Look at the picture below, and try to identify what waterfront scene in Renton is pictured…when you think you have the answer, check by clicking on it to see the original photo….
Renton Waterfront Location Quiz…
Kennydale Blueberry Farm…should the city purchase it?
One of the most controversial rezones that has been proposed this year is the up-zone of the Kennydale Blueberry Farm from ‘RC- Resource Conservation’ to ‘R8-Residential-8 units per acre.’ Citizens have been appealing to council not to allow this, as it would likely usher in the end of the beautiful 3.5 acre, 50-year-old U-Pick blueberry farm in Kennydale.
All sides of this dispute make solid arguments. The owner of the farm points out that the property was zoned R8 until about thirteen years ago, at a time when the city suggested she should have the new RC zoning to help her better mange and protect the farm. But she never received any benefit for making this change, and has instead watched as more and more restrictions were placed in the RC zones. At this point, the owner is ready for retirement, and ready to move on.
The city staff and the Planning Commission have been inclined to agree with the property owner, and are recommending that the Council make the upzone to R8.
Meanwhile, Kennydale residents are speaking overwhelmingly against the rezone, as they love the Blueberry Farm and they understandably don’t want to see it go away. They know that the upzone will make it viable for development, and that it will be sold for such. They also make strong environmental arguments for keeping it zoned RC.
Like all the other outspoken residents, I too want to see the Blueberry Farm stay. In addition to providing the community with a bountiful supply of inexpensive fresh blueberries, it sits on an ancient peat bog, probably thousands of years old. The blueberry bushes receive natural irrigation from underground springs…these springs bubble up to the surface through the peat moss and form the headwaters for Kennydale Creek. State biologists have confirmed that this formation is a rare environmental feature (known scientifically as a ‘fen’), and to me it seems a shame to see it simply be divided into back-yards of new homes.
But all is not lost for blueberry farm lovers. At the last council meeting, we received the latest figures on it’s full development potential. It turns out, even with R-8 zoning, the 3.5 acre property could only be subdivided into two or three building lots due to the substantial wet-land setbacks mandated by state law. Since it is can only be three buildable lots, not twenty-four like we often see on 3.5 acres, it could theoretically be in a price range where the public could chose to purchase it for a park, open-space, or to run it as a blueberry farm (the way Bellevue does with their blueberry farm.)
So, I did what I often do when I calculate that there may be a solution that will satisfy all parties…I suggested it. In this case, I proposed we openly and publicly consider a possible purchase of the Kennydale Blueberry Farm for a park. I even made a motion that we study/discuss this option at an upcoming committee of the whole meeting (which I chair), and my motion was swiftly seconded by my brilliant colleague Marcie Palmer. Thanks Marcie! But then, like we have seen too often on the council this year, rather than openly debating the merits of my motion, those that were against my motion (including a certain lawyer-councilman and the mayor) tried to convince me that my motion was illegal! The mayor even went as far as to ask me to withdraw it! Their logic seemed to go like this… we can never discuss purchasing sensitive lands for parks or open-space in an open public meeting, because then if we decide to buy the land the owner may raise the price.
Ummm…I am pretty sure that the owner would eventually find out we want to buy it…like when we make an offer to her. Furthermore, we should not be deciding what we are going to do with large amounts of taxpayer money in secret…it is always right to have such discussions in open public meetings. And ironically, ensuring we pay fair market value would be an honest and fair use of the eminent domain power (unlike using it to take property from one private owner and give it to another private owner as I fought in the Highlands).
So where did we end up? With certain people frowning at me for not withdrawing my motion, I instead moved to table it until next week to allow our city attorney to study the issue. And Councilwoman Palmer seconded my motion to table. (Thanks again Marcie!). Since a motion to table is not debatable, it passed with no more squabbling.
This item will be picked back up off the table next week, so stay tuned and be prepared to weigh in on this during audience comment if you are so inclined. Personally, I don’t know if we could afford to purchase the blueberry farm for a park. But what I do know is that before we see it gone forever we owe it to the citizens of Renton to at least talk about our options.
