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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJ_Conditional_Use_Justification_210913_v14830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 The Applicant, Aristo Healthcare Services, LLC, proposes the development of an Intensive Behavioral Health Treatment Facility (the “Project” or “IBHTF”) on the subject site (the “Site”). The IBHTF use to be established on the Site (also referred to herein as the “Proposed Use”) will be subject to state-level regulations in addition to the City’s review of the conditional use permit for the Project. I. REQUIRED DECISION CRITERIA AT RMC 4-9-030.D RMC 4-9-030(D)(1) - Consistency with Plans and Regulations. The proposed use shall be 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. The subject assemblage, comprised of parcels 3806000095, 3806000085 and 3806000120 (together, the “Subject Property”) is located within the Commercial Arterial (CA) zone, the Comprehensive Plan’s Commercial Mixed Use (CMU) designation, and Urban Design District D. The Subject Property also falls within the City Center Community Planning area (see enclosed site plan and vicinity map). 1.1. Compatibility with Commercial Arterial Zone. The purpose of the Commercial Arterial Zone (CA) is to evolve from “strip commercial” linear business districts to business areas characterized by enhanced site planning and pedestrian orientation, incorporating efficient parking lot design, coordinated access, amenities and boulevard treatment with greater densities. The CA zone provides for a wide variety of retail sales, services, and other commercial activities along high-volume traffic corridors. Residential uses may be integrated into the zone through mixed-use buildings. See RMC 4-2-020(M). The Comprehensive Plan further illustrates the purpose of the CA zone at Policy L-17, which specifically provides: “CA zoning should be located within one-quarter mile of transit, provide employment, and allow mixed-use development.” The Proposed Use would meet the purpose and intent of CA zone, as summarized in the Code and elaborated in the Comprehensive Plan. Due to areas of underdeveloped density in close proximity to mass transit within the CA zone generally and at the Site specifically, the Proposed Use could be an important catalyst for the area: · “Greater Densities.” The Proposed Use would be in keeping with, and advance, the CA zone’s purpose of advancing greater densities. Specifically, the addition of the Proposed Use would replace underutilized, day-use-only spaces with spaces occupied and used 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Through this new round-the-clock professional staff and 16-resident presence, initiation of the Proposed Use would provide greater densities than those existing in the zone generally and at the Site specifically. · “Pedestrian Orientation.” The Proposed Use would be in keeping with, and advance, the CA Zone’s purpose of providing pedestrian-oriented development patterns. Specifically, the 2 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 increased employee and occupant density would generate new foot traffic and pedestrian consumer demand to retail and services in the Zone. · “Wide Variety” of Services and Activities. The Proposed Use would be in keeping with, and advance, the CA zone’s purpose of providing a wide variety of land uses. By its very nature, initiation of the novel IBHTF use would widen the variety of professional services and activities occurring in the CA zone at any given time. · Engaging the “High-Volume Traffic Corridor.” The Proposed Use would be in keeping with, and advance, the CA zone’s purpose of catalyzing development oriented to an existing high-volume traffic corridor. The new 24/7 employment opportunities provided by the Proposed Use, together with family or community visiting hours, would benefit from the corridors contemplated by the Code · “Located [near] Transit.” The Proposed Use would be in keeping with, and advance, the CA zone’s purpose of locating new density and pedestrian-oriented development in close proximity to public transit systems. Just as the Proposed Use would complement automobile traffic corridors, it would complement existing transit through creation of new commuter and visitor trips. In this instance, individuals could commute to or visit the Proposed Use using King County Metro’s bus line 106, among others. · “Provid[ing] Employment.” The Proposed Use would be in keeping with, and advance, the CA zone’s purpose of providing good jobs for the Renton community. · “Allow[ing] Mixed-Use Development.” The Proposed Use would be in keeping with, and advance, the CA zone’s purpose of allowing for the integration of residential and commercial uses through new mixed-use development, by introducing commercial-compatible residential uses where none had previously existed, such as at the Site. 1.2. Compatibility with Comprehensive Plan goals and policies. Similarly, the Proposed Use is consistent with pertinent policies found in the Comprehensive Plan. Above, we briefly quote the Comprehensive Plan to help illustrate how the Proposed Use would advance the purpose and intent of the CA zone. However, establishment of the Proposed Use in the CA zone would be consistent with and supportive of other Comprehensive Plan policies as well, as highlighted in the following sections: · Policy L-2 specifies that the City will “[s]upport compact urban development to improve health outcomes, support transit use, maximize land use efficiency, and maximize public investment in …services.” The Project will support compact development and land use efficiency by increasing density from the Site’s current use. It will improve health outcomes because it is providing new behavioral health services where none previously existed. · Policy L-17 specifies, among other things, that within this Commercial Mixed Use designated-area, the City will “[a]llow residential uses as part of mixed-use developments, and 3 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 support new . . . commercial development that is more intensive than what exists to create a vibrant district and increase