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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-26-2022 - Farwest - LUA-22-0001851 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 1 CAO VARIANCE - 1 BEFORE THE HEARING EXAMINER FOR THE CITY OF RENTON RE: King County Solid Waste Division Conditional Use and Site Plan LUA22-000185, SA-H, CUP-H ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND FINAL DECISION Summary King County Solid Waste Division (KCSWD) is requesting Site Plan Review and a Hearing Examiner Conditional Use Permit for a vehicle maintenance and storage facility at the Farwest Steel Fabrication Facility located at 201 SW 34th St. The applications are approved subject to conditions. Testimony A computer-generated transcript of the hearing has been prepared to provide an overview of the hearing testimony. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only as Appendix A. Exhibits Exhibit 1-24 identified in the exhibit list presented by City staff at the August 2, 2022 public hearing were admitted into the record during the public hearing. FINDINGS OF FACT Procedural: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 2 CAO VARIANCE - 2 1. Applicant. The Applicant is Pat McLaughlin, King County Solid Waste Division, 201 S Jackson St, Ste 5701, Seattle, WA 98104. 2. Hearing. A virtual hearing was held on the applications on August 2, 2022 at 10:00 am, Zoom ID No. 946 7233 4580. 3. Project Description. King County Solid Waste Division (KCSWD) is requesting Site Plan Review and a Hearing Examiner Conditional Use Permit for a vehicle maintenance and storage facility at the Farwest Steel Fabrication Facility located at 201 SW 34th St. KCSWD plans to temporarily relocate locations from their vehicle maintenance and stores operations at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill facility to the Farwest facility for approximately five (5) years as they redevelop the Cedar Hills location. The facility would be repurposed for vehicle maintenance, a combined parts stores and general light storage, and office facility. Site plans include the addition of two (2) temporary office and conference space modulars south and east of the existing primary structure. These modulars would be removed as KCSWD exits the property. No changes are proposed to the existing stormwater, detention ponds, frontage, or landscaping. Life safety improvements, seismic restraints, sprinkler system adjustments, and a temporary floor over one (1) loading bay would be installed where required. Access to the site would be retained from SW 34th St. The City’s mapping system has identified the subject property is within a high seismic hazard area. The combined building area for the project site will be 102,634 square feet and the Farwest Steel building is 55’-10” in height. 4. Adequacy of Infrastructure/Public Services. The project will be served by adequate and appropriate infrastructure and public services as follows: A. Water and Sewer Service. Water and sewer service will be provided by the City of Renton. B. Fire and Police. The City of Renton will provide police service and the Renton Fire Authority will provide fire service. Police and Fire Prevention staff indicated that sufficient resources exist to furnish services to the proposed development. C. Drainage. The Applicant proposes to use the existing drainage system to serve the site. Public works staff have determined that the existing system is generally consistent with adopted city standards. As generally compliant with City standards, adequate provision is made for drainage for this stage of land use review. The existing private storm drainage system consists of four (4) stormwater ponds/swales and associated parking lot drainage conveyance system that is privately owned and maintained. The existing system outfalls to the southwest via conveyance pipe that connects to the public storm system in Lind Ave SW. The project is proposing to use the existing facility in a manner consistent with the existing use that would not result in any new impervious surface area. Replaced impervious surface area is limited to any code required ADA upgrades, and construction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 3 CAO VARIANCE - 3 of a new 2,000 square-foot refuse, recycling and storage area over existing impervious surface. The project is pursuing the use of an Oyster Shell Barrel Stormwater Treatment System in keeping with the King County Energy Star Program and overall commitment to sustainability. A stormwater permit with a written drainage assessment would be required in conjunction with the building permit application. No storm drainage improvements are required as no new and/or replaced impervious surface is proposed, however, if during building permit review it is determined that outside site and parking/lot improvements are required, the project may become subject to further stormwater review. Tenant improvements, installation of the new portables, and construction of the refuse, recycling and storage area would need to follow source control and temporary erosion and sediment control best management practices. D. Parks/Open Space. The project is not residential in nature and no parks facilities or impact fees are required. No additional open space is required. E. Transportation and Circulation. The proposal will be served by adequate and appropriate transportation facilities and all traffic impacts adequately mitigated. The applicant submitted a Transportation Impact Scoping Analysis, prepared by KPG Psomas, dated April 1, 2022 (Exhibit 14). The new use is not anticipated to generate any significant traffic impacts above that of the previous use (Exhibit 1) and no traffic or transportation impacts, nor noisy or noxious situations are anticipated by the applicant (Exhibit 17). Access