HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 5499Amends ORD 5099
CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON
ORDINANCE NO. 5^99
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, ADOPTING THE 2009
AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY'S 2004 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, MAPS, AND DATA
IN CONJUNCTION THEREWITH.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Renton has heretofore adopted and filed a
"Comprehensive Plan" and the City Council of Renton has implemented and amended said
"Comprehensive Plan" from time to time, together with the adoption of various codes, reports
and records; and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission has heretofore fully recommended to the City
Council, from time to time, certain amendments to the City's "Comprehensive Plan"; and
WHEREAS, the City of Renton, pursuant to the Washington State Growth Management
Act, has been required to review its "Comprehensive Plan"; and
WHEREAS, a portion, including tax parcel numbers 0001400009, 1323049010, and
1323049006 of the Comprehensive Plan Amendment M-03 Sunset Bluffs, has been continued
to the 2010 Comprehensive Plan Amendment cycle per the applicants request; and
WHEREAS, the City has held a public hearing on this matter on or about September 9,
2009;and
WHEREAS, the Planning Commission has made certain findings and recommendations
to the City Council, including implementing policies; and
WHEREAS, the City Council has duly determined after due consideration of the evidence
before it that it is advisable and appropriate to amend and modify the City's "Comprehensive
Plan" and
ORDINANCE NO. 5499
WHEREAS, such modification and elements for the "Comprehensive Plan" being in the
best interest for the public benefit;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, DO
ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I. The above findings and recitals are found to be true and correct in all
respects.
SECTION II. The following "Comprehensive Plan," elements are hereby modified,
amended and adopted in their entirety: Environment, Land Use Map, and Community Planning
as shown on Attachments A, B, and C and incorporated herein as if fully set forth.
SECTION III. The "Comprehensive Plan" Land Use element is hereby modified and
amended only in part, in the subsection entitled "Commercial/Office/Residential Land Use
Designation", as shown on Attachment D.
SECTION IV. The Community and Economic Development Administrator or designee is
hereby authorized and directed to make the necessary changes on said City's "Comprehensive
Plan" and the maps in conjunction therewith to evidence the aforementioned amendments.
SECTION V. The City Clerk is authorized and directed to file this ordinance as provided
by law, and a complete copy of said document likewise being on file with the office of the City
Clerk of the City of Renton.
SECTION VI. This ordinance shall be effective upon its passage, approval, and five (5)
days after publication.
ORDINANCE NO. 5499
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL this 16th day of November _ 2009.
Bonnie I. Walton, City Clerk
APPROVED BY THE MAYOR this 16th day of November _ 2Q09.
^ V_X^
Denis Law, Mayor
ApprovedLas to form:
Lawrence J. Warren, City Attorney
Date of Publication: 11/20/2009' (summary)
ORD.1587:ll/5/09:scr
ATTACHMENT A ORDINANCE NO. 5499
ENVIRONMENT ELEMENT
GOAL
Protect and enhance Renton's natural ecosystems, natural beauty, and environmental quality.
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ATTACHMENT A ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Introduction
A goal of the Washington State Growth Management Act is to use Comprehensive Plans to
protect the environment. Specifically this goal directs jurisdictions to: "Protect the
environment and enhance the state's high quality of life, including air and water quality, and
the availability of water." The purpose of the environment element is to achieve this goal. This
element provides the policy background and basis for future environmental actions by the City
of Renton as it attempts to balance urbanization, economic development, tree canopy cover,
natural area protection, and a high quality of life for all residents. Environmental policies will
be implemented through economic development decisions, natural resource management and
planning, critical areas regulations, and incentives for environmental protection.
Resource Protection
The quality of Renton's environmental resources holds great importance for the citizens.
Environmental resources, such as wetlands or wildlife habitat, are intrinsically valuable and
should be protected for the unique features that are provided. The City of Renton, unlike many
major Puget Sound cities, has several unique areas of habitat, many of which coincide with our
wetlands and water resources. The Cedar River supports major fish runs during the year.
