We have unveiled a very cool new service in Renton for those of you who are remodeling or do contracting work in Renton.

You can now apply for many types of building permits online at www.mybuildingpermit.com .

From this site you can get all your "over the counter" permits including Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing  and Re-Roofing. Yep, you don't even need to drop by city hall for these any more. I understand you will still need to come down and visit us for structural permits, so that city staff can talk with you about your plans. Still, unless you are adding on or otherwise making structural revisions, the online permits will take care of much of your remodeling work.

A friend just provided me this picture of me with Sue Carlson, taken earlier this fall at Jess Tanner's bench dedication. Alex Pietsch, who worked for Sue and then stepped into her position when Sue left the city in 2002, is speaking with Sue in the foreground. (I think this blog entry about Sue was written by Alex.)

Sue's memorial will be held on November 24th, at 2:00 PM, at St. Matthews Lutheran Church on Edmonds Ave NE in Renton Highlands.

Several of us got together to celebrate friend Jennifer's Birthday recently.

Being sushi lovers, we thought we would try out a new Japanese place in Renton Highlands at 4605 NE 4th, called Sushi Cafe.

The food was tasty and artistic, and the staff were very friendly and professional. There were lots of other diners when we visited, so we had to wait a bit to be seated...although we probably could have called ahead to avoid this problem. All in all, it was a very nice experience. We would all recommend it. Here are a couple photos from our visit.



The head chef talks about his craft with my wife Cathy and some of our friends



Our friend Jen, the birthday girl!

We got this very sad news today:

_________________________________________
Dear Friends,

It saddens me to have to tell you that Sue Carlson passed away this morning
following a valiant battle against cancer. She died peacefully with her family
by her side at 5:30 this morning.

We all know the significant role Sue played in shaping how Renton has become in
this region. She was also a very good friend to many of us who have had the
opportunity to know her all these years.

A special celebration will be planned in a couple weeks, and we will be sure to
let you know the details.

Thanks.
Denis

______________________________________________________________________

Here is an update of a journal entry I wrote regarding Sue about a year ago:






Year 2000 Public Employee of the year Sue Carlson advises (then councilman) Denis Law

I had the honor of serving as City Council President the year that our amazing Economic Development/Long Term Planning Administrator, Sue Carlson, won the title of Outstanding Public Employee from the King County Municipal League for her contributions in turning Renton's economic fortunes around. That year we got the veterans park and the Henry Moses Aquatic Center started with year-end fund balance windfalls. These revenue windfalls came from new sales tax collections from new retail businesses Sue had recruited. That same year also began the advanced planning for the Landing, as you can see in the Municipal League write-up (linked below).

Sue Carlson had a strong passion for the Renton Community, and remained active in city events right up to the end of her life. I last spoke with her a couple months ago at the Bench Dedication for Jess Tanner in front of city hall.

Back in 1993, Sue helped encourage Denis Law to start the Renton Reporter, as a means to give our city an identity, a sense of community, a way to market itself to outside businesses, and a way for Renton businesses to advertise.

This was around the same time that she was working hard to market our city to the Spirt of Washington Diner Train and IKEA, both businesses which enhanced our community.

Sue Carlson was widely known as one of the greatest Economic Development experts in our state, and we finally lost her only because her private sector value was so high that our city could only pay her about a fraction of her market value. Her last few years with our city were very charitable on her part, given the outside job-offers she was passing on. She was always a great believer in Renton.

Her love of our City was so strong that I once found her teary-eyed after seeing a particularly brutal "Almost Live" parody about our city. I attempted to comfort her, reminding her that it was comedy, and I did not think it would really hurt our image that much. But to Sue, it was as if her own child had been teased on TV. We were that important to her.



Muni News
VOLUME 90, ISSUE 5 - MAY Special Edition 2000

Municipal League Announces 2000 Civic Award Winners
The Municipal League of King County will honor several citizens and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to our community at the League’s Annual Civic Awards luncheon on Friday, June 2, 2000, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. All community members are encouraged to join the Municipal League in this celebration of civic excellence.

