Skyway Ground-Breaking Ceremony Signifies Start of Construction for New Community Resource Center

by Lauryn Bray

After a 10-year journey of community outreach and comprehensive planning, members of West Hill's Skyway community gathered on Thursday, Jan. 18, in the old U.S. Bank building at 12610 76th Ave. S. to kick off the construction of the soon-to-be Skyway Resource Center.

The center, set to open later this year, is designated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development as an EnVision Center and will function as a "centralized hub" by providing professional resources and support to Skyway community members.

"This is more than just a piece of land," said Jasmine RaeLynn, director of communications at Renton Innovation Zone Partnership (RIZP). "It hopefully marks the beginning of community-led projects that will strengthen the lives of our community members forever."

The neighborhood of Skyway is located in West Hill, an unincorporated island bordering the southern end of Lake Washington and surrounded by the cities of Seattle, Renton, and Tukwila. As an unincorporated area of King County, Skyway has historically been underinvested in.

"I think the community made it happen. It was the mobilization we had. We call them our Skyway soldiers — there's these community elders that have so much wisdom that were fighting while we [stood] on their shoulders," explained moderator Cherryl Jackson-Williams in an interview with the Emerald.

After U.S. Bank announced the closing of its Skyway storefront in November 2020, residents rallied together to get the building put to community use. Less than a year following the branch's closure, U.S. Bank announced that it would be donating the building to the community of Skyway for the development of a HUD EnVision Center.

There are just 100 HUD EnVision centers scattered across the United States and Puerto Rico, and they all unite under four pillars: economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness, and character and leadership. EnVision centers are designed to provide patrons with the necessary support and resources to excel in these areas.

KCHA, which is the fiscal agent for the property overseeing the building improvements, will also provide technical support to the community organizations working on renovating the space. "It is our hope that a permanent Community Resource Center will only be a catalyst, and one of many steps in the revitalization, strengthening and redevelopment of Skyway," said Dan Watson, former advisor to the executive director of the King County Housing Authority.

"Skyway Coalition is excited to be amongst one of the first community organization tenants at the Skyway Resource Center, and we are also excited to share our new role in Skyway as the Community Development Association (CDA). As the CDA, we will own and hold the Skyway Resource Center on behalf of and in partnership with the Skyway community," explained Rebecca Zapata, executive director of Skyway Coalition.

If all goes to plan, the Skyway Resource Center will host its grand opening ceremony in October 2024. In the meantime, Jackson-Williams says they are focusing on funding the building's renovations: "There's still a $1.5 million gap in funding that we need in capital for renovation and we're still looking for operations to support the organization," said Jackson-Williams. "Our nonprofits are going to do what we do — we will make it happen, but it would be great for programs to actually get funded."

Editors' Note: This story was changed on 02/06/2024 to reflect that the King County Housing Authority is the fiscal agent for the property.

📸 Featured Image: About 50 members of the Skyway community gathered for groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Skyway Resource Center, culminating 10 years of community planning and outreach. (Photo: Susan Fried)