Month: September 2025

Homelessness will skyrocket if surging property tax rates aren’t brought under control

Written by Randy Corman 31 Comments
Property taxes on the Garden Plaza buildings on Park Avenue have dropped by almost half a million dollars as the buildings crumble to the ground. The blight is impacting nearby properties, like the new Southport offices, where property taxes have dropped over a million dollars since 2021. This tax burden shifts to homeowners and renters, making housing increasingly unaffordable.
This graph shows the past five years of property taxes on my Renton Highlands home. This data can be easily generated for any property in Renton by using the “King County Tax Transparency Tool.”

Like many other Renton homeowners, I’ve seen my property taxes surge 50% in just four years.  My 1959 one-story home has a tax-assessed value of $1,003,000, just one percent higher than the King County average assessment of $997,538. But the annual taxes are $3,334 higher than they were four years ago. and they’re likely to go much higher.

In 2001 Washington voters, concerned about being taxed out of their homes, approved initiative 747 to put a “1% cap” on the amount a taxing district could increase taxes. But this cap doesn’t apply when voters approve the increase, and (when applicable) the cap only applies to total taxes collected by a jurisdiction, not to individual properties. So some property owners can see big tax increases when other see reductions, even when the jurisdiction holds to a 1% increase overall.  And taxes still go up even when region-wide property values drop. Hence, my 50 percent higher tax bill over four years could become a new pattern, regardless of whether property values go up or down in the future.

What would it look like if this rate of increase was the “new normal”?  If we see 50% increases every four years, the way we have in the past four, this is our 20 year outlook:

My home’s property tax if we continue with 50% growth every four years

At the current rate of growth, in twenty years my home’s property taxes would be almost $80,000 per year, heavily impacting my retirement planning.  People still working would also struggle– few homeowners could pay a mortgage and support a family with an $80,000 property tax payment.  And renters will have the $7000 monthly tax bill added to their rent.

While this looks ridiculous, it could happen if local officials do not relearn the discipline of belt-tightening.  The first step will be to admit they have a problem.

The City of Renton portion of my taxes has gone up 39% in the past four years, from $653 to $905.  In a Q13 Fox report today, Mayor Pavone erroneously told David Rose: “Property taxes have gone up, but it has nothing to do with the City of Renton.”   The Mayor was mistaken. Even with the voter-approved “1% cap” on total annual increases in city property tax collections, residential taxes can go up sharply when taxes drop on business properties like the ruined Park Avenue buildings and the former Red Lion Hotel.  A friend of mine who heard the Mayor’s statement quipped, does that mean we don’t have to pay Renton’s increased  taxes?

By hovering the cursor over the bars on King County’s Tax Transparency tool, one can quickly see the individual contributors to the taxes. My City of Renton property tax was $653 in 2021, the year I retired from City Council.
My City of Renton property tax increased to $905.37 by 2025, a 39% increase in four years.

Taxes across all taxing-districts are rising fast, with no end in sight.  After a new King County Parks bond was approved in last month’s primary,  Renton School District and Valley Medical Center are both asking Renton voters for more money in this November’s general election.  The City of Renton is working on its own Park Bond ballot issue for next year, and Sound Transit feels they are about $30 billion dollars short, and talking about going to the polls for more.  The other taxing districts will not be far behind. Our property tax increases are far out-pacing most people’s wage growth, and if our taxes keep rising at the current pace fewer and fewer people will qualify for home purchases or leases. Many more of our current residents will become unhoused.

It doesn’t have to be this way.  We were able to actually lower city taxes in the past by diligently managing every penny of our tax revenues, and ensuring we maintained a thriving business climate.  Our elected officials must focus on solving problems using the record amounts of money taxpayers are already giving them, not by constantly asking for more.

[Note: updated on September 20 with new second paragraph summarizing state tax structure and “1% cap,” in response to a question by “GoRedhawks!” in the comments ]

Not “willing sellers”; forty homes and businesses are being taken by use or threat of eminent domain

Written by Randy Corman 13 Comments
This is one of the 32 homes and 8 businesses that are being taken by Renton School District. None of these were mutual agreements with “willing sellers,” in spite of the School District’s attempts to spin them that way.

