City weighs the idea of more skater-friendly spaces

Skaters are eager for more places to skate in Renton, and the city is keeping the skaters’ wants in mind while updating their long-term plan for parks this year.

Renton resident Mark Arnold, avid skateboarder since 1972, spoke at the Jan. 5 Renton City Council meeting in favor of more public skateparks and renovations for the 25-year-old Liberty Skatepark.

“Skateboarding and skateparks provide a great place for kids and families to get out of the house, get fresh air, and let off some steam,” Arnold said. “They also make lifelong friends while learning new skills.”

Renton Park Planning Manager Jason Lederer said deciding if a proposed park is a good candidate for a skatepark starts with conversations with the community. The city then decides if it makes sense with the location.

“Skating can be noisy or it can be a more intensive use on the land, requires a lot of paving,” Lederer said. “We need to sort of plan with that in mind to see if that use is compatible with the existing uses around it or surrounding uses and whether it’s near something else that might conflict with it.”

Arnold suggested for the city to build a skatepark under I-405 so the park could be used during rainier days. Lederer said those less desirable locations can be great for skate parks.

“A lot of times I feel like skateparks can make sense in a location where other uses don’t necessarily make as much sense, say in an area that’s more industrial or under a highway deck or a location that is underutilized,” Lederer said. “I’ve found in the past that the skating community actually wants to be in those places.”

Kids and adults both use the skate park on skateboard and scooters. Photo by Drew Dotson/Renton Reporter

The Renton Skatepark at Liberty Park, 101 Houser Way N., was completed in 2001 at the site of a former community pool. The 8,400-square-foot park was designed by local professional Scott Yamamura with the help of public design workshops. Recent repairs have addressed surface-level issues, but the skatepark needs more comprehensive renovation to meet current community needs.

“We have a skatepark, and it’s well-loved, but it’s also time to have a look at how it’s performing today. It’s got some maintenance things that we need to keep up with, but is it time to sort of renovate that facility?” Lederer said.

The city is considering locations in the city for future skateparks in the soon-to-be adopted Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan update.

“We had quite a bit of dialogue with the skating community through this process. It’s been great. We learned a lot about what they’re looking for, what they need.” Lederer said. “I think as we continue to have those conversations with the community, we can better understand how the existing skate park is being used and what the community likes about it or what they wish was different about it.”

The PROS Plan is a “high-level” plan that proposes strategies, projects and programs to address both the needs of the city’s facilities and the community. Lederer said they expect to adopt the plan on Jan. 26 if everything goes according to schedule. He said internally the process for the update started in March 2024.

Lederer said he has enjoyed getting to know the skating community.

“They’ve been vocal, they’re passionate, they’re active. I think in general they tend to be good stewards of the parks,” Lederer said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to talk to them, work with them, hear from them and coordinate with them as we move all of this along.”