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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCI-175 ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY/CODE INTERPRETATION #: CI-175 MUNICIPAL CODE SECTIONS: RMC 4-2-115, Residential Design and Open Space Standards REFERENCE: N/A SUBJECT: Open Space Standards – Cottages BACKGROUND: As a result of Renton Municipal Code (RMC) amendments adopted by Ordinance 6042 and based on Docket Item 186 (“D-186”), Cottage House Developments, the City adopted a comprehensive Cottage House ordinance, which included development standards and residential design and open space requirements. Cottage house developments typically require private yard space and common open space with individual dwellings located along its periphery. As proposed by D-186 and adopted in ORD. 6042, each individual cottage shall have a private yard that is at minimum two hundred fifty (250) square feet in size with no dimension less than eight feet (8’) in width. Additionally, D-186 proposed that for each dwelling there shall be a minimum of three hundred fifty (350) square feet of common open space. However, the adopted ordinance does not state the minimum area required for common open space. DECISION: Amend code section RMC 4-2-115.F to include the minimum required common open space per dwelling. JUSTIFICATION: Common open space is an important design element integral to cottage house development. The lack of standard for required common open space per dwelling would hinder staff’s ability to require a meaningful amount of common open space for passive and active recreation. A public hearing for D-186 was held on February 17, 2021, and in that presentation staff presented a summary of proposed code amendments, which included prescriptive language requiring that a minimum of 350 square feet of common open space per dwelling. Therefore, the lack of a standard for common open space is a result of staff’s error, an error Department of Community and Economic Development Planning Division ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY/CODE INTERPRETATION that conflicts with the Planning Commission’s recommendation and the City Council’s legislative intent. ADMINISTRATOR APPROVAL: C. E. “Chip” Vincent EFFECTIVE DATE: 01/19/22 APPEAL PROCESS: To appeal this determination, a written appeal--accompanied by the required filing fee--must be filed with the City's Hearing Examiner (1055 South Grady Way, Renton, WA 98057, 425-430-6515) no more than 14 days from the date of this decision. Section 4-8-110 of the Renton Municipal Code provides further information on the appeal process. DISCLAIMER: Excerpts from the Renton Municipal Code shown below may not contain the most recently codified text. In such instances, code amendments implemented through this Administrative Code Interpretation shall be construed to affect the current code and past/future Administrative Code Interpretations not yet codified in the same manner as shown below. Should any conflicts result the Administrator shall determine the effective code. CODE AMENDMENTS NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT DETERMINATION(S): Standards for Common Open Space: All zones Above ground drainage facilities (i.e., ponds, swales, ditches, rain gardens, etc.) shall not be counted towards the common open space requirement. Required to provide common open space as follows: 1. For each unit in the development, three hundred fifty (350) square feet of common open space shall be provided. 2 .Open space shall be designed as a common green located within the development and shall include picnic areas, and spaces for passive recreational activities such as outdoor cooking, picnicking, walking, biking, observing nature, and/or active recreational activities, such as playgrounds, bocce ball, and pickle ball; 3 .Open space(s) shall be accessible to all cottages. For sites one acre or smaller in size, open space(s) shall be no less than thirty feet (30') in any dimension. For sites larger than one acre in size, open space(s) shall be no less than forty feet (40') in any dimension. For all sites, to allow for variation, open space(s) of less than the minimum dimensions (thirty feet (30') or forty feet (40'), as applicable) are allowed; provided, that no dimension is less than eight feet (8’) in width and when all open spaces are averaged, the applicable dimension requirement is met; 4 .Grass-crete or other pervious surfaces may be used in the common open space for the purpose of meeting the one hundred fifty feet (150') distance requirement for emergency vehicle access but shall not be used for personal vehicle access or to meet off-street parking requirements; and 5 .Common open space areas shall have a maximum slope of five percent (5%); and 6 .Obstructions, such as retaining walls and fences, shall be strategically placed so as not to reduce usable open space. STAFF CONTACT: Katie Buchl-Morales, x. 6578