HomeMy WebLinkAboutD_HEX Decision_Seattle_Bread_of_Life_Christian_Church_2109231
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CONDITIONAL USE - 1
CAO VARIANCE - 1
BEFORE THE HEARING EXAMINER FOR THE CITY OF RENTON
RE: Seattle Bread of Life Christian Church
Conditional Use
LUA21-000299, CU-H
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FINAL DECISION
Summary
Bread of Life Christian Church in Seattle requests approval of a conditional use permit to operate
a religious institution and parsonage office/preschool in an existing church building located at
3005 and 3009 Park Ave N. The application is approved with conditions.
Testimony
A computer-generated transcript has been prepared of the hearing to provide an overview of the
hearing testimony. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only as Appendix A.
Exhibits
Exhibits 1-25, identified at page 2 of the staff report were admitted into the record during the
hearing. The following exhibits were also admitted during the hearing:
Exhibit 26: Staff Power Point
Exhibit 27: COR Maps
Exhibit 28: Google Earth
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CONDITIONAL USE - 2
CAO VARIANCE - 2
Findings of Fact
Procedural:
1. Applicant. Bread of Life Christian Church in Seattle, 1331 118th Ave SE, Bellevue,
WA 98005.
2. Hearing. A virtual hearing was held on the Zoom application at 11:00 am September 20,
2021, Zoom ID No. 895 5690 3305.
3. Project Description. Bread of Life Christian Church in Seattle requests approval of a
conditional use permit application to operate a religious institution and parsonage office/preschool for
in an existing church building located at 3005 and 3009 Park Ave N. The subject properties have a
combined land area of 15,600 square feet (0.36 acres) and contain a 3,256 square foot church
building and a roughly 1,474 square foot parsonage with a full basement of approximately the same
area. The main auditorium has seating for less than 100 attendees in the congregation. No vegetation
or trees are proposed for removal as a part of the project.
4. Surrounding Uses. Surrounding land uses to the north, south and west are composed of is
composed of single and multifamily dwellings. Located to the east across Park Ave N is the Cloud
Break Café.
5. Adverse Impacts. There are no significant adverse impacts associated with the project.
Pertinent impacts are more specifically addressed as follows:
A. Aesthetic. The proposal will create no adverse aesthetic impacts. The proposal involves no
new buildings or exterior alterations to existing buildings and all undeveloped areas are
landscaped. No vegetation or trees are proposed for removal as a part of the project.
B. Traffic. The proposal will not create any significant adverse traffic impacts. The proposal
will not adversely impact movement for vehicles and pedestrians as no exterior site work is
proposed and all existing driveways and sidewalks will remain in their current condition. The
applicant submitted a Traffic and Parking Assessment (Exhibit 13) and using the
methodology documented in the institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation
manual, the church is estimated to generate 120 vehicle trips on Sundays with 53 trips
occurring during the Sunday morning peak hour based on 99 seat capacity. On weekdays, the
church is estimated to generate 44 vehicle trips per day with three (3) trips during the street
peak hour (4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.) and 16 vehicle trips during the church peak hour after 6:00
p.m. According to the testimony of staff, the PM peak hour generation rates were not
significant enough to trigger level of service review under City standards. Additionally, the
proposal passed the City’s Transportation Concurrency Test (Exhibit 24), which considers
such factors as the citywide transportation plan and trip capacity within allowed growth
levels.
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CONDITIONAL USE - 3
CAO VARIANCE - 3
C. Critical Areas. The proposal will not adversely affect critical areas. According to City of
Renton (COR) Maps, the site contains regulated slopes and is in the Wellhead Protection Area
Zone 2. The proposal will not affect either critical area since the proposal involves no
exterior construction, no new fill and no introduction of hazardous materials to the project
site.
D. Noise, light and glare. The proposal will not create any significant noise, light and glare
impacts. As recognized in the staff report, the Applicant has not proposed or shown the need
for any additional lighting to begin the reuse of the existing property and former religious
institution. Building mounted lighting is located along the front façades of both buildings.
Mature landscaping, located between the building lights and public right-of-way, mitigates
potential glare impacts to abutting properties. Noise impacts are not anticipated to be
significant, limited to the sound associated with church members as they enter and exit church
services and functions.
