The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutORD 5875 CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON ORDINANCE NO. 5875 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, AMENDING SECTION 4-6-090 OF THE RENTON MUNICIPAL CODE, CLARIFYING REGULATIONS AND EXEMPTIONS FOR UTILITY UNDERGROUNDING REQUIREMENTS, AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, overhead utilities exist in many portions of the City of Renton; and WHEREAS, overhead utilities can have an undesirable visual impact upon the character and quality of neighborhoods; and WHEREAS,as a prominent part of the streetscape,overhead utility lines may detract from the visual quality of the City; and WHEREAS, undergrounding utilities may encourage a more active and healthy life for residents by creating more attractive streetscapes for pedestrians; and WHEREAS, certain provisions of the Renton Municipal Code need amending to clarify instances when exemptions from undergrounding requirements may be granted; and WHEREAS, this matter was duly referred to the Planning Commission for investigation and study, and the matter was considered by the Planning Commission; and WHEREAS, pursuant to RCW 36.70A.106, on November 15, 2017, the City notified the State of Washington of its intent to adopt amendments to its development regulations; and WHEREAS, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on November 15, 2017, considered all relevant matters, and heard all parties in support or opposition, and subsequently forwarded a recommendation to the City Council; NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: 1 ORDINANCE NO. 5875 SECTION I. Section 4-6-090 of the Renton Municipal Code is amended as follows: 4-6-090 UTILITY LINES—UNDERGROUND INSTALLATION: A. PURPOSE: The purpose of these provisions is to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the community and to establish minimum requirements and procedures for the underground installation and relocation of electrical and communication facilities within the City. B. ADMINISTERING AND ENFORCING AUTHORITY: The Community and Economic Development Administrator is responsible for the general administration and coordination of this Section. C. APPLICABILITY: 1. All new electrical or communication facilities shall be required to be installed underground, pursuant to the standards of this Section. 2. Existin�overhead power and utility facilities abuttin�a development or red_evelopment site tri��erin�street fronta�e improvements under RMC 4-6-060, shall be required to be relocated under�round, pursuant to the standards of this Section. D. EXEMPTIONS: 1. The following are exemptions to the requirements of this Section: a. Overhead power and utility facilities adiacent to a redevelopment site where a street modification under RMC 4-9-250.D is �ranted to keep the existin�overhead power and/or utilitv facilities above �round. 2 ORDINANCE NO. 5875 ab. Electric utility substations, pad-mounted transformers and switching facilities not located on the public right-of-way. #c. Electric transmission systems of a voltage fifty five (55) kv or more (including poles and wires) and equivalent communication facilities where the utility provider providing electrical energy provides at its expense an underground street lighting circuit (including all conductor and conduit) to a point on the poles at least forty feet (40')above ground to serve utility provider owned street lighting fixtures to be mounted on the poles at said location. sd. Ornamental stre�t lighting standards. de. Telephone pedestals and other equivalent communication facilities. ef. Police and fire sirens, or any similar municipal equipment, including traffic-control equipment. #g. Replacement of overhead facilities for a distance of three (3) or �e fewer spans (four (4) poles) or five hundred feet (500') exclusive of replacements due to casualty damage;_ gh. Extensions, duplications, relocations or rebuilds to existing overhead electrical and communication facilities under the following conditions: i. When there are continuing requirements for poles, such as services to residences of King County when those residences are not required to be undergrounded. However, if there is a reasonable likelihood that undergrounding would occur in the foreseeable future, conduit for underground 3 ORDINANCE N0. 5875 crossings should be installed whenever feasible as part of any ongoing street construction, reconstruction or overlayment project. ii. When there are existing overhead electrical or communication facilities that will not be removed (such as high tension wires), and the electrical and communication facilities to be removed 6y undergrounding are parallel to facilities that will not be removed. iii. When an existin� sin�le family home is served with overhead electrical power lines from a pole that also serves other properties. However,this exemption is merely a deferral; the propertv owner shall si�n a recordable covenant a�reein� to participate in under�roundin� when the maioritv of the other properties served from the pole are under�rounded. #i. Installations where the Administrator determines: i. There is a technological difficulty associated with the particular facility, or the particular real property involved; or ii. The cost of undergrounding such a facility outweighs the general welfare consideration implicit in underground installation; or iii. The growth pattern of the area has not been sufficiently established to determine the ultimate service requirements or major service routes. E. PERMITS: 1. Permit Required: All new or replaced electrical or communication facilities shall require a permit from the City of Renton prior to construction. 4 ORDINANCE NO. 5875 2. Fees Required: Fees shali be set forth in the City's Fee Schedule published and on file with the City Clerk. 