HomeMy WebLinkAboutPN_Critical_Area_Exemption_Cover_Letter_220408_v1
Date: April 8, 2022
To: Jonathan Chavez, Civil Engineer III, City of Renton
From: Jennifer Ash, King County Metro
Cc: Janine Robinson, King County Metro; Stephanie Forman (PE),
Forman & Associates; John McKenzie (PE), Maya Hunnewell,
Erika Shook, and Jennifer Thomas, Jacobs
Subject: City of Renton RapidRide I Line Project
Master Land Use Application for Critical Areas Exemption
King County Metro (Metro) is providing these materials in support of a Master
Land Use Application for Critical Areas Exemption for the RapidRide I Line
Project (Project) in Renton. The Project is not limited to one site, rather most
improvements are in discrete locations along the 17-mile corridor, comprised
mostly of arterial streets between Renton, Kent, and Auburn. The civil
construction plans for this Project have been submitted under permit no.
C21001128. Since the Project will impact critical areas, this Master Land Use
Application is for review of the proposed Critical Areas Exemption application
for the Project. The Project includes new passenger facility and transportation
system improvements along the extent of the corridor that will:
Permanently be located within wetland and/or stream buffers
Temporarily impact wetland and/or stream buffers during construction
Permanently be located within critical aquifer recharge areas, geologic
hazard areas, wildlife conservation areas
Permanently be located within flood hazard areas
To allow for review of this proposal, the Master Land Use Application for
Critical Areas Exemption is attached.
Proposed construction activities that intersect critical areas include minor
grading, existing concrete removal, and vegetation removal. Project
construction will not occur in wetlands or streams. Construction activities in
buffers will temporarily clear vegetation for construction equipment access.
Vegetation will be replaced with new pavement or bus station structures.
Proposed Project elements permanently located within critical areas include
2
new concrete bus pads, paving, sidewalks, bus stations, and other amenities
such as shelters, benches, litter receptacles, and bicycle racks.
A breakdown of impacts and proposed mitigation is shown in Table 1.
Mitigation is proposed at a 1:1 ratio for wetland and stream buffers.
Table 1: Wetland and Stream Buffer Impacts and Proposed Mitigation
BUFFER TYPE ID
TEMPORARY
IMPACT
AREA
(SQUARE
FEET)
PERMANENT
IMPACT
AREA
(SQUARE
FEET)
PROPOSED
MITIGATION
AREA
(SQUARE
FEET)
Wetland and
Streamb
WRN-04-D and
SRN-03/Rolling
Hills Creeka
384 269 269
Streamb SRN-11 429 178 178
TOTAL — 813 447 447
a Stream SRN-03/Rolling Hills Creek buffer is entirely within Wetland WRN-04-D buffer. Impacts have been
calculated for a combined wetland/stream buffer to avoid double-counting buffer impact.
b Stream ordinary high water marks have been approximated and have not been delineated. Delineation of
these boundaries may affect buffer impact calculations.
We request that the City of Renton (City) review and confirm the following:
A drainage report was submitted along with civil construction plans under
permit no. C21001128. This application references that submittal and
documentation. Please confirm that the City does not expect resubmittal
of the drainage report as part of this application.
Metro has proposed a 1:1 mitigation replacement ratio to offset
unavoidable stream and wetland buffer impacts. Please confirm that this
mitigation strategy is acceptable to the City.
Metro is requesting a waiver of the following submittals:
- Separate drainage report from the civil construction submittal
- Detailed grading plan submittal
We appreciate the time that the City has taken to discuss this Project with us
to date. Please let us know your anticipated review time frame for the
attached application and materials. We look forward to continuing our work
with you to complete this Project and provide improved transportation
services in collaboration with the City of Renton.
Attachments