HomeMy WebLinkAboutERC_Report_RMC_D-201_UC_Zone_Development_StandardsDEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY
AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ERC Report D:201 UC Zone Development Standards
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT
ERC MEETING DATE: August 23, 2021
Project Name: D: 201 UC Zone Development Standards
Project Number: LUA21-000283, ECF
Project Manager: Paul Hintz, Senior Planner
Owner: City of Renton
Applicant: City of Renton
Contact: Paul Hintz, 425-430-7436
Project Location: All docket items are citywide.
Project Summary: The applicant is requesting Environmental (SEPA) Review to review for the following
non-project items:
1. Creating an Urban Center-2 (UC-2) Zone.
2. Enabling RMC 4-4-150, Residential Mixed-Use Standards, to be subject to
Planned Urban Developments (PUDs).
3. Increasing the allowed “lobby façade” to occupy 35% of a mixed-use building’s
elevation and allow further increases at the Administrator’s discretion if the
required commercial space exceeds the minimum depth.
4. Adjusting the amount of commercial space required on the ground floor
(measured as a percentage of a building’s footprint), as follows:
CN CV CA CD CO COR UC-1 UC-2
40% 40% 40% 50% 40% 40% 40% 20%
5. Staff recommend allowing standalone office buildings in both the UC-1 and
UC-2 Zones.
6. For both UC Zones, staff recommend requiring parking for dwelling units be in
a structured parking facility (commercial uses can be served by surface parking
lots).
7. Adopt the same building setbacks (and all associated conditions of 4-2-120C)
that are applied the Commercial Arterial (CA), Commercial Neighborhood
(CN), and Center Village (CV) Zones.
Exist. Bldg. Area SF: N/A Proposed New Bldg. Area (footprint):
Proposed New Bldg. Area (gross):
N/A
N/A
Site Area: N/A Total Building Area GSF: N/A
STAFF
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff Recommends that the Environmental Review Committee issue a
Determination of Non-Significance (DNS).
PART ONE: PROJECT DESCRIPTION / BACKGROUND
For about a decade, the city has required ground floor commercial space in commercial zones if
multifamily housing is proposed onsite. In 2018, City Council adopted Ordinance 5899, which amended
the standards for the required commercial space because it had become apparent there were loopholes
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ERC Report D:201 UC Zone Development Standards
in the code. Those loopholes allowed land dedicated for commercial uses to be developed with primarily
attached housing and a relatively small amount of commercial space (see illustration below).
New buildings have an average lifespan ranging between 50 to 100 years, so once land is developed or
redeveloped the opportunity to realize something other than what was built is typically lost. Therefore, it
is critically important that new development upon the finite amount of land zoned commercial fulfills the
intended general purpose of Renton’s commercial zones – to facilitate jobs, businesses, industry, and
commerce that support a vibrant and financially solvent city furthering both the Renton Business Plan and
the Comprehensive Plan Vision.
Prior to the 2018 code amendments, attached housing on commercial land required commercial space to
be built along any street frontage. The commercial space had to be attached to the housing, have a
minimum depth of 30’ and have a minimum floor-to-ceiling height of 15’. Ordinance 5899 codified the
following requirements for all commercial zones, except the UC Zone (incomplete list):
• Types of attached housing (flats, townhouses, garden-style apartments) allowed;
• Where vertically mixed-use buildings are required;
• Where and under what conditions standalone residential is allowed; and
• Square footage of commercial space required.
With the goal of ensuring the amount of commercial space created is relative to the overall building
coverage on a site, Ordinance 5899 requires gross square footage of commercial space equivalent to 50%
of a building’s footprint. This would require half of the ground floor of a vertically mixed-use building to
be designed and dedicated for commercial uses. Because this amount of commercial space might not be
appropriate or viable in every location, Ordinance 5899 expressly allows the standards above to be
modified through a Modification Permit whenever there are practical difficulties.
Although Ordinance 5899 did not apply to the UC Zone, the Zone is intended for the creation of dense
employment, destination retail, recreation, and public gathering spaces, with the potential for large scale
redevelopment opportunities that will create a mixed-use retail, employment, and residential center. The
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ERC Report D:201 UC Zone Development Standards
purpose of the UC Zone is to provide an area for pedestrian-scale urban mixed-use development that
supports the residential and employment goals of Renton’s Regional Growth Center.
