HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 7 - CUP Justification Statement_2160084Project Memo Page 1 of 4
Maplewood Heights ES Portable Classrooms CUP
2160084.30
April 20, 2016
TO:Jill Ding, City of Renton DATE:April 20, 2016
FROM:PROJECT NO.:2160084.30Brad Medrud, AICP
PROJECT NAME:Maplewood Heights ES Portable
Classrooms CUP
SUBJECT:Conditional Use Permit Justification
Background
The Renton School District is proposing to add two double classroom portables to the existing Maplewood
Heights Elementary School located at 130 Jericho Avenue Northeast in Renton, Washington before the start of
the 2016 – 2017 school year. Maplewood Heights Elementary School is located on King County parcel number
084710-0090, which is 8.67 acres in size. The current zoning designation of the site is Residential 4 (R-4). All
surrounding properties are also zoned R-4.
The proposed double classroom portables will add additional instructional space and not change the existing
elementary school use of the site. Each of the double classroom portables will be 1,792 square feet in size and a
single story, approximately 14 ½ feet in height. One double classroom portable classroom will be located on a
grassed area immediately west of the existing four double classroom portables on the site and one double
classroom portable classroom will be located on a grassed area immediately east of the existing four double
classroom portables.
Paved paths will connect the new portable classrooms to the existing school. The portable classrooms will
include metal stairs and ramps for access. The portable classrooms will be provided with electricity, but not water
or sewer service, and they will not be fire sprinklered or used for science labs, art studios, or other instructional
uses that would require running water. In the Certificate of Water Availability from King County Water District 90,
the available rate of fire flow for the portable is in excess of 1,500 gallons per minute (gpm). Per the 2012 IBC,
the Type of Construction will be VB and the Occupancy Classification will be Classification Group E. The
estimated project value of the proposal is $400,000.
This proposal requires land use approval of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) with the City in order to allow us
subsequently to prepare and file the construction applications with the City for the portables. Our proposal
exceeds the limit in Note 9 of the Renton Municipal Code (RMC) 4.2-060 Zoning Use Table, which allows up to
four portable classroom buildings to be placed on a school site. If the number of portables exceeds four, the City
requires approval of a CUP through the Hearing Examiner before the City will approve the construction
documents to place the portable classrooms on the site.
Please see the Project Narrative for further details regarding the proposed use, as well as the additional plans
and reports submitted as part of the CUP/SPR application.
Decision Criteria
The proposed addition of two double classroom portables on the Maplewood Heights Elementary School site
meets the following Conditional Use Permit decision criteria found Renton Municipal Code (RMC) 4-9-030(D):
Project Memo Page 2 of 4
Maplewood Heights ES Portable Classrooms CUP
2160084.30
April 20, 2016
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 proposed use is compatible with the general purpose, goals, objectives, and standards of the City of
Renton’s Comprehensive Plan as adopted June 22, 2015 and is compatible with the comprehensive
plan’s land use designation of Residential Medium Density. Specifically, the proposed use helps the City
to address Policy CF-10 of the City of Renton’s Comprehensive Plan, which states:
Policy CF-10: Coordinate with federal, state, regional and local jurisdictions, private industry,
businesses and citizens in the planning, design and development of facilities serving and affecting the
community.
In addition, the City of Renton Comprehensive Plan adopts functional plans as major components of its
Capital Facilities Element. The City’s Comprehensive Plan adopted the Renton School District Capital
Facilities Plan by reference. The District’s CFP has more detailed information regarding the District’s
existing and planned facilities, service standards, and facility development.
The proposed use is compatible with the City’s zoning ordinance and zoning map. The proposed use
meets the development standards of the R-4 zoning district and supports the existing elementary school
use of the site. This proposal would not create any inconsistencies with the City’s plans, regulations, or
ordinances.
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.
The Renton School District is proposing the addition of the two double classroom portable classrooms as
a project action that is consistent with and contemplated by the District's Capital Facilities Plan. The
proposed location will not result in either the detrimental over-concentration of a particular use within the
City or within the immediate area of the proposed use. The existing and proposed uses of the site are
both elementary school educational facilities. The location is zoned to allow the proposed use subject to
the review and approval of a Conditional Use Permit and concurrent Site Plan Review. No critical areas
affect the placement of the proposed use on the site.
The school needs to expand their facilities to accommodate a growing student population in the
immediate neighborhood, and locating additional portable classroom facilities on the existing school site
ensures that the proposed location is the most appropriate site for the placement of additional educational
facilities. The portable classrooms will directly serve the student population assigned to the Maplewood
Heights Elementary School, making the existing campus the most appropriate location for these facilities.
