News from former Councilmember Randy Corman, your Renton City Hall insider. (All views expressed in journal entries are Randy Corman's personal views, and not the official position of the City of Renton or other city employees. Views expressed in reader comments are those of the commenter)

Posts in category Business

Renton home occupation rules being updated for today’s online world

May07
2023 Written by Randy Corman

From City of Renton presentation.  The complete presentation is here

 

At 6:00 PM tomorrow night, Renton’s Planning and Development Committee will discuss updating Renton’s home occupations rules to make it legal for Renton residents to do home based online retail sales.  I think this update probably makes sense in today’s world.  If you have input one way or the other, you can address it to council via email or at tomorrow’s City Council meeting.

In 1995 during my first term on Renton City Council I helped write a new law that formally legalized home piano teachers, home tax accountants, and other similar small residential-based businesses for the first time in Renton.  Prior to ordinance 4493 in 1995, these businesses were technically not allowed in residential neighborhoods, although some people were doing them under the radar if their business was small enough and neighbors were not asking questions.

This law has seen updates in 1997, 2008, 2012, as we made adjustments based on input from businesses and neighborhoods.  Here is the law as it stands today. This law will likely be updated again in the coming days, primarily to allow retail sales from homes as long as these sales are online-based.  Previously, retail sales were not allowed from home-based businesses.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Kickin Kajun, a delicious Hawaiian take on Louisiana Cuisine, opens at the Landing

Apr21
2023 Written by Randy Corman

Last night several members of my household enjoyed fresh seafood at one of the Landing’s newest restaurants, Kickin Kajun.  My wife Cathy, our son Danny, his fiancee Julie,  and I went for a late dinner around 8:00 PM.  We  gave ourselves just enough time to finish our fun, interactive dining experience right before their 9:00 closing.  Bibs and gloves were provided to us before our food arrived.  Cathy, Danny, and I shared a crawfish boil that included crawfish, mussels, clams, sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob in our choice of sauce.  We enjoyed their signature sauce which has some Korean spices in it, and next time for variety we’ll try their L0uisiana Style which is closer to what we would find in the South. Julie (who’s not as much of a fan of shellfish) enjoyed breaded fried catfish and chips, and she was served a large enough portion that she could share.  We had plenty of delicious food for the four of us, and the price was very affordable for seafood.  Their complete menu can be found here.

Kickin Kajun is a Hawaiian chain established in 2012, and this is their first restaurant in Washington.  We were warmly greeted by Ava, one of the four business partners who owns the Renton restaurant. At our prompting, she filled us in on the chain’s successful history and we talked about their popular Hawaiian locations on Oahu.  She and the rest of the staff were attentive and made the experience top notch.  Kickin Kajun is a great new Renton option for those of us that enjoy seafood, and in particular Seafood boils which are not available everywhere.

Their restaurant can be found at the Landing, 800 N 10th St, at the suite formerly occupied by the Balanced Athlete. I’m grateful to Ava and her partners for choosing Renton for their restaurant!

 

My son Danny, his fiancee Julie, me, and my wife Cathy enjoying a crawfish boil and fried catfish at Kickin Kajun.  The restaurant has been open for about three weeks.

 

Cathy and Danny digging into the crawfish boil

 

My wife and me with Ava, one of the four partners who opened Kickin Kajun at the Landing.

Cathy in front of Kickin Kajun, between the traffic circle and the parking garage at the Landing. (The location was formerly occupied by the Balanced Athlete.)

Posted in Uncategorized

Wizards of the Coast preparing to level-up to Southport. It’s magical to see the lights on

Feb22
2023 Written by Randy Corman

The office space at Southport was ready for tenants right around the time the pandemic hit, delaying occupancy. Marcie Palmer sent me this beautiful photo showing the lights finally on in the Southport offices, to the left of the Boeing factory. The lit up space will soon be occupied by Renton’s own global trend-setting game designer, Wizards of the Coast.

