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Staff Report to Hearing Examiner STAFF REPORT City of Yelm Community Development Department   Case Number: SPR-05-0091-YL Applicant: PACLAND, Inc. 606 Columbia Street NW, Suite 106 Olympia, WA 98501 Property Owner: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. 2001 SE 10th Street Bentonville, AR 72712-6489 Agent: Mike Beach, P.E. Request: Construct a Wal-Mart supercenter. Recommendation: Approve of the Site Plan Review with conditions Proposal and Site Characteristics 2 Public Notices 2 State Environmental Policy Act 3 Concurrency 6 Critical Areas 7 Zoning Code Requirements 8 Design Guidelines 12 Transportation and Site Access 15 Stormwater Quality and Quantity 17 Water System 18 Sanitary Sewer System 18 Fire 19 Community Development Department Recommendation 19  Proposal and Site Characteristics PACLAND has applied on behalf of their client, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. for a site plan review approval in order to construct a Wal-Mart supercenter store. The proposal includes a 187,400 square foot building housing mixed retail (including the sale of groceries, dry goods, electronics, a drive through pharmacy, food service, and an automotive repair facility). The proposal also includes a 14,000 square foot garden center and associated parking. The property is located north of State Route 507 east of Grove Road and is identified by assessor tax parcel numbers 64303101100, 64303101000, and 64303101101. The site is comprised of three legal lots of record together which are just under 17 acres in area. The site is relatively flat and level and is currently occupied by a variety of uses including a restaurant, a livestock auction yard, and several dwelling units. The area to the north is in the City limits and is zoned Moderate Density Residential (R-6), the area to the east and south across SR 507 is currently in unincorporated Thurston County but within the Yelm urban growth area. Properties east of the site are zoned Rural Residential 1/5 and are pre-zoned as R-6 upon annexation while the properties to the south are zoned Arterial Commercial and pre-zoned Heavy Commercial (C-2) upon annexation. Public Notices A Notice of Application was mailed to local and state agencies, and surrounding property owners on March 29, 2005. This notice was also posted at City Hall and on the City of Yelm web site on the same date. The Mitigated Determination of Non-significance was mailed to agencies with jurisdiction and environmental expertise on June 7, 2005. This determination was also posted at City Hall and on the City of Yelm web site on the same date, and published in the Nisqually Valley News on June 10, 2005. A Notice of Public Hearing was mailed to the applicant, appellant, and parties of record on July 22, 2005. This notice was also posted at City Hall and on the City of Yelm web site on the same date, and published in the Nisqually Valley News on July 29, August 12, and August 26, 2005.  State Environmental Policy Act The City’s SEPA Responsible Official issued and published a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance on June 7, based on WAC 197-11-158. This determination was appealed on June 30, 2005. The Hearing Examiner may take action to deny or condition the proposal based on impacts identified in the environmental checklist or other environmental documents. The Mitigated Determination of Non-significance was issued with the following conditions: 1. The developer shall mitigate transportation impacts based on the peak PM trips generated by the project. The Transportation Facility Charge (TFC) shall be based on the engineers estimate of 649 peak PM trips in Traffic Impact Analysis at a rate of $750 per peak PM trip. Credits may be given for projects which create a significant economic benefit to the community. The size of the credit shall be measured at an appropriate percentage of the anticipated annual tax revenue increase to the community and available for capital contribution to transportation facilities on the approved plan as a result of the project. The credit is calculated as follows: a. Estimated gross revenue for six years. b. Multiply gross revenue by 0.2 percent (B and O tax). c. Multiply gross revenue subject to sales tax by 1.5 percent (city share of state sales tax). d. Add products of b and c above. e. Multiply total from line d by nine percent (percentage of tax revenue budgeted to city road fund). f. Multiply product from line e by 28 percent (percentage of money in the road fund that is designated as private share for projects on the TFC). Based on the submitted site plan, the base TFC would be $486,750.00 before the credit. The traffic facility charge must be paid prior to building permit issuance and will be calculated on the square footage of the building permit. 2. The applicant shall be responsible for the following transportation improvements: a. Frontage improvements along State Route 507 to include a sidewalk, planter strips, curb and gutter, a drop lane on the north side of SR 507, and a west bound travel lane, a two way left turn lane, and a full eastbound travel lane. b. Frontage improvements along the future SR 510 Yelm Loop to include a sidewalk, planter strip, curb and gutter, a northbound drop lane from the intersection to the northernmost entrance to the site, a northbound lane, a two way left turn lane, and a southbound lane. c. A signal at the intersection of the SR 507 and the future SR 510 Yelm Loop, including a minimum 250-foot eastbound left turn lane. d. The light at 5 corners (the intersection of Yelm Avenue East (SR 507)/Bald Hills Road/Creek Street) shall be optimized. e. The future SR 510 Yelm Loop shall be connected to 103rd Street by constructing a new road with two 12-foot drive lanes and 4-foot shoulders. 