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Home My WebLink AboutC_On Hold Letter_Cedars at the Highlands_180420.pdfDenisLawMayorApril20,2018..Community&EconomicDevelopmentC.E.ChipVincent,AdministratorYoshioPiediscalzi,P.E.DRStrongConsultingEngineersInc.6207thAveKirkland,WA98033SUBJECT:On-HoldLetterCedarattheHighlands,LUA17-000189DearMr.Piediscaizi:ThePlanningDivisionoftheCityofRentonacceptedtheabovemasterapplicationforreviewonApril25,2017.TheapplicationwasputonholdonMay10,2017andtakenoffholdonAugust2,2017.Theapplicationwasputon-holdagainonAugust17tF,2017duetoinconsistencieswithinthesubmittedwetlandreportpreparedbySewallWetlandConsulting.AttheCity’srequest,Otaksubmittedanewreport(datedDecember6,2017)totheCurrentPlanningProjectManager.ThereportcontainedfindingsandanalysisbasedonaNovember20,2017sitevisitcompletedbyOtakstaff.Thereportconcludesthattheoriginalwetlandscategorizationof“WetlandsA”onthenortheastcornerofthesiteinthereportsubmittedbySewallWetlandConsultingwascalculatedincorrectly.Otakrecommendedmultiplerevisionstotheinitialdetermination,includingare-categorizationofWetlandsAtoaCategoryIll“depressional”wetlandssystem,whichrequiresa100-footbufferperRMC4-3-050.OnJanuary31,2018,atechnicalmemopreparedbySoundviewConsultantsonbehalfoftheapplicantwassubmittedtotheCurrentPlanningProjectManager.ThememorandumservedasarebuttaltothereportpreparedbyOtakinDecemberandconcludedthatthewetlandsshouldbeclassifiedasa“sloped”wetlandssystemandrequirea50-footbufferperRMC4-3-050.Aftersubmittingthereport,SoundviewConsultantsrequestedasitevisitinordertodiscusssomeoftheissuesin-person.OnMarch14,2018,representativesfromOtak,SoundviewConsultants,theCity,andHarbourHomesmetandwalkedthesite.Afterthesitevisit,SoundviewConsultantssubmittedanothertechnicalmemoreiteratingtheirsupportfortheiroriginaldetermination.OnApril16,2018,Otaksubmittedafinalmemorandummaintainingtheirpositionontheclassification.BasedontheclassificationofWetlandsAasaCategoryIllwetlandssystemwithamoderatehabitatscore,a100-footbuffer(w/15footstructuresetback)isrequiredperRMC4-3-050.Atthistime,yourprojectwillremain“onhold”pendingreceiptofaproposalthatcomplieswiththeCriticalAreasRegulationsinRMC4-3-050.PleasesubmittherequiredrevisionsbyJuly20,2018sothatwecancontinuereviewoftheproject.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,Icanbereachedat(425)430-7219oramorganroth@rentonwa.gov.?‘*1TAlexMorganrot,AssociatePlannerEnclosure(s):OtakReportdatedApril16,2018cc:GeraldSmith,Owner(s)JamieWaltier,HarborHomes,LLcRichardclaypole,JohnChing,PartiesofRecord1055SouthGradyWay,Renton,WA98057rentonwa.gov TechnicalMemorandumTo:AlexMorgamoth,AssociatePlannerCityofRentonFrom:JeffGray,MS,PWS!1241IFY/Ion’sRvadNEKevinO’Brien,SeniorEcologist,Vzute200Copies:Redmond,IEI98052Phone(425)8224446Date:April16,2018Fax(425)827-9577SubjectCedarsattheHighlandsCriticalAreasReviewProjectNo.:32847.BAttherequestoftheCityofRenton(City),biologistsfromOtak,Inc.