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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 082125August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 FILE NO.: Z-10128-A NAME: Orndorff #1 – PD-R LOCATION: SEC of E. 21st Street & Bragg Street DEVELOPER: Mike Orndorff 609 E. 16th Street Little Rock, AR 72202 OWNER/AUTHORIZED AGENT: GarNat Engineering (Agent) PO Box 116 Bryant, AR 72015 SURVEYOR/ENGINEER: GarNat Engineering PO Box 116 Bryant, AR 72015 AREA: 0.16 acre NUMBER OF LOTS: 5 FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF WARD: 1 PLANNING DISTRICT: 8 CENSUS TRACT: 46 CURRENT ZONING: R-4 A. PROPOSAL/REQUEST/APPLICANT’S STATEMENT: The applicant is proposing to rezone a 0.16 acre site from R-4 to PD-R. The property is proposed to be replatted into five (5) separate lots that will contain a 5- unit, attached multi-family residential development. The applicant will not reside on the property and intends to market each unit for lease/sale in the future. B. EXISTING CONDITIONS: Properties surrounding the site contain a mixture of zoning and uses in all directions. August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 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): 1. Drives may not exceed 40% of the lot width. 2. Contact Planning and Development Dept., Engineering Division at 501-371- 4817 or at 501-918-5348 for inspections of any work in the public right-of-way prior to placement of concrete or asphalt or for on-site clarification of requirements prior to commencing work. Failure to do so can result in removal of any improperly placed concrete or asphalt at the expense of the owner or contractor. 3. Hauling of cut and/or fill material on or off project sites over municipal streets require approval prior to a grading permit being issued. Contact Public Works Traffic Engineering at 621 S. Broadway 501-379-1800 with any questions or for more information. 4. Damage to public and private property due to hauling operations or operations of construction related equipment from a construction site shall be repaired by the responsible party prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. ENGINEERING COMMENTS (PUBLIC WORKS): No comments. E. UTILITIES/FIRE DEPARTMENT/PARKS/COUNTY PLANNING: Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority: 1. Please submit plans to evaluate sewer capacity Entergy: No comments received. Summit Utilities: No comments. AT & T: No comments received. August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 3 Central Arkansas Water: 1. All Central Arkansas Water requirements in effect at the time of request for water service must be met. 2. The Little Rock Fire Department needs to evaluate this site to determine whether additional public and/or private fire hydrant(s) will be required. If additional fire hydrant(s) are required, they will be installed at the Developer's expense. 3. Please submit plans for water facilities and/or fire protection system to Central Arkansas Water for review. Plan revisions may be required after additional review. Contact Central Arkansas Water regarding procedures for installation of water facilities and/or fire service. Approval of plans by the Arkansas Department of Health Engineering Division and Little Rock Fire Department is required. 4. If there are facilities that need to be adjusted and/or relocated, contact Central Arkansas Water. That work would be done at the expense of the developer. 5. Due to the nature of this facility, installation of an approved reduced pressure zone backflow preventer assembly (RPZ) is required on the domestic water service. This assembly must be installed prior to the first point of use. Central Arkansas Water (CAW) requires that upon installation of the RPZA, successful tests of the assembly must be completed by a Certified Assembly Tester licensed by the State of Arkansas and approved by CAW. The test results must be sent to CAW's Cross Connection Section within ten days of installation and annually thereafter. Contact the Cross Connection Section at 377-1226 if you would like to discuss backflow prevention requirements for this project. 6. Fire sprinkler systems which do not contain additives such as antifreeze shall be isolated with a double detector check valve assembly. If additives are used, a reduced pressure zone backflow preventer shall be required. Fire Department: 1. Full Plan Review F. BUILDING CODES/LANDSCAPE: Building Codes: As per 2021 Arkansas Fire Prevention Code Volume III R302.1(1) Single Family Dwellings have the following requirements when dealing with Dwellings that are closer than 7’ from the property line: If the soffit assembly extends inside of 5’ from the property line, it must be constructed with fire treated materials. 5/8” Type “X” Drywall, stucco, fire treated plywood or some other fire treated material on underside of the soffit, fire treated fascia, elimination of soffit vents and gable vents August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 4 and crawl space vents on the affected portion of the wall. Note: Vents must be relocated to ensure proper venting of the attic space. Exceptions to this are to fire block this section of the exterior wall from the top plate to the underside of the roof decking and to fire caulk the blocking at all joints. Townhomes require installation as per posted document on LR.gov. a. Townhouse Construction as per City of Littlerock and 2021 AFPC Townhouse Construction Requirements for the City of Little Rock, Arkansas 1. Framing Requirements: a. All Townhomes shall be constructed with 2-Hour Fire Barrier Wall extending through the roof and exterior walls or from the slab to the roof deck and front walls with a 1-Hour extension on both sides of the wall for 48” on the walls and 48” on the roof structure. i. Doors must be fire rated if they are installed in the wall. ii. Overhead doors are not allowed to be installed in the fire rated wall section listed above. b. 2-Hour Fire Barrier Walls shall be independently constructed from all roof and floor loads and must remain standing throughout a fire event. No framing members are allowed to pass through the fire wall. c. No power, gas, sewer, water, phone, security wiring, is allowed to be installed in the 2-Hour fire barrier walls. No exceptions. d. 2-Hour wall must extend out into the soffit to the back of the sub-fascia and down to the bottom of the soffit. e. Soffit Vents must be broken 48” from each side of the 2-hour fire barrier wall. f. Ridge Vents must be broken 48” from each side of the 2-hour fire barrier wall. 2. Utilities: g. Electrical i. Separate Electrical Services are required. Each unit must have its own separate electric meter and disconnecting means on the outside of the unit. ii. No electrical allowed in 2-hour fire barrier walls. h. Water i. A single water meter is allowed but water must enter each unit from the outside with a water box / valve / union assembly before entering the unit. ii. Each unit requires its own water heater. i. Sanitary Sewer August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 5 i. A single sanitary sewer service is allowed in units that are leased to the occupants. ii. Each unit individually owned must have its own sanitary sewer service. iii. Each unit individually owned where the yard is also owned must have its own individual sanitary service on the property under