A group of residents southeast of Renton and north of Kent have again lost their bid to incorporate. The area is an “island” of unincorporated King County that contains about 25,000 residents.
A simple majority vote would have been sufficient to form a new city. As of the 4:19 PM count on November 4, only 44.74% of voters were in favor while 55.26 % were against.
An incorporation vote also failed three years ago by 270 votes. This time the measure is losing by 515 votes.
No city has incorporated in King County in the last 10 years. Consistent with the Growth Management Act, King County has been urging incorporation of such areas which are costly to service.
It is expected that the City of Renton will now proceed with an annexation attempt. Renton officially sat on the sidelines during this vote.
