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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 2021-02-25 ITEM 4 - STAFF REPORT - TUKWILA SOUTH ZONING CODE AMENDMENTSof Tukwfla Allan Ekbeirg, Mayor City STAFF REPORT TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION Prepared February 11, 2021 FILE NUMBERS: L19-0115 Comprehensive Plan/Zoning Code Amendment E19-0011 SEPA Checklist REQUEST: Zoning Code amendments to TMC 18.41 and new design guidelines for multifamily development in the Tukwila South Overlay (TSO) district. Planning Commission will hold a future public hearing on the proposed amendments and make recommendations to the City Council for review and adoption. PUBLIC HEARING: A Notice of Public Hearing will be provided ahead of a subsequent Planning Commission meeting, currently scheduled for March 18, 2021. LOCATION: Lands within the Tukwila South Overlay district. STAFF: Max Baker, Senior Planner ATTACHMENTS: A. Tukwila South Overlay and Underlying Zoning B. Proposed Tukwila South Residential Design Guidelines C. Tukwila South Overlay District Development Standards, Current BACKGROUND Segale Properties LLC, the applicant, requests amendments to Title 18, Zoning Code of the Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC) to set standards for residential uses. The proposed amendments are to adopt development standards and guidelines for residential uses in all of Tukwila South; these would apply to all lands and underlying zoning within the TSO district, including replacing those adopted in 2018 for the underlying LDR zone (see "Requirements for Adoption of Multifamily Design Guidelines below for more information). Tukwila South Master Plan and Development Agreement The Tukwila South area consists of approximately 400 acres generally bounded by S 180th Street on the north, S. 204th Street on the south, Orillia Road and 1-5 on the west and the Green River on the east. Segale Properties intends to develop the property consistent with the Tukwila South Master Plan (Ordinance 2234) as adopted with the Development Agreement (Ordinance 2233). Per the Master Plan and accompanying environmental analysis, a mix of uses is anticipated to be developed, including office, commercial, retail, and approximately 1,900 residential units. While the Master Plan provides some conceptual locations for specific types of land uses within the project, it does not define specific areas for such uses and limits on any one kind of use. The intent of the Master Plan is to provide for land use Tukwila City Hall 6200 Southce,nter Boulevard - Tukwila, WA 98188 - 206-43.3-1800 - Website: TukwrAlaWAV.,gov 11 Page 2 of 4 flexibility and intense use of developable areas to create a "live, work, play" mixed-use district within Tukwila South. Zoning (Attachment A) The Tukwila South area contains several zoning designations which include: Low Density Residential (LDR); Tukwila Valley South (TVS); Heavy Industrial (HI); and Mixed -Use Office (MUO). The entire Tukwila South area is covered by the Tukwila South Overlay (TSO), and the related development standards supersede the underlying zoning (TMC 18.41.010). As referenced in TMC 18.41.010, "the [overlay) may be applied by the City Council to any property lying within the Comprehensive Plan's Tukwila South Master Plan." Requirements for Adoption of Multifamily Design Guidelines Per TMC 18.41.090.A.2 and Table 18-6, the development of residential dwelling is permitted on lands other than those with the underlying LDR zoning in the TSO district only after additional standards and residential design manual with criteria for approval is adopted. In 2018, the City adopted standards that apply only to multi -family development in the underlying Low Density Residential (LDR) zone of the TSO district. Since the design manual does not apply to lands other than those with the underlying LDR zoning, multifamily development is not permitted in these areas until design guidelines and standards are adopted. The proposed amendments are to adopt development standards and guidelines for residential uses in all areas of Tukwila South; these would apply to all lands and underlying zoning within the TSO district, including replacing those adopted in 2018 for the underlying LDR zone. Other Existing Codes and Design Guidelines Commercial and industrial development uses permitted in the TSO district are reviewed using the existing standards in TMC 18.41.090 and the TSO District Design Manual, adopted April 13th, 2009. DISCUSSION OF PROPOSED CHANGES The applicant has proposed draft Zoning Code text amendments that revise the existing multifamily residential standards, and new draft multifamily design guidelines for the entire Tukwila South Overlay (TSO) district. Proposed Code Amendments Development standards exist for each district within the City of Tukwila; Chapter 18.41 sets forth the standards for the TSO district and would be amended as part of this proposal. The TSO district implements the Tukwila South Master Plan designation and related policies and provisions of the Tukwila Comprehensive Plan. As an overlay district, the Tukwila South Overlay (TSO) district may be applied by the City Council to any property lying within the Comprehensive Plan's Tukwila South Master Plan Area. Within the Tukwila South Overlay, the provisions of this chapter