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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAvana Ridge - Statement Addressing Project ComplianceAvana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 1 of 13 Statement Addressing Project’s Compliance with Decision Criteria 1. Demonstration of Compliance and Superiority: The project submittal exhibits, narratives, and supporting reports illustrate the design and benefits to the community of the Planned Urban Development approach to land planning. Please see submittal documents. 2. Public Benefit Required: a. Critical Area: The site is characterized by an unnamed seasonal stream characterized as Class 4 per Renton Municipal Code (within the central and southern site areas) and a historic coal mine, known as the Springbrook mine, as well as its associated opening (near the south property line). The stream runs east to west across the project site. A Wetland and Stream Delineation Study was performed by Sewall Wetland Consulting, Inc. on December 22, 2015 detailing their findings. The existing stream buffer, which separates the north apartment building area from the southern open space, is mostly existing forest (primarily Alder and Cottonwood) with an understory dominated by invasive Blackberry. The buffer will be enhanced through the removal of the invasive Blackberries and other undesirable vegetation and replacement with native understory vegetation. A path will connect the north and south sides of the buffer, crossing over the stream via an attractively designed pedestrian bridge. b. Natural Features: The primary natural features of the property include retention of 114 existing trees in the critical area. A stream exists on site, which will conform to required buffer areas. Buffer impacts will be offset by providing additional buffer areas throughout the site. Existing trees will be retained in accordance with city requirements as well as community open space to the southern portion of the site. Site improvements include the planting of new trees, shrubs, decorative trellises, a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian access stairways, and a weather-protected pavilion for community gatherings. Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 2 of 13 c. Public Facilities: The perimeter of public rights of way and public pedestrian circulation networks will be improved with the Avana Ridge PUD. The site was not previously accessible to the public due to a large cover of brush and unviable trees. With the new park, multiple types of open space are provided, including passive and active recreation areas. The park will benefit the PUD as well as the surrounding community, and will set a positive example for development of future neighborhood connectivity points in the area. The PUD will allow for the unified maintenance and protection of the park and public landscaped sidewalk areas. Avana Ridge will provide the public with a gathering point connected by a network of pedestrian paths to tie it in to the existing pedestrian street pattern. This provides the benefit of safer roadways and pedestrian paths at major cross-street intersections. The two separate vehicular access points to the residential development will help to reduce traffic along the predominantly residential SE 172nd Street. d. Overall Design: i. Open Space/Recreation: The applicant is proposing the construction of a large landscaped community open space at the southern portion of the site. The community open space incorporates active and passive space, with a central connecting sidewalk which links the park to the public right of way. A central path and complementing pedestrian bridge crossing will be constructed to create an access point to the community open space from the surface parking lot. The objectives of the community open space design are as follows:  To create a special, memorable place that expresses pride of ownership and allows apartment residents as well as members of the local neighborhood to gather and enjoy the views and space.  To provide ample usable space for passive recreation and special events such as picnics, parties, weddings and receptions, movie night in the park, concerts, etc. These events promote community involvement, neighborly interactions, and a sense of responsibility towards a commonly used and appreciated rare amenity.  To take advantage of and display the attractive territorial views to the West  To preserve and enhance existing vegetation and natural character through tree preservation, removal of extensive invasive Blackberries, and replacement with native understory vegetation to be maintained through the life of the development. Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 3 of 13  To promote effective pedestrian access from Benson Drive and Benson Road and through the community open space that is safe and inviting. In order to meet these objectives, the community open space features a large, central, gently sloping lawn for casual seating and recreation. The lawn is oriented to slope down towards an open pavilion whose intended use includes performances, and community gatherings. The pavilion is sited to capture and frame the attractive territorial views to the west and to be a great setting for photos (e.g. weddings, graduation). The lawn has a perimeter path paved with pervious fine crushed stone with benches to facilitate short strolls to enjoy attractive perimeter plantings, which includes existing tree groves with enhanced understory plantings, as well as more ornamental plantings. Two picnic tables (at least one is accessible) are nestled among the perimeter planting areas overlooking the central lawn area. Pedestrians may access the community open space via a proposed paved accessible path from Benson Road where grades are the most gentle, from Benson Drive by stairs that ascend an approx. 15’ high slope, or from the path that crosses the stream buffer from the north. The path is lit with bollard lights which conform to the dark-sky initiative to prevent light pollution. A cobble and boulder-lined drainage swale designed to mimic a small, natural streambed parallels a portion of the central path through the site. Two focal points with a sculptural focal element are provided at entry points to the central lawn area. All of the proposed components of the community open space promote a variety of different activities and opportunities to enjoy the landscape, views, and community interaction. A small fenced off-leash dog run is provided at the east side of the site between the buffer and the parking lot among a grove of existing trees to be preserved. The dog run would be surfaced with a pervious wood-chip surface. A pervious wood chip path provides access from the proposed apartment buildings. ii. Circulation/Screening: The proposed pedestrian circulation systems are superior to those in a traditional platted neighborhood due to their proximity to public rights-of-ways. Landscape elements are designed across the site to provide both access points from these public nodes as well as screening from parking areas. This enhances the quality of the pedestrian pathway experience by highlighting natural planted elements and directing attention away from parked vehicles. This doubles as a security measure for the safety of resident property. All surface parking areas are internal to the project and are pulled away from neighboring properties. Where grades are steep, landscaping is proposed to screen surface parking as much as possible from pedestrian paths along the perimeter of the development. Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 4 of 13 iii. Landscape/Screening: Landscaping is superior to a traditional platted development through the use of high-quality landscaping and architectural language in screening elements. Landscaping will include numerous species of deciduous and coniferous trees in addition to year-round ornamental plantings consisting of flowers, fall colors, winter greenery, and fragrant plantings. The building and parking lot landscape is designed to meet several objectives:  help reduce the overall scale of the building through ample tree plantings  help break up large areas of parking lot pavement with interior and perimeter landscape  provide a measure of screening from adjacent public R.O.W. through perimeter landscape buffering  express ownership by distinguishing private from public space through an orderly, attractively designed landscape  help define circulation routes and frame or enhance views  provide attractive residential surroundings with year-round ornamental interest (flowers, fall color, winter greenery, fragrance)  provide environmental benefits such as shade, improved air quality, natural stormwater treatment, and wildlife habitat  screen on-site utilitarian areas such as trash enclosures Low-quality fencing techniques are completely absent from the project. The intent of the PUD is that the site design is cohesive with the building aesthetic design, and conveys a high-quality community asset rather than a poorly-integrated platted development. The site design seeks to provide year-round outdoor activity opportunities, a variety of open spaces and a color palette in building materials and plant species that will convey site-wide design cohesion. iv. Site and Building Design: The placement of the buildings on site allows for natural lighting opportunities, and is respectful of the neighboring residential-scaled neighboring properties through the use of modestly-sloped roof forms and through adherence to building setback and landscape requirements. The building placement allows the majority of the surface parking to be screened from public rights-of-way views and work together with the on-site landscaping to keep internal service elements screened. Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 5 of 13 . The architectural design of the proposed residential building complements the character of the surrounding community through the use of residentially-scaled windows, thoughtful and frequent modulation of the facades, and pedestrian-friendly access points, signage, and proposed plantings. The arrangement of the buildings stays respectful of neighboring properties through their placement on site. The residential development fronts on SE 172nd Street, which is comprised of mostly residential homes. The placement of the buildings along this street allows buffers and additional distance from the other two rights- of way along the perimeters of the development. The buildings screen the parking from the residential properties to the north, and are pulled away from the neighboring day care property to the East, through its location over 30’ from the east property line at its most narrow point. By splitting the units between two buildings, the project maintains an appropriately scaled development that will reduce congestion on the site and allow for multiple views as well as modulated facades compared to one continuous structure. v. Alleys: Not applicable; there are no single-family detached, semi-attached, or townhouse units proposed as part of the PUD. 3. Additional Review Criteria: a. Building and Site Design: i. Perimeter: Through the use of additional setbacks from code-minimums along the adjacent property to the east of the buildings, ample buffer has been provided between the property line and the proposed project. This minimizes the impact of the building placement on the natural daylighting opportunities of the neighboring property to the east. Through the use of roofs sloped 2:12 rather than 4:12, the sloped roof portions of the building reduce the shadow cast on the residential properties to the north. Building modulation at regular intervals and a vast variety of window sizes and styles helps to break up the scale of the buildings. RMC 4-2-110D states: “Roofs with a pitch equal to or greater than 4:12 may project an additional six (6) vertical feet from the maximum wall plate height”. This PUD seeks to modify the minimum pitch from 4:12 to 2:12. This modification will still give the appearance of pitched shed roof from the pedestrian perspective. Refer to A0.06 and A0.07 for 3D images from the pedestrian point of view. These images, while not code-required, serve to illustrate the roof profile and modulation from the ground plane. By providing a 4:12 pitch, it will create additional wall massing to mitigate. Our current building modulation already successfully modulates the massing. The artful Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 6 of 13 combination of parapet and roof slope, combined with cornice details and trellis elements achieve a more artful and sophisticated method of breaking up the roofline and adding visual interest to building facades and roof massing. These elements serve to exceed the literal minimum code requirements, and effectively achieve the intent of the code by breaking up the massing and providing visual interest to the building rooflines. On the South perimeter, the buildings are set back significantly from all property lines, and allow the park amenity to be unobstructed in its day lighting opportunities. Due to the location of the buildings to the north of the open space, no shadows from the proposed buildings will be cast at any time of year or day. On the West perimeter, the building has minimal impact to views across the site, as both buildings are oriented North/South. The building design opens up on the corners through the use of large windows and corner decks to indicate a residential use and wrap the corners of the building in a meaningful way rather than providing harsh corner and edge conditions. Every effort has been made to screen the surface parking from this side of the site. Due to slope conditions, there will be some parking visible from Benson Dr (SR-515), though parking still adheres to minimum setback requirements 10’ from the property line. Ample landscaping and terracing in this area will also serve to detract attention from what vehicles may be visible from this point of view. On the North perimeter, the neighboring existing residential dwellings are screened from the surface parking lot through the use of landscape buffers, building modulation and new proposed street trees. The conceptual landscape plan demonstrates the frequency, type and number of the street trees and interior plantings proposed. These techniques successfully serve to mitigate the length of the two buildings and reduce impact to existing neighboring properties. On the East perimeter, the site is adjacent to a daycare facility as well as by Benson Road. The buildings are set significantly back from the daycare, and have associated landscape buffers to provide a soft transition between building and landscape. ii. Interior Design: The interior design of both buildings has been integrated with the overall site design. The primary orientation of the units is oriented North/South to take advantage of daylighting opportunities. Where the buildings meet East/West site borders, dwelling units have been rotated Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 7 of 13 to face easterly and westerly. The intent of this interior design technique is to provide visually- pleasing elements on all four sides of the building. This avoids the aesthetic often seen with lower- quality developments whose designs are focused on efficiency and not on the quality of the interior and exterior spaces provided. The proposed project takes advantage of view opportunities to the south and west by providing large, picture windows in main living spaces and attached decks to provide