Hi, I'm Randy Corman, Renton City Councilmember. I am the most senior member of the council, currently in my 25th year (I have been elected seven times). I pay for this website with my own funds. Please recognize that all views expressed in my journal entries are my own, and not the official position of Renton City Council, other councilmembers, nor the city of Renton. Thanks for reading.
In my blog entry of November 30, I provided documents describing King County’s anticipated purchase of the former Renton Red Lion Hotel. The documents show the County was choosing to purchase the damaged hotel instead of repairing it to save cost. Their future plans for the building and the site were not revealed.
That purchase was recently completed, and the questions have not been answered regarding their intended use for the property.
If you vote in Renton, your King County Voter “Pamphlet” arrived with your ballot. It’s a single folded sheet of paper since there is only one item on the ballot.
Many of us wait until we’ve received our King County voter pamphlet, typically a stand-alone booklet, before sitting down with our ballot and voting.
But in this election, there is no reason to wait. Open your ballot now, and you will find your voter pamphlet. Since there is just a single item on the ballot, the “pamphlet” is a large page folded up inside the same envelope as your ballot.
The voter pamphlet in the ballot does not have the full text of the initiative, so I encourage voters to go to the online voter pamphlet which does have the full text. That can be accessed here.
Mayor Pavone has joined with Renton’s two retired Mayors, Denis Law and Kathy Keolker, in asking voters to reject Initiative 23-02.
They agree that higher wages could benefit our community, but feel that this is not the right legislation to achieve it. They have co-authored and published the following letter with their specific reasoning and concerns.
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Renton voters have a decision to make on Feb. 13 on an initiative that is more heavy-handed than meets the eye. The catchy slogan fails to inform you that the initiative goes well beyond wages and creates new labor regulations the city will be required to enforce for every employer operating in the city.
As your current and former mayors, we urge you to read beyond the slogan before you cast your vote.
Why is this so important that the three of us are writing to you now?
The initiative requires a simple majority of those casting a vote to pass and, if passed, could only be altered in the future by another vote of the people. In other words, to make any change or improve the regulations it imposes, it will be expensive and slow, eroding the resilience of our community.
We can agree that wages being increased will help our community. We value thoughtful decision-making over locking ourselves into the flawed initiative process.
From the vantage point of the mayor’s office, we’ve seen our community survive through some of the most challenging economic times of our generation. The Great Recession and the COVID pandemic demonstrated the value of being nimble, responsive, and able to pivot quickly to sustain through crises. We were able to act, through city council action, to adapt regulations to economic conditions in support of our businesses and residents. We will have less flexibility in our toolbox if this initiative passes.
So what would be made law on top of a nearly $4/hour jump overnight that businesses will have to absorb?
The initiative would impose new labor regulations mandating that employers prioritize part-time employees by offering them additional hours before considering new hires or subcontracting work. This would be required to be documented by the employer and certified by the city and failure to comply involves penalties and fines. In addition to these stringent hiring regulations, the initiative establishes protections against employer retaliation and opens the avenue for civil litigation in case of violations.
Will this solve the affordability crisis? No. Will this protect our workforce? No. Will this new regulatory function cost taxpayer dollars? Yes. In short: We believe that instead of yielding positive outcomes, this measure will inadvertently cause more harm than good.
Increased costs to the consumer and closely regulated operating requirements enforced by city government is not the recipe for a successful business.
The notion that mandates impacting local small businesses and nonprofits should be decided at the ballot initiative is extreme and warrants rejection. Renton is not Seattle or SeaTac and if you look closely, their situations haven’t improved since adopting their wage laws, which were far different than what you are being asked to consider.
A better approach is possible by working together, as a community. Addressing wages as a singular issue, through the City Council, is possible. Continuing to work toward affordable housing options and workforce development and education is possible. Supporting our businesses to remain viable, employing more of our residents, and continued investment in Renton is possible.
Don’t sit on the sidelines. Vote no on Initiative 23-02.