103rd Street from the intersection of the SR 510 Yelm Loop road extension to the bridge over Yelm Creek shall be widened to include two 11-foot drive lanes and 4-foot shoulders. The applicant shall enter into a developer agreement with the City of Yelm for the purchase of the right-of-way required to connect the future SR 510 Yelm Loop with 103rd Street. Right-of-way acquisition would be completed by the City of Yelm and the applicant shall reimburse the City in whole for this acquisition. Mitigation measures c, d, and e are appropriate to provide for the safe movement of traffic and are not necessary to mitigate potential, significant impacts. Plans for approval for all transportation improvements shall be submitted to the Washington Department of Transportation and the City of Yelm for review and approval prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy. All required improvements shall be constructed by the applicant pursuant to the approved plans and inspected and approved by the City of Yelm and Washington Department of Transportation. The plans for approval shall include a schedule for construction of all required improvements that is consistent with requirements for issuance of a finding of concurrency as follows: Frontage improvements, including the traffic signal at the intersection of SR 507 and the SR 510 Yelm Loop shall be constructed prior to issuance of a final certificate of occupancy for the building. The 103rd connection shall be constructed no later than 18 months from the approval of construction plans and acquisition of required right-of-way. Frontage improvements to both SR 507 and the future SR 510 Yelm Loop shall be based on the urban arterial section of the Yelm Development Guidelines, as modified by the addition of drop lanes. All required improvements and right-of-way acquisition shall be secured with a letter of credit prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy. 3. Prior to building permit issuance, the applicant shall enter into a mitigation agreement with the Yelm Police Department which includes the provision of a secure, private space at least 120 square feet in area within the facility for use by the Yelm Police Department and SE Yelm Fire/EMS and shall address the use, furnishing, and location of the space. 4. The applicant shall provide one parking space within 75 feet of the entrance dedicated to emergency vehicles. 5. The applicant shall install security cameras covering the entire parking lot. Prior to building permit issuance, the specifications of the video surveillance system shall be provided to the Yelm Police Chief for approval and coordination with a potential citywide video system. 6. Prior to building permit issuance, the applicant shall pay a mitigation fee to SE Thurston Fire/EMS for use towards the replacement of equipment specifically required to fight a fire in large commercial structures and maintain the existing insurance rating. The mitigation fee shall be based on the applicant’s aliquot impact on the need for replacement equipment. 7. Civil plan submission shall include an updated preliminary stormwater plan that meets or exceeds the standards in the 1992 Stormwater Manual as adopted by the City of Yelm. The stormwater plan shall include the following elements: a. The elevation of the bottom of the infiltration gallery shall be a minimum of six feet above the elevation of the high groundwater area as identified by Thurston County (approximate elevation 335). b. The pump system of the stormwater system shall be wired to an automatic emergency generator sufficient to provide stormwater treatment during an extended power outage. c. Separate water quality treatment for roof runoff shall be provided. d. The stormwater system shall be designed to accommodate stormwater generated by all required frontage improvements, unless a stormwater system that meets the adopted standards of the City of Yelm is designed, approved, and constructed to serve frontage improvements off site. e. The final stormwater plan shall include a maintenance and operation plan, which includes an annual report to the City of Yelm regarding the maintenance and operation of the system. 8. The civil plan submission shall include a noise mitigation plan that clearly shows that the standards found in Chapter 173-60 Washington Administrative Code – Maximum Environmental Noise Levels will be met and shall include, at a minimum, an 8-foot tall masonry wall along the northern and eastern property lines. The noise mitigation plan shall mitigate the noise from freight unloading to the thresholds for noise from a Class B EDNA to a Class A EDNA. Exemptions for warning devices or intermittent safety equipment as found in Sections 173-60-050 (4) (d) and (e) WAC shall not apply from 7 PM to 7 AM in order to protect neighboring residential uses. Best available noise abatement technology as found in Section 173-60-050 (6) shall be included in the mitigation plan. 9. The civil plan submission shall include a lighting plan that maintains a light level of 0.1 candle-foot 5 feet off the edge of the property. Concurrency Chapter 15.40 YMC requires the reviewing authority to determine that required urban infrastructure is available concurrent with development. Concurrency means the facilities necessary to serve a proposed development are in place or planned for and properly funded with a reasonable expectation that the facilities will be in place at the time needed to preserve adopted levels of service. Concurrency with sewer infrastructure is achieved pursuant to Section 15.40.020 (B)(1) YMC when the project is within an area approved for sewer pursuant to the adopted sewer comprehensive plan for the city and improvements necessary to provide city standard facilities and services are present to meet the needs of the proposed development. Concurrency with water infrastructure is achieved pursuant to Section 15.40.020 (B)(2) YMC when the project is within an area approved for municipal water service pursuant to the adopted water comprehensive plan for the city and improvements necessary to provide city standard facilities and services are present. Concurrency with transportation infrastructure is achieved pursuant to Section 15.40.020 (5)(c) YMC when the project: Makes on-site and frontage improvements consistent with city standards and roads necessary to serve the proposed project consistent with safety and public interest; Makes such off-site facility improvements, not listed on the capital facilities plan, as are necessary to meet city standards for the safe movement of traffic and pedestrians attributable to the