Loading...
1504 Yelm Ave W Forsberg Pre-Submission Notes August 30, 2017 Corey & Kai Forsberg of Community Heating and Cooling propose to convert an existing commercial building and site to an office with shop and delivery area at 1504 Yelm Avenue West (parcel 21713340406) Process The approval process from initial concept to final occupancy consists of three steps: land use review, civil plan review, and building life/safety review. Land Use As the proposal, as submitted, is an allowed use in the General Commercial zoning district, the project would be approved through the administrative site plan review process. An environmental checklist is required if the shop building(s) are more than 10,000 square feet and or any landfill or excavation of 1,000 cubic yards. The administrative site plan review process allows notification of the application to surrounding property owners, but does not trigger a public hearing. A complete application will be routed to the City Public Works Department, Thurston County, and other state agencies (including the Department of Transportation) for comment. After the review process, if an environmental checklist is required, City staff will issue a threshold determination that the project will have no significant impact to the environment and begin to craft the approval. A typical approval includes conditions designed to ensure the proposal is consistent with the development standards of the City. The project can only be denied if it will have significant environmental impacts or is inconsistent with City, County, or State development regulations. The administrative site plan review process typically takes between 8 to 12 weeks. The decision may be appealed to the City's Hearing Examiner. Civil Plan Review The City reviews site construction plans for constructability and consistency with the City's engineering standards and details. Civil construction plans detail all the proposed site improvements down to the size of water and sewer lines and the location of the water meter. Civil plans must be prepared by an engineer licensed in the State of Washington. The City uses a third party peer review service as well as a review by City staff. A first review typically takes 3 to 4 weeks. Additional reviews may be needed depending on the quality of the initial plans set. Building Life/Safety Yelm has adopted the International Building Codes and reviews building plans for life/safety and consistency per these codes, as adopted by Washington State. Electrical permits and inspections are through the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. A first review of structural plans typically takes 2 to 3 weeks. Additional reviews may be needed depending on the quality of the initial plan sets. Consistency with Development Standards Potable Water There is water service to the property. The engineer preparing the civil plans will need to ensure that the existing infrastructure is capable of supporting the proposed development for both potable water pressure and fire flows. If the shop is to have water service or restroom facilities, additional water connections will be required. All commercial buildings and irrigation systems are required to provide for cross-connection control through the provisions of a back flow prevention device (reduced pressure backflow assembly) installed on the water services. A list of approved devices can be found at Chapter 246-290-490 WAC. If irrigation is installed, a double detector check valve is required. A RPBA is required at this site. The City currently has a limited number of water connections available for development, although we are pursuing additional water rights and investing in water system infrastructure to increase capacity. If the City does not have sufficient approved water connections at the time a building permit for the proposed development is ready to issue, the permit will be denied until additional water resources are available. Waste Water There is sewer service to the property. The City of Yelm operates a Septic Tank Effluent Pumping (STEP) sewer system which includes a treatment tank on the property with effluent being pumped to the Wastewater Reclamation Facility for further treatment and reutilization. The building shares a S.T.E.P. tank with the restaurant on the adjoining property. The shared system is over 20 years old and has maintenance issues. The change in use of the site, and separate ownership requires a new separate sewer connection. This will require a 1,500 gallon S.T.E.P. tank with a class1, Division 1 system. Any commercial use that potentially generates Fats, Oils, or Greases (FOG) are required to remove FOG from the wastewater before it enters the STEP tank. The City encourages your engineer to consider the potential future uses of the general retail buildings and incorporate appropriate measures to remove FOG during the design of the project. Storm Water The City does not operate a storm water collection and treatment system, so storm water must be collected, treated, and infiltrated on the project site. There is some existing treatment on the site, however it is not sized for parking or auto storage in the putt putt golf area. The engineer preparing the civil plans will determine the required level of treatment and will prepare a storm water plan to the City for review as part of the civil plan review process. The City has adopted the most recent version of the Washington State Department of Ecology Storm Water Manual. The stormwater manual requires treatment of stormwater runoff prior to discharge to the ground. Where vehicles or other equipment that may leak hazardous materials, asphalt or concrete pavement with runoff to a stormwater treatment facility is generally acceptable. Transportation Access to the main parking area is located in an existing private access easement. The City does not have archived files of the easement due to fire destruction. The county has not archived any maps or easements for these parcels either. As this is a private access easement, the City will review access to storage yard area for safety, and driveway construction standards. It is up to the property owner to determine if additional approvals are needed to access the private easement. Environmental Maps indicate the property contains soils moderately suitable as habitat for the Mazama Pocket Gopher, a protected species listed on the Washington Priority Species and Habitat List as well as the Federal Threatened Species List. As part of the land use review process, City staff will conduct a site investigation. If there is evidence of pocket gopher activity on the property, a critical areas report would then be required before the permit is processed. If a critical areas report is required, it must be prepared by a qualified professional. Compliance with Yelm’s requirements under the Critical Areas Code does not ensure compliance with the provisions of the Endangered Species Act, and a federal permit may be required if pocket gophers are found on the property. This permit would be issued through the US Fish and Wildlife Service (360.753.5823). Site Design Unless the building footprint is increased by more than 25%, no additional design standards are required for the building. There is a shared parking agreement between this building and the restaurant on the adjacent parcel. Additional parking is not required, based on the proposal. The Unified Development Code includes standards for parking lot design and landscaping, requires adequately sized service areas for both commercial and multi-family residential, pedestrian access between buildings, corner enhancements, and mailbox clusters on site. Additionally, multi-family developments are required to provide open spaces that provide active recreation for the residents. Outdoor storage does require screening from adjoining properties and right-of-way. There is an existing wood fence between the residential uses, and a wrought iron fence along the frontage. The use of chain link fencing is not allowed when visible from a public right of way. Perimeter landscaping is required. Existing conditions may be considered when looking at perimeter landscape. The building requires a minimum of 4 parking stalls, one of which must be ADA van accessible. The parking of business vehicles should not impede customer parking. Refuse areas should incorporate the architectural features of the development and meet the enclosure standards of Section 18.59.040. Building Design Building setbacks are 15 feet from the front, 10 from the sides and 20 from the rear and maximum building height is 40 feet. The Unified Development code provides several ways to meet building design standards such as building details and architectural or building modulation. Service areas and biofiltration swales are to be located to the rear of the property unless incorporated as a water feature. All buildings and activities should provide pedestrian connections that are ADA compliant. Fees & Charges Land Use Review Administrative Site Plan Review $750 SEPA Checklist $150 Civil Plan Review City Staff Review $250 Consultant Review Actual Cost Building Permit Review Plan Review Based on value Building Permit Based on value Sewer SDC $6,394 Water SDC $6,289 Traffic Impact Fee (per new Peak PM Trip) $1,497 These notes are based solely on the site plan and description submitted on August 23, 2017. They are meant to map out the process for approval and to point out any potential conflicts with City standards and are NOT meant to fully review the proposed project with all regulations.