E. Parking. As mitigated the proposal will not create any significant parking impacts.
Parking regulations would require a minimum and maximum of 19.8 parking spaces for the
available 99 seats in the main auditorium. Parking regulations require the parking spaces to
be located within 750 feet of the proposed use for nonresidential uses. However, RMC 4-4-
080 E.2.f. creates an exception by authorizing the planning department to approve alternative
parking arrangements as part of a transportation management plan. City staff have approved
such a plan, which proposes two (2) areas for parking for church users (1) the Park-and-Ride
gravel parking lot located on the southeast corner of Park Ave N and N 30th St (APN
3342103256), which is used as a public park-and-ride lot for King County Metro. Parking for
the church would continue to use the Park-and-Ride lot via a six (6) month lease through the
end of March 2022 and/or (2) shuttle service to a designated portion of the McKnight Middle
School parking lot via a license agreement with Renton School District.
Parking was raised as a concern by several neighbors in their written comments. They point
out that the owner of the Park-and-Ride lot is in the process of acquiring a rezone for the lot
for a different use. They also question whether persons will opt to park in the surrounding
streets rather than wait for shuttles to drive them to the church from the McKnight parking lot.
The Applicant’s parking assessment identifies that the peak parking demand would be 24
vehicles, but that’s just based upon 50 attendees of the church building, which has capacity
for 100 attendees.
The neighbors have a plausible concern that attendees will find it much easier to simply park
in the neighborhood rather than park at McKnight 1.4 miles away and wait for a shuttle that
can only transport 24 people at a time. Given the likelihood that the park and ride may be
developed for another use, there is room for concern over the Applicant’s off-site parking
solutions. For this reason, a condition of approval requires that the Applicant file with the
City evidence of continuing off-site parking agreements upon expiration of the current
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CONDITIONAL USE - 4
CAO VARIANCE - 4
agreements. Further, the conditions require that the shuttle service be subject to monitoring to
ensure that it adequately prevent on-street parking.
As testified by staff, there is insufficient information to assess the parking impacts of the
Applicant’s proposed preschool/daycare use. A condition of approval requires that the
Applicant submit a parking demand analysis and parking plan for the preschool/daycare use
prior to building occupancy.
F. Overconcentration. The proposal will not create an overconcentration of church use in the
vicinity of the project site. The proposal would be the only religious institution and preschool
west of I-405 on N 30th St in Kennydale. The nearest known churches in the Kennydale
neighborhood are the Church of the Beloved located at 1700 NE 28th St (approximately 0.4
miles southeast of the site, which is leasing space within the existing Kennydale Elementary
School) and the Antioch Presbyterian Church (Korean Church) located at 4242 Jones Ave NE
(approximately 1.4 miles northeast of the site within the CA zone and east of I-405).
Conclusions of Law
1. Authority. RMC 4-8-080(G) provides that hearing examiner conditional use permit review
and variances are Type III applications. As Type III applications, RMC 4-8-080(G) grants the
Examiner with the authority to hold a hearing and issue a final decision, subject to closed record
appeal to the City Council.
2. Zoning/Comprehensive Plan Designations. The property is zoned Residential-10 (R-10). The
Comprehensive Plan designation is Residential High Density.
3. Review Criteria. Hearing examiner conditional use permits are required for religious uses in
the R-10 zone per RMC 4-2-060G. Conditional use criteria are set by RMC 4-9-030.
Conditional Use
The Administrator or designee or the Hearing Examiner shall consider, as applicable, the following
factors for all applications:
RMC 4-9-030(C)(1): 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.
4. The criterion is met. The proposal is consistent with the City’s development regulations and
comprehensive plan for the reasons identified in Findings of Fact 16 and 17 of the staff report.
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CONDITIONAL USE - 5
CAO VARIANCE - 5
RMC 4-9-030(C)(2): 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 t he
proposed use. The proposed location shall be suited for the proposed use.
5. The criterion is met. The proposal does not result in an overconcentration of religious uses
for the reasons identified in Finding of Fact No. 6.
RMC 4-9-030(C)(3): Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use at the proposed location
shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property.
6. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5, as conditioned and mitigated, there are no adverse
impacts associated with the proposal, so it will not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on
adjacent property.
RMC 4-9-030(C)(4): Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and
character of the neighborhood.
7. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5, the proposal will not create any adverse aesthetic
impacts or any other impacts that would create compatibility problems.
RMC 4-9-030(C)(5): Parking: Adequate parking is, or will be made, available.
8. The criterion is met for the reasons identified in Finding of Fact No. 5E.
RMC 4-9-030(C)(6): Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and
shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area.
9. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5B, the proposal provides for safe movement of
vehicles and pedestrians since the proposal for an existing building and associated circulation system
and staff has found no need for alteration of those existing improvements. Further, there are no
significant off-site impacts since the proposal will only generate three peak hour trips. Under City
regulations that number of peak hour trips is not considered significant enough to merit assessment of
off-site impacts. Further, the proposed religious use simply replaces a prior religious use and it is
very unlikely that the new use will create any more traffic than that generated by the prior use.