Remembering our veterans!
My heartfelt thanks to all of our soldiers who have protected our nation’s freedom through the centuries, and for those of you who continue to protect our families, our community, our nation, and our world. Our society takes so much in life for granted these days, but we would have nothing if it were not for your sacrifices.
And to all residents, there are still plenty of tiles available at the Renton Veterans Memorial, for honoring special veterans in your life. Applications for the plaques to commemorate the veterans are available to print at www.rentonwa.gov, or you may call 425-430-6600 to receive an application. Applications can also be picked up at Renton City Hall, Community Services Department, 5th Floor, 1055 South Grady Way, Renton, WA.
Much travel in the last three years
A month ago I wrapped up my work on my latest management assignment, and transitioned from a position that was the most travel intensive I’ve ever held. Ironically, all this business travel came at a time when I was also making numerous vacation trips with the family (visiting Katie in Orlando, taking Andy on a senior trip to Europe, going with Cathy to see our exchange students in Tokyo, etc.), so the airports all fade together at this point.
All told, I made four trips to Japan, three to Taiwan, one to South Korea, one to Singapore, four to Germany, one to Austria, one to Sweden, and one to France. I also visited New York City, New Orleans, Mobile, Atlanta, Orlando, and Las Vegas. This does not include the transfer stops and layovers at Denmark, England, Neatherlands, and Tokyo so many times that Narita feels like a second home to me.
Some highlights were showing Tokyo to Cathy, and Paris to my son Andy. Cathy and I also had fun taking in shows on Broadway and in Las Vegas, and experiencing the last pre-Katrina New Orleans Mardi Gras (including The Preservation Hall Jazz Band). Also, catching up with our exchange students in Japan numerous times really makes them seem like family, and they were always such gracious hosts and tour guides. At one point our student Kishiyo joined me on my return trip to Seattle, to visit with our family again.
Other cool memories were staying in the Imperial Hotel where Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimagio honeymooned, and in Taipei adjacent to Taipei 101, the tallest builidng in the world. I missed Brad Pitt by a day at the Repongi Hyatt in Tokyo , but my collegues who arrived a day earlier caught up with him in the business lounge, as he was promoting the opening of Helen of Troy. I also got upgraded to a super fancy $4000 per night suite (or should I say ‘sweet’) in Taipei -one Nicholas Cage had just stayed in- after they ran out of stadard Business-class rooms.
I managed to vist all the world’s Disney Theme parks in one year, in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, and Tokyo. (before they opened the new one in Hong Kong.)
Here are some of my favorite photos from these journeys..
TOKYO CITY VIEWS:
TOKYO STUDIO GHIBLI
TOKYO DISNEYLAND
SINGAPORE
TAIWAN
GERMANY
FRANCE
DISNEYLAND PARIS
SWEDEN
AUSTRIA
LAS VEGAS
NEW YORK
NEW ORLEANS AND THE GULF COAST
ORLANDO AND DISNEY WORLD
SANTA CRUZ CALIFORNIA
Renton’s bright future!….
Renton is going to be seeing some BIG changes over the next few years. Your town will become fancier and cleaner, while keeping its cool and historic heritage. Think Fremont in Seattle, with some Kirkland Carillon Point stuff thrown in for those special occasions.
Here are some of the things you are not yet hearing much about, but are on the way.
The Seahawks training facility has broken ground, and unlike the current Kirkland site, it will offer fans an opportunity to watch the Hawks play.
The Sonics are still seriously looking at Renton…the team’s new owners say they want to keep the team in the Seattle area. They are looking at over twenty sites, and three or four of them are here in Renton.
The Landing Urban Villiage is really coming along fast, and tenants (businesses, restauraunts, etc) are getting really excited about it. The first stores will be open in less than a year.
The Landing bumps right into a growing residential/restaurant/business/hotel development project on the Lakefront, known as Southport, which is in a new building phase.
Between Southport, the Landing, and Coulon Park we will have one of the coolest beach recreation areas/gathering spots in the Northwest, second only to Alki in the summer time.