[Note: For background on this topic please see my earlier posts on eminent domain here; photos in this story are from Photographer Gary Palmer]

Renton’s School Superintendent, School Board Members, and at least one Renton Council Candidate are all attempting to dismiss the degree of harm done to families near Renton High School by asserting that many of the properties acquired by the School District were “agreements” with “willing sellers.”  This is a falsehood that adds insults to the life-changing injuries that the impacted families are suffering. This falsehood also reveals that those who made the decision to forcibly take these properties are unwilling to own their decision or its consequences.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the 32 homeowners or 8 businesses that are currently losing their property to the Renton High expansion were actively marketing their property for sale on October 25, 2023.  That was the date that Renton School Board directed the superintendent to acquire all 40 properties, using eminent domain as necessary.

Excerpt from Resolution 02-23/24 threatening eminent domain, passed by Renton School District on October 25th, 2023

Every sale of these properties that occured after this date was by definition “under threat of eminent domain,”  and not by agreement with “a willing seller.”  The sellers can no longer be considered “willing” after Resolution 02-23/24 passed, since the District’s course of action compels them to sell.  The School District would have had to complete the purchase before introducing the threat of eminent domain for the seller to truly be considered “willing.”

To put it bluntly, you can’t force someone to do something, and then argue that forcing them was okay because they were “willing.”  Compulsion is the opposite of consent.

Courts and real estate professionals widely understand that anyone under threat of eminent domain is not a willing seller.  With the threat of eminent domain looming over a property it can’t be kept or sold to to a third-party on the free market– it has to be sold to the government.  The seller may ultimately agree on a price with the government to avoid incurring lawyer fees, but that does not make them a “willing seller.”  It’s past time for Renton School District to figure this out.

When Renton School District infamously acquired the Houston family farm in the 1960’s and then sold it for a profit to a developer in the 1980s, they bullied George Houston (who signed with an “X” because he couldn’t read) into signing away his family farm using the threat of eminent domain.  The threat of eminent domain is frequently all the government needs to compel a sale from someone who can’t afford an attorney.  That is why earlier this year, at the urging of George Houston’s son John,  the Washington House and the Washington Senate both unanimously voted to approve Senate Bill 5142, the Houston Eminent Domain Fairness Act; the new law attempts to protect people from being exploited the way the Houston family was by even the threat of eminent domain.

Renton School District has many injustices they need to atone for.  They should begin by recognizing that compulsion to sell by threat of eminent domain is just a more quiet (and often more exploitive) form of an eminent domain taking.

And if you hear anyone say that the properties around Renton High School were sold willingly, please explain to them how they are mistaken.

One of the 32 homes being taken by Renton School District
The popular El Kiosko Restaurant is one of the eight business forced to move by Renton School District eminent domain actions
Another home taken by Renton School District

 

At a recent walk around Renton High School, Counselor/Author John Houston (front-center) shared the story of his parent’s farm being taken in the 1960s by Renton School District. The District used the threat of eminent domain.  Mr. Houston’s engaging and enlightening book covering the impact of this loss to his family, and his personal journey to move past it,  is available here.

Below the cut I have photos of several more of the 32 homes being taken by either threat of eminent domain, or contested eminent domain court actions.

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The Renton Property Maintenance Code applies to businesses too, not just residents

Written by Randy Corman 9 Comments

Renton Municipal Code:

“301.3.11.1 Abatement: A building or structure accessory thereto that remains vacant and open to entry after the required compliance date is found and declared to be a public nuisance. The code official is hereby authorized to summarily abate the violation by closing the building to unauthorized entry. The costs of abatement shall be a lien against the real property and may be collected from the owner in the manner provided by law.”

I wish Renton’s top officials would read the Renton Municipal Code.  It may take them a few weeks, but it will dramatically help them better understand their options when faced with problems.

This week’s Renton Reporter quotes our Mayor as saying (incorrectly) that the city had two choices for dealing with the abandoned Park Avenue buildings; buying the buildings, or just waiting years for the owners to do something.

Renton “Garden Plaza” buildings on Park Avenue have fallen into ruin

But there was always a third option, the best one, that is perfectly clear in Renton’s Code: correcting the nuisance and billing the owner.  I’ve been advocating for this option all along.  This option would have saved these buildings, giving the owners an asset worth about $30 million dollars in today’s market, and saving North Renton from years of blight and crime.

By ignoring this preferred option, Renton achieved the following outcomes: the buildings are now in ruin; threats from fire, falling and other hazards grow worse by the day; the demolition permit, if it’s ever used, will leave a hazardous and unusable parking garage in place; barbed wire will soon frame the blighted site; the building ownership appears to be in a state of stalled foreclosure; and the process to get back to a healthy occupancy of this space might require environmental cleanup costs (per the Mayor’s estimate) in the hundreds of millions of dollars.  Since the land value is assessed at $7 million, no one will want to spend $100 million cleaning it.