3. As-Built Plans Required for Underground Projects: As-built, project drawings in a form and scale conforming to generally accepted engineering practice shall be submitted in duplicate to the Development Services Division of the Department of Community and Economic Development within thirty (30) calendar days of the completion of any underground project within the City. F. DESIGN STANDARDS: 1. Standards Applicable: All conductors, switches, transformers, and regulating devices shall be installed in accordance with the applicable national, State, and local safety standards. All structural devices shall be designed in accordance with the provisions of the latest edition of the International Building Code, subject to the provisions of the immediately following subsection. All conduit installation shall complv with Citv of Renton standards. 2. Coordination with Other Facilities Required: All underground facilities shall be installed to coordinate with other underground facilities, i.e., water, sewer and gas pipelines, traffic control and other signal systems. When coordination requires installation practices that are more restrictive or demanding than the minimum standards required by applicable national, State and local codes and safety standards, the requirements of coordination shall be governing and controlling. 5 ORDINANCE NO. 5875 3. Wheel Load Requirements — Minimum: All vaults, handholes, ventilation gratings, and access covers and conduit in public rights-of-way shall be strong enough to withstand a minimum ten thousand (10,000) pound wheel load. This wheel load requirement may be restricted to traveled street areas, provided the utility provider assumes responsibility for upgrading facilities beyond the original traveled street areas if subsequent widening occurs. 4. Grading of Streets: Streets shall be graded to subgrade prior to the installation of underground facilities. 5.Joint Trenches: The utilization of a single trench (a joint or common trench) by all utility providers and/or franchise holders is authorized and encouraged. a. Delay of Permit Issuance: If at the time of application for an underground permit it does not appear that all utility providers involved in the undergrounding project have made appropriate arrangements for common trenches, the Administrator may delay issuance of the permit until all utility providers involved in the relocation have provided satisfactory justification to the Administrator for not utilizing the common trench. b. Provision for Joint Services Across Public Right-of-Way Required: Where new structures require underground services that extend into or across public right-of-way to existing overhead distribution systems the property owner, owner's agent or other persons applying for underground services shall provide adequate provisions and capacity for joint service usage in a trench with conduit 6 ORDINANCE NO. 5875 or other required facilities for present and future service extensions to the structure. c. Responsibility for Notice: The principal utility to initiate the street crossing by owners, owners' agent or other persons' request shall notify the remaining electrical or communication utility when the common trench is available. 6. Standards for Above-Ground Installations:Any equipment exempted in subsection D of this Section, or otherwise permitted to be installed above-ground shall: a. Be placed within an enclosure or part of the building being served, or b. Be screened with masonry, decorative panels, and/or evergreen trees, shrubs, and landscaping sufficient to form an effective sight barrier within a period of five (5)years.The utility provider shall be responsible for the installation, maintenance, repair, or replacement of the screening materials when the above- ground facility is located on real property owned by the utility provider. When an above-ground facility is located on non-utility owned real property, the owner(s) shall bear the expense of installation, maintenance, repair or replacement of screening materials. c. Be constructed with space frames and structural arrangements for holding equipment that is designed to have an uncluttered and neat appearance. 7 ORDINANCE NO. 5875 7. Standards for Above-Grade Pole Line Installations: If above-grade pole line installations are permitted under the variance procedures of this Section, conductors shall be placed in vertical alignment or any other alignment designated by the Public Works Administrator or designee. G. VARIANCES: Requests to vary from undergrounding requirements that do not meet the above exemption criteria shall be processed as variances. See RMC 4-9-250. H. APPEALS: Any decisions made in the administrative process described in this Section may be appealed pursuant to RMC 4-8-110, as it exists or may be amended. I. VIOLATIONS OF THIS SECTION AND PENALTIES: Unless otherwise specified, violations of this Section are code violations subject to RMC 1-3-2, as it exists or may be amended. SECTION II. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or work of this ordinance should be held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court or competent jurisdiction, such invalidity or unconstitutionality thereof shall not affect the constitutionality of any other section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase or word of this ordinance. SECTION I11. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect five (5)days after publication of a summary of this ordinance in the City's official newspaper. The summary shall consist of this ordinance's title. 8 ORDINANCE NO. 5875 PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL this 22nd day of January, 2018. �` ! y , Jaso A. Set ity Clerk APPROVED BY THE MAYOR this 22"d day of January, 20 . Denis Law, Mayor Approved as to form: A��.Q. `\��a��ii►rhip .+��"''� � �``` O� R EI V ''', �� r �% , ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, o .,, ;�,,,� �,. ��,, ti --, _ � �� Shane Moloney, City Attorney _ : ' : _ � = SEAL = * = Date of Publication: 01/26/2018 (Summary) % y�'�., � �;�,�o;' ��i..rCO��qi��nna��``�•� ��` � � �� ORD:2005:12/21/17:scr �'�ri,��RA'ED,S'�Q`��`� 9