For approximately twenty years a development agreement between the City of Renton and The Boeing
Company governed many of the use and development standards in the UC zone. However, that
agreement sunset on December 31, 2020. Without that development agreement there are insufficient
zoning controls for new development in the UC zone, as compared to the zoning controls of other
commercial zones in the City, thereby limiting the City’s ability to further the policy and purpose of the
zone. For example, there are no codified building setbacks, and because the codified standards for the
location or type of parking facilities (e.g., structured parking or surface lot) is determined by their
proximity to “pedestrian oriented streets” – a term from the expired development agreement – the
standards have no meaning. Most notably, there are no codified standards for commercial space
requirements for residential mixed-use development.
To address the lack of codified UC Zone development standards City Council adopted Emergency
Ordinance 6012 on January 25, 2021, which established interim zoning controls for the UC Zone. Those
interim controls require mixed-use development to provide ground floor commercial space equivalent to
33% of the site’s land area, apply the CA Zone building setbacks, and apply RMC 4-4-150, Residential
Mixed-Use Standards, which applies to all other commercial zones. The interim controls were in place for
six months, but City Council recently extended them until October 31, 2021 to afford city staff enough
time to develop recommended UC Zone development standards and receive feedback from the Planning
Commission and City Council’s Planning and Development Committee. Review of the UC Zone also
enabled staff to evaluate the standards created by Ordinance 5899 and propose refinements.
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Create an Urban Center-2 (UC-2) Zone:
The UC Zone covers approximately 410 acres and includes a
vibrant shopping and entertainment district (The Landing), a
new waterfront hotel along with two other newly
constructed hotels nearby, 700,000 square feet of new Class
A office space, and a soon-to-be-built regional entertainment
and recreation facility (Topgolf), which has helped to fulfill
the vision and purpose of the UC Zone. However, there are
areas of the UC Zone that, staff assert, have limited
opportunity to create vertically mixed-use buildings with a
substantial amount of viable ground floor commercial.
The UC Zone includes the Renton Memorial Stadium, The
Boeing Company industrial complex, the newly built hotels
and office buildings, existing high-quality apartment
buildings, Lowe’s Home Improvement, the vacant Fry’s retail
store, former Boeing Company offices, and the site of the
future Topgolf facility. At this time, redevelopment of these
sites is either unlikely, or unlikely to occur under current
regulations requiring a relatively substantial amount of
ground floor commercial.
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For example, the most likely site to redevelop is the vacant Fry’s retail store. The site is bound by railroad
to the east, Kenworth Truck Company to the south, Target department store to the west, and Lowe’s
department store to the north. Requiring half the ground floor to be commercial space is likely a significant
obstacle for any new development because of the physical separation from the more vibrant areas of The
Landing, lack of access from the east, and lack of synergy with surrounding auto-oriented retail.
Staff recommend creating an Urban Center-2 (UC-2) Zone as pictured below. The core of the current UC
Zone would be dubbed UC-1, where redevelopment with highly dense, vertically mixed-use buildings with
a substantial amount of ground floor commercial is more viable. The UC-2 zone would require less ground
floor commercial space (20% of the building’s footprint) for vertically mixed-use buildings.
2. Create Greater Flexibility for Residential Mixed-Use Standards:
Staff recommend enabling RMC 4-4-150, Residential Mixed-Use Standards, to be subject to Planned Urban
Developments (PUDs). There are two principal purposes of the PUD regulations: (1) preserve and protect
natural features of the land; and (2) encourage innovation and creativity in the development of
residential, business, manufacturing, or mixed-use developments by permitting a variety in the type,
design, and arrangement of structures and improvements.
To accomplish these purposes, development is not limited by the strict application of the City’s regulations
when it is demonstrated that such new development will be superior to traditional development under
standard regulations. In addition, PUDs must demonstrate that a proposed development will provide
specifically identified benefits that clearly outweigh any adverse impacts or undesirable effects of the
proposed PUD, particularly those adverse and undesirable impacts to surrounding properties. In exchange
for allowing PUDs, staff recommend eliminating the existing provision that allows commercial space and
features to be altered by an administrative Modification Permit.
To add further flexibility with respect to the design of a mixed-use building’s ground floor, staff
recommend amending the following provision from RMC 4-4-150:
For vertically mixed-use buildings, the facade necessary for interior entrances, lobbies, and
areas/facilities developed for the exclusive use of the building’s residents, or their guests,
is limited to twenty five percent (25%) of the overall facade along any street frontage or
the primary facade.
Staff recommend increasing the standard to 35% and allowing further increases at the Administrator’s
discretion if the required commercial space exceeds the minimum depth. The minimum depth (30’) is
necessary for most commercial businesses, so increasing the depth creates spaces that are viable for a
wider array of businesses. Staff recommend requiring such increases beyond 35% to be generally
proportionate to any corresponding increased commercial space depth.
