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Yelm Cooperative  City of Yelm Community Development Department 105 Yelm Avenue West P.O. Box 479 Yelm, WA 98597   Pre-Application Meeting March 14, 2012 These comments are preliminary in nature and are not intended to represent final comments and or requirements for the City of Yelm. Until a complete application is made, the Community Development Department can only attempt to inform the applicant of general requirements as they appear in the form presented by the applicant at the time of pre-submission. Proponent: Yelm Cooperative Project Proposal: Retail and Grocery Project Location: Gordon’s Garden Center, 308 Yelm Ave East. Tax parcel numbers 64420901300 (patio center) and 64420901100, 64420900800, 64420900700, and 64420900500 (garden center) Background The Yelm Cooperative operates a retail presence providing locally produced foods and other basic goods to both its members and the public. Gordon’s Garden Center is a retail nursery and garden supply business. Gordon’s Garden Center currently includes a patio center on tax parcel 64420901300 and a retail nursery with a retail greenhouse, storage buildings, and a house converted into office space on tax parcels 64420901100, 0800, 0700, and 0500. Parking for the entire Gordon’s Garden Center is provided by a parking lot adjacent to the patio center with access to the nursery through the patio center. The Yelm Cooperative indicates that it will purchase the patio center parcel (patio center), which includes parking for both the patio center and nursery, and convert the building to provide retail space for the Cooperative. Gordon’s Garden Center would move entirely onto the remaining parcels (garden center). Zoning The property is zoned Central Business District (CBD) which is codified at Chapter 17.26 YMC. The (C-1) district allows for retail sales and grocery stores as a permitted use. The conversion of the ‘patio center’ from retail garden sales to a retail grocery does not require a zoning permit or approval. If the existing parking is meant to serve both the Cooperative and garden center, a share parking agreement will be required to be executed. Any additional park to serve the garden center would have to be developed to current City standards and would require the collection, treatment, and disposal of storm water from the new parking area. Fees Water Meter Fee Based on meter size Water Connection Fee $5,348 per ERU Sewer Connection Fee $6,394 per ERU Sewer Inspection Fee $145.00 per ERU Water The present patio center is currently connected to the City of Yelm’s water system via a 5/8 inch meter. The entire property upon which Gordon’s Garden Center currently occupies is served by 5 separate water meters, one serving the old Masonic Lodge, one serving the patio center, one serving the house/office in the garden center, an irrigation meter on Jefferson serving the garden center and an irrigation meter on 4th serving the greenhouse. The account serving the existing patio center currently consumes around 80 cubic feet of water per month while the account serving the building currently occupied by the Cooperative consumes around 1,100 cubic feet/month. Prior to use of the patio center for the Cooperative, any cross connections between the patio center and garden center must be reconstructed in a manner to separate water usage between the patio center and garden center. Backflow prevention assemblies must be provided at each meter. Water connections are based on a consumption rate of 875 cubic feet a month and are charged at a rate of $5,348 per connection (fee subject to change). Prior to operation, the Cooperative must provide an engineers estimate of water usage and, if the estimated usage is over 875 cf, additional connections must be purchased. Sewer The proposed site is currently located in the City of Yelm’s STEP sewer system service area and is currently connected to the sewer system. The patio center is connected to a 4,500 gallon STEP tank that is on city power. This tank also serves the home located at 305 Jefferson Avenue and the house/office on the garden center property. If the water usage estimate shows that flows to the tank will increase with the change of use, a STEP tank sizing report prepared by an engineer licensed by the State of Washington and familiar with STEP sewer systems must be submitted at the time of the tenant improvement permit application. If the report identifies the need for additional detention, storage, or working volume, this will be provided before operation of the Cooperative. A grease interceptor will be required for the Cooperative in the patio center. Section 1014.0 of the Uniform Plumbing Code identifies two types of allowed grease interceptors, hydro-mechanical and gravity, and provides sizing information on each. At the time of the tenant improvement prior to operation of the Cooperative, an approved grease interceptor must be provided that covers any plumbing fixtures that have grease waste lines. Building A building permit for a tenant improvement will be required from the Community Development Department. The following issues will be required to be addressed through this process. As the existing patio center and proposed Cooperative are both classified as “M” Occupancies by the International Building Code, no code changes to the existing building will be required provided that exiting from both businesses must meet standards of the IBC and provided that restroom facilities as required by the IBC be provided for each business. The common door between the patio center and garden center does not satisfy requirements for an exit for either business. The door may be maintained between the businesses, but does not count towards exiting or access requirements. The proposed main entrance to the patio center (Cooperative) building and the emergency exit locations appear to be code compliant. The north exit to the alley will need to be demarked by walls, pylons or other similar permanent structures to maintain an unencumbered width of 44 inches through the warehouse from the retail space to the exit door. A new main entrance to the garden center will be required. The new main entrance must have an accessible path from required accessible parking to the entrance. It appears there are three options for the required accessible parking/path, the first being from the existing parking lot along the Yelm Avenue sidewalk to the Garden Center entrance on 4th Street, the second being from the existing partking lot down the alley, and the third from Jefferson Avenue. The first two options would require the bringing the accessible parking in the existing lot up to current standards and either bringing the sidewalk along Yelm Avenue up to current standards or constructing a new accessible path in the alley. The third option would require the construction of new accessible parking on Jefferson Avenue and the construction of a new accessible path. The proposed emergency exits from the garden center appear to be code compliant. All built in furnishings and equipment shall meet ADA requirements. No locking mechanisms may be installed on the exit doors that require a turning movement or special knowledge to access the exterior of the building. Exit paths shall be signed and illuminated pursuant to the IBC. Any change to the heating and cooling of the conditioned space shall meet the 2009 Washington State Energy and International Mechanical Codes for heating, cooling and ventilation. Any change or alteration to the existing water or wasted system shall be per the Uniform Plumbing Code. The garden center will need to provide a men’s and women’s restroom with two water closets each, one of which in each restroom being accessible. Five sets of building plans, one of which may be half scale, two sets of any engineering calculations, energy calculations and specifications will be required. Plan review may take up to 10 working days, depending on the completeness of the information submitted.