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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7-CUP Justification.pdfRenton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 1 7. CUP Justification The proposed Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion project is located in three zoning districts, CA, CD and R-8, all of which require a Hearing Examiner Conditional Use Permit. Per RMC 4-9- 030.A, Conditional Use Permits allow for review of certain uses with special characteristics that may not generally be appropriate within a zoning district but may be permitted subject to conditions and mitigation measures that protect public health, safety and welfare and ensure compatibility with other uses in the district. The following provides a response to the criteria for approval for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). The Project Narrative that contains a complete project description is provided in submittal item #5 Project Narrative. All of the additional CUP submittal items are provided under separate cover associated with the PUD application. a. CUP Special Characteris�cs – Height Increases RMC 4-0-030.F allows for height increases to exceed the maximum height with a conditional use permit, subject to certain decision criteria (see below). The field light poles located in the athletic fields require a CUP height increase. Table 1 provides the maximum height allowed per zoning district. Zoning Districts CD and CA both allow for height increases with a CUP. With regard to heights within the R-8 zoning district, see the Height Variance under separate cover. Table 1. Height Regula�ons per Zoning District CD District RMC 4-2-120B CA District RMC 4-2-120A R-8 District 4-2-110.A Building Height 150 feet 50 feet* 24 feet / 2 stories Abu�ng Residen�al Maximum: 20 �. more than the maximum height allowed in the abu�ng residen�al zone.* and ** n/a n/a Airport Related Height and Use Restric�ons Building Height shall not exceed the maximum allowed by the subject zoning district or the maximum allowed pursuant to RMC 4-3-020 Airport Related Height and Use Restric�ons, whichever is less *Heights may exceed maximum with a CUP **Applicable to the field lights associated with the football and soccer practice field, which abuts residential- zoned land to the north (zoned R-8), which will not be a residential use, but used by the District for ballfields. Table 2 provides the proposed maximum height of the field lights located in the CA and CD Districts, which can be approved with a CUP, subject to the criteria provided below. All field lights are under the Federal Aviation Regulation Part 77 Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace. Table 2. Proposed Light Pole Height per Zoning District Structure ID* Field Loca�on Proposed Light Pole Height (in feet) Zoning District Max Height Allowed per Zoning District* Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 2 C3 Baseball 75 CA 50 C4 Baseball 75 CA 50 D1 Baseball 75 CA 50 D2 Baseball 75 CA 50 F1 Football/Soccer Prac�ce 64 CD 24 + 20 = 44 F2 Football/Soccer Prac�ce 75 CD 24 + 20 = 44 *height can be exceeded with a CUP. The locations of the field light poles are provided in Figure 1, below. Figure 1 – Field Light Pole Locations Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 3 b. Response to CUP (Height) Decisional Criteria RMC 4-0-030.F, Decisional Criteria for Height Increases, is provided below together with applicant responses. 1. Comprehensive Plan: The proposed height increase shall be compatible with the general purpose, goals, objectives and standards of the Comprehensive Plan, the zoning regulations and any other plan, program, map or regulation of the City. Applicant response: As shown above in Tables 1 and 2, the proposed height increase is compatible with the zoning regulations. The Capital Facilities Element of the Comprehensive Plan provides the following, which aligns with the proposed height increase. Additional Comprehensive Plan Goals and Policies are provided in the CUP (Use) Decisional Criteria section, below. Policy CF-14: Work with school districts on school siting and design to support safe, walkable access, including strategies to provide adequate urban capacity for new schools and to avoid serving urban students with schools in the rural area. 2. Effect on Abutting and Adjacent Properties: Building heights shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent and abutting property. When a building in excess of the maximum height is proposed adjacent to or abutting a lot with a maximum height less than the subject property, increased setbacks and/or step-backs may be appropriate to reduce adverse effects on adjacent or abutting property. Applicant response: The granting of the additional height for the field light poles will not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent and abutting property. The specific pole locations and heights are the result of careful study that provides the optimal field lighting for playability, while ensuring that the pole heights fall under the Federal Aviation Regulation Part 77 Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace. The RHS campus is bounded to the north by Airport Way. Across Airport Way to the north is the Renton Municipal Airport (RMA). The MUSCO Lighting Study (submitted with the Height Variance) demonstrates that light spill will not occur on the RMA property and the height of the light poles falls below the Federal Aviation Regulation Part 77 Objects Affecting Navigable Airspace. To the east is a mix of residential and commercial uses. The Photometrics Analysis depicts a range of no light spill to a maximum of 0.09 to these properties. Property located to the south is the Renton High School campus. Property to the west is a mix of residential and commercial properties. The Musco Lighting Study depicts 0.00 footcandles of light spill to these properties. The granting of the height increase will be of public benefit in that it will allow for expanded use of the fields that provide educational, recreational and health benefits. 