By JOURNAL STAFF

It used to be that Renton was about the last place that popped to mind when people thought about a hot business address in the greater Seattle area.

Times have changed - and how - since the South King County community was known as a coal-mining town. Now Renton has drawn the interest of such business luminaries as Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen whose asset management company, Vulcan Northwest, is studying whether to do a project called Quendall Landing. It one day may contain 1 million square feet of office, 700,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, 1,300 housing units and two hotels. Two other developers, Seco and Bentall, are working on a similar project called Southport.

These projects show how the Lake Washington city of 48,000 citizens is flourishing. Officials at City Hall say the key has been a willingness to work with developers to build neighborhoods where businesses can succeed and where residents are happy.

Jim Potter, chairman of Kauri Investments, a Seattle housing developer, said recently that unlike most other municipalities, Renton officials will call to inquire what they can do to accommodate growth.

Complementing this cooperative spirit are other factors, such as Renton’s central location. The suburb is close enough to Seattle and Bellevue but far enough away that it still has less expensive housing as well as plenty of office and residential development opportunities.

Southport, a development by Seco and Bentall, would have office, retail and residential components.

To carry out this vision, city officials have nurtured the entrepreneurial spirit and fostered successful public-private partnerships. To help expedite development, Renton worked in the 1990s to streamline permitting and reduce land-use and permit approval times, according to Carlson. The city has recruited businesses to diversify the employment base through a strategic economic development plan that redefines the future of Renton.

The Boeing Co., and Paccar have historically been the primary economic engines in Renton. However, a friendly, pro-business climate and ample development opportunities have provided room for a multitude of new businesses, including IKEA’s only store in the Pacific Northwest, Wizards of the Coast, City University, Multiple Zones International and iCopyright.com.

Underscoring its approach to business is the fact that Renton is rich with development potential, including vacant land and substantial redevelopment areas. But instead of just letting development happen, the city has chosen to intentionally engage the market to help shape redevelopment in a broader context that enhances the quality of life for the community.

Three examples of the public-private economic development ventures facilitated by the city are downtown revitalization, waterfront redevelopment and the Highlands redevelopment.

The city’s goal for downtown is to create a pedestrian-oriented area with regional transportation connections and a mix of residential, office, retail and entertainment opportunities within walking distance of each other.

In order to stimulate development in downtown Renton, the city has invested $4 million over the last five years in land acquisition, substantial utility, street and parking infrastructure improvements and construction of the Piazza, a new urban park. Also two car dealerships were relocated from the center of downtown to a new Automall in South Renton.

The city used the acquired land and improvements as catalysts for creating public-private partnerships to revitalize downtown Renton. In particular, Daly Homes constructed the Renaissance at Renton, a new three-story, urban-style residential mixed-use development with 110 residential units and street level retail that opened in December. King County Metro Transit also plans to construct a permanent Regional Transit Center beginning later this year. In addition, other projects have been completed or planned for the area, including retail and mixed-use developments, plus a conference center and a performing arts center.

The city is involved with two major waterfront developments that will add substantial mixed-use residential, hotel, office, and/or retail space on Lake Washington and provide additional public access to the waterfront.

The Southport project will redevelop the old Shuffleton Steam Plant on the south end of Lake Washington next to Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park. The city concurrently rezoned the property while completing a Planned Action environmental impact statement in nine months. The current plans for Southport include 750,000 square feet of Class A office space, a hotel and 350 residential units. Developers Seco and Bentall plan to start construction later this year.

The Port Quendall project is a 68-acre site on the southeastern shore of Lake Washington. Part of the site is contaminated from prior use as an old coal tar refinery and creosote plant. The city took the initiative to seek a public-private partnership with Vulcan and commercial developers Opus Northwest and the Mills Corp., to clean up the site and redevelop the land. Carlson emphasized that before the project is approved, city officials will meet with citizens to hear and address their concerns and ensure public access to the beach is preserved.

The goal of the Port Quendall project is to further diversify Renton’s economic base and provide a lakefront trail and park along the shore of Lake Washington.

The city’s next major economic development project is the redevelopment of the Highlands. The area is accessible from Interstate 405 and close to Newcastle and Issaquah. Land costs are low and redevelopment potential is high, Carlson said.

The city has prepared an urban design master plan for a 140-acre study area in the Highlands to integrate the residential areas with the commercial development, while creating a cohesive community retail shopping center. The Highlands plan incorporates a compact urban development with a transit orientation and pedestrian amenities.

To help shape the area’s redevelopment, the city has secured an option on the largest commercial property in the plan area. The city will select a developer to use the option to redevelop the property as the centerpiece of the redevelopment effort. If approved by the City Council, redevelopment could begin in 2001.

Economic development is thriving in Renton, Carlson said. Businesses are relocating to the city and new housing is being constructed. Some developers already have discovered this, and Carlson and her colleagues at City Hall expect more builders will too.