project; Makes a contribution to the facilities relating to capacity improvements identified in the adopted six-year traffic improvement program, in the form of a transportation facility charge. All required transportation infrastructure is either available at the time of the proposed development or funded by the applicant with a reasonable expectation that the facilities will be in place at the time needed to preserve adopted levels of service. A finding of concurrency is appropriate. The sanitary sewer system has sufficient capacity to serve the proposed use and the developer will be responsible for extending sewer lines to the site and constructing all sewer related requirements to the standards of the Yelm Development Guidelines. The water system also has sufficient capacity to provide potable water to the proposed use and the developer will be required to extend the existing water lines, and connect to the system. The developer will also be responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the adopted Fire Codes are met through the provision of adequate fire flow, or construction methods that reduce the required fire flow. Pursuant to the Mitigated Determination of Non-significance, the developer will be required to construct frontage improvements along SR 507 and the future SR 510 Yelm Loop, install other safety related improvements including the provision of a signal at the intersection of SR 507 and the SR 507 Yelm Loop, along with a left turn lane west of the new signal, and connect the SR 510 Yelm Loop to 103rd Street. Finally, the developer will be required to pay traffic impact fee’s pursuant to the formula found at Section 15.40.020 YMC. The City of Yelm will provide police protection service to the property. During the environmental review process, the Yelm Police Department indicated there would be a potential impact to police services attributable to the proposal, and required that the developer provide space within the facility for police and fire usage, and the provision of emergency vehicle parking spaces. Fire protection services are provided by The SE Thurston Fire/EMS District (Thurston County Fire Protection District #2). The District indicated during environmental review that the facility will have a potential impact on fire protection services and insurance ratings due to the height and size of the building. A condition of the MDNS required that the developer pay a fee to the Fire District to mitigate impacts to fire services. Critical Areas An area at the northeast corner of the property has been identified by Thurston County as a potential high ground water flood zone. Although the City of Yelm does not presently regulate high ground water flood zones, the applicant has designed the stormwater treatment and infiltration system to be consistent with current County standards for stormwater systems located within or near a potential high ground water flood zone. The County requires developments in or within 300 feet of a potential high ground water area to design stormwater systems pursuant to the Interim Site Development Standards for New Development in Salmon Creek Basin. These rules require overwintering monitoring and special design elements for the infiltration portion of a stormwater system if the elevation of the high ground water flood is less than six feet to the bottom of an infiltration gallery. In this case, the applicant has proposed a stormwater system that meets the vertical separation requirements of the County regulations, but requires the use of pumps between the water quality treatment element of the system to the infiltration element. Although the maintenance requirements of a pump system will impose an additional operational burden and requirement maintenance even if the use of the property is discontinued, in this instance the environmental protection to ground water outweighs the maintenance requirements of the pump system. The requirement that the stormwater system meet the vertical separation requirements of the County regulations was a condition of the Mitigated Determination of Non-significance. National Wetlands Inventory data shows that the property to the north of the site contains a wetland. A site reconnaissance report was included with the application packet, the conclusion of which was that no wetland exists on the site or within 100 feet of the boundary of the property. The aquifer lying underneath the City of Yelm is a critical aquifer recharge area. Section 14.08.150 YMC establishes standards for development within a critical aquifer recharge area and reporting requirements for developments which require a deviation from the stormwater manual as adopted by the City. Specifically, baseline information is required on the geology of the site, a description of the existing conditions on the property, and a description of the methods for protecting the aquifer are required as part of a land use application. The site reconnaissance report along with the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment contain the information required by the Critical Areas Code regarding the condition of the property. The proposal includes uses that create the potential for pollution of ground water including an auto repair and oil change facility, a pharmacy, grocery and meat sales, and prepared food services. The use of an alternate technology approved by the Washington Department of Ecology for the treatment of stormwater runoff adequately protects the ground water from pollution from parking lot stormwater including oils and sediments. Existing requirements for the containment of hazardous materials in automotive repair facilities and the interception of fats, oils, and greases before entering the sanitary sewer system adequately protect the aquifer from impacts of other potential, hazardous uses within the facility. Zoning Code Requirements The property is zoned Large Lot Commercial (C-3) which is codified at Chapter 17.28 YMC. The C-3 district was created to provide for the location of facilities needed by the traveling public, to permit commercial uses which depend more heavily on convenient vehicular access than pedestrian access, and to ensure development guidelines are in place to enhance