HomeMy WebLinkAboutPN_Project_Narrative_210924_v2SOUND TRANSIT • Union Station
401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104-2826 • Reception: (206) 398-5000 • FAX: (206) 398-5499
www.soundtransit.org
September 24, 2021
Clark H. Close
Senior Planner
City of Renton
1055 S. Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
SUBJECT: Updated Project Narrative for Seismic Hazard Area Critical Areas Exemption
South Renton Transit Center Building Demolition
Site address: 750 Rainier Ave S, Renton, WA 98057
Dear Clark,
On August 6, 2021 Sound Transit submitted to the City of Renton a request for a Seismic Hazard Area
Critical Areas Exemption to demolish three of the four buildings on the South Renton Transit Center site.
This prior Critical Areas Exemption request was approved by the City of Renton on September 3, 2021
(LUA21‐000294, CAE). Recently, Sound Transit has determined that demolition of the fourth building on
the South Renton Transit Center site is also needed at this time to avoid similar issues of public safety,
trespassing and vandalism. Therefore, Sound Transit is submitting this updated project narrative
reflecting the demolition of all four buildings on the South Renton Transit Center site so that the City of
Renton may review and reissue the Critical Areas Exemption approval.
The South Renton Transit Center is a proposed component of Sound Transit’s I‐405 Bus Rapid Transit
(BRT) project. The South Renton Transit Center site is in a highly developed commercial area located at
750 Rainier Ave S (northeast of the intersection of Rainier Avenue S (State Route (SR) 167) and S. Grady
Way). See the neighborhood detail map in Figure 1. Sound Transit owns the four parcels that comprise
the site (192305 ‐ 9035, 9063, 9068, 9074). The businesses that previously occupied the site have been
relocated and it is currently unoccupied.
Sound Transit is proposing to demolish all four of the vacant buildings on‐site, prior to constructing the
transit center, to address site safety and security issues from ongoing vandalism and trespass. For
example, the building previously occupied by Sound Ford has been heavily damaged internally from
people scavenging items, including copper wiring, and there is currently no electricity and no working
fire suppression system. Demolition of the unused buildings has been determined to be the most
effective method to address the public health and safety risk they currently present.
The South Renton Transit Center site is completely located within Renton’s Seismic Hazard Area (Figure
2). Per Renton Municipal Code (RMC) 4‐3‐050C.3 the removal of existing structures is an exempt activity
within geologic hazard areas, which includes seismic hazard areas. Therefore, Sound Transit is
requesting, per RMC 4‐3‐050C.2, that the City of Renton reissue a letter of exemption from the seismic
hazard area requirements for the proposed demolition activity. This letter provides a project description
of the demolition work that is proposed and addresses Renton’s critical area regulations within the
Seismic Hazard Area. Separately, Sound Transit’s contractor will apply for and obtain demolition permits
from Renton, which will include a critical areas approval for demolition in a Wellhead Protection Area.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Figure 3 provides a site plan of the four existing buildings to be demolished on the South Renton Transit
Center site. Table 1 provides a summary of the four parcels that comprise the site, the previous and
current use of the site, the size of the existing buildings on the site and notes that the buildings are
proposed to be demolished. As shown in Figure 3 and Table 1, all four of the existing buildings on the
site are proposed to be demolished.
Table 1. South Renton Transit Center site ‐ Existing structures and proposed demolition
Parcel No. Previous Use Current Use
Approx. Building
Size (square
feet)
Proposed for
Demolition
192305-9035 Auto showroom and lot Vacant 46,000 Y
192305-9063 Auto service building Vacant 14,000 Y
192305-9068 Repair garage Vacant 3,300 Y
Office space Vacant 9,000 Y
192305-9074 Power line easement Power line easement None Not applicable
Sound Transit’s general contractor will determine the full means and methods for the demolition
project. The following is a general description of the proposed demolition work.
Site access and staging
The two existing driveways off Rainier Avenue S and the three existing driveways off S. Grady Way will
provide access to the site for the demolition work. There will be no changes to adjacent roadways or site
access, and no traffic impacts are anticipated. All staging of demolition equipment will occur on the site,
most likely near the buildings to be demolished. The debris/materials from the demolition would also be
temporarily on the site prior to being removed and taken to a facility for proper disposal. No project
work, including staging and debris, would occur beneath the Seattle City Light high‐voltage overhead
power lines (shown on Figure 3).
Abatement and Best Management Practices
Prior to start of structural demolition, hazardous materials abatement in compliance with applicable
regulations would occur. Abatement is expected to take approximately 8 weeks to complete.
In 2018 Shannon & Wilson, Inc. completed a hazardous materials survey and report for the buildings to
be demolished. This survey identified asbestos‐containing materials in various locations, as well likely
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and mercury in fluorescent light fixtures. Recently, in July 2021,
Shannon & Wilson completed additional testing of building materials including a lead‐based paint survey
to determine the presence or absence of hazardous building materials. With this information, the
contractor will be able to complete the abatement of hazardous building materials prior to full structural
demolition to assure that materials, such as lead paint and asbestos, are not released during demolition,
that the materials are properly and safely handled during demolition and that they are taken to a facility
SOUND TRANSIT • Union Station
401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104-2826 • Reception: (206) 398-5000 • FAX: (206) 398-5499
www.soundtransit.org
that accepts such materials.
The project’s general contractor would be required to implement best management practices during the
demolition work to prevent waste materials from entering area surface or ground water and to reduce
air emissions during demolition. On this completely paved site, these measures would likely include, but
not be limited to:
Protect storm drain inlets on‐site by placing silt fencing, straw bale barriers or fiber rolls around
them.