employment opportunities.” It also provides that CA zones “should provide employment and allow mixed-use development.” The Project will introduce a residential use and create a mixed-use site where only a single (commercial office) use previously existed. It will also be a more intensive development than what currently exists, and will add vibrancy and employment by employing a number of caregivers and other health professionals. · Policy HHS-6 specifies that the City will “[i]mplement . . . techniques that result in a range of housing types, at different densities, and prices in new developments that address the housing needs of all people at all stages of life, including vulnerable populations.” As a new type of transitional housing, introduction of the Project will increase the range of housing types available in the City. It will also provide housing that addresses the needs of potentially vulnerable people, by assisting them with their behavioral rehabilitation and transition from inpatient psychiatric facilities back into the larger community. · Policy HHS-9 specifies, among other things, that the City will “[f]oster and locate new housing in proximity to Employment Centers and streets that have public transportation systems in place.” The Project will create new housing where none previously existed, in good proximity to existing public bus systems on nearby arterials. The Site is located approximately 1.5 miles south of a designated regional employment center. · Policy HHS-15 specifies, among other things, that the City will “[w]ork . . . on a local level, with community partners to expand services available to the chronically homeless, temporarily homeless, and other vulnerable populations in Renton.” The Project will directly provide a service to vulnerable populations (i.e., individuals with behavioral health diagnoses) in Renton. Homelessness is more common among those struggling with mental health issues. The Project would provide housing for residents during active treatment as well as offer them support to obtain permanent long-term housing after exiting the program. · Policy HHS-18 specifies, among other things, that the City will “[w]ork with community partners to support people who face barriers to getting and staying employed.” Individuals with mental health issues often struggle with securing and maintaining employment. By focusing on stabilizing patients’ mental health and focusing on community integration, this program is expected to enable the residents treated to be successfully employed in the future. · Policy HHS-19 specifies, among other things, that the City will “[p]romote healthcare equity and increase the availability of: medical and dental care, mental health and substance abuse services, early childhood screenings, and parenting support. 4 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 The proposed use will increase the availability of mental health services by providing new rehabilitation opportunities for individuals with behavioral health diagnoses, where none previously existed. · Policy HHS-20 specifies that the City will “[s]trengthen collaborative partnerships between cities and regional, state, federal, and public and private sector providers of human services.” The proposed facility is a state-supported private provider of human services. The permitting of the Project is just such a collaboration opportunity for the City. · Policy HHS-21 specifies, among other things, that the City will “[p]romote an individualized approach for vulnerable people by utilizing community services.” Initiation of the use will provide new, individualized care opportunities for vulnerable people. It is a community service that the City should support. · Policy HHS-26 specifies, among other things, that the City will “[e]ncourage construction of . . . supportive housing arrangements, and transitional housing in close proximity (within one- quarter mile) to public transportation. As discussed, the Project will provide supportive and transitional housing for vulnerable individuals. It is in close proximity to existing transit corridors which will be utilized by caregivers and other behavioral health providers employed on site. Patient residents will eventually use public transportation resources as part of the community integration process. This skill will likely be focused on to varying degrees throughout their stay as the residents will need to have the ability to use public transportation after discharge from the program. · Policy ED-1 specifies, among other things, that the City will “[d]evelop incentives for businesses to locate, stay, and expand within the City; provide incentives for economic development within the . . . neighborhood business districts, and commercial corridors.” Aristo is a private provider that proposes to bring new employment opportunities to the City. Initiation of this use would therefore directly support this policy. · Policy ED-3 specifies, among other things, that the City will “[s]upport partnerships between businesses [and] government . . . to implement economic development policies and promote workforce development programs. Aristo is a private provider working to provide rehabilitation opportunities in direct partnership with the State of Washington. It will promote workforce and economic development by initiating new caregiving and behavioral health employment opportunities on the Site. · Policy ED-10 specifies, among other things, that the City will “facilitate new residential development with a diversity of housing types . . . to meet the needs of Renton citizens.” Initiation of the use constitutes development of residential living where none previously existed. By providing a new kind of residential care, it will increase the City’s diversity of housing types. 5 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 By providing new behavioral health beds where none previously existed, it will help meet the needs for vulnerable citizens of Renton. · Policy ED-11 specifies, among other things, that the City will “promot[e] investment in mixed-use centers with compact urban development, specifically advocating for redevelopment and quality infill design that maximizes allowable density.” By transforming a single-use building into a mixed-use building, the proposed Project is just such an investment. As discussed, it would increase density within the existing footprint (“compact urban development,” and “maximize[ing] allowable density”). 