to the site is proposed via SW 34th St and the south via private parking lot and drive aisle connection. Both existing accesses would be required to remain unblocked and any gates have keys provided to the Renton Regional Fire Authority that maintains the circulation pattern for parking and fire vehicles around the building. SW 34th St is classified as a Collector Street with an existing right-of-way (ROW) width of 80’ as measured using the King County Assessor’s Map. The existing street section contains four (4) approximately 11-foot (11’) wide travel lanes (2 west-bound and 2 east-bound) with curb, gutter, planter, and five-foot (5’) wide sidewalks on both sides of the street. As the project is proposing an interior remodel and no new construction or additions valued at over $175,000 to the site outside the primary buildings, no street frontage improvements or right of way dedication are required, however, if during building permit review it is determined that additional outside site and parking/lot improvements are required, the project may become subject to further transportation review and/or frontage improvements. At completion of the project, the improvements would have met City of Renton concurrency requirements (Exhibit 15), which is based upon a test of the citywide Transportation Plan, consideration of growth levels included in the LOS-tested Transportation Plan, site specific improvements, and future payment of Transportation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 4 CAO VARIANCE - 4 Impact Fees. Increased traffic created by the development would be mitigated by payment of transportation impact fees. The transportation impact fee that is current at the time of building permit application would be levied. No changes are proposed to the existing internal circulation system. The Renton Regional Fire Authority (RRFA) has reviewed the proposal and has determined that the proposal would meet the requirements for apparatus access roadways and existing on- site fire lanes, provided they are maintained. Public works staff has reviewed the proposal and found no need for safety improvements. The proposal provides for desirable transitions and linkages between uses, streets, walkways and adjacent properties. The proposal includes limited site access for pedestrians to enter or exit the site. An accessible route of travel (ART) is required from the public right-of-way to the existing building meeting current Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) requirements. There is not currently an identified route from the public sidewalks in the right-of-way to the building entrances. During building permit review, the applicant would be required to demonstrate that there exists a route that meets current ADA requirements or if determined deficient, construct or modify improvements as necessary. F. Schools. The project is not residential in nature. No impacts to schools are anticipated and no fees are required. G. Refuse and Recycling. The proposal includes adequate provision for refuse and recycling areas since it implies with City standards. RMC 4-4-090 sets the standard for adequate refuse and recycling facilities. Specifically, RMC 4-4-090(E)(3) requires a minimum of two (2) square feet per every thousand (1,000) square feet of building gross floor area for recyclables deposit areas and a minimum of four (4) square feet per one thousand (1,000) square feet of building gross floor area for refuse deposit areas. A total minimum area of one hundred (100) square feet shall be provided for recycling and refuse deposit areas. The applicant is proposing a six foot (6’) coated cyclone fence with wood slat privacy inserts to screen the multi-purpose refuse and recycling area located on the south side of the Farwest building (Exhibits 2 and 9). The combined gross building areas would total 102,634 square feet. A total of 205 square feet of recyclables deposit areas would be required and 410 square feet of refuse deposit areas would be required for a total service area of 615 square feet. The proposed refuse/recycling area is 3,568 square foot, which exceeds the 615 square foot minimum requirement. H. Parking. As conditioned, adequate provisions are made for vehicle and bicycle parking. The proposed parking is comprised of 81 spaces, which is in the 77-85 parking spaces 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 5 CAO VARIANCE - 5 required of the project site. A condition of approval requires provision of code compliant bicycle parking. The proposal is comprised of 3,405 square feet of office space, a vehicle maintenance and service repair area of 23,057 square feet, and indoor storage area of 17,902 square feet. Based on the proposed 3,405 square feet for office use, the project site would be required to provided 7-15 parking spaces. Based on the 23,057 square feet proposed for vehicle service and repair, the proposal would be required to provide 58 spaces. Based on the 17,902 square feet proposed for indoor storage, the proposal would be required to provide 12 spaces. A total of 77-85 spaces would be required on the project site. The applicant has proposed a total of 81 spaces, which falls within the required parking range for these three (3) uses. Per RMC 4-4-080F.11.a bicycle parking spaces are required at 10% of the number of required off-street parking spaces. Based on the minimum of 77 parking spaces are required to be on the project site, a total of eight (8) bicycle spaces would be required. Bicycle parking shall be provided for secure extended use and shall protect the entire bicycle and its components and accessories from theft and weather. Acceptable examples include bike lockers, bike check-in systems, in-building parking, and limited access fenced areas with weather protection. For in-building bike parking and limited