HomeMy WebLinkAboutExh.21_Public_CommentFrom: NANCY OSBORN <ngosborn22@comcast.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2018 12:30 PM
To: Matthew Herrera
Subject: Re: Weatherly Inn Land Use Application
Mr. Herrera: Thank you for providing the information about the request for modifications
from the development regulations related to the project of Weatherly Inn. I forwarded
the attachments to the Home Owners Board for Talbot Park whose development is
immediately south of the proposed area. Speaking as a member of the HOA, I am
secretary, and as a past member of the Renton Planning Commission, I have several
concerns. First, the request for such a huge reduction in the number of parking spaces
is a big red flag. Since they plan to build on an area that is a tight squeeze due to
development regulations, I'm wondering how reduction of 60 spaces can be
justified. There are 116 units of assisted living planned. The expectation would be that
each of these units could have one space allotted for parking. That would not include
parking for guests and workers. What are the proposed numbers of vehicles they would
expect from administration and workers? The 19 memory units would generate some
need also as care-givers and family would need spaces. For a number of years my own
mother lived at The Chateau at Valley and I was painfully aware of how little parking
was provided under the old regulations. As a member of the Talbot Park community,
we are very concerned that the current plan has not taken the local community into
consideration. Local traffic patterns will be impacted especially during peak hours. The
proposed entrance into the facility seems hardly adequate. South-bound on Talbot
would require turning across traffic to make a left turn and the right-hand lane currently
backs up for some blocks as people use it both to proceed north on Talbot through the
light at 43rd and to make right hand turns east-bound on Carr Rd. I can' tell from the
diagram you sent how the entry to that drive-way will be widened. I mentioned to you
my concern for entrance and exit of emergency vehicles. Is there expectation of adding
another stop light at that site? That of course would only cause further back-up. Within
the last year a new development was allowed to be built just west of our community
across Talbot Rd. The lack of parking for those units has caused people to park on our
private street and walk across the street to their friends, work-sites, etc.
Another concern is the clearing of the west portion of the site for the building. We
suffered as the apartments were built across the street with large truck and construction
noise. It seems likely that the noise for this project will only be worse since it is on our
side of the street and very close to the home-owners whose properties are on our north
side. What protections will be put in place to protect our owners? The proposed
construction modification of two retaining walls to be allowed to exceed the eight-foot
height limit is also a concern. The drainage mitigation seems minimal at best given the
normal springs and run-off in the area.
Please consider postponing the decision to allow any modifications until our concerns
have been addressed. Feel free to contact me, Nancy G. Osborn at 425-793-1240 with
further information. I will plan to follow up with Mr. Herrera also.
Sincerely, Nancy G. Osborn
On April 23, 2018 at 12:57 PM Matthew Herrera <MHerrera@Rentonwa.gov>
wrote:
Hello Ms. Osborn,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today regarding the Weatherly
Inn assisted living/memory care land use application. I have attached a copy of
the notice and a site plan per our conversation. Please feel free to contact me with
any questions as you review the proposed plan. Also, please send your written
comments to me and they will become part of the official review file. It would be
most helpful if you could provide your comments by the end of this week as we
have our Environmental Review Committee scheduled to look at the project one
week from today and the public hearing tentatively scheduled for May 22. Your
comments can be in email form and do not require a formal written and mailed
correspondence.
Please let me know if you have any questions. –Matt
Matt Herrera, AICP - Senior Planner
City of Renton
Community & Economic Development
1055 S. Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057-3232
425.430.6593
May 18, 2018
Nancy Osborn
4635 Morris Ave S. #F
Renton, WA 98055
SUBJECT: Response to Public Comment Letter
Weatherly Inn/ LUA18-000011
Dear Ms. Osborn,
Thank you for your recent email detailing the concerns you have regarding the proposed
Weatherly Inn assisted living facility land use application. I forwarded your email to the applicant
and requested they provide a response to you, which I have enclosed with this letter. I would also
like to provide a response to your concerns as the project manager reviewing the land use
application. I have listed paraphrased concerns from your letter in bold and followed each item
with a response below.
Inadequate Parking
The initial application documents included a modification request to reduce the number of onsite
parking spaces from 147 to 87. The applicant has resubmitted plans that reconfigure the site plan
to accommodate the code required 132 parking spaces to account for the following:
116 spaces for each of the 116 assisted living units.