private open space. The resident amenity lounge located on Level 1 of the West Building takes advantage of outdoor space and integrates an outdoor plaza intended for gathering spaces, barbecues, and lounge areas for a variety of opportunities for the residents. This element opens up the western portion of the site and provides a softer building edge and brings visual interest to what would normally be considered the “side” elevation of the project. The current design scheme is planned in a way that the two buildings have equal treatment on all sides. b. Circulation: i. The planned vehicular circulation system provides easy access to SE 172nd Street and to Benson Road. The design of an access pattern that bisects the site allows for reduced traffic onsite as well as a planned circulation pattern to protect the safety of pedestrians on site as well as along the public sidewalks. This primary drive aisle also serves as the fire department access and is sized in accordance with required codes related to aisle width and turning radii. ii. Proper sight distances are provided at the connection with the public streets. Reference Civil plans for compliance demonstration and sight distances. iii. The project’s pedestrian network of paths links the park, the residential buildings, and the public sidewalks along Benson Dr (SR-515) and Benson Rd. The Avana Ridge Apartment project is very unique in that it has frontage on three existing public rights-of-way. SE 172nd St. (172nd) is classified as a Commercial Mixed Use Roadway and will be improved to add vertical curb and gutter, 0’ – 25’ feet of additional asphalt from the existing condition, eight foot (8’) sidewalks, eight foot (8’) landscaped planter strips with street trees and grass lawn groundcover to allow easy access for pedestrians between on-street parking and the sidewalk. Ornamental trees, shrubs, and groundcover will be provided near the project driveway entry for curb appeal and as a visual cue Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 8 of 13 for drivers. LED streetlights will provide pedestrian and roadway illumination. The widened roadway section will provide parallel parking along a portion of the new streetscape. An additional three feet (3’) of right-of-way will be dedicated to the City to accompany these improvements. Benson Road South (Benson Rd.) is classified as a Minor Arterial Roadway and will be improved along the project’s frontage with the removal of the limited existing sidewalk, extruded curb and asphalt walkway and the replacement of missing vertical curb and gutter, eight foot (8’) sidewalks, eight foot (8’) landscaped planter strips with street trees, low shrubs, groundcover, and LED streetlights to provide pedestrian and roadway illumination. The area between the sidewalk and the R.O.W. line will also be enhanced with new plantings and lawn where slopes permit. Sufficient right-of-way exists along Benson Rd. and as such, no dedication is proposed. Approximately twelve feet (12’) of additional ROW lie behind the newly proposed sidewalk along Benson Rd. S. and the applicant is proposing to install landscaping in the area consisting of a mix of additional street trees and ground cover to provide a transitional area to both the existing stream buffer and the large proposed community open space. A pedestrian connection via the sidewalk on Benson Rd. S. to the community open space is proposed which consists of a five foot (5’) concrete walking path that invites the public to the community open space and then provides a connection back to Benson Drive South. This serves to promote recreational opportunities within the open space and take pedestrian traffic away from the intersection of Benson Drive South and Benson Rd. Benson Drive South - SR515 (Benson Dr.) is a classified as Principal Arterial Roadway and currently contains a five foot (5’) concrete sidewalk with a steep incline at the back of the existing walk with native underbrush. The applicant is proposing to upgrade the existing non- accessible/pedestrian ramp at the intersection of Benson Rd. and Benson Dr. to meet current ADA standards. The applicant proposes to leave approximately 380’ linear feet of the existing sidewalk on the eastern frontage but improve the 20’ – 27’ additional right-of-way behind the sidewalk with landscaping consisting of a mix of additional street trees and ground cover. Behind the existing sidewalk the existing embankment slope will be enhanced with street trees, shrubs, and groundcover, and lawn where slopes permit. A gap in the tree planting will be provided near the Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 9 of 13 community open space so as not to impede the territorial views to the west from within open space and views of the proposed monument sign at the corner of Benson Drive and Benson Road. The topography in this area would require the installation of a 4’ to 10’ wall in areas to extend a traditional 8’ planter and 8’ sidewalk. By maintaining the existing sidewalk, which currently accommodates safe pedestrian traffic, we eliminate the need for terraced walls, we minimize impacts to the stream buffer along Benson Dr. and we promote pedestrian use of the proposed community