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 at the existing school will not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent
property. As addressed below, the proposed use is compatible with adjacent properties by compliance
with the City’s development regulations.
The proposed portable classrooms will be located adjacent to the four existing portable classrooms on the
project site, which are located in the southeastern portion of the site. South of the project site across SE
2nd Place is Maplewood Park. Concentrating the portable classrooms in the proposed location will result
in the least possible impact to adjacent existing residential properties to the west, north, and east.
Project Memo Page 3 of 4
Maplewood Heights ES Portable Classrooms CUP
2160084.30
April 20, 2016
The proposed use will have minimal impacts on adjacent properties. The portables are setback 99 feet
from the southern property line which is bounded by SE 2nd Place, 94 feet from the western property line
which is bounded by Jericho Avenue SE, 294 feet from the eastern property line which is bounded by
Lyons Avenue SE, and 464 feet from the northern property line which is bounded by NE 1st Street.
The westernmost proposed portable, adjacent to the existing parking area, will have fully sight-obscuring
landscaped screening installed behind an existing chain link fence to serve as a visual barrier for the
residential uses located across Jericho Avenue and the existing parking area for the school. The
proposed plantings will meet the requirements of RMC-4-4-070F by providing groundcover and a row of
Dwarf Strawberry Tree shrubs (Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’), which grow up to 8-10 feet tall at maturity, to
provide mitigation for the visual impact of the proposed portable.
4.Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood.
The vicinity around Maplewood Heights Elementary School is characterized by one/two story single-family
homes to the west, north, and east and Maplewood Park to the south. The proposed addition of two
single-story portable classrooms will be consistent with the scale of the surrounding residential uses and
the other existing portables on the project site. The proposed use will meet all of the City’s bulk and
dimensional regulations and will provide landscaping on the site that will buffer the residential uses west
of the new portables.
5.Parking: Adequate parking is, or will be made, available.
The existing parking provided on the Maplewood Heights Elementary School site adequately serves the
school’s needs. The placement of two additional portable classrooms will not create the need for
additional parking that could not be served by the school’s parking area.
6.Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and shall mitigate potential
effects on the surrounding area.
The proposed use will provide paved paths connecting the portable classrooms to the other existing
portables on the project site and the main school building. Metal stairs and ramps will also be installed to
meet ADA requirements and provide access. There will be no changes to how the site is accessed
currently by cars or pedestrians and no impact to vehicular traffic because of this proposal.
7.Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light, and glare impacts from the proposed use shall be
evaluated and mitigated.
Temporary, short-term noise impacts typical of construction projects will occur with operation of
equipment during construction. Construction will normally occur between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 6:00
p.m. subject to City of Renton ordinances. Long-term noises associated with existing school use at the
site will continue to occur at levels similar to the existing condition. These noise impacts are consistent
with existing land use in the vicinity. Noise will continue to be typical of an educational facility and will not
significantly increase with the placement of two additional portable classrooms. There are four existing
double classroom portables in the immediate vicinity of this proposal. By consolidating the location of the
portable classrooms on the project site, noise impacts from their use are minimized for adjacent
properties. In addition, the doors for the portable classrooms will face the center of the site and they will
be shielded from neighboring residential uses by the other portable classrooms on the site and, in turn,
reduce noise impacts from the existing portables.
There are no anticipated impacts resulting from light or glare because of this proposal. One exterior LED
light fixture will be installed adjacent to each exterior doorway, but will have no impact on surrounding
land uses. New light fixtures proposed will not be a safety hazard or interfere with views.
Project Memo Page 4 of 4
Maplewood Heights ES Portable Classrooms CUP
2160084.30
April 20, 2016
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.
This proposal occurs on the existing Maplewood Heights Elementary School campus. As noted by the
City’s pre-application meeting summary for this proposal, there is existing mature landscaping on the
school site, which this project will not affect. Since there is existing landscaping throughout the site and
the proposed portable classrooms are setback from all property lines approximately 100 feet, landscape
screening is proposed only on the west side of the new portable classrooms.
The westernmost proposed portable, adjacent to the existing parking area, will have fully sight-obscuring
landscaped screening installed behind an existing chain link fence to serve as a visual barrier for the
residential uses located across Jericho Avenue and the school’s parking area. The proposed plantings
will meet the requirements of RMC-4-4-070F by providing groundcover and a row of Dwarf Strawberry
Tree shrubs (Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’), which grow up to 8-10 feet tall at maturity, to provide mitigation
for the visual impact of the proposed portable.
If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact me at (253) 383-2422.
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