(Otak)metonsiteonMarch14,2018withtheapplicantandtheirrepresentativesforafollowupmeetingregardingcriticalareasonParcel#1457500110intheCityofRenton,KingCounty,Washington.Theprojectproponent,HarbourHomesLLC,isproposinga14-lotpreliminaryplatontheproperty.OtakinitiallyconductedareviewoftheRevisedCriticalAreasStudy—“CedarsattheHighlands”,datedOctober3,2017,preparedbySewallWetlandConsulting,Inc.,fortheproposedproject,andprovidedtheCitywithacriticalareasreviewmemo(datedDecember6,2017)regardingconsistencywiththeCityofRentonMunicipalCode(RMC)Chapter4-3-050(CriticalAreasRegulations).TheapplicantsubmittedatechnicalmemorandumpreparedbySoundviewConsultantsLLC,datedJanuary31,2018,inresponsetoOtak’scriticalareasreviewmemothatrequestedadditionalsiteinformationandrevisionstothecriticalareasreportfortheproperty.ThesitemeetingonMarch14,2018wasarrangedtodiscusspotentialwetlandareasinthenorthwestcornerofthepropertywestoftheoutbuildings,watercoursesontheproperty,andthedelineationandclassificationofwetlandspreviouslyidentifiedonthenortheastcorneroftheproperty.BasedondiscussionsfromthesitemeetingonMarch14,2018,SoundviewConsultantsLLCprovidedasecondtechnicalmemorandumdatedApril4,2018.Otakhasreviewedthesecondmemoandprovidesthefollowingresponse.OtakconcursthatwetlandsregulatedunderRMC4—3-050arenotpresentinthenorthwestcorneroftheproperty.Theapplicantsubmittedsufficienthydrologicalandsoilinformationtoreasonablyconcludethatthepresenceofwetlandindicatorsinthisportionofthepropertyareartificialinnatureandtheresultofpreviousactivitiesonsite.OtakconcursthatthewatercourseemanatingfromtheroadsidedrainagealongI60’AveSEisnotregulatedunderRMC4-3-050.AsstatedinOtak’scriticalareasreviewmemofromDecember6,2017,theseasonalwatercoursethatflowsthroughaseriesofculvertsfromwesttoeastacrossthecenterofthepropertyfrom160thAveSEwasintentionallycreatedtodischargestormwaterfrom—Renton0PLANNINGDIVISIONRECEIVED04/16/2018nn,nrnnrntb__—— Page2April16,2018residentialdevelopmentsalong160thAveSE,andmeetsthedefinitionofanon-regulatedwatercourseunderRMC4-3-050.OtakmaintainsthatthewetlandlocatedinthenortheastcornerofthepropertyisclassifiedasaCategoryIIIwetlandwitha100-footbufferasstatedinourinitialreviewmemofromDecember6,2017.SoundviewConsultantsstatesintheirApril4,2018memothatthiswetlandshouldbeclassifiedasslopeunderthe2014\VashingtonStateWetlandRatingSystemforWesternWashington(Hruby2014).However,thiswetlandhascharacteristicsofslope,depressional,andtiverinecharacteristicswhichmakesthehydrogeomorphicclassificationofthiswetlanddifficult.Thiswetlandreceivessurfacewaterinputsfromtheseasonalstreamupsiopeandthestormwaterdischargejustcastofthepropertyboundary,andgroundwaterfromseepsalongtheedgesoftheravineinwhichthewetlandissituated.Thewetlandhasshallowpondingthroughoutmuchofthearea,whichisindicativeofdepressionalandriverinewetlands.Wetlandsthatcontaintwoormorehydrogeomorphicclasses,oraredifficulttoclassifyunderthe2014\VashingtonStateWetlandRatingSystemforWesternWashington,shouldberatedasdepressionalsincehydrologicallycomplexwetlandstendtoalwayshavesomefeaturesofdepressionalwetlands(Hnxby2024).ReferencesHruby,T.2014.WashingtonStateWetlandRatingSystemforWesternWashington:2014Update.Publication#24-06-029.Olympia,WA:WashingtonDepartmentofEcology.2