 

It’s appropriate for Wizards of the Coast to settle in next to Boeing.  When I was a systems engineer at Boeing, I worked with engineers that had regularly played a pre-production version of “Magic the Gathering” with their colleague Peter Atkison during their 40-minute lunch breaks.  “He would bring new hand-drawn cards for us to evaluate every week” they told me.  Mr. Atkison had started a small side business, “Wizards of the Coast”, which took its name from the adventuring group he and his friends had created when they played “Dungeons and Dragons.”  Mr. Atkison was close friends with a gamer named Richard Garfield,  the creative inventor of Magic the Gathering  (and also a great-great-grandson of US President James Garfield).  Peter Atkison’s small company was working to bring Richard Garfield’s product to the market, and his fellow nerds at Boeing were an outstanding test market.

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Downtown Renton goes toe-to-toe with Fremont

Jun05
2019 Written by Randy Corman

A reader of the “Randy Corman for Mayor” Facebook page recently asked me to comment on whether our city was favoring big box stores at the Landing at the expense of downtown merchants.

Photo:  Renton’s newest and likely most iconic art piece, Erasmus the dragon, was unveiled in Downtown Renton in April

It’s not one over the other.  Both of these shopping districts, the the Landing and historic downtown, and all our other business zones, are extremely important to Renton.

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Posted in Art, Downtown

Renton Marshalls opens at the Landing

Nov20
2010 Written by Randy Corman

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My wife Cathy and daughter Katie made it down for opening day at Marshalls on Thursday. They found some great values, and enjoyed the shopping experience. They felt there were more than enough dressing rooms for everyone, and that the checkout line moved quickly even though there were many shoppers in front of them. They came home with sweaters and slacks, and many nice accessories. Both of them plan to go back often.

At City Hall we are delighted to see new businesses opening during the recession. We are glad that citizens have new close-in shopping options, and approximately one percent of every sale comes back to the city’s general fund as sales tax revenue.


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Posted in The Landing

Businesses in Downtown and the Landing helped kick off Halloween with “Trick or Treating” events

Oct31
2010 Written by Randy Corman

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Trick or Treaters gather candy from a treasure chest and pose for a photo with Pirate hosts at “Eyes on the Landing” this afternoon

Renton’s local businesses helped get Halloween off to a great start this year with seasonal decorations and “Trick or Treating” events in downtown and at the Landing. Here are just a few shots from the Landing event this afternoon. (We spent some time with out in-laws at Eyes on the Landing, so I took most of my photos here…but many businesses participated.)
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Cathy and I pose at the elaborate decorations at Papaya Vietnamese Restaurant. The picture looks hazy because of the fog machine.
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Pirates from “Eyes on the Landing” pose for the camera.
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Renton’s Economic Development Director, Suzanne Dale Estey and her family enjoy the festivities.

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“Owners of “Eyes on the Landing, Dr. Evie Lawson (“mad-scientist” in labcoat) and Donna Jones (pirate on right) entertain the visitors and hand out candy.
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Posted in The Landing

Six great new businesses coming to the Landing!

Sep18
2010 Written by Randy Corman


Dicks Sporting Goods, called “Retail’s rising star” by this article in Fortune Magazine, is filling the former Joe’s Sporting Goods location at the Landing. Dick’s Sporting Goods is one of six new businesses opening soon at the Landing. (Photo link from Fortune Magazine)

The Landing has formally announced that we will see six great new businesses coming to Renton in the months ahead. Dick’s Sporting Goods, Marshall’s, Eyes on the Landing, Creative Mom Toys, Mucho Burrito, and Fresh Way Pizza will be added to the Landing’s already great lineup of restaurants, retailers, and entertainment. (Prior to this announcement, I think only “Eyes on the Landing” had been officially disclosed to the Renton public.)

This large group of new retailers and restaurants is another great step forward for Renton and the Landing.

Be sure to watch for their openings, and welcome them all to Renton. In addition to offering Rentonites additional attractive and convenient shopping and dining options, all of these businesses contribute financially to the operation of our city. We’re very fortunate to see so many new businesses in the depths of this recession, so let’s make sure we get them all off to a great start! Shop locally to save gas and keep your tax dollars in town.