Since 1960, the Municipal League has recognized citizens, government leaders and organizations that work hard to improve the quality of life in the Puget Sound region. The 2000 Civic Award winners truly represent what the Municipal League of King County is all about: fostering open, efficient and accountable government. Each of these award winners made significant contributions to our community over the past year and the Municipal League is pleased to recognize them at the Civic Awards luncheon.

CIVIC AWARD HONOREES FOR YEAR 2000

Public Employee of the Year: Sue Carlson, Director of Economic Development and Strategic Planning, City of Renton

In her position with the City of Renton, Sue Carlson is responsible for planning, organizing, directing and evaluating all economic development activities for the city. Since joining the City of Renton in 1993, she has persuaded numerous major businesses to move to the city, including IKEA, HomeBase, and City University. She also played a key role in the development of a $400 million, 60-acre business campus that will ultimately provide jobs for 10,000 people.

Learn more by reading this blog entry from a former direct report to Sue.



Sue looks on as we dedicate a bench and plaque to former mayor Jesse Tanner two months ago (September 8, 2008). Pretty, kind, and cheerful, even in her final months battling cancer.

The Regal Cinema at the Landing opened last week. It's a beautiful place, with super-comfortable seats and ample free-parking in the adjacent new garage. Those of us living in Renton Highlands finally have a theater close by.

Here are a few shots from the opening event.




( Read more... )

The Renton Marketing Campaign is sponsoring a "Film Frnzy" competition for budding film makers to demonstrate their skills right here on our own streets. The Seattle Times gave this nice coverage in yesterday's paper. See the article by clicking here

The Mayor and Council President report that Trader Joes is seriously considering a store at the Landing right now. You can help by letting them know they are wanted!

Please click the link below, and register your support with them. Also, tell everyone in my comment section that you want to see them in town... I'll make sure they see your comments!

Thanks,

Randy

Here is the note from the Mayor and Council President:


> It' worth a try. Let's get the word out!
>
> Marcie
>
> -------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
> From: denislaw@comcast.net
> To: denislaw@comcast.net (Denis Law)
> Subject: Trader Joe's
> Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:49:52 +0000
>
> We understand that the developers of The Landing are having additional
> discussions with Trader Joe's about locating a store here in Renton, and there
> is some interest. They recommend those who would like to see a Trader Joe's to
> fill out a simple "vote" to register your support. Feel free to encourage your
> neighbors and others to also vote:
>
> http://traderjoes.com/location_requests_form.aspx
>
> Thanks.
Denis

Renton citizens are doing their part to try to persuade Trader Joes to open at the Landing.  Here is an email  chain I received from a friend, which includes a link to a Traders Joes request page (sponsored by Trader Joes Company).

If  you want a Treader Joes at the Landing, you may want to go to this page and register your support.

Thanks,

Randy

( Read more... )

The Seattle Times ran a nice story about Renton's Kennydale neighborhood today. Click here to read the story.

Our family has enjoyed owning and renting out one one of the duplexes in the Highlands. While it sounds strange to say we've enjoyed being landlords, it's because this building has attracted the nicest tenants for all the years that we have owned it.

Most of our renters have lived with us for many years, and then gone on to purchase homes of their own.

The last renters from the unit we're working on in the picture below leased from us for fourteen years, and then went on to purchase a home.

In the other unit, we had a tenant that had been with us five years, and previous tenants had resided in that unit for seven years, and another for three. One couple left many years ago, but they remain cherished friends and they are doing a wonderful job fixing up a beautiful home they purchased in Everett.

In addition to long term tenancies, we've never had a day of vacancy in these units. This is something that the building's previous owner, former Renton Mayor Don Custer, told us was true for him as well. Don Custer's remodeling skills are a great part of why the units have been fun and popular....Don did a first class job updated the building, all the way down to the wall studs, in 1980.

We've now entered a new chapter of our lives, as we've moved our own grown children into these units. To prepare for my son's move in, I finally took out the once-stunning orange counter top that Don Custer had installed. Don's craftsmanship was great, and the material held up very well over the years, but the color was no longer working. Long-time readers may remember me discussing this before in a highlands blog here





Cathy, Andy, and I work on the counters. Cathy irons on the Formica edge piece, while I install the new faucet. (Councilman King Parker might recognize the nice Whirlpool appliances under the counter, which came directly from his little red store!)

