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HomeMy WebLinkAboutC_King County Health_Comments_250624 Page 1 of 2 TO: City of Renton lead, Jill Ding (425) 430-6598 jding@rentonwa.gov FM: Healthy Environment Team, Environmental Health Services Division Public Health - Seattle & King County CC: heathyenvironments@kingcounty.gov RE: Health considerations for actions described in SEPA 202502300 – Longacres Campus Master Plan Public Health - Seattle & King County (Public Health) addresses health threats to our communities, helps ensure access to quality healthcare, and promotes healthy community conditions where everyone can achieve optimal well-being. The following comments and recommendations are based on information from the SEPA checklist for this proposed action and additional information regarding health risks to people in King County. Based on the SEPA 202502300 checklist, the Longacres Campus Master Plan includes: Parcel subdivision - adding residential, commercial, or retail units, square footage, and/or uses, including 3,000 residential units, 1,400,000 square feet of commercial space, and 6,500 parking spaces. Neighborhood conditions for the location of this proposed action include: • High levels of access to regional trails • Low access to public open spaces • Low tree canopy cover • High proximity to high-speed transit • High pollution exposure burden Health conditions of residents in this neighborhood include: • High social vulnerability rating (CDC SVI) • High asthma prevalence (BRFSS) • High COPD prevalence (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder) • High obesity prevalence Page 2 of 2 Regarding opportunities for this project to contribute to the health and well-being of future site occupants and neighbors, • Given the proximity to frequent transit service and entrances to the Regional Trails Network, consider: o Limiting on-site vehicle parking and compensating with sufficient indoor, secure, convenient, ground-floor storage with easy access for visitor and resident bicycles, strollers, and other micro-mobility devices. o Promoting visibility for and safe and easy access to transit or ride-share pickup locations. • Given the low amount of tree canopy coverage in the vicinity of this project, consider adding landscaping features, additional trees, and other vegetation to reduce heat gain, increase shading, and support biodiversity. • Given the limited public open spaces in the vicinity of this project, consider incorporating sufficient public recreation and green space amenities into the project site design and landscaping plan. • Given the higher exposure to air pollution in the vicinity of this project site, consider mitigation measures that may include increasing site vegetation and improving indoor air quality through careful placement of air intakes and increasing air filtration levels in HVAC systems that exceed building code minimum requirements. This site development proposal may result in land use conflicts, as sensitive building occupants of an adjacent medical office may be exposed to air and noise pollution of and vehicle traffic to/from industrial uses. To avoid and mitigate potential health impacts of adjacent use conflicts, additional considerations should be given to vehicle and pedestrian access, ventilation and odor control, building placement and orientation on the site, and landscaping features. Thank you for including public health considerations in this, and upcoming master planning, land use and lot subdivision decisions. Richard Gelb Environmental Health Planner King County data referenced for this letter includes: SEPA projects, census tracts, CDC Social Vulnerability Index, environmental health disparities, transit access, tree canopy, open space access, regional trail access, pollution burden levels, parcel and property characteristics, asthma prevalence, COPD prevalence and obesity prevalence. For questions regarding the content of this letter, please contact: healthyenvironments@kingcounty.gov.