HomeMy WebLinkAboutC_Staff Response to Becker_251210.pdf1
Alex Morganroth
From:Alex Morganroth
Sent:Wednesday, December 10, 2025 3:23 PM
To:'sarah becker'
Subject:RE: RHS Expansion & Replacement Public Comment for hearing 12/9
Hi Sarah –
Thank you for your email and for your interest in this project. While we aim to keep the “tentative” date
listed in the initial Notice of Application, it is not uncommon for hearing dates to shift based on project
complexity, staff workload, or the need for additional information from the applicant. In this case, we
intentionally moved the hearing to January 13, 2026 to ensure the public had additional time to review
the materials and submit comments during the busy holiday season.
The updated hearing date is reflected in several ways:
1. City Project Page: The main project site, found here, is updated to include the current hearing
date and the project manager’s contact information.
2. Legal Notice: Approximately two weeks before the hearing, a legal notice will be published in the
Seattle Times with the final date, time, and participation information.
3. Parties of Record Notification: Parties of Record (including you) will receive a direct notice of the
hearing approximately two weeks beforehand via email or certified mail, depending on
preference. Since I do not have a mailing address for you, your notice will be sent by email. If
you’d prefer a hardcopy, please let me know what your mailing address is and we can send it that
way.
Please see responses to your specific questions below:
1. Public comment deadline: Yes, written comments will be accepted until the public hearing on
January 13, 2026. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Hearing Examiner will close the public
record, and no additional comments may be submitted after that point.
2. Why the street vacation is listed: We include all land-use actions associated with a project
when issuing notice. Although City Council, not the Hearing Examiner, will ultimately decide the
street vacation request, it remains part of the overall project context and affects site design,
which is why it appears in the notice.
3. Purpose of the hearing at this stage: The Hearing Examiner will be reviewing the applicant’s
land-use requests, including zoning, transportation, architectural, landscape, and site-planning
components, to determine whether the proposal meets applicable City codes.
4. Who decides the street vacation: City staff from several departments (CED, Parks, Public
Works, Police, etc.) will review the street vacation request and prepare a single, unified
recommendation to City Council. The City Council is the body that makes the final decision on
whether the street is vacated.
5. Requesting additional traffic analysis: I am currently coordinating with our engineering reviewer
on the traffic-related comments and questions you submitted. If additional data or analysis is
determined to be necessary, the applicant may be required to update the traffic study. I will follow
up with you once that review is complete.
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6. If the hearing date changes again: The same notification steps described above would occur,
updates on the project website, publication of a legal notice, and direct notification to Parties of
Record two weeks prior to the scheduled hearing
Once I receive input from our engineering reviewer, I will reach back out. In the meantime, please feel
free to contact me with any additional questions about the process. I am also happy to set up a phone
call, virtual meeting, or in-person meeting if you would like to discuss anything further.
Thank you again for your interest in this project.
Alex
ALEX MORGANROTH, AICP, Principal Planner
City of Renton // Planning Division
oƯice (425) 430-7219 // email amorganroth@rentonwa.gov
Virtual Permit Center // Online Applications and Inspections
NOTICE OF PUBLIC DISCLOSURE: This message complies with Washington State’s Public Records Act – RCW
42.56
From: sarah becker <beckersarah92@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 10:53 AM
To: Alex Morganroth <AMorganroth@Rentonwa.gov>
Subject: Re: RHS Expansion & Replacement Public Comment for hearing 12/9
Good morning Alex,
Thank you for notifying me of the change in hearing date. I did read that the hearing was a tentative date,
but wouldn't a new Notice of Application be updated to the Community and Economic Development
Project Site to reflect the date change once the new date was identified? I am a bit confused as to why
the new hearing date has not been updated for public record. As I look this morning, the hearing date and
time is still listed as Dec. 9th at 11a.m., even though you have clarified with me of the date change to
January 13th, 2026. I would presume that you have been aware of this new hearing date for at least a few
days, if not longer, and feel that this is something that should have been updated in the public notice
record for all to see. Are there no requirements for public notification?
I have a few other questions, if you please can answer.