Springbrook Creek, Honey Creek, and May Creek also provide habitat for salmonids. The Black
River Riparian Forest provides habitat for over 35 species of birds, including heron and eagles,
and many small mammals. The Cedar River, May Creek, and Panther Creek corridors have
forested, meadow, and shrub habitats that provide shelter and food for many species. Policies
that preserve these areas not only preserve their unique features, but also enhance the quality
of life and provide recreational opportunities for Renton residents.
It is important to protect natural areas for public health and safety reasons, as well as for
recreational and environmental reasons. Human and natural systems are interrelated, thus
when natural systems are threatened, human health and quality of life is threatened.
Preservation and protection of riparian corridors can prevent storm water effects such as
erosion and sedimentation. Aquifer protection policies and ordinances, limit discharges of
pollutants to Renton's water supply. For areas that have already been degraded, all efforts
should be made to naturalize them. For new areas, the natural systems should be protected.
When natural systems are protected and enhanced, human health and quality of life is
protected and enhanced.
Objective EN-A: Protect and enhance water quality of surface water resources including the
City's lakes, rivers, major and minor creeks, and intermittent stream courses.
Policy EN-1. Manage water resources for multiple uses including recreation, fish and wildlife,
flood protection, erosion control, water supply, energy production, and open space.
Policy EN-2. Minimize erosion and sedimentation by requiring appropriate construction
techniques and resource practices.
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ATTACHMENT A ORDINANCE NO. 5A99
Policy EN-3. Limit discharges of pollutants such as chemicals, insecticides, pesticides, and other
hazardous wastes to surface waters.
Policy EN-4. Degraded channels, streams, creeks, and banks should be naturalized by public
programs and new development.
Objective EN-B: Preserve and protect wetlands for overall system functioning.
Policy EN-5. Achieve no overall net loss of the City's wetlands. In no case should development
activities decrease net acreage of existing wetlands.
Policy EN-6. When development may impact wetlands, the following hierarchy should be
followed in deciding the appropriate course of action:
a. avoid impacts to the wetland,
b. minimize impacts to the wetland,
c. restore the wetland when impacted,
d. recreate the wetland at a ratio which will provide for its assured viability and success,
e. enhance the functional values of an existing degraded wetland.
Policy EN-7. Protect buffers along wetlands to facilitate infiltration and maintain stable water
temperatures, provide for biological diversity, reduce amount and velocity of run-off, and
provide for wildlife habitat.
Policy EN-8. Water level fluctuations in wetlands used as part of storm water detention
systems should be similar to the fluctuations under natural conditions. The utilization,
maintenance, and storage capacity provided in existing wetlands should be encouraged.
Policy EN-9. Pursue an overall net gain of wetland functions and values by enhancing
significant wetlands and providing incentives for the enhancement of wetland functions and
values through private development.
Objective EN-C: Ensure the long-term protection of the quality and quantity of the
groundwater resources of the City of Renton in order to maintain a safe and adequate potable
water supply for the City.
Policy EN-10. Emphasize the use of open ponding and detention,vegetated swales, rain
gardens, clean roof run-off, right-of-way landscape strips, open space, and stormwater
management techniques that maximize water quality and infiltration where appropriate and
which will not endanger groundwater quality.
Policy EN-11. Acquire the most sensitive lands such as wetlands and flood plains for conversion
to parks and greenbelts.
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ATTACHMENT A ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Objective EN-D: Protect and enhance wildlife habitat throughout the City.
Policy EN-12. Identify unique and significant wildlife habitat as defined by Washington State
Habitat and Species Project and ensure that buildings, roads, and other features are located on
less sensitive portions of a site.
Policy EN-13. Encourage protection of existing habitat areas through regulation and the
preservation and enlargement of existing habitat areas through development incentives.
Policy EN-14. Re-establish self- sustaining fisheries resources in appropriate rivers and creeks
through habitat improvement projects that encourage and enhance salmonid use.
Hazards
Renton is located in a geographically unique area filled with recognized hazards such as:
landslide hazards, erosion hazards, seismic hazards, steep slopes, floodways, and coal mine
hazards. The walls of the plateaus and river valleys contain both steep and erosive conditions.
