Written by While other parts of our nation are mired in recession and experiencing plummeting house prices, the Northwest appears to be the one region that is holding up in this economy. Even more amazing Renton is holding up better than the rest of King County, with about twice the rate of new business, job growth, and housing starts than the rest of the region on average (this is without taking credit for growth from the new Benson Hill annexation). Renton may very well be experiencing some of the heathiest economic conditions of anywhere in the US right now!
Denis Law gave his first State of the City Address today, (79 days into his mayoral term), and shared some of the good news about the condition of our city finances overall, and the strength of our local economy.
Here are the highlights of his address:
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Renton Mayor Denis Law Delivers 2008 State of the City Address
Mayor Announces Community Planning Initiative, Emphasis on Code
Enforcement, Public Safety, Neighborhood Revitalization, Economic
Development and Housing Affordability
RENTON: Renton Mayor Denis Law delivered his 2008 State of the City
address before a packed audience at a luncheon organized by the Renton
Chamber of Commerce. With an emphasis on effectiveness, efficiency and
accountability, the state of the city highlighted the city’s recent
accomplishments and outlined new programs and initiatives.
“We will work to be effective, while emphasizing greater
accountability and efficiency at City Hall”, said Mayor Law. “We
will focus on results and clearly demonstrate to our citizens what we
are accomplishing on their behalf.”
The mayor recognized the contributions of the City Council and their
untiring commitment to serve the city.
“I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with an
outstanding City Council-devoted to making policy that protects and
improves the quality of life for our citizens,” said Law.
The address highlighted Renton’s recent annexation of the Benson Hill
area and emphasized the city’s commitment to high quality service to
all residents. As of March 1, 2008, Renton has grown by over 25 percent
and has nearly 77,000 residents, making it the fifth largest city in
King County and the 11th largest in Washington State. The Mayor also
mentioned the city’s solid financial foundation and highlighted
Renton’s economic future and growth opportunities. Renton’s assessed
valuation has increased almost 100 percent over the last seven years,
from $5.0 billion in 2001 to $9.5 billion in 2008. Renton’s vibrant
economy is expected to continue to expand. Renton’s expected increase
in total taxable retail sales is among the highest in the region and was
at over 7% in 2007. Growth in Renton’s housing stock and retail
spending has far outpaced comparable measures for King County and the
Puget Sound economy. New construction in the city has been between two
and three times the regional average over the past three years.
The Mayor also highlighted the enormous success of The Boeing Company.
Boeing has had another record year for the Renton-built 737, which
enjoyed its strongest sales year last year. Unfilled orders exceed 1,900
airplanes, worth more than $140 billion at list prices, according to
Boeing. Produced in Renton, the Boeing 737 is by far the most successful
jet in the history of commercial aviation. Boeing’s Renton operations
provide 20,000 jobs to our area.
The mayor stressed the importance of partnerships and acknowledged
several community members who were present for the address, including
representatives from the Renton Chamber of Commerce, the Renton School
District, Renton Technical College, Valley Medical Center, and local
business leaders.
“Renton has a grand tradition of partnerships,” said Law. “We
have long worked together to get things done that would not have been
possible to do alone. The key to our future as a city lies in our
ability to harness the power of partnerships and work together to meet
the challenges ahead and build a stronger community.”
The mayor highlighted several accomplishments. These include:
●The successful annexation of the Benson Hill communities and the
city being ready on March 1, 2008 to provide the highest levels of
service to over 16,000 new residents-from sweeping the streets to
providing fire and emergency services to Benson Hill and Fairwood.
●The Federal Reserve Bank opened for business in Renton and the
Seahawks will be coming to Renton this summer. Several companies will be
opening new facilities in Renton this year including Frontier Bank,
Columbia Bank, several auto dealers and others.
●The Landing, one of Renton’s largest retail and residential
projects, has already contributed over $700,000 in revenues from
construction and retail sales tax.
●Successful partnership with the Highlands Task Force and community
and working together on redevelopment in the neighborhood.
●Completion of several major capital improvement and infrastructure
projects including railroad bridges, street improvements and safety
upgrades in school zones.
●Increased traffic safety emphasis in neighborhoods.
●During Renton Heart Month–twice as many blood sugar and blood
pressure screenings and notification to 500 people with high blood
pressure and 100 with high blood sugar readings.
●Completion of Heritage Park, improvements to facilities at Teasdale
and Kiwanis Parks and new lighting at the skate park and aquatic center;
master plan for the libraries; began the master plan for the museum;
several successful community events and celebrations.
The mayor announced several key initiatives. These include:
●Community Planning Initiative:
Foster a partnership with the community to help shape the city’s
future and provide input for the city’s comprehensive plan and
supporting policies.
●Housing Affordability:
Revise the existing multi-family housing incentive program to provide
additional tax exemption for projects that include affordable and low
income housing. Establish a housing opportunity fund of $200,000 to
support affordable housing in Renton.
●Code Enforcement:
Under the leadership of the Police Chief, create a new
inter-departmental code-enforcement initiative to ensure measurable
results in code enforcement.
●Highlands, Downtown and South Lake Washington:
Continue to focus resources to revitalize the Highlands, downtown
Renton and South Lake Washington.
●Public Safety:
Partner with other cities to build a regional misdemeanant correctional
facility; emphasize safety in downtown, the Highlands and other
neighborhoods. Continue emphasis on emergency preparedness and the
city’s readiness to respond.
●Economic Development:
Expand the resources and role of the Small Business Development Center;
pursue redevelopment efforts; work with The Boeing Company to encourage
them to keep Boeing commercial airplane production in Renton.
●Transportation and Infrastructure:
Improvements to Duvall Avenue NE and Rainier Avenue; installing new
sidewalks; advocating for regional transportation funding and
improvements.
●Environment:
Emphasize environmental responsibility-from reducing paper-waste in
city operations to incorporating green and resource-efficient features
in new city facilities; review development regulations to ensure
environmental considerations.
●Diversity:
Continue celebrations that showcase our diverse communities; work with
our community partners to plan a city-wide diversity celebration.
“Our city has much going for it, and together we have accomplished a
great deal,” said Law. “The future for Renton is bright and the
city looks forward to our continued partnerships that make this a great
place to live, learn, work and raise our families”.
To read the mayor’s state of the city message, please visit
http://rentonwa.gov.
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