The Mayor is also quoted in the Renton Reporter as holding back on fines, even though the city regularly threatens residents with prompt $100-per-day fines for minor issues like not mowing grass or not scrubbing someone else’s graffiti off their fence.  Regarding the Southern California firm that owns the deathtrap Park Avenue buildings, the Mayor is quoted as saying the city was “not fining them because we don’t normally fine businesses that in good faith are going to be building in Renton.”

If reading through Renton’s code was too hard, Renton’s leaders could have done a 30-second google search to get the advice from an organization that Renton helps fund just for such guidance, the Municipal Research Service Center.  The MRSC suggests immediate repair of hazards by the city followed by billing the owner, and does not discuss buying the offending building as the Mayor suggested.

The City should still act to abate the hazards in this building before someone gets seriously injured or killed,  although the City has already squandered the opportunity to save stakeholders tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars.  And the next time one of these buildings goes vacant, Renton leaders should treat our ordinances as the law, and not a “pirate code” that can be arbitrarily altered at will.

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The MRSC guidance, Mayor’s full quotes, and the City’s Property Maintenance Code are all shown below, for reference. (Background on these buildings can be found here.)

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Mercer Island City Council expresses concern about Renton’s new business jet traffic

Written by Randy Corman 5 Comments
New letter in preparation from Mercer Island Mayor to Renton Airport Director

The Mercer Island City Council and Mayor have predictably grown tired of Renton Airport’s new night-time jet traffic whizzing over their homes, less than 400 feet above their treetops.

Many of us familiar with Renton Airport could see this coming.  Renton’s new Public Works Director and Renton Airport Director pushed out five propeller-aircraft businesses this past year and began encouraging private jet activities despite numerous warnings that this would result in many night-time noise complaints.  This new focus on business jets and commercial turboprops was contrary to Renton’s Airport Sustainability Management Plan, a guiding document that the FAA sponsored and our Renton Airport Advisory Committee created specifically to ensure long-term airport harmony with the surrounding community.

Mercer Island is now asking Renton to try to direct the new jet traffic further away from their treetops.  They want the jets to either climb over the Lake Washington channel between Mercer Island and Kennydale, or make a steeper climb to increase their clearance above their Island. Their concerns are safety as well as noise, as these jets can be going 200-300 miles per hour as they cross the middle of Mercer Island.

It remains to be seen whether their traffic pattern requests are possible, and whether these changes would be enough to stem the increasing complaints from residents of Mercer Island.  And while these traffic pattern suggestions seem like reasonable recommendations, they may unfortunately increase jet noise in the Kennydale community with closer aircraft and steeper climb outs.

Our South Renton and Talbot Hill neighborhoods are also getting new night-time jet noise south of the airport. This didn’t have to happen, and it should not be allowed to get worse.

I recommend Renton residents tell our City Council and Mayor to stop encouraging new jet tenants, and restore a strong bias toward propeller-powered aircraft that better serve our Renton community.

Below is a draft letter that captures the Mercer Island Council’s concerns and suggestions.  This letter will go before the Mercer Island City Council for approval on September 16.  If the final version has any changes, I’ll post it.

[Update as of September 16: This letter was unanimously approved as the ninth item on the Consent Agenda at the September 16th Mercer Island City Council meeting]

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Renton Highlands residents will get better access to Light Rail via Metro 111, starting next year

Written by Randy Corman 16 Comments
This chart is from Metro’s East Link connectivity program
Link Light Rail Train at South Bellevue Station

I’m overdue to discuss some good news.  The 30-40% of Renton residents that live in certain parts of the Renton Highlands will find they have improved access to Link Light Rail starting next year.  The Metro 111 busses that currently provide 5-day-per-week peak-hour service to Seattle are going to be rescheduled to provide 7-day-per-week all-day access to the South Bellevue Link Light Rail Station.  In addition to allowing people on any daytime schedule to use this service, this change will make the Metro 111 useful for passengers heading up the Eastside to Bellevue and Redmond.

And for those commuting to North Seattle or Lynnwood there is another perk; the trains that cross the lake from Bellevue will continue north in Seattle, without requiring a transfer.

The new Metro 111 route went through an extensive multi-year review process, along with many other Metro route adjustments; the changes received their final approval by King County Council in March of this year.

The Metro 111 will provide express service from Renton Highlands to the South Bellevue Light Rail Station

The changes will go into effect when the Link Light Rail cross-lake connection and the I-405 new express lanes are completed, sometime in 2026.