( more photos )

Renton and Everett aircraft orders lead the nations strong durable goods orders, providing great news for both Wall Street and Main Street. Record-breaking backorders of Renton's own 737 aircraft, which promise years of production in the future, are clearly helping our NATIONAL economy. This Florida television station even featured a photo of our own Renton factory when reporting this news from the Associated Press. Here is the Link.

This is a great reminder how important aerospace is to our region and our nation.



In this May 20, 2008 file photo, Boeing Co. 737 airplanes are shown lined up during assembly in Renton, Wash. Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods turned in a second consecutive strong monthly performance in July, a far bigger-than-expected gain led by a huge jump in demand for commercial aircraft. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, file)

Joe's Sports (formerly GI Joes) opens tomorrow at the Landing!

Here is the Company's official announcement about the event.

A bicycle commuter has been spearheading a push for additional bike racks at the Landing. It sounds like some additional racks should be going in shortly.

Here is the email chain (the oldest email is at the bottom).

Thanks to Steve Crandall, the Aerospace Manager/Bike Commuter (and old friend) that brought this to my attention. ( Read more... )

My friend Rose spotted a very interesting article about shopping malls, with some details on the plans for Factoria Square.

I noticed the new renderings look a lot like what we are trying to achieve at the Landing upon buildout.




Factoria Mall Today



Factoria Mall in the future


Click here for the article

Cancel your reservation if you were planning to stay at the Don-a-lisa Motel, because it is coming down in just a few days. The Don-a-lisa, which sits on Bronson Way across from Liberty Park, and Meadow Ave, is owned by the Bryant family...owners of Bryant motors.

Mayor Law had a productive meeting with the Bryant family, and they reached agreement on terms that will work out well for everyone. The Motel is coming down immediately, and the Bryants will begin working on a two-year-plan to redevelop the whole block to it's highest and best use.

During the two years, Bryant Motors will use the vacant lot (where the Don-a-lisa now stands) to park trucks and buses that currently get parked in the street. After the two years, there will be no more bus/truck parking here, and the site will probably be a new use altogether.

In addition, the Bryants have agreed to fix up the West side of their building, with appropriate siding materials to match the rest of the building. This will present a nicer face to the nearby homes, most of which are meticulously well kept.


This wall of Bryant Motors will be repaired/beautified, to present a nicer face to the well-maintained homes of the adjacent North Renton Neighborhood.



Mayor Law and the Bryants deserve credit for sitting at the table and solving this problem. Thanks to all of you.

Meanwhile, say goodbye to the Don-a-lisa. I'm sure at some time, in a past era, it lodged starry-eyed couples, grandparents motoring up the coast to visit their loved ones, tourists headed to the World's fair, and many other happy visitors. But that was a long time ago, and it's been overdue to come down for many years.

( see more pictures by clicking here )

Renton gets a friendly mention in Seattle Times Columnist Jerry Large's story on making economic adjustments in downturn:

Here is an excerpt:

My family is making the kinds of adjustments typical of middle-class Americans. We're driving less ($55 to fill a tank), buying more frozen vegetables and fewer fresh ones, bringing lunch to work more often.

On Father's Day, we ate fish and chips at Gene Coulon Park rather than going to a more expensive restaurant.

The park is in Renton, which is determined to become the new Kirkland or Bellevue.

The economy looks bright from Coulon, which is ringed by new condos and apartments. It's on the edge of The Landing, a huge development still partially under construction.

This area has boomed in recent years, but we are now feeling some of the economic bumps plaguing the rest of the country.


Click here for the whole column.

Our own Renton-built and Renton designed 737's remain current for the market, according to this story in Aviation Week. According to the story, there is no clear improvement in technology that would make a new airplane significantly better than the Renton-built most popular jetliner ever, so Boeing is pushing back development of a replacement for more years. With a backlog of orders near 2000, Renton can look forward to tens of billions of dollars of additional products flying out of our city for years to come.

Click here for the story

For those of you who have not yet heard....

The Renton Magazine, Renton Mayor Denis Law's year-old publication that has graced our mailboxes with beautiful full-color photos and uplifting content about our community, has been sold to a capable new owner. Diana Kramer, who was Denis Law's top executive at the magazine, has purchased the business along with her husband. They have also assumed ownership of parent company Puget Sound Publishing, which also publishes the Business Report, and the Kent Magazine.