RMC 4-9-030(C)(7): Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light and glare impacts from the
proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated.
10. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(D), the proposal will not create any significant noise,
light and glare impacts.
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CONDITIONAL USE - 6
CAO VARIANCE - 6
RMC 4-9-030(C)(8): 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.
11. The criterion is met. As shown in the aerial photograph of the project, Ex. 4, the entirety of
the property is either landscaped or is developed.
DECISION
All applicable permitting criteria are met as outlined in the Conclusions of Law above. As
conditioned below, the conditional use permit application is approved subject to the following
condition of approval:
1. The applicant shall provide a minimum area of one hundred (100) square feet for
recycling and refuse collection and the area be fenced or screened with a minimum six-
foot (6') wall, fence or landscaping. In addition, the refuse and recycling area shall be
located outside the front yard. Refuse and recycling shall be reviewed and approved by
the Current Planning Project Manager prior to building occupancy.
2. The applicant shall either update the parking lot lease agreement between Kennydale
United Methodist Church and Seattle Bread of Life Christian Church to allow parking on
the adjacent park-and-ride lot to begin around 6:00 p.m. or limit weekday evening church
services start times on Wednesdays to begin after 7:00 p.m. when parking becomes
available. The updated parking lot lease agreement or church hours of operation shall be
reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to building
occupancy.
3. The applicant shall provide a parking demand analysis and parking plan for the accessory
preschool use to ensure adequate parking and drop-off/pick-up are provided. The parking
demand analysis and parking plan shall be submitted to, and approved by, the Current
Planning Project Manager prior to building occupancy.
4. The applicant shall comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) by
installing four (4) paved and signed ADA complaint parking stalls at the adjacent park-
and-ride lot and provide an Accessible Route of Travel (ART) from the adjacent park-
and-ride lot to an ADA compliant building entrance. The ART shall meet current City
and ADA standards and will require, at a minimum, the reconstruction of three (3) curb
return ramps at the intersection of Park Ave N and N 30th St. The siting, location and
engineering design of the ADA compliant parking stalls and ART shall be provided to,
and approved by, the Community Economic Development via a Right-of-Way Use
Permit or similar permitting mechanism prior to building occupancy.
5. In the event the adjacent park-and-ride lot becomes unavailable, the applicant shall
provide the City a revised Parking Agreement with the Renton School District that
provides for the use of at least one (1) ADA van accessible parking stall at McKnight
Middle School.
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CONDITIONAL USE - 7
CAO VARIANCE - 7
6. The applicant shall provide a secured extended use bicycle parking area for a minimum
of two (2) off-street bicycle parking stalls to be reviewed and approved by the Current
Planning Project Manager prior to building occupancy.
7. The applicant shall provide a copy of all future parking leases/agreements to the City of
Renton within thirty (30) days of their effective date. If the Applicant becomes primarily
dependent upon its proposed McKnight shuttle service to meet its parking requirements,
the Applicant shall prepare and implement a two-year monitoring plan as approved by
City staff to ensure that attendees of the project site don’t use on-street parking instead.
Additional monitoring may be required after the two years have expired as reasonably
found necessary by City staff. If adequate off-site parking options become unavailable
for the religious institution to comply with minimum parking regulations, the 2021
Conditional Use Permit for Seattle Bread of Life Christian Church shall become null and
void.
DATED this 22nd day of September, 2021.
City of Renton Hearing Examiner
Appeal Right and Valuation Notices
RMC 4-8-080(G) classifies the application(s) subject to this decision as Type III applications
subject to closed record appeal to the City of Renton City Council. Appeals of the hearing
examiner’s decision must be filed within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of the decision.
A request for reconsideration to the hearing examiner may also be filed within this 14-day appeal
period.
Affected property owners may request a change in valuation for property tax purposes
notwithstanding any program of revaluation.
RENTON
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
STAFF REPORT TO THE HEARING EXAMINER
EXHIBITS
Project Name:
Seattle Bread of Life Christian Church
Land Use File Number:
LUA21-000299, CU-H
Date of Report
September 21, 2021
Staff Contact
Clark Close
Senior Planner
Project Contact/Applicant
Tong Wang
7512 NE 155th St
Kenmore, WA 98028
Project Location
3005 and 3009 Park Ave
N, Renton, WA 98056
Exhibit 1-25: As shown in the Staff Report to the Hearing Examiner
Exhibit 26: Staff PowerPoint
Exhibit 27: COR Maps, http://rp.rentonwa.gov/Html5Public/Index.html?viewer=CORMaps
Exhibit 28: Google Earth, https://www.google.com/earth/