PC Staff Report

11/16/05

ITEM NO. 18:           USE PERMITTED UPON REVIEW FOR LAWRENCE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL; NORTH OF W. 4^TH STREET & WEST OF MAINE STREET (LAP)

 

UPR-09-07-05: Revision to Use Permitted Upon Review for Lawrence Memorial Hospital Master Plan. The property is located north of W. 4th Street and west of Maine Street. Submitted by Landplan Engineering, P.A. for Lawrence Memorial Hospital. City of Lawrence is the property owner of record.

 

STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Planning staff recommends approval of the Use Permitted upon Review to revise the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Master Plan and forwarding it to the City Commission with a recommendation for approval, based upon the findings of fact presented in the body of the staff report.

 

Reason for Request:

To revise the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Master Plan to include an x-ray storage building, surgery addition, emergency and maternal/child expansion, three-story office building, central plant expansion, and parking area.

 

KEY POINTS The master plan’s proposed buildings and parking area are located north of 4th Street between Maine and Arkansas Streets, within the parameters of the established hospital facility. An existing parking area is also located on the western side of Arkansas Street, between 3rd and 4th Streets. A site plan will need to be submitted for each phase of development (new building) shown on the master plan prior to receiving building permits. The x-ray storage building in the northwestern portion of the hospital campus will be the first phase to be considered as a site plan.

GOLDEN FACTORS TO CONSIDER CHARACTER OF THE AREA The area is characterized by a mix of community facilities and residential and office uses. CONFORMANCE WITH HORIZON 2020 The proposed use conforms with several recommendations and policies of Horizon 2020.

ASSOCIATED CASES/OTHER ACTION REQUIRED ·         SP-06-11-71 – Maintenance Shop              ·         SP-05-12-75 – LMH (4th and Maine)                     ·         SP-03-07-79 – 1956 Hospital Wing Improvements ·         SP-05-31-85 – Building Addition ·         UPR-08-09-85 – Satellite Receiver ·         SP-11-97-89 – Staff Parking Lot ·         SP-12-67-91 – Incinerator Addition                       ·         SP-04-27-92 – New Parking lot ·         UPR 06-07-93 – LMH Master Plan ·         SP-07-35-93 – New Parking Lot ·         BZA-08-19-93 – Parking Lot Setback (4th and Missouri) ·         SP-09-54-93 – Medical Office Building ·         SP-02-12-94 – Building Expansion ·         SP-05-30-95 – Heliport Facility ·         SP-04-29-98 – MRI Facility ·         UPR-03-03-99 – Staff Parking Lot (3rd and Arkansas) ·         BZA-04-06-99 Parking Lot Setback (Arkansas) ·         SP-08-51-01 – Parking Lot and Medical Office Expansion (4th and Missouri)         ·         UPR-07-06-02 – Parking Lot Expansion (325 Arkansas) ·         BZA-08-26-02 – Parking Setback (325 Arkansas) ·         The subject UPR application must be approved by the City Commission.

PUBLIC COMMENT RECEIVED PRIOR TO PRINTING None received.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Current Zoning and Land Use:	RM-1 (Multiple-Family Residence), RS-2 (Single-family Residence) and RO-2 (Residence-Office) Districts; existing hospital facility.
Surrounding Zoning and Land Use:	RM-1 (Multiple-Family Residence), RS-2 (Single-Family Residence), and M-2 (General Industrial) Districts to the north; Woody Park and Mobile Village.   RM-1 (Multiple-Family Residence) and RS-2 (Single-Family Residence) Districts to the west; Mobile Village and single-family homes.   RO-1 (Residence Office), RO-2 (Residence-Office), and M-2 (General Industrial) Districts to the east; community facilities.   RS-2 (Single-Family Residence) District to the south; single-family residences.

Site Summary

Total site area:                            17.953 acres

Total proposed square footage:       85,000 square feet

 

I.         ZONING AND LAND USES OF SURROUNDING PROPERTIES

 

Staff Finding – The properties surrounding the hospital facility are zoned industrially and residentially. Single-family homes, a mobile home park, city parkland, and community facilities surround the subject property.

 

II.       CHARACTER OF THE AREA

 

Staff Finding – The area is characterized by a mix of residential and office uses, as well as community facilities. Residential uses predominantly surround the property to the north, south, and west, while office uses and community facilities are located directly to the east.

 

III.      SUITABILITY OF SUBJECT PROPERTY FOR THE USES TO WHICH IT HAS BEEN RESTRICTED

 

Staff Finding – The proposed buildings would not alter the base zoning districts of RM-1, RS-2, and RO-2. The proposed use [Hospital, general, not including animal] is identified in Use Group 7 and is permitted in residential districts subject to approval of a Use Permitted upon Review application. The hospital campus is well-established and is suitable for additional hospital structures. The proposed structures are located within the hospital campus and do not encroach into the residential areas. Site plan review will be necessary prior to obtaining building permits for each new phase (structure) indicated on the subject master plan.

 

IV.       LENGTH OF TIME SUBJECT PROPERTY HAS REMAINED VACANT AS ZONED

 

Staff Finding – The majority of the hospital property has been zoned RM-1 and RS-2 since the adoption of the 1966 Zoning Ordinance. A small southwestern portion of the property was rezoned from the RM-1 to the RO-2 District in 1971. The LMH property includes little open space and includes the main hospital campus, associated hospital structures, and parking areas.

