News from former Councilmember Randy Corman, your Renton City Hall insider. (All views expressed in journal entries are Randy Corman's personal views, and not the official position of the City of Renton or other city employees. Views expressed in reader comments are those of the commenter)

Small plane owners see 42-74% rent increases at Renton Airport starting June 1st

May20
2025 1 Comment Written by Randy Corman

Renton is increasing the price of small airplane tie-down spaces (front) by 74% this year.  Rent for the T-hangars (back) is increasing by 42%. New rates are effective June 1st.

 

A statue of Clayton Scott, one of the Northwest’s great aviators who used to fly out of Renton, greets visitors to Renton’s Clayton Scott Field. Clayton Scott was inspired to fly in his youth after seeing the first barnstormers, and Renton’s Clayton Scott Field honors his love of aviation and spirit of discovery. Young people today are finding it increasingly expensive and difficult to follow in his footsteps.

In previous posts I’ve expressed concern that Renton Airport is pushing out propeller aircraft and ushering in more private jets in their place.  In so doing, Renton Airport Management is making the airport less accessible for Renton residents, and losing sight of our community’s aviation goals as codified in our Renton Airport Sustainability Management Plan.  It may not be long before Renton airport becomes an asset for Seattle and Eastside tech billionaires, while residents of Renton won’t be able to afford to use it.  And every time Renton replaces a group of prop airplanes with another business jet we inch closer to having to extend the airport into the $500 million high school that is currently in planning.

This year’s rent increases of 74% for small airplane tie-down spaces and 42% for small T-hangars increases this concern.  Renton’s tie-down rates will leapfrog those at Boeing Field; the new tie down rates for small airplanes will be a 33% more expensive at Renton Airport than at Boeing Field, even though Boeing Field offers two runways, a longer runway, and more services.

Airport Management has stated that these rent increases are needed to sustain the airport, but that is arguably because they have been driving out popular small airplane businesses like “the Landing Gear Works” and “Rainier Flight Services,” that were renting numerous facilities that are now vacant.

Some might say that anyone who is rich enough to afford an airplane can afford these rates, but that is not a clear picture of who is being impacted.  Some of these airplanes are owned by Renton working people (or frequently several of them banding together) who maintain an airplane in order to advance their flight careers, commute to someplace remote, or fulfill important life goals; the large rent increase will impact them.  As small airplane owners give up on Renton’s rates, private jet operators will rapidly move in to take over their real estate,  and these jets will not be owned by Renton residents.

If we stay on this course, Renton will soon have the costs and negative impacts of running an airport, without the opportunity for Renton’s residents to use it ourselves.

Renton City Council has ultimate responsibility for airport leases, and anyone who wants to express concern about these increases should contact the council.  Please see my post here regarding how to reach them.

 

Starting June 1st, small airplane tie-downs will cost $185.60 per month, and T-hangers will cost $580 per month (excerpt from Renton’s 2025-2026 Fee Schedule)

In 2023-2024, small airplane tie-downs were $106.43 per month, and T-hangers were $409.43 per month (excerpt from Renton’s 2023-2024 Fee Schedule)

Boeing Field tie-down rates of $124  per month are only 67% of what Renton will soon be charging

Chart from Airport Director’s Report at May 13 RAAC meeting

1 Comment Posted in Uncategorized

School District plans to demolish neighborhood before they get building approval

May13
2025 8 Comments Written by Randy Corman

The School District is rushing its application to demolish homes on the newly acquired property near Renton High School.  They’re in such a hurry they have not even formally halted a six-year project that was about to build thirty new apartments on Airport Way in the “Dreamliner” project (where they now plan to move the baseball field).  The project board for the School District’s demolition plan is now posted next to the project board for the Dreamliner.

The Dreamliner Apartment Project has been in the formal approval and permitting process since 2018, and was soon to bring 30 desperately-needed new apartments to Airport Way. But the School District recently purchased this property under threat of eminent domain, and plans to include this property in their relocated baseball field.  They’ve also taken 32 houses and 8 businesses for this purpose.

Renton School District has only a rough concept for their new high school, and they still have to go to court to try to attempt to acquire the final ten properties they want.  They also have not begun any formal building plan process, or conducted an important archeological review, or consulted with the FAA about their planned new sports track in the Runway Protection  Zone, or initiated the public process required for the City of Renton to vacate South Tobin St, South Tillicum, and Shattuck Ave South.

But none of these important public process elements appear to be slowing down the School District in tearing down the checker-board of homes and businesses they’ve been able to acquire, in an effort that some people feel is intended to make it impossible to save the neighborhood while lowering the value of properties that the District has not purchased yet.

Even worse, the immediate tearing down of the homes before the project is formally approved is an end-run around the recently approved Houston Eminent Domain Fairness Act, which was passed unanimously this year by the legislature to assure that if property taken by a school district is not used for its intended purpose it will be sold back to the original owners.  How can it be sold back if it is destroyed?

By tearing down the homes they acquired under threat of eminent domain, like this one, they eliminate the possibility of having to sell them back if their plans are not approved

Big public projects like a new high school require years of planning and approvals, and any number of steps could cause the project to go sideways.  This is especially true at the end of an airport, in an archeological sensitive area, near a salmon-bearing river, with a shallow water-table.  The School District themselves acknowledge that the building won’t be complete for about five more years, and that’s IF everything goes according to plan.