My extended family is certainly excited about this change.  For the first time in several decades of paying for Sound Transit, we will have ready access to its service from our homes in Renton Highlands.

For those who wish to learn more, this Seattle Transit Blog article provides a nice write-up on all the changes in work for  Metro Bus /Light-Rail connections on the eastside,  and the process that brought them about.

A couple years after that (in 2028 or 2029), South Renton and North Kennydale Residents will find they get good connectivity from the Sound Transit Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service being implemented along the I-405 corridor.  Unfortunately, the expanded parking for the north and south Renton BRT stops has been delayed for another ten years. But the BRT busses will be rolling for those that can find parking, walk, bike, or get dropped off at the Renton BRT stations.

I’ve written many articles regarding Renton’s efforts to obtain equitable access to Sound Transit, and you can read them by clicking here.

My wife Cathy on the Link Light Rail between Bellevue and Redmond.

“Reserve at Renton” towing disputes; is it even allowed to require two permits for ADA parking?

Written by Randy Corman 8 Comments

In my previous post, I described how “The Reserve at Renton” has been accused of being too quick to tow resident’s and customers vehicles away.  This includes vehicles that are legally displaying the state disabled parking permit but do not also have a special “Reserve at Renton” issued parking permit.  Disabled residents have reported paying between $500 – $900 to retrieve their towed vehicles.

A quick review of the State’s website says any person who meets the criteria for disabled parking must be allowed to use the parking free of charge, without time restrictions (except in the case of certain on-street parking).  Hence, it’s not surprising that disabled motorists are taken by surprise when their cars are towed away by the “Reserve at Renton.”  I’m not an attorney, so I’m not going to opine on the legality of this, but I think it is very confusing, and I think residents cars should not have been towed without warning if they had a valid ADA permit.  Here is the wording in state law, which can be found here.  (The exceptions mentioned are for on-street parking or fraudulent use of credentials, and don’t apply in this case).

RCW 46.61.582
Free parking for persons with disabilities—Exceptions.
(1) Any person who meets the criteria for special parking privileges under RCW 46.19.010 must be allowed free of charge to park a vehicle being used to transport the holder of such special parking privileges for unlimited periods of time in parking zones or areas, including zones or areas with parking meters that are otherwise restricted as to the length of time parking is permitted, except zones in which parking is limited pursuant to RCW 46.19.050(5). The person must obtain and display a parking placard or special license plate under RCW 46.19.010 and 46.19.030 to be eligible for the privileges under this section.
(2) This section does not apply to those zones or areas in which the stopping, parking, or standing of all vehicles is prohibited or that are reserved for special types of vehicles.

Screenshot from State Law

 

Cars transporting disabled residents and customers, in front of a storefront in the Reserve at Renton apartment building.  Parking spots are marked per state law, but with an additional “Parking by Permit Only” towing sign on the bricks.
“Parking by Permit Only” sign does not make it clear their permit is additional to State Disabled Permit;  and I’m not sure if this is legal anyways for ADA parking required by the building permit

 

Double-permits hang in this car window as resident works to comply with apartment policy

 

Residents of “Reserve at Renton” Senior Living share concerns with Council about unfair towing

Written by Randy Corman 18 Comments
The Reserve at Renton income-restricted senior living apartments and the Feast Buffet banquet restaurant sit side-by-side in the Rainier Avenue Fred Meyer Shopping Center. The Reserve also has two businesses located on its ground floor.  Tight parking and new parking permit requirements at the Reserve have resulted in senior residents and store customers having their cars towed, seemingly unfairly in many cases; some have allegedly been towed from ADA spots even when displaying state ADA credentials. (Google Map photo for location reference but does not include current signage- see photos below story for signage)
Reserve at Renton and Feast Buffet are side-by-side

At last night’s council meeting, five speakers from the audience expressed heartfelt disappointment and frustration about confusing parking permit requirements and recent overzealous towing at the Reserve at Renton Senior Living apartments.

The Reserve at Renton opened in 2015 at a site that had previously been in use for school bus parking, and was once the home of the Renton Food Circus (seven restaurants in one dining complex.)  The Reserve also includes two ground floor stores, and is located adjacent to the Feast Buffet banquet restaurant, in Renton’s Fred Meyer Shopping Center on Rainier Avenue.

When the Reserve at Renton opened, there appears to have been an assumption that the large retail lot would ensure adequate parking for everyone. Urban planners at the time were beginning to embrace the idea of getting greater density and parking efficiency through shared parking; the logic being that living units require the most parking in the evening, while retail requires the most parking during the day– so fewer spots are required when they are shared.