the efficient operation of these districts and to achieve minimum adverse impact on the community. The C-3 district allows retail commercial as a permitted use subject to site plan review approval in accordance with Chapter 17.84 YMC. Building setbacks are 15 feet from front, side, and rear property lines. The maximum building height is fifty five (55) feet. Environmental Protection Standards The Zoning Code establishes environmental protection standards at Chapter 17.57 YMC which address; noise; emissions; aquifer, ground, and soil contamination; and storage. The maximum allowable noise levels as measured at the property line of noise-impacted uses or activities are those set forth in Chapter 173-60 WAC, titled “Maximum Environmental Noise Levels”. The Mitigated Determination of Non-significance requires that the proposed use meet noise standards more restrictive than the adopted State and City standards in that exemptions to noise limits for safety equipment (back up beepers) are not allowed during the evening hours. Air pollution must be controlled by the operator and/or the proprietor of any land use or activity. The ambient air quality standards specified by the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) apply to all air contaminants. The proposal requires a permit from ORCAA, which will ensure that all standards for air emissions during construction are met. Liquid wastes must be disposed of through local sanitary sewer systems only upon approval of affected public sewer authorities and pretreatment to reduce both load and toxicity to approximate domestic strength for pH, BOD, TSS and other parameters regulated as part of Yelm’s NPDES permit. Any operation producing intense heat or glare shall be performed within an enclosure so as to completely obscure such operation from view from any point along the property line. A lighting plan which meets this standard is required by the Mitigated Determination of Non-significance. In the conduct of any business, the storage of merchandise, raw materials, equipment, fixtures, scraps or solid wastes must be stored within an enclosed building. The storage or display of items typically located outside, such as the garden center, must be maintained in an orderly manner consistent with good housekeeping practices and must be effectively fenced and screened from all residential areas and public rights-of-way. The garden center is proposed to be effectively screened and the site plan review should contain a condition related to outside storage of goods and materials which limit the use of containers for the storage of material on-site. Refuse The City of Yelm Development Guidelines, Design Guidelines, and Municipal Code provide guidance for refuse storage and screening. Refuse areas are required to be accessible by LeMay, screened with a material and design compatible with the overall architectural theme of the associated structure, at least as high as the refuse container, and must be at least six-feet in height with a gate enclosure. No refuse container is allowed between a public street and the front of a building. Refuse collection areas must be designed to contain all refuse generated on site and deposited between collections, and refuse should not be visible from outside the refuse enclosure. Light and Glare The location of the proposed development is immediately adjacent to a residentially zoned area which will be impacted by light and glare from the site. An illumination plan should be required prior to building permit issuance which demonstrates that light from the project will not exceed more than one lumen at the property lines. Parking The City of Yelm Development Guidelines, Design Guidelines, and Municipal Code address parking regulations from many aspects, including, but not limited to the design of lots, the number of stalls required, pedestrian pathways within lots, and safety. Chapter 17.72 YMC requires one parking space for every 250 feet of gross floor area. A 187,400 square foot building with a 14,000 square foot garden area would require 806 parking spaces and six (6) off-street loading spaces. Twenty five percent (25%) or 202 of the parking spaces may be compact. Each public stall is required to be within 300 feet of a building entrance. A standard stall is 9 feet by 20 feet while a compact stall is 8 by 16. A loading space must accommodate a truck 45 feet in length, 12 feet in width, and 14 feet tall. The Washington State Amendments to the Building Codes requires handicap accessible stalls. The requirement for accessible stalls based on the site plan is sixteen (16) with at least one of the stalls being van accessible.  Landscaping Landscaping and screening are necessary to provide screening between compatible and incompatible land uses, to safeguard privacy and to preserve the aesthetic assets of the City. Chapter 17.80 YMC requires all development to provide on site landscaping. Street Fronts (SR 507 and SR 510 Yelm Loop). Type II landscaping is intended to provide visual separation of uses from streets, and visual separation of compatible uses so as to soften the appearance of streets, parking areas, and building elevation. This landscaping is used around the perimeter of a site, and adjacent to buildings. Type II landscaping would be required along the frontage at SR 507 and the SR 510 Yelm Loop. Type II landscaping is characterized by an 8 foot landscape strip between uses and a 5 foot strip around buildings, of any combination of evergreen and deciduous trees (with no more than 50 percent being deciduous), shrubs, earthen berms and related plant materials or design features; provided, that the resultant effect is to provide partial screening and buffering between uses and to soften the appearance of streets, parking and structures. Side and Rear Yards. Type I landscaping is intended to provide a very dense sight barrier and physical buffer to separate conflicting uses, and land use districts. Type I landscaping is required between the site and the residential uses on the north and east. Type I landscaping is characterized by a 15 foot landscape strip in which any combination of trees, shrubs, fences, walls, earthen berms, and design features provide an effect which is sight-obscuring from adjoining properties. Parking Lot Landscaping. Type IV landscaping is intended to provide visual relief and shade in parking areas. At least 24 square feet of landscaping is required for each parking stall proposed. Each area of landscaping must contain at least 100 square feet of area and must be at least six feet in any direction. Each planting area must contain at least one tree. Live groundcover shall be provided throughout each landscaping area. No parking stall shall be located more than 50 feet from a tree.  