HomeMy WebLinkAboutRR_SW_16th_Street_section_180622_v1RECONSIDERATION REQUEST
Frontage Landscaping Condition of Approval
LUA18-000242, CU-A
Administrative Conditional Use Permit
800 S.W. 16th Street Parking Lot Expansion
800 S.W. 16th Street, Renton, WA 98057
Parcel No. 334040-6430-02
Prepared by
Robert McNeill, Senior Planner
Barghausen Consulting Engineers, Inc.
18215 72nd Avenue S, Kent, WA 98032
(425) 251-6222
June 2018
Development Details
The project calls for the expansion of parking facilities onsite, on a portion of the subject property
referenced above; construction activity would be limited to removal of existing landscaping and
installation of pervious pavement and related frontage/site improvements as indicated in our
original submittal, subject to modifications and/or reconsideration of specific conditions of
approval.
For Reconsideration
As part of the approval process associated with Land Use File No. LUA18-000242, CU-A, staff
indicated a need for landscape modifications along the 16th Street frontage:
Figure 1 - Administrative Report & Decision, Condition of Approval, Page 15 of 16
Barghausen engineers investigated design modifications to achieve full compliance with this
condition. As mentioned in the condition, the perimeter landscape/berm width would need to be
widened from 10-feet to 21-feet in order to meet the stated slope requirement of 3:1; essentially
eliminating twenty-three (23) standard 90° parking stalls located immediately adjacent to the
frontage landscaping strip, as currently proposed. Given the stated purpose of the project –
expanding available parking onsite – requiring full compliance would significantly detracts from
the project’s goal.
In searching for alternatives, Barghausen engineers considered alternatives; first, replacing 90°
perpendicular stalls with parallel stalls and expanding the landscaping/berm to meet the required
slope; saving some 9-10 parking stalls, but with a loss of over fifty percent (50%) of proposed
parking within the affected area, working against the stated purpose of the project and
unacceptable to our client.
Barghausen’s second option – our client’s preferred choice – essentially provides the same
perimeter, sight-obscuring benefit intended by this condition, but works within the site constraints,
to provide a shorter berm (approximately 1½ feet in height), preserving the 3:1 slope ratio, topped
with a dense screen of arborvitae plantings, to provide an aesthetically pleasing solution which
would allow the project to retain its proposed parking capacity and address design concerns.
The arborvitae would feature 4-foot high plants for the majority of the frontage; descending to
shorter (3-foot or less) plants in areas immediately adjacent to driveways – preserving the sight
distance triangle for vehicular and pedestrian safety. The net result would effectively produce a
5½ foot landscape berm/barrier, supplemented with additional landscaping on the parking lot side.
Figure 2 - Proposed Landscape Berm Section
The Applicant respectfully requests the City of Renton reconsider the specifics associated with
this condition and recommend/require the perimeter landscape berm alternative illustrated above,
subject to review of the final landscape plan when submitted for civil constructions permits.
Should you have questions, desire modifications, or wish to discuss this alternative further, please
contact Robert McNeill, Senior Planner at Barghausen Consulting Engineers, Inc., at your earliest
convenience.