A holistic community resource center is under construction and expected to open this year in the Skyway neighborhood as the Skyway Resource Center begins its renovation of a former U.S. Bank building.

Jasmine RaeLynn, director of communications for the Renton Innovation Zone Partnership (RIZP), said the process for designing and planning what the facility will become has very much been a community-involved one.

“We really pulled in the community to help design the space and to get an idea of what resource people wanted,” RaeLynn said of the process that included regular design meeting with the community and incorporated feedback from more than 70 people in the area.

King County Housing Authority (KCHA) is serving as a steward of the project and is providing technical support to the community organizations leading the project’s development. KCHA is also serving as the property’s fiscal agent and overseeing building improvements.

RaeLynn said the resource center is planning to provide a variety of services and community supports including health services — like vaccination pop-ups, mental health services, alcoholism and domestic violence support, youth services, and rental housing assistance among others.

RIZP worked with the architecture firm Schemata Workshop to reinvent the 4,568 square-foot building donated by U.S. Bank in 2021 building at 12610 76th Ave S. into a collaborative space to be shared by multiple organizations and to serve many purposes.

Geoff Anderson, principal architect for the project, said that while the had “outdated” insulation and window design, he appreciated the mid-century modernist style he described as “Docomomo,” and wanted to keep the aesthetic through the updates and renovations.

“We wanted to keep that sense in the architecture and that sense of time in which it was built,” Anderson said.

One unique planned feature is to convert the bank’s old vault into a usable meeting or office room, a decision that was informed by community feedback.

He said that the space needed to be “cooperative,” with shared rooms and lounges that could be used by any of the more than a dozen service organizations from day to day.

Anderson said the property will be re-landscaped, provisions for solar panels will be added to the building and a second-floor balcony will be extended to create more meeting space. He also is planning to incorporate “community-based” art with ideas to use local school children’s art or even photos of historical moments and efforts made by RIZP and how they got there.

Ultimately, Anderson said he was grateful for the enthusiasm of the community and their collaboration on the project, which he described as “inspiring.”

He said it is truly special to feel like he truly worked with the community and to “feel their gratitude.”

The Skyway Resource Center is expected to open in the fall 2024.