3. Adjust Commercial Space Requirements:
Staff recommend adjusting the amount of commercial space required, as follows:
CN CV CA CD CO COR UC-1 UC-2
40% 40% 40% 50% 40% 40% 40% 20%
4. Ground Floor Commercial with General Offices:
Currently, the UC Zone requires office buildings be part of a mixed-use structure. RMC 4-2-080.A.92 states:
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ERC Report D:201 UC Zone Development Standards
In the UC Zone, buildings adjacent to pedestrian-oriented streets, designated as such via
Master Plan or similar document approved by the City, shall have ground-floor commercial
uses. Where required, commercial space shall be provided on the ground floor at thirty
feet (30') in depth along any street frontage. Averaging the minimum depth may be
permitted through the site plan review process, provided no portion of the depth is
reduced to less than twenty feet (20'). All commercial space on the ground floor shall have
a minimum floor-to-ceiling height of fifteen feet (15').
As mentioned, the term “pedestrian-oriented streets” has no meaning now that the development
agreement between the City and the Boeing Company has sunset. RMC 4-2-080.A.92 predates
the code amendments made in 2018 (Ordinance 5899) and was likely adopted under the original
Urban Center-North1 and Urban Center-North 2 Zones established before The Landing was
constructed; those two zones were consolidated into the current UC Zone in 2015. While the
intent of the mixed-use requirement for office buildings was likely important before The Landing
was developed, the need for the provision no longer seems apparent. Office buildings are rarely
paired with ground floor commercial (e.g., retail, restaurants, etc.) and standalone office buildings
in an urban area with a strong presence of existing retail and entertainment contribute to the
urban environment and help to strengthen nearby businesses with additional patrons. Therefore,
staff recommend allowing standalone office buildings in both the UC-1 and UC-2 Zones.
5. Essential UC Zone Development Standards:
For both UC Zones, staff recommend requiring parking for dwelling units be in a structured parking facility
(commercial uses can be served by surface parking lots). Staff also recommend adopting the same building
setbacks (and all associated conditions of 4-2-120C) that are applied the Commercial Arterial (CA),
Commercial Neighborhood (CN), and Center Village (CV) Zones, as follows:
Minimum Front Yard14,18
15 ft. The minimum setback may be reduced to 0 ft. through the site
plan review process, provided blank walls are not located within the
reduced setback.
Maximum Front Yard18 20 ft.15
Minimum Secondary Front
Yard14,18
15 ft. The minimum setback may be reduced to 0 ft. through the site
plan review process, provided blank walls are not located within the
reduced setback.
Maximum Secondary Front
Yard18
20 ft.
Minimum Freeway Frontage
Setback
10 ft. landscaped setback from the property line.
Minimum Rear Yard18 None, except 15 ft. if lot abuts a lot zoned residential.
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ERC Report D:201 UC Zone Development Standards
Minimum Side Yard18
None, except 15 ft. if lot abuts or is adjacent to a lot zoned
residential.
PART TWO: ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
In compliance with RCW 43.21C.240, the following environmental (SEPA) review addresses only those
project impacts that are not adequately addressed under existing development standards and
environmental regulations.
A. Environmental Threshold Recommendation
Based on analysis of probable impacts from the proposal, staff recommends that the
Responsible Officials:
Issue a DNS with a 14-day Appeal Period.
B. Mitigation Measures
1. None
C. Exhibits
None
D. Environmental Impacts
There are no environmental impacts that are anticipated to occur in conjunction with the
proposal.
E. Comments of Reviewing Departments
The proposal has been circulated to City Department and Division Reviewers. Where applicable,
their comments have been incorporated into the text of this report and/or “Advisory Notes to
Applicant.”
✓ Copies of all Review Comments are contained in the Official File and may be attached to
this report.
The Environmental Determination decision will become final if the decision is not appealed within the
14-day appeal period (RCW 43.21.C.075(3); WAC 197-11-680).
✓ Environmental Determination Appeal Process: Appeals of the environmental determination must
be filed in writing on or before 5:00 p.m. on September 7, 2021. Due to the ongoing state of
emergency enacted by Governor’s Proclamation 20-05, the City Clerk’s Office is working remotely.
For that reason, appeals must be submitted electronically to the City Clerk at
cityclerk@rentonwa.gov or delivered to City Hall 1st floor Lobby Hub only on Tuesdays and/or
Wednesdays. The appeal fee, normally due at the time an appeal is submitted, will be collected at a
future date if your appeal is submitted electronically. Appeals to the Hearing Examiner are governed
by RMC 4-8-110 and additional information regarding the appeal process may be obtained from the
City Clerk’s Office, cityclerk@rentonwa.gov.
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