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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-039 (CA Senior Housing streams, wetlands)DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT M E M O R A N D U M   DATE: May 31, 2012     TO: Pre-Application File No. 12-039     FROM: Rocale Timmons, Associate Planner     SUBJECT: NE 4th Senior Housing – 4815 NE 4th St      General: We have completed a preliminary review of the pre-application for the above-referenced development proposal. The following comments on development and permitting issues are based on the pre-application submittals made to the City of Renton by the applicant and the codes in effect on the date of review. The applicant is cautioned that information contained in this summary may be subject to modification and/or concurrence by official decision-makers (e.g., Hearing Examiner, Community & Economic Development Administrator, Public Works Administrator, Planning Director, Development Services Director, and City Council). Review comments may also need to be revised based on site planning and other design changes required by City staff or made by the applicant. The applicant is encouraged to review all applicable sections of the Renton Municipal Code. The Development Regulations are available for purchase for $50.00 plus tax, from the Finance Division on the first floor of City Hall or online at www.rentonwa.gov Project Proposal: The subject property is located on the south side of NE 4th St just west of Field Pl NE at 4815 NE 4th St. The project site (two parcels) totals 1.83 acres in area and is located within the Commercial Arterial (CA) zone. The pre-application packet indicates that the proposal is to construct 94 unit, 5-story, senior housing project. A total of 62 parking stalls would be provided on site of which 47 stalls would be located within structured parking. Access to the site is proposed via one curb cut along NE 4th St that would enter at the western portion of the site providing access to the structured. The drive aisle continues south where it loops in the proposed surface parking area and exits via the same curb cut. The project site appears to contain a Class 4 stream and a Category 2 wetland. Current Use: The property is currently vacant. It was formerly occupied by an auto rebuild use with confirmed or suspected contaminates. The site has since gone through independent remedial actions and the State of Washington Department of Ecology has issued a “No Further Action” determination. Zoning: The property is located within the Commercial Corridor (CC) land use designation and the Commercial Arterial (CA) zoning classification. Attached residential units are only permitted within a structure containing commercial uses on the ground floor. Commercial space must be reserved on the ground floor at a minimum of 30 feet in depth along any street frontage. Residential uses shall not be located on the ground floor, except for a residential entry feature linking the residential portion of the development to the street. The proposal appears to comply with the requirements for commercial space therefore attached residential units are permitted. The property is also located within Urban Design District ‘D’, and therefore subject to additional design elements. Proposals should have unique, identifiable design treatment in terms of landscaping, building design, signage and street furniture. Development Standards: The project would be subject to RMC 4-2-120A, “Development Standards for Commercial Zoning Designations” effective at the time of complete application (noted as “CA standards” herein). Density – The minimum density permitted in the CA zoning classification is 10 units/net acre and the maximum density is 60 units/net acre for buildings with mixed commercial and residential use in the same building. There are no density bonuses for senior housing within the CA zoning classification. The site appears to contain critical areas; therefore area located within the wetland and the stream need to be deducted from the gross square footage of the site for the purposes of calculating density. The applicant did not indicate the amount of area within these critical areas; therefore the net density could not be calculated. The proposal for 94 units on the approximate 79,714 gross square foot site (1.83 acres) arrives at a gross density of 51.36 du/ac (94 units / 1.83 acres = 51.36 du/ac). The applicant would be required, at the time of formal land use application, to provide net density calculations falling with the allowed range of the CA zoning classification. Minimum Lot Size, Width and Depth – There are no minimum requirements for lot size, lot width or depth within the CA zone at this location. Lot Coverage – The CA zone allows a maximum building coverage of 65 percent, or 75 percent if parking is provided within a building or within an on-site parking garage. The proposal appears to just comply with the lot coverage requirements of the zone. Setbacks – Setbacks are the distance between the building and the property line or any private access easement. Setback requirements in the CA zone are as follows: 10 feet minimum for the front yard but may be reduced to zero feet through the Site Plan Review process provided blank walls are not located within the reduced setback; and a 15 foot maximum front yard setback. The proposal does not comply with the minimum front yard setback requirement, of 10 feet. However, the minimum setback may be reduced to 0-feet through the site plan review process, provided blank walls are not located within the reduced setback. Staff would support the proposed setbacks in that there are no blank walls proposed along the front. Gross Floor Area – There is no minimum requirements for gross floor area within the CA zone. Building Height – The maximum building height that would be allowed in the CA zone is 50 feet. Height is determined by vertical distance