3. Bulk and Scale: Upper floor step-backs, varied tower heights with separation, and/or other architectural methods shall be integrated into the design to provide a human-scaled building edge along the street with access to sky views. Bulk reduction methods such as varied building geometry, variety in materials, texture, pattern or color, architectural rooftop elements, and/or other techniques shall be provided. Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 4 Applicant response: The field light poles are not buildings so the bulk and scale requirements are not applicable. 4. Light and Glare: Building(s) shall be designed so that light and glare impacts upon streets, public facilities, and public open spaces are minimized. Applicant response: As described in the response to criterion #2, above, light spill ranges between 0 and 0.09 footcandles to properties located across the street from the field lights. Light spill to adjacent rights of way is within safe levels. 5. Shade and Shadow: Building(s) shall be designed so that shade and shadow impacts on adjacent shadow-sensitive uses (e.g., residential, outdoor restaurants, open spaces, and pedestrian areas) are minimized. Applicant response: Shade or shadow impacts from the light poles to adjacent properties is negligible at best. Response to CUP (Use) Decisional Criteria Renton Municipal Code Section 4-9-030-D outlines the Decision Criteria for approval of the Conditional Use. Below are each of the criteria with justification for approval of Renton High School Replacement. 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. Applicant Response: The new Renton High School is ideally located in the City’s downtown area and compatible with the general goals, objectives, policies, and standards of the Comprehensive Plan. The Land Use Element of the Comprehensive Plan describes goals and policies that support the project as follows: Goal LU-B: Support the development of Renton as a Regional Growth Center, consistent with VISION 2050, to foster compact, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use development to meet the demands of population and employment growth while also increasing transportation efficiency and reducing negative environmental impacts. • The new Renton High School is being reconstructed on an expanded footprint where the original high school has stood, and around which the community has been built since 1911. The school district analyzed several alternate options to site an expanded campus that would be able to accommodate an equivalent instructional and athletic opportunities and facilities as other regional high schools. After that initial analysis, given the constraints, the existing campus was deemed to be the best possible location for the new Renton High School. Following this initial analysis, RSD further examined seven possible configurations for the proposed expanded site. • Renton High School is located within a 15-minute walkshed of the downtown area. Beyond the walkshed the area has excellent transit options; both Metro and Sound Transit operate in the area. RSD is proposing new pedestrian crossings along Logan Ave S, improvements to S 2nd St Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 5 and Lake Ave S. The High School building will be rebuilt with minimal building setbacks on Logan Ave S and S 2nd St to facilitate a pedestrian-oriented environment on the side of campus facing the downtown core. There are plazas and enhanced sidewalks and outdoor spaces for students that will serve to activate the surrounding streets. • The presence of a new Renton High School on an expanded site is a public benefit to the population. The site layout is as compact as possible, given the constraints due to the FAA Airspace restrictions and the Airport Overlay District. Access and circulation is redesigned to mitigate morning and afternoon peak hour traffic congestion, while also routing the automobile traffic to several access points, thus decreasing the pressure at any one location. Consistent with best practices for school design, the new general-education school-bus load/unload area on Logan Ave S would be physically separated from all other on-site parking and load/unload areas. School buses will pick-up and drop-off in the ideal direction (southbound on Logan Ave S) that they currently arrive from the RSD Transportation Lot and then continue on their routes after RHS drop off. The automobile drop-off and pick-up area is expanded to about 2.5 times the current length, thus minimizing wait times and potential vehicle queues on S 2nd St. • Significant pedestrian improvements are planned along all street frontages and internally throughout the campus, including wider sidewalks along Logan Ave S, a pedestrian street. Pedestrian crossings will be enhanced at the Logan Ave S / Tobin St; Logan Ave S/2nd Ave S; and 2nd Ave S/Lake Ave intersections. Goal LU-J: Encourage the development of Countywide and Regional Growth Centers that are urban in scale, facilitate housing close to employment and commercial areas, reduce dependency on automobiles, maximize public investment in infrastructure and services, and promote good health, and are attractive. • The RHS campus lies within a PSRC Regional Growth Center. The campus is designed to interact with the urban streetscape and to be in alignment with the design guidelines in the Urban Design Districts A and D. • The new high school presents a significant public investment in education but also in the surrounding infrastructure. Street frontage improvements and dedication of land to the city for needed rights of way, together