North Renton residents urge immediate action on blighted properties at 6th and Park and 110 Pele Avenue

Several Renton residents urged the City Council Tuesday night to take faster action to secure and remediate blighted properties in North Renton, particularly the abandoned buildings at North 6th and Park Avenue and a troubled house at 110 Pele Avenue.

Neighbors described broken windows, large graffiti tags, structural damage, drug activity and detritus spilling into public spaces. “The abandoned properties at 6th and Park present risks to our community,” said Pima Cabalpa, a Renton resident, noting the site is “less than 1 half mile” from Satori Elementary School. “They become increasingly unsound structurally,” Cabalpa said.

Everett Chun, who said he lives next to 110 Pele Avenue, told the council the former occupant died of a fentanyl overdose on July 17 and that the property has had repeated code violations. He asked for a designated city point of contact; the mayor acknowledged an officer in the chamber and staff later identified Officer Chandler as available to assist.

Other residents tied the vacant buildings to street-level crime and public-health risk. “It’s the center of drug activity and it’s nothing to be proud of,” said Mark Widmer, a longtime Renton resident, who called the site a “toxic waste dump” and said it attracts violent and drug-related incidents.

Ben Johnson, a resident and frequent commenter on neighborhood legal remedies, told the council he reviewed Washington case law and municipal options and urged the council to consider civil doctrines and local abatement models used in Issaquah and Bellevue to enable faster, summary abatement or fencing followed by cost recovery from property owners.

Mayor (name not specified) responded after public comment that staff has been working on the 6th and Park property “for months” and that the council would meet in executive session after the public meeting to discuss the matter. “We hear you loud and clear. We know it’s a problem… and we will be taking action to make sure that the property is taken care of,” the mayor said. The mayor also cautioned that some remedies take time because of legal and procedural limits.

Neighbors asked for a clear timeline, a designated staff contact and immediate security measures — fencing, boarding and remediation — and warned about risks to children and first responders. Several speakers asked the council to consider alternate legal approaches that allow cities to fix hazards quickly and bill owners later.

No ordinance, resolution or formal enforcement action was adopted during the public meeting on the 6th and Park property; the mayor’s statement that council would discuss the property in executive session was the only staff/council response recorded in the public record. Residents said they plan to continue pressing for public meetings, task-force involvement and regular updates.

Ending: The council did not announce a public timeline for repairs or demolition; residents said they expect follow-up after the announced executive session and will seek a named staff contact for ongoing updates.