The current Renton High School is shown outlined in red. It sits at the confluence of the original Cedar River and the extinct Black River, the historic outlet of Lake Washington. Every salmon spawning in Lake Washington or its tributaries, or Cedar River or its tributaries, passed through this area until 1917 when the Ballard Locks were opened.  This site was cherished by indigenous residents for fishing and living for time immemorial. The property now being acquired by the School District includes the historic Cedar River bed and northern shore, and contains significant artifacts that should only be uncovered by trained archeologists. Heavy machinery use will be limited.

Under these circumstances the right thing to have done would have been to leave the neighborhood intact until construction is near, by either buying options on the properties or purchasing them outright and renting them back to the owners.  Purchasing them and tearing them down immediately, before they have an approved plan, unreasonably forces the hands of decision-makers downstream in the process and violates the spirit of proper public planning.

Out to bid; Renton School District is inviting bids to tear down some homes in the neighborhood while others are still contesting the eminent domain taking through the courts

Renton Resident Angie Laulainen spoke at last night’s Renton City Council Meeting on this topic, and she provided me a copy of her speaking notes.  I’ve included then below the cut:

Renton Resident Angie Laulainen speaks to Renton City Council on May 12, 2025

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8 Comments Posted in Eminent Domain, Housing and Homelessness, School District

Social media post shows office furnishings allegedly thrown onto Park Avenue from derelict building

May12
2025 6 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Screenshot from Social Media video showing broken office furnishings and mechanical equipment that had been tossed onto Park Avenue, apparently from six stories up

Just two weeks ago a teen in Colorado was convicted of murder for throwing a rock which punctured a car windshield and killed the driver.  Thrown objects from Renton’s derelict Park Avenue buildings could readily cause a similar death.

Four months after Renton’s Public Safety Chair assured the public that she was taking the safety of of the Park Avenue buildings very seriously, a social media post now shows evidence of office furniture being hurled from the taller of the two buildings onto Park Avenue below.

This is not the first time that objects have been thrown from high up in this building, but I have not previously seen photographic evidence of objects being thrown into the traffic lanes.

Renton’s Public Safety Chair, Carmen Rivera, shared an entry on several social media sites on January 13 stating  “We remain committed to ensuring the property is secured and that we can move toward a resolution that benefits the community.” In the same post she assured the public the property would be secured and patrolled.

A month later, I documented here that the property had not in fact been adequately secured.  Please see that post for complete background on this topic.

These buildings are desperately out of compliance, and the City of Renton has every right to go onto the property and physically abate them, and bill the out-of-state ownership group for the cost.   To meet code, the deathtrap buildings need to be emptied of occupants, and all doors and windows secured with either the originally designed glazing or architectural panels that match the building.  Cleanup should occur around the buildings to eliminate blight.  The buildings should then be surveilled, with electronic means and perhaps an occupant residing in a trailer onsight, until the buildings can demolished per an approved permit.  I would also like to see water service restored to the buildings, with at least temporary fire protective equipment, so that the open-elevator-shaft, waterless building does not turn into an inferno that threatens our entire city.

If the City had conducted emergency physical abatement when many of us had first recommended it, these buildings could still be valuable and serviceable, and could continue to support thousands of jobs in Renton.

 

Broken windows and graffiti are found on all sides of the buildings

6 Comments Posted in Crime, Public Works

It’s past time to remove the rusting and abandoned power towers on Sunset Blvd NE

May10
2025 5 Comments Written by Randy Corman

A trellis for invasive plants?  This rusting tower and others like it on Sunset Blvd NE perform no useful function. The electric wires were removed years ago, and the towers are just abandoned and disintegrating in place.

It’s way past time for the Electric Utility to remove the derelict power line towers on Sunset.  Our views in Renton are cluttered enough by power lines, that we don’t need a bunch of additional rusting towers adding their own blight.

I took these photos two years ago, and the scene is no different today (other than a little more weed growth and more rust. )

This power line was abandoned and replaced by a new run many years ago, but the retired power lines were initially left in place.  Several years ago copper thieves began climbing the towers and stealing the wire, so as a safety measure the power company removed the rest of the wire.

I assumed they would eventually apply for demolition permits to remove the ugly, unnecessary towers, but that has not happened.  I’ve expressed my displeasure to our local utilities in the past that they never seem to prioritize maintaining the appearance of their easements in Renton.  This is just one example of it.

I don’t remember whether these were owned by PSE or Seattle City Light, but in either case the City of Renton should lean on them to take them down and clean up this easement.

You may have to look closely to realize there are no wires going to this large electrical truss tower that pointlessly interferes with views in the Windsor Hills neighborhood.

 

 

The abandoned towers are in the greenbelt between I-405 and Sunset Blvd NE

Himalayan Blackberry, english Ivy, and other invasive plant species climb the rusting structures, spreading seeds through wind and birds to nearby homes.

The two towers shown are the closest to the street. There are several other abandoned towers in the greenbelt to the north of these.

5 Comments Posted in Blight, Environment, Maintenance, Public Works, Renton Highlands

Lovely “oasis in the city” is the latest property to be taken for ball field

May02
2025 2 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Renton School District is wielding the public’s authority when taking properties for their new Renton High baseball field, so the public deserves a thorough understanding of what Renton is losing in the process.

This post features the stunning landscape in just the latest one of the 32 homes being taken for this project, which calls for this garden to be leveled and covered with artificial turf or asphalt.

Regardless of where anyone stands on the tradeoff of a ball-field vs private homes, they should admire, respect, and grieve the stately trees, stunning foliage, and wildlife that Renton is losing in this project.

