On Thursday, March 4, the Kent Downtown Partnership hosted a property owners and commercial real estate agents’ meeting at Bittersweet Restaurant. Sponsored by Valley Bank, the breakfast meeting drew about 55 community members including downtown property owners, commercial brokers, property representatives, business owners, city officials and KDP board members. The mood was enthusiastic and participants were eager to hear what the city is working on in terms of economic development in downtown Kent.

After a welcoming statement from Valley Bank’s Mike Miller and the introduction of participants, Kent’s Economic Development Director Ben Wolters took the floor to discuss the city’s recent successes. He noted the Regional Justice Center, Kent Station, the rail station and ShoWare Center as having been some of the area’s most significant recent developments.

“The city has tried to attract businesses that are game changers,” Wolters said.

He further noted that the ShoWare Center has only been open for 15 months, and has already attracted more than 400,000 visitors to its hockey games, concerts, business fairs and other community events. These numbers are likely to escalate with the addition of the Kent Predators, Kent’s new IFL expansion team. The Predators play their first home game at ShoWare Center on Friday, March 12.

“Looking forward, the city is looking at another game changing opportunity,” Wolters added.

The targeted project is to build a facility for the Federal Aviation Administration which could potentially bring 2,000 employees to Kent – within half a mile of the downtown core. Currently, a dozen municipalities are competing to be considered. The first phase of the process is submitting a letter of interest to the GSA and FAA. The City of Kent has done that and hopes to provide a more detailed proposal in May. If the city advances to the next level of the bidding process, the city will make a presentation and proposal in August, with the final decision coming in December.
Other key projects in the works include Tarragon’s expansion of Green River Community College at Kent Station.

“Tarragon just completed a huge expansion of GRCC, with hundreds of new students, and a lot of energy, excitement and new opportunities,” Wolters said.

He also gave an update on the half-completed parking garage at Smith and Fourth which he called “an incredible legal soap opera.” The property is now in the hands of Washington Federal Savings. To date, there has been some interest in buying that space for office use, but there is no time frame for resolving the issue, developing that property or selling it.

Another meeting highlight included the city’s completion of Town Square Plaza which was an attempt to bridge the historic downtown district with Kent Station. Wolters noted there is still a gap between the two areas, but the city is hoping to do more integration. Wolters also commented that First Avenue is becoming a destination in downtown Kent, with its own personality and flavor.

Wolters said, “It shows what is possible in the rest of downtown if property owners and businesses come together. We are changing the market perception of this place.”

Wolters opened the meeting for questions and comments, and invited property owners to voice their concerns as well as the potential for opportunities. Participants asked about the status of the Howard Hanson Dam, potential flood risk, lack of parking, need for additional ball fields and an aquatic center, the Farmer’s Market, the need for housing in downtown Kent and more.

“What is the long-term vision for downtown Kent?” asked Paul Morford. “The city needs to take on parking. It needs to increase parking on a large scale.”

Wolters wrapped up the meeting by inviting participants to contact him directly with their concerns and ideas. A follow-up meeting is planned for later this spring. To offer your input, contact Ben Wolters at 253-856-5703 or via email.

First sports arena in North America to be awarded LEED® Gold Rating by the U.S. Green Building Council

The City of Kent learned today ShoWare Center, its new multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility, has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This designation makes ShoWare Center the first sports arena in North America to achieve such a rating.

“I’m extremely proud of this achievement,” said Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke. “Receiving LEED Gold certification reaffirms our efforts to balance economic development with being good stewards of the environment. It’s also pretty cool to be the first on the continent!”

LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based national certification program for developing high-performance sustainable buildings that provide immediate and measurable results for building owners and occupants.

Points are awarded in six environmental categories as defined by LEED: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design.

Ben Wolters, Kent’s Economic Development Director and project lead for the City said throughout planning and construction, the City, along with Mortenson Construction, LMN Architects, and Seattle Thunderbirds were targeting a Silver rating, requiring 33 points. “Because of a tremendous commitment by the entire team, the project earned 40 points, with a perfect score for innovation and design,” Wolters added.

Highlights of ShoWare Center’s green features include:
• Premium parking for fuel-efficient vehicles and car and vanpools
• Low-flowing water fixtures and dual-flush toilets exceed 40% water savings when compared to similar buildings
• Native plant landscaping that doesn’t require watering
• Energy efficient lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation and ice-making equipment reducing energy use by over 37%
• More than 90% of the construction debris was recycled
• Constructed using more than 50% Forest Stewardship Council certified wood
• Low volatile organic compound paints and adhesives were used to minimize indoor contaminants that exacerbate respiratory problems
• Excess heat rejected from the ice-making equipment is used to warm the ground under the ice rink to maintain the integrity of the foundation

Designed by LMN Architects with consultation by Paladino and Company, one the leading green building consultants in the United States, the City went above and beyond the minimum requirements to achieve a Silver rating for the building.

“While building “green” costs significantly more upfront, ultimately the City will see a cost savings in the long run,” Wolters said. “LEED buildings cost less to operate and maintain and are energy and water efficient.”

ShoWare Center has received several awards since opening in January including the American Institute of Architects Civic Design Award and Green Building of America Award by the Real Estate & Construction Review.

Additional information on Center’s green building features and images are available at www.showarecenter.com.

More information on the LEED green building certification system is available at www.usgbc.org/LEED.

The City of Kent is the fourth largest city in King County, Washington with a population or 88,380. As a culturally rich destination, Kent’s dynamic quality of life features captivating neighborhoods, award-winning parks, an exceptional school district, and nationally accredited police and fire departments. In recent years, Kent has experienced impressive economic growth, and is nationally known as a prime location for manufacturing. For more information about the City of Kent, please visit www.choosekent.com.