from grade plane to the average height of the highest roof surface. It is unclear of the proposed 5-story structure complies with the 60-foot maximum. Building elevations and detailed descriptions of elements and building materials are required with your site plan review submittal. Screening – Screening must be provided for all surface-mounted and roof top utility and mechanical equipment. The site plan application will need to include elevations and details for the proposed methods of screening. Refuse and Recycling Areas – Refuse and recycling areas need to meet the requirements of RMC 4-4-090, “Refuse and Recyclables Standards” (enclosed). For multi-family developments a minimum of 1 ½ square feet per dwelling unit is required for recyclable deposit areas and a minimum of 3 square feet per dwelling unit is required for refuse deposit areas. The location and size of the refuse and recyclable area could not be verified with the pre-application materials. Landscaping – Except for critical areas, all portions of the development area not covered by structures, required parking, access, circulation or service areas, must be landscaped with native, drought-resistant vegetative cover. The development standards require that all pervious areas within the property boundaries be landscaped. The minimum on-site landscape width required along street frontages is 10 feet, except where reduced through the site plan development review process. The applicant would be required to provide a 10-foot on-site landscape strip along both frontages of the site. Please refer to landscape regulations (RMC 4-4-070) for additional general and specific landscape requirements (enclosed). A conceptual landscape plan and landscape analysis meeting the requirements in RMC 4-8-120D.12, shall be submitted at the time of application for Site Plan Review. Parking – The following ratios would be applicable to the site: Use # of units Ratio Required Spaces  Attached Residential 94 Min 1.0 spaces / unit Max: 1.75 spaces / unit Min: 94 Max: 164.5  The applicant is proposing to provide a total of 62 parking spaces; 47 stalls would be located within structured parking. The remaining 15 parking stalls would be located within a surface parking lot on the southwest corner of the site. The proposed parking count does not comply with the requirement for parking Where practical difficulties exist in meeting parking requirements, the applicant may request a modification from these standards. The applicant will be required at the time of formal land use application to provide detailed parking information (i.e. stall and drive aisle dimensions) and calculations of the subject site and the overall campus use. Due to the nature of the proposed project for senior housing, staff would be likely to support a reduction in the number of required parking stalls to the 62 stalls proposed. Based on the proposal for 94 residential units, 47 bicycle parking stalls are required to be provided. The applicant is encouraged to request a parking modification in order to reduce the number of required bicycle parking stalls. Due to the nature of the proposed project for senior housing, staff would be likely to support a reduction in the number of required bicycle parking stalls. It should be noted that the parking regulations specify standard stall dimensions. Surface parking stalls must be a minimum of 9 feet x 20 feet, compact dimensions of 8½ feet x 16 feet, and parallel stall dimensions of 9 feet x 23 feet; compact surface parking spaces shall not account for more than 30 percent of the spaces in the surface parking lots. Structured parking stalls must be a minimum of 8¼ feet x 15 feet; a stall that has greater than a 45 degree angle must be 8¼ feet x 16 feet. Structured compact stalls must have dimensions of 7½ feet x 12 feet; a stall with greater than a 45 degree angle must be 7½ feet x 13 feet. Compact structured parking spaces shall not account for more than 50 percent of the spaces in the structured parking areas. Structured parallel stall dimensions have a minimum of 9 feet x 23 feet also. ADA accessible stalls must be a minimum of 8 feet in width by 20 feet in length, with an adjacent access aisle of 8 feet in width for van accessible spaces. The appropriate amount of ADA accessible stalls based on the total number of spaces must be provided. Please refer to landscape regulations (RMC 4-4-070 and RMC 4-4-080F.7) for further general and specific landscape requirements (enclosed). Access – Driveway widths are limited by the driveway standards, in RMC 4-4080I. Pedestrian Access – A pedestrian connection shall be provided from all public entrances to the street, in order to provide direct, clear and separate pedestrian walks from sidewalks to building entries and internally from buildings to abutting properties. It appears the proposal provides adequate pedestrian access. Signage – Only one freestanding business sign (restricted to monument/ground signs only) is permitted per street frontage, however pole signs are not permitted within the CA zone. Each sign shall not exceed an area greater than one and one-half square feet for each lineal foot of property frontage that is occupied by the business. In no case shall the sign exceed a total of 300 square feet (150 square feet per face). The ground/monument sign is limited to 5 feet in height. In addition to the permitted freestanding sign, wall signs with a copy area not exceeding 20% of the façade, to which it is applied, are also permitted. Building Design Standards – Compliance with Urban Design Regulations, District ‘D’, is required. See the attached checklist and Renton Municipal Code section 4-3-100. The following bullets are a few of the standards outlined in the regulations. All building facades shall include modulation or articulation at intervals of no more than forty feet (40'). A primary entrance of each building shall be located on the facade facing a