HomeMy WebLinkAbout7_J_Conditional Use Justification_20260505_v1
MEMORANDUM
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To: The City of Renton Date: 05/05/2026
From: Clark Kjos Architects
Project: MultiCare Overlake Off-Campus Emergency
Department (OCED) Renton
Project # 26002
Subject: Conditional Use Justification
CONDITIONAL USER PERMIT JUSTIFICATION (RMC 4-9-030
a) 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.
a. RESPONSE: The Overlake OCED Renton facility directly supports of promoting infill development
and adaptive reuse by converting a vacant retail building into an active community healthcare
facility that maximizes existing infrastructure within the CV zoning district, which encourages
mixed-use development combining retail, commercial, office, and community-serving uses where
healthcare facilities complement commercial activity and support neighborhood vitality.
b. RESPONSE: The project advances economic development objectives by introducing a healthcare
services provider that diversifies Renton's commercial base, creates quality employment
opportunities for medical professionals and support staff, strengthens the City's position as a
regional healthcare destination, and demonstrates significant private sector investment
confidence in the community's economic future.
c. RESPONSE: The facility directly fulfills Comprehensive Plan health and wellness objectives by
improving healthcare access for Renton residents, reducing response time for medical
emergencies, and ensuring strategic geographic distribution of emergency medical services that
provides equitable healthcare access across the city while improving overall community health
outcomes.
d. RESPONSE: The Property is located on Northeast Sunset Boulevard, a major arterial with
existing transit service, supports multimodal transportation goals by enabling patients to access
the facility via personal vehicle, public transit, or ride-share services while ensuring efficient
emergency vehicle access and providing adequate on-site parking that eliminates off-site
impacts or spillover parking in residential areas.
e. RESPONSE: Adaptive reuse of an existing building advances environmental sustainability goals
by reducing construction waste, minimizing embodied carbon compared to new construction,
preserving existing site infrastructure, and representing efficient use of the built environment
consistent with the Comprehensive Plan's sustainability objectives.
f. RESPONSE: Medical facilities and healthcare services are appropriate uses within the CV
district, which accommodates community-serving commercial and institutional uses, and the
emergency care facility aligns with the district's purpose of providing mixed-use development
serving neighborhood needs.
g. RESPONSE: The project maintains the existing building footprint and single-story configuration,
MEMORANDUM
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complying with setback and height requirements without requesting variances or dimensional
relief, while the site provides adequate parking to meet medical facility requirements with
appropriate allocation for patient drop-off, ambulance access, staff parking, and ADA-accessible
stalls.
h. RESPONSE The building's renovation will incorporate design improvements consistent with CV
district architectural standards, creating an attractive, professional medical facility that
enhances corridor aesthetics, while site landscaping will meet or exceed district standards
through enhanced plantings and screening appropriate for a healthcare facility.
i. RESPONSE: The project will comply with the City of Renton Surface Water Design Manual,
utilizing the existing on-site stormwater detention system that has adequate capacity for the
proposed use.
j. RESPONSE: All renovations will meet current International Building Code and International
Fire Code requirements for Type B occupancy medical facilities, incorporating appropriate life
safety systems and emergency egress.
k. RESPONSE: The facility will meet all accessibility standards ensuring universal access to
emergency healthcare services for all community members, while building envelope and
mechanical system improvements will meet current Washington State Energy Code
requirements, improving energy efficiency and reducing operational environmental impacts.
b) 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.
a. RESPONSE: The proposed Overlake OCED Renton will not create detrimental overconcentration
of healthcare uses within Renton or the immediate area as there is currently only one other
provider of Emergency Medical Services in the City of Renton (Valley Medical Center), which is a
comprehensive acute care hospital providing inpatient tertiary and quaternary care to the
region.
The Property is well-suited for the OCED, which is a community-facing facility that provides high
quality emergency care that is more accessible to families who live within the City. Across the
greater Puget Sound area, MultiCare’s OCED program provides convenient, much-needed
emergency care services to the communities that it serves. The identified site is particularly
well-suited for the OCED, as it has strong multi-modal access and existing building stock that
matches the typical program square footage.
c) Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use at the proposed location shall not result
in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property.