 

V.        EXTENT TO WHICH REMOVAL OF RESTRICTIONS WILL DETRIMENTALLY AFFECT NEARBY PROPERTY

 

Staff Finding – Construction of the proposed buildings would not alter the base zoning districts of RM-1, RS-2, and RO-2. As the new buildings are proposed to be located on the existing hospital campus, it is not anticipated that the additional structures will have an adverse impact on nearby properties. All of the proposed buildings would be constructed as extensions of the existing hospital buildings, except for the x-ray storage building, which is proposed to be a stand alone building located in the northernmost parking area. Each new building will be further evaluated through the site plan review process. Hospital facilities have existed on the subject site since the early 1920’s.

 

VI.       RELATIVE GAIN TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE BY THE DESTRUCTION OF THE VALUE OF THE PETITIONER’S PROPERTY AS COMPARED TO THE HARDSHIP IMPOSED UPON THE INDIVIDUAL LANDOWNERS

 

Staff Finding – Approval of the request would allow the city’s only hospital facility to provide expanded medical services to the residents of Lawrence and the surrounding areas. Denial of the request would not affect the property owner’s ability to continue to operate a hospital, but may limit the community’s ability to provide up-to-date and adequate medical service to its residents.

 

 

 

VII.     CONFORMANCE WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

 

The following Horizon 2020 goals and policies support the UPR application:

 

COMMUNITY FACILITIES GOALS AND POLICIES

Goal 1: Provide Facilities and Services to Meet the Needs of the Community (page 10-15)

Policy 1.1: Maintain Existing Facilities (page 10-15)

 

STRATEGIES: RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

“The character and appearance of existing residential neighborhoods should be protected and enhanced. Infill development, rehabilitation or reconstruction should reflect architectural qualities and styles of existing neighborhoods.” (Page 5-1)

 

Staff Finding – Horizon 2020 does not specifically address Uses Permitted upon Review. However, the plan does address community facilities. The UPR application conforms to the goals and policies of Horizon 2020, as the existing hospital facility will continue to be maintained and utilized during the expansion process. The hospital site is not proposed for expansion into the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

 

Horizon 2020 also supports infill development when it preserves the character and appearance of existing residential neighborhoods. As the expansion of the hospital will not occur outside of the established hospital complex area, the UPR application conforms to the infill and mixed uses recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan.

 

STAFF REVIEW

Section 20-1611 of the Zoning Ordinance states, "It is necessary to give special consideration to certain uses because they are unique in nature, require large land areas, require greater density, are potentially incompatible with existing development or because effects of such uses cannot definitely be foreseen, or more intensely dominate the area in which they are located than do other uses permitted in the district..."

 

The Zoning Ordinance provides two criteria for UPR applications, in addition to the findings of fact:

(a)    “The proposed use and site plan conform to the purpose and intent of the ordinance.”

(b)    “The proposed use and site plan will not under the circumstances of the particular case regarding setback, height, density, and similar aspects be objectionable or be detrimental to the general welfare of the community and neighborhood in which it is proposed to be located.”

 

The most recent LMH Master Plan UPR approval [UPR-06-07-93] included the following proposed buildings: radiology/emergency addition, surgery/lab expansion, west addition, and medical office building. These additions have been built as shown on the 1993 Master Plan. In 1999 [re: UPR-03-03-99], the boundaries of the hospital campus were amended to include parcels on the southwest corner of Arkansas and 3^rd Streets for the construction of a staff parking lot. Three years later [re: UPR-07-06-02], the campus boundaries were further amended to include additional parcels on the northwest corner of Arkansas and 4^th Streets for the expansion of a staff parking lot.

 

The subject LMH Master Plan includes the following proposed buildings: x-ray storage building, emergency and maternal/child expansion, three-story office building, future parking lot, central plant expansion, and surgery addition. It is important to note that the proposed buildings and parking area are extensions of existing hospitals buildings, with the exception of the x-ray building, and do not extend beyond the boundaries of the established LMH Campus (between Maine and Arkansas Streets, north of 4^th Street, and on the western side of Arkansas Street, between 3^rd and 4^th Streets). The x-ray building will be located on site, but will not be attached to an existing hospital building.

 

A site plan has been submitted for the x-ray storage building, which is proposed to be located in the northwest corner of the hospital complex. Old x-rays are currently located off-site in the East Lawrence Neighborhood. By constructing a storage facility on the hospital site, staff will be able to quickly access x-ray films. The building is proposed to be 4000 square feet in area. The proposed location, on the corner of the northernmost parking area, will be reviewed to ensure it is in compliance with city regulations.

 

According to hospital staff, construction of the remainder of the proposed buildings would commence in the fall of 2006. The potential phasing of construction is as follows: central plant expansion, emergency and maternal/child expansion, surgery addition, and the office building. It is expected that these buildings will be constructed within the next three to five years. The timing for the future parking lot is not definitive, but it is likely to coincide with construction of the boiler house addition or emergency maternal/child addition. 

 

According to the September 4, 2002 LMH Campus Master Planning Study, the total proposed square footage included in the subject master plan is approximately 85,000 square feet. The future parking area is proposed to include approximately 200 parking spaces. Approximate building sizes are as follows:

·    x-ray storage building – 4,000 square feet

·    central plant expansion --  5,000 square feet

·    emergency and maternal/child expansion -- 14,000 square feet

·    surgery addition -- 20,000 square feet

·    three-story office building -- 42,000 square feet

 

The LMH Master Plan complies with the policies and recommendations of Horizon 2020. Approval of the revised UPR and LMH Master Plan will permit the applicant to submit individual site plan applications in anticipation of each new structure noted on the master plan. A revised master plan will need to be submitted prior to site planning structures not noted on the subject UPR application.