1) Since the hearing date has been moved out a full month, are the accepted public comments
extended until 5pm January 12th?
2) If the hearing does not address the requested street vacation, why is that listed as a topic for the
hearing examiner to consider?
3) What is the point of the hearing at this stage of the project, if not considering the street vacation?
4) Is it just the will of the City Council on if the street is vacated, or is this a 'recommendation' by
the City Project Manager?
5) How can I request another traffic study be conducted now that most of the houses are vacated
and/or demolished?
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6) If the hearing date is again moved, will there be prior notice to the public?
Sincerely,
Sarah Becker
Renton Resident
On Tue, Dec 9, 2025 at 7:26 AM Alex Morganroth <AMorganroth@rentonwa.gov> wrote:
Hi Sarah –
Thank you for reaching out. I am the project manager for the Renton High School project. Please note
that I have added you as a party of record for the project and have added your comment letter to the
official project file.
The public hearing date listed in the Notice of Application was intended as a tentative date and may be
adjusted depending on the progress of the review. In this case, we decided to move the hearing to after
the holidays to allow additional time for public comment. The public hearing is now scheduled for
January 13, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. and can be accessed using the same link provided in the original notice.
One point of clarification I want to make sure you’re aware of: the S Tobin St vacation requested by the
school district will not be reviewed or decided by the Hearing Examiner at the public hearing. Instead,
the street vacation will be reviewed and acted on by the City Council, likely sometime in February or
March. You are still welcome to submit comments to the Hearing Examiner, but I wanted you to know
that the final decision on the vacation itself will be made by the City Council. If you have any questions
on the project or the process in general, please feel free to reach out at any time.
Thank you,
ALEX MORGANROTH, AICP, Principal Planner
City of Renton // Planning Division
office (425) 430-7219 // email amorganroth@rentonwa.gov
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Virtual Permit Center // Online Applications and Inspections
NOTICE OF PUBLIC DISCLOSURE: This message complies with Washington State’s Public Records Act – RCW
42.56
From: sarah becker <beckersarah92@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, December 8, 2025 5:48 PM
To: CityClerk <CityClerk@Rentonwa.gov>
Cc: Alex Morganroth <AMorganroth@Rentonwa.gov>
Subject: Re: RHS Expansion & Replacement Public Comment for hearing 12/9
Hello,
Thank you for your reply. This is not in reference to a RHS Board meeting. This is for a Public Hearing
Examiner Meeting held at City Hall and or Zoom. Attached are screen shots of the Public Hearing in
question. If this has been rescheduled, please let me know when it will be held.
Sincerely,
Sarah
On Mon, Dec 8, 2025 at 4:35 PM CityClerk <CityClerk@rentonwa.gov> wrote:
Good afternoon,
The City of Renton – City Clerk’s Office received your email below regarding public comments for a
12/9/2025 hearing. The Renton City Council does not have a hearing scheduled for Tuesday,
December 9.
Perhaps the message is for the Renton School District (a separate entity); you can reach that agency at:
https://www.rentonschools.us/our-district/school-board; according to the Renton School District
website, it appears their meeting is on 12/10/2025.
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We are happy to have you comment during the citizen comment portion of the Renton City Council this
evening, you can sign up here: https://forms.rentonwa.gov/Forms/registertospeakform
Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Thank you,
MELISSA MCCAIN, MMC, CPRO | PUBLIC DISCLOSURE MANAGER/DCC
City of Renton // City Clerk’s Office
Office (425) 430-6507
NOTICE OF PUBLIC DISCLOSURE: This message complies with Washington State’s Public Records Act – RCW 42.56.
From: sarah becker <beckersarah92@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, December 8, 2025 4:07 PM
To: CityClerk <CityClerk@Rentonwa.gov>
Subject: RHS Expansion & Replacement Public Comment for hearing 12/9
Hello,
Attached is a public comment regarding the RHS proposal to vacate Tobin Street.
I will try to attend the hearing via Zoom, but wanted to submit this in case I am unable to attend and
make a live comment.
Thank you,
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Sarah Becker