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HomeMy WebLinkAboutD_HEX_Decision_LUA18000127_Sunset_CUP_1804091 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE - 1 CAO VARIANCE - 1 BEFORE THE HEARING EXAMINER FOR THE CITY OF RENTON RE: Sunset Multi-Service & Career Center Conditional Use Permit LUA18-000127, CH-H ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) FINAL DECISION Summary The applicant has applied for conditional use permit to locate the proposed Sunset Multi-Service and Career Development Center in the former Highlands Library building located at 2902 NE 12th St. The application is approved subject to conditions. Testimony Matt Herrera, Senior Planner, summarized the staff report. Exhibits The March 27, 2018 Staff Report Exhibits 1-11 identified at Page 2 of the staff report were admitted into the record during the hearing. The following exhibits were also admitted during the hearing: Exhibit 12: Staff PowerPoint Exhibit 13: City of Renton COR maps Exhibit 14: Google Earth 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE - 2 CAO VARIANCE - 2 FINDINGS OF FACT Procedural: 1. Applicant. Mark Gropper, Renton Housing Authority (“RHA”), 2900 NE 10th Street, Renton, WA 98056 2. Hearing. A hearing was held on the application on March 27, 2018 in the City of Renton Council Chambers. 3. Project Description. The applicant has applied for conditional use permit to locate the proposed Sunset Multi-Service and Career Development Center in the former Highlands Library building located at 2902 NE 12th St. The existing 6,160 square foot building is located on a 1.4-acre lot. No exterior site construction improvements or building additions are proposed. Proposed interior improvements would support multiple services such as job training assistance, ESL adult education classes, and potentially a foodbank. While the property is owned by the RHA, the regional non-profit Neighborhood House would manage the proposed service center. Access to the site will remain in the existing locations along NE 12th St. The subject property contains 26 parking spaces. 4. Surrounding Uses. The surrounding area is zoned Residential-14 and Center Village. All surrounding property is developed with attached housing. The proposed location will not result in an overconcentration of the proposed use. The proposed multi-service and career development center will be unique to the neighborhood. While the location is zoned R-14, the historic use of the site has been community oriented (i.e. the former library), which would continue on with an approved conditional use permit. 5. Adverse Impacts. There are no significant adverse impacts associated with the proposal. On its face, the proposal has relatively minor impacts given its low intensity, absence of exterior improvements and location in a high density residential area. Pertinent impacts are more specifically addressed as follows; A. Compatibility. The proposed use is compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 4, the surrounding area is developed with high density residential development. Especially with no exterior improvements proposed and the proposed modest intensity of use, the use is compatible with surrounding development C. Light, glare, noise and privacy. As noted in the staff report, the proposal is not expected to generate any significant noise, light, or glare impacts. Activities would be held indoors. Exterior noise impacts would be limited to vehicles arriving and departing the site and short-term impacts related to the tenant improvements. The applicant has not proposed and has not shown the need for any additional lighting to utilize the existing building. The 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE - 3 CAO VARIANCE - 3 parking lot contains three light standards approximately 20-feet in height. The site’s mature landscaping mitigates potential glare impacts. D. Critical Areas and Natural Features. The only critical area located at the project site is a well head protection area. No mitigation is required under the City’s well head protection standards because the applicant is not proposing any site construction and therefore no fill will be brought to the site. Additionally, no hazardous material use or storage is anticipated with the proposed multi-service center. E. Parking. The proposal provides for adequate parking. The existing parking lot contains approximately one parking space per 237 square feet of building square footage. While the City’s standards do not contain specific parking quantity requirements for service and social organization uses, the parking capacity contains adequate parking for similar uses such as on-site services, general office, and vocational education as detailed in Finding of Fact No. 16 of the staff report. F. Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation. As conditioned, the proposal provides for safe and efficient vehicular and pedestrian circulation. City staff with expertise in traffic issues have determined that the proposed circulation plan is safe and efficient and that no mitigation except as identified herein is necessary. Pedestrian access to the site is provided via a delineated concrete pathway from the public sidewalk on NE 12th St to the building’s entrance. The concrete pathway abuts the eastern driveway and is separated via curb from the parking lot. As provided in the applicant’s Trip Generation and Assessment Report (Exhibit 6), average daily trips to the site would decrease by 264 trips. The proposal also passed the City’s Concurrency Test (Exhibit 7) which considers such factors as the citywide transportation plan and trip capacity within allowed growth levels. The existing access to the site contains two relatively narrow driveways approximately 12- 13 feet in