Catherine Ploue-Smith, has owned and meticulously cared for this property across from Renton High School for decades, while raising her family and immersing herself in our Renton community.  She enjoys downtown living, and she told me this home has always felt like an oasis in the city to her and her family.  She was born in France, and I can see french “country garden” influence in her beautiful landscape.

Renton is a “Tree City,” and we should expect our School District to at least replace her magnificent trees if the trees can’t somehow be saved (which is unlikely since they appear to be in a baseball field in the current school plan.)

Sweltering summer temperatures in Renton’s downtown can already climb 10 degrees hotter than in Renton’s tree-covered neighborhoods in the surrounding hills. Replacing more downtown trees with asphalt or artificial turf will increase the heat island effect.

For decades the homes, businesses, and landscaping on Tobin and Airport Way have been the only buffer between Renton High School and 170 acres of asphalt, concrete, and jet blasts at Renton Airport.  Flattening homes and gardens like this one, so that the High School will be adjacent to the airport, does not seem like an improvement.  And with increasing jet traffic at Renton Airport, conflicts between the airport and High School needs are only going to get worse.

 

Please see more photos by clicking below

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2 Comments Posted in School District

Eighteen residents share concerns with School Board regarding condemnation and budget cuts

Apr29
2025 13 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Opening Screen of Renton School Board in-person and zoom meeting, 4/23/2025

Eighteen Renton community members shared concerns at the April 23rd Renton School Board meeting regarding budget cuts and eminent domain takings. (This meeting was followed the next day by a special meeting to authorize the condemnation of a house on Tobin.)

Renton residents expressed deep concerns regarding the Board’s proposed elimination of school librarians and other key staff, while they simultaneously spend tens of millions of dollars taking homes and businesses by threat of eminent domain to adjust Renton High School’s footprint.

The zoom portion of the meeting was recorded, and the audio is good quality.  I’ve included it in this post.  Unfortunately, the visual part of the recording only includes a thumbnail-size video of the Board Chambers, and does not include the speaker’s podium during audience comment.  But this does not interfere with understanding the commentary.

There were two sessions of audience comment.  I’ve included both of them in their original audio, and in an Apple Notes “voice-to-text” transcription.  The voice-to-text is imperfect, and I apologize to the speakers that I don’t have time to go through and correct all the errors.  It is useful for helping those of you reading to quickly see what was covered, and you can listen to the video for an accurate record.

Here is the first period of  audience comment from the zoom video, including the first ten comments:

 

Here is the second period of audience comments from the zoom video:

For background on some of the concerns mentioned, please see my earlier posts including Renton High School is already $126 million over voter-approved budget;   Beautiful $11,500,000 Renton High Science Center, completed last year, to be demolished;  Renton High’s proposed baseball field could be the nation’s most expensive ever;  Did we really vote to condemn all these homes?;  Renton School Board sends world-class glass studio packing; and  Public Hearing tonight on School District use of Eminent Domain for Renton High School.

A blow-up of the thumbnail video showing Renton’s school superintendent (on left) and all board members were present.

And then, below the cut is the automated transcript of the audience comment.  Again, my apologies for the electronic transcription errors…please listen to the videos for the official record.

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13 Comments Posted in Eminent Domain, School District

New Renton High School sports track in Runway Protection Zone could conflict with FAA guidance

Apr26
2025 Leave a Comment Written by Randy Corman

This image from google earth shows Renton High School’s baseball fields and the airport runway

Renton High School currently has four baseball diamonds, and two of them are in the Runway Protection Zone.  Per FAA Advisory Circular 150/5190-4B , 2.2.5.1 “the purpose of the Runway Protection Zone (RPZ) is to enhance the protection of people and property on the ground.” The FAA would discourage construction of these baseball diamonds today. But the baseball diamonds have been in use since before FAA’s current land-use policy was in place, so they are considered “pre-existing” or “grandfathered” under regulatory guidance.

This screenshot from the 2022 Renton Airport Layout Plan shows that the northern two baseball fields are in the “Departure Runway Protection Zone”

In this schematic of the revised High School layout, the architect depicts an “EXISTING TRACK” in the Departure Runway Protection Zone. This track is not actually existing, and would likely constitute a new use with a new concentration of people. It may not actually be allowed per Renton’s commitments to FAA. This would mean no space was gained by moving the ballfields.

Closeup showing the “Existing Track” that does not exist

The baseball field as shown on Google Maps today

With the relocation of these baseball diamonds into the current Tobin neighborhood, the School District is proposing to change the use of the property in the Runway Protection Zone to a high school sports track.  I question whether this new use meets FAA guidelines.  And unlike the existing baseball diamonds, the sports track can not be said to have been approved long ago, before current FAA regulations.  Instead, it requires that professional engineers approve it in 2025, with concurrence of city permitting authorities who have responsibility for safety and to FAA.

Everytime Renton Airport accepts federal grants, the city commits to grant assurances which promise that Renton “will take appropriate action, to the extent reasonable, including the adoption of zoning laws, to restrict the use of land adjacent to or in the immediate vicinity of the airport to activities and purposes compatible with normal airport operations, including landing and takeoff of aircraft.” 

As a new use in the Runway Protection Zone, the new sports track must  be evaluated as to whether it would draw an assembly of people, and how densely populated this assembly could possibly be in the event of an airplane accident at this location.

