Kate Riley / Times staff columnist
Renton's ready to catch any curves thrown by Boeing

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Renton's mayor-elect is optimistic about Renton's future even though city officials fully expect its major employer, Boeing, eventually to clear out of much of the 280 acres it now owns at the southern tip of Lake Washington. She sees a boardwalk connecting the end of the Cedar River Trail with Gene Coulon Park and envisions pedestrian-friendly retail shops lining Park Avenue. Across the Cedar River, she pictures corporate execs landing at Renton's airport, complete with a U.S. Customs office, and driving across sturdy road bridges, designed for freshly minted Boeing planes, to the offices of their biotech firms.

A Renton resident since 1972 and a city council member for 20 years, Keolker-Wheeler knows Renton owes much to Boeing's influence since the plant began producing B-29s in 1942. The company has more than 13,000 employees in Renton. But just as the city prospered when Boeing did, so did it struggle when Boeing laid off workers. Weary of the ups and downs, city officials a decade ago began looking for ways to diversify Renton's economy away from its reliance on Boeing.

The changes have been dramatic.

The once nondescript company town had little retail of its own and was famous on radio traffic updates for its notorious, traffic-slowing S-curves on Interstate 405. Now it's known as the only town in the state with Ikea and Fry's Electronics, which the city recruited. Anyone lingering long off the interstate will see there's more much to Renton than Boeing and those two destination retailers.

Within the past few years, the downtown has dramatically changed with new apartment buildings, retail development, a piazza, a parking garage and a spruced-up Performing Arts Center next to Renton High School. The downtown car lots have been moved near the interstate and more nice restaurants and boutiques are seeping into the older part of downtown.

The next several years promise more changes. Although Boeing has enough airplane orders for its Renton plant to keep producing its 737 for more than 10 years, the company announced in October it would stop Renton production on the single-aisle 757 jet late next year. Boeing is consolidating its operations by the lake and plans to sell much of the rest of its 280 acres. Boeing didn't even consider the Renton plant for its new 7E7, apparently because of a too-short runway.

City officials see the writing on the wall.

"Boeing is going to do what it's going to do for the company and its stockholders," Keolker-Wheeler says matter-of-factly. "But Renton needs to do what we need to do for our city and that is protecting it from a devastating downturn with all the jobs gone suddenly."

So about a year ago, the city imposed a moratorium on development of the Boeing property and outgoing Mayor Jesse Tanner's administration and the council began a sweeping zoning review for the 280-acre Boeing property and an adjacent 30 acres. The zoning changes divide the site into two distinct areas — one that permits higher density and airplane manufacturing near the lake where Boeing will consolidate its operations and another less dense east of Logan Avenue that will permit larger retail stores. That much property possibly coming available would provide a fine opportunity for any city, but Renton, which already has been making smart decisions about reinventing itself, is poised to take full advantage.

Here's the dreamer in Keolker-Wheeler again: "If you can, envision a combination of open space, people space, with access to the water, commercial development with family wage-plus jobs, restaurants and shops."

Boeing officials have been cooperative though the process, a city staffer said. They have said the company will start by marketing about 50 acres east of Logan Avenue North. Boeing officials envision larger retailers anchoring a shopping area with smaller boutique-type stores along Park Avenue North. They estimate the development might create about 1,100 jobs and generate about $1.5 million in tax revenue.

The relationship between Renton and Boeing continues to be mutually beneficial, but over the years, Renton has been mostly at the mercy of Boeing's actions.

Renton city officials are changing that balance. The city has grown up, developed its own interests and is designing its own destiny. The result is an optimistic and industrious city that will do just fine, with or without Boeing, thank you very much.

There is definitely more to Renton than Boeing and those cursed S-curves.

Kate Riley's e-mail address is kriley@seattletimes.com

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