walking path along this section of Benson Dr. Along the portion of the Benson Dr., which directly abuts the new proposed parking and building facades, the applicant proposes removal of the existing sidewalk and the installation of eight foot (8’) sidewalks and eight foot (8’) landscaped planter strips with street trees. In this area walls are minimized, additional right-of-way exists to again add additional street trees and ground cover behind the new sidewalk. The applicant is also proposing to replace the existing asphalt walk path from 172nd to the sidewalk on Benson Dr. This walk path will continue to provide a well utilized pedestrian connection between the two roadways. Existing street lighting along Benson Dr. was retrofitted to LED style bulbs by the City of Renton in recent years. Currently these lights meet the pedestrian lighting requirements along Benson Dr. but fail to meet roadway illumination standards. The applicant proposes coordinating the installation of new LED streetlights to meet current code requirements. c. Infrastructure and Services: All of the utilities services, including water, sewer, power, and data services are provided. Emergency services and systems including fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems are being provided. d. Clusters or Building Groups and Open Space: The PUD places the building parallel to the neighboring properties to the north. This maximizes the opportunity for surface parking screening and a large, uninterrupted open space to the south. Due to the presence of a stream along the lower area of the site, a natural border exists. A pedestrian bridge crosses the stream to link the park and the residential developments. e. Privacy and Building Separation: Dwelling units are designed such that no two outdoor decks are directly adjacent to one another. Decks and building modulation have been designed cohesively to allow Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 10 of 13 screening by the building to decks for resident privacy. Units within each building are oriented North/South, and mimic the residential character of the properties to the north. Landscaping and building screening techniques are used throughout the development to promote privacy and discourage the use of window screening elements as a privacy-creating element that blocks opportunities for natural light. Living area windows are large and aim to bring as much natural light into every unit as possible, while bedroom windows are adequately sized for light while still providing ample privacy through the use of raised sill heights. Landscape buffers also exist at ground-level uses to aid in noise reduction from the street. f. Building Orientation: The buildings are orientated toward the open spaces or toward the offsite view vistas afforded in the naturally elevated site location. There is minimal orientation toward off site non view areas. g. Parking Area Design: i. Design: The surface parking design is comprised of 90-degree stalls to make maximum use of parking area and provide clear, safe vehicular circulation that promotes visibility. The use of compact stalls is minimal and is well under the code-required maximums for compact stall counts. Site grading has been designed to minimize the steep slopes wherever possible to facilitate parking ease and damage to other vehicles. The applicant is requesting a deviation for primary access drive grading due to the presence of steep slopes. The deviation will allow for a steeper slope at the access drive aisle to the northern portion of the site in order to reduce the slopes in the surface parking areas. ii. Adequacy: The city code has a minimum and a maximum amount of parking in order to minimize the amount of roadway on site and provide adequate parking ratios. The project has been designed to meet the specific number of parking stalls required, and is under the maximum counts for compact stalls. The parking layout is efficiently laid out through the use of 90-degree oriented stalls with fully code-compliant aisle widths of 24’ in all areas. Parking area has been minimized through the use of city code provisions that allow a reduction by 2’ in stall length where overhang occurs over open space. Parking has been designed to serve the buildings in the most efficient manner, and is screened from the primary frontage on SE 172nd Street through the use of landscaping and of the proposed residential buildings. Interior bike rooms are provided in both buildings. Bike stalls exceed the maximum required stalls by 10% and provide weather-protected Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 11 of 13 spaces for bike storage, which aids in the screening of these elements from public light of ways. There will be additional outdoor parking stalls for visitor or shorter-term bicyclist parking. h. Phasing: The PUD has been designed to be an integral whole. As such, the project will be constructed in a single phase in order to provide the project’s amenities and the large southern open space in particular to fruition as soon as possible. All infrastructure will all installed along with the building construction thus insuring that all the facilities needed for the community will be