Numerous landslides create costs borne by the public agencies every year and private owners
often suffer property damage from these same events. Due to the high annual rainfall and soil
conditions, erosion damage can occur on relatively level areas as well as steep ones. In addition
to natural hazards, Renton has a long history of coal mining. Although these operation have
ceased, there may be subterranean dangers that are often unnoticeable on the surface. These
policies set up standards which will protect public health, safety and welfare and allow
development to proceed in appropriate areas.
Objective EN-E: Protect the natural functions of 100 year floodplains and floodways to prevent
threats to life, property, and public safety associated with flooding hazards.
Policy EN-15. Prohibit permanent structures from developing in floodways and limit
development within the 100 year floodplain.
Policy EN-16. Emphasize non-structural methods in planning for flood prevention and damages
reduction.
Policy EN-17. Dredge the Cedar River bed within the existing engineered channel as one
method of flood control.
Objective EN-F: Reduce the potential for damage to life and property due to seismic events
and geologic hazards.
Policy EN-18. Land uses in areas subject to geologic hazards should be designed to prevent
property damage and environmental degradation before, during, and after construction.
Existing vegetation and tree canopy coverage should be preserved and enhanced to the
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ATTACHMENT A ORDINANCE NO. 5499
maximum extent possible in order to protect the integrity of natural drainage systems, existing
land forms, and maintain wildlife habitat values.
Policy EN-19. Allow land alteration only for approved development proposals or approved
mitigation efforts that will not create unnecessary erosion, undermine the support of nearby
land, or unnecessarily scar the landscape in areas subject to geologic hazards.
Policy EN-20. Protect high landslide areas from land use development and roads.
Objective EN-G: Reduce the potential for damage to life and property due to abandoned coal
mines, and return this land to productive uses.
Policy EN-21. Allow land uses to locate in coal mine hazard areas, provided the hazards are
precisely located and all significant hazards associated with the mines are eliminated, making
the site as safe as a site which has not been previously mined.
Sustainable Development
Planning for hazards, and for the protection of natural resources, are steps that clearly meet the
environment goal of the Growth Management Act. However, it is necessary to go beyond these
steps to achieve sustainable development that will ultimately enhance quality of life in the long
term. Environmental systems, whether at the scale of the global climate, or at the scale of local
forest, often change incrementally. Cumulative effects are best managed through a
combination of engineering, preservation of natural systems, education, and collective action.
Objective EN-H: Protect and promote clean air and minimize individual and cumulative noise
impacts to ensure a healthful environment.
Policy EN-22. Maintain high air quality standards through efficient land use patterns promote
air quality through reduction in emissions from industry, traffic, commercial, and residential
uses.
Policy EN-23. Analyze Renton's existing tree canopy cover, establish canopy cover goals, and
promote urban forestry programs in order to maintain healthy atmospheric conditions.
Policy EN-24. Use land use planning and development regulations to ensure that the design,
construction, and on-going operations of land uses do not create noise impacts on adjacent
land uses and activities.
Objective EN-I: Implement a stormwater management program which optimizes Renton's
water resources and promotes low impact development to combine engineering with the
preservation of natural systems.
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ATTACHMENT A ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Policy EN-25. Maintain, protect, and enhance natural drainage systems and natural surface
water storage sites to protect water quality, reduce public costs, and prevent environmental
degradation.
Policy EN-26. Promote the return of precipitation to the soil at natural rates near where it falls
through development design which minimizes impermeable surface coverage and maximizing
infiltration through the exposure of natural surfaces through the use of grassy swales, trees,
landscaping, where feasible.
Objective EN-J: Create a sustainable urban forest that enhances the livability of the community.
Policy EN-27. Promote development of Renton's urban forest through tree planting programs,
tree maintenance programs that favor the use of large healthy trees along streets, in parks, in
residential, commercial, and industrial areas, and through the protection and restoration of
forest ecosystems.
Policy EN-28. Require trees and other vegetation along newly constructed or reconstructed
streets to reduce impacts from development.
