Located midway between Seattle and Tacoma along the Interstate 5 corridor, Kent has the sixth largest concentration of jobs and residents in the region. One of the oldest cities, Kent had shifted from its agricultural roots and, by the 1970s, warehousing and distribution had become increasingly important as part of Kent’s industrial development. In the past few decades, Kent has been transformed from a small, primarily residential and agricultural community into a major employment and population center for South King County.

Kent, and its downtown, continued to develop during the 1990s, with the city annexing major pieces of land, and the downtown siting major public projects. During this time, the city was careful to protect the character of its historic downtown core.

These activities have borne fruit, and the city now has a number of key accomplishments in its downtown:

• Sound Transit Commuter Rail station with an adjacent 4-story parking garage wrapped with artwork.
• King County Regional Justice Center, a major regional court complex.
• Numerous pocket parks and artistic wall murals.
• Five new multistory housing developments for senior citizens.
• Purchase of a 20-acre parcel between the Justice Center and Rail station, and subsequent adoption of a Planned Action Ordinance to guide development on the site.

At just over 300 acres, the center accounts for only about 1.5 percent of the city's land. Because of the large number of annexations, analyses assessing the focusing of growth are skewed and are therefore not provided. For the center, the data shows the following:

• Population growth was virtually all in the over 65 age group.
• All of the households added were renters, with rents remaining more affordable than in the city as a whole.
• Employment declined in the center while it was growing in the city as a whole.
• Wages grew at the same rate as the city as whole, while incomes grew slower in the center.

Interviewees believe Kent is on the cusp of a downtown boom, given the large and small investments made during the 1990s. Kent Station is entering into its final planning stages, which has created a lot of optimism; however some were concerned about its impact on existing downtown businesses. Interviewees spoke positively about the influx of seniors in the downtown during the 1990s, but many expressed the need to diversify the age mix to support the evening uses envisioned for Kent Station. Interviewees noted how important the commuter rail station was for downtown, but stressed the need for more frequent service.

As the center and city evolve, a number of challenges remain: addressing the "backlash" against rental units in the center (and in other parts of the city as well) since rental units are usually part of the mix in downtown areas, diversifying the age mix for new residents while still strongly supporting the existing seniors, and continuing to aggressively pursue housing and other 24-hour type uses in the new Kent Station development.

For more information, visit the following regional growth center related sites:

• City of Kent
  • Kent Station Plans
• Kent Downtown Partnership
• Kent Chamber of Commerce
• Kent Regional Justice Center
• 2002 Regional Growth Centers Report, Kent Profile  [pdf]

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