HomeMy WebLinkAboutD_Renton_Youth_Advocacy_Center_1210301
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CITY OF RENTON
OCT n 2012
RECEIVED
CITY CLERK'S OFFice
BEFORE THE HEARING EXAMINER FOR THE CITY OF RENTON
RE: Renton Youth Advocacy Center
Conditional Use Permit
LUAI2-074, CU-H
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) FINAL DECISION
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Summary
The Applicant has requested a conditional use permit for the operation of the Renton Youth
Advocacy Center, a social/service organization at a 1,760 square foot building in Tiffany Park.
The conditional use permit is approved with conditions.
Testimony
Gerald Wassser, Renton Community and Economic Department, stated that Applicant is
requesting approval for a conditional use permit for the operation of the Renton Youth Advocacy
20 Center (RYAC). RY AC is social service organization. The Applicant proposes to use the
community building at Tiffany Park, 1902 Lake Young Way SE, for the center. The building is
approximately 1,800 square feet and is not being used currently. All zones in the city of Renton
22 require a CUP for service and social organizations. The building is in the R -8 residential zone.
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Mr. Wasser testified that RY AC provides tutoring services for middle and high-school aged
students. The center at Tiffany Park is proposed to serve approximately 15-20 youths per day. The
program will operate Monday-Friday from 2-7pm. The students will be drawn from the local area
24 including Nelson Middle School and Lindberg High School. Staff believes the Applicant has
satisfied the conditional use permit criteria. The proposal is consistent with the Renton
Comprehensive Plan and meets zoning requirements. Additionally, there will be minimal impacts on
26 adjacent properties and the project is compatible with the surrounding area. Tiffany Park has 32
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parking spaces, and it is expected most students will walk to the center. The Applicant would not
CONDITIONAL USE
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make any additions to the building or change the grounds of the park. The park building will be used
as is with no internal changes. Staff recommends approval of the permit.
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Upon questioning by the hearing examiner. Mr. Wasser noted that the building is not
currently in use. Conceivably some students could be driving to the center, but the Applicant
4 anticipates that most will walk. There may be sports activities on the surrounding lawns associated
with RY AC. There is a basketball court adjacent to the park bUilding.
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Tim Williams, Renton Recreation Director, stated that the park building has not been used
since 2009 due to budget cuts. There is a ball-field in the park which is multi-use, but its location is
far enough from the community building that most people park on the street when using the ball-field.
In 2009, the community building was used as an after-school site. The proposed use is not very
different from that of the 2009 use except that the proposal is more comprehensive and will focus on
older students.
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John Houston, Director of RYAC, stated that the vision for the area is to help the students and
provide a safe-place during after-school hours. The center will be managed by professionals who live
in Renton and have ties to the community. RYAC will benefit the area and is a needed addition to
JO Renton.
Linda Wanless, board member of RYAC, stated that she grew up in Renton. She met with the
Tiffany Park Homeowners Association over the summer to discuss RY AC's plans for the community
12 building. The neighbors had no negative comments and were excited to see the building put to a
good use. RY AC wants to help the children become invested in Renton through community service
projects.
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John Hettick stated he has been a firefighter for 30 years and has lived in Renton for the past
15. Recently, there have been several assaults in the Tiffany Park neighborhood. Mr. Hettick joined
the RY AC initiative to create a more positive direction for the Renton youth. RYAC plans to staff
the center with Renton community members who care about helping the young people in the city.
16 The volunteers are extremely dedicated to the project.
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Keith Fekete, police officer with Renton PD, testified that the RY AC project began around a
year ago. Mr. Fekete is a school resource officer at Lindhberg High School. He hopes to give the
students new opportunities for after-school activities with the new center. The police department
believes the center will help reduce youth crime in the area. Additionally, the center will help
19 students with life-skill development. He patrols the area and noted that the parking lot is normally
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vacant.
Exhibits
Exhibits 1-10 identified at page 2 of the October 16, 2012 staff report were admitted into the
record during the hearing on the application.
CONDITIONAL USE
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FINDINGS OF FACT
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3 Procedural:
4 1. Applicant. John Houston, Renton Youth Advocacy Center.
5 2. Hearing. The Examiner held a hearing on the subject application on October 16, 2012 at 2:00
6 pm in the City of Renton Council Chambers.
7 Substantive:
8 3. Project Description. The Applicant has requested a conditional use permit for the operation
9 of the Renton Youth Advocacy Center ("RYAC"), a social/service organization at an existing 1,760
square foot building in Tiffany Park, located at 1902 Lake Youngs W A SE. The RY AC would
10 operate an after school drop-in program for middle and high school youth offering counseling,
tutoring, and life skills services. Sports activities would also be offered. There are no proposed
changes to the park building or the park grounds. 11
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Tiffany Park is 5.77 acres in area The building that will house the proposed use is the only building
13 at the park. Tiffany Park also contains a parking lot with 32 surface parking spaces (including two
accessible spaces) to the north of the structure that would be utilized by the RY AC and the public.
14 The parking lot is accessed via an existing driveway from Lake Youngs Way SE.
15 4. Surrounding Area. Tiffany park is surrounded on all sides with single-family residential
16 development zoned R-8.
17 5. Adverse Impacts. There are no significant adverse impacts associated with the project. No
18 structural alterations are proposed and the use is consistent with past uses of Tiffany Park.