1.3 Compatibility with City Center Community Planning Area. The subject property is located in the City Center Community Planning Area. The IBHTF is compatible with the purposes of the City Center Community Planning Area because the IBHTF would be consistent with and actively advance the City Center Community Plan as adopted by the City on Jun 6, 2011 (the “Community Plan”). Most notably, the IBHTF would provide substantial progress under Community Plan sub-goal 4.8, which aspires for the City Center to provide “a place that recognizes the diversity of the community [and] provides the full range of services and infrastructure that meets the needs of all members of the community and recognizes its diversity.” The Proposed Use recognizes the diversity of the community by providing a space for community members with behavioral health diagnoses where none previously existed. Similarly, by providing programming for these individuals, it helps the City Center provide a fuller range of services and infrastructure to its community. (See also sub-sub-goals 4.8.2 and 4.8.4). 1.3 Compatibility with Urban Design District ‘D’ No modifications are planned for the exterior of the building, Any signage related to the new use will meet the sign restrictions found in RMC 4-4-100G (Urban design sign regulations) in addition to the City’s standard sign regulations. RMC 4-9-030(D)(2) - Appropriate Location. The proposed location shall not result in the detrimental overconcentration of a particular use within the City or within the immediate area of the proposed use. The proposed location shall be suited for the proposed use. No detrimental overconcentration of a particular use will occur within the City or within the immediate area, as the Project will be the only IBHTF in the City or the area. The Site is well- suited for the Project in part because the building, as constructed, will allow for initiation of this important use with only interior renovations. All neighboring parcels that adjoin the Site have the same zoning and Comprehensive Plan designations except for a single parcel located across Lake Avenue South (tax parcel 3806000040 or 105 South Tobin Street) which is zoned R-8 and designated Residential Medium Density under the Comprehensive Plan. Please see the previous section for detailed qualitative discussion of how the Project is suited for this proposed location, using the metrics set by the City under the Code, Comprehensive Plan, and similar documents. 6 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 RMC 4-9-030(D)(3) - Effect on Adjacent Properties. The proposed use at the proposed location shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property. The Proposed Use will not initiate any substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property. The Project will be limited to an IBHTF, which will only serve stabilized patients on a medium- to long-term basis. Impacts related to scale and character of the neighborhood, parking, traffic, noise, and staffing levels will be minimal and meet City regulations. No change to the exterior of the building or the Site is required as part of the Proposed Use. The Project will focus on treating individuals who are transitioning out of acute psychiatric facilities, based on professional finding of progress in their stabilization and steps toward transition back to the community. More specifically, inpatient beds will be limited to 16 and Aristo anticipates staffing of approximately 17.4 FTEs. In addition, indoor activity spaces and facilities such as laundry will limit the amount of external activity that is necessary. Other than the daily comings and goings of staff, the more occasional comings and goings of visitors, and infrequent patient move-in or move-out, , adjacent properties should observe little change to the activities carried out on the Site, and certainly no significant adverse impacts are expected on these properties. The largest volume of staff coming and going will be between 7am and 5pm. During off hours, such as evening, some light visitor traffic is anticipated, but staffing will be much less at those times. RMC 4-9-030(D)(4) - Compatibility. The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. As mentioned in Item 3 above, the Proposed Use will be similar and compatible to the adjacent commercial and to residential zoned properties. Construction for the Project will consist solely of interior improvements. There are no exterior design alterations anticipated to the existing building or Site other than minor changes such as signage or landscaping. Therefore, existing development will continue to mimic the surrounding neighborhood and will provide no known detriment or effect on the uses or property in the surrounding vicinity. Please see the previous section for detailed qualitative discussion of how the Project is suited for this neighborhood, using the metrics set by the City under the Code, Comprehensive Plan, and similar documents. RMC 4-9-030(D)(5) - Parking. Adequate parking is or will be made available. There are currently 42 standard parking spaces and 2 ADA stalls on-site. As shown in the table below, 23 spaces are currently required for other tenants present on the property. 