access fenced areas, fixed structures for locking individual bikes, such as racks, must be provided within the facility. For fenced areas, the fence shall be either six feet (6’) high, or be floor-to-ceiling. A bicycle parking detail was not provided with the land use application materials. A condition of approval requires that bicycle parking be provided in accordance with RMC 4-4-080F.11. I. Landscaping. It is determined that the proposal provides for adequate and appropriate landscaping because the proposal complies with applicable City landscaping standards. Alterations or small additions as determined by the Community and Economic Development Administrator are exempt from all but the maintenance and street tree requirements. The City’s landscape regulations (RMC 4-4-070) require a 10-foot landscape strip along all public street frontages. Additional minimum planting strip widths between the curb and sidewalk are established according to the street development standards of RMC 4-6-060. Street trees and, at a minimum, groundcover, are to be located in this area when present. The project frontage along SW 34th St includes four (4) street trees with spacing that can accommodate additional trees. No changes are proposed to the existing landscaping. Therefore, a condition of approval requires that that the applicant plant five (5) street trees at the designated vacant planting sites within the center of the planting strip on SW 34th St. 5. Adverse Impacts. There are no significant adverse impacts associated with the proposal. A Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) was issued by the City of Renton for the Interim Maintenance Facility Improvements at Farwest (Exhibit 20) on July 11, 2022. Adequate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 6 CAO VARIANCE - 6 infrastructure serves the site as determined in Finding of Fact No. 4. Impacts are more specifically addressed as follows: A. Views. No impact to views is anticipated. According to the staff report, the existing buildings and proposed one-story modular buildings are not anticipated to impact views beyond what currently exists and the proposed structure would not block view corridors to shorelines or Mt. Rainier. B. Compatibility. The proposed use is compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. There are no proposed significant site or exterior improvements proposed to the existing structures. The two (2) new office modulars would be similar to the existing small office buildings in height and mass and would be painted by the applicant to complement the existing color palette (Exhibits 5 and 8). The applicant is proposing to place and orient the screening elements and ADA access ramps to aesthetically unify the new and existing elements. C. Light, glare, noise and privacy. The proposal will not create any significant adverse light, noise or glare impacts and will not impact privacy for residential uses. According to the applicant, noise generated from the proposed facility is anticipated to be significantly reduced from the previous occupancy, and to present no adverse effects on the surrounding community. The applicant is not proposing to utilize the existing railroad system to the west of the property. The existing light fixtures are proposed to remain and the applicant is proposing to install new shrouded fixtures to the existing lights in order to provide safe access and wayfinding to the new office modulars (Exhibit 10). There are no residential uses in the vicinity of the project site so privacy impacts are anticipated to be minimal. D. Critical Areas and Natural Features. The proposal will not create any significant adverse impacts to critical areas. The proposal contains high seismic hazard areas. The applicant is proposing to bring two (2) office modulars to the project site for additional office space. A building permit would be required to place the new office modulars. it is anticipated that the City’s currently adopted building codes would adequately mitigate for any impacts that could result from the proposed project improvements. No critical area conditions are proposed. E. Tree Retention. No trees are proposed for removal. Conclusions of Law 1. Authority. A hearing conditional use permit (Type III review) is required by RMC 4-2-060 for “other government facilities” in the IH zone. RMC 4-9-200B currently requires site plan review for development in the EA comprehensive plan designation, which applies to the proposal. The site plan is also subject to Type III review because its size (102,634 square feet) qualifies it for a public 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 7 CAO VARIANCE - 7 hearing under RMC 4-9-200D2bii. As outlined in RMC 4-8-080(G), the hearing examiner is authorized to hold hearings and issue final decisions on Type III applications subject to closed record appeal to the Renton City Council. 2. Zoning/Comprehensive Plan Designations. The subject property is within the Employment Area (EA) Comprehensive Plan land use designation and the Heavy Industrial (HI) zoning classification. 3. Review Criteria/Street Modification. Conditional use criteria are governed by RMC 4-9- 030(D) and site plan review standards by RMC 4-9-200(E)(3). Applicable standards are quoted below in italics and applied through corresponding conclusions of law. CONDITIONAL USE The Administrator or designee or the Hearing Examiner shall consider, as applicable, the following factors for all applications: RMC 4-9-030(C)(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. 4. As conditioned, the proposal is consistent with all applicable comprehensive plan policies and development standards as outlined in Findings No. 14-16 of the staff report, adopted by this reference as if set forth in full. RMC 4-9-030(C)(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. 