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Revised Cover Letter received 1-27-16.pdfVeterinary Cancer Specialty Care / Conditional Use Permit December 8, 2015 Page 1 of 5 December 9, 2015 Amended January 27, 2016 City of Edmonds Development Services Department 1215th Ave N Edmonds, WA 98020 ANIMAL REFERRAL CENTER RE: Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care / Conditional Use Permit 8401 Main Street, Edmonds, WA 98020 All, Please accept this letter as our request for a Conditional Use Permit for the subject Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care use to be located at 8401 Main Street, Edmonds, WA 98020. My interest in the property is to purchase the building, remodel it and open a multi -specialty hospital utilizing the available 13,000 square feet to serve the Edmonds community. The proposed use includes a full service Specialty Veterinary Hospital to occupy the majority of this building, leaving a small tenant suite for lease rental. The Conditional Use Permit is requested to allow the proposed facility to operate on a 24-hour, seven days a week basis to care for customer patients. I am the current owner and operator of Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care which is a specialty department of Oncology care for Veterinary patients. We are growing extremely fast and extending beyond our current location of 23200 Edmonds Way, Edmonds, WA 98020. We are hoping to expand into a larger hospital with ability to add other complimentary services within 6 months of operation. We will specifically add Surgery, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, and Radiology services, along with 24 -hours care Emergency Service within the new location. We are not a kennel and will not offer boarding. Many efforts will be made within the interior remodeling to contain the sound created from any hospitalized patients. The current layout of the building with the bathrooms along the back of the building will help to shelter noise on the interior of the building from the residential area behind the building. An outdoor area also known as the "outdoor dog area" will be created for patients for a "potty" area. Patients will be allowed to use this area to void while present for appointments or hospitalization. This area will be made of permeable substrate and will be contained with a gated fence to prevent free - roaming of animals within the neighborhood. All patients will be attended while in this area by a staff member or owner present. For both for the safety of these patients and their needs, no more than 3 will be allowed in this area simultaneously. No patient will be unattended or allowed to roam this area freely. From a hygienic perspective, this area will be frequently cleaned and will not emit any offensive Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care / Conditional Use Permit December 8, 2015 Page 2 of 5 odors. We plan on being open initially Monday through Friday for normal business hours, but will move towards after hours and weekend capacity within 6 -12 months of occupancy. When we move to after-hours capacity, this means there is a small staff that remains on site for emergencies that might arrive. An example of this is a dog that has been hit by a car and needs immediate attention. This is an emergency in veterinary medicine. The owner or even the person that hit the animal will bring the animal in for evaluation. These emergencies provide little noise except for the animal that is clearly in pain and may need sedation to handle. We expect to have an average of 40 daytime employees and 6 evening or overnight employees. There will be no children present on the premise unless associated with a family presenting a pet for care. There will also be no ambulances or sirens, as with a traditional human hospital. Will not interfere with development of adjoining properties or devalue nearby properties, we hope to enhance the current growth in this area of Edmonds. We are excited that the traffic circle has recently been upgraded and feel that will alleviate many of the traffic impacts in the area. The existing footprint of the property is sufficient to accommodate parking for our current practice (staff and clients) and projected growth. Any upgraded lighting for security and safety of our staff will comply with Edmonds City requirements. In the future, we hope to revitalize the fagade of the building and remodel the interior to reflect the higher end clientele that invests in advanced Specialty Care for their pets. We are dedicated to maintain landscaping intended to achieve architectural enhancement and an attractive living environment. We are wanting to visually screen the existing dumpster area and continue to maintain the buffering of the current residential area behind us from the commercial area. We are very excited to continue to be a part of the Edmonds Community. We acknowledge our relationship and the effect this business could have on the community and the neighborhood plan for the area in which it is to be located. It is challenging for many of the older previous small grocery stores to find appropriate use. We can be an enhancement to this area and would complement the existing veterinary day practice across the street. In making this request, I hereby certify that the above request comes according to all provisions of Washington Building Code. I understand that if my request is accepted, I am applying for a permanent conditional use permit that will remain with the property in question. I am not the current owner of this property, but am investigating the purchase of this property pending the approval of the CUP. The current owners and other affected parties on the title to the property have been notified of the filing of this application. Please find below our narrative addressing the 20.05.010 "Criteria and Findings" required per the Edmonds City Code and Community Development Code Chapter 20.05 Conditional Use Permit. 20.05.010 Criteria and Findings. A. That the proposed use is consistent with the comprehensive plan. Per the current comprehensive map the property is located within a "Neighborhood Commercial' planning area. Surrounding properties include "Single -Family Urban 1" directly abutting to the north and west; "Multi - Family — Medium Density" across Main St to the south; and "Neighborhood Commercial' and "Multi -Family — Medium Density" across 84'h Avenue W. to the east. Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care / Conditional Use Permit December 8, 2015 Page 3 of 5 The proposed use is consistent with the comprehensive plan in that it meets the following goals as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan adopted July 28, 2015. Commercial Land Use Goals & Policies Commercial Development Goal C. Neighborhood Commercial areas are intended to provide a mix of services, shopping, gathering places, office space, and housing for local neighborhoods. The scale of development and intensity of uses should provide a middle ground between the more intense commercial uses of the Highway 99 Corridor/Medical area and the Downtown Activity Area. Historically, many of the neighborhood commercial areas in Edmonds have developed as classically auto -oriented commercial "strip malls" with one - and two-story developments primarily including retail and service uses. Throughout the region, neighborhood commercial areas are departing from this historical model by being redeveloped as appealing mixed-use clusters, providing attractive new pedestrian -oriented development that expands the uses and services available to local residents. The proposed use meets this intent as it is a low -intensity commercial use; is primarily focused on serving the local resident community; and offers an alternative to the typical auto -oriented commercial "strip mall'. C.1 Neighborhood commercial development should be located at major arterial intersections and should be designed to minimize interference with through traffic. The proposed use meets this intent as it is located at an existing major arterial intersection, the "Five Corners" roundabout, where Main Street connects with 212th Street SW. The proposed use will not interfere with through traffic. C.2 Permit uses in neighborhood commercial areas that are intended to serve the local neighborhood. Mixed use development should be encouraged within neighborhood commercial areas. The proposed use meets this intent as it is a low -intensity commercial use intended to serve the local community. C.3 Provide for transit and pedestrian access, with the provision of facilities for local automobile traffic. Provide for pedestrian connections to nearby residential neighborhoods. The proposed use meets this intent as it accommodates pedestrian access; local automobile access; and is served by transit. C.4 Allow a variety of architectural styles while encouraging public art and sustainable development practices that support pedestrian activity and provide for appealing gathering places. The proposed use meets this intent as the proposed exterior remodeling will afford the opportunity for better integration into the existing visual fabric of the surrounding community. C.5 Significant attention shall be paid to ground level commercial spaces, which must accommodate a variety of commercial uses, have street -level entrances, and storefront facades that are dominated by transparent windows. The proposed use meets this intent as it is an existing one -level building with street -level entrances Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care / Conditional Use Permit December 8, 2015 Page 4 of 5 and it will maintain storefronts with transparent windows. C6 Encourage neighborhood commercial areas to reflect the identity and character of individual neighborhoods, thus are strengthening their importance as neighborhood centers. Neighborhood commercial areas may set additional specific goals for their community in order to further refine the specific identity they wish to achieve. Goals and policies for specific neighborhood centers are detailed below. C6.a Five Corners C6.a.i In the Five Corners neighborhood commercial area, development should be oriented to the street and respond to the unique character of the intersection, including a planned intersection improvement. Parking should be provided at the rear of development, where possible, or underground. The proposed use will not alter the existing building footprint, orientation or location on the property, nor will the general parking layout be changed. C.6.a.ii Development shall not be more than four stories in height, and the design should focus on breaking up the mass and bulk of buildings by incorporating such features as setbacks, varying rooflines, and landscaping into the design of the site. The mix of uses should include not less than one quarter commercial space. The proposed use meets this intent as it will remain a one-story building, and the exterior remodel will afford the opportunity to provide a visual appearance appropriate to the neighborhood character. The building use will remain 100% commercial space. C6.a.iii At a minimum, commercial uses should be located on the ground level of development. Commercial or residential uses may occupy upper levels. The proposed use meets this intent as it will remain a one-story building. C6 -adv As a major intersection, streetscape and way finding design should create an attractive "gateway" to the downtown and other neighborhoods. Intersection and street design should accommodate and encourage pedestrian connections throughout the neighborhood commercial area. The proposed use will meet this intent by allowing the building exterior and landscape remodel to create an attractive fagade that will enhance the "gateway" feel of the intersection. Additionally, the proposed use will maintain existing pedestrian connections throughout the property. B. Zoning Ordinance. That the proposed use, and its location, is consistent with the purposes of the zoning ordinance and the purposes of the zone district in which the use is to be located, and that the proposed use will meet all applicable requirements of the zoning ordinance. The proposed use is consistent with the Zoning Ordinance as the use of a small animal hospital is permitted within the BN zone. Furthermore, since the proposed use of this building will not require changes to the Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care / Conditional Use Permit December 8, 2015 Page 5 of 5 footprint, location or orientation of the existing structure, the project will conform to Zoning Ordinances regarding building restrictions on the property. Any proposed exterior and site remodeling will adhere to all Zoning Ordinances including facade and canopy design, signage, off-street parking, site lighting, equipment screening, landscaping, fence height and setbacks, and buffering at adjacent residential zones. C. Not Detrimental. That the use, as approved or conditionally approved, will not be significantly detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare, and to nearby private property or improvements unless the use is a public necessity The proposed use will not be significantly detrimental to the surrounding area and will in fact be serving an important function within the community. D. Transferability. The hearing examiner shall determine whether the conditional use permit shall run with the land or shall be personal. If it runs with the land and the hearing examiner finds it in the public interest, the hearing examiner may require that it be recorded in the form of a covenant with the Snohomish County auditor. The hearing examiner may also determine whether the conditional use permit may or may not be used by a subsequent user of the same property. Transferability of this CUP would be requested at this time for the property. I am excited to purchase this building and realize a childhood dream of coming home to practice. I was born and raised in Edmonds and consider Edmonds my future. As a current Rotarian in a local club, I have dedicated hours to the betterment of our community and the people in it. I look forward to furthering this goal with this property acquisition, building and business plan. Sincerely, Chelsea Tripp, DVM, MS, DACVIM — owner/member Veterinary Cancer Specialty Care Bridge Animal Referral Center