Design Guidelines The property is identified by the Yelm Design Guidelines as a gateway district, which establishes requirements for new development in relation to site planning, pedestrian access, vehicular access and parking, building design, and landscape design. Street Fronts (SR 507 and SR 510 Yelm Loop) The design guidelines require that development must define the street edge with building, landscaping, or other features, must provide direct access to the building from the frontage, and provide treatment to spatially define the street edge when parking is adjacent to street frontages. Type II landscaping is intended to provide visual separation of uses from streets, and visual separation of compatible uses so as to soften the appearance of streets, parking areas, and building elevation. This landscaping is used around the perimeter of a site and adjacent to buildings. Type II landscaping would be required along the frontage at SR 507 and the SR 510 Yelm Loop. Type II landscaping is characterized by an 8 foot landscape strip between uses and a 5 foot strip around buildings of any combination of evergreen and deciduous trees (with no more than 50 percent being deciduous), shrubs, earthen berms and related plant materials or design features; provided, that the resultant effect is to provide partial screening and buffering between uses and to soften the appearance of streets, parking and structures. The site plan does not identify how the parking area will be defined and screened from SR 507 and the SR 510 Yelm Loop beyond a planter strip. The Design Guidelines suggest a number of methods to define parking areas including the use of screen walls, landscaping, or a fence or trellis. Side and Rear Yards The design guidelines indicate that service areas and outdoor storage be located away from neighboring properties to reduce conflicts, and require screening of refuse containers located behind the building. The refuse area must be large enough to accommodate a dumpster and recycle bin. Refuse areas must be screened with an enclosure of a material and design compatible with the overall architectural theme. A six foot wall or fence shall enclose any outdoor refuse collection point. The fence shall be a solid material such as wood or masonry. Type I landscaping is intended to provide a very dense sight barrier and physical buffer to separate conflicting uses, and land use districts. Type I landscaping is required between the site and the residential uses on the north and east. Type I landscaping is characterized by a 15 foot landscape strip in which any combination of trees, shrubs, fences, walls, earthen berms, and design features provides an effect which is sight-obscuring from adjoining properties. Large Lot Developments The design guidelines indicate that large lot developments should provide for public transportation, encourage buildings to complement adjacent activities and visual character and create comfortable human environments, and incorporate screening, mitigation, utilities and drainage as positive design elements. The site plan does not show how transit would be able to serve the facility. The design guidelines and development guidelines provide for transit service from public streets through the incorporation of bus pullouts and bus shelters. Street Corners Developments on corner lots must enhance the property’s visual qualities by installing substantial landscaping, a decorative screen wall, providing pedestrian access, and architectural cover treatments. The site plan does not indicate how the corner of SR 507 and the SR 510 Yelm Loop will be enhanced. The Design Guidelines suggest substantial landscaping or hardscaping, a screen wall, trellis, or other architectural features. Pedestrian Circulation The following elements must be provided as part of the site plan for new developments: All pedestrian paths must comply with the ADA. Adequate lighting must be provided for pedestrian access. Walkways should be integrated with the required parking lot landscaping. Provide pathways through parking lots Integrate transit stops into the planning of site improvements Provide weather protection such as a canopy to create a covered pedestrian open space. Provide at least 200 square feet of landscaping at or near the entry. Provide pedestrian facilities such as benches, kiosks, or bicycle racks. Provide pedestrian scaled lighting. Provide adjacent window displays. Provide artwork or special pedestrian scaled signs.  Building Design and Details To encourage buildings that are comfortable at a human scale, at least three of the following features must be incorporated into the building design: Balconies in upper stories Bay windows Pedestrian oriented space Individual windows Gable or hipped roof Porch or covered entry Spatially defining building elements that define an occupied space Upper story setbacks Composing smaller building elements near the entry or pedestrian oriented street fronts To ensure new development is compatible with Yelm’s architectural size and character, at least two of the following features must be incorporated into the building design: Upper story setback Horizontal building modulation Modulated roof line Building articulation To encourage unique identifiable architectural features at intersections, at least one of the following features must be included on a façade facing a public street: Decorated roofline Decorative treatment of windows and doors Decorative railings, grill work, or landscape guards Landscape trellises Decorative light fixtures Decorative building materials (masonry, wood details or patterns) Concrete block walls must use textured blocks, colored mortar or a mix