Planning Commission approves Upper Crest Event Center conditional use permit at 320 West Seventh

The Little Rock Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit May 8 to allow the Upper Crest Event Center to operate at 320 West Seventh Street, with the commission removing a reference in the staff report to access to an adjacent private parking garage and approving the application subject to the staff conditions noted in the agenda report.

The decision matters because the property sits in downtown Little Rock and the event center — described by staff as a one‑story building of about 14,925 square feet, with the applicant occupying roughly 10,000 square feet — will host paid events, live entertainment and a private lounge. Neighbors and an adjacent garage owner raised concerns about late hours, parking overflow, trash pickup and liability.

Monty, a city planning staff member who read the agenda, told commissioners the applicant sought a conditional use permit for an event center that would host corporate, social, cultural and live‑entertainment events. Staff’s report recommended approval subject to the comments and conditions in paragraphs e and f of the staff analysis.

Jeff Yates, a Little Rock real estate broker speaking for a client identified as the general partner of CADC, said the client supported downtown investment but asked for operational safeguards. "My client would like to see a plan in place that would assure, that the whatever debris might be outside, trash or otherwise, could be picked up before 7AM Monday through Friday," Yates said, and asked that the applicant provide a trash‑disposal plan and a commitment to direct patrons to public parking only.

Bianca Mahomes, the applicant, said the business is in the process of obtaining an alcohol license and described intended operations. "We do plan to have, a 12AM closed time every night, but this is an event space," Mahomes said, adding that events could extend later by request. She said the venue will provide security staff, coordinate with the Little Rock Police Department and Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office as needed, and install surveillance cameras.

Commissioners focused on three operational topics: parking access to a nearby garage, security staffing, and trash removal. Commissioner McDonald asked staff to remove the sentence in the report stating there was "access to a parking garage" after the property owner of the adjacent garage indicated they had not agreed to use by event patrons. Planning staff agreed to strike that language from the report; commissioners noted any private agreement between the event operator and the garage owner would be a matter for those private parties to negotiate.

Mahomes described security plans and staffing levels: for smaller events (roughly 50–100 attendees) she said the venue would use two off‑duty police officers plus two private security guards; for larger events (about 100–150) she described two officers at the door and four outside, in addition to internal security. She said trash bins are stored in a shed and the applicant plans routine pickup; Yates and CADC asked that any exterior cleanup be completed by 7 a.m. on weekdays.

During the vote, the commission approved the conditional use permit for File Z1000152 with the modification that the staff report no longer state that patrons would have access to the adjacent parking garage. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Commissioners Brown, Bernard, Hart, Hodges, McDonald, Person, Russell, Samad, Trimble, Baxter and Vickers. The motion passed.

The commission’s action approves the event‑center use under the city’s conditional use permitting process and leaves operational details such as private parking agreements, detailed security plans beyond the applicant’s commitments, and specific trash‑pickup schedules to be implemented by the applicant and any private partners. The applicant said she intends to pursue voluntary coordination with the adjacent garage owner and to follow the staff conditions in paragraphs e and f of the agenda staff report.

For the record, staff removed the staff‑report language about access to the adjacent garage at the commission’s direction; the commission did not require a private parking agreement as a condition of approval, and planners noted the city lacks authority to enforce private parking arrangements between private property owners and event operators.