The new Logan Avenue, which will run through the heart of the Landing, will provide a brand new four lane boulevard directly from Renton Highlands (I405 Exit 5) to the historic downtown, and will be lined with new businesses and hang-outs. Logan will enable you to get off the freeway and head straight for downtown without the rats-maze of streets we deal with now.
On the other end of the downtown, near the Fred Meyer, we will be spending 50 MILLION DOLLARS of Sound Transit money (That’s 1000 dollars per city resident ) on street improvements to FINALLY make Rainier Avenue wider and prettier, and to widen and realign Hardie Avenue which runs behind Fred Meyer. Hardie will no longer do a goofy loop-te-do behind Fred Meyer, with the crazy three way stop-yield thing, and will instead go stright to a new intersection onto Martin Luther King Way. This will shift mucho traffic from Rainier onto Hardie, and make Rainier a nicer business street. We are even considering doing away with some of the one-way street confusion.
All the transportation improvements in downtown, combined with zoning that allows multi story buildings with stores on the ground floor and apartments above, mean lots of new business, restaurants, and residents in our downtown. And lots of cool new people to make friends with. Maybe downtown will finally be open after five o’clock again, like it was in its Renton-loop era heyday of the 60s (but without the cruising). In 2007 the city council will be studying ways to improve the pedestrian and business connection between the Landing and downtown…so very cool.
We are already seeing land values increasing and big new projects coming in for permits downtown, and builders have more enthusiasm than we have seen in many years. There will be lots of condominums available to those of you that are looking for buying opportuinties. Many new condos are in planning right now, and several of the newer apartment buildings in downtown are undergoing conversion to condominiums (from apartments). This is a postive change, because it reflects that more people want to buy property in downtown Renton.
And yay! The old parts of Renton Highlands are finally getting the renovation thay have long needed. Land values under the World War II duplex units have increased to ONE MILLION DOLLARS PER ACRE, about four or five times what the land was worth in the mid 90s. Thanks to this increase in value, we are about to see significant revitalization in the Renton Highlands, with many new homes, shops, restaurants, and other great places to visit, meet friends, and hangout. The development pressure is so great in this area that we are rushing to get new zoning in place before the end of 2006, and we have a citizens committee meeting twice per week to make sure we get the nicest redevelopment possible without pushing you out of your current homes! Overall, this will give us a much safer, prettier, and more fun Renton Highlands.
There are many, many other projects in work right now, but I can’t name them all. For instance, there is an all-new neighborhood park in the highlands, a new 100 acre wetland/bird sanctuary in the valley with a two-mile paved nature trail, the Jimi Hendrix House/Museum, and many other cool businesses that are still in the planning stages.
Builders and investers are so confident in our little town, that Conner Homes development just broke ground on a new housing project near Coulon Beach where they will build 147 houses, ranging in price from one to three million dollars! It is expected that several of the Seattle Seahawks will be buying homes here.
So, be proud to live here. Renton is a happening place, and we are about to get more than our fair share of prosperity. My advice to you, my Renton friends, is to consider buying some real estate in our blossoming town, so you can enjoy your environment AND cash-in! We have a bright future!
Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze
Images from the Carpinito Brothers pumpkin patch and corm maze in Kent! Their two mazes have a total of over 4 miles of confounding trails! My family had a great time there on Saturday.
IKEA Performing Arts Center first “Got Skills? Prove It” Event
IKEA Performing Arts Center is hosting a series of events to showcase our great local talent. Local Band “Amorous Cactus” took center stage and rocked the house. The event was supported by the Renton Youth Council, and I had the privilidge to MC this premier show of the series.
Andy Corman
Jake Goltiani
Kenny Corman
Cathy Corman, band mom!
Coyotes are trying to eat your cats and dogs!…
In Today’s Seattle Times there is an important warning about the local coyote population. Coyotes are kind of cute, in their wild-doggy sort of way, but many pet owners do not realize the threat these wild animals pose to their cats in particular. Cats that have been raised with dogs are actually in the most danger, as they have generally become accustomed to the behaviors of domestic dogs and are taken completely by surprise when a meandering coyote suddenly charges and lunges at them on your street after dark.
