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1 MEMORANDUM TO: DESIGN REVIEW BOARD FROM: David Lee, Senior Planner Cameron Zapata, Planner SUBJECT: LAND-2018-00869; LMC Marymoor Master Plan/Site Plan Entitlement/Development Agreement; Recommendation LOCATION: 17611 NE 70th Street DATE: February 21, 2019 Site & Background The site is approximately 4.9 acres in size and is bounded by NE 70th Street on the north,176th Avenue NE on the west, future NE 68th Street on the south, and the East Lake Sammamish Trail on the west. ---PAGE BREAK--- 2 The proposal is to construct three residential buildings over ground floor commercial space facing three streets. Two of the residential buildings will be 5 stories tall and one of the buildings will be 6 stories tall. There is an east-west woonerf proposed between the north building, and the two south buildings. The development proposes approximately 433 residential units and 41,500 square feet of commercial space. Shallow groundwater is prevalent throughout the site and conveyance of groundwater is a challenge. Process & DRB Decision/Recommendation This development requires three separate Land Use applications; Master Plan, Development Agreement, and Site Plan Entitlement, being processed concurrently and ultimately being reviewed and decided upon through a public hearing before the City Council. The Design Review Board will be forwarding a recommendation about the approval of the design to the Technical Committee, who will forward the DRB’s findings to the City Council. A big part of the design of the buildings is the integration of art into the design. The art will be adjudicated by the City of Redmond Arts Commission. The DRB will be responsible for how that art is essentially framed with the building and site, but not the art itself. More discussion on the art component will be presented later in this report. Marymoor Design District & Design Implementation The primary goal for this neighborhood is that it become a unique neighborhood. The MDD is zoned as a moderately dense mixed-use neighborhood. Key features of the zone is the future light rail station, allowance of existing industrial uses, and the proximity to a major regional park. The City Council stressed the word “eclectic” when initiating the Marymoor Design District. The City Council’s intent was to have an eclectic neighborhood through place making and architecture. The Marymoor Design District should be visibly different than the building forms that have been constructed in the Downtown and Overlake urban centers. The Marymoor Design District is still in the midst of creating a design standard to implement the City Council’s vision. Strictly implementing the citywide design standards (RZC 21.60) will likely yield familiar building forms and design. Therefore, much of this will fall to the Design Review Board to establish. However, some principles such as varied rooflines, modulation/articulation, superior materials, and blank spaces should still be observed. Design & Approach As mentioned in the previous sections, strictly adhering to RZC 21.60 will likely create buildings and site conditions that are prevalent in the Downtown and Overlake zones. In an effort to distinguish this project from other developments in the City, the applicant is proposing to fully integrate art into both the site and the building. The applicant is proposing to incorporate approximately $1 million dollars in art into the building and site. This is a very exciting opportunity for the City to work in partnership with the developer to come up with innovative building/site design to not only showcase art within the City, but to also create a truly unique neighborhood experience. ---PAGE BREAK--- 3 Staff’s approach to the design of the site and buildings is to be less prescriptive, and more open to approaches to building design that truly highlight the art and gateway experience as you enter this neighborhood. The northern building, particularly the north and northeast facades, are an integral part of beginning the MDD experience. This area acts as the main gateway to the MDD, and is the most publicly visible building/façade as it is viewable from the future light rail station across the street, NE 70TH St, and East Lake Sammamish Trail. These facades and corner should act as a gateway through the use of bold innovative design, and be a multi-modal viewing experience. The design of the building, in concert with the integrated art, should have a similar viewing experience whether you’re a pedestrian walking along the adjacent sidewalk, riding your bike along the trail, getting off the future light rail, or driving by in your car. The applicant has proposed to essentially carve out strategic areas on the building façade to integrate art pieces into the design. When discussing the design of the building, the underlying thought should be “Is this eclectic? Is this different enough from any other development the DRB has reviewed?”. February 21, 2019 Meeting At the last meeting the DRB had decided that the project should be brought back with the changes and renderings recommended by the Board. DRB also determined that it would be able to review the site as a whole, and depending on the changes and renderings shown, would be able to forward a recommendation to the Technical Committee and City Council. As relayed earlier, since this is a Master Plan/DA/SPE, the DRB would be making a recommendation of approval on design related materials pertaining to Article III of the Redmond Zoning Code. The Technical Committee will forward the recommendation, along with the Technical Committee’s recommendation, to the City Council for consideration and ultimate approval/denial. February 21, 2019 Meeting Packet There were three packets attached to this memo. The first packet entitled “Summary of Design Changes” focuses on only the changes made and renderings the DRB had asked for from the last meeting. The second packet entitled “Annotated DRB”, is the entire site (with all buildings) with annotations by the applicant to highlight some of the changes made. The third packet called “Council Recommendation Packet” is the clean copy (no annotations) the DRB would be forwarding to the City Council for approval consideration. For the purposes of review and comment, the DRB should rely on the first two attachments. Administrative Design Flexibility (ADF) The application requires several Administrative Design Flexibility approvals. The purpose of the