Policy EN-29. Establish canopy cover goals for public and private development through the
survey of forested areas and the development of site specific forest management plans.
Policy EN-30. Integrate urban forestry plans with other City plans and projects to maximize
environmental, economic, and health benefits.
Objective EN-K: Protect, restore and enhance environmental quality through land use plans
and patterns, surface water management programs, park master programs, urban forestry
programs, transportation planning, development reviews, incentive programs and work with
citizens, land owners, and public and private agencies.
Policy EN-31. Reduce the impact of new development on the environment by encouraging the
use of sustainable design techniques in public and private development, by encouraging low
impact stormwater techniques, and through certification programs such as LEED (Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design) and Built Green.
Policy EN-32. Build civic facilities and other City buildings to LEED silver standard or better.
Policy EN-33. Establish regulatory standards for sustainably developed public and private
projects, to include standards for site design and layout, construction, and on-going
maintenance and operation.
Policy EN-34. Promote elements of sustainability in development and redevelopment of
Renton's transportation network by expanding non-motorized and alternative transportation
modes.
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ATTACHMENT A ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Policy EN-35. Establish and maintain a secondary system of corridors to protect agriculture,
forest lands, and wildlife habitat, and to provide linkages between critical areas in order to
provide for public health and safety, and provide visual relief from urban structures and
development.
Policy EN-36. Where appropriate combine environmentally sensitive areas with to provide
public access and educational opportunities.
Policy EN-37. Utilize review at the project specific level for the final identification of
environmentally sensitive or critical areas, hazardous sites or portions of sites.
Policy EN- 38. Develop the urban forestry program to maintain and expand vegetation on
public and private property in order to minimize the impact of development on natural systems
such as forests and individual trees and increase canopy cover to increase the ecosystem
services that trees and other vegetation provide.
Objective EN-L: Support and sustain educational, informational, and public involvement
programs in the City over the long term in order to encourage effective use, preservation, and
protection of Renton's resources.
Policy EN-39. Provide information for and participate in informing and educating individuals,
groups, businesses, industry, and government in the protection and enhancement of the quality
and quantity of the City's natural resources and to promote conservation.
Policy EN-40. Increase the community's understanding of the City's ecosystem and the
relationship between the overall health of the ecosystem and quality of life for Renton
residents..
Policy EN-41. Create the long-term community commitment that will be necessary to sustain
efforts to protect, maintain, and improve the City's natural resources through educational
programs.
Policy EN-42. Educate residents adjacent to critical areas about the value of the resources
present and encourage residents to protect the vegetative cover from damage.
Objective EN-M: Increase the participation by the City of Renton in resolution of regional
ecological issues that may impact Renton residents.
Policy EN-43. Promote the use of interlocal agreements with other agencies to restrict land use
in sensitive aquifer recharge areas to minimize possible sources of pollution and the potential
for erosion, and to increase infiltration.
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ATTACHMENT A ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Policy EN-44. Actively participate in regional highway planning, construction, and traffic
restrictions.
Policy EN-45. Discourage the continued use of, and hauling of waste to, the Cedar Hills landfill
through the City of Renton.
Policy EN-46. Use interlocal agreements and cooperative planning programs to coordinate,
where appropriate, with King County, Tukwila, and Kent and other agencies for stormwater
management, land use decisions, and waste water treatment.
Policy EN-47. Actively participate in non-point source pollution watershed plans including
those for the May Creek, Cedar River, and Green River Basins.
Policy EN-48. Actively participate in state and regional efforts to control the atmospheric
pollutants responsible for global climate change.
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ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Attachment B
Updated by Ordinance _
and effective as of
Comprehensive Plan - Land Use Map
2,500 S£D0
nd_use_<nap\LBndUse09_ 11x17__Oct09.m
A
(,1—J City Limits |
|_ j PAA Boundary \
Landuse
m| CC - Commercial Corridor
Ellf CN - Commercial Neighborhood
I COR - Commercial-Office-Residential
[ CV- Center Village |
EAI - Employment Area Industrial
. EAV-Employment Area Valley
RLD - Residential Low Density !