But retired residents don’t necessarily leave their homes during the day, and banquet halls can get very crowded, so parking shortages arose.  In response, the Reserve at Renton posted permit-only parking signs and issued limited parking permits.  Any resident or store customer vehicle not displaying the permits could get swiftly towed, apparently even residents or customers parking in ADA spots.  The residents of these apartments have limited income, and many speak English as a second language.  Several residents reported very challenging efforts to reclaim their cars in Kent, and towing bills ranging from $500-$900.  Some reported missing medical appointments from the disruption.

I hope they can get these parking challenges resolved soon, and I think some of the residents deserve refunds.

The situation also serves as a stark reminder that there is a limit to how much Renton can reduce parking and still maintain peace in our city.  It is not reasonable to assume every senior resident can safely walk to and from transit stops, and take 2-3 hour bus trips to get to their medical appointments; they need adequate parking, and so do their caregivers.

Here is a youtube video of last night’s public comment.  The testimony about this topic begins at 25:09.

 

A Google Earth view of the Reserve next to the Feast Buffet and Fred Meyer Shopping Center.

Additional photos of the site, which include the recently added signage, can be seen by clicking below:

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Social media shows dangers inside of derelict Renton Park Avenue buildings

Written by Randy Corman 14 Comments
Debris burns on one of the floors of the tall building at Renton’s Garden Plaza on Park Avenue

I received a link to an Instagram Post  which shows the inside of the dilapidated Park Avenue (Garden Plaza) buildings.  The owner of the Instagram account states in one of the comments that the photos were sent to him, so the time of the photos is unknown.

I also stumbled upon a youtube video  from August 17, with thousands of views, showing the hazardous state of the inside of the buildings.  It was obvious that no steps had been taken by the building owner to remediate interior hazards as of the time these images were captured.

The photos and video underscore the danger to anyone moving about within these buildings, and the fire danger these buildings represent to the community.  Recently, even Renton’s firefighters and police officers have been instructed not to go into these buildings unless there is a critical life-saving emergency need.  No one from the public should enter them. I’ve only included a few sample screenshots from the Instagram post in this blog entry.

The link to the photos was sent to me after  this six-minute television news story was broadcast about these dangerous buildings and the negative impact the buildings are having on the community.

For background on the history of these vacant buildings, see more related blog posts here.

The buildings still could have been saved when I wrote my first blog post on the topic in June of 2023, here.

This image from the youtube video shows a deadly drop down an open elevator shaft. No one should be going anywhere near this hazard without fall protection. Given that the the building remains unacceptably physically open to workers, the unhoused, and curious explorers, the owners should immediately be installing safety railings and caution warnings on these elevator shafts to prevent falls.
An open elevator shaft is visible in this image

This view inside the parking garage appears to include a pile of metal shavings (likely associated with metal theft activities.)
Most of these windows are now gone on the east side of the three-story 10-13 building, and the structure is being damaged by the elements

 

pacnorthwest_media, which owns the Instagram account, explains that the pictures were sent to him
Two days ago when a concerned group of residents walked around the outside of the building we found at least four open fence openings, such as this person-size gap in the chain link. While we didn’t go onto the property, it looked like there were also unsecured openings into the inside of the buildings.
This fence should not be relied upon to keep children out of this building

 

Renton Highland resident Art Jenkins is asking Renton to enforce its nuisance codes

Written by Randy Corman 10 Comments
Art Jenkins holds a box full of envelopes containing 9-1-1 emergency call records for his condominium complex, at a meeting of “For a Better Renton” on September 4th.

Art Jenkins has become so frustrated with a lack of City of Renton action to enforce nuisance ordinances and state laws at his condo that he began a petition on August 13. He has already gathered 680 signatures.  His Petition can be found here. 

Mr. Jenkins’ situation raises red flags about whether Renton is adequately prepared to manage the inevitable conflicts that arise with higher levels of density, even as the city completes a city-wide rezone that allows fourplexes in nearly all of Renton’s single-family neighborhoods.  His concerns also raise questions about city liability if anything tragic happens; just two weeks ago King County had to pay $21 million to a dog-attack victim after King County failed to address numerous code-compliance complaints.

I had a chance to meet with Mr.Jenkins at a recent meeting of the “For a Better Renton” organization, where he shared the details of his ten-year struggle to keep his condominium unit habitable in the midst of constant flooding from above, nearby drug crimes, firearm concerns, fights, noise, and other challenges that are beyond his control.  He’s worked with his condo association as much as he could, even serving as a member of his HOA board, but most of these problems are beyond the condo board’s authority or ability to effect change.

