HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRE22-000240_Planning Comments.docxDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
M E M O R A N D U M
DATE:
August 4, 2022
TO:
Pre-Application File No. 22-000240
FROM:
Alex Morganroth, Senior Planner
SUBJECT:
ESA Comcast
18809 116th Ave SE
Parcel # 3223059075
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 online at https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/Renton/.
Project Proposal: The subject property at 18809 116th Ave SE (Parcel #3223059075) is located on the west side of 116th Ave SE, between SE 186th St and SE 192nd St. The project site totals
57,934 sq. ft. (1.32 acres) in area and is zoned Residential-8 du/ac (R-8). The applicant proposes to expand and upgrade an existing fiber-optic hub within a 45-foot by 45-foot (2,025
sq. ft.) easement on the north side of the site. Existing improvements within the easement area include a 264 sq. ft. one-story equipment compound, a portable restroom, and below-grade
fiber vault. The improvements were permitted by King County prior to the site’s annexation to the City of Renton in 2008 (Benson Hill Annexation, Ord # 5327). Work proposed includes
the construction of a new 225.75 sq. ft. equipment cabinet and two battery cabinets, both to be installed on concrete pads. In addition, the applicant has proposed the installation of
a 100kW diesel generator on a five (5’) foot by fourteen (14’) foot concrete pad and the installation of three (3) pole-mounted security cameras. The easement area is currently accessed
via an existing asphalt driveway off 116th Ave SE located on the school property to the north. The applicant did not indicate whether an access easement is located across the driveway.
Preliminary short plat approval was granted on June 16th, 2022 for six (6) single-family residential lots and three (3) tracts (LUA21-000468). The three (3) tracts encompass the wireless
communications facility near the northwest corner of the site, a stormwater tract, and the subject Comcast easement area. The applicant is currently constructing the utility and frontage
improvements under a civil construction permit (C19001490) and is expected to receive final short plat approval after completion of the improvements. Site soils consist of alderwood
gravelly sandy loam. COR maps does not indicate the presence of any critical areas on or within 200 feet of the project site. No trees are located in the easement area and no vegetation
would be disturbed according to the applicant.
Current Use: The subject property is currently developed with an existing fiber-optic hub and wireless communications facility. The property is in the process of being developed with
the required improvements for six (6) new single-family homes, as approved under LUA21-000468 and C19001490.
Z
oning Requirements: The surrounding area, including this property, has a Comprehensive Plan land use designation of Residential Medium Density (RMD) and is zoned Residential 8 (R-8)
dwelling units per acre. The R-8 zone is intended to create opportunities for new single family residential neighborhoods and to facilitate high-quality infill development that promotes
reinvestment in existing single family neighborhoods. The minimum density permitted in the R-8 zone is four (4) dwelling units per acre. The maximum density permitted in the R-8 zone
is eight (8) dwelling units per net acre (du/ac). No dwelling units are proposed as part of the project.
Based on the description of the proposed use provided by the applicant, the facility is classified as a ‘Utilities, Medium’ use. This definition includes various utilities intended to
serve large swathes or sub-regions of the City and are often located on private property or in separate tracts. The existing use, a fiber-optic facility, is classified as a ‘Utilities,
Medium’ use. Per RMC 4-11-210 Definitions ‘U’ - Utilities, Medium: Moderate scale facilities serving the City, including subregional switching stations (one hundred fifteen (115) kv
and smaller), and municipal sewer, water, and storm water facilities not included in a Council-adopted utility system plan. The use Utilities, Medium are permitted in the R-8 zone with
an approved Administrative Conditional Use Permit.
Conditional Use (Administrative): A conditional use is a land use which may be permitted within a zoning district following review by staff to establish conditions mitigating impacts
of the use and to assure compatibility with other uses in the district. Staff will consider the following criteria when reviewing a request for a conditional use permit:
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.
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 the proposed use.
The proposed location shall be suited for the proposed use.
Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use at the proposed location shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property.
Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood.
Parking: Adequate parking is, or will be made, available.
Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area.
Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light and glare impacts from the proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated.
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.
Development Standards: The project would be subject to RMC 4-2-110A, “Development Standards for Residential Zoning Designations” effective at the time of complete application (noted
as “R-8 standards” herein). These standards are available on the City’s website.
Minimum Lot Size, Width and Depth – The minimum lot size is 5,000 sq. ft. The minimum lot width is 50 feet for interior lots, or 60 feet for corners. The minimum lot depth is 100 feet.
Not applicable – easement to be located within a tract upon recording of the Final Short Plat (LUA21-000468).