of other masonry types. Metal roofing must be of high quality with a standing seam and cannot be brightly colored. Concrete must be architecturally treated. Blank walls must be treated with trellis and plantings, landscaping beds or other methods. Parking Lot Landscaping Type IV landscaping is intended to provide visual relief and shade in parking areas. At least 24 square feet of landscaping is required for each parking stall proposed. Each area of landscaping must contain at least 100 square feet of area and must be at least six feet in any direction. Each planting area must contain at least one tree. Live groundcover shall be provided throughout each landscaping area. No parking stall shall be located more than 50 feet from a tree. Transportation and Site Access Yelm is a small compact community most directly affected by two state highways, SR 510 and SR 507, which bisect the community. These state routes are used by local residents for transportation throughout the City and for access to commercial and residential areas throughout the community as well as serving regional traffic. The updated Transportation element of the Yelm Comprehensive Plan identifies a number of improvements designed to avoid the need to significantly widen existing streets, particularly Yelm Avenue. New development impacts the transportation system in Yelm and, unless the improvements identified in the transportation plan are constructed, the City would need to require developers to pay the cost of internal street widening. The proposed SR 510 Yelm Loop is located at the eastern edge of the property. The Loop is a planned replacement for State Routes 507 and 510 through the City of Yelm, creating a route for regional traffic to avoid the City core and local access traffic. The Loop has been identified, an Environmental Assessment has been prepared, and a Finding of No Significant Impact has been issued. A public process was used to identify the proposed route and the Yelm Comprehensive Plan was updated to adopt the route as part of the transportation system in the City. The northern portion of the Loop is being designed and money has been allocated by the Legislature for the final design and purchase of right-of-way within the corridor. The Yelm Comprehensive Plan was updated in 2001 to adopt the preferred alternative location of the SR 510 Yelm Loop and SR 507 Yelm Loop, known as the Y2/Y3 transportation corridor, as identified in the Y2/Y3 Environmental Assessment. The Yelm Comprehensive Transportation Plan is adopted as an element of the Comprehensive Plan. The loop is identified as a project on the City’s Six Year Transportation Improvement Program. The Yelm Comprehensive Transportation Plan establishes the following policy regarding right-of-way… To retain existing right-of-way and to identify, acquire, and preserve rights-of-way. The City intends to use the recommendations from this Transportation Plan to identify current and future transportation system needs. The City will identify specific transportation system needs. The City will identify specific transportation corridors and alignments and locate and protect needed rights-of-way as soon as possible. Some methods that will be used to acquire and preserve rights-of-way include: Requiring dedication of rights-of-way as a condition for development when the need for such rights-of-way is linked to the development; Requesting donations of rights-of-way to the public; Purchasing rights-of-way by paying fair market value; and Acquiring development rights and easements from property owners. The City also seeks to protect rights-of-way from encroachment by any structure, substantial landscaping, or other obstruction to preserve the integrity of a comprehensive plan recommendation. Protection methods that may be used include a minimum setback requirement for property improvements to preserve sufficient right-of-way to allow for expansion of roadways; and development of specific guidelines regarding the installation and maintenance of any landscaping within the public right-of-way. The applicant will construct frontage improvements which include the dedication of right-of-way and construction of a portion of the SR 510 Yelm Loop along the western property line. Dedication of additional right-of-way along SR 507 to accommodate build-out of the Loop intersection will also be accomplished through the development of the site. The Mitigated Determination of Non-significance requires extensive improvements to the transportation network in order to mitigate traffic impacts and to meet concurrency requirements. These improvements include frontage improvements along both SR 507 and the SR 510 Yelm Loop. The Loop frontage will be dedicated as a City Street at this time and, ultimately, will be dedicated to the State of Washington Department of Transportation at the time the Loop is constructed. Although the Department of Transportation standards for the proximity of commercial access to a State Highway limit access to no closer than 660 feet to a signalized intersection, City development standards allow commercial driveway’s closer to an intersection. Based on this, the southern driveway approach on the Loop to the development is appropriate at this time as the Loop will at first be a City Street, but will have to be closed at the time the Washington Department of Transportation constructs the Loop. The City has adopted a Transportation Facility Charge (TFC) as part of its concurrency management requirements. The TFC was addressed in the Mitigated Determination of Non-significance and will be calculated and paid at the time of building permit issuance. Street Lighting Adequate street lighting is necessary to provide safety to pedestrians, vehicles, and homeowners. Street lighting is reviewed at the time of civil plan review in order to assure adequate lighting. Stormwater Quality and Quantity Impervious surfaces create stormwater runoff which, when uncontrolled and untreated can create health, safety, and environmental hazards. The City of Yelm has adopted the 1992 Department of Ecology Stormwater Manual, which requires all development to treat and control stormwater when over 5,000 square feet of impervious surface is