street, shall be prominent, visible from the street, connected by a walkway to the public sidewalk, and include human-scale elements. All building facades shall include modulation or articulation at intervals of no more than forty feet (40'). Modulations shall be a minimum of two feet (2') deep, sixteen feet (16') in height, and eight feet (8') in width. On any facade visible to the public, transparent windows and/or doors are required to comprise at least fifty percent (50%) of the portion of the ground floor facade that is between four feet (4') and eight feet (8') above ground (as measured on the true elevation). Amount of common space or recreation area to be provided is minimum fifty (50) square feet per unit. Buildings shall use at least one of the following elements to create varied and interesting roof profiles (see illustration, subsection RMC 4-3-100.I5f): (a) Extended parapets; (b) Feature elements projecting above parapets; (c) Projected cornices; (d) Pitched or sloped roofs. Buildings shall employ material variations such as colors, brick or metal banding, patterns, or textural changes. Critical Areas The project site appears to contain a Class 4 stream and a Category 2 wetland. The applicant will need to provide a stream/wetland reconnaissance and delineation. In addition, if impacts are proposed to the stream, wetland or their buffers the applicant would need to provide a conceptual mitigation plan. The City’s approved consultant list is enclosed in the information packet. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ascertain whether additional critical areas are present on the site. If so, the proposal would need to be revised accordingly. The standard Category 2 wetland buffer is 50 feet and the standard Class 4 stream buffer is 35 feet. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ascertain whether additional critical areas are present on the site. If so, the proposal would need to be revised accordingly. Environmental Review The proposed project would be subject to Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) review due to the size of the project and number of parking stalls. Therefore, an environmental checklist is a submittal requirement. An environmental determination will be made by the Renton Environmental Review Committee. This determination is subject to appeal by either the project proponent, by a citizen of the community, or another entity having standing for an appeal. Permit Requirements The proposal would require Site Plan Approval and Environmental (SEPA) Review. The purpose of the Site Plan process is the detailed arrangement of project elements so as to be compatible with the physical characteristics of a site and with the surrounding area. An additional purpose of Site Plan is to ensure quality development consistent with City goals and policies General review criteria includes the following:  a. Compliance and Consistency. Conformance with plans, policies, regulations and approvals, including: b. Off-Site Impacts. Mitigation of impacts to surrounding properties and uses. c. On-Site Impacts. Mitigation of impacts to the site d. Access and Circulation. Safe and efficient access and circulation for all users. e. Open Space. Incorporation of public and private open spaces to serve as distinctive project focal points and to provide adequate areas for passive and active recreation by the occupants/users of the site; f. Views and Public Access. Provision of view corridors to shorelines and Mt. Rainier, incorporates public access to shorelines, and arranges project elements to protect existing natural systems where applicable. g. Services and Infrastructure. Availability of public services and facilities to accommodate the proposed use; h. Signage. Use of signs primarily for the purpose of identification and management of sign elements – such as the number, size, brightness, lighting intensity, and location – to complement the visual character of the surrounding area, avoid visual clutter and distraction, and appear in proportion to the building and site to which they pertain; and i. Phasing. Inclusion of a detailed sequencing plan with development phases and estimated time frames, if applicable. The applicant will also be subject to Design Review as part of the Site Plan Review and a Design Checklist shall be completed and submitted as part of the application materials. All applications can be reviewed concurrently in an estimated time frame of 8 weeks once a complete application is accepted. The Site Plan Review application fee is $1,000. The application fee for SEPA Review (Environmental Checklist) is $1,000. There will also be a technology fee, of 3 %, based on the total land use application fees for the project. Detailed information regarding the land use application submittal is provided in the attached handouts. In addition to the required land use permits, separate construction, building and sign permits would be required. The review of these permits may occur concurrently with the review of the land use permits, but cannot be issued prior to the completion of any appeal periods. Impact Mitigation Fees: In addition to the applicable building and construction fees, the following mitigation fees would be required prior to the issuance of building permits. Impact fees, which would replace mitigation fees, may be adopted prior to construction. Those fees are to be determined. A Transportation Mitigation Fee based on $75.00 per new daily trip attributed to the development; A Fire Mitigation Fee based on $0.52 per square foot of new commercial building area. A Parks Mitigation Fee based on $354.51 per new multi-family unit. A School Mitigation Fee based on $1,274.00 per new multi-family unit. There is an exemption for senior housing therefore the school impact fee would not apply to the proposal. Expiration: Upon site plan approval, the site plan approval is valid for two years with a possible two-year extension.