with public improvements to stormwater and water systems are included. Goal LU-L: Transform concentrations of linear form commercial areas in into multi-use neighborhood centers characterized by enhanced site planning, efficient parking design, coordinated access for all modes of transportation, pedestrian linkages from adjacent uses and nearby neighborhoods, and boulevard treatment. • The new RHS campus has been designed to comply with many of the Design District A and D standards, including placing the main entrance at the corner of 2nd Ave S and Logan Ave S, facing towards the downtown core. The main entry area is designed with a public plaza, a gathering place for students, but also community. Included in the reconstruction will be frontage sidewalks, including an expanded sidewalk along Logan Ave S (12-foot-wide), a pedestrian-oriented street. New pedestrian crossings are provided along Logan, 2nd St, Tobin and Shattuck. The proposed staff parking area will be on the interior of the campus, while the proposed student parking lot will remain in the location on S 2nd St where there is an existing small parking lot. Additional event-only parking will be provided around the sports fields. Bus Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 6 loading area will be provided along Logan Ave S, transforming to publicly available street parking after hours. The parking improvements are designed to alleviate school-related parking in the adjacent neighborhoods. • The District will also dedicate substantial property for right of way for the City’s planned improvements to S 2nd St (among other frontages), allowing COR to transform this principal arterial into a more multimodal corridor GOAL LU-AA: Support a sense of place by documenting, recognizing, and protecting Renton’s historic, archaeological, and traditional cultural sites. • Renton High School is located within the historic downtown area, which initially developed between 1875 and 1920. The façade of the historic RHS building built in 1929-32, will be preserved. The rebuilding of a historic community feature into a high-tech educational facility allows RHS to maintain its place as an important community touchstone. • RSD, through its consultant Historical Research Associates (HRA), has worked extensively with local Tribes and DAHP to complete field investigations and reports that document the existing building’s and site’s cultural history. Full details on the documenting, recognizing and protecting the historic, archaeological and traditional cultural sites are provided in Section 13 of the SEPA Checklist. Policy LU-51: Require human-scale features such as pedestrian pathways, quality landscaping, and public spaces that have discernible edges, entries, and borders to create a distinctive sense of place in neighborhoods, commercial areas, and centers. • The new RHS will feature an activated pedestrian streetscape along both Logan Ave S (a pedestrian-oriented street) and S 2nd St. This includes a pedestrian plaza at the main entry on S 2nd St, wider sidewalks, street trees, seating and landscaping. Policy LU-63: Collaborate with schools, businesses, and community groups to promote healthy lifestyles through education, activity, and nutrition. • RSD has worked diligently to collaborate with the city, Tribes, and neighborhood groups to ensure the high school campus fulfills the goals of the community. City collaboration began in 2022 at the onset of the project. It continued into 2023 and the present through a pre- application meeting and a series of monthly meetings. • The District has attended several North Renton Neighborhood Association Meetings, and held both a voluntary meeting for affected property owners, and a code-required Neighborhood Meeting. Progress and design updates for the project have been presented at several Renton School Board meetings which are open to the public (in person and streamed online) and have opportunities for public comment. • Communications with the Tribes is outlined in the Section 13 of the SEPA checklist but has included request for tribal review of all work plans and reports, invitations to observe ground- disturbing activities and a special meeting to discuss mitigation measures. The City’s Comprehensive Plan Capital Facilities Element includes the following goals and policies Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 7 that support the project. Policy CF-5: “Individually adopt by reference the most current Capital Facilities Plans for the Kent School District, #415, the Issaquah School District #411, and the Renton School District #403, ad adopt an implementing ordinance establishing school impact fees consistent with each District’s adopted Capital Facilities Plan if the Plan demonstrates that the facilities are needed to accommodate projected growth.” • The construction of a new Renton High School campus primary activity in RSD’s 2022 voter approved bond, as well as the District’s Capital Facilities plans dating from 2022 to 2025. Policy CF-14: Work with school districts on school siting and design to support safe, walkable access, including strategies to provide adequate urban capacity for new schools and to avoid serving urban students with schools in the rural area. • RSD is dedicated to reviving the RHS campus to compete with equivalent modern high schools as regards the learning spaces, athletics and other facilities, and continuing to serve the most urban residents in Renton with an equitable learning experience by expanding the campus while maintaining the optimal location with great transit access and providing walkability to downtown area students. Policy CF-15: Locate community facilities and services, including civic places like parks, schools, and other public spaces in centers and near transit with consideration for climate change. • Allowing for the continued and expanded use of RHS in the downtown area aligns with this goal. 