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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am very pleased to share that this morning, after years of advocating on behalf of our community, I am proud to announce that an agreement has been struck between local community group ‘Save the Cedar River’ and Lakeside Industries that would halt the building of a proposed asphalt plant along SR-169 and the Cedar River.
As many of you know, I have stood with our community opposing the controversial plant for years. I shared concerns with stakeholders about potential leaks to the nearby Cedar River and wetlands, noise and light pollution, truck traffic, and potential impacts on salmon from the plant. Typical asphalt plants require onsite oil storage, burners, storage silos, mixing drums, and machines for separating materials.
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Thankfully, this agreement puts all of that in the past. Under the new agreement, Lakeside Industries would not move forward with construction of an asphalt plant under its approved permitting. Instead, they would reengage with King County to permit a warehouse as an alternative. The estimated trip traffic for a warehouse is substantially lower than what was estimated for the asphalt plant, and the warehouse plan would still protect all the critical areas as required by the County Code. Importantly, the alternative use would still need to go through a new permit process by the King County Permitting Department. ‘Save the Cedar River’ has agreed to support this alternative use and not to oppose the permit application.
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“This brings an eight year long, hotly contested battle to a great conclusion for all parties involved. I want to give credit to Mike Lee with Lakeside Industries for listening to the community and finding a solution that is a win-win for everyone. And a huge Thank You to Reagan Dunn who stood by my side throughout this, and for brokering this fantastic deal.”
Bob Baker, Save the Cedar River
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Given the alternatives, this is a far better use of the property, and a big win for the community. Rather than an industrial use, this plan will provide benign commercial warehouse space and avoid the impacts of an asphalt plant on the greater community.
This is a win-win for the community, and I want to thank Lakeside and the Save the Cedar River for coming to the table and working toward positive solution. I want to also give thanks to Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone for his advocacy on the Cedar River and this gateway to Renton. Without his advocacy, a global resolution to protect this vital corridor would not be possible.
Finally, I want to thank everyone in our community who has worked so hard to achieve this outcome. I look forward to sharing more updates with you as this plan moves forward.
All my best,
 Reagan Dunn
King County Councilmember
District 9
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