The City of Kent is working with a developer and several economic and workforce development organizations to transform over 9 acres of city-owned real estate into a center of advanced manufacturing innovation and training. The site, known as the Naden Avenue Assemblage, is a qualified census tract that sits between the Kent Valley’s advanced manufacturing hub and downtown Kent. It is equidistant from the central business districts of Tacoma, Seattle, and Bellevue.
The goal is to create a transit-accessible campus that co-locates light manufacturing operations with researchers, entrepreneurs, makers, and education and training organizations – all with the intent of exposing people in the community to work and innovation opportunities in some of the region’s most cutting-edge manufacturers. Charettes held in October of 2021 helped solidify this vision, with organizations such as AJAC, Green River Community College, Seattle Makers, and First Washington working together to refine a concept for a facility in which they could offer services and resources focused on the diverse and underserved communities in the surrounding area.
Outcomes
The site’s developer, Avenue 55, is actively meeting with manufacturers and is working with City staff to develop a proposal for City Council, which will include a list of initial tenancies, provide preliminary conceptual designs, and pave the way for the City staff to start negotiating a development agreement for purchase and sale of the land.