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. Applicant response: The proposed city center location is ideal for the expanded RHS campus. Not only because it allows the existing RHS to remain in its historical location, but also to be renovated to an equivalent standard as other Renton area high school campuses. The location is ideal because it is a centralized location in Renton, with easy transit access and multiple amenities nearby for students and their families. There is not a detrimental overconcentration of high schools in this area of the City. 3. Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use at the proposed location shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property. Applicant response: The use is a continuation and expansion of the existing use of the site. Renton High school has been in the location longer than many of its neighbors and was established as a community amenity in conjunction with the remaining early 20th century surrounding residential neighborhood. RSD has been very responsive to community concerns, the city, as well as restrictions from the nearby airport in the design of the campus. The proposed location of the new school will not have substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property, as described below. Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 8 • Drainage: Currently, stormwater runoff is collected in a tight-line storm system and conveyed to City of Renton drainage system. For most of the site, stormwater is ultimately charged to the Black River Wetlands, while for the eastern portion, stormwater is conveyed to the Cedar River. After the project is constructed, runoff will be collected and conveyed in underground pipes to stormwater treatment systems and detention pipe systems, before being directed to the city’s stormwater system. • Erosion: A temporary sediment and erosion control plan, prepared in accordance with the City of Renton’s stormwater manual, will be in place to ensure that erosion is controlled during clearing and construction. • Emissions – School buses will be turned off during the pick-up and drop-off times to limit emissions caused by idling. • Aesthetics – the site will be enhanced by planting all undeveloped areas with trees, shrubs and groundcover to soften the impact of the building and parking areas. The new building will be comprised of building materials that are complementary with the new and the existing buildings on site. Materials will include two blends of masonry bricks (varied tones), metal panels, corrugated metal siding and glazing systems including aluminum curtain wall and storefront. • Public Improvements – The project will be dedicated over 64,000 SF of land to the City for future right of way. It will be constructing significant frontage improvements to abutting roadways and dedicating land to the City to expand their rights of way. A 6” water main that passes through the school will be replaced by a new 12” water main that meets city standards. We will also be installing stormwater treatment on the surrounding streets. • Lighting – lighting studies depict that light spill to adjacent rights of way will fall within acceptable/safe levels. Light spill to adjacent property ranges from 0.00 to 0.03 footcandles and within safe levels to adjacent rights of way. • Traffic - The project would reconfigure the campus with new internal circulation, on- site parking, and changes to site access. With the campus expansion to the north, two street segments would be vacated—S Tobin Street and S Tillicum Street between Shattuck and Logan Avenues S. The project would make right-of-way dedications, frontage improvements, and replace or install accessible curb ramps as required by the City of Renton. School bus and student/staff/visitor parking circulation areas are separated to avoid conflicts. The Transportation Technical Report prepared by Heffron (Sept. 2025) concludes that the project would not result in significant adverse impacts to study-area traffic operations. • Parking - The project will provide 476 onsite parking spaces for school, IPAC and District storage use plus an additional 48 spaces of event-only parking, which is within the range of code-required parking. The parking spaces are dispersed throughout the site. • Housing Impacts -The owners of the 42 acquired properties were fairly compensated, and all eligible property owners and tenants were provided with relocation assistance. • Renton Municipal Airport – The proposed building has received “No Hazard” Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 9 Obstruction Evaluations from the FAA. The field light poles are anticipated to receive the same as the pole heights fall below the allowed FAA maximum navigable airspace. 4. Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. Applicant response: The RHS Campus will be compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood as follows: • The three-story building has been sited in consideration of the adjacent uses and activity occurring in the neighborhood to minimize impacts, comply with city planning regulations, and to complement the existing 1930’s building and IPAC, both of which are to remain. The new campus reflects the scale and character of the more recently developed structures in downtown Renton and the urbanized area. The primary focal point of the building is the entrance and plaza, which is located along S 2nd St near the intersection with Logan Ave S, a pedestrian-oriented street. This location allows integration into future commercial development and anticipated growth along those arterials and the downtown core. The newer developments adjacent to the property on S 2nd St include a five-story parking garage serving the nearby transit center, and a four-story