10 spaces for 30 memory care beds.
5 spaces for 10 memory care employees.
1 space for the facility vehicle.
The initial 147 space calculation was incorrect as the applicant had an inaccurate employee count
for the facility. As the resubmitted plans now include the code required parking spaces, the
applicant has withdrawn their parking reduction modification request that accompanied the land
use application.
Entrance and Emergency Vehicle Access
The entrance to the facility is approximately 30-feet wide at the intersection of Talbot Rd. S. It
then widens to 40-feet as it intersects with the western parking lot and then narrows to 24-feet
wide for the remainder of the site. The City’s Development Regulations limit driveway widths for
this type of land use to a maximum of 30-feet. This width limits exposure to pedestrians with
potential vehicle conflicts when crossing the driveway.
The applicant’s Traffic Impact Analysis indicates a conceptual channelization of Talbot Rd. S. near
the project site to accommodate a left turn pocket onto S. 45th Pl. for northbound vehicles that
would result in an improved level of service on Talbot Rd . S. The analysis also indicates a left turn
channelization for vehicles traveling south on Talbot Rd . S. and turning into the project site. The
analysis does not recommend new traffic signals would be warranted at the S. 45th Pl. intersection.
The Renton Fire Authority has reviewed the plan and ind icated the entrance and fire lanes meet
their requirements for emergency vehicle access. Generally, fire access lanes are a minimum of
20-feet in width with turning radii of 25-feet inside and 45-feet outside.
Site Clearing and Noise
The western portion of the site would be cleared and regraded to accommodate the parking,
infrastructure, proposed assisted living facility. Silt fencing would be installed along the southern
perimeter of the property to prevent any erosion to the abutting property. The eastern portion of
the site would remain in its existing state as it contains sensitive slopes and a low density
residential zoning classification. Construction hours for this type of work would be limited to
Monday through Friday 7am-8pm and Saturday 9am to 8pm. Work is not permitted on Sundays.
Retaining Wall Height
The applicant has submitted a modification to increase the maximum retaining wall height from
8-feet to approximately 9-feet for several linear sections along the southern portion of the
property. City staff is reviewing their proposal and justification fo r the one-foot increase in wall
height and will provide a recommendation to the Hearing Examiner. The applicant has indicated
the increased height is needed to level the sloped property and accommodate the accessibility
needs for the residents. As provided on the grading plan, it appears the retaining walls within
increased height area would face north and be visible only from the southern façade of the
assisted living building. The remaining retaining walls within the development would range from
finished grade to approximately 6-feet in height.
Drainage
The applicant would be required to design their drainage improvements to comply with the City’s
updated stormwater design manual. The applicant has proposed a stormwater vault that would
be located under the western parking lot. The applicant would then route the stormwater
generated on the property through a system of pipes to the vault. Stormwater that is conveyed
from pollution generating surfaces, such as the driveway and parking lot, would be filtered prior
to being metered out to the City’s system.
Closing
I hope these responses provide answers to your questions. Your email is part of the application
file and will be attached as an exhibit to the Hearing Examiner Staff Report. Please feel free to
contact me should you have any questions at 425.430.6593 or mherrera@rentonwa.gov.
Sincerely,
Matt Herrera, AICP
Senior Planner
enc: RJ Development Response to Ms. Osborn
RJ Development
401 Central St SE – Olympia, WA 98501
(360) 528-3343 – www.rjdevelopment.com
Nancy G. Osborn
425.793.1240
Re: Proposed Weatherly Inn Renton – Public Comment
Dear Ms. Osborn,
Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback regarding the proposed Weatherly Inn project in Renton at
4500 Talbot Rd S.
We have noted your concerns regarding the parking allotment and have refined the site plan. I think you will be
pleased to hear that we were able to configure the site to be fully parked in accordance with Renton Municipal
Code (RMC) 4-4-080F.10.d. As such, we will be withdrawing our request for a parking modification.
Regarding your other comments, we are working closely with the City’s planning department to ensure strict
adherence to policy and procedure, including the slight variance to the retaining wall height on the south.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you have any further questions; we are looking forward to being
neighbors and meeting a great need for the residents of Renton!
Frank Durocher
Project Manager
(o) 360.810.8359
frank@rjdevelopment.com