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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPN_Project_Narrative_220922_v1CUP Application Insert ND: 22873.003 4890-5531-4204v8 page 1 Sounders Conditional Use Permit Application Insert #5: Project Narrative The Seattle Sounders FC are pleased at the prospect of bringing their world class Performance Center to Longacres Office Park (LOP) in Renton. The Sounders FC Center at Longacres will house all soccer training, team development and office operations for Seattle Sounders FC, including all youth programs and camps as well as the entire professional development pyramid from MLS Next Academy through the First Team. Major League Soccer and other competition games will continue to be held at Lumen Field. For the first time, the Sounders FC Center at Longacres will enable the Sounders FC to house all business operations under the same roof, for the winningest franchise since entry into MLS in 2009. As described in more detail below, the proposal involves re-use of a portion of an existing office building for Sounders FC office space and indoor training facilities and associated activities, outdoor recreation facilities including 4 to 5 full-size soccer fields a Goal Keepers Field and accessory structures, and reconfiguration of existing parking to better accommodate the Sounders FC programming and facilities. The following project narrative addresses Item #5 elements of the City’s CUP criteria. a. Project name, size and location of site: The project name is the Sounders FC Center at Longacres. The project location is proposed for the Longacres Office Park (LOP) in Renton, Washington. Within the LOP, the Sounders “Site” comprises lots 11, 12, 13, 14, and Tract Bof that certain Boeing Longacres Property Second Amended Binding Site Plan, recorded at King County Recording No. 20050504000673, City of Renton, King County, WA, (the “BSP”),1 plus a portion of office building 25-20 located on lot 22 of the BSP, and use of shared parking facilities on lot 21. The address of existing building 25-20 is 1901 Oakesdale Avenue SW. The Sounders Site will include approximately 50,000 sf within office building 25-20, and some exterior accessory spaces, including a proposed new accessory viewing deck on the west side of the second floor of the building. Secure players’ parking is proposed on Lot 21 located at the south side of building 25-20, with an entrance at the southwest corner of the building. The Site overall is approximately 30 acres, although the Sounders will use only a portion of Office Building 25-20 and its shared parking. The Site is bordered to the west by Tract A and southwest by Pond B and Lot 8 of the BSP. The Site is bordered to the east by Oakesdale Avenue SW. Access to the Site is from Oakesdale. Office building 25-20 is approximately 288,044 NSF (311,982 GSF), and the Sounders will lease approximately 50,000 sf indoors on floors 1 and 2. A new accessory viewing deck proposed to overlook Field 1 from floor 2 will be approximately 1,650 sf in size. 1 A portion of the southwestern playing field clips Lot 8 and has a very small incursion into Tract A. The applicant proposes to complete a lot boundary adjustment, extending Tract B into Lot 8 and Tract A to avoid the inclusion of the entirety of Lot 8 and Tract A with this proposal. To avoid permit processing confusion, the submitted materials presume that the lot boundary adjustment is complete. CUP Application Insert ND: 22873.003 4890-5531-4204v8 page 2 Some existing surface parking will be removed for the placement of Field 1 and 2 and additional parking will be removed to create a secure 1st team parking area in the existing southern parking field. The total remaining parking area will have approximately 766 surface parking stalls. A maintenance building (approximately 4,000 sf) and future field restroom (approximately 800 sf) are proposed to be co-located between fields 2 and 4. See the Site Plan for a calculation of building coverage per lot, setbacks, etc. Field placement within the Site perimeter is subject to change, which may also affect the specific location of the maintenance and restroom facilities. b. Zoning designation of the site and adjacent properties: The Site is zoned Commercial Office (CO). Adjacent properties within the LOP share the same CO zoning designation. The Comprehensive Plan land use designation for the Site is Employment Area (“EA”). Recreational facilities, outdoor, are allowed in the CO zone by conditional use permit. Office use, and recreational facilities, indoor, new, are permitted uses in the CO zone. Indoor recreational uses are limited to 25% of the building gsf. The Sounders’ indoor recreational use will not exceed 25% of the gsf of building 25-20. c. Current use of the site and any existing improvements. The Site includes an existing 5-story, 284,044 NSF (311,982 GSF) office building (building 25-20) at Longacres Office Park. n In December 17, 2021,Boeing terminated its leases and moved its commercial airplane services employees to other locations. Building 25-20 is previously permitted for office use, and housed Boeing employees engaged in commercial airplane design and operations. The Site