Lot and Impervious Surface Coverage – The maximum lot coverage for buildings is 50% of total lot area. The maximum impervious surface would be limited to 65%. Compliance with the lot
and impervious surface coverage requirements would be verified at the time of land use permit and building permit review.
Setbacks – Setbacks are the minimum required distance between the building footprint and the property line and any private access easement. The required setbacks in the R-8 zone are
20 feet for the front yard, 25 feet for the rear yards, side yards along-a-street would be required to have a 15 foot setback, and interior side yards are required to have a 5 foot setback
on each side. Compliance with the setbacks would be verified at the time of land use permit and building permit review.
Height – The maximum wall plate height is 24 feet with 2 stories. Roofs with a pitch equal to or greater than 4:12 may project an additional six (6) vertical feet from the maximum wall
plate height; common rooftop features, such as chimneys, may project an additional four (4) vertical feet from the roof surface. Non-exempt vertical projections (e.g., decks, railings,
etc.) shall not extend above the maximum wall plate height unless the projection is stepped back one-and-a-half (1.5) horizontal feet from each façade for each one (1) vertical foot
above the maximum wall plate height. Building height would be verified at the time of land use permit and building permit review.
Refuse and Recycling Areas – Refuse and recycling areas need to meet the requirements of RMC 4-4-090, “Refuse and Recyclables Standards.” Onsite refuse and recyclables deposit areas
and collection points for collection of refuse and recyclables are required for all new development for multi-family residences, commercial, industrial and other nonresidential uses.
In office, educational and institutional developments, a minimum of two (2) square feet per every one thousand (1,000) square feet of building gross floor area shall be provided for
recyclables deposit areas and a minimum of four (4) square feet per one thousand (1,000) square feet of building gross floor area shall be provided for refuse deposit areas. A total
minimum area of one hundred (100) square feet shall be provided for recycling and refuse deposit areas. Garbage dumpsters, refuse compactor areas, and recycling collection areas must
be fenced or screened. Architectural design of any structure enclosing an outdoor refuse or recyclables deposit area or any building primarily used to contain a refuse or recyclables
deposit area shall be consistent with the design of the primary structure(s) on the site as determined by the Administrator. Not applicable based on use.
Screening – Screening must be provided for all surface-mounted and roof top utility and mechanical equipment. If applicable, the application would need to include elevations and details
for the proposed methods of screening. Screening would also be evaluated under Conditional Use Permit review criteria.
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.
Street Frontage Landscaping - The minimum onsite landscape width required along street frontages is 10 feet, with the exception of areas for required walkways and driveways, and shall
contain trees, shrubs, and landscaping.
Internal Lot Landscaping - Surface parking lots with 100 stalls or more shall provide 35 square feet of internal lot landscaping for each parking stall. There shall also be no more than
50 feet between parking stalls and an interior parking lot landscape area and the interior parking lot landscaping dimensions must be at least eight feet (8’) by twelve feet (12’) not
including the curb. Perimeter landscaping may not substitute for interior landscaping.
Perimeter Parking Lot Landscaping - Surface parking lots shall contain a perimeter landscaping screen at least 10 feet in width measured from the right-of-way (ROW). Within this perimeter
screen trees shall be planted at a minimum of 2-inch caliper at an average rate of 30 lineal feet of street frontage, shrubs at the minimum rate of one per 20 square feet, and groundcover
in quantities that will provide at least 90 percent (90%) coverage within 3 years.
Storm drainage facilities are required to comply with the minimum 15-foot perimeter landscaping strip on the outside of the fence unless otherwise determined through the site plan review
or subdivision review process.
Please refer to landscape regulations (RMC 4-4-070) for additional general and specific landscape requirements. A conceptual landscape plan and landscape analysis meeting the requirements
in RMC 4-8-120D.12, shall be submitted at the time of Land Use Permit application submittal. Screening would also be evaluated under Conditional Use Permit review criteria
Access: Driveway widths are limited by the driveway standards, in RMC 4-4-080I. Vehicle access to the easement area (future tract) is currently provided by an asphalt driveway off of
116th Ave SE. The applicant shall provide a copy of the access easement with the land use application.
P
arking: Specific parking requirements not applicable based on the proposed use. Adequate parking shall be provided for maintenance vehicles and would be evaluated at the time of formal
land use review.
Fences/Retaining Walls: In any residential district, the maximum height of any fence, hedge or retaining wall shall be seventy-two inches (72"). Fences, retaining walls or hedges shall
not exceed forty-eight inches (48") in height within the front yard setback. A fence shall not be constructed on top of a retaining wall unless the total combined height of the retaining
wall and the fence does not exceed the allowed height of a standalone fence. However, fences that provide at least fifty percent (50%) transparency, as viewed perpendicularly to the
face of the fence, may be allowed directly on top of a retaining wall. However, chain link fencing shall not be installed. This exception shall not be applied to front yard setbacks,
or clear vision areas. New fencing would need to comply with the fence requirements of the code (RMC 4-4-040).
