HomeMy WebLinkAboutKim Ltr Denis Law Mayor
City Clerk-Jason A.Seth,CMC
April 11, 2018
Grace Kim
Schemata Workshop
1720 12th Av
Seattle, WA 98122
Subject: Hearing Examiner's Final Decision
RE: Sunset Multi-Service& Career Center (LUA-18-000127)
Dear Ms. Kim:
Enclosed please find the Hearing Examiner's Final Decision dated April 10, 2018. This
document is immediately available:
• Electronically online at the City of Renton City Clerk Division website at
old.rentonwa.gov/cityclerk. Click the "Hearing Examiner Decisions" link on the
right side of the screen located under the section titled, "Helpful Links." The
Hearing Examiner Decisions are filed by year and then alphabetical order by
project name.
I can be reached at (425) 430-6510 or jseth@rentonwa.gov. Thank you.
Sincerely,
;/onfh, �1C
City Clerk
cc: Hearing Examiner
Matt Herrera,Senior Planner
Jennifer Henning, Planning Director
Brianne Bannwarth, Development Engineering Manager
Craig Burnell,Building Official
Kyle Wunderlin,Secretary, Planning Technician
Julia Medzegian,City Council Liaison
1055 South Grady Way,Renton,WA 98057 • (425)430-6510/Fax (425)430-6516 • rentonwa.gov
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8 BEFORE THE HEARING EXAMINER FOR THE CITY OF RENTON
9 )
10 RE: Sunset Multi-Service& Career Center )
) FINAL DECISION
11 Conditional Use Permit )
)
12 LUA18-000127, CH-H )
13 )
14 )
15 Summary
16
The applicant has applied for conditional use permit to locate the proposed Sunset Multi-Service and
17 Career Development Center in the former Highlands Library building located at 2902 NE 12th St.
The application is approved subject to conditions.
18
19 Testimony
20 Matt Herrera, Senior Planner, summarized the staff report.
21
Exhibits
22
The March 27, 2018 Staff Report Exhibits 1-11 identified at Page 2 of the staff report were admitted
23 into the record during the hearing. The following exhibits were also admitted during the hearing:
24 Exhibit 12: Staff PowerPoint
25 Exhibit 13: City of Renton COR maps
Exhibit 14: Google Earth
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CONDITIONAL USE- 1
1
2 FINDINGS OF FACT
3 Procedural:
4 1. Applicant. Mark Gropper, Renton Housing Authority("RHA"), 2900 NE 10th Street, Renton,
WA 98056
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6 2. Hearing. A hearing was held on the application on March 27, 2018 in the City of Renton
Council Chambers.
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3. Project Description. The applicant has applied for conditional use permit to locate the
8 proposed Sunset Multi-Service and Career Development Center in the former Highlands Library
building located at 2902 NE 12th St. The existing 6,160 square foot building is located on a 1.4-acre
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lot. No exterior site construction improvements or building additions are proposed. Proposed interior
10 improvements would support multiple services such as job training assistance, ESL adult education
classes, and potentially a foodbank. While the property is owned by the RHA, the regional non-profit
11 Neighborhood House would manage the proposed service center. Access to the site will remain in the
existing locations along NE 12th St. The subject property contains 26 parking spaces.
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13 4. Surrounding Uses. The surrounding area is zoned Residential-14 and Center Village. All
surrounding property is developed with attached housing. The proposed location will not result in an
14 overconcentration of the proposed use. The proposed multi-service and career development center
will be unique to the neighborhood. While the location is zoned R-14, the historic use of the site has
15 been community oriented (i.e. the former library), which would continue on with an approved
16 conditional use permit.
17 5. Adverse Impacts. There are no significant adverse impacts associated with the proposal. On
its face, the proposal has relatively minor impacts given its low intensity, absence of exterior
18 improvements and location in a high density residential area. Pertinent impacts are more specifically
19 addressed as follows;
20 A. Compatibility. The proposed use is compatible with the scale and character of the
neighborhood. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 4, the surrounding area is
21 developed with high density residential development. Especially with no exterior
improvements proposed and the proposed modest intensity of use, the use is compatible
22 with surrounding development
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C. Light, glare, noise and privacy. As noted in the staff report,the proposal is not expected to
24 generate any significant noise, light, or glare impacts. Activities would be held indoors.
