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)

Posts in category Eminent Domain

Renton city officials cannot duck responsibility in School District plan to evict residents

Mar05
2025 2 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Sarah Becker asks for Council assistance regarding the taking of property near Renton High School

Many long-time residents are being forcibly evicted from their homes by a new ballfield being built with the rebuild of Renton High School.  These residents have been seeking assistance from Renton’s Council and Mayor in recent City Council meetings.  City officials keep ducking the spotlight, either saying nothing or insisting it’s the School District’s jurisdiction.  This is a shirking of their responsibility, for half a dozen reasons.

READ MORE »

2 Comments Posted in Representation, School District

Renton High neighborhood property takings; we did not vote to condemn all these homes

Mar04
2025 7 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Many Renton School supporters feel they are being “Gaslighted” when  told by district leaders that they voted to expand Renton High School into the neighborhood, taking 40 homes and businesses

Summary: Renton voters were not told before the election that homes and businesses would be taken if the 2022 Renton High School bond issue passed.  And the District has attempted to confuse the public about this by changing the description of the bond issue on their website after the election.

Like the majority of Renton voters, I’ve always voted “YES” when asked for more funding by the Renton School District.  Our children are our future, and they deserve the best start in life that we can give them.

But about a year ago I had an unexpected online disagreement with the husband of a School Board member, when I learned about the neighborhood that is being forcibly taken and destroyed to support the school expansion.  He seemed to think it was common knowledge that the mass condemnations were going to happen, and I said I was not in favor of it.  I had thought the school was going to move if we approved the bond issue.  His comments sent me to the School District’s website to get my facts straight.

Well, it turns out, the School District CHANGED the details of what we voted for, after the election.

READ MORE »

7 Comments Posted in History, Representation, School District

When is condemnation appropriate? My personal experience with eminent domain

Mar01
2025 14 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Renton High, 1938. Ten years later Renton Memorial Stadium was built on 17 acres nearby, to provide the high school with a football and track stadium. The School Board voted this week to use eminent domain to enlarge this school site into the neighborhood around it.

I’ve been writing about eminent domain on two topics, the Renton School District  and the proposed Asphalt Plant.  In this post I share some of my personal background being on both sides of eminent domain actions, and discuss a little about when I think it is an appropriate tool.

Being on the receiving end:

My wife Cathy and I were on the receiving end of a condemnation action in 1988. We challenged the “public necessity” in Superior Court and won, but that does not always happen. The experience led to my 28-year service on Renton City Council.

I have been impacted by an eminent domain action directed at me and my wife in the past. That experience helps me understand what it is like being the subject of an eminent domain taking.  Our trial also helped set a judicial precedent on the definition of “necessity,” that, according to my attorney, was cited in many later cases.

READ MORE »

14 Comments Posted in Aquifer, Representation, School District

Renton School Board, with minimal discussion, sends world-class glass studio packing

Feb28
2025 5 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Billy O’Neill, “Dale Chihuly’s right hand man,” (in white sneakers) selecting the large facility on Airport Way for his decorative glass making studio.  The venue was going to teach youth and adults the art of Chihuly style glass making.  The large open-bay building features the same old-growth historic bowstring-trusses that caused our city council to save the Pavilion building in the 1990s.

It was a dream come true for Renton’s Arts Community, our youth, and our Economic Development department. A world-class glass studio was relocating to Renton, headed up by the vice-president and operations manager of Chihuly’s workshop in Seattle.  Billy O’Neill, who Seattle Times calls Dale Chihuly’s right hand man, was working on a gift for Renton that would have taught new generations of Rentonites how to create beautiful glass sculptures and containers.  Mr. O’Neill  has served on the Seattle Arts Commission, as secretary on the Executive Board of Directors of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) and on advisory boards for the Seattle Sounders and other non-profits– a perfect fit in Renton.  He was instrumental in creating Chihuly’s Garden of Glass at Seattle Center.

But the exciting glass art studio fell victim to a School District Eminent Domain taking, along with numerous other businesses and homes, with no acknowledgment by the School Board of the glass studio’s extraordinary significance.

The business, called “Glass Eye” already has a permanent sales location at Pike Place Market, which would have soon been selling the Made in Renton glassworks.  We would have a new Made-in-Renton products we could share with visitors and far-away family, to replace our much-missed Uptown Glassworks.

READ MORE »

5 Comments Posted in Art, Business, Community, Development, Downtown, History, Neighborhoods, Representation, School District

Public Hearing tonight on School District use of Eminent Domain for Renton High School

Feb27
2025 4 Comments Written by Randy Corman

A home on Tillucum Street in Renton; one of many that the School District is attempting to purchase to build a new softball field

 

As I’ve discussed previously in this article concerning Renton Airport, the Renton School District has been buying up properties north and east of Renton High School to expand the school’s site.

Some owners of homes and business owners have reached an agreement with the district– reluctantly in some cases.  The map below shows the status of the purchases to date. Some of the early agreements were commercial or rental properties, which are somewhat easier to price.

But there are many homeowners shocked and saddened that the district is pressing them to turn over their homes.  Some of them have preserved the property in their families for many years, and some are families who financially stretched to buy a home of their own.  This neighborhood’s residents have have been part of the fabric of our downtown for decades, and many are deeply rooted in our schools, clubs and other organizations.  For most, their homes are not just a roof and four walls on a lot– they are their histories, futures, hopes, dreams, and connections.

READ MORE »

4 Comments Posted in Representation, School District
Newer Entries »

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.

Subscribe for updates

Enter your email below to receive notice of new blog entries

Please Comment!

Your comments are very appreciated and they add value to this blog.  You may comment anonymously by leaving your name and email out of the comment form (there is no sign-in required).   Please keep your comments civil and respectful; policy discussions are encouraged but avoid personal attacks.  No threats of violence against anyone, or inciting violence in any form.  No racist, sexist, or hateful comments of any kind. Be truthful. Do not make allegations of criminal, unethical, or other personal wrongdoing that you do not have proof to back up.  Avoid profane, obscene, vulgar, lewd, discriminatory, or sexually-oriented language.  Honest, respectful, good-faith discussion of public officials’ actions and their results are protected speech. Private persons deserve more discretion, so avoid any unfair criticism of them.

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Calendar

June 2026
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  

Meta

Back to Top