The City of Renton is inviting the community to attend the Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan Open House for a chance to get information and give feedback on some of the city’s active and upcoming projects. The event is from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 6 at the Pavilion Event Center.
The Renton Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan, covering the Downtown Business District and concentrating on the Civic Core Area, was approved by the City Council on Jan. 8, 2018.
According to the city, the plan is the result of a series of community meetings and online input and provides recommendations to take advantage of the future possibilities and opportunities for Renton’s Downtown.
Some of the active projects featured at the open house will include:
The Renton Connector: A new urban trail, or “greenway”, that creates a signature Civic Core and Downtown green spine and regional trail connection between the Cedar River Trail, Lake to Sound Trail, Lake Washington Loop Trail, and the Eastside Rail Corridor for pedestrians and cyclists between the Cedar River, City Hall and the new South Renton Transit Center to the south.
The Renton Connector project will install a continuous non-motorized facility along the West-side Burnett Avenue South between South 2nd Street and South 5th Street via separated walkways, protected bicycle lanes, and a multi-use path. This project will also include landscaped medians, reconfigured public parking areas, curb ramp upgrades to ADA standards, and traffic signalization improvements, according to the city.
The project is estimated to cost upwards of $12 million for design and construction, and the timeline of construction has yet to be determined.
Pavilion Event Center Transformation: The Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan recommends that the Pavilion Event Center be re-imagined as a year-round market and food hall that can continue to accommodate events and regular programmed activities. Located just North of Piazza Park and in the middle of the Civic Core’s central block, the marketplace will feature unique opportunities and spaces for retail and restaurants. The City says it plans to partner with local and regional small business support groups to help provide the resources, opportunities, access, and connections needed for small business start-up enterprises to flourish.
The conceptual design includes three restaurant or large permanent spaces, up to 14 kiosk spaces for smaller food and retail vendors, room for flexible daily and short-term spaces, a kitchen classroom and meeting space, and interior and exterior seating to enjoy and connect with nearby businesses and park activities.
The city says the kiosks and flexible spaces allow up-and-coming businesses to showcase products and services in a festive setting without the need for a typical storefront location. The plan is that featured businesses can enhance their marketing and exposure with a positive experience of seasonal and rotating retail options.
Arts & Culture Space: City staff and the Renton Municipal Arts Commission are working collaboratively to design a space in one of the vacant ground-floor commercial spaces in the City Center Parking Garage on Logan Avenue South and South 2nd Street. The approximately 585 square-foot space along Logan Avenue would be re-imagined with a new community space for the arts and creative economy.
According to the city, the space would be developed, managed, and operated by a community and cultural organization selected through a request for proposals. The space is envisioned to include creative economic innovation and incubation of new or growing artistic and cultural small businesses.
Proposals for the space can be submitted before 5 p.m. June 9. For more information on how to submit a proposal visit this link.
Other projects being conducted by the city will also be featured at the June 6 open house.
