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This graphic of the City’s future Cedar River Park Plans shows an outdoor amphitheater in the exact spot as Carco Theater, raising questions about whether Carco Theater is threatened.
Renton published a press release this week saying plans were underway to purchase the former Stoneway Concrete site, next to Cedar River Park, consistent with the “Tri-Park Master Plan” that was developed in 2006. The purchase would increase the size of Cedar River Park by about 12.5 acres.
An information display was set up in the Community Center for Renton River Days, giving ideas of what the expanded park system might look like under the Tri-Park Master Plan. As my wife Cathy and I reviewed the display, my wife asked me “Would they seriously consider tearing down Carco Theater?”
“No, of course not” I said. But then Cathy pointed to the poster, and I was not sure what it was depicting– it appears that Carco was to be replaced by an outdoor amphitheater. And then I noticed a sticky note someone else had left on the “Concerns” board asking the city NOT to get rid of Carco Theater, along with another commenter “Seconding” the comment.
Some concerns identified by public: “Strongly oppose getting rid of Carco Theater”; “I second that”
Getting rid of Carco Theater was most definitely NOT what the 2006 Tri-Park Master Plan envisioned. The approved plan called for an expanded lobby of Carco Theater, as well as other improvements to Cedar River Park:
“An expanded lobby for the Carco Theater” was envisioned as part of the Tri-Park Master Plan. (This is a screenshot from page 3 of the plan.)
The information boards on display during Renton River Days. Visitors were asked to make comments on sticky notes.
Hopefully this is just an error in chart preparation, and Carco Theater is not in jeopardy. But my concerns have been heightened after a few years of losing a large number of valuable community gathering places; the Pavilion Event Center is closed, the Piazza is closed, Renton History Museum is closed, Gateway Park is torn up, the former Chamber of Commerce Building has been torn down, and the Red Lion Convention Center has been purchased by King County and boarded up. We are rapidly losing all our meeting places, and I don’t want to lose another.
I signed the report approving the Tri-Park Master Plan in 2006. At the time, Washington State Department of Transportation was considering purchasing the Stoneway site for Renton in exchange for parkland they needed for the I-405 expansion; WSDOT later reduced the number of new lanes on I-405, and needed less property, and therefore declined to purchase the Stoneway site. We put the Tri-Park Master Plan on the back burner until money was available at a future date.
NO. Just NO. Stop destroying our heritage, Mayor. Go ahead and enhance & improve our beloved current sites, quit tearing down for your “vision”. Please respect the good work done years before I was involved on Renton Council. Dedicated, knowledgeable and committed Renton Councils and Mayors spent time and money developing Renton into a really great city. Which you seem determined to destroy bit by bit.
When the Tri Park Master Plan was in the planning phase, I was the designated Council Member on the multi-department committee. I know that plan and the background that went into the very thoughtful, conscientious decisions made. It was a multi-month effort with lots of input from the public, the Parks Board as well as Council and Staff. I was in every part of the Charrette, which was fantastic in its depth and breadth of every detail of every possibility. It was a LOT of work and we all felt an excellent product was produced in the 2006 Tri Park Master Plan. Renton was ready when WSDOT expanded I405.
BUT… WSDOT decided not to do the original widening plan through Renton. Instead it was downsized to what we are getting today. Which meant there would be no taking of Renton park land, NO MITIGATION money for our grand plans. The day I heard this, I went to the Community Services Administrator to tell her our Tri-Park Master Plan was now obsolete because there wouldn’t be the expected WSDOT I405 mitigation money coming for Renton. She agreed the plan would need to be updated. Since nothing had moved towards revising the old plan, in 2015 when I was in my last year on Council before retiring, I brought up the issue again, and was told it was “on a list”. Obviously, the City hasn’t gotten to it yet. Which means the 2006 Plan is what needs to be followed until updated by Council. The first time anything was heard about it from a Council Member was in the last few weeks at a Council meeting CM Perez questioning the age of the plan when Staff discussed the current purchase of the old Stoneway property.
There was never ever any talk of getting rid of Carco Theater. It is absurd to even consider tearing it down. These buildings and park areas that the current elected officials are so cavalier about destroying are owned by the Renton taxpayers. Yet decisions are being made without, and/or against, the Community’s agreement. Stop tearing up our City! Deal with the existing long-term issues the Community brings you week after week after week at Council meeting Audience Comment.
Pay attention folks, the Primary ballots are out and very few vote in August. Which means few decided the future of our City. 3 council members are up for re-election, as are 2 school board seats. In 2 years we will have the opportunity to vote for a mayor and the other 4 council seats. Elections matter. Especially local.
Marcie Palmer
Council Member 2004-2015
Thanks for adding this valuable extra history and perspective Marcie. I remember when you and many others were working so hard on the details of this plan.
From the Tri-Park Master Plan, page 23:
“Community center, theater and aquatic
facility remain”
https://www.randycorman.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/TriPark-Master-Plan-Full-Report.pdf
Go back though the plan, even the 2006 plan and you’ll see that the outdoor theater this was an option to discuss. It’s good that you’re brining this to attention to evaluate it, but it’s not set in stone and the bulldozers aren’t arriving.
Hopefully you are right anonymous, and this is just a chart-making problem. But I don’t know why they didn’t use the chart in the Tri-Park Master Plan, which has a clear depiction of the amphitheater next to the river AND next to Carco Theater. Putting the amphitheater directly on top of Carco Theater in the new diagram raised questions at River Days. (In the River Days chart there appears to be a new swim beach access where the Tri-Park plans shows the amphitheater, and it looks like they’ve moved the amphitheater to the location of Carco Theater.)
Here is the chart from the Tri-Park Master Plan, which would have been a better choice for the River Days display if this is still the plan.