Renton Mayors Armondo Pavone, Denis Law, and Kathy Keolker
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Note: The complete text of this Initiative can be found on the King County Elections website at this link.
Renton’s former Red Lion Hotel remains boarded-up after being used as an emergency shelter during the pandemic
Former Mayor Denis Law received news that King County is preparing to buy the Red Lion Hotel, and he has written to two of our County Councilmembers to ask them to help improve inter-agency collaboration. King County’s plans appear to be intended to relieve the County of further ongoing costs, while failing to return a hotel in serviceable condition. Per King County documents: This property is being purchased to relieve the County of liabilities associated with the License Agreement. The property previously operated as a hotel at this location, is currently vacant, and there are no known plans for the property to be used at this time.
The news that the hotel will likely be purchased by King County with no specific plan to make the property productive motivated former-Mayor Law to speak out for Renton on this topic. Here’s his full letter to Council Members Upthegrove and Dunn.
As you are well aware, the homelessness crisis in this state continues to be one of the most frustrating issues with the public. Despite spending literally billions of dollars in tax dollars, the numbers continue to grow. There obviously are no easy solutions but one thing is certain: merely dedicating billions of taxpayer dollars has not made any progress to date.
I strongly feel that a poorly executed plan to decentralize Seattle’s homeless to suburban cities during the beginning of the COVID crisis, including taking over a hotel in Renton, proved to be a total failure that continues to cost taxpayers millions of dollars. This is only one of many such projects and we’re talking about millions of dollars for the Renton location alone.
As you know, the County, operating under a, “declaration of emergency,” took over the Renton Red Lion Hotel in April, 2020, to house up to 200 chronic homeless individuals with a goal to help stop the spread of COVID. This was done with no input from city leaders, which was legal due to the emergency declaration, but totally inappropriate and lacked in any sense of collaboration. To be fair, the COVID crisis was an emergency since everything was shutting down as the pandemic and fear spread like wildfire across the country. However, there was no effective plan of managing and serving this population that was relocated to the hotel and the consequence was considerable. Renton police and fire were overwhelmed with emergency calls for service at the hotel, from arson fires to assaults and other crimes. Local businesses were severIy impacted and in the end, upwards of $18 million dollars in damage was done to the hotel. The county’s contract agreement with hotel owners obligates you to return the hotel to its original condition, which has created another very costly challenge.
The homeless tenants were moved out of the facility within 16 to 18 months, around September of 2021. Fast forward to today, 26 months later, and the hotel remains boarded-up and surrounded by cyclone fencing. This is a major gateway to the city and has remained an eyesore for all this time. To make it worse, the County has continued to pay the owners of the hotel $330,700 per month in lease payments, more than $8.5 million since the buildings were vacated.
I must admit that the numbers I have may not be totally accurate, but they have not been disputed during conversations I have had with a couple county council members. The reason for my angst now, in addition to the hotel remaining an eyesore at the entrance to Renton, is a proposal before the county council to purchase the building. It’s my understanding that this is due to the huge amount of money required to repair the building, and there is no reasonable way the county can justify paying these repair costs and come away with nothing. The purchase price is $36,200,000 and to my knowledge, there has been no public discussion regarding this expenditure. This price is essentially for only the land since it’s likely the buildings would need to be demolished for new development. Here is some of the justification made to the county council for authorizing this purchase:
King County’s “Rationale for transaction:” Under the License Agreement the County is responsible for damages caused by the County’s use. While being used as a quarantine site during the COVID-19 pandemic, guest rooms, and common areas were extensively damaged. Damage ranges from broken furnishings such as mirrors and lighting, to soiled carpeting, to water damage due to demising walls and ceilings from over run toilets and bathtubs. There is also damage from an intentionally set fire in November of 2020. The estimated cost to restore the property to the condition contemplated by the License is $17,920,000. In addition, the County is paying $330,700 per month under the terms of the License. Acquisition of the property will relieve the County of the liabilities of the License.