available for all the residents. Variance Table – Deviations from code D1 - Parking Avana Ridge currently provides 94 stalls on-site. The minimum required per RMC 4-4-080.10 is 96 total stalls. The current parking proposal adheres to the intent of the code by providing parking to the extent feasible without disturbing buffer areas and minimizing impervious surface area. Though the proposal of 94 stalls does not meet the minimum 96, there are also 20 stalls provided along 172nd Street, which total 18 stalls over the minimum required number of stalls. D2 – ROW Improvements Benson Drive South - The applicant proposes to leave approximately 380’ linear feet of the existing sidewalk on the eastern frontage but improve the 20’ – 27’ additional right-of-way behind the sidewalk with landscaping consisting of a mix of additional street trees and ground cover. By maintaining the existing sidewalk, the need for terraced walls is eliminated, we minimize impacts to the stream buffer along Benson Dr, and we promote pedestrian use of the proposed community walking path along this section of Benson Dr. D3 – Private Open Space The current proposal provides 4,156 SF of private, attached open space through the use of private balconies. Avana Ridge also proposes a large outdoor amenity on West Building Level 1 at 1,124 SF. In addition to these two types of spaces (private balcony space and outdoor amenity space at west Level 1), the applicant proposes a large, landscaped community open space provided at the southern portion of the site totaling 19,795 SF. Per RMC 4-4-100.E4, the minimum required attached private open space is 7,400 SF, and minimum private open space required is 11,100 SF, Avana Ridge provides 25,075 SF of total open space, which greatly exceeds Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 12 of 13 literal code requirements as well as addressing the intent of the code through the provision of numerous types of outdoor areas. The community open space to the south provides an amenity both to the residents as well as the surrounding community, and provides for numerous types of active and passive recreation activities. D4 – Retaining Wall Height RMC 4-04-040D.1 and D.2 establish maximum heights for retaining walls for residential property. The height limits are geared toward single-family residential development, so application of this chapter requires a certain amount of interpretation. In general heights are limited to 48 inches for walls located in front yard setbacks, and 72 inches for walls located side and rear yard setback. For the purposes of applying this chapter, Those portions of the property adjacent to the three streets surrounding the Site are considered front yards, and The property lines in common with the adjacent day care facility are considered side yards. This definition indicates a variance will be necessary to approve the proposed site grading. Specific descriptions of the deviations as follows: A section of the keystone-type wall located near the monument sign at the Benson Road/Benson Drive intersection is 5.5’ tall. This wall faces the street. Imposing the 4-foot max height would require a 4-foot wide terrace and add 105 feet of 1.0- to 1.5-foot tall wall. The wall would require removal of three additional trees. Because the wall fronts an arterial roadway (Benson Road), the visual impact of the added height will be minimal. Because adherence to the code would provide no real benefit but involve costs (right-of-way and tree loss), we proposed one wall. A section of the keystone-type wall located along the east side of the east building reaches 6.6 feet tall, exceeding the 6-foot maximum. This wall faces the proposed building. The excess height is preferable to a terraced configuration because it provides a contiguous landscape buffer. The wall could be limited to a 6-foot by steepening the grade of the landscape buffer. This was not pursued in an effort to minimize visual impacts to the Avana Ridge Planned Urban Development 10616 SE 172nd Street, Renton, WA 98055 Page 13 of 13 adjacent day care facility. D5 – Pitched Roof Slope Requirements RMC 4-2-110D states: “Roofs with a pitch equal to or greater than 4:12 may project an additional six (6) vertical feet from the maximum wall plate height”. This PUD seeks to modify the minimum pitch from 4:12 to 2:12. This modification will still give the appearance of pitched shed roof from the pedestrian perspective. Refer to A0.06 and A0.07 for 3D images from the pedestrian point of view. These images, while not code-required, serve to illustrate the roof profile and modulation from the ground plane. By providing a 4:12 pitch, it will create additional wall massing to mitigate. Our current building modulation already successfully modulates the massing. The artful combination of parapet and roof slope, combined with cornice details and trellis elements achieve a more artful and sophisticated method of breaking up the roofline and adding visual interest to building facades and roof massing. These elements serve to exceed the literal minimum code requirements, and effectively achieve the intent of the code by breaking up the massing and providing visual interest to the building rooflines.