FAA Advisory Circular 150/5190-4B, “Airport Land Use Compatibility”  states:

“2.2.6.1 The number of people concentrated in an area near an airport is the land use characteristic tied most closely to the consequences of aircraft accidents. The most direct method of reducing the potential severity of an aircraft accident to the people and property in proximity to an airport is to limit the maximum number of structures and/or people in areas close to an airport.”

“2.2.6.5 In general, the lower the density, the greater the level of compatibility a use will have with aircraft operations. An airport and the local community should evaluate density near an airport…. the goal would be to require any ensuing development to be at or below the current levels. This essentially focuses on making the current situation no worse. “

Foot races during PE class might be a relatively low density with just 20-30 students on the track.  But a competitive track-meet could be very high density, attracting hundreds of people, with spectators on the infield and around the perimeter of the track.

And if the track surrounds a new soccer field, as most do, where spectators typically set up tents and chairs along the side lines, the density of people in the Runway Protection Zone could frequently exceed what is currently seen on the baseball diamonds.

The baseball fields as they exist today have movable soccer goals, but these are located in the southern half of the field, outside of of the Runway Protection Zone, in an area proposed to be converted to parking with the new high school.

For some reason the new high school design approved by the board shows an “existing track” at the location, but there is no track in existence– only baseball fields.

The review and final approval of the details will not come from the FAA themselves, but must come from the Renton School District (as project designer and applicant) and the City of Renton.  The City of Renton has final say as both the permitting authority and the airport sponsor.  While the FAA won’t specifically make the determination about the compatibility of the use, they will determine whether the City of Renton has used an acceptable process to determine compatibility.  If Renton has not, then the city’s ability to receive FAA grants will be in jeopardy, which would put our city’s finances and businesses in jeopardy.  In the event of a catastrophe in a crowded gathering, Renton’s current City and School District elected officials will own many of the decisions that led up to it.

First two rows of table in AC 150/5190-4B. FAA expects elected officials who sponsor airports to become familiar with, and uphold, airport safety guidance. Per the AC: “Coordination and communication between elected and appointed officials and airport sponsors is vital to effectively implement and enforce land use compatibility initiatives because most land use decisions are vested with local governments.”

In summary, the baseball fields could continue to be used at their current locations since they are preexisting.  If they get moved to a new location, it is questionable whether any high school sports facilities could be built at their current locations without potentially worsening the safety risks and possibly violating airport grant assurances.

In the end, Renton School District may find they forcibly cleared an entire city neighborhood and ended up with no more sports facilities than they have now.

At the last School Board Meeting, a School Board Member mentioned an episode in which a light plane made an emergency landing in the baseball field right after take-off from Renton Airport.  This was indeed a dangerous incident, and the fixed base operator associated with the incident was asked to leave Renton Airport a short time later.  But this risk is not in any way lessened by changing the baseball field  into a running track and soccer field.  It is very likely made worse.

The most effective way to limit the airplane risk to Renton High Students would have been to move the high school, as voters approved in the 2022 ballot issue.  Institutional uses, which include high schools, are the FAA’s least favorite uses in the danger zones around runways.

The second-best way to limit the risk would be to minimize jet traffic on Renton Airport, as Renton’s 5,300-foot runway is very short for jets landing and taking off at 140 miles per hour, and the risk increases with the number of operations.  But our current Airport Management seems to be eliminating piston-engine aircraft and encouraging more jets at Renton Airport.

Residents and taxpayers may have to pick up the pieces as Renton School District and Renton Airport continue their headlong collision into one another.

A small plane flies over one of the Renton High’s two baseball diamonds in the Runway Protection Zone

The current Renton High School Baseball field includes three baseball diamonds and portable soccer goals. This field is proposed to be redeveloped into a parking lot and an “Existing Track,” even though no track exists in this area.

This entire $500,000,000 project (which eliminates 32 homes and 8 businesses) is being done because the Renton School Board does not feel like the strikingly beautiful, historic Renton High Building is good enough for a high school, even after tens of millions of dollars of remodeling have been done to it in recent years.

The FAA discourages institutional uses, including high schools, in proximity of an airport per this Advisory Circular

 

“Number of people concentrated in an area near an airport is the land use characteristic tied most closely to the consequences of aircraft accidents” according to AC 150/5190-4B

 

Parks and Rec facilities discussed in FAA Advisory Circular 150/5190-4B 

FAA guidance from FAA Advisory Circular 150/5190-4B on typical number of people per acre in different uses. Lower is better. A two-acre baseball field with 18 players and ten spectators could come in at the low end, but a sports tournament with hundreds of spectators could come in at the high end.

 

 

Leave a Comment Posted in Airport, Eminent Domain, School District

Renton School Board authorizes condemnation of another house for replacement baseball field

Apr25
2025 5 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Longtime S. Tobin Street resident Catherine Ploue-Smith (right) offers numerous reasons that the Renton School Board should not be taking her house by eminent domain; Board Member Pam Teal looks on

Last night the Renton School Board voted 4-0 to continue their condemnation efforts near Renton High School.

As I described in yesterday’s post, the Renton School Board held a special meeting last night to continue their taking of private homes to  expand their Renton High School playfield site.  (Please see yesterday’s post for full background, with links, on this topic)

Board Members began yesterday’s meeting by asking a few basic questions of Matt Feldmeyer, the District’s Executive Director of Capitol Construction and Planning who is leading the design of the project.  One of the questions was whether any of the furniture could be saved in Renton High’s brand new $11.5 million  science center that the District just completed  last year and now plans to demolish.  Mr. Feldmeyer said yes, some of the furniture could probably be repurposed.  Board members seemed happy with this answer, as if saving $100,000 in furnishings would somehow make tearing down a new $11.5 building acceptable.

