Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCUP Justification Statement 11416 98th Avenue NE – Suite 200, Kirkland, WA 98033 P: 425.823.2244 F: 425.898.4722 W: www.awerks.com August 17, 2018 RE: Regarding Blue Pearl Veterinary Hospital New CT Imaging Unit, CUP Justification Consistency with Plans and Regulations: The proposed use is compatible with the general purpose, goals, objectives and standards of the comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance, programs, maps or ordinances of the City of Renton. The site is zoned CA – Commercial Arterial and falls in the south end of the City, just off of Highway 167 and near to the City limits border with Kent. The Comprehensive Planning designation for the site is EA, Employment Area. Adding a CT Imaging Unit to the existing Animal Hospital Facility at Blue Pearl in Renton will help to the facility to better serve the animals in the area with state of the art diagnostics. It will help to increase business revenues at the Hospital, and keep it a vibrant part of the Renton Business Community. This meets the goal of promoting economic vitality and strategically positioning Renton for the future. The specific goal in the Comprehensive plan and Renton Business Plan that this helps the City to meet is “Recruit and retain businesses to ensure a dynamic, diversified employment base”. Approving the Imaging Unit will help retain this business in its current location, by allowing growth and expansion of services that could otherwise only be accomplished by the relocation of the facility which would not necessarily be in the City of Renton city limits. This business serves the residents of the City and their pets, who both deserve the best and improved care possible. Appropriate Location: The proposed location for the use is appropriate. It is an expansion of services for an existing approved use which provides care for the pets of local residents. The use is sited in a diverse area, primarily occupied by other businesses including, restaurants, gas stations, large retail establishments and their parking lots, convenience service business and other medical clinics. Immediately adjacent are the Ikea parking lot across the street to the west, an office complex to the north, and a strip mail to the east containing small restaurants, mail and printing service and small urgent care medical clinic. Across the street to the south is the City of Kent with restaurants, gas stations and offices nearest to the site. The location of the unit itself will be on the backside of the clinic, in the parking area, hidden from the streets as much as possible. Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use will not cause adverse effects to the adjacent properties. The diverse business uses surrounding the site, described above, do not face this area at the back of the Blue Pearl Property. The nearest 2 buildings loading and parking areas at the rear are the closest to the actual proposed site of the imaging unit and it is not overlooked by windows. Instead those businesses face the opposite direction to the unit primarily. Their customer parking does not overlook this area either. Compatibility: The proposed use is compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is comprised of single story commercial buildings. The height of the Imaging Unit will not extend beyond that of the existing clinic. An attractive screening fence will obscure the lower portion of the Unit. Parking: Adequate parking is available. Although the Unit will take 7 of the available stalls on site, they were dedicated to staff use and the Clinic has leased space for storage in the Office complex next door at 4130 Lind Avenue, which comes with 10 stalls for staff, plus an additional 5 at the discretion of the property owner next door. This will make up for the loss and provide parking above the level required for the use by the City of Renton. Accessible parking Blue Pearl Veterinary CT August 17, 2018 Page 2 will not be affected. The lease and reference to those stalls has been attached to this application. The leased space next door is only used for storage and an occasional staff meeting, so the parking is not required for use of that space. The lease for this space terminates 30 days after the agreement for the lease of the main clinic. Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners will certify if needed that they will keep the lease next door with associated parking in tandem with the lease on the hospital and provide extensions needed. Traffic: The use does not impact the safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians on site. Since it will be located where vehicles currently park in stalls and will not block driveways it will not impede vehicular circulation. The location is also adjacent to a door to the clinic. This will allow staff and animal patients to access the unit without travelling through the parking lot. Instead they will access the unit from a new ramp meeting ADA requirements and the animal patients will be anesthetized and transported on gurneys to and from the facility. It is not located at a required fire/life safety exit from the facility, but instead at a convenience entry/exit. Noise/Glare/Light: The unit when running has a decibel level of XX. This is equivalent to xxxxxx. The Blue Pearl Vet Clinic building is adjacent to the CT and will get the brunt of the decibels emitted. The next closes building to the unit is to the west and raised up. This building is likely to only see 10-12 patients per day at its busiest time. At night, security lighting will be used during business hours. This lighting will light the pathway to the unity for safety. This lighting will occur between the building and the unit and the vision of it should be limited to side views. This lighting would be occurring in the back of the existing building and should not create glare to any of the neighboring properties. Again, the building to the north turns it’s back on this location and the building to the east has a loading service area directly across from the proposed unit. Landscaping: As part of the project the landscaping in the rear of the clinic will be improved. Please see the accompanying Landscape Plan which will detail the upgraded landscaping efforts in the parking islands on either side of the unit and an addition of some landscape pots in the area to soften the look of the equipment. A screening fence will be required and this fence will be attractively made and sight obscuring – 6’ in height is proposed.