Condos Rise In Forward Thinking Blue Collar Town

"Renton, Wahsington, has a blue collar reputation starting with its history of coal mining, logging and brick making. Since the 1940s, when Boeing built a factory there, the town's fortunes have been tied to the airplane industry. "But now the town of 56,840 has quietly been reducing its dependence on the cyclical aerospace industry and courting developers, companies and sports teams to move to town. Renton seems to be positioned well: developable land, speedy permitting, no local business or occupation tax and a location on the south end of Lake Washington."

Directing new growth and development to Boeing's old property and downtown has had another benefit: Renton can comply with the state's Growth Management Act without altering the character of its single-family neighborhoods. Washington's law requires every city in the state to plan for denser growth.

Boeing may be selling off land, but it has no plans to close its plant that produces the Boeing 737. "The 737 is very much alive and well," said Edmund S. Greenslet, publisher of the Airline Monitor. "Maybe in five to eight years from now there will be a new model, but it very likely will be built in Renton."