They also asked whether Renton High School sometimes shares their nearby Renton Memorial Stadium with other schools, and Mr. Feldmeyer said they do; based on their reaction, this seemed to be justification to the board that Renton High needed a second football field.

Several residents then testified, offering alternatives to condemnation and other baseball field locations.  They also challenged the assumption that Renton High needs a second football field just because they sometimes share their large and well-equipped Memorial Stadium, noting the Memorial Stadium was built for Renton High, and many schools sometimes share facilities (The stadium sits on 17 acres, and has 5,500 covered seats, an electronic scoreboard, a pressbox, concessions, and an all-weather surface). Residents asked the Board to take time to review the many options they have submitted before proceeding.  They also itemized many other related concerns.

North Renton Resident Meredith Farmer (who is also the North Renton Neighborhood President but was not speaking in that capacity), gave detailed testimony and closed by asking the Board Members an important question: “If this was your house, would you vote to condemn?”

Catherine Ploue-Smith, a S. Tobin resident who has lovingly maintained her beautiful home and gardens for about 20 years, gave many reasons she and her neighbors should be allowed to keep their homes.

She said the District had just completed the above-mentioned major remodel of the science building, and residents would continue paying taxes for decades to pay off the $11.5 million in bonds for the demolished center.

She also pointed out that the District is not properly maintaining the properties they have already acquired, in many cases leaving them deteriorating with boarded-up windows.  These properties are likely to continue being a blight for months or years, as much permit process lies ahead for the project.  These properties run down the neighborhood and city, and the haphazard unpainted plywood window-coverings are not allowed by Renton code. (Renton code requires either uncovered windows or painted architectural panels on vacant buildings).

Renton School District is breaking Renton’s ordinances when leaving houses in this boarded up, deteriorating condition. It’s also not fair to those nearby homeowners that are having their homes appraised.

She also felt that the Board was losing sight of how much money they were actually spending in bonds, noting that the last few bonds added together amounted to over a billion dollars, and there was still much unmet need in the district.

Partway through Ms. Ploue-Smith’s thorough testimony I began video recording, and I have provided the video below.

Following about 15-20 minutes of public testimony, the board deliberated for about seven minutes. Part of the brief deliberations included a back-and-forth with a member of the public about whether they would publically read the letters and correspondence they had received, and the Board President said they would not. One Board member mentioned that an airplane once landed on Renton High’s ballfield in the 1990s, but no one explained how redeveloping the baseball field into a soccer field and track (the current plan) would prevent this risk.  (I video-recorded the deliberations and provide a link below.)

The Board then voted 4-0 (with one member absent) to proceed with condemning the latest home in the process, 402 S. Tobin Street.

Renton’s School Superintendent (left) and four School Board members watch aa a concerned resident asks them to reconsider taking private property for a new baseball field and reminding them that the bond issue was supposed to pay for a swimming pool for Renton High (which has now been dropped).

 

In the clip below, S. Tobin Street resident Catherine Ploue-Smith is partway through her testimony encouraging the school board not to take her and her neighbor’s homes for a relocated baseball field.  The clip begins with her discussing the 11.5 million dollar Renton High science center that was completed last year  and will be demolished for a parking lot.

 

The clip below is the full deliberations of the Renton School Board (April 24, 2025) as they choose to authorize the latest eminent domain action, the taking of 402 S. Tobin Street.

The latest home being targeted by eminent domain in the meeting.  The house will be leveled, along with many others on the block, to relocate the high school baseball field.

5 Comments Posted in Eminent Domain, School District

Tonight! Renton School Board considering their next eminent domain taking (part of ball field relocation)

Apr24
2025 6 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Google Street view of 402 S. Tobin Street, the subject of tonight’s School Board meeting and public hearing

As part of their plan to expand the Renton High School site all the way north to Airport Way and east to Logan Avenue, Renton School District has been working to acquire thirty-two homes and eight businesses.

The School District’s negotiators have been using the threat of eminent domain to encourage owners to sell, but they can’t actually proceed with eminent domain on a property until the final authority is specifically given by the School Board.

At a meeting tonight, the School District’s property acquisition team will be seeking this final authority to forcibly take another pretty and historic home at 402 S Tobin Street.  This home is currently treasured by its owner as a personal residence full of precious memories, and it sits on a triple-size lot in an area that allows six homes per lot (maybe 18 total) under the new “missing middle” legislation, so “just compensation” will be incredibly hard to determine if the eminent domain action is approved.  This home would be flattened to make room for a relocated baseball field, one that  may be the most costly high school baseball field in our nation’s history.

They’ve already approved other eminent domain actions, including one that denied Renton a world-class Chihuly-style Glass Studio that would have taught our youth and adults how to make artistic glass creations.  And while they point to a 2022 bond approval as their public authority to take all this property, their official election information prior to the vote mislead the public on the District’s plans.

The School District is also already 126 million dollars short of the funds they need to take all this property, replace the school, and relocate these ballfields, unless they take it from money we’ve approved specifically for safety and security upgrades at the district’s thirty other schools.

The meeting starts at 6:00 tonight at the School District Headquarters at 300 SW 7th Street.  There will be time for audience comment before the School Board takes action on the eminent domain authority being requested by the School Superintendent in this resolution.

