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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity's - Reconsideration Request - FINAL August 12, 2022 Mr. Phil Olbrechts Hearing Examiner City of Renton 1055 S Grady Way Renton, WA 98057 SUBJECT: Request for Reconsideration Home Depot, LUA21-000452, SA-H, MOD, ECF Dear Mr. Examiner: As the City’s Project Manager for the Home Depot land use application, please accept the following request for reconsideration to the August 9, 2022 decision on the aforementioned application. The request for reconsideration is based on three (3) matters. The first is related to Condition #25 that requires the applicant to demonstrate compliance with the City’s weather protection requirements. The second seeks to request a decision on the administrative parking modification and potential changes to Condition #8 that was discussed at the Public Hearing. The third seeks to correct an error in the decision with regards to traffic impact fees. Issue No. 1 on Reconsideration Condition #25 Weather Protection Condition #25 of the Home Depot decision states: The applicant shall demonstrate that the weather protection proposed comply with the minimum four and one-half feet (4 1/2') minimum width requirement and comprise seventy five percent (75%) of the façade facing S Grady Way. A revised site plan demonstrating compliance with this requirement shall be submitted to the Current Planning Project Manager at the time of Building Permit review for review and approval prior to the issuance of a Building Permit. Prior to the hearing, staff and the applicant discussed this condition and it was agreed upon by the applicant and the City to remove the four and one-half feet (4 1/2') minimum dimensional requirement due to fire sprinkler requirements. The applicant contends that weather protection with a width of four (4) or more feet would trigger compliance with fire sprinkler requirements. The applicant proposed awnings with a maximum width of three feet eleven inches (3’11”), staff agreed that the three foot eleven inch (3’11”)-wide awnings met the intent of this guideline and agreed to amend the recommended condition. Therefore, staff had amended this condition in the Staff Report sent via email on 7/19 and requests that the decision be amended to reflect the following change as shown below to Condition #25: The applicant shall demonstrate that the weather protection proposed comprise seventy-five percent (75%) of the façade facing S Grady Way. A revised site plan demonstrating compliance with this requirement shall be submitted to the Current Planning Project Manager at the time of Building Permit review for review and approval prior to the issuance of a Building Permit. Issue No. 2 on Reconsideration Condition #8 Parking Condition #8 of the Home Depot decision states: A revised site plan shall be submitted at the time of Construction Permit review that reconfigures the outdoor seasonal sales area and the shed display area within the surface parking lot to ensure that the proposal provides for 342 onsite parking spaces are provided on the project site, unless a modification to these standards is approved in accordance with RMC 4-4-080K or 4-4-080F10c. Required project improvements based upon number of parking spaces, such as landscaping and bicycle parking, may be adjusted to reflect any approved reduction in parking spaces. The revised site plan shall be submitted to the Current Planning Project Manager for review and approval prior to the issuance of the Construction Permit. At the public hearing, two (2) exhibits were entered into the record with respect to parking: 1) Exhibt 27 Parking Exhibit, is a site plan that delineates 281 available onsite parking stalls on the Home Depot parcel; and 2) Exhibit 28 Parking Analysis, which states that the average peak parking demand for Home Depot is 1.41 stalls per 1,000 sq. ft. which translates to a peak anticipated demand at the Renton store of 220 spaces. Based on the information provided by the applicant, staff had recommended a reduction in the number of required parking spaces from 342 spaces to 281 spaces, or an eighteen percent (18%) reduction. RMC 4-4-080F.10.c.i grants the Examiner the authority to grant “A twenty-five percent (25%) reduction or increase from the minimum or maximum number of parking spaces may be granted for non-residential uses through site plan review if the applicant can justify the modification to the satisfaction of the Administrator. Justification might include, but is not limited to, quantitative information such as sales receipts, documentation of customer frequency, and parking standards of nearby cities.” As the proposed reduction is less than twenty-five percent (25%) and is based on justification provided in a Parking Analysis (Exhibit 28) staff requests that the decision be amended to approve the 281 proposed parking stalls and delete Condition #8. Issue No. 3 on Reconsideration Transportation The Transporation section of the decision states: “the project meets the City’s concurrency standards and no transportation or impact fees are required unless imposed through SEPA review.” The reference to zero impact fees in the concurrency memo was an error, to that end included with this Reconsideratin Request is an updated Concurreny Memo that fixes this error in fact and providing consistency with Exhibit 23. Exhibit 23 is an updated Traffic Memo with an Independent Fee Calculation prepared by Lars Andersen and Associates in accordance with RMC 4-1-190.H.2, Independent Fee Calculations, that identifies the transportation impact fee applicable to the proposed project at $995,547.35. Staff requests that the transporation section be amended to reference the $995,547.35 transportation impact fee that the applicant has agreed would be applicable to the project proposal. Closing Staff requests the Hearing Examiner reconsider the August 9, 2022 land use decision to include the above- referenced items. Sincerely, Jill Ding Senior Planner cc: Vanessa Dolbee, Planning Director Brianne Bannwarth, Development Engineering Director Matthew Herrera, Current Planning Manager Cynthia Moya, City Clerk Specialist