Renton rezones nine sites for higher housing density

Published 7:30 am Saturday, February 28, 2026

Renton is rezoning nine sites to Residential Multi-Family 2 (RMF-2), a new zoning designation created in the city’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan update.

The Renton City Council passed an ordinance to rezone 75 parcels across nine different sites at its Feb. 23 meeting. All of the sites are within a mile of major transit stops.

The general locations of the nine sites are:

• Sunset Boulevard Northeast and Aberdeen Avenue Northeast

• Sunset Boulevard Northeast and Northeast 10th Place

• Northeast Ninth Place and Northeast Sunset Boulevard

• Northeast Sunset Boulevard and Union Avenue Northeast

• Edmonds Avenue Northeast and Northeast Third Street

• Northeast Fourth Street and Queen Avenue Northeast

• Southwest Sunset Boulevard and Maple Avenue Southwest

• Benson Road South and the Interstate 405 interchange

• 108th Avenue Southeast and Southeast Petrovitsky Road

Renton Senior Planner Angelea Weihs said the primary reason for the rezoning is to make the zoning match the multi-family density above what the current zone allows and other “long-standing nonconforming uses.”

“RMF-2 was added as part of Renton’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan update. Prior to that, the city only had the RMF zone, which caps density at 20 units per net acre,” Weihs said. “While a small number of properties were rezoned at that time, this proposal represents a more comprehensive effort to align zoning with adopted plan designations and existing development patterns.”

The previous zoning is a mix of the RMF, along with R-10 and R-14, which allows 10 or 14 dwelling units per net acre. The RMF-2 zoning allows 20 to 40 dwelling units per net acre and is intended for areas already developed with multifamily housing or identified for higher-density residential use.

“This is a regulatory update that does not require existing properties to change,” Weihs said. “It primarily provides consistency between zoning, existing development, and the Comprehensive Plan, while allowing flexibility for modest infill on existing apartment sites or nonconforming properties, should property owners choose to pursue it.”

In 2023, the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1110 and HB 1337 to increase housing density in the state and increase zoning flexibility near major transit stops. HB 1110 allows up to six dwelling units per lot in lower density residential zoning for lots within a quarter mile walking distance to a major transit stop. HB 1337 does not require ADUs to have parking if the lots are within a half mile walking distance to a major transit hub in lower density residential zones. Renton implemented these changes in 2025.

“To unlock opportunity for Washingtonians, it is necessary to lift bans on the development of modest home choices in cities near job centers, transit, and amenity-rich neighborhoods,” Weihs said previously on HB 1110. “Homes developed at higher densities and gentle density housing types are more affordable by design for Washington residents both in their construction and reduced household energy and transportation costs.”