Renton’s coyote population is rising, and many of my residents have noted that Renton sounds like the Arizona prairies on some evenings after dark. Howooooooo……
You can spot areas in Renton with high coyote populations simply by looking at the telephone poles….the more signs you see for lost kitty’s, the more coyotes there are. Raccoons also are a threat to cats, but they are less likely to attack them, and when they do they will leave the body for the very sad family to find. Coyotes, on the other hand, take the body back to their den, and leave their grieving owner posting reward signs for their lost kittys….too sad.
Renton animal control has come across dens with the remains of up to 50 kitty-cats, sometimes with collars and tags in the mix!
What can you do?
First, please do not hurt or harass the coyotes. This may get you in legal danger and physical danger.
Here is a list of steps from today’s Seattle Times…
To keep coyotes away
.. Keep pet food and water inside.
.. Keep cats inside.
.. Keep wild bird seed elevated and in feeders designed for birds, and clean up spilled seed from the ground; coyotes can either be drawn directly to the seed, or to rodents drawn to the seed.
.. Keep fruit trees fenced or pick up fruit that falls to the ground.
.. Minimize vegetation near children’s play areas to avoid attracting rodents and small mammals that will in turn attract coyotes. Keep clusters of shrubs, trees and other cover and food plants away from buildings and children’s play areas.
Source: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
And here is the Complete Article…..
Saturday, October 28, 2006 – Page updated at 12:18 AM
Pets vanish as Seattle’s coyote sightings increase
By Tan Vinh
Seattle Times staff reporter
Coyotes’ local habitat is shrinking.
At first, the stories sounded like playground lore .. coyotes snatching house cats around Beacon Hill neighborhoods in the middle of the night.
But then Tub, Teenie and other felines weren’t coming home at night. More than the usual number of fliers about missing tabby and Siamese cats began showing up on utility poles and community bulletin boards.
By summer, reports of sightings were becoming frequent on community e-mail listserves and at neighborhood crime-watch meetings in this South Seattle community.
In late July, resident Tina Miller said, two coyotes mauled and killed the family’s beloved 3-year-old cat in her backyard. Two weeks later, Miller said, her son saw a coyote trying to snatch a stray cat near her house.
“It was traumatizing,” Miller said. “We had no idea there was such a big problem with coyotes.”
So nice….HCA is back in our Neighborhood program!
I received this note from Terry Persson today, along with similar notes from Inez Peterson and City Hall. This is great news. Our Neighborhood Program’s split with Highland Community Assocication (HCA) was stressful all around….its sooo nice to see a reconciliation.
Randy for your information. The HCA is now Officially Recognized. Worked with Norma for about an hour this morning, and all is well.
Thanks for the help…
Terry Persson
————– Forwarded Message: ————–
From: “Norma McQuiller” <nmcquiller@ci.renton.wa.us>
To: <tpersson@comcast.net>
Cc: <angelSandel@aol.com>, “Alexander Pietsch” <apietsch@ci.renton.wa.us>, “Suzanne Dale Estey” <sdaleEstey@ci.renton.wa.us>
Subject: HCA Application
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2006 18:40:50 +0000
Dear Terry,
Congratulations on the Renton Highlands Community Association becoming an Officially Recognized Neighborhood under the City of Renton Neighborhood Program.
Because HCA has met the eligibility requirements, based on your application and by-laws, you will have the opportunity to enjoy the many benefits of the program.
Per our conversation, it was reassuring to know that we have the same commitment for Renton: promoting a positive communication and building viable partnerships between the HCA and the City.
As an officially recognized organization HCA will receive a city liaison to work with your association, eligibility for funding for neighborhood grants and picnics and have contact information about your association on the City’s web site.
I look forward to working with you in the future to continue to make Renton a great place to live.
