Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Committees - Planning and Economic Development Committee - 12/07/1987 KENT BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MINUT December 7, 1987 The scheduled meeting of the Kent Board of Adjustment was called to order by Chairwoman Mauritsen on the evening of Monday, Deceer 7, 1987, at 7:30 PM in the Kent City Hall, City Council Chambers. MEMBERS PRESENT: Phyllis Mauritsen, Chairwoman Beth Carroll, Vice Chairwoman Tracy Faust Walter Flue Robert Jarvis PLANNING STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: James P. Harris, Planning Director Greg McCormick, Assistant Planner Charlene Anderson, Recording Secretary APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 2, 1987 Walter Flue MOVED and Mr. Jarvis BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT MINUTES SECONDED the motion that the minutes of the November ,2, 1987 Board of Adjustment meeting be approved as printed. Motion parried. Chairwoman Mauritsen administered the oath for all wh© .intended to speak. HOLMAN DISTRIBUTION CENTER Mr. Harris briefly described the reason VARIANCE #V-87-6 CONT'D for the amended request for variance and stated the applicant had submitted the revised application materials in a timely manner. Mr. McCormick stated the applicant requests a variance to reduce the required 101 off-street parking spaces to 55 spade for a 202,560 square foot warehouse building. The property is located at 76th Avenue S. , north of S. 228th Street, is approximately 11.9 acres in Baize and is located in an M3, General Industrial, zoning district. The ,, ;o;aprehensive Plan Map designates the property as I, Industry. Mr. ormick stated that surrounding uses are predominantly industrial with, dock-high facilities. The property is bordered on the north by Mill Creek, for which there is required a 50 foot setback for impervious surfaces. There are no apparent flood control problems. Road improvements are underway to extend 76th Avenue S. from S. 228th Street to S. 212th Street. It is anticipated that this improvement will increase traffic in the area;,, open up the area to development and not allow for on-street parking. The zoning code requirement for off-street parking is supported by t4ge,, Goals and Objectives of the City-wide Comprehensive Plan and the Valley 1'1 .r Plan. Mr. McCormick reiterated the conditions under which the Board of Adjustment may grant a variance. Granting this variance would appear to be a special Kent Board of Adjustment Minutes December 7, 1987 Page Two privilege because no variance has previously been granted for off-street parking requirements. There do not appear to be any special circumstances to support this variance. The granting of this variance could be detrimental to public safety and welfare in that if for future tenants the number of parking spaces desired by the applicant is insufficient, overflow parking on the street would be a dangerous situation for pedestrians and motorists alike. Mr. McCormick stated the letter from the applicant's representative, The Blaylock Company, provided arguments for the uniqueness of the Holman Distribution Center operation. Mr. Blaylock states the Holman facility is not a speculative warehouse, is a break-in-transit warehouse at which no trucks will be parked, is of an unusual design which makes conversion to another use impractical, and is the first of its type built for public storage in the United States. The Kent Building Official has stated the Holman facility has been built to last a long time and as such it is logical it would change uses. Also the building is of such a height that it could accommodate additional floors. Mr. McCormick showed a video of the site. Chairwoman Mauritsen opened the public hearing. Roger Blaylock, 10717 NE 4th Street, Suite 9, Bellevue, WA 98004, stated the request is to reduce the required number of off-street parking spaces. Mr. Blaylock read Chapter 15.05.020 B of the Kent Zoning Code regarding parking requirements upon changing to another use and stated that SEPA also can review parking upon a change of use. The Holman Distribution building is built of a unique height and strength to accommodate a special rack storage system and specialized e(otipment. A video was shown which highlighted the Lansing equipment. . The equipment is non-labor-intensive and therefore the number of employees will be less than in a typical warehouse. The function of the warehouse is unique. The cost of improvements to accommodate the specialized racks and equipment represents 40% of the total value of the building so conversion to another use is unlikely. Mr. Blaylock stated granting the vatiatce would not constitute a special privilege because the operation is unique; it is a low-labor operation. If there were a change in use, a parking structure could be constructed at that time. There are special circitotances applicable to the site since Mill Creek borders it on both the east and north sides and there are special setbacks and landscaping required. Granting the variance would not be detrimental to the public welfare because there are a limited number of employees and there will be three shifts in operation. This disperses the impact of vehicular and pedestrian traffic; there is no peak hour. Mr. Blaylock stated it was interesting to -note that on the video that was shown of the site, the parking lot for the=° adjacent property was 3/4 empty. He believes 55 spaces would be adequate for the Holman operation. In response to Ms. Carroll's question, Mr. Blaylock stated the hardship in Kent Board of Adjustment Minutes December 7, 1987 Page Three this case is the setback and landscaping requirements due to Mill Creek. This special setback and landscaping uses land which could otherwise be used for parking. The hardship is also time. The applicant has stated that after removing the surcharge next year, he would be happy to construct parking. The original application for variance was for more time but it was deemed an inappropriate request before the Board of Adjustment. Bob Downey, General Manager, Holman Distribution, 8214 NE 8th, Bellevue, in responding to Ms. Faust-'s question, stated that the Holman Distribution Center building is the first of its kind in the United States for public storage. Other private companies, e.g. , Maybelline, Westinghouse and R. L. Crane, have used the same type of operation for their g3M storage. He stated that his company is 124 years old and they know the public storage business; they had not done a marketing survey on this type of building in general but they had compared it economically with their present operation. Ms. Faust MOVED to close the public hearing. Ms. Carroll SECONDED the motion. Motion carried. The Board members deliberated in executive session. When the meeting was brought back to order, Ms. Faust MOVED that the variance be denied based upon the following three considerations: 1) The variance would constitute a grant of special privilege in this area. 2) There are no special circumstances related to the subject property. 3) The variance may be materially detrimental to the public welfare by promoting on-street parking. Mr. Jarvis SECONDED the motion. Motion carried. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Ms. Faust MOVEDb4r4 Mr. Jarvis SECONDED the motion to nominate Phyllis Mauritsen as chairwoman. Ms. Carroll MOVED and Ms. Faust,,SECONDED the motion that nominations for Chair be closed. Ms. Carroll MOVED and Mr. Flue SECONDED the motion. to nominate Robert Jarvis as Vice Chairman. Mr. Flue MOVED and Ms. Faust SECONDED the motion that nominations for Vice Chair be closed. ADJOURNMENT Mr. Flue MOVED and Ms. Faust SECONDED the motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:00 PM. Reqp,ectfully bmi ted, Jam P. Harris, Secretary