More information can be found on the School District’s website here.

The full resolution can be found here

 

6 Comments Posted in Eminent Domain, School District

Dust-up over a poster highlights continuing tension during Renton Council audience comment

Apr22
2025 1 Comment Written by Randy Corman

North Renton resident Matt Hanbey showed a poster at last night’s meeting displaying a timeline related to Council activities on the Logan Six project. In the previous Council Meeting the poster and much of Mr. Hanbey’s presentation was mysteriously left out of the video feed.

An apparent censoring of a poster exhibit at last week’s audience comment further illustrated the heightened tension that is preventing residents and council members from freely communicating at council meetings.

In a blog post on March 25th I described how our city leaders should find their way back to the type of council meeting communication we had with residents in past decades.  Prior to the pandemic, audience comment was an interactive and solution-oriented portion of each council meeting, in which council members routinely asked questions of presenters, shared their own perspectives on issues raised, engaged in cooperative problem solving, and often referred resident’s concerns to the Administration or a Council Committee for review.  But lately it seems the “communication” consists entirely of residents giving three-minute monologues, with no response other than a possible “thank you… Next”

Two weeks after my post, a member of the public brought a poster board exhibit to the audience comment that had a timeline on it, and for some unknown reason the video recording system did not capture any images of it.  Instead of the usual protocol of recording an image of the speaker, the cameras moved from focussing on the speaker to showing the council for the entire three minutes.  This left those of us watching the meeting online very confused about what was on the poster that seemed to be so controversial that it was being censored.

This is the view that remote viewers had of Mr. Hanbey’s presentation at the April 14 meeting. The poster Mr. Hanbey held (which was written, shown to Council, and is therefore probably a public record) was never shared with the remote viewers of the meeting. As a public record, it was even at risk of not being properly retained, except a quick-thinking staff member managed to take a photo of it.

This was a huge departure from past decades, in which residents were welcome and even encouraged to bring written exhibits to audience comment, usually in the form of paper that could be displayed for everyone in the chambers using a special projector next to the audience comment podium.  Residents would use the projector to show such things as maps, lists, photos, calendars, timelines, event posters, and any other exhibit that improved communication between the resident and the Renton Council.  In the pre-digital age we could see the data projected on a screen (from paper or view foils), and in later years we could see it on our monitors on the council dais.  Residents would certainly challenge us back then like they do now.  Concerns and complaints have always been a common reason for residents to attend a council meeting.  But that did not stop Council from encouraging residents to show written documents with their testimony.

With this display option no longer readily apparent , Matt Hanbey brought a poster-board chart instead, and it then seemed to be censored on the video feed.

Thankfully, Mr. Hanbey contacted Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Ed VanValey after he realized he and his exhibit were not shown on the meeting video feed, and CAO VanValey agreed to remedy the mistake at the next council meeting.  That subsequent meeting occurred last night, and as CAO VanValey said, the timeline poster and Mr. Hanbey’s testimony were broadcast.  Hence, the confusion has apparently been corrected, but not before at least two speakers mentioned it in last night’s meeting.

Whoever censored this audience comment has apparently been retrained, but the underlying tension that sowed the censorship should still be addressed.  Elected Officials must remember that  (as the Declaration of Independence says) “governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed,” and that the residents that make their way to City Hall to speak with them are collectively their bosses.  Council should engage with the public, the way any of us would engage with our employer, when issues are brought up or questions are raised.

Renton’s residents usually hold the answers to Renton’s problems, and it is Council’s job to gather these solutions and help implement them.  Interacting during audience comment, including looking at the data the residents bring forth, is an important part of this assignment.

1 Comment Posted in Uncategorized

Sea-Tac weave traffic fix is years overdue; Port of Seattle Commissioners must act

Apr21
2025 2 Comments Written by Randy Corman

The view as my wife and I crawl for 25 minutes in a typical SeaTac airport arrival traffic jam last week

I’m excited about an arriving visitor this week, but I’m already dreading the traffic jam I know I’ll encounter at SeaTac Airport when we pick her up.  While Port of Seattle leaders will give the excuse that these jams can’t be helped because of the large number of travelers, the reality is the Port created this problem with the poor traffic planning of the cell phone lot.

The 1960 SeaTac airport approach was brilliantly engineered for high volumes: three dedicated express lanes approaching the airport, growing into four — two departure lanes and two arrival lanes.  Each of these roads double from two to four lanes at the terminal with the addition of curbside pick-up/drop-off lanes.  The elegant design could smoothly handle today’s volume of travelers, if Port officials had not implemented the “rideshare weave” that requires 25% of the drivers to cut across four lanes of the other 75% of drivers in the last critical quarter mile of the approach.

As Rideshare became more prevalent –now estimated at about 25% of airport passengers– Sea-Tac and other airports across the nation set up waiting areas for drivers who are picking up. When drivers are notified their passengers are in the pick-up spot, they swiftly proceed to the designated location, and wisk their passenger to their destination.

Except at SeaTac Airport.   Here at SeaTac, designers located the cell phone lot such that every rideshare driver must merge onto the right lane of the final stretch of the airport expressway, and then during the next quarter mile move four lanes to the left, before exiting into a typically backed-up lane into the parking garage.  This flawed configuration has been snarling evening traffic into SeaTac for years, and can seriously impact all passengers arriving or departing from SeaTac airport by cars, busses, and courtesy vans (whether or not they are rideshare passengers).