Exterior noise impacts would be limited to vehicles arriving and departing the site and
25 short-term impacts related to the tenant improvements. The applicant has not proposed
26 and has not shown the need for any additional lighting to utilize the existing building. The
CONDITIONAL USE-2
1 parking lot contains three light standards approximately 20-feet in height. The site's
mature landscaping mitigates potential glare impacts.
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3 D. Critical Areas and Natural Features. The only critical area located at the project site is a
well head protection area. No mitigation is required under the City's well head protection
4 standards because the applicant is not proposing any site construction and therefore no fill
will be brought to the site. Additionally, no hazardous material use or storage is
5 anticipated with the proposed multi-service center.
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E. Parking. The proposal provides for adequate parking. The existing parking lot contains
7 approximately one parking space per 237 square feet of building square footage. While the
City's standards do not contain specific parking quantity requirements for service and
8 social organization uses, the parking capacity contains adequate parking for similar uses
9 such as on-site services, general office, and vocational education as detailed in Finding of
Fact No. 16 of the staff report.
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F. Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation. As conditioned, the proposal provides for safe and
11 efficient vehicular and pedestrian circulation. City staff with expertise in traffic issues
12 have determined that the proposed circulation plan is safe and efficient and that no
mitigation except as identified herein is necessary. Pedestrian access to the site is
13 provided via a delineated concrete pathway from the public sidewalk on NE 12th St to the
building's entrance. The concrete pathway abuts the eastern driveway and is separated via
14 curb from the parking lot. As provided in the applicant's Trip Generation and Assessment
Report (Exhibit 6), average daily trips to the site would decrease by 264 trips. The
15 proposal also passed the City's Concurrency Test (Exhibit 7) which considers such factors
16 as the citywide transportation plan and trip capacity within allowed growth levels.
17 The existing access to the site contains two relatively narrow driveways approximately 12-
13 feet in width that bookend the property frontage. A one-way traffic pattern was used for
18 the former library and the site plan (Exhibit 4) provides for the same pattern. The ingress
19 driveway is located on the eastern edge of the property with traffic movements in a
westerly direction to the egress driveway on the western frontage. The former library
20 provided directional signage at the ingress and egress driveways that notified drivers of the
one-way nature of the onsite circulation pattern. Those signs have since been removed
21 with facility's relocation. Therefore, a condition of approval requires the applicant to
22 submit a traffic control plan that identifies the entrance and exit driveways on the subject
site with the building permit application.
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G. Landscaping. As conditioned, the existing landscaping complies with landscaping
24 standards (as a nonconforming use) and adequately protects surrounding uses from
25 adverse impacts. The applicant contends the existing landscaping will be maintained with
no vegetation removal associated with the proposed change of use. The applicant has
26 provided a Landscape Memo (Exhibit 9) that details existing conditions and provides
CONDITIONAL USE -3
1 recommendations for future planting to meet the goals and intent of the landscaping
conditional use criteria.
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3 The existing landscaping along the street frontage, eastern perimeter, and northern portion
of the property consist of mature vegetation that provides a buffer to NE 12th St with a
4 gentle berm and four large western red cedar trees and wide bands of landscaping along
the north and east consisting of numerous large trees with understory that provides sight-
s obscuring or visual buffers to abutting properties. The memo provides recommendations
6 for planting in areas along the western portion of the property to fill in gaps along the
perimeter and additional planting in a bare area located near the northwest facade of the
7 building.
8 Proposed planting in these areas are strategic as they attempt to fill in gaps of existing
9 mature landscaping while not impacting the root zones of the established vegetation.
Additionally, there are areas on the subject property that are shaded from the mature
10 vegetation and it would be difficult to establish new plantings without the requisite solar
exposure.
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12 Staff concurs with the applicant's proposal to provide additional landscaping as suggested
in order to buffer adjacent residential properties from the proposed use. Therefore, a
13 condition of approval requires the applicant to submit a landscape plan with the building
permit application. The plan shall be based on the recommendations of the Landscape
14 Memo prepared by Nakano Associates dated February 9, 2018 (Exhibit 9) and be reviewed
and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to building permit issuance.
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Conclusions of Law
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18 1. Authority. RMC 4-2-060(G) provides that service and social organizations are authorized in
the R-14 zone by hearing examiner conditional use permit. Hearing examiner conditional use
19 permits qualify as Type III review pursuant to RMC 4-8-080(G). As outlined in RMC 4-8-080(G),the
hearing examiner is authorized to hold hearings and issue final decisions on Type III applications
20 subject to closed record appeal to the Renton City Council.