Retaining walls shall be composed of brick, rock, textured or patterned concrete, or other masonry product that complements the proposed building and site development. There shall be
a minimum three-foot (3') landscaped setback at the base of retaining walls abutting public rights-of-way. Please refer to retaining wall standards (RMC 4-4-040) for additional information
about fences and retaining walls. New six (6’) foot tall cedar fencing is proposed around the easement (future tract) as part of the short plat in order to screen the equipment from
the new single-family lot.
Significant Tree Retention: If significant trees are proposed to be removed, a tree inventory and a tree retention plan along with a tree retention worksheet shall be provided with the
formal land use application. The tree retention plan must show preservation of at least thirty-percent (30%) of significant trees, and indicate how proposed building footprints would
be sited to accommodate preservation of significant trees that would be retained. The Administrator may authorize the planting of replacement trees on the site if it can be demonstrated
to the Administrator's satisfaction that an insufficient number of trees can be retained. Trees located within protected critical areas on the site do not count towards the required
tree retention rate.
*The tree retention requirements will be changing in approximately two months pending council approval.
Significant trees shall be retained in the following priority order:
Priority One: Landmark trees; significant trees that form a continuous canopy; significant trees on slopes greater than twenty percent (20%); Significant trees adjacent to critical areas
and their associated buffers; and Significant trees over sixty feet (60') in height or greater than eighteen inches (18") caliper.
Priority Two: Healthy tree groupings whose associated undergrowth can be preserved; Other significant native evergreen or deciduous trees; and Other significant non- native trees.
Priority Three: Alders and cottonwoods shall be retained when all other trees have been evaluated for retention and are not able to be retained, unless the alders and/ or cottonwoods
are used as part of an approved enhancement project within a critical area or its buffer.
The Administrator may require independent review of any land use application that involves tree removal and land clearing at the City's discretion.
If staff determines that the trees cannot be retained, replacement trees, with at least a 2-inch caliper or an evergreen at least 6 feet tall, shall be planted at a rate of 12 caliper
inches of new trees to replace each protected tree removed. A formal tree retention plan prepared by an arborist or landscape architect would be reviewed at the time of the formal land
use application if any trees are proposed for removal.
Critical Areas: No critical areas are mapped on or within 200 feet of the project site. It is the applicant’s responsibility to determine whether or not any unmapped critical areas exist
on the site prior to short plat application.
Environmental Review: Based on the project narrative provided by the applicant, staff could not determine if the project is considered exempt from Environmental Review per WAC 197-11-800.
Permit Requirements: The project would require an Administrative Conditional Use Permit and (potentially) Environmental (SEPA) Review. All applications can be reviewed concurrently in
an estimated time frame of 8 weeks once a complete application is accepted. The Administrative Examiner Condition Use Permit review application fee is $1,600.00. The application fee
for SEPA Review (Environmental Checklist) is $1,600.00. There is an additional 5% technology fee at the time of land use application.
In addition to the required land use permits, separate construction, building and sign permits would be required.
Detailed information regarding the land use application submittal can be found on the Conditional Use Permit submittal checklist and other informational applications and handouts can
be found on the City’s Digital Records Library. The City requires electronic plan submittal for all applications. Please refer to the City’s Electronic File Standards.
Public Information Sign: Public Information Signs are required for all Type II and Type III Land Use Permits as classified by RMC 4-8-080. Public Information Signs are intended to inform
the public of potential land development, specific permits/actions being considered by the City, and to facilitate timely and effective public participation in the review process. The
applicant must follow the specifications provided in the public information sign handout. The applicant is solely responsible for the construction, installation, maintenance, removal,
and any costs associated with the sign.
Fees: In addition to the applicable building and construction fees, impact fees may be required. Such fees would apply to all projects and payable prior to building permit issuance.
A handout listing Renton’s development-related fees is available on the City of Renton website for your review.
Note: When the formal application materials are complete, the applicant shall have the application materials virtually pre-screened prior to submitting the complete application package.
Please contact Alex Morganroth, Senior Planner at amorganroth@rentonwa.gov or 425-430-7219 before sending any documents associated with the project.
Expiration: Once the Conditional Use Permit application has been approved, the applicant has two (2) years to comply with all conditions of approval and to apply for any necessary permits
before the approval becomes null and void. A single two-year extension may be granted for good cause by the Administrator.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to monitor the expiration date(s).