RMD - Residential Medium Density
; RMF - Residential Muitifamily
RSF - Residential Single Family
UC-D - Urban Center Downtown
• UC-N - Urban Center North
Commiinity & Economic Development
Alex Pietsch, Administrator
Dala/GIS Analysis Services
AdrianaA. Johnson, Patrick Roduin
Map produced by the City of Renton (c), the City of Renlon al! rights reserved.
No warranties of any sort, including but not limited to accuracy.
fitness or merchantability, accompany this product.
ATTACHMENTC ORDINANCE NO. 5499
COMMUNITY PLANNING ELEMENT
GOAL
Engage in community planning to improve the livability of Renton's neighborhoods, to preserve
unique identity and create community character, to prioritize the provision of City services and
investment in infrastructure, and to provide the public with the opportunity to participate in
shaping the future of their community.
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ATTACHMENT C ORDINANCE NO. 5499
GENERAL OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES
Purpose
The Community Planning element envisions local residents describing how the Comprehensive
Plan and its Development Regulations will be carried out in different geographic areas of the
City. Community Planning Areas were established by the City Council after a public outreach
initiative and in consideration of a number of factors that included, but were not limited to:
shared community identity, physical features, schools, data collection units, existing
infrastructure, service areas, districts, and boundaries, and access to and from a community.
Community Plans will exemplify how the objectives and policies of the Comprehensive Plan play
out when applied to detailed and specific conditions. Ideally, Community Plans will align the
provision of City services and the allocation of infrastructure investments with community goals
and priorities. They will indicate specific land use designations, appropriate densities, and the
design standards that should apply in individual Community Planning Areas. Preserving and
building community character while ensuring an efficient and predictable development
approval process is a central theme.
Community Planning results from a partnership between the City and the businesses, residents,
and other stakeholders of a Community Planning Area. It addresses local issues that are not in
a general Comprehensive Plan. Patterns of land use, design, traffic circulation, and services are
expressed within the Community Plan for the benefit of the social, economic, physical health,
safety, and welfare of the people in the community. Community Plans are a unifying force that
identifies local characteristics in an area by surveying population, employment, transportation,
building, and social attributes. Through the Community Planning process, communities will
decide what they want to nurture and what they want to change at the local level. Priorities
will be set for infrastructure investment and the provision of City services to implement the
Community Plan.
The purpose of Community Planning is to enhance that which the community values, as well as
to identify and assure sensible growth and development. It is possible that Community Plans
include visions that are radically different from the existing conditions, and it is possible that
Community Plans include a vision that preserves the existing character and feel of an area.
However, all Community Plans will anticipate and accommodate future growth and uphold the
responsibility of implementing the Comprehensive Plan, even if there are provisions that some
members of the community may not like. Otherwise, the Community Areas would shift
development pressures and responsibilities outside community boundaries. Community Plans
must be consistent with the overall Comprehensive Plan and the Washington State Growth
Management Act. Plans should carry preambles with clearly articulated statements of purpose
and should contain goals, policies, and principles that benefit both the local community and the
City of Renton as a whole.
Objective CP-A: Implement the goals of the City and the Growth Management Act - Foster
the abilities of communities to implement the Comprehensive Plan within the Community
Planning Areas of the City of Renton.
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ATTACHMENTC ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Policy CP-1. Community Plans shall apply polices that supplement and refine the goals,
objectives, and policies of the Comprehensive Plan within the Community Planning Areas.
Policy CP-2. Community Plans will make recommendations on land use designations, design
standards, and capital improvements within the Community Planning Areas using the policies of
the Comprehensive Plan and Title IV Development Regulations.
Policy CP-3. Community plans will be used to align the provision of City services and
infrastructure investment with community goals and priorities.
Policy CP-4. The City will utilize an effective communication system that keeps people in
Community Planning Areas informed at the beginning, as well as, during the process of creating
a Community Plan. After plans are adopted, the City will continue to communicate with the
people of Community Planning Areas regarding proposed developments and policy decisions
that may affect their Community Plan or Community Planning Area.
