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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 2708CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON RESOLUTION NO. 2708 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, CONCERNING PRESERVATION OF NORTH RENTON AND KENNYDALE NEIGHBORHOODS FROM DETERIORATION DUE TO TRAFFIC WHEREAS the North Renton and Kennydale neighborhoods have protested excessive commuter traffic through their neighborhoods; and WHEREAS planned development could cause additional commuter traffic problems in these neighborhoods; and WHEREAS the City Council has previously expressed a desire to protect these neighborhoods from the incursion of excessive or unreasonable traffic to the greatest extent possible; and WHEREAS citizens groups within these two neighborhoods have made specific recommendations to the City of Renton on steps that could be taken to prevent deterioration of their neighborhoods due to traffic, NOW THEREFORE THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, DO RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS: SECTION I: One of the City's highest priorities is preserving the integrity of single family neighborhoods of Renton, including the Kennydale neighborhood, as a quality, single family residential neighborhood where people choose to live. SECTION II; One of the City's highest priorities is' preserving single family neighborhoods of Renton, including the North Renton area, as a quality, single family neighborhood where 1 RESOLUTION NO. 2708 people choose to live. It is recognized that much of this area is zoned multi-family and other zoning categories that may, in the future, result in a change in the use pattern in this area. So long as the North Renton Neighborhood remains primarily residential in character, the City will use its best efforts to preserve the single family character in this neighborhood. SECTION III: As part of the E & H projects, the City considered the use of traffic diverters in the North Renton neighborhood. While the City supports the use of traffic diverters, the exact nature and extent of those traffic diverters has not been established, but is the topic of initial consideration of a citizens steering committee which includes residents of the North Renton area. All deliberate speed shall be utilized to arrive at and install a diverter program in the North Renton neighborhood, keeping in mind the needs of individual streets and sections of street for diverters and further keeping in mind the needs of public safety personnel for access and general safety in the neighborhood streets. Once the diverters are installed, they will not be removed unless there is a demonstrable problem for emergency vehicles, a demonstrable threat to public safety, or a change in the character of the area protected so that the diverters are no longer functioning as desired, or are no longer necessary, or after a public hearing the protected neighborhood indicates that the diverters are no longer desired. Diverters as used in this paragraph shall mean any means of redirecting, channelizing, stopping, blocking or otherwise diverting traffic that is without a start or end point 2 RESOLUTION NO. 2708 in the neighborhood, from travelling on the North Renton neighborhood streets. SECTION IV; The staff and traffic consultants are hereby directed to pay particular attention to the North Third corridor. It is a high priority to keep the traffic levels on this street at current levels or below and to focus on creative reasonable alternatives to lessen the traffic burden at peak hours on this street and/or mitigate the impacts of traffic on the single family homes adjacent to that street. Following receipt of any studies, the staff is directed to present recommended modifications to the North Third corridor to the City Council with all deliberate speed, so that the City Council can implement feasible alternatives while considering the fiscal capabilities of the City and the impacts of such changes on the entire City of Renton traffic flows. In addition, the issue of whether Factory Avenue should be used to carry high volume arterial scale traffic has not been resolved. Some neighborhood groups representing the North Renton area believe that it should not. This issue would be decided by City Council after a recommendation from the Neighborhood Steering Committee and City staff. SECTION V; As part of its traffic mitigation program for the E & H rezone and site plans, the City Council intended to preserve Garden Avenue, south of North Fourth Street from use as an arterial street. The staff and traffic consultants are directed to study the section of Garden Avenue from Bronson Way to North Fourth and determine practical methods of diverting 3 RESOLUTION NO. 2708 (including, potentially, diverters) commuter traffic from this street section. Garden Avenue shall remain a non-arterial street for the foreseeable future and will not be changed without the creation of a committee of neighbors living nearby that will work with the City to make recommendations and not until the City Council holds a public hearing. Garden Avenue will not be changed from its non-arterial street status as long as it remains primarily residential in character and is being used as single family residences or by familes with children. SECTION VI: As part of the traffic mitigation program for the E & H Rezone and site plan approvals, the City Council eliminated direct traffic from Garden Avenue to Lake Washington Blvd. and eliminated the link of North 10th through to Houser Way. The purpose of these modifications was to prevent the business traffic from the E & H buildings from using Lake Washington Blvd. as a conduit to and from work. The staff and traffic consultant are directed to study and make recommendations that would direct business traffic from the Boeing/E & H area to and from the freeways and existing developed arterials and to keep Lake Washington Blvd. from serving as a business traffic corridor. For the foreseeable future, the two traffic lanes through the R-1 area on Lake Washington Boulevard shall remain as is and the stop signs and speed limits on Lake Washington Blvd. shall remain intact. These features will not be changed without the creation of a neighborhood committee that will work with the City to make recommendations and not until the City Council holds a public hearing. If there are any changes to these 4 RESOLUTION NO. 2708 features, they will not be done until after a public hearing before the City Council and any changes will have the intent of protecting the single family neighborhood but shall not encourage commuter traffic. The change of Lake Washington Boulevard to a three lane section is not on the City's Six Year Street Plan nor is there any pending proposal to make such a change. The City Council will consider potential changes, keeping in mind the fiscal impact of those changes and the impact on the City transportation circulation. SECTION VII: The traffic consultants hired by the City and E & H Development shall consider the statements contained in this resolution as one of their primary directives in preparing their studies. SECTION VIII; This Resolution shall be considered a SEPA policy statement and is adopted as such. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL this i51-hday of February, 1988. Maxine E. Motor,City Clerk APPROVED BY THE MAYOR Approved as to form: RES:04/2/4/88 5