That Belltown feeling — in Renton

RENTON — Jerry Jackson wanted to find the perfect spot for his restaurant. The Kent resident preferred someplace near his home with the potential to support his vision of a seafood-and-steak house surrounded by a busy environment.

He settled on Main Street in downtown Renton with its lively collection of funky shops, restaurants, pubs, coffee houses and close proximity to the freeway. The Fin N' Bone has been open a bit more than a year. Jackson is not disappointed. He has 27 employees and is still hiring.

"It's kind of like a Belltown feeling. It's not quite there, but you can see the potential for it," Jackson said.

Renton the new Belltown? Before Seattle's most-provincial residents choke on their quad-grande-half-decaf-sugar-free-vanilla-dry latte, and turn on NPR's "Morning Edition" to ensure the world is still right, consider what is happening outside of the Emerald City:

• The once-tired Navy town of Bremerton has transformed its downtown into the shining urban center of Kitsap County.

• Bellevue is no longer a bedroom community for Seattle. The heavy flow of traffic into Bellevue every workday is a testament to its growth as a city with a solid base of jobs. Bellevue's boom got another boost last week when Microsoft announced it will be moving about 5,000 employees there.

• Snohomish County continues to grow housing developments like blackberry bushes.

• Southeast King County has a number of communities such as Renton, Kent and Auburn emerging as mini-regional hubs.

Adding to the turbulence of growth surrounding Seattle, the SuperSonics now have the first right on 21.2 acres of former Boeing land in Renton.

These are not insignificant developments. Seattle faces real competition for jobs and entertainment. As the region has grown, all the amenities that make Seattle urban have spread with the population. The urban-growth boundary has made the urbanization of the suburbs all the more intense.

Renton could have been a dead zone between Kent and Bellevue, which are both blazing with new development. Instead, Renton muscled its way between its ambitious neighbors at a time when Boeing diminished its presence, and downtown continued to bleed from wounds incurred by Southcenter in neighboring Tukwila.

"If you look at towns that are dependent on one industry, they are really successful or really successful then die," said Renton Mayor Kathy Keolker.

Renton's past success looks different from its current and future success. City leaders streamlined the permitting process, and went after business with no presence in the Puget Sound region. The city's aggressive approach landed Ikea and Fry's. The Seattle Seahawks recently started construction on a headquarters and practice facility on 20 shorefront acres.

Now, the SuperSonics could be the first major professional team from Seattle to call another city home. The SuperSonics' migration out of Seattle makes sense, not because Seattle voters passed an initiative that makes it virtually impossible to build a new arena in the city, but because the Puget Sound region has matured to a larger-functioning unit beyond the official limits of the state's largest city.

Unfortunately, the SuperSonics might not have the chance to help our region evolve. A bill that would allow for King County either to approve or reject the arena is stalled in the Legislature. Lawmakers should at least push for a vote if they are serious about ensuring that the state's largest urban area stays vital.

A pancaked urban core inside King County's growth boundary is healthy. The more choices spread within the boundary, the better. If growth is to be contained in designated areas, there must be regional diversity in employment and entertainment.

Jackson saw the positive impact urban amenities have on a community, and its businesses, when he was the executive chef at Stanley & Seafort's near the Tacoma Dome.

"I think we can get the same type of energy down here," he said.

That energy should not be bottled up by politics. Our region deserves better.

Ryan Blethen's e-mail address is rblethen@seattletimes.com