On the Block: CITC finds new home in Renton with $4M purchase of old truck dealership

Last September, the Construction Industry Training Council of Washington (CITC) sold its longtime home in Bellevue for $6 million. At the time, CITC president Halene Sigmund said that its brokers, Dan Foster and Matthew Hinrichs of Orion Commercial Partners, were searching for a new headquarters location. CITC was leasing back the Bellevue building, at 1930 116th Ave. N.E., in the interim.

Last week CITC paid just under $4 million for its new home: the Bryant Motors property at 1300 Bronson Way. N. in Renton.

“We’re really excited about it,” says Sigmund, “We’re gonna be moving our headquarters there.” New lab and classroom space is also part of the renovation plan by Rhodes Architecture + Light. “In a perfect world we’re hoping to begin classes in the fall of 2021.”

The seller was Bryant Motors, which specializes in truck sales and service. The business dates to 1947. The Bryant family had owned the property for decades. Roger Lorenze and Robert Meyer of Ewing & Clark represented the family.

The deal was worth about $117 per square feet for the attached one-story buildings. The full-block property totals almost 1.5 acres, with the east side being a parking lot. The buildings now total 33,823 square feet, according to E&C.

“We’ll be adding a second story to it. It’s gonna be completely modernized,” says Sigmund. She thinks CITC will end up with a little under 50,000 square feet. “It will be a big project.” Marpac Construction is providing preconstruction services.

“It’s a mishmash,” she says of the original, unprepossessing structure, which dates to 1936 with three subsequent additions. But the interior “is kind of unique” with large cross-laminated timber beams “that’ll be exposed” after renovations.

Rhodes has previously worked with CITC with its training facilities in Marysville and Pasco. The new headquarters building, which will accommodate about 20 staff members, will very much be a public face for the organization, with “more visibility, more presence, more integration into the community.

“It’s gonna enhance the neighborhood. Our students should be proud of the building they walk into. We want to make sure we showcase the industry.”

The property faces Liberty Park, near the Cedar River. In front of the building, Rhodes is planning a new landscaped public plaza to face the park.

It’s at the junction between Interstate 405 and Highway 169, and about a 10-minute walk east from the South Renton Park & Ride and downtown. “For access for our students, it’ll be great.” Sigmund points to new shops and cafes in downtown Renton, which has gradually been bouncing back from the recession.

Regionally, Sigmund notes, there’s never been more demand for CITC’s training programs. “The industry is growing, and it’s booming and we’re still dealing with a skilled workforce shortage.” Statewide, CITC now has about 1,200 apprentices enrolled in 10 programs. Annually, that figure increases to about 7,000 to 8,000 students in various programs.

The Bryant business will remain in place for a few more months, before construction begins.

Swenson Say Faget is the structural engineer for this project.