5. For the reasons identified in Finding of Fact No. 4 and 5, the proposal is compatible with surrounding uses, will be served by adequate infrastructure and will not create significant adverse impacts to adjoining properties. The proposed improvements are also minor in comparison to the improvements that will be retained. For these reasons the proposed location is suited for the proposed use. There is no evidence in the record of any overconcentration of vehicle maintenance facilities in the vicinity or city as a whole and no reason to believe such an overconcentration exists. RMC 4-9-030(C)(3): Effect on Adjacent Properties: The proposed use at the proposed location shall not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property. 6. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5, as conditioned, there are no significant adverse impacts associated with the proposal, so it will not result in substantial or undue adverse effects on adjacent property. RMC 4-9-030(C)(4): Compatibility: The proposed use shall be compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 8 CAO VARIANCE - 8 7. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5B, the proposed use is compatible with the scale and character of the neighborhood. RMC 4-9-030(C)(5): Parking: Adequate parking is, or will be made, available. 8. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 4, the proposal includes parking that is consistent with applicable parking standards, which sets a legislative standard for adequate parking. RMC 4-9-030(C)(6): Traffic: The use shall ensure safe movement for vehicles and pedestrians and shall mitigate potential effects on the surrounding area. 9. As outlined in Finding of Fact No. 4, the proposal provides for safe circulation and adequate traffic mitigation and facilities. RMC 4-9-030(C)(7): Noise, Light and Glare: Potential noise, light and glare impacts from the proposed use shall be evaluated and mitigated. 10. As conditioned, as determined in Finding of Fact No. 5, the proposal will not result in any adverse light, noise or glare impacts. RMC 4-9-030(C)(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. 11. As shown in the site plans for the proposal and the aerial photograph of the staff report, all undeveloped portions of the site are landscaped as conditioned with the addition of street trees. All new structures would be sited on existing paved and/or impervious areas located to the west or south of the existing building. SITE PLAN RMC 4-9-200(E)(3): Criteria: The Administrator or designee must find a proposed project to be in compliance with the following: a. Compliance and Consistency: Conformance with plans, policies, regulations and approvals, including: i. Comprehensive Plan: The Comprehensive Plan, its elements, goals, objectives, and policies, especially those of the applicable land use designation; the Community Design Element; and any applicable adopted Neighborhood Plan; ii. Applicable land use regulations; iii. Relevant Planned Action Ordinance and Development Agreements; and 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 9 CAO VARIANCE - 9 iv. Design Regulations: Intent and guidelines of the design regulations located in RMC 4-3-100. 12. As concluded in Conclusion of Law No. 4 and as conditioned, the proposal is consistent with the City’s comprehensive plan and development regulations. The proposal is not subject to design regulations located in RMC 4-3-100 (Urban Design Regulations). RMC 4-9-200(E)(3)(b): Off-Site Impacts: Mitigation of impacts to surrounding properties and uses, including: i. Structures: Restricting overscale structures and overconcentration of development on a particular portion of the site; ii. Circulation: Providing desirable transitions and linkages between uses, streets, walkways and adjacent properties; iii. Loading and Storage Areas: Locating, designing and screening storage areas, utilities, rooftop equipment, loading areas, and refuse and recyclables to minimize views from surrounding properties; iv. Views: Recognizing the public benefit and desirability of maintaining visual accessibility to attractive natural features; v. Landscaping: Using landscaping to provide transitions between development and surrounding properties to reduce noise and glare, maintain privacy, and generally enhance the appearance of the project; and vi. Lighting: Designing and/or placing exterior lighting and glazing in order to avoid excessive brightness or glare to adjacent properties and streets. 13. As conditioned, the criteria quoted above are met. As outlined in Finding of Fact No. 4(E), the proposal provides for desirable transitions and linkages between uses, streets, walkways and adjacent properties. The proposal exceeds the City’s refuse and recycling standards for the reasons identified in Finding of Fact No. 4G. No new loading bay is proposed. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5, the proposal will not adversely affect any views. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 4, as conditioned, the proposal is consistent with the City’s landscaping standards, which includes perimeter landscaping to provide buffering to adjacent uses. The proposal will not create any significant light impacts, including excessive brightness or glare, for the reasons identified in Finding of Fact No. 5C. RMC 4-9-200(E)(3)(c): On-Site Impacts: Mitigation of impacts to the site, including: i. Structure Placement: Provisions for privacy and noise reduction by building placement, spacing and orientation; 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 10 CAO VARIANCE - 10 ii. Structure Scale: Consideration of the scale of proposed structures in relation to natural characteristics, views and vistas, site amenities, sunlight, prevailing winds, and pedestrian and vehicle needs; iii. Natural Features: Protection of the natural landscape by retaining existing vegetation and soils, using topography to reduce undue cutting and filling, and limiting impervious surfaces; and iv. Landscaping: Use of landscaping to soften the appearance of parking areas, to provide shade and privacy where needed, to define and enhance open spaces, and generally to enhance the appearance of the project. Landscaping also includes the design and protection of planting areas so that they are less susceptible to damage from vehicles or pedestrian movements. 