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Modification Request_Parking Reduction_Draft_01.15.20
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January 15, 2020
City of Renton
Planning Division
1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
425.430.7294
Attn: Clark Close
Senior Planner
Re: Chateau Valley Center Expansion
Modification Request for Parking Reduction
Dear Mr. Close,
Please accept this letter as out Justification for a Modification Request to the parking requirements for the Chateau Valley Center
Expansion.
The current proposal for this project consists of an expansion to the existing assisted living facility. The existing facility consists
of 126 residential units and 79 parking spaces. The proposed expansion would remove 3 of the existing parking spaces and add
73 assisted living units with a new garage providing 66 parking spaces. The new proposed totals are 199 residential units (208
beds) with 142 parking spaces.
Chateau at Valley Center will continue to use their 2 fleet vehicles to transport residents to shopping, entertainment and
appointments. Additionally, Valley Medical Center has a fleet of small vans standing on call which Chateau residents can use for
transportation to appointments anywhere on the VMC campus. As a result of these amenities, as well as entertainment and
activities brought into Chateau, many of the residents choose not to keep personal vehicles.
Per RMC 4-4-080F.10.d, the City of Renton parking requirement is:
“A minimum and maximum of 1 space per residential unit of assisted living, plus dedicated parking spaces for facility
fleet vehicles.”
Based on the code above, 201 parking spaces are required. The request is to reduce this requirement to the 142 parking spaces
proposed; a reduction of 29%. We request this modification, based on the Decision Criteria stated in RMC 4-9-250D.2:
a. Substantially implements the policy direction of the policies and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element
and the Community Design Element and the proposed modification is the minimum adjustment necessary to implement these
policies and objectives
The site is designated Commercial & Mixed Use (CMU) on the City’s Comprehensive Plan Map. These areas contain
established commercial and office areas near principal arterials. The designation allows residential uses as part of
mixed-use developments and supports new office and commercial development that is more intensive than what exists
to create a vibrant district and increased employment opportunities. The intention of this designation is to transform
strip commercial development into business districts through the intensification of uses and with cohesive site
planning, landscaping, signage, circulation, parking, and the provision of public amenity features. To meet Goal L-
BB, the proposed new facility expands the existing assisted living function. The project’s materiality, modulation and
landscaping will complement the existing conditions to create an attractive project. To serve the assisted living
function and provide access and easy boarding for fleet vehicles, Valley Medical vehicles, and emergency vehicles, a
drop off/ pick up lane is provided, expanding on the existing lane to provide this access at both building entrances. To
meet Goal L-FF, the design forms and roofline are designed to complement the existing adjacent facility,
strengthening the visual identity of the area and creating a coherent project. To meet Policy L-50, the placement of
the proposed building on the site allows for connection to the adjacent existing facility, as well as maximizing privacy
and noise reduction for the future residents. This placement also allows for extension of the existing drop off/ pick up
lane, simplifying traffic flow between the existing and proposed sites. The building placement does not adversely
impact the views or solar access of neighboring properties. To meet Policy L-51, the design of pathways and
landscape will emphasize a human scale and tie the existing and new sites together. To meet Policy L-56, the
landscape will appropriately complement the building design and placement, using native, naturalized, and
ornamental plantings as appropriate, similar to the existing landscaping. To meet Policy L-60, the proposed new
parking is limited to that within the ground and lower level parking garage, with landscape to screen and soften the
appearance of the building from the public street.
Per the Zoning Map and Ordinance No. 5952, the site is located within the Commercial Office (CO) zone and Design
District D. The Design Standards for this District are met using many of the same considerations employed to meet
the Comprehensive Plan Policies and Goals. To meet Design Standard 1, the building is sited so as to not adversely
impact the solar access of the neighboring properties. To meet Design Standard 2, the proposed building is designed
to provide connection to the adjacent existing structure, which is currently oriented to Davis Ave. The proposed
sidewalk to the new building expansion is an extension of the existing building sidewalk and directly connects to the
public sidewalk. To meet Design Standard 3, the entry to the existing building already faces Davis Ave and the entry
to the new building expansion is oriented at an easily visible angle, towards the end of the site closest to the street. To
meet Design Standard 4, the structured parking has two levels: one underground and one at entry level. This allows
the new residential units to all be raised above street level for privacy.
