Thursday, October 11, 2007

Renton Highlands Property Values will benefit from Coal Creek Parkway’s Expansion


Coal Creek Parkway is the only north and south roadway alternative to I-405 between the cities of Bellevue and Renton, which makes it a vital regional corridor. You may have noticed the beginnings of some road construction along Coal Creek Parkway just north of Duvall at the Renton / Newcastle Border.


This Coal Creek Parkway project will widen Coal Creek Parkway between SE 84th Street and SE 95th Way from two to four travel lanes with left-turn pockets, a landscaped median, bike lanes, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, crosswalks, illumination, and drainage facilities. New traffic signals will be installed at SE 89th Street, May Valley Road, and SE 95th Street. The existing May Creek Bridge will be replaced with a four-lane structure. The existing Boren Creek culvert will be replaced with a larger structure that will allow fish passage.


Completion of the Coal Creek Parkway project prior to the launch of the Renton to Bellevue portion of the I-405 expansion project is critical. The I-405 project will add two new lanes in each direction between SR 169 in Renton and I-90 in Bellevue and will rebuild eight interchanges. During construction, normal I-405 traffic will be forced onto Coal Creek Parkway.
Most of the traffic on the parkway is pass-through traffic. Despite this fact, it has been the City of Newcastle who has stepped up to lead the effort to secure funding from all levels of government, including county, state and federal dollars.


Once completion of the Parkway is complete, residents at the mouth of the Parkway in Renton will benefit from a congestion free commute to Bellevue without experiencing an increase in property taxes.


As of October 8th, the average sale price of a home in the Renton Highlands (MLS Area 350) was 61% of the average sale price of a home in Newcastle (MLS Area 500). It seems likely that homeowners in MLS Area 350 will experience a significant spike in property values once the congestion issues of Coal Creek Parkway are resolved. This is because real estate is all about location and the closer a home is to an urban core such as Bellevue, the more the location tends to be worth. Expanding Coal Creek Parkway will reduce current commute times for Renton citizens. It will bring them in line with commute times that people are currently paying 60% more for in Newcastle. Of course, using the same logic, Newcastle residents stand to benefit from this as well.


These exciting transportation projects make MLS Area 350, which covers the 98059 and 98056 zip codes in Renton, an exciting place to purchase a home. Homeowners who are planning to sell a home in this area should research the benefits of the transportation initiatives so they can share them with potential buyers.


Roads & Transit Plan for Renton
On August 20th, the Renton City Council passed a resolution in support of the Roads & Transit Plan. Voters will vote on this package this November.


The Roads & Transit Plan includes the following projects in Renton:


- I-405 Bellevue to Renton lane additions

- SR 167 / I-405 interchange HOV to HOV direct lane connection

- SR 167 HOT (toll) lanes- Southbound I-405 to eastbound SR 169 flyover ramp

- SR 167 Green River Valley corridor congestion relief projects


David Edwards

REALTOR®

Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound

Phone: 425-890-8045





David J Edwards is a full time real estate agent and REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty specializing in Residential Real Estate for buyers and sellers in Washington’s Renton Highlands, Newcastle and South Bellevue.

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