Ms. Kramer has an education in publishing, as well as family experience in the news business dating back to her childhood. She assures us the magazine will remain a growing, top-quality publication. She and Denis Law were very close partners in the Renton Magazine's success. (Their advertisers report great response, since the magazine is mailed for free to fifteen thousand Renton homes, as well as freely-distributed in public facilities, hotels and businesses.)

As for Denis Law, he is dedicating so much time to his new duties as mayor that he just couldn't run the publishing company anymore. He's putting in extra-long days at city hall, and there is an awful lot more he wants to do.

I'm glad to have Denis working time and a half at city hall, and I think Renton citizens will decide they want him there for a long time. So his selling his publishing company works well for the rest of us...but I know it was a difficult emotional step for Denis.

Here is a link the the magazine, with more information about its new owner, staff, content, and advertising contacts: www.rentonmagazine.com

My family and I tried out the new Red Robin down at the Landing on Thursday. The service and food were great, and the restaurant has a very comfortable family atmosphere.

The Landing is coming along very well overall, with construction happening all up and down our new city streets. I was amazed by how much bigger the development seems, now that the stores and restaurants are going in. If you have not visited or driven by recently, you should take a peek next time you are in the area (east of the Renton Boeing plant).

The whole project is going to be beautiful when it is complete.

I saw the man who invented the internet today... and no, it was not Al Gore. It was Vint Cerf, former Department of Defense engineer and currently Google's Internet Evangelist, who spoke at a luncheon sponsored by Seattle's Technology Alliance. Our fair city of Renton had a delegation of nine managers, to learn all we could from this pioneer of computing. I was very impressed by Mr. Cerf's command of technology, vision, sense of humor, the work he put into moving the original 4000 computers onto the system in 1983, and how he was able to devise a system back in 1983 that now accommodates half a billion computers....talk about scalable.

Relative to privacy in the new technology world, he said the flippant answer is "There is no privacy, get over it". With face recognition, cameras everywhere, cell phones taking video and uploading it in seconds, etc, we need to get used to a world where all our movement and actions in the community are available forever. But at the same time, he and other computer geniuses really are trying to work on improved to keep our medical, banking, and other private records private.

I took many of my own notes to write a story for you. But Seattle PI blogger John Cook did such a good job describing the event, that I can cover most of it by just providing this link.

See the PI story by clicking here

It's so often the question, "where should I take him or her on our date?"! Well here are a couple of great date night restaurant ideas for Saturday's and Sunday's that are sure to please both female or male!

Make reservations for the "Tommy Room" at "Yama at the Galleria" in Bellevue!!

This is going to be one of you & your dates most fun, exciting & unique dining experiences!

When you dine in the Tommy Room at Yama's on the Eastside, you will literally be dining in a sunken floor, with bamboo mats and romantic chiffon room dividers and it will undoubtedly impress your date with your creativity in making the date fun and different - apart from the regular typical dining.

The sushi is fresh, succulant and creatively decorative, fun and exciting! You will be experiencing a true celebrity chef's meal when you dine, because the incomparable

Mr. "Warren Seta" is the chef, and with restaurants in Las Vegas and Hawaii and soon one opening in Renton, called, "Blossom", you will certainly want to get his autograph - his talent and status is beyond compare! Inspired by Chef Warren's upbringing in Hawaii and his love of tapas they offer you the best Asian fusion cuisine and sushi. The combination of European cooking techniques with Asian flavors is sure to please and entice the palate while the sushi at Yama is made to emphasize the freshness of the fish. The sushi menu is filled with traditional offerings and the fish is paired with the finest boutique sushi rice. Happy Hour is offered daily in the Lounge and Sushi Bar where the menu features tapas and sushi items.

Renton's "Wizards of the Coast" comes out with some new products for Star Wars Fans. Click here for the Story

And, if you are a Star Wars fan then you may fince this website kind of interesting

The latest edition of the Renton Reporter ran a nice story about Jet City Espresso, the eclectic coffee shop at the corner of Second and Main Street.

