Written by 
We held an exciting Committee-of-the-Whole and City Council Meeting last night. The council voted 7 to 0 to approve the construction of the streets to support the new Landing shopping center. The bonds will cost us 1.3 million per year, but we expect to receive new tax revenues of at about twice that on the most basic version of the Landing shopping center. The new construction will include the connection of Logan Avenue with the Freeway, which will put an arterial connection directly from I-405 (exit 5) though the Landing and into the center of our downtown. This will be great for our city.
Better still, we are doing the roadwork in concrete instead of asphalt, which has a life expectancy of 35-50 years. The bonds will be paid off a generation before the roads need significant maintenance. Meanwhile, the Landing will provide shopping, dining, entertainment, and tax revenues to our city.
Our attorneys are still fussing with some assorted appeals of the project, several sponsored by South Center Mall, but I believe these will at most affect the plans only “around the edges” a little. We know the land will support a shopping center, and we are going forward with the roads.
We will next turn our attention to a possible public parking garage and other public infrastructure enhancements. If these can be shown to produce a denser entertainment center and more financial activity, and enough tax revenues to pay their way (per the approved development agreement), then I am quite in favor of them.
I hope you, dear readers, share my enthusiasm for this project. My neighbors, my family and I have waited a very long time to get these kinds of shopping and entertainment options so close to home. And the tax money will help the city’s bottom line.
Dear Randy:
Did you believe the “spin” from the Chamber of Commerce president WITHOUT checking into the environmental questions the Appeals pose?
Who cares who is paying for the Appeal if the basis for the Appeal is righteous!
Did YOU yourself determine that the Appeals (and there are several) have no basis in fact? Or did take Alex’s word as “the Gospel”?
It was a clever move by the mayor to focus the City Council on WHO is paying the bill for the Appeal instead of WHY. In this way, the City Council will not look at the real issue: Are the environmental concerns valid?
I think what the City Council did on Monday night was the wrong thing at the wrong time–you should have understood these Appeals BEFORE you voted. And in that way, you could have influenced the other city council members too.
This is exactly how the mayor controls the City Council, by controlling WHAT you know, she controls WHAT you do.
You should talk to Terry Persson, he worked on the property and knows that land literally “inside and out.”
Sincerely.
Inez
OKAY I DONT KNOW WHERE TO WRITE THIS SO IM WRITING IT HERE. THE LANDING IS A COMPLETE BUST. IZAKAYA SUSHI AND PAPAYA? COME ON!!!!!!!! WHAT IS THIS? THIS IS THE MOST LAME DEVELOPMENT I HAVE SEEN AROUND THIS AREA IN YEARS. HELL, KENT HAS THEIR DOWN TOWN IN BETTER SHAPE THEN WE DO. THE LANDING HAS NO COMPELLING TENANTS OTHER THEN TARGET FOR ME TO GO VISIT. THIS IS NOTHING LIKE THE U VILLAGE, AND IS LAUGHABLE. WHAT A MISTAKE AND A SAD ATTEMPT TO REDEFINE DOWNTOWN RENTON. IM DISSAPOINTED AND THE TENANTS SUCK SO FAR…THEY ALL DO.
OH AND ONE MORE THING…THAT PICTURE U POSTED ABOVE FOR THE LANDING, THE THEATERS LOOK NOTHING LIKE THAT….IN FACT, THE ARCHITECTURE ON THE THEATERS BEFORE THEY REDISGNED IT WAS FANTASTIC. NOW IT IS REALLY UGLY AND LOOKS LIKE EVERY OTHER THEATER. WOW RENTON, WOW.