He brought a heavy box of papers with him that document all the 911 calls to the vicinity of his condo unit, activity that far surpasses the number of calls that define a “Chronic Nuisance Premises” in Renton’s 1-3-3 Nuisance Code.   The primary request of his petition, is that this Renton code be enforced.  He’s also asking Renton to enforce the applicable state laws, and to coordinate with King County Health Department to ensure King County’s codes are met.  Mr. Jenkins said he has reached out to King County directly regarding mold from the constant flooding and other health concerns he’s observed,  but King County said they need the City of Renton to take the lead on resolving these concerns.

Mr. Jenkins came across as pleasant, sensible, patient, and compassionate, even as he described an odyssey that would literally drive many people from their homes.   And though he has spent many thousands of dollars and countless hours mitigating the impacts and seeking assistance, he’s not looking to punish or seek retribution; he just wants the city to take actions that will allow him to peacefully live in his Renton home.

He’s encouraged that the petition has already gotten city attention, and a couple of Council Members have come out to see the situation for themselves.  He’s hoping more elected officials will come out, and then take action on his concerns.

I encourage you to read Mr. Jenkins petition, and sign it (electronically) if you feel so inclined.  I am one of the many hundreds of Renton residents that have signed it.  If Renton is going to begin replacing single-family homes with fourplexes throughout our entire city,  we’ll need nuisance code enforcement systems in place that can keep the peace and keep units habitable.

 

Fireworks continue to threaten Renton neighborhoods weeks after the 4th of July

Written by Randy Corman 11 Comments
According to witnesses, a fireworks mortar lit on a downtown sidewalk on Sunday August 24th set these trees and occupied home on fire. The house could have burned to the ground if not for the immediate response of attentive neighbors and Renton Fire Authority.
Emergency responders at the scene of August 24th fireworks blaze
Carter Farmer, who lives within a few hundred feet of the fire, had previously spoken to Renton’s Mayor and City Council on July 7th, seven weeks before this fire. She had warned that ongoing fireworks were continuing to be a problem in her neighborhood, and she had asked for better enforcement of fireworks laws.

Fireworks are illegal in Renton.  In 2006 Renton voters voted 62.57 %  – 37.43% to keep them illegal, confirming a 2004 vote by Renton City Council that first made fireworks illegal.  But enforcement of the ban has recently seemed spotty to non-existent, and many residents are now understandably complaining.  Among them is Carter Farmer, a North Renton neighborhood resident who took the Mayor and Council to task at a council meeting on July 7th, demanding action, after having sent them numerous emails and suggestions on the subject in previous years.  Ms. Farmer’s testimony can be watched here on the City’s Youtube Channel, at 41 minutes and 30 seconds in.  About seven weeks after she gave her testimony, a home near hers was set on fire by fireworks.

Renton’s voters and Renton Council made fireworks illegal after there were simply too many documented incidents of structural fires and wildfires, emergency room visits, and distress by residents and animals caused by fireworks on our streets.  In the year before the Council ban, both a new home and a City Parks Building burned to the ground after being set on fire by fireworks.  As urban wildfires across the west become more deadly every year, the ban on fireworks only makes more sense.

The year that Council implemented the fireworks ban in 2004, we knew many residents would miss the excitement, brilliance, and percussion of Fourth of July fireworks, so we initiated a new tradition of a professional fireworks show at Coulon Park.  While we knew that some residents may be tempted to light their own, we felt that holding the professional fireworks show and a city 4th of July celebration at our biggest beach park allowed us to direct  fireworks enthusiasts to the show instead– providing a necessary alternative to lighting fireworks throughout the whole city.  But a couple years ago the professional fireworks show was stopped, and this year Coulon Park was not even open for fourth of July BBQs after 7:00 PM.

The first year Renton cancelled the Coulon Fourth of July celebration, 2023, fireworks did a million dollars of damage at the Landing and put three businesses out of commission for a year.  The next year Renton experienced a threatening wildfire caused by fireworks, in which an apartment building could have been lost if not for the immediate response from Renton Fire Authority.

My recommendation would be to restore the City 4th of July Celebration, and simultaneously warn residents that Renton intends to aggressively enforce the fireworks ban in future year, with more fireworks confiscations and fines for violators.  Then, as we’ve done in the past, Council should insist on getting reports from Police and Fire Chiefs after each 4th of July with metrics about how many citations were issued and pounds of fireworks confiscated.  And Council should hold public meetings to gather ideas from residents like Ms. Farmer regarding how to better enforce the ban.

