building will not exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height. The applicant notes typical building materials will include a concrete slab foundation and exterior siding predominately being board and batten vinyl siding, with the potential for some brick accents on portions of the building. The applicant proposes laying Bermuda grass for landscaping on each lot. Site lighting must be low-level and directed away from adjacent properties. Each individual unit will have its own trash and recycle bin for collection. Any fencing constructed will comply with Section 36-516 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance. To staff’s knowledge, there are no outstanding issues associated with this application. Staff feels that the proposed duplex for each lot is an appropriate use for the subject properties. Staff feels the proposed use will have minimal impact within the general area and will serve the community with clean, affordable housing. Staff feels the proposed use will have no adverse impact on the surrounding properties. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the proposed conditional use permit, subject to compliance with the comments and conditions outlined in paragraphs D and E, and the staff analysis, of the agenda staff report. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (DECEMBER 11, 2025) The applicant was present. There were two (2) persons registered in opposition. The item was taken off the Consent Agenda and opened for discussion. Sandy Becker and Hui Romero both expressed concerns that insufficient information had been presented to understand the impact of the proposed development. Mr. Becker wanted to understand how the duplexes would fit on the land and how the duplexes would be oriented on the lots. Kendal Grooms, agent for the applicant, February 12, 2026 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10234 6 said that he would be willing to defer the item until the February 12, 2026 agenda so that he could address the parking pads being in the front as opposed to the rear of the duplexes as well as provide renderings of the proposed duplexes. After some discussion, there was a motion to approve the requested deferral. There was a second. The vote was (9) ayes, (0) noes, and (2) open positions. The motion passed. The application was deferred to the February 12, 2026 Planning Commission agenda. STAFF UPDATE: The applicant submitted a revised site plan to staff on January 22, 2026. The revised plan eliminates the proposed duplex structures on the two (2) northernmost lots. There is an existing single-family home on these two (2) lots which the applicant plans to refurbish for continued use as a single-family residence. The revised site plan for the five (5) remaining lots continues to propose a duplex for each lot, with the following changes: 1. Each proposed duplex has been pulled 18 feet closer to each front (east) property line, with the proposed front setback of 30 feet. 2. A double driveway from Elam Street is proposed for each lot. 3. Each driveway will access a parking pad for two (2) vehicles in front of each duplex unit. 4. Landscaped areas will be provided between each parking pad. Staff continues to support the proposed conditional use permit application as previously noted. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (FEBRUARY 12, 2026) The applicant was present. There was two (2) persons registered in opposition. Staff presented the item, it was taken off the Consent Agenda and opened for discussion. Sandy Becker expressed concerns on the density of the project and the way the development appeared more as apartment buildings than residential housing. Ashley Romero and Sandy Becker both expressed the development of February 12, 2026 ITEM NO.: 3 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10234 7 the duplexes would change the characteristics of the neighborhood. Ashely Romero expressed concerns of safety in regard to the tenants occupying the duplexes. There was a motion to approve the application. There was a second. The vote was eight (8) ayes, zero (0) nays, two (2) absent. and one (1) open position. The motion passed. The application was approved.