HUD EnVision Center Slated for Skyway Neighborhood
Forthcoming Skyway Resource Center is being supported by Renton Innovation Zone Partnership, King County Housing Authority & U.S. Bank
Renton Innovation Zone Partnership (RIZP), King County Housing Authority (KCHA) and U.S. Bank announced today a new partnership that will bring a HUD EnVision Center to West Hill’s Skyway community.
The forthcoming Skyway Resource Center will be located at 12610 76th Ave S. and will be a multi-service resource hub providing access to economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness, and character leadership services in the Skyway community – an unincorporated section of King County with limited resources. It will replace an existing mobile resource center launched by RIZP last fall to help fill the void of services available to Skyway residents, which were especially needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Bank has donated the land and 4,568 square-foot building to KCHA, who will serve as the fiscal agent for the property and oversee building improvements leveraging capital grant funding from the state, with an intent to fully transition the property to a local community organization within the next three years. In the interim, RIZP will facilitate the community design aspect of the project, as well as recruiting and support for potential anchor tenants at the center. The center is slated to open in 2023.
“Not only is this a huge win for our neighborhood and something tangible that our community will feel, but this donation represents the beginning of a community-owned development the people of Skyway have wanted and advocated for over the years,” said Ryan Quigtar, RIZP executive director.
For Quigtar, this project is also very personal. He grew up in the Skyway community and wrote a business plan for a youth center in Skyway back in 2012 while attending college at the University of Miami in Florida.
“Place-based community services are desperately needed in Skyway,” said Stephen Norman, KCHA executive director. “For too long, Skyway has not received sufficient public and private investment, and that has slowed the development of economic opportunities and the provision of needed community services. We are excited to work with the Skyway community and King County to reverse this trend and assist in the development of a new community asset that will provide additional tools and resources to help residents to move ahead.”
Over the last year, U.S. Bank has expanded its support in the Skyway community, donating $50,000 to Communities In Schools – Renton for rent and utility support for Skyway residents in December 2020 and providing a $50,000 Market Impact Fund Grant to RIZP earlier this year to fund a new immersion program for Title 1 elementary and middle school students in the Skyway/West-Hill neighborhoods.
RIZP will host a pop-up event to collect community design feedback on the Skyway Resource Center on Friday, October 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. at King County Fire District 20, 12424 76th Ave S. in Seattle. To participate, visit the community design kickoff survey.
To learn more about the Skyway Resource Center, visit http://www.skywayresourcecenter.org/.
About Renton Innovation Zone Partnership
The Renton Innovation Zone Partnership (RIZP) supports students and families at four Title 1 elementary schools within the Renton School District in two diverse neighborhoods, Renton Highlands & unincorporated Skyway-West Hill. The schools are Bryn Mawr, Lakeridge, Campbell Hill, and Highlands. Working as backbone support, the RIZP brings together over 30 community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide a broad level of impact by prioritizing and focusing on the needs of the community in the areas of: Early Learning, meeting the Basic Needs of families and supporting Student Transition from Elementary to Middle School.
About King County Housing Authority
KCHA, an independent municipal corporation established under state law, assists more than 23,000 households in the Seattle metropolitan region on a daily basis. The Authority administers rental housing assistance, develops and manages affordable housing, provides support services to low-income residents, and works closely with community stakeholders to address local priorities such as ending homelessness, improving educational outcomes for the region’s low-income youth, and assuring that disabled and elderly households can live with dignity.
U.S. Bancorp, with nearly 70,000 employees and $559 billion in assets as of June 30, 2021, is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association. The Minneapolis-based company serves millions of customers locally, nationally and globally through a diversified mix of businesses: Consumer and Business Banking; Payment Services; Corporate & Commercial Banking; and Wealth Management and Investment Services. The company has been recognized for its approach to digital innovation, social responsibility, and customer service, including being named one of the 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies and Fortune’s most admired superregional bank. Learn more at usbank.com/about.