In the end, taxpayers will pay upwards of $70 million dollars or more for this one initiative to address homelessness in King County. There’s no accounting on how many other similar scenarios exist, and not a surprise that billions of additional tax dollars continue to be budgeted by the state, King County and Seattle to address homelessness. There have been a number of initiatives created by these entities that have been disbanded due to a lack of funding or adequate outcomes. Again, there is no question that this is a very complex crisis, but there seems to be a need for better collaboration between government agencies as well as more public transparency on total costs and results.
I appreciate that you both have taken steps in the past to address the negative impact this effort has had on the Renton community and local businesses. It seems apparent at this point the county has few options remaining other than spending millions more to resolve the Red Lion issue. Finally, I feel it’s totally inaccurate and unfair for housing advocates to label cities as uncaring or unwilling to help vulnerable populations when they challenge the process of addressing homelessness.
I strongly encourage you to work with Renton’s elected officials on future plans for the Red Lion site.
Train headways that were once as brief as 6 minutes pre-pandemic (and were targeted to be 8 minutes) are now heading to ten minutes or more due to vehicle shortages and other financial challenges. Photo credit: Sound Transit
Urban Planner Stephen Fessler published an insightful op-ed in the Urbanist this week, with his suggestions for Sound Transit to get in front of their looming Link Light Rail capacity issues. I hope Sound Transit gives the ideas the consideration they deserve. In previous posts I’ve mentioned that Link Light Rail is running into vehicle shortages, and Mr. Fessler’s suggestions could potentially help mitigate these.
When Sound Transit’s Bus Rapid Transit Stride service gets implemented in Renton in 2028 (originally planned for 2024 ), it will drop passengers at Tukwila and Bellevue Link light rail stations. Link must have capacity and frequent service for the system to offer value to Renton commuters.
An excerpt from Mr. Fessler’s op-ed: “Ultimately, Sound Transit and its board need to understand that Link isn’t a bus, and the agency shouldn’t be in the business of treating it as such. Voters and partner agencies have approved billions of dollars to construct Link exactly because it’s a train, not a bus. But 10-minute frequencies and short trains tell the tale that Link is being run like a glorified bus. A rail line needs high frequencies and sufficient capacity to serve as the backbone of the regional transit network.”
Diners can sit range-side, and take turns driving golf balls for score, in a variety of games. Scores are tallied on the monitors.
Puget Sound Business Journal recently reported that the Topgolf property is up for sale, but that does not mean the restaurant and lounge with a high-tech driving range is going anywhere.
Topgolf has been a popular business, and has a long-term lease that will transfer with the property to any new owner. Here is the property listing:
The property sold for $27.5 million in 2019 shortly before the Topgolf was built, and it had previously sold for $10 million in 2010 when Boeing surplussed it. (In decades prior, the site held Boeing’s sprawling 10-80 and 10-85 engineering buildings, where Renton Boeing jets were designed. I worked in both buildings at different times.)
Sales history for the Topgolf property, previously the site of the Boeing Company 10-80 and 10-85 engineering buildings
We will likely see a proposed Sound Transit 4 in the next two to three years, as Sound Transit has been forced to make compromises on planned service and schedule due to rising costs and pandemic impacts. Polls show that voters in Seattle and surrounding areas remain highly in favor of mass transit (84 percent in Seattle), so any proposed Sound Transit 4 package is likely to pass, whether or not Renton is included in it or in favor of it.
A Sound Transit 4 package is likely to speed-up already approved projects, and Renton should insist on not waiting until 2040 for a light rail station. Given Renton’s already large 107,000 population, with thousands of new housing units currently in planning or construction, and zoning for tens of thousands more, a Renton light rail station should be targeted for 2030 or earlier.
Renton officials must assure that the voter-approved Renton planning study is completed, and that a Renton light rail connection is included in any future Sound Transit package.
The station location(s) should be identified,
The preliminary right-of-ways should be determined
The construction and operations costs should be estimated.