created. The applicant has submitted a preliminary stormwater report which includes a conceptual design for the treatment and infiltration of the stormwater. The Community Development Department has reviewed this report and find that stormwater from the site can be managed appropriately through the conceptual plan. Civil plan review will include a final stormwater plan consistent with the preliminary plan. The applicant has proposed the use of an alternate technology for the treatment of stormwater. The proposed methodology, StormFilter by Stormwater Management, Inc., was issued a General Use Level Designation as basic stormwater treatment by the Washington Department of Ecology on January 26, 2005. The treatment gallery containing the StormFilter cartridges is proposed to be pumped to an infiltration gallery. The purpose of pumping the treatment stormwater into the infiltration gallery is to provide 6 feet of vertical separation between the bottom of the infiltration gallery and the ground water level during a high ground water flood event. Although Yelm typically does not allow the use of alternate technology, it has done so under circumstances where the alternate technology provides a higher degree of environmental protection and the applicant has the financial ability to maintain the system properly. A maintenance and operation plan is required for the final stormwater plan and this plan should include a methodology to maintain the system, including the pumps required for infiltration, if the use should be abandoned in the future. Any changes to the preliminary stormwater system required by conditions of this approval would have to meet the standards of the stormwater manual and Yelm Development Guidelines.  Water System The City’s Water Comprehensive Plan identifies the property as being within the water service area. The current fee to connect to the City water system is $1,500.00 per Equivalent Residential Unit (each ERU equals 900 cubic feet of water consumption per month). The site would be required to connect to the City's water system and to have a water main installed on the site to serve fire hydrants water service. The water main which would serve the site is located near the intersection of Grove Road and SR 507, which would have to be extended to the property and across all frontages at the applicant’s expense. The applicant may apply for a latecomer’s agreement to recover the cost of extending the water line. Water usage calculations shall be submitted with civil plans to show the anticipated usage. An irrigation meter may be installed for the purpose of irrigation. A backflow prevention device will be required for all landscape irrigation connections between the irrigation system and the water meter. Any existing well on the property must be decommissioned per Department of Ecology standards and any water rights associated with these wells shall be dedicated to the City of Yelm. Identified in the 2002 City of Yelm Water Comprehensive Plan is a requirement to install fire hydrant locks as part of the City’s water conservation and accountability program. Sanitary Sewer System The City’s Sewer Comprehensive Plan identifies the property as being within the sewer service area. The current fee to connect to the City sewer system is $5,417.00 per Equivalent Residential Unit (each ERU equals 900 cubic feet of water consumption per month). Sewer fees are based on water usage calculations. The site would be required to connect to the City's sanitary sewer system and to have a sewer main installed to the site. The sewer main which would serve the proposed development is located near the intersection of Middle Road and 100th Way and shall be extended at the applicant’s expense to the property and across all frontages. The applicant may apply for a latecomer’s agreement to recover the cost of extending the sewer line.  Fire Fire protection to the buildings must be provided per the International Fire Code. The specific requirements for installation of additional fire hydrants and fire lanes will be determined during civil plan review. The International Building Code (IBC) provides occupancy ratings for different types of uses. The fire coverage and sprinkler system for the proposed use must meet IBC and NFPA requirements. Community Development Department Recommendation The applicant has established that the request for site plan review approval satisfies all criteria set forth in Section 17.84.020 (C) YMC, meets all requirements of the Large Lot Commercial zoning district, and meets all other requirements of the Yelm Municipal Code. Therefore, the site plan should be approved subject to the following conditions: 1. The conditions of the Mitigated Determination of Non-significance are hereby referenced and are considered conditions of this approval. 2. The applicant shall connect to the City water system. The cost to connect shall include a fee of $1,500.00 per Equivalent Residential Unit (900 cubic feet per month), subject to change. The number of ERU’s will be calculated on water usage based on the design capacity of the new facility and the proposed portables. The applicant shall provide proposed water usage calculations in the civil plan submission. Water connection fees are paid at building permit issuance. The water line near the intersection of Grove Road and SR 507 shall be extended at the applicant’s expense to serve the property. The applicant may apply for a latecomer’s agreement to recover the cost of extending the water line. 3. The civil plan submission shall include fire flow calculations and demonstrate that the fire flow requirements of the International Fire Code have been met at the site. If water storage tanks are utilized to provide required fire flow, they shall meet the standards of the Yelm Design Guidelines, shall include backflow prevention pursuant to State Health Regulations, and shall include a maintenance and operations plan approved by the Community Development Department. All fire hydrants installed as part of the development shall include hydrant locks approved by the Development Review Engineer and the Public Works Director. 