MARCH 3, 2005

ITEM NO.:     13                                                                                               

FILE NO.:      Z-6932-B 

NAME:           Arkansas Association of Nigerians Revised Short-form PCD

LOCATION:   Located at 9802 Geyer Springs Road

DEVELOPER:                                                  

Arkansas Association of Nigerians

P.O. Box 1925

Little Rock, AR 72203

ENGINEER:

Donald Brooks Surveying

20820 Arch Street Pike

Hensley, AR 72065

AREA: 0.43 acres                 NUMBER OF LOTS: 1                     FT. NEW STREET: 0 LF

CURRENT ZONING:             Revised PCD

ALLOWED USES:               Specified C-3, General Commercial District Uses

PROPOSED ZONING:         Revised PCD

PROPOSED USE:               Add fraternal organization to allowable uses

VARIANCES/WAIVERS REQUESTED:  None requested. 

BACKGROUND:

The property at 9802 Geyer Springs Road contains a 2,400 square foot commercial building and paved parking lot that were constructed prior to the property being annexed into the City in 1980.  The structure was built as a convenience store with gas pumps in the 1970’s.  Subsequent to the convenience store closing, the building has housed a procession of commercial uses including a restaurant, a bar and a pawnshop.  When the property was annexed into the City, it was zoned R-2 and rendered nonconforming.  The nonconforming C-3 status was maintained by the continuous occupancy of the site by the commercial uses.  On December 12, 2000, the Board of Directors adopted Ordinance No. 18,394 rezoning the site from R-2, Single-family to PCD.  The approved PCD utilized the existing as-built survey as the site plan and limited the uses of the property to a specific list of uses proposed by the applicant.  The approved PCD expressly prohibited any alcoholic beverage sales from the property.  The following listed uses were approved uses for the site:  Antique shop, Appliance repair, Barber and beauty shop, Cabinet and woodwork shop, Clothing store, Day nursery or day care center, Convenience store with gas pumps, Food store, Hobby shop, Key shop, Pawn shop, Photography studio, Secondhand store, Tool and equipment rental (inside only).   

Ordinance No. 18,536 adopted by the Little Rock Board of Directors on August 21, 2001, revised the previously approved PCD to allow the addition of eating place, inside to the permitted uses allowed for the site.  

A.        PROPOSAL/REQUEST:

The applicant is now requesting to amend the previously approved PCD to add fraternal organization to the allowable uses for the site.  The Arkansas Association of Nigerians has recently purchased the site and is requesting to utilize the site for their weekly meetings.   The applicant is requesting all previously approved uses continue to be allowable alternative uses for the site. 

The applicant’s cover letter indicates the membership is a non-profit organization and intends to utilize the property as a cultural center.  The applicant has indicated the building will also be used for educational purposes, with speakers coming from all over the world.  The applicant is not proposing any exterior modifications.  The site contains a twenty (20) space parking lot, which will be re-striped.  The applicant has indicated signage will remain as was previously approved or signage as allowed in commercial zones.  

B.        EXISTING CONDITIONS:

The property is located on the west side of Geyer Springs Road, several blocks south of Baseline Road.  Several tracts of undeveloped land and a developed residential neighborhood characterize the immediate area.  The properties adjacent to the north and west are undeveloped and zoned R-2, Single-family.  There is a church to the south.  To the east of the site, across Geyer Springs Road, is a single-family subdivision and an apartment complex. 

C.        NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTS:

Southwest Little Rock United for Progress, the OUR Neighborhood Association, the Santa Monica Neighborhood Association, all owners 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 not received any comment from area residents.

D.        ENGINEERING COMMENTS: 

1. Except for re-paving or re-striping the parking lot, no re-development of the site is apparently proposed.   With re-design of parking lot, driveway width must not exceed 36 feet.

E.        UTILITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT/COUNTY PLANNING:

Wastewater:  Sewer available, not adversely affected.

Entergy:    Approved as submitted.

Center-Point Energy:   Approved as submitted.

SBC:   Approved as submitted.

Central Arkansas Water:   No objection.

Fire Department:   Approved as submitted.

County Planning:       No comment.

CATA:     The site is not located on a dedicated CATA Bus Route. 

F.         ISSUES/TECHNICAL/DESIGN:

Planning Division:  This request is located in the Geyer Springs West Planning District.  The Land Use Plan shows Park / Open Space and Single Family for this property.  The applicant has applied for a revision to a PCD (Planned Commercial Development) for use of an existing building as a meeting place for a fraternal organization.

The proposal does not have a significant impact on the Land Use Plan, which would necessitate a Plan Amendment. 

Master Street Plan:  Geyer Springs Road is shown as a Minor Arterial on the Master Street Plan.   The purpose of a Minor Arterial is to provide connections to and through an urban area.   Geyer Springs Road may require dedication of right-of-way and street and sidewalk improvements.

Bicycle Plan:  A Class III Bikeway is shown along Valley Drive and on the proposed Valley Drive extension west.   A Class III Bikeway is a signed route on a street shared with traffic.  This application will not affect the proposed bikeway.

City Recognized Neighborhood Action Plan:  The applicant’s property lies in the area covered by the Cloverdale-Watson Neighborhood Action Plan.  The Economic Goal listed one objective relevant to this case: “Retain existing businesses and when necessary find new businesses to replace those which close.”  Since this building was once a convenience store and pawnshop the reuse is consistent with the neighborhood action plan.

Landscape:   No comment.

G.        SUBDIVISION COMMITTEE COMMENT:                              (February 10, 2005)

The applicant was not present.  Staff stated there were no remaining technical issues associated with the proposed request.  Staff noted the proposed request to the committee members present.  There was no further discussion of the item and the committee then forwarded the item to the full commission for final action. 

H.        ANALYSIS: 

Staff is supportive of the applicant’s request.  The applicant is now requesting to amend the previously approved PCD to add fraternal organization to the allowable uses for the site and to allow all the previously approved uses to continue as allowable alternative uses for the site. The Arkansas Association of Nigerians has recently purchased the site and is requesting to utilize the site for their weekly meetings.   The applicant has indicated the building will also be used for educational purposes, with speakers coming from all over the world. 

The applicant is not proposing any exterior modifications.  The site contains a twenty (20) space parking lot, which will be re-striped.  The applicant has also indicated signage will remain as was previously approved.  The previous approval included signage as allowed in commercial zones or a maximum of 36-feet in height and 160 square feet in area.  

Staff does not feel the use of the site as requested by the applicant for a non-profit organization as a fraternal organization meeting facility and cultural center will have a significant impact on the area. 

I.          STAFF RECOMMENDATION: 

Staff recommends approval of the request subject to compliance with the conditions outlined in paragraphs D, E and F of the above report.