TONIGHT: Downtown Little Rock apartments go to board a 3rd time

Moses Tucker Real Estate will present a third proposal for an apartment complex to be built at 901 Scott St. in Little Rock before the Little Rock Historic District Commission board.

The latest proposal, the third for the Scott Street Lofts, has reduced the number of units to 48. Originally the project was to include 53 apartments, drawing criticism from commission members and the public because of its size.

"Generally, we feel the project is a better project now," Moses Tucker Chairman Jimmy Moses said. "We felt it was a good project when we submitted it in its original form, but it's only as good as those who are going to live in and around it think. So that's why we've been open to making a number of significant modifications to it, including lowering the overall height, adding some courtyards and ultimately reducing the unit count so the project will meet, we hope, with the favor of the commissioners."

Members of the commission are scheduled to vote on a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 5 p.m. Monday. A decision on the Scott Street Flats has been deferred twice, once at the developer's request in March and then in April at the suggestion of City Attorney Tom Carpenter.

Changes to the project include four additional feet of setback from the street and porches with setbacks of between 22 and 24 feet. Four parking spaces have been eliminated to reduce the depth of the parking lot from 60 to 56 feet.

Building height is now between 36.5 and 40 feet. Originally the apartments were planned at 49.5 feet.

Planning and Development staff have recommended the project be approved provided Moses Tucker obtains a building permit, obtains a franchise permit for a trash dumpster and gets approval of a landscape plan.

City planner Brian Minyard met with representatives from the real estate firm in March to discuss concerns expressed by the Historic District Commission and the public related to the project. Minyard said Moses Tucker Real Estate and architect AMR had done an additional revision for the Monday meeting without input from the Planning and Development staff.

"We met in March to talk about alternatives," Minyard said. "It's not my place to design it for them. We talked once and subsequent revisions they have done on their own."

Carpenter asked the commission to delay a decision after Jennifer Carman, then a member of the body who had recused from voting, sent an email to other commissioners voicing concern over the project. Carman has since resigned from the board, leaving it with six voting members.

Commissioner Dick Kelley will have to recuse from a decision because he owns property on the same street as the proposed apartment complex, leaving the board with five voting members.

In order to have a quorum and conduct a vote the commission needs four voting members. Moses Tucker must secure four votes in order to receive a certificate of appropriateness.

"Do we feel comfortable and confident? We really don't," Moses said of securing the necessary votes. "It's such a difficult situation we're in. There really are no guidelines for new construction. The district was set up to protect the historic structures. We've done everything we know how to try to appease the neighbors and commissioners we can without making the project such that we can't afford to build it. I don't know if we will get there or not."

Business on 05/07/2016

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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