7 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 Suite Number Area (SF) Tenant 85 1,720 Adult Day Care 203 687 Seattle Express LLC 205 1,915 Janice Angle 206 1,542 Panasonic Avionics Total 5,864 Parking required for existing tenants per RMC 1010-13 (general office): Minimum of 2.5 spaces per 1000 sf net floor area and a maximum of 4 per 1000 sf of net floor area = minimum 15 spaces /maximum 23 spaces The remaining 21 spaces are adequate to serve the Proposed Use. Pursuant to RMC 4-4-080, the parking ratio for the Proposed Use would be based on general use, uses not specifically identified, which allows the Department of Community and Economic Development staff to determine which identified uses would be most similar based upon staff experience with various uses and information provided by the applicant. The amount of required parking for uses not listed in the parking section of RMC would be the same as for the most similar use. Hours of operation will be 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The Project will house a maximum of 16 patients, and is expected to employ the equivalent of approximately 17.4 Full-Time Employees as illustrated in the table below: 8 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 Visitors per resident are anticipated to be low in number and infrequent. The patients will not retain vehicles on-site.] RMC 4-9-030(D)(6) - Traffic. The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area The Project is not expected to result in substantial change to traffic in the surrounding area. Most notably, the Project does not propose to revise parking layout or vehicular ingress and egress routes. Accordingly, mitigations or additional traffic safety measures should not be necessary. RMC 4-9-030(D)(7) - Noise, Light and Glare. Potential noise, light and glare impacts from the proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated. Because no exterior changes are proposed, no new noise, light or glare impacts are anticipated. There is no known reason to believe mitigation would be required. RMC 4-9-030(D)(8) - Landscaping. Landscaping shall be provided in all areas not occupied by buildings, paving, or critical areas. Additional landscaping may be required to buffer adjacent properties from potentially adverse effects of the proposed use. The existing Site currently has perimeter landscaping surrounding the parking lot and 10 feet of landscaping along the public street frontages. The existing street trees will remain and the understory infilled with new plantings and will be irrigated and maintained per RMC 4-4-070. 9 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 Because no potentially adverse effects are expected, the Applicant does not anticipate any need for additional landscaping in order to buffer adjacent properties. II. SUPPLEMENTAL DECISION CRITERIA AT RMC 4-9-030.D.10 The Renton Municipal Code at RMC 4-9-030.D.10 provides additional criteria that “shall be considered for secure community transition facilities, crisis diversion facilities, and interim service facilities.” The IBHTF falls outside of these use categories, is unlike these use categories in kind, and has substantially lesser impacts than these use categories. Specifically, it will not provide services to sex offenders under Chapter 71.09, RCW (“Secure Community Transition Facility,” RMC 4-11-190), nor community crisis services (“Diversion Facility,” RMC 4-11-040). Diversion facilities will not refer patients to the IBHTF (“Diversion Interim Service Facility,” RMC 4-11-040). The supplemental criteria of RMC 4-9-030.D.10 are addressed below for purposes of comparison, and in the interest of providing complete information regarding the Project. 10. Specific Requirements for Secure Community Transition Facilities (SCTF), Crisis Diversion Facilities (CDF) and Crisis Diversion Interim Service Facilities (CDIS): In addition to the criteria in subsections D1 through D8 of this Section, the following criteria shall be considered for secure community transition facilities, crisis diversion facilities, and interim service facilities: a. Whether alternative locations were reviewed and consideration was given to sites that are farthest removed from any risk potential activity; Alternative locations were reviewed and considered in the process of selecting this facility. Consideration was given to available sites that are farthest removed “from any risk potential activity.” However, the IBHTF is not a SCTF, CDF or CDIS, and no “risk potential activity” is known or projected. b. Whether adequate buffering is provided from abutting and adjacent uses; Current landscaping will be maintained or improved. To Aristo’s knowledge, the Site’s current landscaping meets the Code’s landscaping requirements under 4-4-070. As discussed above, no identified impacts would occur outside the building in a way that would require buffering. c. Whether adequate security is demonstrated by the applicant; The current design of the Project includes industry-standard measures to ensure safety that are also consistent with state regulatory requirements for IBHTFs. Among the measures included are delayed egress from the program area. While this is not a locked facility, there are staff present on site 24 hours per day to support the resident patients and engage in interventions. This staff presence is a key safety measure for the Proposed Use. Aristo notes that security measures comparable to those of a SCTF, CDF or CDIS are not required in order to ensure “adequate” security, because the IBHTF is not like those uses. Among other differences, the IBHTF will only serve substantially stabilized individuals rather 10 4830-9569-9173v.10 0117071-000001 than individuals who have recently undergone crises or individuals who have been convicted of sex offenses. The residents will be engaged in active treatment which includes a 24-hour staff presence to provide assistance and support to residents as needed. d. Whether public input was provided during the site selection process; and For the various reasons described in this document, public input is not a requirement for IBHTFs under state law or regulation, or the language of the Renton Code. Public input was not provided during the site selection process beyond the general notice and review process under the City’s existing code. e. For SCTF there is no resulting concentration of residential facility beds operated by the Department of Corrections or the Mental Health Division of the Department of Social and Health Services, the number of registered sex offenders classified as Level II or Level III, and the number of sex offenders registered as homeless in a particular neighborhood, community, jurisdiction or region. The IBHTF is not a SCTF. It will also not provide any increase in the regional concentration of sex offenders.