Sincerely,
Norma McQuiller
Neighborhood Program Manager
City of Renton
425-430-6595
Fax 425-430-7300
Burlington Northern/Dinner Train discussion on Wednesday Morning
The Burlington Northern Right-of-Way finally comes before our city council Transportation Committee this Wednesday morning, Oct 18, at 9:00, at City Hall (7th floor, council conference room).
The public is invited to watch the discussion, and I will be there with two of my council collegues to review the city’s options. We may also be able to accept a small amount of public comment, but we would not be able to take very much testimony because of the meeting format and time alotment. Mostly, this will be our last-best opportunity to determine whether the city can and should take any actions to block the abandomnent process that will end the run of the dinner train.
This meeting is being held as a result of a motion I sponsored two weeks ago (see my email below)
—–Original Message—–racorman
From: Corman, Randy
Sent: Monday, October 02, 2006 4:06 PM
To: Julia Medzegian; Citizens to Council Via Clerk
Cc: Jay Covington; Kathy Keolker
Subject: Severing the Burlington Northern Line at Wilburton
Tonight I plan to move that we place the subject of the severing of the
Burlington Northern Railroad track at Wilburton into the Transportation
Committee for review. It appears that the federal abandonment process
will probably be initiated within the next month, and all parties
(including Renton) will have 45 days to respond. Given that we have
hundreds of industrial acres on this track that will be severed from the
rest of the Eastside by lack of a single bridge over I-405, and given
that the track is currently in active use, I feel that council should
take a pro-active involvement in this topic. I believe that the
abandonment process gives us more rights and leverage than we have
discussed, and we owe it to future generations to deliberate this issue
carefully.
I have coordinated with the Transportation Committee chair about this,
and she is supportive of bringing this into her committee.
Thanks,
Randy
The Landing Website is online
Oct11
2006
Written by Randy Corman
2006
Written by Randy Corman
I’m posting this email to you because I know this new Landing website will be of great interest to many of you. However, I am not taking comments on this article, as the Landing is has been appealed to City Council and under the rules of “Quasi-Judicial Preoeedings” I should not engage in dialogue on the topic prior to the hearing.
From: Natalie Quick <nquick@feareygroup.com> [ Save Address ]
To: rcorman@ci.renton.wa.us
Subject: The Landing Community Website has launched!
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2006 16:15:31 -0700
Hi Councilmember Corman,
Hope this email finds you well. We wanted to let you know that we’ve officially launched The Landing’s community website, which you can view online at The Landing Website
The site is dedicated to bringing Renton residents up-to-date information on everything related to The Landing. From updates about construction progress and tenant announcements to the latest news and information regarding the appeals from our neighbor to the south, this is the place to go for all of the facts.
The homepage is set up in a blog format so community members can instantly access new information, log their views and opinions and even send a message directly to Westfield. Once there, the community can access all media coverage and get updates and information on events.
You can also go to the “Get Involved” page and sign up for regular updates and place your name on a list of supporters of the project.
Please feel free to forward this information to those in the community that would like to stay informed on what’s happening at The Landing. And, as always, if you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to phone or email me.
Best,
Natalie Quick
Yay! Great council meeting last night! Thanks council!
We resolved several important issues last night. We successfully chartered the Highland Citizen Advisory committee with a good cross-section of representatives, which seemed to meet with satisfaction from most parties. In addition, we passed a motion requesting the Administration to confirm that HCA now meets the criteria to enter back into the city’s neighborhood program. Considering HCA is one of Renton’s oldest, largest, and most active community associations, I believe this renewed formal relationship will be a relief for citizens and city employees alike.
The Highland Citizen Advisory Committee had their first meeting this morning, so they are now off and running! I wish them all the best as they work toward developing the plan for rejuvenated Renton Highlands.
The best part is, the council took all of the above actions unanimously, which left spirits high all around. Thanks council! What a great night.
Oom Pah Pah… (Renton Highlands)
One of my favorite broadway musicals has always been Oliver the Lionel Bart adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist. (My wife and I even made a point of seeing this show performed live in London a few years back.)