shall supersede the provisions of the underlying zoning district. Section 18.41.090 provides prescriptive guidance on the following: • Lot area • Development area • Heights Page 3 of 4 • Setbacks • Vehicle parking • Recreation space • Private road design standards and spacing Staff is continuing to work with the applicant to assess the proposed code amendments and will present their final recommendations as part of the subsequent public hearing. As such, the proposed code amendments are not included as an attachment to this staff report and will instead be included as part of a future packet. Existing developments standards are provided with this report as Attachment C, "Tukwila South Overlay District Development Standards, Current." Proposed Design Guidelines The Design Guidelines would provide guidance on overall design intent and criteria for evaluating new multifamily developments within the TSO district, including but not limited to pedestrian/vehicular access, building layout, recreation space design, etc. The Tukwila South Design Guidelines would provide policy guidance on site and building design. The guidelines would support and complement the community vision described in the Tukwila South chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. This document is intended to supplement and expand upon the design requirements found in Chapter 18.41 Tukwila South Overlay (TSO) Zoning standards. This document provides City staff and the public a common basis for the evaluation of design and development issues during the design review and approval process. The Manual does not specify a particular style of architecture or design but is intended to guide applicants in creating an appearance of greater consistency and design quality within the Tukwila South Overlay district. Design review requirements and thresholds per the existing code are as follows: TMC 18.41.080 (TSO) Design Review A. The Director shall require that all development within the Tukwila South Overlay district is consistent with the policies of the Tukwila Comprehensive Land Use Plan and the Tukwila South Master Plan, and conforms to the requirements of this title and any applicable development agreement. B. Design review is required for all non-exempt development within the Tukwila South Overlay district. The applicant may submit a site plan for review for all or a portion of the area covered by the Tukwila South Master Plan. Application requirements are provided by TMC Section 18.104.060. All applications for design review within the TSO shall be processed as Type 2 decisions per TMC Chapter 18.60. Prospective applicants are encouraged to schedule a pre -application conference as provided by TMC Section 18.104.050 prior to submitting a design review application. No changes to the design review thresholds are proposed. Organization of Design Guidelines The proposed Tukwila South Design Guidelines are organized by design topic. The general structure is: Design Topic (e.g. "Building Frontages") Intent Statement: Provided to guide the application of criteria to differing site circumstances in a consistent manner. 11 Page 4 of 4 Design Criteria: General requirements to be met by development. a. Example measures that guide development design to meet the design topic intent and design criteria above. b. Graphic and written descriptions are provided. For each Design Topic there are one or more Design Criteria, which can be general in nature. The Design Criteria explain the requirements for development proposals. They are the decision criteria by which the Director will decide whether to approve, condition or deny a project. The examples and explanations beneath each Design Criteria provide guidance to the project applicant developing the project, to City staff in reviewing a project proposal, and the decision maker in determining whether the project meets the Design Criteria. These are intended to provide guidance and possible solutions for the criteria but should not be seen as the only solution. There may be specific requirements to include or avoid. Photographs and illustrations appear beneath the item they are intended to explain. Design Modifications are provided for each design topic. All available modification opportunities for Design Guidelines are noted within each section by the capitalized term DESIGN MODIFICATIONS. As proposed, in the case of any design modification for a Design Guideline, the Director must document the reasons for approving the design modification, to be maintained with project application records, and to inform and provide consistency in decision-making by the City. City + Consultant Review As part of the City's review, DCD staff have been working with an urban design consultant, NBBJ, to provide a peer review of the proposed standards and guidelines. Staff have worked with the applicant to revise the proposed design guidelines to their current form. Areas highlighted in gray within the document (Attachment B) may be impacted by the development standards to be presented as part of the public hearing and should be considered as under review. REQUESTED ACTION Request to hold the public hearing on the proposed design guidelines and code amendments, review said guidelines and amendments, choose an option if multiple choices are given, and make recommendations to the City Council.