width that bookend the property frontage. A one-way traffic pattern was used for the former library and the site plan (Exhibit 4) provides for the same pattern. The ingress driveway is located on the eastern edge of the property with traffic movements in a westerly direction to the egress driveway on the western frontage. The former library provided directional signage at the ingress and egress driveways that notified drivers of the one-way nature of the onsite circulation pattern. Those signs have since been removed with facility’s relocation. Therefore, a condition of approval requires the applicant to submit a traffic control plan that identifies the entrance and exit driveways on the subject site with the building permit application. G. Landscaping. As conditioned, the existing landscaping complies with landscaping standards (as a nonconforming use) and adequately protects surrounding uses from adverse impacts. The applicant contends the existing landscaping will be maintained with no vegetation removal associated with the proposed change of use. The applicant has provided a Landscape Memo (Exhibit 9) that details existing conditions and provides 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE - 4 CAO VARIANCE - 4 recommendations for future planting to meet the goals and intent of the landscaping conditional use criteria. The existing landscaping along the street frontage, eastern perimeter, and northern portion of the property consist of mature vegetation that provides a buffer to NE 12th St with a gentle berm and four large western red cedar trees and wide bands of landscaping along the north and east consisting of numerous large trees with understory that provides sight- obscuring or visual buffers to abutting properties. The memo provides recommendations for planting in areas along the western portion of the property to fill in gaps along the perimeter and additional planting in a bare area located near the northwest façade of the building. Proposed planting in these areas are strategic as they attempt to fill in gaps of existing mature landscaping while not impacting the root zones of the established vegetation. Additionally, there are areas on the subject property that are shaded from the mature vegetation and it would be difficult to establish new plantings without the requisite solar exposure. Staff concurs with the applicant’s proposal to provide additional landscaping as suggested in order to buffer adjacent residential properties from the proposed use. Therefore, a condition of approval requires the applicant to submit a landscape plan with the building permit application. The plan shall be based on the recommendations of the Landscape Memo prepared by Nakano Associates dated February 9, 2018 (Exhibit 9) and be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to building permit issuance. Conclusions of Law 1. Authority. RMC 4-2-060(G) provides that service and social organizations are authorized in the R-14 zone by hearing examiner conditional use permit. Hearing examiner conditional use permits qualify as Type III review pursuant to RMC 4-8-080(G). As outlined in RMC 4-8-080(G), the hearing examiner is authorized to hold hearings and issue final decisions on Type III applications subject to closed record appeal to the Renton City Council. 2. Zoning/Comprehensive Plan Designations. The subject property is within the Residential High Density Comprehensive Plan land use designation and the Residential-14 (R-14) zoning classification. 3. Review Criteria/Street Modification. Conditional use criteria are governed by RMC 4-9- 030(D). Applicable standards are quoted below in italics and applied through corresponding conclusions of law. The proposal satisfies all quoted standards as conditioned for the reasons identified in the conclusions of law. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE - 5 CAO VARIANCE - 5 The Administrator or designee or the Hearing Examiner shall consider, as applicable, the following factors for all applications: RMC 4-9-030(C)(1): Consistency with Plans and Regulations: The proposed use shall be compatible with the general goals, objectives, policies and standards of the Comprehensive Plan, the zoning regulations and any other plans, programs, maps or ordinances of the City of Renton. 4. As conditioned, the proposal is consistent with all applicable comprehensive plan policies and development standards as outlined in Findings of Fact No. 15 and 16 of the staff report, adopted by this reference as if set forth in full. RMC 4-9-030(C)(2): Appropriate Location: The proposed location shall not result in the detrimental overconcentration of a particular use within the City or within the immediate area of the proposed use. The proposed location shall be suited for the proposed use. 5. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 4, the proposal will not result in an overconcentration of service and social organizations. Further, the location is well suited for the proposed use as surrounding uses are of similar intensity and compatible with the proposed use as outlined in Finding of Fact No. 4 and 5(A). RMC 4-9-030(C)(3): Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use at the proposed location shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property. 6. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5, as conditioned, there are no adverse impacts associated with the proposal, so it will not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property. RMC 4-9-030(C)(4): Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. 7. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(A), the proposed use is compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. RMC 4-9-030(C)(5): Parking: Adequate parking is, or will be made, available. 8. