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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEX_34_PPT_HEX_RHS_260113Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion LUA25-000343 JANUARY 13, 2026 ALEX MORGANROTH, PRINCIPAL PLANNER Hearing Examiner Public Hearing Project Site Location: 400 S 2nd St + 42 parcels Site Area: 33.2 acres Zones: Center Downtown (CD), Commercial Arterial (CA), and Residential – 8 (R-8) Overlays: Urban Design Districts A and D Comp. Plan Land Use Designations: Commercial Mixed Use (CMU) and Residential Medium Density (RMD) Existing Site Use: Developed with existing Renton High School Critical Areas: High Seismic Hazard Area and Downtown Wellhead Protection Area Zones 1 and 2 Zoning & Land Use Zones: CD, CA, and R-8 Neighborhood Characteristics: IM (Renton Municipal Airport) and R-8 zoning to the north of the property CD zoning to the east and south of property CA and R-8 zoning west of the property Located in Airport Influence Area and is subject to federal height review under Federal Aviation Regulations K-12 educational institutions are permitted in the CD, CA, and R-8 zones through a Hearing Examiner Conditional Use Permit. Renton Municipal Airport Critical Areas Project site mapped with High Seismic Hazard Area, Wellhead Protection Area Zone 1, and Wellhead Protection Area Zone 2 Applicant submitted Subsurface Exploration, Geologic Hazard, and Geotechnical Engineering Report, prepared by Associated Earth Sciences, Inc to evaluate. Downtown Wellhead Protection Area Zone 1 Downtown Wellhead Protection Area Zone 2 Project Proposal Site Area: Existing campus: ~24 acres Additional property acquisitions: ~10 acres Total campus at buildout: ~45 acres Existing Development: 1931 historic school building Annex classroom building Gymnasium IKEA Center for the Performing Arts (IPAC) Vocational/warehouse building Athletic fields and surface parking Proposed Development: Preserve & renovate ~93,500 SF (1931 building + IPAC) Demolish remaining structures Construct new ~310,000 SF, three-story classroom building Add three (3) accessory buildings totaling ~6,270 SF Total campus buildout: ~409,770 SF Phasing: Construction period: Summer 2026 through 2030 (multi-phase buildout) Phase 1 (2026–2027): •West parking lot and frontage improvements •Demolish auxiliary locker room •Install underground utilities for new building Phase 2 (2026–2028): •Construct new three-story high school building •Build new softball and baseball fields Phase 3 (2028–2029): •Demolish existing school buildings and gym •Renovate track and field •Renovate 1930 historic building and IPAC •Construct new service entry and teacher parking Final Phase (2029–2030): •Relocate and demolish food service facilities •Complete athletic facilities and remaining site work Public Noticing Neighborhood meeting held at 6pm on August 6th, 2025 at Renton High School. SEPA noticing completed by school district prior to land use application. Standard City of Renton noticing completed as part of land use process Approximately 10 comments received, with topic including: Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Compliance Tree Retention Traffic and bus lanes Street vacation Site Plan and Landscaping Floor Plans Floor 1 Floor 2 Floor 3 View from S 2nd St View looking south Renderings Primary access from S 2nd St, Logan Ave S, and Lake Ave S, with internal circulation separating buses, staff, and students New bus drop-off / pick-up zone on Logan Ave S Student parking lot accessed from S 2nd St and Lake Ave S; staff parking lot located west of the main building Parallel visitor parking along the IPAC frontage on S 2nd St S Tobin St partial vacation to be considered by Renton City Council in early 2026 Frontage improvements along S 2nd St, Logan Ave S, Airport Way, and Lake Ave S, including sidewalks, curb ramps, and streetscape upgrades Joint-use parking supports school, events, and after-hours athletic use across multiple surface parking lots on the site Approx. 610 daily vehicle trips. Peak-hour impacts are modest as the site would see an increase of approx. 18 trips during the morning arrival period, but a reduction of about 15 trips during the afternoon school-dismissal period and a reduction of roughly 69 trips during the PM commuter peak No changes to LOS at nearby intersection Project passed transportation concurrency test Transportation and Access Bus drop-off/pick-up lane along Logan Ave S Planned Urban Development Analysis Modifications Requested: Apply CD zoning & Design District A standards to the entire campus Building & light pole heights exceeding residential adjacency limits Expanded and variable setbacks & buffers to accommodate fields, plazas, and fire access Parking in modified locations (S 2nd St, Logan Ave S, IPAC frontage) Reduced parking screening where sidewalks and ADA access are required Reduced plaza seating relative to code Reduced ground-floor transparency on field-facing façades Variable sidewalk & landscape widths along street frontages Taller fences and refuse enclosures for athletic and service areas Off-site tree planting / fee-in-lieu for tree replacement Public Benefit: Modernized public high school campus serving Renton students and families Upgraded athletic fields, lighting, and facilities that support school and community use Improved pedestrian safety and circulation, including new plazas, sidewalks, and ADA access Enhanced stormwater, utility, and fire-life-safety infrastructure Improved site security and emergency access through reorganized circulation and lighting Landscape buffering and visual screening between school activities and nearby neighborhoods Long-term public investment in a civic institution that supports education, recreation, and community identity Condition Use Permit Analysis K-12 Educational Institutions required Hearing Examiner CUP in all zones. 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. 