4. The applicant shall connect to the City S.T.E.P. sewer system. The cost to connect shall include a fee of $5,417.00 per ERU with a $145.00 inspection fee per connection, subject to change. The number of ERUs required will be determined by approved water consumption calculations submitted as part of the civil plans. Sewer connection fees are paid at building permit issuance. The sewer line near the intersection of Middle Road and 100th Way shall be extended at the applicants expense to provide service to the property. The applicant may apply for a latecomers agreement to recover the cost of extending the sewer line. Approved grease interceptors or oil interceptors shall be provided on all side sewers serving areas which include the potential for introduction of fats, oils, and greases into the sewer system. All S.T.E.P. tanks shall be designed to the specifications of the City of Yelm Development Guidelines, including a maximum depth to the tank invert of 6 feet below finish grade. 5. Upon completion of the onsite installation pursuant to the City’s Development Guidelines, the S.T.E.P. sewer equipment, appurtenances and lines shall be conveyed to the City, and an easement provided for maintenance. 6. The applicant shall design and construct all stormwater facilities in accordance with the conditions of the Mitigated Determination of Non-significance. A final stormwater report shall be included in the civil plan submission. 7. Parking shall be provided in accordance with the City of Yelm Development Guideline standards based on one space for every 250 square feet of gross floor area. The project shall provide: A minimum of 806 total parking spaces (9 feet by 20 feet minimum standard) A maximum 202 of the total spaces shall be compact stalls (8 feet by 16 feet). Shopping cart return areas shall not be located in required parking spaces. 16 accessible spaces pursuant to the Washington State Amendments to the Building Codes. A minimum of 4 loading areas. 8. The civil plans shall include a complete detailed landscape plan in accordance with Chapter 17.80 YMC, including provisions for irrigation and for maintenance of landscaping. A Type I landscape buffer is required along the north and east property lines. Type II landscaping is required along the west and south property lines and adjacent to buildings. Type III landscaping is required with all frontage improvements. Type IV landscaping is required in all parking areas. 9. The ‘Welcome to Yelm’ sign located in the southwest corner of the property shall be moved at the applicant’s expense to a location approved by the Community Development Department. The landscaping plan shall include the proposed new location of the sign. 10. The building elevations included as part of the site plan review application are consistent with the Yelm Design Guidelines for the gateway district and are approved as submitted. Any changes to the approved building elevations shall be submitted to the site plan review committee for review and approval. 11. The landscape buffer along the frontages of SR 507 and SR 510 Yelm Loop shall provide parking lot screening according to the design guidelines applicable to the gateway district. The screening shall incorporate a combination of the following design elements: Screen walls of river rock no less than 3 feet in height and segments not less than 20 feet in length. Landscaping typical of type II Decorative fence or trellis Appropriate transit facilities for Intercity Transit along the SR 510 Yelm Loop frontage. The landscaping plan shall include the plan for parking lot screening information. 12. The intersection of SR 507 and the SR 510 Yelm Loop shall include corner enhancements consistent with the Design Guidelines for the gateway district that include the following elements: Landscaping enhancements A structural element designed to enhance the intersection and create an attractive entry into the City of Yelm such as the relocated ‘Welcome to Yelm’ sign or a clock tower. The landscaping plan shall include the plan for corner enhancement. 13. Refuse collection and trash compaction areas shall be designed to contain all refuse generated on site and deposited between collections. Deposited refuse shall not be visible from outside the refuse enclosure. Screening shall be of a material and design compatible with the overall architectural theme of the associated structure, shall be at least as high as the refuse container, and shall in no case be less than six-feet in height with a gate enclosure. The fence shall be a solid material such as wood or masonry, and shall be designed per the City of Yelm Development guidelines. Building plans shall include architectural details of the enclosure. If floor drains are utilized in the refuse collection area, they shall be tied to the S.T.E.P. sewer system, and a roof shall be provided over the entire collection area. 14. The civil plan submission shall include a fire access plan showing all required fire lanes and a striping plan for fire lanes. 15. The civil plan submission shall include a plan, including provisions for a financial guarantee, for maintenance of the property should the use discontinue. The plan shall include the maintenance of the stormwater system, perimeter and parking lot landscaping and the building. The plan shall also provide provisions for enforcement of the maintenance plan which does not financially burden the City of Yelm. 16. There shall be no outdoor storage or display of merchandise which is not screened from public rights-of-way or adjacent residentially zoned properties. The landscaping plan shall include details for screening all outdoor display areas, including the garden center. There shall be no outdoor storage in cargo containers, trailers, or storage containers which have not been included in the landscaping plan and approved by the site plan review committee. 17. There shall be no overnight recreational vehicle parking on the site. 18. The site plan is effective for eighteen (18) months from the date of this approval. If application for a building permit is not made within the eighteen month period, the approval shall automatically terminate. The applicant may request a six-month extension of the approval, if the request is made in writing prior to the expiration date of this approval.