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(E), the proposal includes parking that is consistent with applicable parking standards, which sets a legislative standard for adequate parking. RMC 4-9-030(C)(6): Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area. 9. As outlined in Finding of Fact No. 5(F), the proposal provides for safe circulation and adequate traffic mitigation and facilities. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE - 6 CAO VARIANCE - 6 RMC 4-9-030(C)(7): Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light and glare impacts from the proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated. 10. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(C), the proposal will not result in any adverse light, noise or glare impacts. RMC 4-9-030(C)(8): Landscaping: Landscaping shall be provided in all areas not occupied by buildings, paving, or critical areas. Additional landscaping may be required to buffer adjacent properties from potentially adverse effects of the proposed use. 11. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(G), as conditioned the proposal complies with the City’s landscaping standards and as determined by staff, with the applicant’s proposed landscaping enhancement (made a condition of approval), no additional landscaping is necessary to mitigate impacts. Further, the aerial photograph of the project site on the first page of the staff report shows that all unimproved areas are landscaped as required by the criterion. DECISION As conditioned below, the conditional use permit application satisfies all applicable permitting criteria for the reasons identified in the findings and conclusions of this decision and is approved subject to the following conditions: 1. The applicant shall submit a refuse and recycling screening detail with the building permit application. The screening detail shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to building permit issuance. 2. The applicant shall submit a traffic control plan that identify the entrance and exit driveways on the subject site with the building permit application. The traffic control plan shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to building permit issuance. 3. The applicant shall submit a final landscape plan with the building permit application. The plan shall be based on the recommendations of the Landscape Memo prepared by Nakano Associates dated February 9, 2018 (Exhibit 9) and be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to building permit issuance. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE - 7 CAO VARIANCE - 7 DATED this 10th day of April 2018 City of Renton Hearing Examiner Appeal Right and Valuation Notices As consolidated, RMC 4-8-080(G) classifies the application(s) subject to this decision as Type III application(s) subject to closed record appeal to the City of Renton City Council. Appeals of the hearing examiner’s decision must be filed within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of the decision. A request for reconsideration to the hearing examiner may also be filed within this 14- day appeal period. Affected property owners may request a change in valuation for property tax purposes notwithstanding any program of revaluation. CITY OF RENTON DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HEARING EXAMINER DECISION, EXHIBITS Project Name: Sunset Multi-Service & Career Development Center Project Number: LUA18-000127, CU-H Date of Hearing March 27, 2018 Staff Contact Matt Herrera, Senior Planner Project Contact/Applicant Mark Gropper, Renton Housing Authority Project Location 2902 NE 12th St. The following exhibits were admitted during the hearing: Exhibits 1-11: Hearing Examiner Staff Report and Exhibits Exhibit 12: PowerPoint Presentation Exhibit 13: City of Renton Mapping System - COR Maps http://rp.rentonwa.gov/HTML5Public/Index.HTML?viewer=CORMaps Exhibit 14: Google Maps http://www.google.com/maps/ Sunset Multi-Service and Career Development Center File LUA18-000127, CU-H Public HearingMatt Herrera, Senior PlannerMarch 27, 2018 Project Proposal 2902 NE 12th St •Provide support services such as job training, ESL, and adult education classes. •6,160 square foot building. •No site or building construction. Proposed change of use to allow a service and social organization in the former Highlands Library building. Project Location •1.4 acre property •Renton Highlands Neighborhood •Building constructed in 1973. •Surface parking for 26 vehicles •Sunset Planned Action Area •Wellhead Protection Zone 2. Zoning and Land Use Designations •Residential-14 (R-14) Zoning. •Residential High Density Land Use. •Residential-14 and Center Village (CV) zoning surrounding. •Service and Social Organizations allowed use with Conditional Use Permit. Property Characteristics •Property contains frontage and access via two driveways onto NE 12th St. •Mature vegetation with new planting proposed. •Existing 25-foot lighting standards. Public Notice and Environmental Review •No public or agency comments since the February 22, 2018 Notice of Application. •Environmental Review Committee determined the project is compliant with Sunset Area Planned Action Ordinance and EIS. •No environmental threshold determination necessary. Transportation and Parking •Parking compliant with minimum standards for similar uses. •One space per 237sf of gfa. •Average Daily Trips would decrease from previous use. Staff Recommendation Staff finds the applicant has met the City’s Conditional Use Permit criteria with three conditions regarding: •Traffic control in parking lot; •Augment existing landscaping with new planting; and •Provide refuse and recycling enclosure Staff recommends approval of the Sunset Multi-Service and Career Development Center land use application.