Renton Area Information
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The
Rocking Horse Dance Barn offers dancing and entertainment. |
Renton, a 17-square-mile urban
community, provides a close-in, convenient location for businesses. With more
than 55,360 residents and 35,600 jobs, Renton is the fifth-largest city in King
County, and the 13th-largest city in Washington State. Renton is centrally
located, accessible by four state highways and Interstate 405, and is only
minutes away from Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, and the Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport.
In the early 1990s, Renton promised to streamline the permit process and make a
concerted effort to bring in new business. Renton delivered!
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CD Danza Salon and
Spa , located in downtown renton is a full service day spa facility. |
Since then, a revamped permitting
process and aggressive economic development program have brought in many key
businesses. In addition, new housing is being constructed and neighborhoods are
being revitalized and created. Located at the south end of Lake Washington,
Renton offers a convenient location with rich development opportunities. Vacant
land and substantial redevelopment areas are available in Renton at more
affordable rates than in Seattle or Bellevue.
Business-Friendly Government
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Bedford Property
Investors has chosen a sundial as the centerpiece of their remodeled Renton
Office Park. |
City of Renton
(425) 430-6500
Mayor Kathy Keolker-Wheeler
www.ci.renton.wa.us
The City of Renton
continues to work hard to create an environment that supports business
development while enhancing the quality of life in the community. The Mayor,
City Council and staff nurture the entrepreneurial spirit and foster successful
public-private partnerships. In particular, the city streamlined permitting and
reduced approval time in order to help expedite quality developments. The city
recruited
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Renton City Hall |
businesses to diversify the
employment base and created and implemented bold strategic economic development
plans that redefine the future of Renton. Renton’s regulatory reform and
strategic economic development efforts are now used as a statewide model.
Even with the relative
fluctuation in manufacturing jobs, Renton continues to make great strides in
recruitment and retention efforts. There have been increased numbers of jobs in
wholesale, retail and business services, including many diverse small- and
medium-size companies.
Industry and Retail
Renton’s industrial market is
flourishing. Jefferson Smurfit Corp., Aero-Plastics Inc., Kenworth Truck Co.,
Renton Coil Spring Co., Kaye-Smith, and others help make this an ideal location
for manufacturers and wholesalers.
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Boeing Commercial
Airplanes facility in Renton, WA |
Renton’s two biggest
manufacturing businesses are both experiencing job growth. Production is ramping
up at PACCAR’s Kenworth Plant with more than 550 new jobs this past year.
Boeing’s Renton operations accounts for 31 percent of jobs here, and production
of the 737 is increasing. Employment is stabilizing and is expected to remain so
in this decade and into the next.
Equally exciting is Boeing’s award of the Navy’s Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft
contract and its decision to build what is projected to be 300 of the new
submarine hunters at the Renton plant. This contract alone means more than 1,100
additional jobs in our community.
Major retailers thrive in the Renton market including Fry’s Electronics, Sam’s
Club, Wal-Mart, and IKEA’s only store in the Pacific Northwest. Automobile
dealers and other smaller businesses add millions of dollars to the local
economy.
The business community provided over $16.5 million in sales tax revenue to the
City of Renton in 2004, representing about 25 percent of the city’s overall
general fund revenue. Renton’s friendly, pro-business climate and ample
development opportunities have provided room for a multitude of key businesses
including Topics Entertainment, the nation’s premier publisher of educational,
reference and language software, and Wizards of the Coast, the world leader in
hobby gaming.
Public/Private Economic
Development Ventures
There is excitement in the air
about Harvest Partners’ Lakeshore Landing project in north Renton. Forty-six
acres of former Boeing property will take shape as a vibrant mixed-use retail
environment unlike any other in the Puget Sound region. Harvest Partners expects
to break ground by March 2006 on as much as 800,000 square feet of retail,
theater and restaurant space, and as many as 850 housing units.
It will also bring a new energy to the Lake Washington shoreline, driving the
next phases of development at Southport, where SECO Development would like to
construct its second apartment building, adding 200 more housing units to the
neighborhood.
Renton will soon take center stage in the financial industry when the Federal
Reserve Bank of San Francisco locates its new Seattle branch headquarters in the
Valley at property on the Boeing Longacres site. The City of Renton worked
aggressively with the Federal Reserve over the past year to help find a site
suitable to their unique needs. And the community supported the city’s
recruitment efforts – local leaders made phone calls and sent letters showing
Renton’s commitment to bringing the bank to the area. The Federal Reserve’s
final decision to locate in Renton is positive proof that Renton is a premier
location for high-profile corporate developments. The 11-acre,
94,000-square-foot development will employ approximately 100 people.
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Merrill Gardens
will provide 155 retirement living apartments in downtown Renton. |
Coupled with this development is
the city’s commitment to build the first phase of the Southwest 27th/Strander
Boulevard project that will eventually connect Renton across two rail lines to
Tukwila and provide access to the Sound Transit Longacres Commuter Rail Station
from Renton and communities to our south and east. Construction on the first
phase of Southwest 27th/Strander Boulevard will begin in 2006.
In addition, downtown Renton will be home to Merrill Gardens, a 155-unit senior
housing facility planned on a portion of the old McLendon Hardware site, across
from the new transit center. The $24 million project will provide 155
apartments, with a combination of studios and one- and two-bedrooms. Merrill
Gardens at Renton Centre is projecting to open in summer 2006.
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