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. Effect on Adjacent Properties:The proposed use at the proposed location shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property. Compatibility:The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. Parking:Adequate parking is, or will be made, available. Traffic:The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area. Noise, Light and Glare:Potential noise, light and glare impacts from the proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated. 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. Integral Project Features Comprehensive campus modernization with a new academic building, athletic fields, and support facilities on an existing high school site Centralized main entry and public plaza at S 2nd St and Logan Ave S to organize student arrival, safety, and wayfinding Separation of traffic types with distinct circulation for buses, staff, students, visitors, and service vehicles Joint-use parking strategy supporting daily school operations and after-hours athletic and community events Multi-field athletic complex with regulation-size fields, lighting, and support buildings designed to minimize spillover impacts Robust pedestrian network connecting buildings, fields, plazas, and sidewalks with ADA-accessible routes. Integrated landscaping and buffering along streets, parking areas, and residential edges to reduce visual, noise, and light impacts Stormwater, utility, and fire-life-safety upgrades coordinated across the entire campus FAA-approved building and lighting heights ensuring compatibility with airport operations Long-term adaptability to support future educational programming and community use Main Entrance (Corner of S 2nd St and Logan Ave S) Recommendation Staff recommends approval of the Renton High School Replacement and Site Expansion combined Preliminary Planned Urban Development and Final Planned Urban Development and Conditional Use Permit, File No. LUA25-000343, PUD, CU-H, LC as depicted in the Site Plan (Exhibit 3), subject to the following conditions: 1.The applicant shall comply with the modified mitigation measures issued as part of the Mitigated Determination of Nonsignificance (MDNS) issued by the Renton School District on December 2, 2025. 2.The applicant shall record a formal Lot Combination to ensure the proposed buildings are not built across property lines. The lot combination shall include all high school campus parcels as part of the project. The instrument shall be recorded prior to the issuance of Temporary Certificate of Occupancy. 3.The applicant shall mitigate the deficit in required tree credits in the following order of preference: (1) tree planting on-site to the maximum extent feasible; (2) tree planting on other Renton School District properties located within the City of Renton; and (3) payment of fee-in-lieu for any remaining credits that cannot reasonably be accommodated through on-site or off-site planting. Prior to civil construction permit issuance, the applicant shall submit a Tree Credit Mitigation Plan identifying proposed planting locations, tree species and sizes, total credit values, installation and maintenance responsibilities, and the number of remaining credits (if any) to be satisfied by fee-in-lieu. Off-site planting locations shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager, and any remaining fee-in-lieu amount shall be paid in full prior to issuance of the Temporary Certificate of Occupancy. 4.The applicant shall submit a surface mounted utility plan that includes cross-section details with the civil construction permit application. The applicant shall work with franchise utilities to ensure, as practical, utility boxes are located out of public ROW view, active common open spaces, and they shall not displace required landscaping areas. The plan shall provide and identify screening measures consistent with the overall design of the development. The surface mounted utility plan shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to permit issuance. In addition, staff recommends, as a condition of approval, that the applicant be required to submit a rooftop equipment exhibit with the elevation plans associated with the building permit application. The exhibit shall provide cross section details and identify proposed rooftop screening that is integral and complementary to the architecture of the buildings. The exhibit shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager. 5.The applicant shall submit a construction outreach and traffic communication plan to notify neighbors, road users, and affected agencies prior to major roadway disruption. 6.The applicant shall submit a Pedestrian-Oriented Space Plan with the civil construction permit submittal. The plan shall: (1) calculate the total amount of pedestrian-oriented space required and provided; (2) clearly identify on the site and landscape plans each area proposed to count toward the requirement; and (3) demonstrate that every counted area includes all required elements, including: accessible paved surfaces, average illumination of at least four (4) foot-candles on the ground, and durable seating provided at a minimum rate of three linear feet (3’) per sixty (60) square feet of plaza/open space. The plan shall also include cut-sheets for proposed lighting and site furnishings. The Pedestrian-Oriented Space Plan shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to issuance of the civil construction permit. 7.The applicant shall submit a supplemental geotechnical memorandum prepared by the project geotechnical engineer confirming that the final grading plan, utility alignments, retaining wall designs, and foundation systems are consistent with the assumptions and recommendations of the approved Geotechnical Engineering Report. The memorandum shall identify any additional construction recommendations, temporary shoring needs, equipment setbacks, or stormwater controls warranted by the final design. The memorandum shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager and Development Engineering Reviewer and incorporated into the civil construction drawings. All geotechnical recommendations shall be implemented during construction.