HomeMy WebLinkAboutC_On Hold Letter_Raabe Townhomes
June 12, 2025
Jessica Bruce
AHBL
2215 N 30th St, #300
Tacoma, WA 98403
SUBJECT: "On Hold" Notice
Raabe Townhomes / LUA25-000152, SA-A, ECF
Dear Ms. Bruce,
During our review, staff has determined that additional information is necessary in order to proceed further.
The following information will need to be submitted before September 12, 2025 so that we may continue the
review of the above subject application:
1. The submitted Critical Areas Report & Mitigation Plan, prepared by Eastside Environmental Pros,
Inc., dated May 5, 2025 classified the onsite stream as a Type Ns stream with a standard buffer of 50
feet. According to the City’s online COR Mapping system, the stream is classified as a Type F stream.
According to the City’s Critical Areas Regulations (RMC 4-3-050G), a Type F stream has a standard
buffer of 115 feet. In addition, comments were received from the Washington State Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on June 11, 2025 (attached) which also classify the onsite stream as a fish
bearing stream. Based on these comments, the buffer width for the onsite stream should be
increased to comply with the City’s Critical Areas Regulations for a Type F stream. Please update
and revise the submittal accordingly.
2. A structural retaining wall up to 6 feet in height is proposed along the west side of the property line
within the existing sewer easement. Per easement documents, structures are prohibited within the
15-foot sewer easement. Please revise the proposed plans to remove/relocate wall outside of the
easement.
3. There is an existing PSE Easement, recording no. 20161021000561, over the east 10 feet of the
subject property. The easement prohibits excavation or change in grade in the easement area.
Please revise the proposed plans to comply with easement requirements.
4. The project proposal was presented to the City’s design review committee. The committed had the
following comments on the north building elevation that should be addressed: additional windows
should be included on the upper two stories and a gabled roof profile should be added over the unit
Recipient
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June 12, 2025
entry (similar to the profile provided on the south façade). Please update and resubmit architectural
elevations to address these comments.
The review of your project has been placed on hold until these comments are addressed and updated plans
and reports are submitted for review. Please make sure all plans are report are formatted in accordance with
the City’s adopted Electronic File Standards. When you are ready to resubmit, please contact me for a link
to our FTP site where all submittal items will be uploaded for review. The Environmental Review Committee
meeting scheduled for July 14th has been cancelled and will be rescheduled when the above comments are
addressed.
Please contact me at jding@rentonwa.gov or at (425) 430-6598 if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Jill Ding
Senior Planner
cc: Seattle Best Properties, LLC / Owner(s)
Party(ies) of Record
Enclosure
State of Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife, Region 4
Region 4 information: 16018 Mill Creek Blvd, Mill Creek, WA 98012 | phone: (425)-775-1311
June 11, 2025
City of Renton
ATTN: Jill Ding
jding@rentonwa.gov
Dear Jill Ding,
We would like to discuss the Raabe Townhomes project (SEPA # 202502225) located at 8225 S
132nd St, Renton, WA 98059, on behalf of Jessica Bruce. The Washington Department of Fish
and Wildlife (WDFW) is responsible for preserving, protecting, and perpetuating the state’s fish,
wildlife, and ecosystems while providing sustainable recreational and commercial opportunities
for fish and wildlife. Recognizing our responsibilities, we will submit the following comments for
Raabe Townhomes. Other comments may be offered in the future.
Fish and Wildlife Resources and Recommendations:
• The applicant proposes to reduce the buffer on an on-site regulated stream to 40 feet
with a development within a critical area. Given the proximity of these developments to
a stream meeting the criteria for salmonids, the Department is concerned that reducing
the buffer distance on the tributary to Lake Washington and Cedar River may adversely
impact fish and their aquatic habitat (WAC 220-660-100). Per the City of Renton’s
Critical Areas Ordinance, this proposed buffer does not meet your F-type stream's
required buffer setback area. The plans denote a Type Ns stream, but based on our
report extracted from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Fish
Passage and Diversion Screening Inventory Database (FPDSI), the stream located on the
south side of the project site is listed as a fish-bearing stream. More information on
these reports can be found on the WDFW Fish Passage map.
• Per the Department’s management recommendations, riparian vegetation should be
retained to its fullest potential. We recommend restoring the riparian buffer to the
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“site-potential tree height” of the dominant tree species at age 200 years (SPTH200).
Riparian areas provide shade, pollutant removal, bank stabilization, and habitat for
aquatic and terrestrial species. To ensure no net loss (WAC 220-660-080) of ecological
functions and values occurs (WAC 365-190-080), WDFW recommends a minimum buffer
width of 202 feet, or a width of 100 feet for the function of pollution removal,
whichever is larger. More information about recommended riparian management
zones and SPTH can be found in "Riparian Ecosystems, Volume 2: Management
Recommendations" on the WDFW website.
• Additionally, if the mitigation sequence (WAC 197-11-768) is assessed and avoidance of
impacts is infeasible, then considering the benefits lost from the removal of mature
trees, our recommendation is a minimum replacement ratio of 3:1.
Thank you for taking the time to consider our comments on this proposal, which aim to better
align it with state regulations and the best available science for fish and wildlife habitats and
ecosystems. If you have any questions or need our technical assistance or resources during this
process, please do not hesitate to contact me or Julian Douglas (206.584.9808 or
julian.douglas@dfw.wa.gov).
Sincerely,
Beck Sessa
Biologist, Habitat Division
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
R4Splanning@dfw.wa.gov
425.651.9790
Cc: Stewart Reinbold, Assistant Regional Habitat Program Manager (Stewart.Reinbold@dfw.wa.gov)
Morgan Krueger, Regional Land Use Planner (Morgan.Krueger@dfw.wa.gov)
Julian Douglas, Habitat Biologist (julian.douglas@dfw.wa.gov)
Beck Sessa, Habitat Biologist 2 (R4Splanning@dfw.wa.gov)