Written by Our hard-working economic development director reminds me to remind citizens that this hotel image is only conceptual, there are no agreements in place, and this is fully subject to change, but….
HERE are the renderings that I was asked if I could obtain following the Mayor’s mention of a possible new hotel in his “State of the City Address.”
I think that this site, already either optioned or outright owned by Paul Allen, would be an excellent location for a hotel. And the concept of a Seahawks-themed hotel makes perfect sense. I even like the suggested name, Hawks Landing, which obviously ties together two of the most recent redevelopment accomplishments in out city, the Seahawks Headquarters and “the Landing” urban village.
This hotel would no-doubt served the Seahawks headquarters well as a home for visiting prospects, player’s families, journalists, financial advisers, fans, and other team supporters. And with it’s access to Bellevue, Renton, and Sea Tac Airport, I’m sure it would become a popular hotel for visiting business men and women doing business on the Eastside.
On a more personal front, a hotel here would also quickly become a preferred location for those of us living in Kennydale, the Highlands, and Newcastle to lodge our out-of-town guests who do not wish to sack out on our hide-a-beds.
The site, which currently has some old industrial-looking Pan Abode structures on it, is a gateway to both the cities of Renton and Newcastle. So a redevelopment of this type would give a nice impression to people entering our community.
Redevelopment of this site would include offsite utility upgrades and would probably also include dedication of the final trail section to complete a May Creek Trail corridor. To make all the pieces come together, we would most likely work to reach some sort of development agreement; that way we would know we could count on a new tax stream to off-set the upfront costs for any public works.
The possibility of a large project at this location has picked up some interest in Olympia, as lawmakers struggle to reinvigorate the state economy. Consequently, our state legislative team is working to find capital improvement or street funds to help us with this. It’s obviously difficult to find a dime in the general fund these days, and the legislature is considering moving capitol funding to the general fund this year to get us through the current budget crisis. But if there are capitol funds for utility upgrades trails to be found, particularly as seed money to jump-start development, we will be all over it. Marcie Maxwell, our newly elected 41st District State Representative, has been monitoring this very closely for us. And Margarta Prentice has been helping Renton in the senate. If there is any money available for this type of capitol project (for either the road work, the trail, or both), after the state General Fund is balanced, we may have a chance at getting some assistance.
Recent Comments