HomeMy WebLinkAboutJ_Land_Use_Modification_170515_v1ARCHITECTURE
FqAWI SPACE PLANNING
architectural werks, inc. INTERIOR DESIGN
May 15, 2017
City of Renton
Planning and Development
1055 South Grady Way
Renton, WA 98057
(425) 430-7594
Attn: Jill Ding
RE: Renton Dental Arts Building - Land Use Modifications Justification
Dear Ms. Ding,
The purpose of this letter is to provide justification to the Land Use modifications being requested for the Renton
Dental Arts Building project. We are requesting modifications to increase maximum number of parking stalls
allowed and modification to refuse/recycling enclosure vertical clearance height. The modifications requests
comply with each of the following issues outlined in the modification submittal requirements.
Increase Maximum number of Parking Stalls
Parking regulations require a minimum and maximum of 5 spaces per 1,000 square feet of net area. The proposed
7,796 square feet of net area within the new building results in 39 parking spaces required. We are requesting a
modification to provide an additional ten (10) spaces or 49 total parking spaces. This is due to the owner's
experience with their current dental clinic operations. Please see below for justification on how the increase of
maximum number of parking stalls complies with the following standards.
a. Substantially implements the policy direction of the policies and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan
Land Use Element and the Community Design Element and the proposed modification is the minimum
adjustment necessary to implement these policies and objectives;
One of the Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element goals is to provide high quality life and to
encourage new development to be functional and attractive. In order for the project to be easily
functional, dental clinic clients need easy and abundant access to parking. From the owner's
experience, dental clinics experience several periods through the day with an overlap of patients.
The overlap period occurs when patients arrive earlier than their scheduled appointment. Usually
patients will arrive several minutes prior to the appointment time to complete paperwork, verify
insurance, etc. At that time the patients before them are still checking -out and finalizing billing.
This means that two parking spaces are needed during the patient overlap. The extra parking stalls
allow for all patients to have a place to park when arriving for their appointment. If the parking
stalls are not provided, patients would have to find parking elsewhere and could affect the
neighboring businesses, as people could park in their lots and walk over to the Renton Dental Arts
Building. By finding parking elsewhere this could also cause patients to be late for their scheduled
appointment and cause the office to run behind. To provide quality design and a high quality of life
in the City of Renton, this project wants to provide easy access to parking stalls to all patients.
b. Will meet the objectives and safety, function, appearance, environmental protection and maintainability
intended by the Code requirements, based upon sound engineering judgement;
The additional parking stalls do not change the appearance, safety, function, environmental
11416 98"' Avenue NE — Suite 200, Kirkland, WA 98033 P: 425.823.2244 F: 425.898.4722 W: www.awerks.com
Renton Dental Arts
May 15, 2017
Page 2
protection and maintainability intended by the Code requirements.
c. Will not be injurious to other property(ies) in the vicinity;
a. The increase in parking stalls will not be injurious to other properties in the vicinity as the extra
parking stalls are contained within the project property lines. The parking lot also conforms to the
City's perimeter and interior parking lot landscaping requirements, which will screen the parking
lots from neighboring sites. Without sufficient parking, patients may park off-site on neighboring
properties, which would be injurious to surrounding properties. Thus we are requesting the
approval of the excess parking stalls via this submittal.
d. Conforms to the intent and purpose of the Code;
a. The additional parking stalls still conform to the intent and purpose of the code. Standards stalls
are still provided at nine feet (9') by twenty feet (20') or eighteen feet (18') in length with a two
foot (2') overhang that does not encroach on the required landscaping. Two (2) accessible stalls are
provided per Code requirements. A minimum of twenty-four foot (24') driveway aisles are
provided as well off of 108th Avenue Southeast. Compact stalls are provided at eight feet six inches
(8'-6") in width and sixteen feet (16') in length and less than thirty percent of total number of
parking stalls.
e. Can be shown to be justified and required for the use and situation intended; and
a. Please see comments under criterion "a".
f. Will not create adverse impacts to other property(ies) in the vicinity.
a. Please see comments under criterion "c".
Refuse/Recycling Enclosure Vertical Height Reduction
Per the Renton Municipal Code, refuse and recyclables standards (4-4-090) enclosures are required to have a
vertical clearance of at least fifteen feet (15'). We are requesting the modification in clear vertical height to eight
foot and ten inches (8'-10"). Please see below for justification on refuse/recycling enclosure vertical height
reduction complies with each of the following issues.
a. Substantially implements the policy direction of the policies and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan
Land Use Element and the Community Design Element and the proposed modification is the minimum
adjustment necessary to implement these policies and objectives;
a. Since the primary building design is of modest height with the majority of the building averaging
approximately twenty-two feet (22') in height. A covered refuse and recycling enclosure with a
roof extending to fifteen feet (15') would look out of place and overly dominate in relation to the
property's primary structure. We believe that eight foot and ten inches (8'-10") is an appropriate
height in relation to the primary building structure and will function as intended to house the
refuse containers.
b. Will meet the objectives and safety, function, appearance, environmental protection and maintainability
intended by the Code requirements, based upon sound engineering judgement;
We believe that eight foot and ten inches (8'-10") is a sufficient height clearance to maintain the
ability for the refuse and recycling haulers to access the dumpster inside the enclosure. Regardless
of enclosure height the bins will have to be removed from the enclosure in either a tall or short
enclosure. The enclosure will also conform to the required twelve foot (12') wide gate opening per
the code.
c. Will not be injurious to other property(ies) in the vicinity;
The vertical clearance reduction will result in a less predominate refuse/recycling enclosure that
will reduce the ability to see the enclosure from the street and be much less noticeable from
neighboring properties.
d. Conforms to the intent and purpose of the Code;
Please see comments under criterion "a" and "b"
Renton Dental Arts
May 15, 2017
Page 3
e. Can be shown to be justified and required for the use and situation intended; and
This modification provides a design that better compliments the architecture of the building on the
site. The required fifteen foot (15') height clearance would result in an enclosure that would be
nearly two-thirds the height of the primary building, which would look out of place and bring too
much attention toward the refuse/recycling enclosure from the street.
f. Will not create adverse impacts to other property(ies) in the vicinity.
Please see comments under criterion "c".
This concludes our land use modification justification letter. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or
comments you may have.
Sincerely,
Architectural Werks, Inc.
Franklin Ng, AIA
Project Manager