Rideshare drivers picking up passengers, and other cell phone lot users, follow this path when informed that their passengers are ready. It requires a merge followed by three quick lane changes across the airport expressway.  All arriving airport traffic is slowed by these lane changes.

As rideshare drivers negotiate the multitude of lane changes, often hugging the right lane as long as possible before aggressively moving left, the entire airport access road comes to a standstill– not because of volume (as the Port states) but because the Port officials implemented the dangerous weave in the traffic design about ten years ago.

Details of the weave across four lanes right before arrival-departure split

 

This nightly traffic jam can easily add 20-30 minutes or more to a pickup or drop-off time, stressing travel schedules and making it harder to coordinate driver and passenger connections.  When an arriving motorist finally gets past the weave, the traffic into the arrivals or departure curbs usually flow reasonably well, except where it gets blocked by idling drivers whose passengers have not arrived, and refuse to go around again because they can’t tolerate the traffic jam a second time.  The weave-related traffic jams trigger additional scofflaw activity near the airport entrance, where scores of drivers pull over onto the shoulder next to “no-parking” signs in an ad-hoc cell phone lot, preferring to risk a ticket over the traffic weave from the designated cell-phone lot.

The airport clearly needs to find a way to NOT have to move all the rideshare drivers from the right side to the left side.   But instead of resolving this weave years ago (with perhaps a direct road connection from the cell phone lot to the parking garage), the Port spent $13.5 million improving circulation into and around the cell phone lot in 2022.  And next the port will spend $79.3 million widening the airport expressway, and making the backed-up single lane into the parking garage longer.  All this new additional pavement will provide more space for jammed up cars to queue, but won’t address the weave problem at the root of the backup.

New pavement will be added with roadway improvements in 2026 for $79.3 million, but the Cell Phone lot users will still have to weave across all lanes of arriving airport traffic

Together, we taxpayers are currently putting about five billion dollars into Sea-Tac Airport expansion, so it would be nice if we could get to the airport reliably.  As I sit stewing in these jam-ups, I blame the Seattle Port Commissioners more than anyone else for the traffic mess.  They have ultimate responsibility to make our airport usable, and the buck stops at their office.  Most of them promise higher energy efficiency and lower carbon in their campaign literature, and thousands of idling cars and people going nowhere doesn’t cut it.  The Commissioners could have solved this by now, and instead they are banking on a 2026 fix that probably won’t work.

Departing passengers fret about missing their flights, while drivers picking up loved ones wonder how long they will be waiting in the cold, in this typical evening traffic jam at Sea-Tac Airport. Evening brings the worst jams because aircraft arrivals –and ride share pickups– are typically at their highest.

 

 

 

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Renton School District served with Freedom of Information Request regarding property takings

Apr16
2025 6 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Opening paragraph of five-page freedom of information request

The Renton School District has been served with a Freedom of Information (FOI) request for records regarding the taking of business property for the expansion of Renton High School.

The formal request was officially submitted by Piper O’Neill,  partner in the world-class Chihuly-style “GlassEye” Studios that was making arrangements to locate to Airport Way in Renton before Renton School District initiated an eminent domain action to take their building.

Under our State’s open public meetings and public records acts, virtually all correspondence sent or received by local elected officials regarding official agency business are considered public records.  The same is true for most other agency records.  This request seeks relevant correspondence generally dating back to September 1, 2023.

The full Public Records Request can be found here.

Glass Eye Studios was preparing to introduce Renton to Chihuly Style Glass creation in a new Renton Studio.

A current Glass Eye facility where art is created for shipment all over the world, and students learn the art of glass blowing

 

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Union Ave NE school zone signage needs review

Apr16
2025 3 Comments Written by Randy Corman

It seems nonsensical to have an “End School Zone” sign followed so closely by a photo-enforced school zone camera, as shown in this image from southbound Union Ave NE.

When I was on City Council I used to let Public Works know when I saw confusing signage, and I’m not going to stop doing it now.  The arrangement on southbound Union Ave NE that puts an “End School Zone” sign right before a school zone with a speed camera seems like a definite mixed-message.

Any motorist trying to accelerate to the posted speed limit of 30 MPH in this gap will have to immediately hit the brakes to avoid a ticket.  And they’ll make these speed changes passing through the intersection with NE 10th Street, where their variable speed will be confusing for drivers turning onto Union.

Every sign diverts drivers eyes and attention from the road for a second or two, which is enough time to travel 20 or 30 feet at the posted speed limit. Diverting drivers’ attention from the road, and making it confusing, is especially undesirable in areas around schools.

In short, it seems like it would be a good idea to merge the two school zones.

This confusing signage could be a result of an Arizona contractor, American Traffic Solutions. They install and operate Renton’s speed and red-light cameras, in exchange for a cut of the revenue from traffic fines.  Even if they are the ones that engineered this, the City of Renton should take a look at it, and see if the configuration really makes sense.

(I’ve spurred other fixes to photo enforcement cameras, like this one at McKnight Middle School. )

 

The “End School Zone” sign is posted right before the intersection with NE 10th Street. Half a block further south the school zone camera tickets drivers for not observing the Honey Dew school zone.

 

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Ace Aviation prepared to take over former flight school’s fuel farm

Apr14
2025 8 Comments Written by Randy Corman

The flight school occupied the large white building in the center, and the fuel farm is located between the Boeing airplanes and the propeller airplanes.