Handle hazardous materials during abatement in compliance with regulations and the
recommendations of the site assessment report.
Contain areas where equipment (i.e. air handlers or generators) could be refueled on‐site.
Spray water during building demolition to reduce emissions of particulate matter.
Cover all trucks transporting materials, wet materials in trucks, or provide adequate freeboard
(space from the top of the material to the top of the truck) to reduce or avoid windblown
deposition of particulate matter during transportation.
Provide wheel washers to remove particulate matter that vehicles would otherwise carry off site
to decrease deposition of particulate matter on area roadways.
Demolition Activities
After the building abatement work, the structural demolition work for the four buildings is expected to
take approximately 11 weeks to complete. The site would be left paved with building foundation slabs
remaining, no sub‐grade work is proposed.
With no grading work proposed, no erosion control is anticipated to be needed. As noted above, best
management practices would be implemented to protect stormwater inlets on‐site and prevent dust
and other air emissions.
As shown in Figure 4, the South Renton Transit Center site is very flat, with little elevation change across
the site. As shown in the aerial photograph in Figure 1, the site is nearly entirely paved. Along the site’s
frontage of S. Grady Way there is a small landscaping strip behind the sidewalk with some existing street
trees. The site is also adjacent to a landscaped area along Lake Ave S. These landscaped areas and trees
would remain.
Interior to the site there is a small landscape strip with shrubs and two small trees along the west side of
the building on parcel 192305‐9035 and a small grass strip along the north side of this building. It is
anticipated that these trees and shrubs would be removed with the demolition of the building. There is
also a small landscaped area with shrubs on the southwest corner of the building that would not be
demolished on parcel 192305‐9068. It is anticipated that this existing landscaping would remain.
All work is anticipated to occur during the day. If nighttime or weekend work is required Sound Transit
will work with the contractor to obtain a noise variance, if needed, from the City of Renton. The site and
all equipment and materials for the demolition work will be fenced and secured, with security personnel
provided if needed to prevent unauthorized access.
There will be no utility disruption. Sound Transit will work with the City of Renton and will follow code
requirements for capping of utilities as needed. There is a potential that a minimal amount of clean fill
(less than 10 cubic yards) would be used to cap utilities. Sound Transit would work with the contractor
to source clean fill to be placed on the site.
CRITICAL AREAS REGULATIONS REQUEST
The entire South Renton Transit Center site is in a Seismic Hazard Area, as designated and mapped by
the City of Renton. Therefore, all of the proposed demolition activities are located within this critical
area. The entire site is also located in a Wellhead Protection Area Zone 2 critical area. As previously
noted, separate from this request Sound Transit’s contractor will be obtaining demolition permits from
Renton and a critical areas permit for demolition within a Wellhead Protection Area. No other critical
areas or associated buffers are located in this area.
Prior to any development or alteration of a property containing a critical area, RMC 4‐3‐050.C.1 notes
that the owner or designee must obtain a development permit, critical area permit, and/or letter of
exemption. RMC 4‐3‐050.C.2 notes that activities within critical areas that are considered exempt
activities may require obtaining a letter of exemption issued by the Administrator prior to initiation of
activities.
Seismic Hazard Area
The table of exempt activities in RMC 4‐3‐050.C.3 identifies “Remodeling, Replacing, Removing Existing
Structures, Facilities and Improvements” as an activity that is exempt from critical areas regulations
within geologic hazard areas, which includes seismic hazard areas. Footnote 20 of the table clarifies that
this exemption applies to “remodeling, restoring, replacing or removing structures, facilities and other
improvements in existence or vested on the date this Section becomes effective and that do not meet the
setback or buffer requirements of this Section provided the work complies with the criteria in RMC 4‐10‐
090.” The buildings on the South Renton Transit Center site existed on the date this Section was
effective, in compliance with this requirement. Therefore, the proposed building demolition activity is
an exempt activity within the Seismic Hazard Area.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the proposed South Renton Transit Center building demolition is consistent with RMC 4‐3‐
050.C.3 as building removal that is an exempt activity within geologic hazard areas. Therefore, per RMC
4‐3‐050D.5a.ii Sound Transit requests the City of Renton issue a letter of exemption for the proposed
building demolition within the Seismic Hazard critical area.
Please feel free to contact me at (206) 660‐3968 or Dangelei.fox@soundtransit.org if you have any
questions or need additional information. Thank you for your time in processing this request.
Sincerely,
Dangelei Fox, PWS
Senior Environmental Planner
Sound Transit
SOUND TRANSIT • Union Station
401 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104-2826 • Reception: (206) 398-5000 • FAX: (206) 398-5499
www.soundtransit.org
Enc: Figure 1: SRTC Neighborhood Detail Map
Figure 2: SRTC Seismic Hazard Area
Figure 3: SRTC Building Demolition Site Plan
Figure 4: SRTC Topography Map
Critical Areas Exemption: South Renton Transit Center Building Demolition 6 Figure 1. South Renton Transit Center Site – Neighborhood Detail Map
Critical Areas Exemption: South Renton Transit Center Building Demolition
7
Figure 2. South Renton Transit Center Building Demolition ‐ Renton Seismic Hazard Area
Critical Areas Exemption: South Renton Transit Center Building Demolition 8 Figure 3. South Renton Transit Center Building Demolition ‐ Site Plan
Critical Areas Exemption: South Renton Transit Center Building Demolition
9
Figure 4. South Renton Transit Center Building Demolition – Topography Map