LOCATION: Located at 8501 North Rodney Parham Road
DEVELOPER:
Steve
Ferguson
100
North Rodney Parham Road
Little
Rock, AR 72205-2434
ENGINEER:
Donald
Brooks Surveying
20820
Arch Street Pike
Hensley,
AR 72065
AREA:
0.25 acresNUMBER OF LOTS: 1FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF
CURRENT
ZONING: R-2, Single-family
ALLOWED
USES: Single-family residential
PROPOSED
ZONING: PD-O
PROPOSED
USE: Quiet Office
VARIANCES/WAIVERS
REQUESTED:None requested.
BACKGROUND:
A
request to rezone the site from R-2, Single-family to O-1, Quite Office District
was denied by the Little Rock Planning Commission at their May 30, 1989, public
hearing.The request was not
appealed to the Little Rock Board of Directors.
A.PROPOSAL/REQUEST:
The
applicant is requesting a PD-O zoning classification to allow the conversion of
an existing single-family structure into a quiet office uses.The applicant has indicated the property located at 8501 North Rodney
Parham Road is approximately 300-feet north of the Rodney Parham and Markham
Street intersection.The applicant
has stated the structure is the only residence facing Rodney Parham on the West
side of the road before intersecting with Markbrook Lane.
The
applicant has indicated his business is a two-person Shelter Insurance office,
which has been in the same location for 18 years.The applicant has indicated the hours of operation are from 9:00 am to
5:00 pm Monday through Friday.The
applicant stated due to the nature and clientele of their small insurance
agency, only 15 – 20 clients actually come into the office monthly.The applicant has indicated most work is done at the client’s residence
or by fax and mail.
The
applicant has stated their intent is not to disrupt or distract from the area,
but to enhance the overall appearance of the area.The applicant has indicated their interest is enhancing the look of the
structure and being aesthetically pleasing to the surrounding homes.The applicant has indicated shutters and shrubs will be added
to the outside of the structure adding charm and remaining a “home-like”
appearance.The applicant has also
indicated the structure will remain residential on the interior as well; leaving
the kitchen and both bathrooms as they would be if a resident lived in the
structure.
B.EXISTING CONDITIONS:
The
site contains an existing, vacant, single-family structure.There are single-family homes abutting the site to the west, accessed
from Markbrook Lane, and single-family homes located across Rodney Parham Road
to the northeast.To the south of
the site is a multi-story office building and to the southeast of the site is a
commercial center.
C.NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS:
As
of this writing staff has received several informational phone calls from area
residents.The Briarwood
Neighborhood Association, the Pennbrook/Clover Hills Property Owners
Association, all property owners located within 200-feet of the site and all
residents located within 300-feet of the site were notified of the public
hearing.
D.ENGINEERING COMMENTS:
Rodney
Parham Road is classified on the Master Street Plan as a minor arterial.The 5' additional right-of-way will be acceptable.
All
driveways shall be concrete aprons per City Ordinance.Add radius of 10 feet minimum for commercial access.
Repair
or replace any curb and gutter or sidewalk that is damaged in the public
right-of-way prior to occupancy.
Obtain
permits prior to doing any street cuts or curb cuts. Obtain barricade
permit prior to doing any work in the right-of-way. Contact Traffic
Engineering at (501) 379-1817 (Derrick Bergfield) for more information.
E.UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING:
Wastewater:Existing sewer main located on site.No building construction allowed in existing easement.If frame building exists it should be removed to a location outside of
the sewer easement.Contact the Little Rock Wastewater Utility at 688-1414 for
additional information.
Entergy:Approved as submitted.
Center-Point
Energy:Approved as submitted.
SBC:No comment received.
Central
Arkansas Water:No objection.
Fire
Department:Approved as
submitted.
County
Planning:No
comment.
CATA:The site is located near CATA Bus Route #8 – the
Rodney Parham Route.
F.ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN:
Planning
Division:This request is located
in the West Little Rock Planning District.The Land Use Plan shows Single Family for this property.The applicant has applied for a POD for insurance office in an existing
home.
A
Land Use Plan amendment for a change to Suburban Office is a separate item on
this agenda (File No. LU05-03-01).
Master
Street Plan:Rodney
Parham Road is shown as a Minor Arterial and Markbrook Lane is shown as a Local
Street on the Master Street Plan.A
Minor Arterial provides connections to and through an urban area and their
primary function is to provide short distance travel within the urbanized area.The primary function of a Local Street is to provide access to adjacent
properties.