Ridership projections should be completed
Renton’s past and future contributions to Sound Transit should be professionally calculated, so a strong regional equity case can be made to include the rail line in any future packages
Renton’s elected officials should then work together to assure the package is included in any future Sound Transit 4 initiative
As I’ve covered in other blog entries, Renton taxpayers have already contributed an estimated one to two billion dollars to Sound Transit, and we’re obligated to spending billions more. Many Renton officials have worked hard to get this planning study authorized and underway. Getting our deserved light rail line will require that the council work together as a team, and keep the Renton light rail planning study at at the forefront so that we don’t run out of time.
We must work collaboratively on getting light rail to Renton, or Renton taxpayers will be paying billions for decades for most other cities in our area to have high speed rail transit while Renton gets left out.
Getting the approved planning study completed and Renton light rail line added to a future Sound Transit proposal will require strong collaboration by Renton’s elected officials. The plan I’ve outlined here was co-created with the many elected officials supporting me.
Lind Avenue has been closed at the crossing over I-405 since June 13, 2022
Repair work on Renton’s Lind Avenue overpass will finally get under way later this month, and will include complete demolition and replacement of the northern span of the bridge. Motorists traveling between Renton’s downtown and the Renton/Kent valley will be relieved to get this important connection back in service.
At the time of bid opening the Washington DOT was predicting a summer repair, so this is a little later than planned. A year and four months ago the bridge was struck by an excavator being transported on a flatbed trailer, and the bridge has been closed to traffic ever since. It turns out the bridge is more damaged than it originally appeared, and the whole northern half of the span of the bridge will need to be replaced.
Overnight work may begin as soon as October 23, and require one northbound and one southbound directional closure of I-405, from 11 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. Then a full weekend closure of all the southbound I-405 lanes is planned, from November 3-6 (weather permitting), to demolish the damaged northbound bridge section. Eight new girders will be lifted into place during this closure, to support the replacement span. Plan ahead if you are going to be headed to the airport (or anywhere else that is time-sensitive) during that closure.
The WSDOT press release with further details can be found below, or found online here.
WSDOT photo of damaged girder on Lind Avenue bridge
I am honored to receive the endorsement of the Renton Police Guild. In informing me of this endorsement, the Guild President credited my long, successful track record of working with Renton Police on public safety as the basis for their endorsement.
As a Renton City Council Member for 28 years, I helped fund and hire needed police personnel most of the years I was on council, and did my best to protect police personnel from layoffs during recession periods. Hiring through the years included patrol officers, detectives, evidence technicians, crime analysts, DV victim advocate, K9 units, and others who work day and night to keep our community safe. The overall police department and the city itself more than doubled in size while I served on council.
Many years ago I helped develop and implement improved recruitment and hiring policies to increase the diversity of our new-hires, and help the department reflect the evolving demographics of our city. (This was part of an award-winning city-wide inclusion program that we continually improve and refine as part of the process.)
When our police department outgrew the Mill Avenue Police Station, I helped authorize the funding and construction of our current police station as part of a new city hall complex. More recently I helped add an advanced new Police Training Facility to the complex.
During my years of service on council I consistently embraced technology to improve officer safety and effectiveness, such as modern vehicles, improved communication systems, non-lethal weapon options, and ever-improving forensic/investigation equipment.
I also helped draft numerous changes to city ordinances and advocated for changes to state laws as needed to improve the safety and security of all the residents of our city. I worked closely in partnership with our residents, our city attorney, elected colleagues, and our police in adjusting these laws. When drafting laws and setting policy, I always kept my eye on our ultimate public safety goals while also working to exhaustively anticipate the fairness, public burden, enforceability, and possible unintended consequences of any new laws we passed.
I am eager to bring my experience, care and diligence back to Renton City Council. I’m grateful to Renton Police for giving me their support in my 2023 campaign.
Note: A few hours after I published this article, State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Rick Johnson posted a public plea for drivers to please slow down, as State Patrol was responding to non-stop collisions, and had responded to 66 accidents in King County since yesterday.