Objective CP-B: Foster community character and identity - Foster community character and
preserve the unique identities of neighborhoods and Community Planning Areas.
Policy CP-5. Community Plans shall involve the people of the community in plan development
and amendment. This includes coordinating with existing recognized neighborhood
associations, business associations, and other community groups, as well as business owners
and community residents.
Policy CP-6. Community Plans shall articulate a vision for the community and identify features
and characteristics of communities to retain, develop, preserve, enhance, or correct. The plans
shall focus on policy choices and regulatory options that can be effectively implemented and
shown to be beneficial and desirable for the community.
Policy CP-7. Community Plans shall use the Comprehensive Plan policies written to achieve
environmental protection, create open space, provide affordable housing, and accomplish
other Comprehensive Plan goals and objectives.
Policy CP-8. Community Plans shall provide for a mix of land uses, housing types, and densities,
while meeting the growth targets for the City.
Policy CP-9. Community Plans may identify design features to be prioritized in capital facilities,
multi-family residential development, commercial and industrial areas, and in landscaping.
Design features may include site planning, building design, and other features which affect the
character of the community.
Policy CP-10. Community Plans shall recognize that unique districts and neighborhoods exist
within the Community Planning Areas and may include provisions for subarea or neighborhood
plans for these areas within the context of the Community Plan.
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ATTACHMENT C ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Objective CP-C: New Community Plans and updates - Support communities in the
development of new Community Plans and in the update of existing Community Plans.
Policy CP-11. Community Planning Areas are defined by the Community Planning Area Map
adopted by the City Council. This map should not contain any gaps or overlaps between the
planning area boundaries.
Policy CP-12. Community Plans will include public outreach in a variety of formats, which may
include, but is not limited to: community workshops, City sponsored open-house events,
Commission and Council meetings, and integration into other community events.
Policy CP-13. Community Plans will be initiated by the City Council, with guidance from the
Mayor and Planning Commission, in order to implement objectives, principles, and standards of
the Comprehensive Plan.
Policy CP-14. During the Community Planning process, innovative and updated information
should be shared with the Planning Commission and the Planning and Development Committee
of the City Council to determine if there is a need or desire for changes citywide.
Policy CP-15. Communities will be offered the opportunity to update their Community Plans on
a regular basis.
Objective CP-D: Consistency with the Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations -
Ensure consistency between the Comprehensive Plan, Community Plans, and Development
Regulations.
Policy CP-16. Establish a process for resolving land use conflicts within communities and with
the Comprehensive Plan, that includes an opportunity for the participation of all stakeholders in
coming up with a solution.
Policy CP-17. Community Plans shall consider land uses and other growth related issues in
adjacent Community Planning Areas (or in a neighboring jurisdiction, as applicable) during the
planning process and in making recommendations.
Policy CP-18. Community Plans should use existing Comprehensive Plan land use designations
and zoning classifications rather than create new designations. New Comprehensive Plan
designations and zoning should only be created if:
• existing classifications are inadequate to implement the community's vision;
• new classifications are consistent with citywide policies for growth and land use; and
• new classifications are beneficial and desirable citywide
Policy CP-19. Recommendations on regulation changes shall be integrated into Title IV of
Renton's Municipal Code (the Development Regulations) in order to achieve a unified,
consistent code.
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ATTACHMENTC ORDINANCE NO. 5499
Policy CP-20. Redundant and inconsistent regulations, procedures, and overlays should be
eliminated in Community Plan Areas.
Policy CP-21. Implement Community Plans through land use regulations and administrative
decisions where possible, and through capital facilities provisions and other public programs, as
applicable.
Policy CP-22. Use Community Plan policies as guidelines for identifying mitigation and
unacceptable impacts for projects and development proposals.
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ATTACHMENT C ORDINANCE NO. 5499
COMMUNITY PLANNING AREAS MAP
The Community Planning Areas Map has been adopted to show ten Community Planning Areas
in the City of Renton and its Potential Annexation Area. This map was initially created in a
public outreach effort in 2009, which included a mapping workshop hosted at the annual
Neighborhood Program Neighbor to Neighbor meeting. At this meeting over 100 Renton
residents were given information about the Community Planning effort and criteria to guide the
development of Community Planning Areas citywide. Nine different maps were produced.