includes several undeveloped parcels to the west and south of building 25-20 and its surface parking lot. d. Special site features (i.e. wetlands, water bodies, steep slopes.) The Site includes the following features: high seismic hazard areas, wetlands, special flood hazard areas. Seismic. In addition to the playing fields, the only proposed structures are an accessory viewing deck off of existing Building 25-20 and accessory maintenance building and field-related restroom. A Geo Engineers geotechnical analysis dated March 23, 2022 is included with this application. Wetlands. The Site borders Tract A of the BSP, where Wetland A is located. A Critical Areas Existing Conditions Letter Report, by Talasaea Consultants, Inc., dated April 29, 2022 is submitted to with this application. The Letter Report concludes that Wetland A is the only immediately abutting regulated wetland, with buffers that extend onto the Site. A Wetlands Mitigation Report, also prepared by Talasaea is submitted with this CUP application package. The Site also borders Tract A of the BSP, which includes Pond B, a stormwater detention and water quality pond. Additional water quality treatment appropriate CUP Application Insert ND: 22873.003 4890-5531-4204v8 page 3 for the new use and development will be incorporated into the stormwater management system for the proposal. Special Flood Hazard Area. A CPL Drainage Report and a Talasaea Biological Assessment are submitted under separate cover with this application. No other critical areas are located on the Site e. Statement addressing soil type and drainage conditions. Subsurface soils are anticipated to consist of surficial fill from past grading activities overlying recent alluvial deposits. The fill generally consists of very soft to stiff silt and loose to medium dense sand with varying amounts of silt and gravel and ranged up to approximately 6 feet thick. The alluvial deposits generally consist of loose to medium dense sands and gravels with varying amounts of silt and very soft to medium stiff silt. The sand and silty deposits are generally interbedded with lenses of soft to medium stiff organic silt. The alluvial deposits in the vicinity of the site range up to approximately 45 feet deep. The ground water levels in the vicinity of the site will fluctuate as a function of season, precipitation and water levels in the Green River. Based on review of the available subsurface information, the regional groundwater table in the project vicinity varies seasonally at the site and is near the ground surface elevation during extended periods of wet weather. A CPL drainage plan and infiltration test is submitted under separate cover with this application. f. Proposed use of the property and scope of the proposed development (i.e., height, square footage, lot coverage, parking, access, etc.): The description of the Proposal below is broken into the following subparts: (i) Field Program - Components; (ii) Field Program - Uses; and (iii) Performance Center - Office Building Components and Uses, (iv) parking. (i) Field Program--Components Seattle Sounders FC will construct four to five full-size fields and a Goal Keeper’s Field (“GK Field”) in 1-2 construction phases over the next five years. This will include two (2) international-standard full-size natural grass fields (Fields 1 and 2), with Field 1 located directly abutting the building 25-20 and the GK Field (also a grass field) fitted between Field 1 and Wetland A. Field 2 is located south of Field 1. International field sizes are 116 yds x 75 yds. The other two (2) to three (3) full size fields will be artificial turf surface, with at least one FIFA rated turf field to support competition activities (e.g. match the surface at Lumen Field). The artificial surface fields will be located to the southern edge of the campus. The perimeter of the five fields will be fenced for ball control with privacy windscreen that will extend to protect the privacy of the activities taking place within the field complex. The perimeter fence will be approximately 10’ high. In addition, the exterior fence line, as well as fences internal to the fields, will be equipped to further assist with ball control (e.g. 15’ high fixed- position netting) behind goals and on critical edges to prevent balls from leaving the field complex. CUP Application Insert ND: 22873.003 4890-5531-4204v8 page 4 Within the field complex, light poles will be erected, containing directional LED lights designed specifically to light fields after dark but directed solely at the fields and preventing light pollution outside of the field complex. Each field may also have its own bench area, moveable bench shields, trash receptacles (which will be managed by Sounders FC) and designated areas for water or athletic training activities. Please see the Lighting Plan prepared by Henderson Engineers, dated April 27, 2022, submitted under separate cover. Within the field complex in the southern half, a maintenance out-building will be erected, and will include a permitted wash-out-area for equipment. The out-building will house field maintenance equipment (e.g. mowers, aerators, hoses, rollers, etc.) and will be erected on a concrete