The Olympia Site Plan Review Committee heard a proposal for a new auto repair shop at 114 Lilly Road NE. The repair shop is intended to replace an older facility with fire and other issues.
At the committee's presubmission conference on Wednesday, Jan. 29, project applicants Nicholas Taylor and Pete Lea stated they are considering consolidating two adjacent lots for the new shop.
The proposed building would be a pole barn-style structure, though the exact height is still unknown, likely ranging between 20 and 30 feet at the roof's peak.
The plans for the project, called Pete Lea's Automotive Medical Center, include putting six customer parking stalls, with additional employee parking located in a fenced area west of the building.
The project also includes a proposed fence and gate, though the exact location is still tentative. The intent is to isolate the areas east and north of the proposed building for vehicular security purposes.
According to the narrative, the proposed building is not intended to have a sprinkler system. Olympia Fire Marshall Randy Haines noted that since the building is under 5,000 square feet, it does not trigger the sprinkler or alarm system requirements. However, an additional fire hydrant may be necessary depending on spacing requirements.
Paula Smith, Olympia's associate planner, provided an overview of the land use and development requirements for the proposed auto repair shop project.
She said the property is in zone HDC-4, which permits the intended use. The project will require a new land use application to be submitted to the city. She said this would be an administrative decision by the planning director.
Due to the property's lack of street frontage, typical front yard setback requirements do not apply. Side yard setbacks have no minimum, and the rear setback is 10 feet. Smith noted the property's lack of street frontage provides flexibility in the setback standards.
On parking requirements, Smith noted the project's use was not specifically listed in the city's parking chart. In cases of unlisted uses, she said the Community Planning and Economic Development Department director could require the applicant to provide a parking demand study.
The city will be looking for a parking study that addresses the parking needs for both vehicles and bicycles. The study should cover employee parking, as well as customer parking, including spaces for vehicles awaiting repair and customer pickup.
Smith added that a parking demand study should also account for any vehicles that would be stored on-site while awaiting service or customer retrieval.
She said the comprehensive analysis of the project's parking needs will be crucial for ensuring the site provides adequate parking to support the auto repair shop operation.
If the parking demand study indicates the need for 30 or more parking spaces, Smith said the project would then be subject to SEPA review.
Smith indicated the city would want to hold an informational meeting, given the potential for increased traffic in the area due to the auto repair shop proposal.
The purpose would be to get information out to the neighborhood and other interested parties, and to provide an opportunity to answer any questions they may have.
Smith also pointed to specific design criteria in the OMC Section 18.110.030, which addresses connections for pedestrians and vehicles. This section requires providing driveways and sidewalk connections to and through the development, linking it to adjoining streets, bus stops or designated urban trails where access is possible.
She suggested to the project team to explore the possibility of a pedestrian connection from the project site to Martin Way to provide better walkability for employees.
"Just thinking about your employees that may want to go grab lunch but want to walk," Smith said.
"How are they going to get to Martin Way without having to go walking down your drive aisle that the does not have sidewalk?"
She encouraged the team to look at options to the south or east of the property to see if a reasonable pedestrian link to Martin Way could be achieved.
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