Some of the fireworks being lit in Renton violate just city laws, but many are also in violation of state laws.  Fireworks that send projectiles into the sky or make loud percussion sounds (booms) are not legal anywhere in the State of Washington outside of  Reservation land  (Reservation lands are subject to Federal Laws and Tribal laws, which allow some aerial and percussion fireworks when manufactured and sold to certain standards).  Penalties for lighting fireworks that are illegal in the state could be made more severe than penalties for lighting fountains, ground-flowers, or smokers.  In any case, all of these are illegal in Renton outside of licensed shows,  based on a democratic decision by nearly two out of three of Renton’s voters.  And while it may remain challenging to stop every violation on the evening of the 4th of July,  there should be no tolerance for continued fireworks use through the summer– it’s just too dangerous to our residents’ lives and property.

I would enjoy hearing from readers on this topic.  Please feel free to comment with your ideas, perspectives, and suggestions.  You may leave comments anonymously if you choose.

“For A Better Renton” walking tours this Sunday at 2:00 and the following Saturday at 10:30

Written by Randy Corman 12 Comments
Garden Plaza on Park Avenue has fallen into ruin

I’ve written several posts about the derelict office buildings on Park Avenue, including how they got to this condition, what is currently being done about them, and what the future may hold for them.

To help residents and businesses better understand this issue,   “For a Better Renton”  has asked me to host one or more conversation walking tours around the outside of these buildings (staying in the public space outside the fence, so no personal protective equipment is required).  Since I used to work in these buildings, and I also served on City Council from 1994-2021, I bring some unique experience to this discussion.

I want to keep the walk to a manageable group size to support a conversation, so we’re asking people to RSVP to 4aBetterRenton@gmail.com and let us know if you would like to participate.  We’ll add additional times if we get more interest than we can reasonably accommodate in this first session.

The walk will begin at Park Avenue and North 6th Street, at 2:00 this coming Sunday, September 7, and last for about one hour.  There’s not any parking on these block of Park Ave or North 6th, and nearby lots are private or blocked off, so if you are driving I recommend you look for parking a couple blocks west, on Pelly, Wells or Williams.

The following Saturday there will be a second walk around the neighborhood impacted by the Renton High School eminent-domain expansion, another subject I’ve written extensively about.  That walk will be hosted by Sarah Becker.

Renton School District is demolishing homes and businesses obtained by threat of eminent domain

Below is the official announcement for both walks by “For a Better Renton,” which includes additional details:

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For a Better Renton

For A Better Renton (www.4aBetterRenton.com) is hosting its first two “Field Trips” on September 7th and 13th. The purpose of these field trips is to give Renton residents a clear first-hand understanding of some of the issues facing our city, our neighbors, and the direct impact on our taxes, health, future, ability to draw new businesses and residents to our city, growth, and pride in where we live and work.

PARK AVENUE DERELICT OFFICE BUILDING
We’ve asked Randy Corman, who served on Renton City Council for 28 years, 1994-2021 (with six years as Renton Council President) to lead the field trip and discussion at the derelict Park Avenue Building. Randy was also with Boeing, as a mechanical engineer and manager, for 33 years, and worked in the building we will ‘touring’.
Date: September 7th
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Meeting location: Park Ave & 6th (directly across the street from Mighty Mugs Coffee Stand)

We will commence walking the entire block, around the external of the building. We will start at the old main entrance and then work our way along Park first, then to 5th and then around the backside of the building. We will be joined by a business owner who has been directly impacted by the activities at this derelict building since it’s abandonment by the owner and property manager, ION Renton and AAA Management. We will share information on what the Mayor and City Council has/has not done regarding addressing this building, the current state, the potential future state, and Department of Ecology reports.

Please RSVP at 4aBetterRenton@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you there.

RENTON HIGH SCHOOL EXPANSION/EMINENT DOMAIN
Date: September 13th
Time: 10:30 – 11:30 (with the potential to extend to 12 noon)
Meeting location: Ikea Performing Arts Center parking lot – right next to Renton High School.

We will commence the field trip by walking clockwise down 2nd , take a right at Tobin, and continue on Logan. We will likely turn left on Logan and walk to the corner of Logan and Airport, then backtrack down Logan to 2nd.

We have asked Sarah to lead this field trip. She has spent a significant amount of time speaking at both City Council meetings and Renton School Board meetings. She was an active leader on helping secure over 500 signatures on a petition, along with 20+ businesses, and 3 associations – and the petition was presented to the school board and City Council and Mayor. She continues to stay abreast of all actions by the school board and city (the city owns Tobin Street).