14. The criterion quoted above are met. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5, the proposal will not create any significant privacy or noise impacts. The scale of the proposal is appropriate and compatible with existing development on site and the industrial nature of the surrounding uses. Natural features are adequately protected. As determined in Finding of Fact No. 5D and E, there are no natural features on site and no trees will be removed, hence natural features will be adequately protected. As conditioned, the proposal complies with the City’s landscaping standards as outlined in Finding of Fact No. 4I. RMC 4-9-200(E)(3)(d): Access and Circulation: Safe and efficient access and circulation for all users, including: i. Location and Consolidation: Providing access points on side streets or frontage streets rather than directly onto arterial streets and consolidation of ingress and egress points on the site and, when feasible, with adjacent properties; ii. Internal Circulation: Promoting safety and efficiency of the internal circulation system, including the location, design and dimensions of vehicular and pedestrian access points, drives, parking, turnarounds, walkways, bikeways, and emergency access ways; iii. Loading and Delivery: Separating loading and delivery areas from parking and pedestrian areas; iv. Transit and Bicycles: Providing transit, carpools and bicycle facilities and access; and v. Pedestrians: Providing safe and attractive pedestrian connections between parking areas, buildings, public sidewalks and adjacent properties. 15. The proposal as conditioned provides for adequate access, circulation and parking as required by the criterion above for the reasons identified in Finding of Fact No. 4. No new loading bay is proposed. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 11 CAO VARIANCE - 11 RMC 4-9-200(E)(3)(e): Open Space: Incorporating open spaces to serve as distinctive project focal points and to provide adequate areas for passive and active recreation by the occupants/users of the site. 16. Open space is not required for industrial development. The proposal includes retention of the existing landscaped area between the front of the building and SW 34th St and the landscape buffers along the other property lines. RMC 4-9-200(E)(3)(f): Views and Public Access: When possible, providing view corridors to shorelines and Mt. Rainier, and incorporating public access to shorelines. 17. There are no view corridors to shorelines or Mt. Rainier affected by the proposal as determined in Finding of Fact No. 5A. RMC 4-9-200(E)(3)(g): Natural Systems: Arranging project elements to protect existing natural systems where applicable. 18. There are no natural systems located at the project site. The site is almost completely composed of impervious surfaces and there are no critical areas. No existing landscaping or trees will be removed. RMC 4-9-200(E)(3)(h): Services and Infrastructure: Making available public services and facilities to accommodate the proposed use. 19. The project is served by adequate services and facilities as determined in Finding of Fact No. 4. RMC 4-9-200(E)(3)(i): Phasing: Including a detailed sequencing plan with development phases and estimated time frames, for phased projects. 20. The project is not phased. DECISION As conditioned below, the site plan and conditional use permit applications meet all applicable permit criteria for the reasons identified in the conclusions of law. The project is subject to the following conditions of approval: 1. The applicant shall plant five (5) street trees at the designated vacant planting sites within the center of the planting strip on SW 34th St. The landscape plan shall be reviewed and approved by the Current Planning Project Manager prior to civil construction permit issuance. 2. Bicycle parking for up to eight (8) stalls shall be provided in accordance with RMC 4-4- 080F.11. A bicycle parking detail shall be provided at the time of building permit review to 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 CONDITIONAL USE and SITE PLAN - 12 CAO VARIANCE - 12 the Current Planning Project Manager for review and approval prior to building permit issuance. 3. The Conditional Use Permit decision shall expire five (5) years from the date of decision DATED this 26th day of August, 2022. City of Renton Hearing Examiner Appeal Right and Valuation Notices As consolidated, RMC 4-8-080(G) classifies the application(s) subject to this decision as Type III applications subject to closed record appeal to the City of Renton City Council. Appeals of the hearing examiner’s decision must be filed within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date of the decision. A request for reconsideration to the hearing examiner may also be filed within this 14- day appeal period. Affected property owners may request a change in valuation for property tax purposes notwithstanding any program of revaluation. . Farwest Transcript by Rev.com Page 1 of 8 Appendix A August 2, 2022 Hearing Transcript Farwest-- LUA22-000185 Note: This is a computer generated transcript provided for informational purposes only. The reader should not take this document as 100% accurate or take offense at errors created by the limitations of the programming in transcribing speech. A recording of the hearing is available from the City should anyone need an accurate rendition of the hearing testimony. