Month: May 2025

Renton School District sends out new mailer that continues to mislead public on taxes

Written by Randy Corman 1 Comment

Renton School District has sent out another quarterly mailer that misleads 130,000 residents about their taxes.  Renton’s school taxes have been on a fast-rising trend since 2020 as shown in the chart below. Where the mailer says “we continue to see a decrease of our school district total combined tax rate even as our voters support school construction measures,” district leaders appear to be either: (a) trying to mislead the public into thinking that taxes are dropping because of their good stewardship; or (b) demonstrating they don’t understand math.  Either way, it raises issues about whether they are qualified to teach our children math.  School tax rates-per-thousand are dropping simply because assessed valuations are skyrocketing, and the net effect is that our actual taxes paid for schools are going up sharply.

The District did drop the most flagrant sentence from their last mailer that said “that’s a $1500 savings for the owner of a home valued at $715,000” after I posted about it, but even without this statement the graph and verbiage remains misleading.

Since they are leading an educational system, I look forward to one day receiving a mailer that says “Yes, we acknowledge your school taxes are going up, and here are the reasons we think you are getting good value for the extra money you are giving us”  followed by a list of achievements and plans proving they are spending every dollar wisely in a way that improves student performance.

I’ve voted for every school bond issue in the past, and I care deeply about our schools.  In return for this support I expect an honest accounting of the cost trends and results from the district.  Whoever is suggesting that they make it look like our taxes are dropping in every one of these mailers should be sent for retraining or serve a time-out in the corner.

I’ve provided a more in depth analysis on this topic in my previous blog entry on this topic here.

 

In reality, the taxes for the school district are rising quickly. This is a typical Renton Highlands house (owned by my son) valued at $723,000 in 2025. This house appreciated at a normal rate with all the others, with no remodeling. The local school taxes went up significantly.

 

 

This 2021-2025 chart for my son’s typical Renton home comes directly from King County’s Tax Transparency Tool. The red bar is the local schools tax, and the blue is our state school tax. 56% of our property taxes goes to schools. Total school tax has increased from $3,134 to $4,092. Local school taxes have increased from $1,658 to $2,469, up $811, a 32% increase (about twice the rate of inflation).

“Johns Creek” shares blame with geese for frequent Coulon Beach swim closures

Written by Randy Corman 2 Comments
While currently open as of this writing, Coulon Beach swim area was closed during the Memorial Day weekend and the first above 80-degree day of the season.

Coulon Beach Park swim area was closed on this sunny Memorial Day weekend because of high bacterial counts.  It was one of only two beaches on Lake Washington closed for this reason.  Unfortunately this has become more common in recent years, with Coulon’s swim area sometimes closed for weeks at a time.

Renton’s Coulon Park swim beach was closed while most local beaches were open during this warm holiday weekend.

While it’s clear that ducks and geese are contributing to the problem, it’s less obvious to Park visitors that storm drains in western Renton Highlands, the Landing and even I-405 are also contributing to the problem by adding pollution to “Johns Creek” which empties next to Coulon’s swim beach.

Renton has been working for decades to improve the water quality in Johns Creek, and a Stormwater Management Action Plan (SMAP)  is in place to improve it.  Renton Stormwater utility fees, along with grants when they can be obtained, pay for this work.

Johns Creek is not the only creek that carries Renton’s surface water into Coulon Park; Kennydale Creek deposits Kennydale’s surface water about a mile to the north.  But in addition to emptying further away from the swim beach, Kennydale Creek flows mostly in a natural creek bed open to the sun and air, which helps reduce bacteria levels.  Johns Creek flows through many pipes and culverts, only in open air as it nears Coulon Park.

So to keep our swim beach open, businesses and residents in Renton Highlands, the Landing, Paccar, Southport and parts of North Renton should help keep our street gutters clean and spread the word that whatever flows into storm drains can flow right into the Coulon Beach Swim area.

The following photos and maps give more information about this little-known creek and the plans in place to improve it.

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

Written by Randy Corman 9 Comments
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

School District plans to demolish neighborhood before they get building approval

Written by Randy Corman 9 Comments
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 acquire under threat of eminent domain 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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Social media post shows office furnishings allegedly thrown onto Park Avenue from derelict building

Written by Randy Corman 7 Comments
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

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

Written by Randy Corman 5 Comments
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.

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

Written by Randy Corman 2 Comments

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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