We will also be joined by John Houston who has vivid memories of the trauma caused by the Renton School Board who used eminent domain to get his families property under the pretense of building a school – which they never did – and instead sold his families property to a developer. John, along with the support of Senator Hasegawa, got SB 5142 unanimously passed this year and signed into law by Governor Ferguson – though it does not help John and his family, it will help others whose property is taken under eminent domain. (Unfortunately it does not impact the 20+ homes (owners and renters) and 8+ businesses who are being displaced by the Renton School Board – again!) Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

We will be joined by at least one, if not several, homeowners who are being displaced under this most recent ’eminent domain’ tactic by the Renton School Board.

Please rsvp at 4aBetterRenton@gmail.com

And a few other gentle reminders: RSVP’ing is important as we will have handouts/information for you to take home. And John will have a few of his recently published books on hand for sale. Please dress accordingly as we will be hosting these field trips regardless of weather. And wear comfortable shoes!

School District demolished the Renton restaurant where Red Robin founder learned the business

Written by Randy Corman 2 Comments
Gerry Kingen, Renton High class of ’62, receiving a “Wall of Honor” recognition at a ceremony at Renton High in 2013.  Photo courtesy of Renton History Museum

Note: I owe this blog post to Anon E. Mouse -probably not their real name 🙂 –, who left me a comment on this previous post about this restaurant at 423 Airport Way being demolished.  I was not aware of the link between that restaurant and the founder of Red Robin, and I decided this information was worthy of a post of its own.

Gerry Kingen, the founder of the popular Red Robin restaurant chain (currently around 500 restaurants), is a 1962 Renton High School graduate. His mother Martha was also a Renton High graduate, in the class of 1940,  and she too was a business success who owned and operated numerous restaurants– a role model for women in the 1940s and an important influence on her sons.

During his high school years, Gerry worked part-time with his parents and brother at Renton’s “Kingen’s Steak House”, one of their family’s popular restaurants.  They served steaks, burgers, and other american-style food in a bright, inviting building that they had specially constructed at 423 Airport Way, across the street from Renton Municipal Airport.

An advertisement in a 1963 Catholic Newsletter shows Kingen’s serving dinner at 423 Airport Way in Renton
A Red Robin prototype? The 76-year-old Kingen’s Steakhouse Restaurant building as it looked two months ago, after a forced purchase by Renton School District; this building was inspirational for modern Red Robin restaurants
Interior of building that was once Kingen’s Steak House

After getting his education and learning the family business,  Gerry purchased a small tavern in the Seattle U-District. He remodeled the tavern, added an outdoor patio, and he changed the menu to one that more closely matched the Renton family business.  He changed the name from “Sam’s Red Robin Tavern, to simply “Red Robin,” and it became an immediate success.  The “Red Robin” chain was born, and Gerry was soon adding restaurants and selling franchises.

In the following years he also founded the northwest fine-dining restaurant chain Salty’s, which has locations at Alki Beach, Redondo Beach, and Portland Oregon.

Salty’s website

Renton School District recently used the threat of eminent domain to acquire the still-pristine restaurant building that the Kingen family built that was such important inspiration for Red Robin and Salty’s.  The District spent six million dollars in taxpayer funds to acquire the restaurant.  Then, without acknowledging the building’s distinguished alumni history, they bulldozed it along with many homes and other businesses with an intent to construct a baseball field on the site in five years, likely the nation’s most expensive high school baseball field ever. The Superintendent and the Board based their actions, ironically, on their flawed premise that Renton High is an inferior school that needs its own lighted baseball field in order for its students to achieve their potential (the school currently already has several unlit baseball fields).

Gerry Kingen and his mother are among many distinguished alumni from Renton High, including Sally Jewel, former US Secretary of the Interior and former CEO of REI, US Olympian Aretha (Hill) Thurmond, Hollywood music producer Ron Hicklin, and many others.  In this previous blog post I discussed other well-known and less-well-known-but-equally-important successful alumni from Renton High School.

The still-pristine Kingen’s steakhouse building was demolished last month. It had been freshly remodeled and was ready to reopen as an Asian food restaurant.
King County records show that the building was constructed in 1949, making it 76 years old when it was taken by school district (for $6,000,000) and then demolished.
Historic photo of Seattle’s original Red Robin Restaurant.  (The building has been replaced by the Robins Nest mixed use apartments and pizzeria.) Photo and history in this Seattle History Blog 
A typical modern Red Robin Restaurant; Photo from wiki commons