The site area available is very limited and has a sharp angle. To minimize the visual impact of the new additional
parking and provide the landscaping required to provide an attractive appearance and human scale in keeping with
the Comprehensive Plan requirements, all of the new parking is enclosed within two levels at the bottom of the
proposed building. The footprint of the building is limited by the size and shape of the site, the need for a pickup/
drop off lane, as well as the modulation needed to meet Comprehensive Plan and Zoning design standards. The 66
new parking spaces proposed maximizes the use of these two building levels for parking. The placement of the new
expansion provides a direct connection to the existing facility and minimizes impacts to the existing parking area to
maximize the parking provided for the project.
b. Will meet the objectives and safety, function, appearance, environmental protection and maintainability intended by the Code
requirements, based upon sound engineering judgment
The objective of the minimum parking requirement is to ensure adequate parking for the residents and facility
functions. Currently, there are 79 parking stalls for 126 residential units, but a Traffic Engineer measured a use of
only 67 of those parking stalls at peak demand. Rather than a rate of 1 parking space per unit, the existing facility is
using 0.53 parking spaces per unit. Over the 15 years of operating this facility there has consistently been an excess of
parking spaces provided on the property. The Traffic Analysis performed on this facility, a second local senior
housing community and the ITE Manual Calculations all confirm and validate this historical data.
Per the attached Traffic and Parking Analysis, the number of parking spaces can be reduced from the City
requirement and still serve the needs of the facility’s residents. At the current facility, there are 135 beds provided
within the 126 residential units, but only 67 parking stalls are used at peak demand. This results in a parking demand
ratio of 0.50 spaces per bed. Similar calculations were performed at a similar facility. The parking analysis shows the
parking demand per bed of the existing assisted living facility to be expanded by this proposal, the similar facility, and
the ratio recommended by the ITE Parking Generation manual.
The average parking demand calculated is 0.49 parking spaces per unit. With 142 parking spaces total proposed, the
facility is provided with a parking ratio of 0.59, exceeding the rate from any of the three sources measured for
comparison. Please see the attached Traffic and Parking Analysis for more information. By keeping the new parking
enclosed, adequate circulation for resident pick up and drop off can be provided. As many residents in this facility
will not have personal vehicles, this is a primary means of transportation to the facility. Enclosure of the parking also
allows for adequate pedestrian pathways and landscaping to meet other Code requirements that ensure area
aesthetics and permeable areas are maintained.
c. Will not be injurious to other property(ies) in the vicinity
As stated above, the proposed parking to unit ratio, while less than that required by the City of Renton, exceeds the
recommendations of the ITE Parking Generation manual and the measured parking use at two existing facilities,
Chateau Valley Center Modification Request- Parking Reduction
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including the adjacent existing Chateau Valley Center Phase I. Based on these calculations, sufficient parking is
provided for the proposed project and should not result in injury to other properties in the vicinity. All parking
necessary to serve this facility can be accommodated on site without any impact to neighboring properties or streets.
d. Conforms to the intent and purpose of the Code
As stated in section “b”, the parking provided has been calculated to meet, and even exceed, parking demand at
similar facilities, meeting the intent and purpose of the code.
e. Can be shown to be justified and required for the use and situation intended
The requested modification for a reduction in parking is due to the constraints of a small site. Per the Comprehensive
Plan, this site is designated for high-density use and the Zoning designation allows up to 250’ building height. The
proposed building expansion with enclosed parking allows for development of the building expansion, which meets the
intent of the high-intensity use designation. As mentioned above, the proposed parking count will still exceed the
estimated parking demand for the project and will be appropriate for the proposed use and situation. Adding
additional exterior parking to meet the City parking requirement would result in unused parking stalls between the
building and the street, working against the intention of dense building development on the site with attractive
landscaping between the building and the street. By limiting the parking to within the building, the enclosure screens
the parking from the public street and allows for pedestrian pathways, landscaped outdoor space and a highly used
drop off/ pick up lane between the building and the street.
f. Will not create adverse impacts to other property(ies) in the vicinity
As stated in section “c”, the proposed parking to unit ratio exceeds both the historical and estimated parking demand
for this project. Therefore, this modification request should not result in adverse impacts to other properties in the
vicinity.
The justification above addresses the parking demand for the typical day and weekend at this facility. In addition to the on-site
parking proposed, there is also an existing parking agreement between the Owner and Valley Medical Center which allows the
assisted living facility to use the parking area on the west side of Davis Ave for special events on evenings and weekends, which
may cause an atypical spike in parking demand. This parking agreement and the parking as proposed are more than adequate to
serve the needs of the existing facility and the proposed expansion.
Based on the above calculation and the responses to the Decision Criteria, we request approval of the reduction to the parking
requirements for the Chateau Valley Center Expansion, per RMC 4-9-250D.
Thank you,
Sherri Miller
Sherri Miller
Associate Principal
Magellan Architects