The Renton Downtown Civic Core Vision and Action Plan, covering the Downtown Business District and concentrating on the Civic Core area, has been approved by the City Council.
The plan is the result of a year-long series of community meetings and online input and provides recommendations to take advantage of the future possibilities and opportunities for Renton’s Downtown.
Some specific design and development projects include:
- Creation of a festival street along Logan Avenue and South Third Street connecting Piazza and Gateway parks.
- Reconfiguration of Burnett Avenue So. between South Second and South Fifth streets to connect Burnett Linear Parks North and South and add bike facilities.
- Creation of “River Streets” along north-south streets to connect east-west streets more directly to the Cedar River.
- Installation of a downtown wayfinding system—a series of decorative directional signs that help residents and visitors find their destination or discover a new one.
- Use of temporary pop-up retail, food spots and events to fill in vacant storefronts and lots.
The plan also includes strategies to help Renton:
- Better manage publicly owned facilities like the City Center Parking Garage and Pavilion Event Center, as well as public and private parking in the business district.
- Work with King County Metro and Sound Transit to move bus layover areas outside of the Civic Core, while keeping the level of downtown transit service the same or making it better than what currently exists.
- Coordinate downtown activities with the Renton Downtown Partnership.
The plan’s strategies and actions are phased to be implemented as Quick Wins (now/within the next year), Short-Term (within five years) or Mid/Long-Term (five to 10 years).