mixed-use building. • Along Logan Ave S, a pedestrian-oriented street, transparency and modulation is provided, together with landscaping, 12-foot-wide sidewalks and streets trees for visual interest. The level of activity is expected to be less than at the main entry, in deference to the older single-family homes along the east side of Logan Ave. • The north side of the site adjacent to Airport Way, is the proposed new location for an enhanced softball and baseball field, with site lighting and fencing, and surrounded by street trees to shield the use from the surrounding neighborhood, as well as providing some coverage from the traffic noises along Airport Way. • Pedestrian safety has been enhanced through interior walkways connecting the exterior sidewalks and parking lots to the main and rear school entries. Parking has been designed to minimize conflicts with pedestrians. Additional parking spaces beyond the code required minimum have been added to the project to minimize the potential for parking to spill onto the adjacent side streets. Access for fire trucks and local vehicles remains on a pedestrianized street, to continue through-access along S Tobin St. • The newly constructed Renton High School campus is designed to retain its important presence in the neighborhood as a community feature. 5. Parking: Adequate parking is, or will be made, available. The school is proposing approximately 476 parking spaces onsite, which is for both the high school, District storage and IPAC use. The IPAC is often used during the school day by outside organizations. Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 10 The code-required parking for the high school use is a minimum and maximum of one (1) parking space per employee, and 1 space for every 10 students enrolled for the proposed use (RMC 4-4-080(F)(10)(e)). The school is being designed to accommodate a capacity of 1,600 students and the RSD anticipates maintaining the approximately 120 full-time faculty/ staff, as well as 30 part-time employees. The parking required for the high school is 310 spaces. The IPAC theater is required to have 1.0 for every 4 fixed seats, or 10 per 1,000 SF of floor area, whichever is greater. The IPAC floor area that is not seated is approximately 8,000 SF, which would require 80 spaces. The theater provides 551 fixed seats, which requires 138 parking spaces, which is the greater number and therefore the amount required for the IPAC parking. The project will retain the original 1930s building to be used as high school support space, which could include maintenance support, warehouse/nutritional services (relocated within the site), textbook and/or science kit storage/sorting, staff collaboration spaces, and/or possibly some community rentable space (meeting room and some private offices). The City requires a maximum of 1 space per 1,000 SF (76,000 SF = 76 spaces) for this use; however there is no minimum number of spaces required in the CD zoning district. The total code-required parking is therefore between 448 and 524 spaces. The District is providing 476 spaces, which is code-compliant. In addition, 48 special event spaces (non- regulated) are provided adjacent to the ballfields. Much of this parking will be over recreational amenities (convertible pickleball and half-court basketball courts), allowing for flexibility in case of emergency, and greater efficiency in square footage per space. Bus parking is largely accommodated in a special pull-out lane located along Logan Ave S, where there is space for 21 standard school buses. This area can be used by the public outside of bus loading hours. There is also space for four small buses onsite. 6. Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area. An immediate increase in enrollment or employment at RHS is not expected in the near term. The Transportation Technical Report (Heffron, Sept. 2025) provides that based on daily trip generation rates published for high schools by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the replaced and expanded school is estimated to generate a net increase of about 410 trips per day (205 in, 205 out). The peak traffic volumes would continue to occur in the morning just before classes begin (net increase of 114 trips between 6:45 and 7:45 a.m.) and in the afternoon around dismissal (net increase of 72 trips between 1:45 and 2:45 p.m.). The proposed project would reconfigure access and parking for the overall campus. The segments of S Tobin Stand S Tillicum St between Shattuck and Logan Avee S would be vacated to create a consolidated school property. The following describes the proposed changes to site access. • The easternmost access driveway on S 2nd St would be removed. The new expanded student and event parking lot would be accessed from two driveways—one located at the Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 11 southwest corner of the site at approximately the location the existing playfield parking area egress driveway, and one new access on Lake Ave S. • Automobile load/unload would be retained at its existing on-site location but extended west to provide approximately three-times more curb-side load/unload space. The existing load-zone entry driveway on S 2nd St would be retained; the load-zone exit driveway would be located at an existing curb cut (currently serving as an entry-only driveway for the southwest parking area) opposite Shattuck Ave S. The other two existing site access driveways on S 2nd St would be removed. • School-bus load/unload would be relocated to a proposed new curb-side load zone along the west side of Logan Ave S for the entire length of the expanded school frontage extending between Airport Way and S 2nd St. • Special education (SPED) buses would have an on-site load/unload area accommodated within the staff parking lot. • School-day access to and from the staff