RESPONSE: The Overlake OCED Renton will not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on
adjacent property. The OCED use will generate lower traffic volumes than retail uses of
equivalent size with the former Rite-Aid – the prior use experienced frequent high-turnover
customer visits with concentrated peak periods while emergency care facilities have distributed,
lower-volume visitation without sharp peaks. Site access from Northeast Sunset Boulevard (a
major arterial) ensures facility traffic utilizes appropriate roadway capacity without impacting
MEMORANDUM
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residential streets with on-site circulation accommodating patient, visitor, staff, and emergency
vehicle traffic without off-site queuing or spillover effects.
While the facility will operate 24/7, accommodations will be made in the design to limit lighting
to the site and agreements with emergency medical services transportation providers will
include restrictions on light/siren use – MultiCare has deployed these facilities in many urban
and suburban environments in the communities that it serves, and MultiCare and its EMS
partners prioritize reducing noise and lighting impacts. Additionally, there are uses
surrounding the Property with late hours — the nearby Safeway is open from 5:00 – 12:00 AM
and the adjacent fuel station has 24-hour access to the fuel pumps.
Lastly, the renovation of the existing unoccupied building into a modern healthcare facility
supported by MultiCare/Overlake will improve the surrounding community, reducing vacancy
and improving the aesthetic.
The State Environmental Policy Act (“SEPA”) checklist for the OCED use indicated no likely
significant, substantial, or undue adverse impacts.
d) Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and character of the
neighborhood.
a. RESPONSE: The Overlake OCED Renton facility maintains complete compatibility with the
established scale of development along Northeast Sunset Boulevard by retaining the existing
~16,500-square-foot building footprint and single-story height ensuring consistency with
surrounding commercial development. Any exterior refresh work will meet all code and zoning
requirements.
b. RESPONSE: Healthcare facilities are fundamentally compatible with the mixed-use character
envisioned for the CV district which anticipates diverse commercial, office, service, and
institutional uses serving community needs, with emergency care facilities being essential
community services that complement retail, restaurant, office, and other commercial activities,
while medical facilities operate professionally with controlled, predictable operations making
them ideal neighbors for other commercial uses unlike some retail operations that may generate
variable impacts.
c. RESPONSE: Building renovations will enhance compatibility with CV character through
contemporary, professional design appropriate for a community healthcare facility creating an
attractive, well-maintained building that elevates corridor aesthetics and establishes positive
design precedent, while the architectural treatment will respect the commercial character while
introducing quality improvements that benefit the broader neighborhood.
d. RESPONSE: Emergency care facility operations align with the commercial corridor's
operational character with the CV district accommodating extended operating hours and
continuous business activity, while healthcare facilities operate with professional protocols
emphasizing efficiency, safety, and community service consistent with the district's community-
serving function.
e) Parking: Adequate parking is, or will be made, available. There are 63 existing parking stalls on-site
MEMORANDUM
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with 4 striped as ADA accessible stalls, though they are not likely compliant with current accessibility
codes. Project proposes to provide 56 non-accessible parking stalls with 7 stalls being ADA accessible (2
van accessible and 5 standard ADA stalls). The new ADA stalls will be regraded to conform with slope
requirements.
f) Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and shall mitigate potential
effects on surrounding areas.A trip generation memorandum is included with the CUP submittal and
confirms the project proposes a net reduction in vehicle trips; therefore a Traffic Impact Analysis and
traffic impact fees are not required. Existing parking lot entrances of Sunset Blvd and NE 12th will be
preserved and will be the only access to the site.
g) Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light, and glare impacts from the proposed use shall be
evaluated and mitigated. There will be short-term noise associated with the construction equipment;
however, this will only occur for 6-months during construction. Long term noise disturbances include
vehicular traffic to and from the site. The proposed building windows might produce reflective glare at
sunrise and sunset. Glare might also be produced at night from vehicular traffic reflection. It is not
anticipated that this will be a safety hazard or impact neighboring views.
h) 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.
End of Memo