 

Bucking the Economy, The Landing in Renton Announces Six New Retailers

Four new retailers and two new restaurants join the mix, bringing total dining options to eleven

RENTON, Wash. – September 20, 2010 – Despite the current economic trends, The Landing in Renton has continued to see sales and leasing success. Many retailers and restaurants at The Landing have experienced double digit sales growth every month in 2010 over 2009 giving confidence to new retailers to move to the South Sound’s most dynamic new shopping and dining destination.
Continuing to build upon the successful mix of small, creative boutiques, bustling, brand-name shops, cozy cafés, restaurants, salons and spas that currently call the urban village home, The Landing in Renton is pleased to announce that starting as soon as next month, six new shopping and dining options will be joining the family-friendly pedestrian center. From national names including Dick’s Sporting Goods and Marshall’s; to local brands Eyes on The Landing and Creative Mom Toys; to two restaurants Mucho Burrito and Fresh Way Pizza, The Landing continues to provide variety and convenience to the Renton community.

National Brand Names See Big Opportunity at The Landing

Opening Spring 2011

In addition to the new restaurants and the great services and entertainment options already open, The Landing will now be home to some of the nation’s top retailers, including Dick’s Sporting Goods and Marshalls.

A leader in specialty sports and fitness products, Dick’s Sporting Goods will continue to provide dedicated service to Renton’s athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. Planned to open in the former Joe’s location at The Landing, Dick’s will offer the finest quality products at competitive prices.

Marshalls will offer fashionable, high-quality “designer” items at prices 20 to 60 percent less than those of the department stores. Slated to open near Ross’s current location, Marshalls is among the U.S.’s top family apparel and home fashion retailers.

“Bringing big names that offer great products and prices to the mix of restaurants, retailers, entertainment and services already at The Landing continues to build upon the wide selection of shopping choices at The Landing,” said Baker. “We are proud to offer all of these tenants in one place.”

Opening October 2010

“Look” no further – starting October 18, Renton-area residents looking to update their spec style will have a new optometrist and retail storefront. Co-owned by Evie Lawson, a licensed doctor of osteopathy (OD) and Donna Jones, Eyes on The Landing will be the community’s premier upscale optometrist and retail shop featuring an inventory of couture brands such as FaceaFace, Prodesign Denmark, Lafront, Persol and Ic! Berlin.
Opening Spring 2011

Creative Mom Toys will offer educational products, books, costumes and more for children of all ages. Currently an online-only business, The Landing will be Creative Mom Toys’ first brick and mortar storefront.

Two New Restaurants Opening this Spring, including Take-and-Bake Pizza & Fresh-Mex
Opening November 2010

A local company, Voted Redmond’s Best Pizza in 2009, Fresh Way Pizza sells made-to-order slices for in-store dining and pies to take home and bake. Fresh Way offers a large assortment of fresh, healthy, high quality ingredients, delivery and hot slices ready in less than 2 minutes.
Opening Spring 2011

Entering the United States from Canada, Mucho Burrito is a gourmet made-to-order quick-serve Mexican restaurant including a variety of products from hand-rolled burritos to tacos and quesadillas.

Posted in The Landing

Nineteen acres trades hands adjacent to the Landing

Aug08
2010 Written by Randy Corman

There was a noteworthy real-estate transaction reported to the city this past week. Boeing has sold 19 acres of property next to the Landing to private investors, a likely first step toward expansion of the urban village and shopping center. This property has excellent commercial development potential, and has already been extensively evaluated for traffic and other impacts. It had even been tentatively approved for location of a new NBA Basketball Stadium.

Many of us aerospace-types in Renton used to work on this site, as it was home to Boeing’s 10-80 and 10-85 Renton engineering buildings for decades. These buildings were not very space-efficient, as they were only one and two stories. (The 10-80 building was probably the largest one-story office building I’ve ever seen). In recent years these engineering teams have been relocated into other buildings in Renton.

Here is the full story in the Seattle Times. (Note that as of the time of this posting, there is an error in the math in the Seattle Times story. The price per acre for this transaction would be $530,000 per acre, not $53,000 per acre as reported. Likewise, the price of the original Landing property was off by a factor or ten on a per-acre basis. I suspect the Times will correct this error shortly.)

Posted in The Landing

Humans and dogs frolicked at the Landing during a festive “Doggapalooza” today

Jul10
2010 Written by Randy Corman

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Michael Palmer and his dog compete in the dog-owner look-alike contest.

