Residents press council on Logan 6 development, alleged school‑district eminent domain abuse; trans resident asks Renton to adopt local anti‑discrimination law

Five speakers addressed the council during the audience‑comment period on neighborhood land‑use impacts and civil‑rights protections.

John Houston, who identified himself as a Renton resident, urged the council to investigate a claim that his family's property was taken under eminent domain by the Renton School District and later sold. "There's a state bill working through the senate right now, that will stop school districts like Renton School District from taking land and not using it for what they say they're gonna use it for, then turn around and sell it for a profit," Houston said. He asked the city to update him on any research the council had begun into his family's case and provided personal context about the effect on his family.

Several speakers from the North Renton neighborhood expressed frustration with city engagement on the Logan 6 development and with perceived departures from neighborhood plan guidance. A resident who identified as Gerald Friess said he had searched documents and found prior community plans and resolutions, and asked the council to step out from behind their desks to engage with residents. "We just feel like we're speaking to a wall of blank faces with no engagement," he said.

Marilyn Milliken, another North Renton resident, told the council she had lived on Park Avenue for 25 years and said she and others had similar experiences with the Renton School District's use of eminent domain around the same time as Houston's family. Milliken said she is worried about traffic and parking impacts from the Logan 6 project and urged the council to review traffic before construction is complete. "If you wait until it's built, installed and put it off, and wait until it's built, then it's too late to correct the problems," she said.

Matt Hanby, speaking for neighbors, summarized a broader point: the issues raised about Logan 6 — traffic, parking and cumulative development impacts — apply across the North Renton neighborhood and are not isolated. He said many residents will attend the hearing the next day and that the council's formal role in the land‑use appeal process limited direct engagement between councilmembers and residents.

Gabriel Jones, who identified himself and spoke about being transgender, urged Renton to create a local law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for city events and any activities that receive city funding. Jones cited recent federal and state policy shifts and said local protections are important for safety and access to services. "I'm urging Renton to take this step to show that we will also stand on trans people," Jones said. He described concerns about removals of trans references from federal web content and urged local action to protect trans residents' access to city‑funded programs.

Mayor (as recorded at the meeting) told John Houston the city would ensure staff would reach out when the council's review was completed. No staff timeline was provided in the meeting record. Several public‑commenters noted they planned to appear at a subsequent hearing on Logan 6 and requested more direct engagement from council members.

The comments were part of the public‑comment portion of the meeting; no formal council action on eminent domain or an anti‑discrimination ordinance was taken during this meeting. Several speakers referenced existing documents, a community plan originally written in 2011 and updated in 2017, and Renton Resolution 2708 (as cited by a speaker) about preserving North Renton single‑family neighborhoods; the council did not refer to any formal follow‑up other than staff outreach to Mr. Houston.