These
streets may require dedication of right-of-way and street and sidewalk
improvements.
Bicycle
Plan:Existing or proposed Class I,
II, or III Bikeways are not in the immediate vicinity of the development.
City
Recognized Neighborhood Action Plan:The
applicant’s property lies in the area covered by the West Markham Neighborhood
Action Plan.The Land Use Goal
states: “Use existing vacant structures to house new businesses so that the
current commercial/residential ratio in the neighborhood is kept intact,” with
an objective, “Prevent conversion of residential property into non-residential
uses.”The Action statements
“Limit expansion of non-residential development to areas shown as
non-residential on the Future Land Use Plan,” and “limit businesses to areas
zoned for non-residential activity,” supports this objective.The Infrastructure Goal is to “Build a better and safer neighborhood
with sidewalks, street lights and an adequate drainage system,” and listed
several objectives and action statements related to the conditions of sidewalks
in the area.”Any redevelopment
in the area should help to repair existing sidewalks and fill in gaps that exist
in the area.With new curbs,
gutters, and sidewalks drainage, pedestrian circulation, and aesthetics could
improve in the area.
Landscape:The plan submitted does not consistently provide for the required minimum
9-foot wide street and land use buffers.To
satisfy these requirements, only three additional parking spaces could be added.
A
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 sites
western perimeter.
The
applicant was present representing the request.Staff stated the request was to allow the placement of an insurance
office in this currently vacant single-family structure.Staff noted there were additional items necessary to complete the review
process and requested the applicant provide details concerning any proposed
signage, fencing and dumpster locations.Staff
also requested the applicant provide the total square footage of the existing
structure and dimension all building setbacks.
Public
Works comments were addressed.Staff
noted Rodney Parham Road was classified on the Master Street Plan as a minor
arterial and the indicated five foot additional right-of-way dedication was
acceptable.Staff also stated all
curb, gutter and sidewalk that was damaged in the right-of-way would require
repair or replacement prior to occupancy.
Landscaping
comments were addressed.Staff
stated the areas did not consistently provide for the required minimum 9-foot
wide street buffer.Staff noted the
area to the south was zoned O-3, which would not require a land use buffer but
would require a landscape strip of six feet nine inches.Staff stated screening would be required along
the western perimeter of the site adjacent to the single-family zoned
properties.
Staff
noted comments from the various other reporting departments and agencies
indicating the applicant should contact them individually for further
clarification.There was no further
discussion of the item.The
Committee then forwarded the item to the full Commission for final action.
H.ANALYSIS:
The
applicant submitted a revised site plan to staff addressing most of the issues
raised at the February 10, 2005, Subdivision Committee meeting.The applicant has indicated a single ground mounted sign will be
installed along the northern side of the driveway.The applicant has indicated the sign pole will be two feet in
height and not exceed three feet by four feet in sign area.The applicant has also indicated building signage will be added to the
north and south sides of the structure.The
applicant has indicated the building signage will be two feet by three feet.
The
applicant has indicated fencing will be added to the western and southern
perimeters of the site.The revised
site plan indicates the fence will be constructed of wood and is proposed as a
six-foot fence.The applicant has
also increased the landscaped areas adjacent to Rodney Parham Road.The indicated site plan includes the placement of a minimum
of ten feet of landscaping.The
applicant has indicated the area to the south will maintain a six foot nine inch
minimum landscaped strip, consistent with ordinance requirement.The applicant has indicated a dumpster will not be utilized on the site.
The
site plan includes the total square footage of the house.The existing structure contains 1208 square feet.The site plan includes the placement of four on-site parking spaces.Based on the total square footage of the structure, three parking spaces
would typically be required.The
applicant has also indicated building setbacks from property lines, as requested
by staff.
Staff
is not supportive of the applicant’s request.The site is shown as Single Family on the City’s Future Land Use Plan,
which is not consistent with the applicant’s request.Although the site is located adjacent to non-residential uses to the
south, there are currently single-family homes located across Rodney Parham and
the site has a rear yard relationship to single-family homes to the west.Staff feels the site is a critical site in maintaining the residential
fabric of the neighborhood.There
are a number of homes, which have converted to office uses in the area, most of
which do not have the relationship to single-family as this structure.Staff feels this site would better serve the
neighborhood as a residence.In
addition, an attempt was made to rezone the site to O-1, Quiet Office in 1989
and the Commission recommended denial of the request.Staff does not feel there has been a significant change in the
neighborhood that would warrant supporting this rezoning request.
