CITY OF RENTON WASHINGTON

The World Cup Legacy Square is an initiative that aims to leverage the world's largest sporting event to establish a vibrant all-inclusive hub in Renton's downtown. The project intends to ensure accessibility for all, regardless of financial constraints, demographics, or backgrounds.

It will feature a Sounders soccer pitch, a jumbo screen for public viewing of major sporting events, a small stage for live entertainment, and a business incubator/retail space.

The Legacy Square will offer diverse year-round programming, such as live music, sports broadcasts, pep rallies, art showcases, and meetups with the intention of offering activities and public access to events and sports regardless of income level, fostering inclusivity and to be a community hub at the heart of the city, cultivating unity and pride that celebrates Renton.

Contact Information
Economic Development Division
Jessie Kotarski, Economic Development Manager
425-430-7271
[email protected]

As a key element of the Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan, the Renton Connector project is 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 Burnett Avenue S. (westside) between S 2nd Street and S 5th Street via separated walkways, protected bicycle lanes (cycle track), 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.

Throughout 2023, the Renton Connector project team collected feedback on the project's current concepts through a survey, an open house, and meetings with project stakeholders. Feedback results can be found on the Renton Connector project webpage.

The City is renovating an underutilized publicly-owned facility and transforming it into a vibrant marketplace for residents, an incubator space for small businesses, and a central gathering space for the rapidly growing and highly diverse community of Renton.

The Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan (“Plan”) recommends that the Pavilion Event Center be reimagined as a year-round market/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 Heart Block, the marketplace will feature unique opportunities and spaces for retail and restaurants. The City is partnering 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 two (2) 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/exterior seating to enjoy and connect with nearby businesses and park activities. 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. Featured businesses can enhance their marketing and exposure with a positive experience of seasonal and rotating retail options.

To complement the new market, the City is also planning renovations to the Piazza and Gateway Park. The renovations are intended to make these valuable public spaces more flexible for events by adding new programmatic elements. The changes will also improve infrastructure and capacity for the Renton Farmers Market, while also better connecting the public spaces to each other, the Pavilion building, and surrounding sidewalks and properties. More info on the renovations will be coming soon.

Tentative Project Schedule

Overall, the marketplace will be a center of community within the downtown core for those living in the area as well as visitors.  The Pavilion Market & Food Hall will provide additional opportunities to grow Renton’s small business community while offering another unique experience in Downtown. 

Economic Development Division
Amanda Free, Economic Development Assistant Director
425-430-7369
[email protected]

Public Works – Facilities Division
Debbie Boodell, Capital Project Coordinator
206-556-5026
[email protected]

The City of Renton started improving the streets and sidewalks of downtown blocks in 2017 in conjunction with several key initiatives, including:

• Conversion of several one-way vehicular streets to two-way traffic;

• Development of Downtown Streetscape Design Standards and Guidelines; and

• Approval of the Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan.

These public rights-of-way improvements, collectively known as “streetscapes,” provide the opportunity to improve the appearance and safety of sidewalk and street areas fronting Downtown’s commercial buildings and public amenities. Streetscape improvements cover all the physical elements that pedestrians and drivers experience, including replacement sidewalks, new streetlights, street furniture like bicycle racks and litter receptacles, public artwork, and new street curbs, gutters, and paving. 

Several street intersection projects over the past several years have installed streetscape improvements at 2nd, 3rd, and Houser at Main, Wells and Williams. Other Downtown Streetscape Improvement projects have been completed or are in the planning stages: 

• Phase 1: 200 block of Wells Avenue S (between 2nd and 3rd) received new scored sidewalks, lighting, trees, landscaping, street furniture, street banners, flower baskets, and holiday lighting (completed 2021).

• Phase 2:

• 200 block of Williams Ave S (between 2nd and 3rd) received improvements similar to Phase 1 (completed 2024). Also 400 block of Burnett Ave S (east side between S 4th and 5th) will receive new scored sidewalks, lighting, and limited street furniture during 2024 (all existing trees to remain in place). 

• Future Phases: Locations to be determined.

Contact Information

In alignment with the Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan, the promotion of arts is at the forefront of our community initiatives. Through collaborative efforts between City staff and the Renton Municipal Arts Commission (RMAC), a vacant ground floor commercial space within the City Center Parking Garage has been transformed into the Black River Cultural Arts Center. Spanning 585 square feet and strategically located along Logan Avenue on the garage's west side, this space is designed to catalyze innovation in the creative economic sector and incubate artistic and cultural small businesses.

The development, management, and operation of this space followed a thorough Request for Proposals (RFP)process, with CreNative Designz emerging as the selected organization. The official opening of the Black River Cultural Arts Center took place in October 2023.

This center serves as a welcoming space for nonprofits, artists, and arts organizations to network and connect, contributing to the growth of the arts in our city. Available for meetings, workshops, or exhibits, the center provides opportunities for collaboration and creativity. Contact the Center manager for information and scheduling, or check the online calendar for upcoming events.

The Renton Art Lounge, hosted by the Renton Municipal Arts Commission, takes place at the center on the third Wednesday of every month from 4 to 7pm. This gathering encourages artists and creative thinkers to come together to network, connect, and create collectively. 

The Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan includes a new wayfinding system design that will better direct people to get to and navigate within the downtown district. The system includes a family of signs that work together to identify the district boundaries and its amenities and attractions. Approximately thirty (30) downtown destinations will be featured by name and iconography on the signs. 

The system’s first phase consisted of two Gateway Monuments installed in 2021 at S. 3rd St/Rainier Ave. S and S. 4th St/Burnett Ave. S, along with a Pedestrian Directory Kiosk within Piazza Park near S. 3rd St/Burnett Ave. S. The second phase includes approximately twenty (20) Advance Directional and Vehicular Directional signs throughout the greater downtown and Civic Core areas. Additional phases are planned for future years.

The design of the various system signs combines nods to elements of Renton history and character, including sign blades, monuments and kiosks shaped to resemble airplane wings and a Pacific Northwest color scheme consisting of blues, greens, and browns.

Contact Information
Economic Development Division
John Collum, Redevelopment Manager
425-430-7358
[email protected]