parking lot and SPED bus area would occur from a driveway that would form the east leg of the modified S Tobin St / Shattuck Ave S intersection. A secondary access driveway to/from the staff parking area is proposed as the east leg of the Logan Ave S / S Tobin St intersection. That driveway would remain closed (with gates) during the school day, but would be available for event-related access/egress and for emergency access. No other vehicular access driveways are proposed. All access driveways that serve the existing uses on the parcels that would be acquired and absorbed into the expanded site would be removed. Additional public bus access can be found less than 0.25 miles to the southeast at the Renton Transit Center. That location is served by (as of April 2025) eight bus routes, some providing frequent service to the surrounding residential neighborhoods, in the RHS boundaries. Pedestrian access along the entire site will be improved with five- to twelve-foot sidewalks and landscaping strips. An enhanced pedestrian crossing is planned for Logan Ave S on the south side of S Tobin St. The new crossing is proposed to include a pedestrian actuated Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB). which is the primary source for nearby students arriving by foot, as much of the area to the west and north within a 15-minute walkshed is primarily industrial and commercial uses. There is an existing signaled crossing on the corner of S 2nd Street and Logan Ave S, which serves the transit center and those arriving from downtown and the southern environs. 7. Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light, and glare impacts from the proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated. Noise – Temporary, short-term noise impacts typical of construction projects will occur with operation of equipment during construction. Construction will normally occur during the hours subject to the appropriate City of Renton ordinance. Long term noise will be typical of that associated with a high school, including vehicular, truck and school bus noise, which is most prevalent at school start and stop times. Truck deliveries will be minimal, approximately 3 to 5 percent of total daily traffic. Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 12 The noise of the students in the outdoor areas will occur during various times throughout the school day and evening, consistent with current conditions. Noise may be present in the afternoon and evening hours on occasion in association with the athletic facilities. Light and Glare – The school building, parking lot and grounds will be lit after dusk each evening for safety purposes. Lighting will be directed downward and shielded so as not to interfere with views or create glare. The parking lots will be lit with non-glare type light fixtures placed 25 feet above the ground. The fixtures will be fitted with a cutoff type luminaire. Street lighting will also be provided in accordance with the City’s street standards, as well as those within the Airport Overlay Zone. The new athletic fields are proposed to have field lighting that allows for athletic events to occur after dusk, as with other High Schools in the district. This lighting will be designed to be in compliance with City of Renton requirements as well as the standards consistent with other area high schools. 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. The site will be landscaped with native, drought-tolerant plants requiring low maintenance. The landscaping shall support curriculum, provide relief for staff and students, facilitate sports, passive recreation, socializing, and performance. The landscaping in specific areas is described as follows: Parking Lot Landscaping: Trees, shrubs and groundcovers will be provided per code in parking lot landscape areas. Note that code requires tree species that reach a mature height of at least 35 feet, however, the property is located in the vicinity of Renton Municipal Airport, for which FAA regulations do not support tall trees for safety purposes (see #12 PUD Justification). The proposal will comply with the city quantity and caliper requirements. Street frontage landscaping: Pedestrian circulation routes are adjacent to landscaped areas with 12’ tall light fixtures and shade trees. Surface parking areas are screened by a 10-foot-wide landscaped strip to reduce views of parking lots from the street. Street Trees per Street Standards: Street trees will either be maintained/retained or otherwise installed at the required spacing and sizes. Main Entry Plaza: A pedestrian-oriented space has been provided at the corner of S 2nd St and Logan Ave S in the form of a plaza and meeting the square footage requirements. The seating laid out in the space is intended to provide seating for students waiting for rides and for school to start, and to support events in the plaza. The plaza extends from the school to the IPAC building, providing an amenity for theater visitors, and creating a unified space that makes students feel welcome at the IPAC. The seating that shall be provided does not meet the code-required quantity of seats (See #12, PUD Criteria). The length of seating is appropriate for the school use and allows visual access to the main entry and planting beds. Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion September 16, 2025 13 Additional plaza and seating areas are dispersed throughout the campus. North Plaza: The plaza north of the school, which also serves as a fire lane, features zig- zagging paving patterns modeled after river banks, and features benches like driftwood or boats. the exposed aggregate patterns help break up the fire lane and celebrate the history and context of the site. A large existing oak and adjacent plantings provide shade and scale for the performance circle at the north end of the plaza.