The Washington Highway Safety Commission data demonstrate the continuing need for police safety patrol of our streets and highways, even if some legislators think there should be less of it. As shown in the May 2023 data above, speeding and failure to wear seatbelts have been contributing to rapid jumps in highway fatalities, even while deaths from distracted driving and impaired driving have recently been dropping. While nobody likes to get a speeding ticket or seatbelt ticket, this enforcement save lives.
In February I extensively covered the correlation between more-lenient pandemic-era traffic enforcement and a tragic upturn in street and highway fatalities. At the time the Washington State Legislature had already barred police from initiating pursuits of speeding and reckless drivers, and the Legislature was debating House Bill 1513 which would prevent police from even attempting to pull over motorists for seat-belt violations. HB 1513 also would have prevented police from pulling over motorists for broken tail-lights, driving unlicensed vehicles, and other equipment issues –ironically in the name of “safety.”
As I showed in this blog entry, the Legislature must reverse their recent experimentation, and once-again show unified support to our police officers, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers who are trying to conduct reasonable traffic enforcement on our streets and highways. Highway deaths disproportionately hit our younger residents, as well as our lower-paid workers who disproportionately commute longer distances, sometimes late at night, in older vehicles. And for every fatality, there are two or three serious life-altering head-injuries or maimings that will change a victim’s life. A compassionate society would keep the speeds on the streets as safe as possible, stop giving reckless drivers a pass, and remind everyone to wear seatbelts and replace their safety light bulbs when necessary. Letting drivers crash at increasing frequency, in the name of “safety”, is anything but compassionate.
As a 20-year member of I-405 corridor transportation planning team and a founding member of the Eastrail Regional Advisory Committee, I was glad to help bring Eastrail to Renton
Our new Eastrail hiking and biking Trail on the former Burlington Northern Santa Fe Eastside Line is a wonderful new amenity in our city. If you have not yet discovered it, you are in for a treat. With amazing views of the lake, streams, trees and nature at a grade of less than 1%, the trail is a delight for travelers of any degree of mobility.
The trail is a successful example of “railbanking,” where an otherwise abandoned rail corridor is preserved intact under a long-term agreement between the railroad and government agencies, allowing the corridor to become a public trail with the proviso that it could potentially be used by rail again in the future.
I was a longtime member of the I-405 Corridor Executive Steering Committee and Eastside Transportation Partnership when we learned the rail corridor would be abandoned. Working with King County, the Port of Seattle, the DOT, and others, we protected the corridor to assure multimodal transportation options up and down the corridor. I was a founding member of the Regional Advisory Committee for the new Rail trail, which we ultimately named Eastrail as it blended “Eastside Rail” and trail.
As someone who appreciated railroads, I was very pleased we could preserve the original trestles on the trail, and make them safe for pedestrians.
Several smaller trestles have already been converted for pedestrian use, and the plan is in work for the magnificent 1000-foot-long Wilburton Trestle in South Bellevue. Funding issues are being worked to upgrade the trestle across I-90, and build a pedestrian/bike bridge across I-405 in the Wilburton area where the original tunnels used by the train were dismantled during the previous I-405 widening.
My wife Cathy walking the trail with me. Here it crosses over May Creek.Trail users get this good view of the Seahawks training center
A bike and pedestrian section north of the Seahawks training center, built on the original railroad trestle.
From below the railroad origins of the bridge are obvious, and add to the trail’s charmDetails of the historic timber trestle bents and beams that carry the new concrete walking surface
The thousand-foot-long, hundred-foot high Wilburton trestle will be converted to a bike and walking path. Amazon is helping with funding of this portion.
Millions of dollars were allocated in Sound Transit 3 to study a link light rail connection between Renton, Tukwila, and West Seattle. The study must be prioritized. Photo credit: Sound Transit
As I’ve covered in previous blog entries, Renton taxpayers have paid between 1-2 billion dollars for Sound Transit, and have received very little benefit.
When Sound Transit 3 (ST3) was approved by voters, it included several million dollars for a planning study of a light rail connection to Renton. Renton must continue to push for this study to be completed, to ensure we are not left out of link light rail if a Sound Transit 4 is proposed in the future.
