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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJ_Variance and Modification Justification_210416_v1.pdf Sunset Gardens – Variance and Modification Justification 4-2-120A DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS FOR COMMERCIAL ZONING DESIGNATIONS MAXIMUM FRONT YARD SETBACKS: • Minimum Front Yard Setback”: 15 Ft. required • Maximum Front Yard Setback: 20 Ft. required • Minimum Secondary Font Yard Setback: 15 Ft. required • Maximum Secondary Front Yard Setback: 20. Ft. required The project requests a modification to exceed the maximum front yard and secondary front yard setbacks to allow for building modulation as required by 4-3- 100.B.5 in the Urban Design Regulations. The west façade of the building fronts Jefferson Avenue NE and steps back 3’-6 ½” at the corner which results in a maximum setback of 20’-9 ½” at the furthest point from the property line. The south façade of the building fronts NE 10th Street and steps back 4’-3 1/4” at the corner resulting in a maximum setback of approximately 23’-2 ½” at the furthest point. The increased stepping distance from the typical 2-foot step adds a variety of modulation along the length of each façade and highlights the main corner. The site program takes advantage of this architectural element by locating a public plaza at the enlarged area and adding to the pedestrian amenities on the site. The building entry is also highlighted by the plaza and associated canopy. We believe the modification improves the massing’s response to the street frontage while directing pedestrians to the main entry. The east façade of the building fronts Jefferson Avenue NE and exceeds the maximum front yard setback by approximately 8’-11 ½” along the south wing and approximately 99’-3” along the west wing. The southeastern portion of Jefferson Avenue NE provides access to the adjacent development and ends at a vacated portion of the right-of-way. Due to the acute angle of the intersection and the resulting curve of the property line, the corners of the south wing are tight to the minimum setbacks while leaving portions of the west wall beyond the maximum setback. The building is also surrounded entirely by right-of-way minus a small portion to the northeast where the right-of-way has been vacated. As such, the west wing of the building sits tight to the eastern portion of Jefferson Avenue NE to focus the attention on the busier intersection to the west where higher traffic volumes are expected and allow parking to be located in a manner that would best screen the cars from surround properties and rights-of-way. The building design focuses on clean lines and simple massing for a more approachable façade. We believe the modification allows a design that respects the surrounding properties and their building massing while complying with the setbacks required to the greatest extent possible. REQUIRED LOCATION FOR PARKING: • Residential Uses; Required parking shall be located underground or under building (on the first floor of the structure), or in an attached or detached structure. Any additional parking may not be located between the building and the public street unless located within a structured parking garage. 2 • Commercial Uses: Parking may not be located between the building and the public street unless located within a structured parking garage. • Mixed Use: Joint parking is required subject to RMC 4-4-080 E3 The project requests a modification to allow parking between the building and the right-of-way along the eastern façade of the building for a portion of Jefferson Avenue NE. The project site is surrounded entirely by right-of-way except a small portion to the northeast where the right-of-way has been vacated. The building is located to hug the southwest corner of the site to allow parking to be tucked behind the building as much as possible. A portion of the parking is located below the building to the southeast and within a structure at the building’s knuckle. The remaining parking is located along the eastern portion of the site away from higher-traffic areas. The parking is tucked at the base of an existing rockery to minimize site lines from adjacent properties and rights-of-way by recessing the parking below adjacent grade. Parking along the rockery is set back 10’-0” from the rockery to allow ample landscaping to aid in screening. 4-3-100.E URBAN DESIGN REGULATIONS - REQUIREMENTS 1. Site Design and Building Location: SERVICE ELEMENT LOCATION AND DESIGN • If the service area is adjacent to a street, pathway, or pedestrian-oriented space, a landscaped planting strip, minimum three feet (3’) wide, shall be located on three (3) sides of such facility. The project requests a modification to the urban design regulation requiring a 3’ wide planting strip on three sides at the trash enclosure. Site access for parking and trash collection is located at the NW corner of the site to keep it away from the intersection of NE 10th Street and Jefferson Ave. NE. The trash enclosure boarders the vacated portion of Jefferson Ave. NE on the northwest corner of the site. Providing the parking required for the site limits the amount of site area for the trash enclosure to reside in. The trash enclosure has been sized per communication with Republic Services. The curvature of the property lines creates a pinch point at the NE corner of the trash enclosure but the west, northwest and east sides of the trash enclosure have more than the required 3’. The trash enclosure will be constructed of opaque walls and a metal roof that will tie into the main building architecture. 