Residents urge Renton council to act on Logan 6 development, citing parking and safety concerns

Multiple North Renton residents used the city council public-comment period to press elected leaders to intervene in the Logan 6 apartment project, arguing the proposal would worsen parking shortages, increase traffic on narrow neighborhood streets and create safety risks for pedestrians and schoolchildren.

At the March council meeting, Matt Hamby, a Renton resident who said he and neighbors had submitted questions to staff, said the hearing examiner’s decision on the project was issued two weeks earlier and that a developer could soon file for building permits. “I implore you not to let the clock run out,” Hamby said, asking the council to demonstrate that it had heard residents’ legal and planning concerns.

Hamby and several other speakers asked the council to consider three immediate actions: raise parking requirements for multifamily units, re-examine whether the Logan development must provide direct Logan Street access instead of routing traffic through adjacent residential streets, and adopt an interim zoning ordinance that would provide clarity for both residents and developers while the city reviews applicable code and design standards.

Other speakers described day-to-day impacts they say would be worsened by the development. Carter Farmer said the project’s parking—she cited a figure of about 100 spaces for 100 units—was insufficient. “There is no place to park,” Farmer said, adding that motorists already crowd nearby one-way streets and that adding more residents would further strain street parking.

Holly Tomashic, who lives at Third and Williams, described repeated difficulty backing out of her driveway during peak commute times and warned that more traffic funneled onto Third Avenue would increase wait times and near-miss incidents. “I can foresee even greater wait times,” Tomashic said, noting concerns about emergency access if both sides of narrow neighborhood streets become heavily parked.

Rachelle Krebs, a longtime North Renton resident, framed the concerns in terms of pedestrian safety and neighborhood character. She said her family includes school-age children who walk to local schools and that speeding and unsafe driving on Third Avenue already create daily hazards. “Please protect my kid. Protect our neighborhood,” Krebs said.

Speakers asked the council to use the next meeting to move at least one of their requests—such as a review of access requirements, a parking-code change or a moratorium—into a formal motion for council consideration. Several also noted a legal option: neighbors could appeal the hearing examiner’s decision to superior court, but they said litigation would be costly and that city-level action would be preferable.

None of the requests led to a formal council motion or vote during the meeting. City staff and council members were asked by speakers to provide written responses to specific questions the neighborhood submitted to the city.

The Logan 6 project and the hearing examiner’s decision were cited repeatedly by speakers; references during public comment included requests for clear application of the Renton Municipal Code and the city’s comprehensive plan and an invocation of King County’s countywide planning policies that guide regional growth allocations.

Residents said they are prepared to pursue an appeal in superior court if the city does not act, but they urged the council to adopt local measures now to address parking, access and safety in the area.