Staff and elected officials consolidated the maps into a single map that was then publicly
reviewed before the Planning Commission and City Council. These lines are expected to be
used as the basis for the initiation of the Community Planning process. Boundaries should not
be considered final until the adoption of the Community Plan.
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ATTACHMENT C ORDINANCE NO. 5499
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ATTACHMENT D ORDINANCE NO. 5499
COMMERCIAL/OFFICE/RESIDENTIAL LAND USE DESIGNATION
Purpose Statement: The Commercial/Office/Residential (COR) designation provides
opportunities for large-scale office, commercial, retail, and multi-family projects developed
through a master plan and site plan process incorporation significant site amenities and/or
gateway features. COR sites are typically transitions from an industrial use to a more intensive
land use. The sites offer redevelopment opportunities on Lake Washington and/or the Cedar
River. Commercial/Office/Residential zoning implements the COR land use designation.
Objective LU-CCC: Development at Commercial/Office/Residential designations should be
cohesive, high quality, landmark developments that are integrated with natural amenities. The
intention is to create a compact, urban development with high amenity values that creates a
prominent identity.
Policy LU-270. Designate Commercial/Office/Residential in locations meeting the following
criteria:
1) There is the potential for redevelopment, or a sufficient amount of vacant land to
encourage significant concentration of development;
2) The COR site could function as a gateway to the City;
3) COR sites should be located on major transit and transportation routes; and
4) The COR location has significant amenity value, such as water access, that can support
landmark development.
Policy LU-271. Consistent with the location criteria, Commercial/Office/Residential designations
may be placed on property adjacent to, or abutting, residential, commercial, industrial
designations or publicly owned properties. COR designations next to higher intensity zones such
as industrial, or next to public uses, may provide a transition to less intense designations in the
vicinity. Site design of COR should consider the long-term retention of adjacent or abutting
industrial or public uses.
Policy LU-272. Uses in Commercial/Office/Residential designations should include mixed-use
complexes consisting of office, and/or residential uses, recreational and cultural facilities, hotel
and convention center type development, technology research and development facilities; and
corporate headquarters.
Policy LU-273. Commercial uses such as retail and services should support the primary uses of
the site and be architecturally and functionally integrated into the development.
Policy LU-274. Commercial development, excluding big-box, may be a primary use in a
Commercial/Office/Residential designation, if:
1) It provides significant economic value to the City;
2) It is sited in conjunction with small-scale, multiple businesses in a "business district;"
ATTACHMENT D ORDINANCE NO. 5499
3) It is designed with the scale and intensity envisioned for the COR; and
4) It is part of a proposed master plan development.
Policy LU-275. Individual properties may have a single use if they can be developed at the scale
and intensity envisioned for the COR designation, or if proposed as part of a phased
development and multi-parcel proposal that includes a mix of uses.
Policy LU-276. Sites that have significant limitations on redevelopment due to environmental,
access, and/or land assembly constraints should be granted flexibility of use combinations and
development standards through the master plan process.
Policy LU-277. Adjacent properties within a designated COR should be combined for master
planning purposes and public review regardless of ownership.
Policy LU-278. Master plans should coordinate the mix and compatibility of uses, residential
density, conceptual building, site and landscape design, identification of gateway features,
signs, circulation, transit opportunities, and phasing regardless of ownership of individual
parcels.
Policy LU-279. Residential densities at COR designated sites should provide the flexibility to
allow for high density residential development, that could support the potential onsite
commercial uses and, at the same time, provide for the opportunity for mixed-use
developments that can support the City's employment goals. The same area used for
commercial and office development may also be used to calculate residential density.
Policy LU-280. Commercial/Office/Residential master plans should be guided by design criteria
specific to the location, context, and scale of the designated COR. COR Design Guidelines should
fully integrate signage, building height, bulk, setbacks, landscaping, and parking considerations
for the various components of each proposed project within the COR development.