2. Parking and Vehicular Access: SURFACE PARKING • Parking shall be located so that no surface parking is located between: o A building and the front property line; and/or o A building and the side property line (when on a corner lot) The project requests a modification to the to the urban design regulation that no surface parking is located between a building and the side property line. The project site is a unique site that is surround on 3 sides by roadways, NE 10th Street to the south and Jefferson Ave. NE to the west and southeast. Approximately 40 percent of the 3 parking spaces provided on the site are structured parking. The rest of the parking is surface parking located between the back side of the building, away from NE 10th Street and Jefferson Ave. NE to the west and Jefferson Ave. NE to the east. The surface parking will have landscaping including trees along the east side to buffer it from Jefferson to the east. Most of the surface parking is also below the grade of Jefferson Ave. NE to the east which also provides a buffer to the east. 3. Pedestrian Environment: PEDESTRIAN AMENITIES DISTRICTS C & D • Pedestrian overhead weather protection in the form of awnings, marquees, canopies, or building overhangs shall be provided. These elements shall be a minimum of four and one-half feet (4-1/2') wide along at least seventy five percent (75%) of the length of the building facade facing the street, a maximum height of fifteen feet (15') above the ground elevation, and no lower than eight feet (8') above ground level. The project requests a modification to the urban design regulation requiring that at least 75% of the length of the building façade facing the street have weather protection. Most of the building along NE 10th Street and Jefferson Ave. NE has landscaping and bioretention between the building and the property line to meet the requirements for landscaping and surface water management. Overhead weather protection over landscaping areas would be detrimental to those landscaping areas. Overhead weather protection is provided at the building entry and exit points at NE 10th Street and Jefferson Ave. NE and at the corner plaza. The west façade of the building has approximately 34% of the façade provided with weather protection. The south façade of the building has approximately 64% of the façade provided with weather protection at the ground floor along NE 10th Street. The east portion of the south façade follows the grade up NE 10th Street to the second floor is not counted in the calculation. The southeast corner of the property abuts a portion of Jefferson Ave. NE and the grade there ends at the second floor residential units and emergency exit. A canopy has been provided over the exit to tie back into the canopies at level 1. 5. Building Architectural Design: BUILDING CHARACTER AND MASSING Modulations shall be a minimum of two feet (2’) deep, sixteen feet (16’) in height, and eight feet (8’) in width. The project requests a modification to the urban design regulation requiring a minimum 8’ width at modulations. The building façade provides regular modulations to the west along Jefferson Avenue NE and to the south along NE 10th Street in compliance with the Urban Design Regulations. While providing a full-height inset on both the northernmost and easternmost facades, the insets measure less than 8’ wide, they are 4’-10 ½“ and 5’-6 ½”, respectively. The width of the modulation is an expression of the interior corridor that the modulation boarders. This inset at each façade uses color and window placement to create additional contrast from the main body to meet the intent of the regulation. 5.1 All building facades shall include modulation or articulation at intervals of no more than forty feet. 4 The project requests a modification to the required 40’ maximum articulation width in 2 locations. Modulated bays are provided on all right-of-way frontages. Each bay, with exception of the corner, sets back 2’ from the main body and extends the full height of the building. The building utilizes various textural and color variations between patterns and treatments of the materials, a contrast between dark and light tones, and vertical and horizontal elements within the treatment of the façade. The articulations are expressed at unit boundaries to express the interior transitions and provide for ease of framing and keep unit types at a minimum to reduce costs and provide equity to the tenants. 4-4-040.C.2 FENCES, HEDGES, AND RETAINING WALLS d. RETAINING WALL STANDARDS - SETBACK FROM PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY • There shall be a minimum three-foot (3’) landscaped setback at the base of retaining walls abutting public rights-of-way. Landscaping shall include a mixture of shrubs and groundcover (trees are optional) in conformance with the standards of RMC 4-4-070H4, Perimeter Parking lot Landscaping The project requests a modification to the 3’ minimum setback at the base of retaining walls abutting public rights-of-way. The project is proposing three rockery walls along the southern façade facing NE 10th Street. The landscaping and resulting rockeries are designed to get the grade up as high as possible to hide the concrete wall of the adjoining ground floor parking per direction from the city of Renton. The rockeries were placed using a maximum slope of 3:1 for the areas between the rockeries to allow landscaping and to keep the height low enough that a concrete wall would not be required. The rockeries need to begin at the