April 21 update:  Vesper Aviation raised a concern at tonight’s Council Meeting regarding the informal process used to award this lease, but the lease was nevertheless approved by Council.  See my April 21 comment on this post for details.

When Renton Airport management squeezed Rainier Flight Services off Renton Field in  January, they eliminated an important fuel supplier along with the important and successful flight school.

Rainier Flight Services was one of only two public fuel suppliers on our airport.  Installing fire-safe and environmentally-safe aircraft refueling tanks is not trivial, so this reduced the fueling options and hurt aircraft operators.

Renton’s Airport Management is now suggesting a solution to the near-term refueling issue, in the form of a new lease to BosAir, the parent company of Ace Aviation.

According to a Council Agenda Packet that will be considered tonight, Bosair has purchased the refueling equipment from Rainier Flight Services.  Since it may take months or years for the refueling tanks to be relocated, Airport Management is proposing that the land under the tanks be leased to Bosair on a month-to-month basis.  In other words, Bosair, or Ace Aviation, will take over the fuel supply business formerly owned and managed by Rainier Flight Services.

While this may be an appropriate solution, the Renton Airport Advisory Committee (RAAC) should have been consulted and the decision made more publically. Since the Airport Director used to work for Ace Aviation, utilizing the RAAC could help alleviate “appearance of fairness” concerns.

The agenda packet and the proposed new lease can be found here.

 

The former Rainier Flight Services fuel farm can be seen behind the fence in this photo

 

Renton Public Works now proposes that the parent company of Ace Aviation, which also owns the above facility at the SE corner of the airport, take over the lease for the fuel farm on the west side of the airport

The now outdated Rainier Flight Services website showed they provided full-service and self-service fueling options

Screenshot from today’s agenda packet

 

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It’s past time to repair downtown Renton’s landmark Clock Tower

Apr06
2025 4 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Here’s a variation of an old riddle: What time is it when the hour hand points to both 9 and 10:30?

None of the four faces of the clock had the correct time yesterday

Answer: Time to get your clock fixed!

Renton’s downtown landmark 4-sided clock, which sits on a tower on it’s own cozy “Clock Tower Plaza,” does not appear to have functioned correctly for years.  It appears to have run properly shortly after it was last moved in 2021, but sometime in the years since it quit keeping proper time.

And unlike most stopped clocks that are correct twice per day, the tower clock is never correct because all four of its faces are showing different times.

As Renton works to revitalize the downtown, it’s important to keep up with the basic maintenance.  And setting the tower clock, and repairing it as necessary, is one of these tasks.

While there is not a lot of information about this clock online, I remember it joining our downtown landscape as part of the Metro Interim Transit Hub in 1997.  Metro Transit had just been part of King County for a few years, and they were creating a hub and spoke system that would increase transit service between “transit hubs” in urban centers in King County.  Renton did not have a transit hub, so we agreed with Metro on a temporary hub on Burnett between South 2nd and South 3rd streets, with a permanent hub coming later.  Since Metro was paying for infrastructure in other cities, they agreed to pay for bus shelters, signage, and (if memory serves) I think this clock in Renton.  The clock was placed at the corner of South 2nd and Burnett, with a sign alluding to it an South 3rd and Burnett.

In the following years we completed a purchase of the former Mazda dealership at this location for about half a million dollars, and ultimately built the transit center with Metro’s help (for about $3 million),  the parking garage (for about $8 million), renovated the Mazda showroom into the Pavillion  (for about $2 million), and built/landscaped the Piazza park (for about $1-$2 million).  I think we moved the clock to its new location on South 3rd and Burnett when we built the parking garage.  The dollar amounts I’m quoting are approximate, from memory; they should be fairly accurate. Prices were obviously lower in 1997.

The clock was moved temporarily again in 2020-2021 to allow reconstruction and improvements in South Third Street.

After the clock was moved back to its current home, it kept time for a while.  In 2022, Renton spent $4500 on holiday lights just on this clock tower, recognizing its significance as a landmark.

Downtown merchants and visitors deserve to have the clock fixed.  Friends have told me they’ve reported the broken clock in the past, but I plan to add my personal report to “Renton Responds” to see if we can get the clock accurate again.   Hopefully the time has come to fix the clock.

Moving the clock back into its present position on South 3rd Street and Burnett in 2021.

In 1996, this sign at Burnett and South 3rd marked the entrance to the Burnett Ave Interim Transit Hub. A stylized version of the clock tower can be seen in purple in the center of the sign. The Mazda dealership can be seen behind the Metro bus. The prominent Mazda showroom was built in the early 1960s, and we tore it down to create the Piazza. Behind it on the far right one can see the east end of the older showroom, which was built in the 1940s with old-growth wood bowstring roof trusses; we kept that building and remodeled it into the Pavilion Event Center. (King County photo)

The top photo from 1997 in this post from “Rentonthenandnow” Instagram shows the clock tower in the distance at it’s South Second and Burnett location.

 

Renton’s clock tower as it appears today, at South 3rd and Burnett.

Holiday lighting of the clocktower cost $4,550 in 2022

 

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About the author

Hi, I’m Randy Corman. Welcome to my blog!  I served on Renton City Council for 28 years, 1994-2021, with six years as Renton Council President.  I’m also a mechanical engineer and manager, and worked for the Boeing Company for 33 years, from 1984- 2017.  My wife and I have five kids and six grandkids, and we all live in Renton.  I’ve kept this blog for 19 years, and get thousands of readers each month. Please share your feedback, ideas, and opinions in the comments.

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