As the article points out, the land and building have been for sale for some time now, and the coffee shop (which many consider to be a community "living room" may have to relocate at some point in the future. For now, if you haven't dropped by to see the place, I recommend you stop in for some coffee and a snack.

And, if any readers have pictures that I may post of the eclectic furnishings, or visitors who don't mind being on the web, I would love to have the photos.

From time to time I've met with many of Jet City's regulars for some very involved policy discussions over coffee at Jet City, and I hope the friendly and popular coffee shop can find a place ot relocate (as opposed to disappearing) if/when a new building is built on the site.

Here is the story in the Renton Reporter

Good morning....
I received this email over the weekend from some folks who are considering 
opening a fish market at the Landing. They have an on-line survey that they are 
asking folks to fill out to help them in their evaluation of the market. Please 
distribute their email through your various networks. Thanks!

Alex Pietsch
Administrator
Dept. of Community & Economic Development
City of Renton
(425) 430-6592
apietsch@rentonwa.gov
http://rentonwa.gov
 


>>> "'lecker's fish market'<leckersfishmarket@comcast.net>" 
<leckersfishmarket@comcast.net> 4/5/2008 1:59 PM >>>
Greetings,
 
We are looking to open a fish market in The Landing, a new urban development in 
the heart of Renton.  Our vision is to offer the freshest seafood and 
friendliest service around.  In order to accomplish this we need your feedback.  
Please, take minute to complete this survey.
 
 
Thanks in advance,
 
The Leckers Fish Market Team.
 
 
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=QIWWrCM9fZHm78NWpY4AaQ_3d_3d 

This email request originated from the following link: 
http://www.rentonwa.gov/news/default.aspx?id=1922&mid=72 

Renton's Wizards of the Coast is putting it's next version of Dungeons and Dragons online, to try again to compete with the hugely popular and lucrative "World of Warcraft."

With this move, perhaps Renton will have a home team in the top ranks of MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game), which is a multi-billion dollar industry. It sounds like the Wizards online approach will be distinct from World of Warcraft, in that it will be using a facimile of a gameboard. It will be interesting to see how it works out, and whether it generate renewed interest in D&D (which seems to be coming back already).

I have noticed a resurgent interest in the game Scrabble, as a new generation of players is introduced to the game on social-networking site Facebook. Maybe it will work for Wizzards of the Coast as well.

Perhaps those of you with computing degrees should be contacting Wizards of the Coast in the coming weeks?

Click here for the story on FOX NEWS

Today's Seattle Times included a special column on Renton's downtown rejuvination, written by Kirkland free-lance writer Jackie Smith.
Click here to read it!

I thought it was cute that she started her tour at the Common Ground, which I had just recommended in the column I posted last night. (see below)

One of my favorite new coffee shops is Common Ground Coffee and Cupcakes on Third Street. The cupcakes are a delicious alternative to the common donut, and the coffee and atmosphere are fantastic. Located right in the heart of our downtown, on Third and Wells, the Common Ground provides the perfect place for a quick walk break, a quiet chit-chat, or a cozy place to read a good book when visiting downtown.

They also have free Wi-Fi,real fruit smoothies, Italian soda, bubble tea, Frappes, creamy hot chocolate, and rocking horses for the kids.

Here is their website


A loyal patron poses in front of Audry Hepburn in Renton's "Common Ground"

Dungeons and Dragons creator Gary Gygax died this week, at the age of 69. Here is an article in the New York Times about his significance in the world of fantasy gaming.

His original game company was acquired by Renton's own local fantasy game company, Wizards of the Coast, in 1997. (Wizards has since been purchased by Hasbro, but continues to design fantasy role-play games from the Renton facility)

While I don't partake in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D as it's often known), my wife has been known to fight a monster or two. Here are some pictures of a local game.



( Read more... )

Petsmart had a grand opening celebration yesterday, next door to Staples at the Landing. The store is beautifully stocked, well lit, offers many services, and is staffed by many friendly people. And you can take your animal friends with you while you shop for them.

They were giving early customers pet toys, t-shirts, and buttons. Look closely at the top-picture, and you can see the photo-button they gave my daughter that includes her and her puppy Max.

That's my wife holding Max next to Petsmart's mascot, a 9 foot tall hound dog. Max was a little nervous about being so small by comparison.