back of the ROW to cover as much of the parking area wall as possible without the rockeries being too high or requiring a concrete retaining wall, as we are trying to reduce the amount of blank concrete towards NE 10th Street. The rockeries create a more natural step allowing them to blend into the surrounding landscape while screening the wall from the right-of-way. f. GRADING • For land area that is not between two (2) retaining walls (i.e., not a terrace), the lower soil grade (i.e., ground at the bottom of a retaining wall’s exposed surface) and the upper soil grade (i.e., ground at the top of a retaining wall) abutting a retaining wall shall be level for a horizontal distance (measured perpendicularly to the wall) equaling one foot (1’) for every one foot (1’) in height of the retaining wall. The project requests a modification to the minimum horizontal distance of level grade abutting a retaining wall. A retaining wall is required at the southeast corner to provide a transition from the surface parking at the ground floor level and the existing grade at the back of the ROW at Jefferson AVE NE where there is an emergency exit from the building to the ROW. The height of the retaining wall is approximately With the required floor height of the commercial ground floor the buildings second floor is above the ROW’s grade. Grade will slope down to the east from the building to the ROW. This grade will be sloping perpendicular to the top of the retaining wall. The grade difference between the southwest corner of the property and the south east corner is 5 approximately 12’. A 42” tall guard rail is proposed at the top of this retaining wall to protect the edge from falls which would place the combined height of the retaining wall and guard rail above the 12’ height allowed. 4-4-070.H LANDSCAPING – DESCRIPTION OF REQUIRED LANDSCAPING 5. INTERIOR PARKING LOT LANDSCAPING • Landscaping is required in parking lots in the amounts stipulated in subsection F of this Section. Any interior parking lot landscaping area shall be sized to dimensions of at least eight feet (8’) by twelve feet (12’). The project requests a variation to required size of interior parking lot landscaping. Parking was located along the eastern edge of the site to minimize visibility of parking from the surrounding rights-of-way. Due to the curvature along the eastern and north property lines, some of the parking is at an angle to maximize the number of spaces available while maintaining a sufficient buffer for landscaping to act as a screening device. As such, the interior parking lot landscaping area to the southeast intersects the building at an angle leaving an area smaller than 8’ x 12’. While this area is smaller than the required size, it is adjacent to a large area of perimeter landscaping. Additionally, the remaining interior parking lot landscaping areas along the eastern edge of the property are larger than the minimum required size. 4-4-080 PARKING – PARKING STALL TYPES, SIZES, AND PERCENTAGE ALLOWED/ REQUIRED 8. a. STANDARD PARKING STALL SIZE – STRUCTURED PARKING: i. Minimum Length in All Zones Except UC Zone: A parking stall shall be a minimum of twenty feet (20’) in length, except for parallel stalls, measured along both sides of the usable portion of the stall. ii. Minimum Width: A parking stall shall be a minimum of nine feet (9’) in width measured from a right angle to the stall sides. The project requests a modification to the minimum size of standard surface parking stalls from 20’ x 9’ to 15’ x 8’-4”. The proposed size is consistent with standard parking stall size for structured parking. As the property is surrounded by rights-of-way on all sides, the property is subject to setbacks at nearly every property line. The current site design pushes the building to the southwest corner to maximize the space available for parking. Interior parking lot and perimeter landscaping have been included to provide shade and greenery. We believe the design provides sufficient parking while maintaining a pleasant environment for pedestrians, tenants, and visitors. 8.c. COMPACT PARKING STALL SIZE AND MAXIMUM NUMBER OF COMPACT SPACES i. Stall Size – Surface: Each stall shall be eight and one-half feet in width and sixteen feet in length (8-1/2’ x 16’). iii. Maximum Number of Compact Spaces Outside of the UC Zones: Compact parking spaces shall not account for more than: • All other uses – not to exceed thirty percent (30%) 6 The project requests a modification to the minimum size of surface compact parking stalls from 8-1/2’ x 16’ to 7’-1/2’ x 12’ and a modification to the maximum number of compact spaces allowed. The proposed size is consistent with compact parking stall size for structured parking. 9.f.b NINETY DEGREE (90°) PARKING AISLE WIDTH MINIMUMS: For one row and two (2) rows of ninety degree (90°) parking using the same aisle in a one way or two (2) way circulation pattern, the minimum width of the aisle shall be twenty four feet (24'). (Ord. 5729, 10-20-2014). The project requests a modification to the minimum ninety degree parking aisle width for a portion of the surface parking. As the property is surrounded by rights-of-way on all sides, the property is subject to setbacks at nearly every property line. The current site design pushes the building to the southwest corner to maximize the space available for parking. Interior parking lot and perimeter landscaping have been included to provide shade, greenery, and a buffer to the east. There is an existing rockery retaining wall along the east property line. Our design intent in to maintain as much of the existing rockery retaining wall as possible to minimize project costs for this affordable development. Also, during discussions with the city after our pre-app meeting and up until our land use submittal the city has expressed that a we should try to maintain a landscape buffer to the east of the parking. To maintain enough space for substantial plantings and stay away from the toe of the existing rockery there are (9) parking spaces near the north end of the surface parking where the property line curves in towards the northwest that have a drive aisle that is 22’-0” wide. After those (9) spaces the drive aisle becomes a single loaded aisle. 