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Perfect. All right. For the record, it's August 2nd, 2022. I'm [inaudible 00:00:12] hearing examiner for the city of Renton. This morning, we have a site plan hearing examiner conditional use review for the interim maintenance facility improvements at Farwest. The hearing format today is we'll have a presentation from staff, which... Is that you, Mr. Close, doing this one? Mr. Close: That's correct. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. And after Mr. Close is finished, we'll move on to applicant comments, then public comments, if any, then back to staff rebuttal. That's for Mr. Close to answer questions and respond and provide any rebuttal evidence if necessary. And then finally, applicant gets final word. Also, let me apologize for my informal attire. I'm out traveling and I forgot to bring some clothes for this hearing. So anyway, just we'll pretend it's casual Tuesday in Renton today, I guess, or something. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: But now by state law, I'm only allowed to consider evidence that's put in the record today. That would be the testimony that's presented during the hearing, as well as any exhibits admitted into the hearing as well. That way all parties know exactly what information is being considered. And I guess Mrs. Cisneros, you can at this point post the exhibits that staff has given me in advance of the hearing. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. So we have a total of... I see there, and actually Mrs. Cisneros, why don't you include the one that has the staff PowerPoint and the core maps so we can just do it all at once? I think that'd be a good idea. Mrs. Cisneros: Okay. So they're on a different page. I'll do that one, just... Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Oh, okay. . Farwest Transcript by Rev.com Page 2 of 8 Mrs. Cisneros: This one, this is a two pager. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. Mrs. Cisneros: Yeah. Exhibit 21, and here's the other one. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. Yeah, awesome. There we go. Oh, all right. Okay. So the staff report has exhibits one through 18. What's the 19 through 21? What was that? Mrs. Cisneros: So there's the environmental room committee report. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Oh I see. Okay. Mrs. Cisneros: And then the staff report to the hearing examiner along with those exhibits. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. And then added to what was identified in the staff report as the staff PowerPoint, the city of Renton core maps, which is available at the city's website and Google earth, just the aerial photographs of the project site. At this time. I'm just going to ask if anyone has any objections to entry of those documents. If you do, raise the virtual hand at the bottom of your screen, or just unmute yourself and say, "I object." Hearing, seeing no objections then, I'll go ahead and admit exhibits one through 24. I'll move on to Mr. Close at this point. Mr. Close, just raise your right hand. You swear, affirm to tell the truth, nothing but the truth in this proceeding? Mr. Close: Yes. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay, great. All right, go ahead. Mr. Close: All right. Thank you, Hearing Examiner Olbrechts. Clark close, principal planner, City of Renton. Thanks for entering those exhibits in. Let me go ahead and share exhibit 22 here. Mr. Close: Make sure it loads. All right. Can everybody see that? . Farwest Transcript by Rev.com Page 3 of 8 Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Yes. Mr. Close: Okay. So this is staff's PowerPoint presentation for the interim maintenance facility improvements at Farwest, the applicant King County Solid Waste Division, or KCSW for short, is requesting a change of use to temporarily relocate locations from their vehicle maintenance in stores operations at the Cedar Hills Regional Land facility to the Farwest facility located at 201 Southwest 34th street for approximately five years as they redevelop the Cedar Hills location. Mr. Close: This parcel is a 5.63 acre parcel or project site. It's zoned heavy industrial, and it's located within the auto mall area sea and the [inaudible 00:03:53] community planning area. The high seismic hazard is mapped on the sites, and a high level here. The existing development includes the Farwest steel fabrication facility. The reuse of that, they're going to reuse two existing office modulars, the surface parking. There's landscaping out on site, as well as a perimeter fence. No changes are proposed to the existing storm water dissension pond, street, [inaudible 00:04:22], or landscaping. Mr. Close: And there was some images of some of the existing improvements out of the site there. To continue, the parcel contains, as I mentioned, the Farwest facility building. That's just under a 100 thousand square feet, just under 56 feet in height. There's, as I mentioned, two existing modulars. They're just over 4,200 square feet total, and approximately 14 feet two inches in the height. Mr. Close: Applicant is proposing to retain the existing structures, and then add two temporary office and conference-based modulars South and East of the existing primary structure. So together, these two modulars would have a combined area of 1,440 square feet and a maximum height of 16 feet three inches. The modulars are labeled there in the site plan as 31B and 2B. The complete site would have a total building growth square footage, when it's all said and done, to a 102,634 square feet. And the steel facility would be repurposed to vehicle maintenance