Written by 
The previously wide-open space of the Pavilion building is being sectioned off by city contractors, to create a new “Market” use. A Federal Small Business Grant is helping fund the project. The building was previously leased to Rain City Catering and used as an event center.
In a recent blog entry I linked to the Federal “Terms and Conditions” that Renton committed to when the city accepted a $1.5 million Federal grant to remodel the Pavilion building from an event center to a market place.
The Federal document includes a commitment by Renton to help any displaced businesses with relocation costs (on page 12). This payment could be actual costs, or a lump sum up to $53,200, at the option of the eligible business.
Rain City Catering leased the building for thirteen years. Their website still features the Pavilion in it’s former event center configuration.
Rain City Catering (King County’s 2024 “Minority-Owned Small business of the Year) was running their event business in the Pavilion for about thirteen years, and then told they would need to vacate because the City was going to renovate the Pavilion into a market.
The head chef and partner for Rain City Catering provided a narration for the City’s 2020 promotional video
I contacted one of the partners in Rain City Catering, and he said he does not remember being offered or receiving any relocation assistance. When I asked him how much he thought they had lost, he said the impact of the displacement of their business left them with canceled and lost business opportunities in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and an abundance of expensive equipment and furnishings that they have had to dispose of at surplus (garage-sale) prices. They have been looking (without assistance) for a new facility, and have not found one.
While I’m not an attorney, I can read regulations. My reading of the referenced federal rules suggests that Rain City Catering should have been considered eligible for compensation. There was a woman-owned “Night Market” operating in the Pavilion, and it’s possible the owner of that business should receive compensation as well.
The business manager and partner (and also great chef) for Rain City Catering appeared in the Renton promotional video
The City might claim that the Rain City Catering lease expired, and that is why they were displaced. But that would distort the decision-making record and the timing of the notice to vacate. Rain City Catering’s lease expired specifically because the city was negotiating a rehabilitation and new use for the building. The applicable regulations suggest that any person who occupies the real property and is in lawful occupancy on the date that negotiations begin for a new federally-funded use “are presumed to be entitled to relocation payments and other assistance set forth in this part…” They also say evictions can not be “undertaken for the purpose of evading the obligation to make available the payments and other assistance set forth in this part.
Since I’m not a lawyer I’m going to leave interpretation of the applicable regulations to the readers. I’ve excerpted some of the key language from the Terms and Conditions of the grant Renton accepted, and the underlying federal regulation that are referenced in the grant and cover displaced businesses. I recommend that anyone who feels they have been unfairly displaced by a federal project consider consulting with an attorney to learn what your options might be. (Click below for the details of the regulations)
Recent Comments