11.b. BICYCLE PARKING STANDARDS: i. Bicycle parking facilities shall include a rack that is permanently affixed to the ground and supports the bicycle at two (2) or more points, including at least on point on the frame. ii. Each bicycle parking space shall be at least two feet (2’) by six feet (6’). 11.c. BICYCLE PARKING STANDARDS: i. Bicycle parking standards i through iv in subsection F11b of this section shall apply to this subsection. The project requests a modification to the type of bicycle provided to allow a portion of the racks to be wall-mounted. By including both, wall-mounted and floor-mounted bicycle racks, the project is providing racks for a variety of bicycle types while minimizing the footprint of the bicycle enclosure. 4-4-090 REFUSE AND RECYCLABLES STANDARDS D1.b. Minimum Number of Deposit Areas: There shall be a minimum of one refuse and recyclables deposit area/collection point for each project. There shall be at least one deposit area/collection point for every thirty (30) dwelling units. The project requests a variation to have 1 trash enclosure for the project that will house the commercial and residential refuse and recyclable deposit area. 7 The site grade and the minimum required parking make it difficult to provide accessible access to multiple locations throughout the site. Providing 1 large trash collection location is a more efficient use of the limited space the site affords and allows an accessible route to 1 equitable trash enclosure within the required distance from the building entrance at the elevators. 4-4-090 REFUSE AND RECYCLABLES STANDARDS C.10 Minimum Gate Opening and Minimum Vertical Clearance: Enclosures for outdoor refuse or recyclables deposit areas/collection points and separate buildings used primarily to contain a refuse or recyclables deposit area/collection point shall have gate openings at least twelve feet (12') wide for haulers. In addition, the gate opening for any separate building or other roofed structure used primarily as a refuse or recyclables deposit area/collection point shall have a vertical clearance of at least eleven feet (11'), but no more than fourteen feet (14'). (Ord. 5852, 8-7-17) The project requests a modification to reduce the minimum height required for the trash enclosure. The roofed trash enclosure for the development will house the refuse and recycling dumpsters for both the commercial and residential portions of the building. After discussing collection with Republic Services, the dumpsters will be staged outside of the trash enclosure structure and collected in the access driveway on collection days. As the dumpsters will not be directly “picked” from the trash enclosure it does not need to accommodate overhead clearance. The trash enclosure is located at the northwest corner of the property and having a lower roof height will minimize its visibility from the apartment complex across their parking to the northeast. The proposed trash enclosure roof height is included in the documents for our Land Use application. 4-6-060 STREET STANDARDS E.2 Right-of-Way Dedication Required. Amount of Dedication: The right-of-way dedication required shall be half of the difference between the existing width and the minimum required width as listed in subsection F of this Section. In cases where additional right-of-way has been dedicated on the opposite side of the right-of-way from the development site in compliance with this Section, then dedication of the remaining right-of-way width to obtain the minimum width as listed in subsection F of this Section shall be required. The Project requests a modification to reduce the amount of land dedicated at the southeast corner of the side along Jefferson AVE NE by 1’-6”. The required dedications described in the pre-app meeting would place the new property line/ROW on top of the existing rockery retaining wall along Jefferson AVE NE at the southeast edge of the site. It is the developments intention to retain the existing rockery to help control costs for this affordable housing project. After discussing with the city, a proposal was made to keep the existing ROW location at Jefferson AVE NE at the southeast corner of the lot which would reduce the amount of dedicated land by 1’-6” along this frontage with Jefferson AVE NE. For this reduction, the project will: 8 o Provide geotechnical engineer analysis certifying the stability of the existing rockery retaining wall after building demolition and frontage construction. o Provide a curb-bulb out on the intersection of NE 10th Street and Jefferson Avenue NE. o Provide a driveway entrance to the private driveway north of Jefferson Avenue NE. o Pursue to the maximum extent feasible, a connection to the existing private sidewalk at the north property. The neighboring properties will be engaged to determine their willingness to provide this connection that will impact and occur on their properties.