Administrative Design Flexibility (listed in RZC 21.76.070.C.) is to promote creativity in site design, allow flexibility in the application of standards in certain zones, and to achieve the creation of sites and uses that may benefit the public by the application of flexible standards not otherwise possible under conventional development regulations. In the Marymoor Design District, the following decision criteria (RZC 21.76.070.C.8.a.) must be met: ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 I. Better meets the intent of the goals and policies for the zone in which the site is located II. Is superior in design in terms of architecture, building materials, site design, landscaping, and open space; and III. Provides benefit in terms of desired use and activity Per RZC 21.76.070.C.8.b., the following is allowed to be modified: • Parking Lot Location. Requirements for the location of on-site parking may be modified within the development (except for parking within residential yard areas) to provide for greater joint-use and quasi-public parking opportunities and uses which are highly desirable in the subject design area. • For Downtown, mid-block pedestrian walkways and vehicular lanes, per RZC 21.10.150, Pedestrian System, may be modified to allow variations in locations and minimum widths for these items to provide superiority in site design and function which benefits both the property owner and public. • Street standards for attached dwelling unit subdivision developments. • Other Site Requirements and Standards. All other site requirements and standards except density, number of stories, and FAR may be modified within the development to provide superiority in site design; i.e., greater amounts of privacy, maintenance of views, greater environmental benefit, distinctive and high quality of design, improved pedestrian access, preservation of vegetation, provision of usable open space, and adequate light, air, and security. ADF’s Sought The applicant is seeking the following ADF’s: • Rooftop modulation RZC 21.60.040.B.3.b- ii. The width of any continuous flat roofline should not extend more than 100 feet without modulation. Modulation should consist of either one or a combination of the following treatments: o For flat roofs or facades with a horizontal eave, fascia, or parapet with at least an eight-foot return, the minimum vertical dimension of roofline modulation is the greater of two feet or one-tenth multiplied by the wall height (finish grade to top of wall) if the segment is 50 feet or less, or at least four feet if the segment is more than 50 feet in length. o Sloped or gabled roofline segment of at least 20 feet in width and no less than three feet vertical in 12 feet horizontal. Applicant is proposing a mixture of flat roof lines (predominantly on the northern building) and modulated rooflines throughout the site. The varied rooflines and styles of buildings add to the overall eclectic nature of the development as a whole. Strictly following code mandated roofline treatments would result in similar rooflines both within the development ---PAGE BREAK--- 5 and in other urban zones. The proposed design better meets the intent of the goals and policies for the zone in which the site is located, superior in design, and provides a benefit in terms of desired use and activity (visually). • RZC 21.13.140 requires a 15’ upper story setback along the front of any building within the MDD2. The northern most building, has a varied upper story setback ranging from 0’ to 15’ as the upper body of the building is angled after the first story. Strictly following the code mandated upper story setback would result in similar building forms within the proposed development site, as well as across the MDD in future developments. Varied upper story setbacks should be encouraged to better vary the designs within the MDD. The proposed design better meets the intent of the goals and policies for the zone in which the site is located, offers superior design, and provides a benefit in terms of desired use and activity (visually). • RZC 21.13.140.B.3 requires that where pedestrian-oriented uses are encouraged (the 69th Street frontage), a minimum of 50 percent of the linear sidewalk-level facade shall be designed to accommodate future conversion to pedestrian-oriented uses and shall be designed at a maximum of 6 inches above sidewalk grade. Residential uses are permitted. The ground-floor height standard of 15 feet does not apply in this area. Due to grading issues, it is not feasible to accommodate the maximum 6” grade. The applicant has provided glazing, high quality materials and design, and landscaping to create an inviting and useable pedestrian space. The proposed design better meets the intent of the goals and policies for the zone in which the site is located, superior in design, and provides a benefit in terms of desired use and activity (visually). • RZC 21.60.040.B.2.b.ii requires building facades visible from public streets and public spaces shall be stepped back or projected forward at intervals to provide a minimum of 40 percent facade modulation unless the applicant demonstrates that an alternate design solution provides an equal or greater level of achieving the intent of the section. The minimum depth of modulation shall be one foot, and the minimum width shall be five feet. The applicant has provided a very unique building experience by integrating moments of art interspersed throughout the site on the buildings. All three buildings are modulated appropriately in light of these art features, although they do not meet code specifications. The proposed design better meets the intent of the goals and policies for the zone in which the site is located, offers superior design, and provides a benefit in terms of desired use and activity (visually). Closing If the DRB is ready to make a recommendation, staff can provide a sample motion at the meeting that will capture all the necessary recommendation components necessary to forward a ---PAGE BREAK--- 6 recommendation to the council. If the DRB is not ready to provide a recommendation, staff will work with the applicant to bring forth another edition of this project. Staff would like to express its appreciation to the Design Review Board on its work on this project. The DRB, through its constructive critiques and thoughtful comments, have really helped create one of the most unique developments in the City and setting a tone for future developments within the MDD!