Crowds of people and dogs packed the fountain plaza of the Landing today, as they enjoyed the festivities of “Doggapalooza.” There were contests, an informal exhibition of dog tricks, face painting, balloon animals, information and merchandise booths, a raffle, special activities sponsored by nearby merchants, and lots of visiting among dogs and dog owners. A team from KISS FM Radio was there to add to the party atmosphere of the event, and their morning DJ Bender served as Master of Ceremonies for the day’s events.

I helped judge dog/owner comparison contests along with co-judge Brandi Ahlgren, founder and editor of City Dog Magazine. Contestants competed in three categories; those who most resembled their dogs, those who looked the most opposite from their dogs, and those who had dressed their dogs and kids to match each other.

The location for the event was perfect. The large architectural awnings on the buildings at the Landing provided generous amounts of shade. In addition the fountain and landscaping kept everyone feeling cool even though the temperature was in the eighties. The Landing’s merchants made sure people and dogs had plenty to eat and drink.

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My daughter Susie had her dog Max at the event. Max had to stay in a stroller because he has a broken leg. (His foot was stepped on by our horse)

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Camille and Sarah organized and publicized the Doggapalooza event. They work for the Fearey Group, a premier public relations firm which is employed by the Landing to assist with community activities and outreach. Camille (left) maintains “The Landing in Renton” facebook page.

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Representatives were on-hand from RUFF, the dedicated volunteer organization that created the Renton off-leash dog park

Posted in The Landing

Renton’s downtown is already Benson Hill’s downtown

Dec17
2007 Written by Randy Corman

From Benson Hill resident Kari Kopnick:

It’s been a long week. Somehow, I’m not sure how this happened exactly, but somehow, it’s almost Christmas. Again. And somehow, again, I’m not done with my Christmas shopping. For anyone. Even the dog.

So my dear husband and I decided to take a break from the shopping and budget and deciphering of our sons’ Christmas lists and go out for a quick pint of beer here in our local town. Now, Downtown Renton has a lot of great little spots to grab a quick pint. I love The Whistle Stop and always try to lure anyone who wants to meet for a lunch meeting to come and split sweet potato fries with me there.

The Dog and Pony is great, with a fantastic list of local beers that is always changing. And Giant’s Causeway is a treat, especially if you catch the live music.

But if you’re out looking for a place to grab a quick date on a Sunday night, those aren’t even an option. All closed. It’s quiet on Sunday nights here in our town, the Piazza is all lit up, the transit center looks active. But there aren’t a lot of our eateries and pubs open.

So my husband and I wound up in one of the hang outs in town we like best: La Hacienda. Once last fall we even stopped in to celebrate our friend’s new tattoo from Diamond Lil’s. It was full blast– fun, great service and fantastic food. So we hit La Hacienda at, oh about 8 on Sunday night.

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The place was pretty empty, just a few folks hanging out at the bar and a few couples eating and chatting, good music on the jukebox, and a nice waiter. Gustavo took our whining for a dark beer seriously and told us about Negro Modelo, a Mexican beer which turned out to be good—smooth and not too heavy but with a good bite to it. We even split a second one. I think Gustavo was just showing off but he brought us new chilled glasses and I swear to the Christmas elves he split the bottle of beer perfectly between the glasses, must have been down to the drop. He kept us stocked up on the amazing pico de gallo and salsa, and brought our check fast so we could get home and back to stressing out about our how soon Christmas is coming.
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Suppose once we get annexed we’ll have nice spots to eat over on Benson Hill? I mean, I love the new Pho World by Fred Meyer, but it’s just not the same as heading to a downtown. Even our little downtown. I love it. Hey, maybe I should head there during the day well, you know, for some Christmas shopping. Maybe someone will even meet me for some of those sweet potato fries when I’m done!

Kari Kopnick

(see Kari’s other entries by clicking the tag below)

Posted in Benson Hill - Tagged

About the author

Hi, I’m Randy Corman. Welcome to my blog!  I served on Renton City Council for 28 years, 1994-2021, with six years as Renton Council President.  I’m also a mechanical engineer and manager, and worked for the Boeing Company for 33 years, from 1984- 2017.  My wife and I have five kids and five grandkids, and we all live in Renton.  I’ve kept this blog for 17 years, and get thousands of readers each month. Please share your feedback, ideas, and opinions in the comments.

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