Public safety concerns continue at derelict Park Avenue building

Even while the owners of Renton’s Garden Plaza have been demolishing the three-story 500 Park Avenue building and unveiling plans for it’s replacement, the seven-story building on the site continues to be a danger.

The City has told the public that this property has been secured, and that there are workers in this building preparing it for demolition. The City has said they are monitoring progress daily.  But a “Renton Responds” complaint filed last week leaves doubt.

Unless the workers are throwing drawers through plate glass windows on Park Ave (probably not), there appears to be a continuing presence of intruders who are putting motorists and pedestrians in danger with thrown objects.  Unauthorized occupants also continue to put the city in danger of fire, since the seven-story building lacks its required fire protection systems.  And they put themselves (and potentially their emergency rescuers) in danger, as open elevator shafts and other hazards on the site put anyone at risk who has not had site briefings and is not wearing OSHA-specified protective equipment.

I’ve seen Renton residents threatened with $100 per day fines for such minor transgressions as not cutting their lawn for a few weeks or not painting over someone else’s graffiti on their fence for a few days.  For these small (non-safety) code compliance actions to be taken seriously in the future, the city must demonstrate they won’t continue to show favoritism to an out-of-town property owner who lets broken windows rain down on our public streets and sidewalks.