facility combined parts store. In general, light storage and office use. The parking lot would provide a total of 81 surface parking stalls, which falls within the required parking range for the three different uses, that being office, vehicle service and repair, and indoor storage. Mr. Close: KCSW would utilize the existing curb cuts for access, the primary access being from Southwest 34th Street, and then secondary access is available via an ingress egress access easement off of Land Avenue Southwest. Mr. Close: KCSW is requesting hearing examiner conditional use permit and site plan review for vehicle maintenance and storage facility at the former Farwest steel fabrication facility. The planning division accepted the above master app, or accepted this particular application for review on May 26th, and determined the application complete on June 2nd of this year. A 14 day public appeal period . Farwest Transcript by Rev.com Page 4 of 8 commenced on June 2nd and ended on June 16th. No public or agency comments were received. On July 11th, 2022, the environmental review committee issued a determination of non-significance for the improvements, and a 14 day appeal period commenced on July 11th. It ended on July 25th. And no appeals of the threshold determination were filed. Mr. Close: So just a couple more slides here. As indicated in the staff report, the proposal does comply with the city's comprehensive plan objectives and policies if all recommended conditions of approval are complied with. The proposal has demonstrated compliance with the development standards of the heavy industrial zoning classification. Again, if all recommended conditions of approval are complied with, the proposal is compliant with critical areas regulations, and the proposal is compliant with site plan review if all recommended conditions of approval are complied with. Mr. Close: As indicated in the staff report, the proposal has demonstrated compliance with conditional use criteria if all recommended conditions are approval are complied with. And police and fire staff have indicated that sufficient resources exist to furnish services to the proposed improvements subject to the condition that the applicant provide code-required improvements and fees. The site is serviced by City of Renton Sewer and Water. Mr. Close: So staff is recommending approval of the interim maintenance facility improvements at Farwest subject to three conditions of approval. And I would stop showing there, and happy to answer any questions. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. So where the nearest residential uses to this project? It doesn't look like there's anything close by, but I was kind of... I haven't studied the map. Mr. Close: Yeah. There's really no residentials in the general vicinity. This is the valley, kind of in the core of where the heart of the industrial zoned property in the City of Renton. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: And it seems like the greatest maybe offsite impact would be... Any truck traffic or something? And I haven't had a chance to review the traffic report yet, but I mean, what kind of route are the trucks going to use? Are there any issues with using streets that aren't suitable for truck traffic, or how's that affected? Mr. Close: Yeah, so we did take a look at the transportation as it relates to this particular project during environmental review. The truck trips and counts really coincide, or in fact, they are less than what the previous use was. So we are anticipating a drop there. But the primary routes would be Land and Southwest 34th Street. Those are fairly busy streets, and they do provide good access to the facility. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: . Farwest Transcript by Rev.com Page 5 of 8 Okay. And how long has the current use been vacant? Mr. Close: I think it's over a year now. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Oh, okay. Mr. Close: [inaudible 00:09:43] with the applicant to talk about when they took over the lease of this particular property. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay, great. Thank you, Mr. Close. Appreciate your comments. Let's move on to applicant comments. Anyone on behalf of the applicant want to say something at this time? You don't have to, but now's your chance. Mr. Stone: Mr. Don Stone. I'm a consultant for King County. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. Let me swear in Mr. Stone. Just raise your right hand. You swear, affirm to tell the truth, nothing but the truth in this proceeding? Mr. Stone: I do. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay, great. Go ahead. Mr. Stone: Do you want me to comment on the truck route? Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Yeah Sure. That would be helpful. Mr. Stone: Our determination is that we will only use 34th street as the access for our large transfer trucks and tractors coming in. So the Land Avenue access will only be for small cars and visitors coming on site. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. . Farwest Transcript by Rev.com Page 6 of 8 Mr. Stone: Then the other thing is that the lease was... We officially took it over in end of March of last year or April. So we've sort of had a mixed occupancy with Farwest up until that period of time as they were moving. And in fact, they were still removing equipment and are still removing equipment, taking out some of the big cranes and that sort of thing for use in another part of their business. So otherwise it's been empty but monitored all the time. We have security there. And we're also, during this interim period, we've been repairing roof leaks, that sort of thing that have become... They sort of show up and then clean it up so that we can make sure that when we finally get to the point of being able to go in, the building will be serviceable for us. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. And what kind of noises can we anticipate for the proposed use here? I mean, there's going to be some repair activities, that kind of thing. And how would that compare to the noise of the previous use? Mr. Stone: Well, I think that when you think about what they did, was they were making plates for ship building. That was their major job. So they had these huge pieces of steel that were being cut and moved around and bent into the appropriate hull shapes. And what we're doing is just vehicle maintenance. So the noises that are associated with ongoing maintenance, like lubrication, and then some engine work, that sort of thing. So the only things that we ever end up doing that might be a little noisier would be when they're cutting pieces out of the trailers and re-welding. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Oh, I see. Mr. Stone: Something like that. That's about the only real noise production other than the fact that there'll be some vehicle movement, but most of that, because of the cavernous size of this facility, which is a little over two acres underneath the roof, it'll all be contained on the inside. So the only noise that would be out there will probably be the movement of our trucks. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Oh, okay. Mr. Stone: That sort of thing, going in and out. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: And is all this behind closed doors, or are the doors left open a lot of time in the summer or something? Or how does that work? Mr. Stone: Well, it depends on the weather. . Farwest Transcript by Rev.com Page 7 of 8 Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. Yeah. Mr. Stone: Because this building is very much just a big barn. And we're providing ventilation of course, for the use. And then there'll be spot heating from infrared sources located directly to the maintenance specific area and that sort of thing. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Oh I see. Okay. Mr. Stone: So important to know that this is for a select fleet. There's only 75 total trucks in the entire King County network. And so they'll be seen on a basis of one to two per day. So it isn't like we have any... It's not like a commercial environment where you have a number of vehicles coming in and being swapped out. And these are basically all trucks that have scheduled service times, that sort of thing. So it's scheduled out, and they rate as around two of the large trucks per day would be transiting. Otherwise, it's pretty quiet. Mr. Stone: And I think that speaks to what Clark was talking about, that we think that the... Actually, traffic is going to be reduced from what it was when Farwest was there receiving and shipping steel plates, going in and out. And of course, there's a railroad line that we're not using, but Farwest did use. So that's not going to be active as well. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. Thank you, Mr. Stone. And Mr. Close, question I forgot to ask you is just to confirm, is this a project in a critical aquifer recharge area or not, do you know? Because I mean, it does involve oil and that kind of stuff. Mr. Close: It's not, no. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: It's not. Okay. All right. Good. Good. All right. Well, let's move on to public comments at this point, Mrs. Cisneros, do you see any members of the public? Mrs. Cisneros: I do not see any members. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. I guess that's not too surprising. I'll do my usual spiel then. If there is any member of the public who's unable to participate today because their internet's not working or some technical issue of that nature, they just can't figure out how to use Zoom, go ahead and give Mrs. Cisneros a call there. You see . Farwest Transcript by Rev.com Page 8 of 8 her number behind her says 425-430-6583. Or you can email her at jcisneros@rentonwa.gov. And if you're not able to participate because of those technical reasons, you can go ahead and email Mrs. Cisneros by 5:00 PM tomorrow, identify what your technical problem was, why you couldn't participate, and then add your comments. And then I'll likely admit those comments into the record and I'll let the applicant staff respond to that. So just make sure to get that email to Mrs. Cisneros by 5:00 PM tomorrow. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: So with that, Mr. Close, any concluding comments at this point? Mr. Close: Yeah. Just looking at some of the other surface roads in the area, you also have East Valley Road, which is to the East of the site, which is a fairly popular access road for that area. And then as the crow flies, the closest house is 0.3 miles east. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. Mr. Close: Or it's going to be on the opposite side of 167. So you do have that built-in buffer as well. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay. Perfect. All right, Mr. Stone, do you want to make any final comments? You have to unmute yourself, but yeah, there you go. Mr. Stone: I can't see that. I can never find it. No, I think that's it. Hearing Examiner Olbrechts: Okay, perfect. All right, I'll go ahead close the hearing. And all this is another, I think, easy approval. I mean, this is an ideal location for this facility. Obviously it doesn't appear it's going to create any adverse impacts to anybody, and that's kind of the core issue for conditional use review and site plan review, is very thorough and everything's been addressed. So should be able to get that approval out within the next 10 business days. So I think we're adjourned for today. Thanks for all for participating. Have a great day. Automated: Recording Stop.