HomeMy WebLinkAboutC_On Hold_Letter_Chickfila_181030.pdfOctober 30, 2018
Carlos Arias
4G Development and Consulting, Inc.
PO Box 270571
San Diego, CA 92198
SUBJECT: "On Hold" Notice
Chick-fil-A Restaurant / LUA18-000619
Dear Mr. Arias,
The Planning Division of the City of Renton accepted the above master application for review on September 14, 2018. During our review, staff has determined that additional information
is necessary in order to proceed further.
The following information will need to be submitted before January 28, 2019 so that we may continue the review of the above subject application:
Traffic and Parking Management Plan
The City’s Environmental Review Committee has reviewed the application materials and is unable to move forward with an environmental determination due to the inadequacy of the traffic
and parking management plan component of the Transportation Impact Analysis prepared by Transportation Engineering NW, dated August 13, 2018. The following recommendations provided
by the committee and Renton Police Department identify gaps in the proposed plan and each item shall be addressed prior to issuing the threshold determination and land use decision.
Duration and strategy of traffic management plan will be at the discretion of the Traffic Commander.
It is unknown at this time the true impact an opening of this type of restaurant will have on our city, surrounding business, and traffic on Rainier Ave S. Traffic Division will communicate
with appropriated Chick-fil-A staff at reasonable intervals to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigation measures ensuring the efficient movement of traffic as well as efficient movement
of
customers from the roadway, onto private property, then exiting back out on to city streets.
Off-duty officers will be utilized to manage the appropriate mitigation measures. The purpose of off-duty police officers is to safely move the large volume of vehicles from the street,
through the purchasing process, then back onto the street and away from the area with the least amount of disruption to the already congested area, the local businesses and of course
the customers themselves. Off-duty staffing decisions will be based on that primary purpose.
The required mitigation is fluid and unknown. A staffing review for modifications should be done every 30 days (or as needed) between the Renton Police Department and Chick-fil-A.
Upon grand opening the Entrance/Exit from Rainier Ave S (north end of property) will be designated an Exit Only to reduce congestion and confusion on Rainier Ave S. Length of time and
designation to be determined by Traffic Division Commander.
An overflow area for drive-through traffic will need to be designated offsite, such as the Fred Meyer Parking lot.
This will need to be coordinated with Chick-fil-A and Fred Meyer.
Per discussions with other cities that have dealt with Chick-fil-A openings, this will need to handle volume in excess of 100+ cars.
Officer presence/traffic control increased from one (1) to three (3).
One officer will be stationed at the north main entrance/exit point to keep traffic moving along Rainier Ave S and enforce this as an “EXIT” only during opening weeks.
Second officer will be stationed at designated drive-through overflow area to manage traffic flow and safety.
Third officer stationed at ingress point on Rainier Ave S/S 3rd entrance to direct traffic to appropriate overflow areas.
Contingency plan should three (3) officers not be available. Potential use of professional third party traffic control and/or temporarily closing Rainier Ave S entrance until such time
officers are available.
Additional officers may be needed during the 1st 100 campout event traditional with every Chick-fil-A grand opening. Additional discussion on how this event will be managed needs to
be provided in plan.
Chick-fil-A staff will be utilized inside the parking lot to manage customer parking and/or whatever Chick-fil-A determines based on their standard grand opening plan and procedures.
Police Department recommends two of the 42 parking stalls be designated as drive-through order “standby” stalls with signage designating as so. This is to allow customers with large
orders that may delay drive-through traffic longer than Chick-
fil-A normal estimates to move forward and park while awaiting their order to be filled, rather than causing further backups in drive-thru lines.
We understand Chick-fil-A are the experts on time management and have expectations on what a “normal” drive-through wait period or order fulfillment looks like. We will defer to them
on when to move someone forward into these stalls.
We are also aware that Chick-Fil-A sometimes designates staff to go out to drive-thru line and take orders to assist the line in moving along. However, based on discussions with other
local cities, staffing does not always meet the levels required to offer these services so this cannot be depended on as a concrete solution.
The Police Department has reviewed the Trip Generation Study as well as the Traffic Management Plan that Chick-fil-A submitted in regards to traffic impact along Rainier Ave S and projected
impact during opening weeks. However, the Renton Police, specifically the Traffic Division, took the following into consideration when determining our recommendations noted above:
Rainier Ave S is one of the busiest streets in the city and cannot be disrupted by excessive overflow and backup from customers entering/exit Chick-fil-A.
The intersection north of Chick-fil-A at Rainier Ave S/S 3rd St has one of the highest vehicles vs. pedestrian accident rates than any other intersection in our city. Increased traffic
going to and from Chick-fil-A, including vehicles and pedestrians, may increase these statistics even higher. Therefore it is imperative to manage traffic flow and prevent delays and
congestion at this intersection.
Renton High School has approximately 1,300+ students and beginning this year, 2018, they went to one designated lunch period for all their students. The high school is located less
than one mile from the new proposed Chick-fil-A location and lunch time is from 11:00 a.m. to 11:35 a.m. At this time it is unknown the impact that this could have on surrounding streets
and sidewalks in regards to pedestrian safety and vehicle congestion.
Chick-fil-A will be in close proximity to numerous bus stops, which is good for accessibility to business, however also can encourage pedestrians to walk across the busy roadways against
traffic control.
S 3rd Pl. and Rainier Ave S will experience northbound vehicles attempting to U-turn to gain quick access to Chick-fil-A as it is separated by a large median.
The Police Department reached out to other cities that have had Chick-fil-A grand openings in their city to understand the complexity and possible impact it could have on police services.
The contacted cities were Bellevue, Covington, and Federal Way.
All cities agree that opening a Chick-fil-A in their city is not typical to any other opening of a drive-through restaurant; however, it creates a long-lasting traffic impact and effect
on police services.
All cities noted that working with Chick-fil-A has been agreeable and that Chick-fil-A management has been more than willing to make
accommodations to police requests in regards to safety and traffic management.
At this time, your project has been placed “on hold” pending receipt of the requested information. Please contact me at (425) 430- or matt.herrera@rentonwa.gov if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Matt Herrera, AICP
cc: / Owner(s)
/ Applicant
/ Party(ies) of Record