Demolition begins for vacant Boeing building in Renton

After sitting vacant for more than four years, demolition has begun on the former Boeing 10-16 building in Renton.

Nearby residents have seen heavy machinery gutting the building at 535 Garden Avenue North that neighbors claim has blighted the North Renton community.

The demolition follows a meeting in December between the city’s attorneys and the attorneys representing ION Renton, the owners of the property. The company bought the building in 2021 from Boeing.

Back in September, Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone said the city had been ramping up the fines and gave the property owners a deadline to erect an “upscalable” fence to secure the property. The mayor also said the demolition permit was ready for the owners in January 2025.

“All we can say at this time is that we are proceeding forward with demolition as fast as possible,” said Chris Kelly, director of construction for AAA Management, ION Renton’s parent company.

AAA Management is a multifamily real estate development group headquartered in San Diego with assets across California and Washington. Mallard Point at Riverbend, an apartment complex in Auburn, and SunnyDale Apartments in Tukwila are also owned by the company.

In September, Pavone said the city was close to taking legal action if the demands were not met. Pavone said, at first, he was willing for the city to spend the money to acquire the building and tear it down.

“The brakes got pumped when we found out there is actually contaminated soil underneath it,” Pavone said. “So the problem is, without knowing what level that contamination is, if we take responsibility of that, even through legal action, we are now partially responsible for cleanup.”

The site cleanup had the potential to cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars, and they weren’t willing to risk tax dollars. Instead, they took the path to try to come to an agreement with the owners to demolish the building.

“Our constitution is founded around the idea of personal property,” Pavone said. “It’s very difficult for the government to tell you what to do and take your property away, and rightfully so.”

Pavone said the property is still desirable to developers, who deal with contaminated ground all the time. The demolition and future development of the property continue to be of great concern for the neighborhood.

“We’re grateful to see demolition beginning and look forward to learning more about the timeline and process on teardown and redevelopment plans,” North Renton Neighborhood Association President Meredith Farmer said.

Representatives from the city said they hope active construction site will dissuade any people from entering the property.

The building has been a safety hazard with several fires occurring on the property. The latest fire was located on the roof on July 8, 2025. The crews were able to extinguish the fire coming from the HVAC enclosure on the roof without entering the building.