Initial Review LetterCity of Yelm
Community Development Department
Z05 Yelm Avenue West
P_O_ Sox 479
Yelm, WA 98597
March 2O, 2007
Justin Goroch
Architects B C RA
21 06 Pacific Avenue, Suite 300
Tacoma, WA 98402
Dear Justin:
The Community Development Department has determined that your application on
behalf of your client, Mike McGraw, for commercial development at the corner of Grove
Road and SR 507 is still incomplete. Your telephone conversation with Nisha Box,
Assistant Planner, on March 15, 2006, prompted a second review of the application
materials. Specifically, a site grading plan or calculations which show less than 100
cubic feet of material is being disturbed needs to be submitted.
Further, the Department has also conducted a preliminary review of the application and
the expanded environmental checklist which includes a preliminary stormwater report
and traffic impact analysis. Based on that preliminary review the Department believes
that there are potential significant adverse impacts associated with the Development
that are not adequately disclosed in the documents and that a Determination of
Significance is probable. This preliminary determination is made pursuant to Section
1 97-1 1 -350 WAC.
First, the site plan is inaccurate in that it does not properly depict the property
boundaries as they exist at the time of application. While an application for a boundary
line adjustment has been submitted to and approved by the Department, it has not been
finalized nor been recorded with the Thurston County Auditor's Office.
Even if the boundary line adjustment had been finalized, however, the Department will
review the project as a single integrated development pursuant to Section 1 97-1 1 -060
WAC in order to properly identify the cumulative impacts of the development of the
property. As we have previously indicated to you and your client in several meetings
prior to submission of the application, the Department is concerned that reviewing
development of only a portion of 17.5 acre site because you have initiated a series of
actions designed to segment the project will not provide a clear picture of potential
impacts as well as possible mitigation measures. This concern is supported by the
application materials- The application relies on developing infrastructure on the entire
site to support development of the western portion. It also identifies potential significant
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impacts and concurrency failures that could be mitigated through development of the
entire site. Because the application includes a site plan review and a series of buildings
on the property, mitigation may be phased as the project builds out, as we have noted
during our meetings with you and your client.
In fact, although you have indicated that the proposed easterly property (parcel C) is
`not a part' of the application packet, that portion of the property is utilized for
infrastructure that serves the proposed development, including water lines and an
access point. Further, the application and checklist both refer to the development of a
'17.5 acre parcel of land, which is Mr. McGraw's entire ownership including `parcel C'.
In addition, the Traffic Impact Analysis not only notes that there are impacts from the
development to various intersections in the City, it points out the fact that the project
fails concurrency standards at Grove Road. While the report concludes, with no
analysis, that left bound traffic from the site will utilize the "SR 5'I O/SR 5'I O Loop Road"
via Grove and '103rd, it does not address the ability of these roads to handle additional
traffic nor was the intersection of Grove and 103rd reviewed for possible impacts. These
conclusions were reached after the TIA utilized an incorrect trip generation rate from the
City's concurrency code that understates trip generation by over 1 'I %.
Finally, the preliminary storm drainage report proposes to utilize storm filter cartridges
for the treatment of stormwater runoff- As has been previously noted, the City has not
approved this type of treatment system.
Prior to issuing a threshold determination based on probable significant impacts, the
Department would rather review your application together with you to discuss potential
additional information and analysis that may better identify potential significant impacts
and appropriate mitigation measures that would allow the Department to issue a
Mitigated DNS. We have reserved time at our next available Site Plan Review
Committee meeting for this purpose, if you and your team are available. The meeting
would be Wednesday, March 28, at 2:00 PM in the Yelm City Hall Conference Room.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at the Yelm Community
Development Department.
Sincere
G nt Beck, it or
Co muni Development Department
March 20, 2007 Page 2 of 2