Many transit insiders believe there will be an ST4 proposed within a few years, as Sound Transit 3 funding isn’t covering all of the ST3 commitments, with one of the latest challenges being the quantity and cost of new trains. While the Sound Transit Board has a fiduciary duty to deliver as best they can with the funds they are allocated (making necessary compromises to design, operating frequency, implementation schedule, etc), the public could bring forward a new proposed ST4 bond issue to resolve these issues and enhance this service at any time. The last I heard, the buzz was that it may happen between 2024-2026.
We must have a Renton Link Light Rail connection in any future ballot proposals. I worked hard along with Renton’s Mayor and several council colleagues to get the Renton study into Sound Transit 3, and we then worked to jump-start the study by hiring a consultant to help us identify potential station locations and potential alignments. We now need for Sound Transit to take this good work, and finish the job.
“The planning studies would help to identify the range of alternatives, evaluate potential routes and station locations and terminals, inform local comprehensive planning, prepare for formal environmental review and engineering, and position the Sound Transit Board to evaluate options and establish priorities for implementation in future phases of high capacity transit investments in the region. The studies will include public outreach, preliminary environmental assessment, ridership forecasting, and conceptual engineering and cost estimating.
The studies include: HCT Study: Light Rail Extending from West Seattle to Burien, connecting to Renton via Tukwila This study would examine a light rail extension from West Seattle to Renton via Burien and Tukwila. The study would be completed in coordination with local transit partners to examine a variety of options for service provision and to maximize opportunities for regional integration.”
The Issaquah-Kirkland line is an example of a completed study. It includes 4 new stations and was funded with Sound Transit 3.
Part of the approved (and funded) plan for a Kirkland to Issaquah line
It’s way past time for Renton to get on the Sound Transit Link Light Rail long-term plan. Unfortunately there are Seattle-based transit interests that don’t think Renton deserves a light rail line and they still want our tax money. Renton officials must push back against these opinions. For example, prior to ST3, the popular Seattle Transit Blog published an article which said:
‘The “tell” of excess focus on new regional connections is the heavy emphasis on the east-west Burien/Renton corridor. To put it mildly, this is not a corridor where existing demand suggests a need for true high-capacity transit.’
Renton officials must be firm advocates for Renton when working with Sound Transit, so that Renton taxpayers do not spend many more billions of dollars while receiving very little benefit.
Part of the ST3 commitment to voters. Source: Sound Transit
Sound Transit’s 2023 Progress report does not include any discussion of these planning studies.
Randy Corman testifying to the Sound Transit Board in 2016. One of the board’s commitments was the study of a Renton-Tukwila light rail connection. The full story is here.
More Sound Transit 3 documents and reports can be found here.
From 4:00-7:00 PM today I’ll be meeting people out at Renton airport for a BBQ fundraiser. I would like you all to come and the details are here! Here’s some background on our historic and vital airport, and some of my involvement with it.
Our Airport is also an important part of history. In 1922 it was a small turf runway called Bryn Mawr Airport. In 1935, two American icons, humorist Will Rogers and famed-aviator Wiley Post left the continental United States for the last time from Renton on their ill-fated trip to the Alaska frontier, Our Seaplane base now bears their names. In 1943 Renton airfield was expanded and modernized by the US government to build the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. In 1954, our airport ushered in the jet age in commercial passenger transportation by launching the Boeing Dash 80 followed by the 707. Also in 1954 local aviation pioneer Clayton Scott opened a business at Renton Airport alongside many other important businesses at the field. ” Scotty” had flown out of Renton in 1928, served as Boeing founder William Boeing’s personal pilot, was the first pilot to land at Boeing Field, and ultimately became chief test pilot for the Boeing Company. In 2006 Scotty flew himself to the Museum of Flight for a ceremony in which Marcie Palmer and I presented him with a banner naming the field after him. From 1965 until now Clayton Scott Field has been the home of the 737, the best selling airliner in history.