foundation and slab-on-grade structure. An equipment washdown pad will be provided with water quality vault for oil containment and water treatment consistent with Storm Drainage requirements. Construction access to the field areas will be from the east. Some lot area extending beyond the field perimeters may be disturbed during construction; any disturbed areas outside the field complex will be revegetated according to an approved plan. Paved access to the maintenance out- building will come from the east. (ii) Field Program—Uses Seattle Sounders FC will utilize all five fields for all of its soccer training and soccer business activities. Primarily this use will include regular training activities seven days per week between mid-January and November. First Team and Second Team professional training sessions are typically conducted between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm daily on-field, although duration and specific time of use of the fields will vary. It is intended that some sessions will be open to the public for viewing as part of Sounders FC’s commitment to remain open to fans and future public benefits. Similar to current practice at Starfire Sports in Tukwila, WA, the proposal would include attendance by up to approximately 100 fans when training sessions are open to the public and advertised as such. When events are open to the public, they will generally be limited in size to up to approximately 100 attendees. Public events will typically be held on weekends, which will minimize impacts to weekday traffic and parking on the Longacres campus. These expectations also apply to the MLS Academy league matches and special events discussed below. Summer youth camps would likely operate weekdays, but for limited duration, and only about 10 weeks per year. These events are identified in greater detail in the TENW Trip Generation Memo dated June 27, 2022, submitted with this application under separate cover. MLS Next Academy training activities typically are conducted between 4:00 pm and 8:30 pm Monday-Thursday. In addition, Seattle Sounders FC would host all of its MLS Next Academy league matches on site, typically 1-2 weekends per month September-November and January- April, and other friendly competition. MLS Next match spectator attendance would be typical of a highly attended elite youth competition (approximately 50-100 spectators), and are not paid tickets—while a professional youth training development program the program remains amateur. This may also include hosting US Youth National Team identification opportunities or hosting matches for local youth club partners of Sounders FC. Spectators may be seated in moveable bleachers (similar to Starfire Sports or school district sites). CUP Application Insert ND: 22873.003 4890-5531-4204v8 page 5 Seattle Sounders FC youth programs (like camps) typically operate during school year breaks (e.g. spring break and summer break) and are operated between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm during those windows (~10 weeks per year). Youth programs may also operate as after school weekly clinics or classes (4:00-8:00 pm). Youth programs are operated both as a pay-to-participate, and for free, throughout the year. Sounders FC fields may also host partner soccer activities (e.g. naming rights partner employee day at Sounders FC) and/or private events, including but not limited to special events like RAVE Foundation fundraisers or charity matches. (iii) Performance Center – Building Program and Use Seattle Sounders FC will occupy approximately fifty thousand (50,000) square feet on the first and second floors of the building located at 1901 Oakesdale Avenue SW, located primarily on the west side of the building but running from the SW to the NW corner thereof. The portion of the building on the first floor will adjoin Field 1, the First Team natural grass training field, and will include a patio between the building and the training pitch to be used as a transition zone, player lounge and VIP area. Directly above the first-floor patio, Seattle Sounders FC will construct an accessory viewing deck, which shall be accessible from staircases at ground level and/or by exiting the building on the second floor within Sounders FC’s office suite. The deck will create a covered area for the first-floor patio and be utilized by Sounders FC staff and guests and private Sounders FC events, as well as serve as a public viewing deck for training sessions, when they are made available to the public. Additional outdoor elements include the player outdoor training area and a small lap pool. The interior of the first floor will include the soccer operations suite and shall be inclusive of all player, player medical (which may include a health care clinic partner, for team medical care), player performance, training, coaching and operations supportive programs as listed below: · Five story atrium and lobby located on the NW corner of the building · First Team, Second Team and Academy locker rooms · First Team, Second Team and Academy showers/wet rooms and bathrooms · First Team, Second Team and Academy coaches’ offices and coaches’ locker rooms, classrooms, lecture/team theater