21 2. Zoning/Comprehensive Plan Designations. The subject property is within the Residential
High Density Comprehensive Plan land use designation and the Residential-14 (R-14) zoning
22 classification.
23 3. Review Criteria/Street Modification. Conditional use criteria are governed by RMC 4-9-
24 030(D). Applicable standards are quoted below in italics and applied through corresponding
conclusions of law. The proposal satisfies all quoted standards as conditioned for the reasons
25 identified in the conclusions of law.
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CONDITIONAL USE-4
1 The Administrator or designee or the Hearing Examiner shall consider, as applicable, the following
2 factors for all applications:
3 RMC 4-9-030(C)(1): Consistency with Plans and Regulations: The proposed use shall be
compatible with the general goals, objectives,policies and standards of the Comprehensive Plan, the
4 zoning regulations and any other plans,programs, maps or ordinances of the City of Renton.
5 4. As conditioned, the proposal is consistent with all applicable comprehensive plan policies and
development standards as outlined in Findings of Fact No. 15 and 16 of the staff report, adopted by
6 this reference as if set forth in full.
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RMC 4-9-030(C)(2): Appropriate Location: The proposed location shall not result in the
8 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.
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10 5. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 4, the proposal will not result in an overconcentration of
service and social organizations. Further, the location is well suited for the proposed use as
11 surrounding uses are of similar intensity and compatible with the proposed use as outlined in Finding
of Fact No. 4 and 5(A).
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RMC 4-9-030(C)(3): Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use at the proposed location
13 shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property.
14 6. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5, as conditioned, there are no adverse impacts
15 associated with the proposal, so it will not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent
property.
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RMC 4-9-030(C)(4): Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and
17 character of the neighborhood.
18 7. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(A), the proposed use is compatible with the scale and
19 character of the neighborhood.
20 RMC 4-9-030(C)(5): Parking:Adequate parking is, or will be made, available.
21 8. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(E), the proposal includes parking that is consistent
with applicable parking standards, which sets a legislative standard for adequate parking.
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23 RMC 4-9-030(C)(6): Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and
shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area.
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9. As outlined in Finding of Fact No. 5(F), the proposal provides for safe circulation and
25 adequate traffic mitigation and facilities.
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CONDITIONAL USE- 5
1 RMC 4-9-030(C)(7): Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light and glare impacts from the
proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated.
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3 10. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(C), the proposal will not result in any adverse light,
noise or glare impacts.
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RMC 4-9-030(C)(8): Landscaping: Landscaping shall be provided in all areas not occupied by
5 buildings, paving, or critical areas. Additional landscaping may be required to buffer adjacent
properties from potentially adverse effects of the proposed use.
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11. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5(G), as conditioned the proposal complies with the
7 City's landscaping standards and as determined by staff, with the applicant's proposed landscaping
8 enhancement (made a condition of approval), no additional landscaping is necessary to mitigate
impacts. Further, the aerial photograph of the project site on the first page of the staff report shows
9 that all unimproved areas are landscaped as required by the criterion.
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11 DECISION
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14 As conditioned below, the conditional use permit application satisfies all applicable permitting
criteria for the reasons identified in the findings and conclusions of this decision and is approved
15 subject to the following conditions:
16 1. The applicant shall submit a refuse and recycling screening detail with the building permit
application. The screening detail shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project
17 Manager prior to building permit issuance.
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2. The applicant shall submit a traffic control plan that identify the entrance and exit driveways
19 on the subject site with the building permit application. The traffic control plan shall be reviewed and
approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to building permit issuance.
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21 3. The applicant shall submit a final landscape plan with the building permit application. The
plan shall be based on the recommendations of the Landscape Memo prepared by Nakano
22 Associates dated February 9, 2018 (Exhibit 9) and be reviewed and approved by the Current
Planning Project Manager prior to building permit issuance.
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CONDITIONAL USE- 6
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DATED this 10th day of April 2018
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Ply A.Olbrechts
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7 City of Renton Hearing Examiner
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Appeal Right and Valuation Notices
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10 As consolidated, RMC 4-8-080(G) classifies the application(s) subject to this decision as Type III
11 application(s) subject to closed record appeal to the City of Renton City Council. Appeals of the
hearing examiner's decision must be filed within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of the
12 decision. A request for reconsideration to the hearing examiner may also be filed within this 14-
day appeal period.
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14 Affected property owners may request a change in valuation for property tax purposes
notwithstanding any program of revaluation.
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CONDITIONAL USE - 7