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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPN_Project_Narrative_211130_v1 NATURAL GRASS FIELD RESURFACING PROJECT HISTORY, EXISTING USES AND PROJECT OVERVIEW The Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) was constructed in Renton in 2007 and features one indoor and three outdoor, natural grass practice fields for the Seattle Seahawks. Overall, the facility contains practice facilities, administrative offices and ancillary uses to support operation of a professional football franchise. No uses are proposed to change with this project. The outdoor fields are partially within the 200’ shoreline designation associated with Lake Washington. Renton’s Shoreline Master Program classifies this area as High Intensity. The VMAC and outdoor practice fields are also constructed on a site historically used for wood processing that resulted in site contamination. As part of the original VMAC construction, such site contamination was mitigated and “capped” with a 3-foot soil layer. The existing grass fields sit on a minimum 18-inch sand fill layer on top of the 3-foot soil cap. Field maintenance is of highest priority at the VMAC for team success and player safety. Maintenance occurs on an ongoing basis, and it includes continual application of sand to ensure even grade, and pest mitigation measures pursuant to a robust Turf Integrated Pest Management Plan (“TIPMP”) developed as part of the original permits for the facility. To maintain these practice fields at the highest professional NFL standards into the future and to restore the original condition, a third-party consultant has recommended resurfacing the grass on a regular, ten-year schedule to and abate material accumulation and resulting uneven grading. This is what is proposed in the current project and involves removing accumulated sand and organic material and installing new grass turf to repair the fields to their original condition, as further detailed below. The Seahawks have worked with turf experts to develop the resurfacing plan proposed with this project. The routine maintenance proposed with this project would commence after the football season such that the fields can be ready for the 2022 training camp and accommodate the thousands of Seahawks faithful who flock to Renton when practice is open to the public. PROJECT LOCATION: 12 Seahawks Way, Renton, WA 98056 PROJECT SIZE: Regrade area for three practice fields is 250,000 square feet ZONING DESIGNATION OF SITE: The property is located within the Commercial / Office / Residential (“COR”) Comprehensive Plan land use designation, and the Commercial Office Residential (“COR”) zone. The COR zone allows a variety of permitted uses, including but not limited to general offices and new/existing indoor recreational facilities. No changes are proposed to current uses. ZONING DESIGNATION OF ADJACENT PROPERTIES: Parcels immediately to the north, east, and south are zoned COR. Lake Washington abuts the property to the west. SHORELINE INFORMATION: • The property abuts the southern shore of Lake Washington. The shoreline condition is low-bank lakefront. The shoreline designation in this location is Shoreline High Intensity, and the reach is Lake Washington Reach C. • A mitigation plan showing no net loss of ecological function accompanies this application for temporary use of the shoreline for barge access. See below in barge operation section for description of such work in the shoreline. • No bulkheading is proposed and no shoreline views would be obstructed as a result of this proposal. No structures will be constructed. Shoreline views may be temporarily modified by barge operation for 5-7 days. • The maintenance and repair grading work that is the subject of this project will occur in the portions of the existing natural grass fields within the shoreline buffer. Additionally, dump trucks will traverse metal plates placed on the shoreline to facilitate disposal of excavated sand and organic material by barge. JUSTIFICATION FOR SHORELINE EXEMPTION REQUEST: • This project qualifies for a shoreline exemption for normal maintenance and repair. As it involves work on the existing development to prevent a decline of the fields and restore them to a state comparable to their original condition. ESTIMATED QUANTITY OF MATERIAL TO BE EXCAVATED: 5,340 cubic yards PREFERRED TIMELINE: FEB-MAR 2022 ESTIMATED PROJECT COST: $515,000 VMAC PROJECT MANAGER: Sean Vanos, Director of Facility Operations. Seanv@seahawks.com, (425) 203-8070 SCOPE OF PROJECT/EARTHWORK/GRADING: • Natural grass fields at VMAC are sand-based, engineered athletic fields constructed in 2007. • Natural grass athletic fields will be resurfaced in a maintenance procedure to bring the fields back down to the original grade, which is 18-inches above the soil cap. The turf general contractor has recommended the material be excavated and transported to a barge at the northwest corner of the fields for reasons outlined below. • No new fill will be imported. The project only excavates out the material that has accumulated on the playing surface over the last 14 years. • Soil Description: All excavated material to be transported offsite is clean, imported sand with a small amount of organic accumulation. No native soils or soils associated with the cap layer will be disturbed during this process. • Excavation will take a at least 5 days. • Tilling and Laser Grade operation will complete the earthwork process resetting the field back to original grade. BARGE OPERATION: • To avoid adding to local traffic along the I-405 corridor during congested conditions associated with WSDOT/Sound Transit construction, as well as bike/ped use of the Eastside Rail Corridor Trail, the general contractor has recommended transporting excavated material via barge for maximum efficiency and shortest project timeline. • The barge would be operated by a professional material handling/trucking/transport company that has been utilizing barge transportation for over 30 years. • A barge ramp would occupy a 16-foot-wide section of site shoreline. The ramp and steel plating would create access for small dump trucks to haul material to the barge. Trucks will not be driving in or on the existing shoreline soils. • Existing shoreline plants would be transplanted from the ramp zone to avoid damage and reinstalled after the project is completed. Re-vegetation will occur as needed consistent with the original revegetation plan for the VMAC project. No significant trees or significant tree protection zones would be impacted. • Barge operation expected to last 5-7 days. NATURAL GRASS SOD INSTALL: • 250,000 square feet of natural grass sod will be reinstalled. The sod will consist of three varieties each of Kentucky Bluegrass and Perennial Rye, consistent with the TIPMP. TEMPORARY EROSION & SEDIMENT CONTROLS: • As necessary, silt fencing will be installed along the west side of the grass fields. Native and shoreline soils will not be disturbed during this project. NUMBER, TYPE, AND SIZE OF TREES TO BE REMOVED: • None LAND TO BE DEDICATED TO CITY, OFFSITE IMPROVEMENTS, NEW LOTS, ETC. • None PERMIT PROCESS: • City of Renton Shoreline Substantial Development Exemption Certificate for normal maintenance and repair of existing fields partially in the shoreline. (RMC 4-9-190.C.1., D.) • State Environmental Policy Act review by City of Renton for excavation exceeding 500 cubic yards. (RMC 4-9-070.G.1.a.) • Potential state permits facilitated via JARPA process for temporary barge mooring and access. • No Section 404 permits are anticipated because no fill is intended in Lake Washington or nearby wetlands.