ownership. iv. Cleanouts required at the entry and exit from the building. j. Natural Gas i. A single natural gas meter is allowed in buildings that are leased to the occupants or units where the building unit is owned but not the yard. ii. Gas Service must enter each unit from the outside and have a shutoff on the outside of each unit. iii. Each unit individually owned where the yard is also owned must have its own natural gas service meter and service. Services must be contained within each individual yard. k. HVAC i. All units must have their own designated HVAC System. No sharing within the overall building or yard area. NOTE: A site utility plan is required for all townhouse construction. NOTE: Townhouse construction requires separately derived utility services for Electrical, Water, Sanitary Sewer, Natural Gas and HVAC with all systems contained in front / back yard building lines extending to a shared utility easement. NOTE: If Townhouse Units cannot comply with utility requirements they are classified as condominiums and are required to have fire sprinkler installations throughout and are allowed to be separated by 1-hour fire walls. Landscape: No comments received. G. TRANSPORTATION/PLANNING: Rock Region Metro: No comments received. Planning Division: The request is in the Central City Planning District, District 8. The development principles for this district include encouraging infill development, encouraging August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 6 neighborhood oriented commercial uses; and improving street and drainage facilities. The Land Use Plan shows Residential Low (RL) density use for the requested area. The Residential Low (RL) density use 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 Planned Development-Residential. August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 7 To the east, south and west of the application is Residential Low (RL) use characterized by single-family homes, with four vacant lots to the south. Across E 21st Street to the north is an area of Mixed Use (MX) use with a vacant hotel. The Mixed Use (MX) category provides for a mixture of residential, office and commercial uses to occur. This site is not located in an Overlay District. Master Street Plan: E. 21st Street and Bragg Street are designated as 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. E. 21st Street and Bragg Street, at this location, have approximate right-of-ways of 60 feet. Currently, on-street parking is allowed on both sides of the E. 21st and Bragg Street. August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 8 Bicycle Plan: E. 21st Street and Bragg Street are not shown on the Master Bike Plan with existing or proposed facilities in this area. Historic Preservation Plan: The subject site is across E. 21st Street from the Red Carpet Inn (PU8884), located at 2020 Vance Street. The Red Carpet Inn was constructed in 1974 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 6, 2025. Designed by White, Pillert and Associates in the International style, the structure is significant for its role in African American history. It was built as the largest venture undertaken by a Black business group in Arkansas and organized by Dr. Jewell, a progressive August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 9 political leader trying to offer a better avenue for his constituents in a still-racially divided post-Civil Rights South. The Historic Preservation Plan advocates for increased effectiveness and coordination with the review of development plans. Staff advocates that the proposed rehabilitation of the site consider its potential adverse impacts to adjacent historic sites. Staff finds the infill proposal will not adversely affect the existing historic fabric and context of the area. H. ANALYSIS: The applicant is proposing to rezone a 0.16 acre site from R-4 to PD-R. The property is proposed to be replatted into five (5) separate lots that will contain a 5- unit, attached multi-family residential development. The applicant will not reside on the property and intends to market each unit for lease/sale in the future. Properties surrounding the site contain a mixture of zoning and uses in all directions. The building will contain five (5), two-story, single-family units. Each unit will be 1,320 square feet in area with a patio along the north property line facing E. 21st Street. Section 36-502 requires one (1) parking space for each unit for the proposed development. The applicant’s response to required off-street parking states “lots are wide enough to support street parking.” Staff does not support the parking plan and suggests that the applicant provide off-street parking as required by code. The site plan shows the building will have a twenty-one (21) foot setback from the west property line, eight (8) feet from the east property line, five (5) feet from the north property line and ten (10) feet from the south property line. The building shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet in height. The applicant notes typical building materials will include asphalt shingles, a brick façade with the three (3) sides being vinyl siding. The applicant did not provide a response to staff regarding the maintenance of common areas, if any, and required landscaping on the property. The applicant notes that a dumpster will not be placed on the site for trash collection and that standard city trash pick-up be utilized. If a dumpster is placed on the site at any time in the future, it must be screened and comply with Section 36-523 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance. Site lighting must be low-level and directed away from adjacent properties August 14, 2025 ITEM NO.: 17 (Cont.) FILE NO.: Z-10128-A 10 The applicant is not proposing any signs at this time. Any future signs placed on the property must comply with Section 36-551 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance (signs permitted in residential one – and two – family zones). Staff does not support the proposed PD-R rezoning. Although the proposed development will not be out of character with the development pattern in the area, staff feels that the proposed site development is overdeveloped in a manner that will not allow the development to comply with off-street parking typically required by code. Although the parking plan will create a minor increase in traffic, staff feels that the proposed parking plan may have an adverse impact on the surrounding properties, general city services and emergency vehicles that may need to access property along the right of way. I. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends denial of the requested PD-R rezoning. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: (AUGUST 14, 2025) The applicant was present. There were no persons registered in opposition. The applicant presented their proposal for a 5-unit, attached multi-family residential development. The Commission raised concerns of the trash storage for each unit. After some discussion there was a motion at the request of the Planning Commission to defer the application until the September 11, 2025 Planning Commission meeting so that a revised site plan could be provided. The applicant agreed. There was a second. The vote was (10) ayes, (0) nays and (1) absent. The motion passed. The application was deferred until September 11, 2025.