Neighboring property owners should not see any change in intensity of use from when the building
19 was used for in 2009 for student after-school activities. The RYAC would be open from 2:00 pm to
7:00 pm Monday through Friday, which is comparable to current park hours. The proposal would not
20 generate any significant traffic since it would cater to children many of whom would be walking to
the facility after school from Lindberg High School and Nelson Middle School. The on-site parking
is rarely used. The public works department has determined that the roads that serve the site are
adequate to accommodate any traffic generated by the proposal and that on-site parking is adequate as
well. Some activities would be conducted outdoors in the playfields, but would not generate any
noise that is more intense than that normally associated with park use. The proposal will use existing
light fixtures at hours limited between 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm so no significant light or glare impacts are
24 anticipated. Due to the limited hours of operation, low traffic, limited hours and no physical
alteration the proposed use is compatible with surrounding residential use.
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CONDITIONAL USE
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Conclusions of Law
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3 1. Authority. RMC 4-8-080(G) classifies conditional use applications as Type III permits when
Hearing Examiner review is required, which is required for this project. As Type III applications,
4 RMC 4-8-080(G) grants the Examiner with the authority to hold a hearing and issue a final decision
5 on them, subject to closed record appeal to the City Council.
6 2. Zoning/Comprehensive Plan Designations. The subject property is zoned Residential -8
7 dwelling units per acre (R-8). The comprehensive plan land use designation is Residential Single
Family.
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3. Review Criteria. Conditional use criteria are governed by RMC 4-9-030(D). All applicable
criteria are quoted below in italics and applied through corresponding conclusions of law.
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RMC 4-9-030(C)(1): Consistency with Plans and Regulations: The proposed use shall be
11 compatible with the general goals, objectives. policies and standards of the Comprehensive Plan, the
zoning regulations and any other plans, programs. maps or ordinances of the City of Renton. 12
4. The proposal is consistent with all applicable comprehensive plan policies and development
standards as outlined in page 4 of the staff report, adopted and incorporated by this reference as if set
14 forth in full, including all findings of fact issued therein. The proposal provides a needed community
service for youth by a nonprofit association, which meets Comprehensive Plan Objective HS-8,
Policy HS-7, HS-C and HS-II. Park facilities such as that proposed are authorized in the R-8 zone as
16 conditional,uses and the building will not involve any structural alteration such that consistency with
bulk and dimensional standards is not a factor.
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RMC 4-9-030(C)(2): Appropriate Location: The proposed location shall not result in the
18 detrimental overconcentration of a particular use within the City or within the immediate area of the
19 proposed use. The proposed location shall be suited for the proposed use.
20 5. As determined in Finding of Fact No.5, the proposal is compatible with surrounding
residential use. No similar uses within the vicinity are evidenced in the record. In any event, given
21 the minor impacts of the proposal it would not constitute an "overconcentration" of youth facilities
22 even if similar facilities were located nearby.
23 RMC 4-9-030(C)(3): Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use at the proposed location
24 shall not result in substantial or undue adverse efficts on adjacent property.
25 6. As determined in Finding of Fact No.5 there are no adverse impacts associated with the
proposal, so it will not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property.
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CONDITIONAL USE
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I RMC 4-9-030(C)(4): Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and
2 character of the neighborhood.
3 7. Given that the proposal will not generate any significant adverse impacts as determined in
Finding of Fact No. 5 and that it will not result in any physical alterations of any structures, the
4 proposal is compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood.
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RMC 4-9-030(C)(5): Parking: Adequate parking is, or will be made, available.
8. As determined in Finding of Fact No.5, the proposal is served by adequate parking.
RMC 4-9-030(C)(6): Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and
8 shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area.
9 9. As determined in Finding of Fact No.5, the proposal provides for adequate traffic as
10 determined by the public works department, which includes safety considerations.
II RMC 4-9-030(C)(7): Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light and glare impacts from the
12 proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated.
13 10. As determined in Finding of Fact No.5, no significant noise, light or glare impacts are
anticipated.
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15 RMC 4-9-030(C)(8): Landscaping: Landscaping shall be provided in all areas not occupied by
buildings, paving, or critical areas. Additional landscaping may be required to buffir adjacent
16 properties from potentially adverse effects of the proposed use.
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11. Staff have determined that no landscaping is necessary since the site is already fully developed
There does not appear to be any unused space available for landscaping and there is no need for
landscaping to create a buffer to adjoining uses.
DECISION
The conditional use permit is approved for the proposal as depicted in Exhibits 3 and 4.
DATED this 30h day of October, 2012.
~cPcC P 1AOibreChts
City of Renton Hearing Examiner
CONDITIONAL USE
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Appeal Right and Valuation Notices
RMC 4-8-110(E)(9) provides that the final decision of the Hearing Examiner is subject to appeal to
the Renton City Council. RMC 4-8-11O(E)(9) requires appeals of the Hearing Examiner's decision
to be filed within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of the Hearing Examiner's decision. A
request for reconsideration to the 'hearing e examiner may also be filed within this 14 day appeal
period as identified in RMC 4-8-110(E)(8) and RMC 4-8-100(G)(4). A new fourteen (14) day
appeal period shall commence upon the issuance of the reconsideration. Additional information
regarding the appeal process may be obtained from the City Clerk's Office, Renton City Hall -7th
floor, (425) 430-6510.
Affected property owners may request a change III valuation for property tax purposes
notwithstanding any program of revaluation.
CONDITIONAL USE
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