One of Bart’s catchiest and most memorable musical numbers is Oom-Pah-Pah. Here are some of the lyrics and the chorus…
…If you’ve got the patience,
Your own imaginations
will tell you just exactly what you want to hear:
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
That’s how it goes,
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev’ryone knows…
They all suppose what they want to suppose
When they hear oom-pah-pah
I noticed my lovely wife singing this tune as she made coffee this morning, and the lyrics struck me as very relevant to our efforts to keep the highlands revitalization moving forward.
It seems to me that parties on all sides of our highland controversy, including both elected officials and citizens, are letting their imaginations tell them exactly what they want to hear about one another’s agendas and motives. Heck, I’m even doing it too, and I have open lines of communication to both sides of this dipute.
I’ve recieved sooooo much email this weekend about the Highlands Advisory Committee that I know we will all have to make a special effort to make this committee a success. I have a few ideas, and I will try to implement them, but after that I need to ask everyone to pull together on this.
Membership:
There are seven councilmembers, and I think they hold seven different ideas about the perfect composition of this committee. As I stated publically at last week’s Committee of the Whole, I would personally like to see us lean toward inclusiveness. However, there is another perspective that anytime you form a working committee too many members can bog down the committee’s progress.
Having said this, for those of you in the community that would like to see more HCA representation, I believe I MIGHT be able to get council support for adding one more HCA member. If I do, it probably won’t be unanymous and I will really have to push to get the votes. The HCA member who was next on P&D Committees list is Sandel, because of her long history of leadership in the highlands and her constant involvment in city meetings on this topic (including her presence at the P&D committee meeting where the advisory committee was being defined).
Taping of the Meetings:
This subject is a bit trickier than taping Council Meetings or Planning Commission Meetings, both of which I always advocate strongly for. Planning Commissioners, City Council Members, and the Mayor are all public servants with authority, and Open Public Meetings act supports complete openess of their actions. So government taping and distribution of the above meetings is the best way to go in my book.
Update on 10/11/06: Renton citizen Inez Peterson posed this question to the State Attorney General’s office, and she recieved a response which clarifies that taping of this forum is permitted. Read part 1 of the official response here …and part 2 here. This information is being forwarded around city hall.
To make any progress here, we will all have to try to ignore the usual music that begins whenever we talk about the highlands…:-)
Oom-pah-pah! Oom-pah-pah!
Ev’ryone knows…
They all suppose what they want to suppose
When they hear oom-pah-pah
Last night’s quake…
My dear mother in California never misses news of an earthquake. I think she even keeps the National Seismograph Network in her internet favorites!…perhaps this is pretty sensible when living just over some hills from California’s famous San Andreas Fault.
Anyway, like clockwork she emailed me about yesterday’s earthquake near Mount Rainier. Here is what I wrote back on the subject….
____________________________________________________________________
Hi Mom! Yes, I totally felt this quake! I was sitting on my couch with my laptop computer, reading emails about the latest controversy at city hall, and I started feeling like I was jiggling around as in an airplane. I called “earthquake” to Cathy and my kids, but most of the kids had been rough-housing and didn’t notice it. I began to wonder if I had been simply feeling the floor thump from the kids, until I saw the news.
Love Randy
_____________________________________________________________________
And here is today’s Seattle Times Story
Quake near Mount Rainier registers 4.5; no damage reports
A light to moderate earthquake was widely felt in Western Washington about 7:45 p.m. Saturday. Police in Pierce, Snohomish and Pierce counties had no reports of injuries or damage.
The magnitude-4.5 quake was centered 17 miles north of Packwood, Lewis County, or about eight miles east of the Mount Rainier summit, said Tom Yelin, a geophysicist at the University of Washington seismology laboratory
Yelin said the quake’s size was relatively uncommon for Western Washington and that the quake was about 2 miles deep. He said it probably was not related to volcanic activity on Mount Rainier.
There were two small aftershocks late Saturday, and Yelin said small aftershocks could continue for a few days but likely would not be felt.
The Nisqually earthquake on Feb. 28, 2001, was magnitude 6.8 and was about 27 miles deep. It injured more than 400 people and caused more than $2 billion in damage. It was centered near Olympia.
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