The 2019 Master Plan Challenge
In 2019 the Renton Airport was undergoing a Master Planning process in order to maintain its safety, viability, and eligibility for Federal funding. The project was running into serious political challenges, and I helped work with the Airport Community, the Mayor, and the City Council to find a way through these challenges.
Our consultants on the project had identified an updated designation and new safety zones and clearances consistent with the most recent FAA Advisory Circulars for new airport design. Unfortunately, these safety zones required us to extend the length of the airport by nearly 2000 feet, which either pushed it into the lake or right into downtown Renton. The added airport length had already created great concern in the community, as we would have had to acquire anywhere from 40 to 100 new properties, including the sports field at Renton High School, and do work in the lake and Cedar River that may not be allowed due to environmental concerns. The airport could go all the way to Second Street. Comments from concerned citizens and businesses continued to come into city hall, and it was clear that the project was facing severe headwinds.
We ultimately worked through these issues with the FAA, and our airport has maintained its classification and it’s financial viability for now. But there are many more challenges on the horizon that will need elected leaders’ attention to keep our airport working for our community in the future.
The Kennydale Econo Lodge/Inn at Lake Washington is owned by REBLX Partners, and has been discussed as a possible homeless services site for Burien
Two days ago the Kennydale Neighborhood Association sent a letter to Burien leadership requesting that the City of Burien remove the Econo Lodge from consideration for relocation of their residents experiencing homelessness.
According to the B-Town blog, a Burien-based blog which provides in-depth city hall coverage, this letter was met with some confusion by at least one Burien council member:
“Why is it you think we are considering sending them to Renton?” Councilmember Stephanie Mora said to the KNA via email. “As far as I know there is only one property we are considering using that’s here in the city of Burien. Please help me understand what I might be missing.”
It’s commendable Councilmember Mora spoke up and asked this important question. The answer to Councilmember Mora’s question is that the City of Burien website displays an August 1st news release which (as of today) says:
False information is circulating throughout the community that accuses the Burien City Council of rejecting an offer of $1 million from King County for the purpose of establishing a site for temporary housing.
The Burien City Council did not reject the offer presented by King County; the offer is not contingent upon a vote of acceptance by the Burien City Council and remains available through the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA). The Burien City Council remains committed to exploring fully the issue of temporary housing for the unhoused community and directed the City Manager to investigate potential partnerships and sites in and outside the city of Burien.
City personnel have identified several potential sites, including a facility operated by REBLX, a partner agency of KCRHA. All sites remain under consideration until an exhaustive review has been completed by City personnel and shared with the City Council.
[Emphasis added; the REBLX site is the Kennydale Econo Lodge/Inn at Lake Washington]
The only subsequent news releases (as of today) on Burien’s website are concerning Planning Commission applications and Burien’s Welcoming Week.
Hence, anyone reading the news from Burien’s administration can reasonably assume that the REBLX/Econo Lodge site is still under consideration, and that information to the contrary is false Information (in the words of Burien’s City Manager’s Office.)
Kennydale residents will be relieved to hear that at least one Burien Council member is not considering the Renton Econo Lodge a viable solution, and Kennydale residents would be even more relieved if the Burien Administration superseded their August 1st statement with a new press release saying that the REBLX site is off the table.
While some Burien leaders may feel they have already clarified this, a KOMO news story last week implies Burien has not completed the “exhaustive review” to find shelter space that they called for in their news release.
Per KOMO on September 26: “What are the shelter options that we have? I think that’s the very crucial next step,” Mora explained.
Current screenshot from Burien’s official “News and Announcements” page
This is going to a fun fundraiser at the Renton Airport, in the beautiful state-of-the-art Ace Aviation “Red Barn” facility. Thanks to Karen Stemwell and Marcie Palmer for organizing, and Kurt Boswell for hosting. RSVPs (to VoteRandyCorman@gmail.com) are appreciated to help us plan food, but not required. If you can’t make this event, donations are still greatly appreciated to help raise money for a final mailer. You can donate through this link: https://secure.anedot.com/elect-randy-corman/donate