room and meeting rooms · First Team player lounge and equipment room · First Team strength and conditioning, weight and cardio rooms · Medical training rooms inclusive of hydrotherapy, cryotherapy and steam/sauna rooms · Equipment storage for soccer and business operations · Use of existing food preparation and cafeteria spaces4 4 Existing food preparation and service areas may be remodeled/reconfigured and are outside the Sounders’ 50,000 sf interior building area. CUP Application Insert ND: 22873.003 4890-5531-4204v8 page 6 The first-floor technical soccer operations suite shall be exclusive to Sounders FC soccer and business operations and not open to the public. Visiting teams may utilize the Academy or Defiance locker room and office spaces for training or scrimmages. The First Team areas will not be open to the public. The interior of the second floor will include business operations offices, conference rooms and meeting areas, as well as physical and digital file storage and servers. Sounders FC will manage business operations, ticket sales, corporate partnership activities, social justice activities, marketing and media activities and content and brand from these offices. The second-floor space will include an owners’ suite and executive offices as well as a small break room and will open to the outdoor deck overlooking the First Team training field (as described above). The second floor will also include a small locker room and employee shower room for business employee use. Please see the accompanying Site Plan addressing elements identified at CUP Application Item #15, including a matrix of conformity with development standards, for additional details regarding lots sizes, building setbacks, access and circulation plans, including pedestrian access from each public entrance to the street, parking analysis, open space and landscaping, etc. g. Proposed off-site improvements (i.e. installation of sidewalks, fire hydrants, sewer main, etc.): The proposal includes re-use of an existing office building in an urban area, so the Site is presently served by sewer, water, road improvements, electrical, etc. Existing off-site improvements are not planned to be re-constructed, except in the event that code compliance requires an existing non-conforming improvement to be brought up to current standards. Existing sewer, water and electrical services will need to be extended into the area of the Site proposed for development of soccer fields and appurtenant facilities. Hydrants would be installed if required by the change of use of building 25-20, and/or as needed for new soccer field use and appurtenant structures. The Site Plan provides existing internal trails in lieu of frontage improvements. Thus, no frontage improvements are required as the proposal satisfies RMC 4-6-060.G.2e (authorizing internal trails). h. Total estimated construction cost and estimated fmv of the proposed project. Estimated project cost is $37 million, although that number may vary depending on the finalization of plans. i. Estimated quantities and type of materials involved if any fill or excavation is proposed. a. Mass excavation: Cut of 4,185 CY and fill of 26,588 CY, net import of 22,403 CY. b. Field construction for natural grass playing surface 10,300 BCY import. Field construction for artificial turf playing surface 11,500 BCY. CUP Application Insert ND: 22873.003 4890-5531-4204v8 page 7 The fill and excavation figures may be revised as the civil plans are further refined during the City’s review process. The natural grass fields will be sand based, with a pea gravel drainage cavity and subsurface drainage collected and discharged to site civil infrastructure. 10” of Sand growing medium (“root zone sand”) will be consistent with USGA Standards, as will be the 4” pea gravel drainage cavity. 4” perforated corrugated polyethylene drainage tubing laterals spaced 15’ on center will conduct stormwater to ridged dual-wall corrugated polyethylene pipe. The resilient infill synthetic turf product has not yet been selected but it will likely comply with FIFA Quality Program for Football Turf. The field section will consist of an 8” lift of base course permeable aggregate and a 2” leveling course of top course permeable aggregate. With the turf system, this usually results in a standard 12” section. j. Number, type and size of trees to be removed. The soccer fields will be developed on land that is presently undeveloped. Some existing trees and vegetation will need to be cleared for grading and installation of soccer fields, as discussed in subsection i above. The Arborist Report by American Forest Management dated August 1, 2022 and submitted under separate cover, addresses existing tree types, counts, and sizes, required clearing, significant tree retention, and compliance with the current City’s Tree Ordinance and the City’s updated and more protective Tree Ordinance. k. Explanation for any land to be dedicated to the City. No dedications proposed. l. For shoreline applications only… Not Applicable, the Site is not within the shoreline jurisdiction for the City of Renton. m. The proposed number, size, and density of new lots… Not Applicable, no subdivision is proposed.