A Look Back at 2024

2024 was another great year of advocating for and uplifting Skyway. Let’s look back at some of the accomplishments of our community work together.

Securing Land for Skyway’s Future

We moved closer to making the Skyway Homeownership and Green Space project a reality. Decades in the making, Skyway Coalition and Homestead Community Land Trust are negotiating for land transfer to increase affordable homeownership and green space stewardship.

Shaping Skyway’s Green Space Together

We engaged with hundreds of community members and supporters to start a design process for the future of the community green space around the future Skyway Affordable Homeownership Project. The events provided an opportunity to share community feedback and collectively discuss the next steps in the process, including brainstorming names for the future housing and green space site.

Plus, over 150 community members shared their feedback in a quick and impactful survey on what the Skyway Homeownership Project’s green space should look like.

Moving Forward with the Skyway Community Center

If you heard that a community center is coming to Skyway, you heard right! Another long-term community-centered project moved closer to reality. Many residents and partners advocated for years to get to this step and continued to be central collaborators as the project progressed via Skyway Coalition’s advocacy and partnership with King County Parks Department.  

Skyway Resource Center Renovations

Building renovations continued throughout 2024, advancing us closer to celebrating the grand opening of our community-owned, operated, and centered Skyway Resource Center! This important community resource is a long-standing need and vision established in the Skyway West Hill Action Plan (SWAP) and other community-centered planning efforts.

Community Votes Bring Big Wins

With community support and continued investment, we received 2025 King County Participatory Budgeting funds. Skyway Coalition was honored to receive these funds for:

• Building Operations Fund: Skyway Resource Center - $100,000

• Completion of Building Renovations: Skyway Resource Center - $250,000

• Property Purchase: Skyway Affordable Home Ownership and Green Space Project - $840,000

Thank you to all community members who voted for our projects and made this possible. Your voices made this happen; together, we’re creating lasting change in Skyway.

Advocated King County for Skyway’s Future

Centering the historical and current community’s expressed needs, our collection of Skyway-serving organizations and leaders submitted a proposal to King County Council requesting continued investment in Skyway. 

With support from King County’s Budget Chair and Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, our community advocated through testimonies in person and via email, resulting in millions of dollars in investments for affordable housing and youth programming.

Building Connections at the Housing Washington Conference

Some of our team and trusted community partners attended Housing Washington, an annual conference that builds capacity and relationships to increase our impact on affordable housing in the region. This conference provided an opportunity to network and enhance the skills, vision, and understanding of professionals working in affordable housing in Washington state. It was held on September 24 - 26 in Spokane.

Thanks to You, We Continued to Raise Funds for Our Mission

Our community-centered mission continues to attract investments, supporters, and strong partners. We are grateful for our grassroots donors and the organizations that continue to grow with us. Your support drives real change in Skyway.

Supporters who gave up to $10,000

• Many individual donors

• Renton Regional Community Fund - Care Together Fund

• The Norcliffe Foundation

• Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund

• Georgetown Brewing Company

Supporters who gave between $10,000- $50,000

• RVC Social Justice League

• The Seattle Foundation

• Anonymous Donor

Supporters who gave more than $50,000

• Boeing

• The Seattle Foundation Fund for Inclusive Recovery

• Magic Cabinet

• King County Participatory Budgeting Project 

• King County Economic Alliance 

Started the Process to Become a CDA

As we embraced the Community Development Association (CDA) model, Skyway Coalition continued to practice a bottom-up approach, ensuring that projects aligned with Skyway's actual needs and aspirations for sustainable success. We started our official paperwork in 2024 and anticipate it will be approved and completed in 2025.

Skyway Farmers Market & Bazaar Thrives

Largely driven by community partners Dare2Be and Urban Food Systems Pact, the Skyway Farmers Market & Bazaar experienced enormous growth in 2024 in both participants and attendees! Opening day in 2025 will be announced soon.

Established the Skyway Business Collective

The Skyway Business Collective was created to provide a supportive and inclusive space for small businesses to grow, connect, and thrive. Business owners gained access to free professional services tailored to their needs, including financial guidance, design enhancements, one-on-one coaching, social media marketing, and more.

Skyway Business Fair: Tools for Success

The Skyway Business Resource Fair took place in November. It provided free business tools and resources, including banking and financial services, business planning, consulting services, and connections to county and state agency representatives.

Honoring Our Skyway Business Innovators

Our innovators worked with consultants and partners to identify ways to grow their businesses. In 2024, as part of the King County Alliance program with Skyway, White Center CDA, and Comunidad, we proudly supported and highlighted eight business innovators: Aisle4our Studios, Angel City Deli BBQ, Beach Comber Bar & Grill, Crazy Corn, Moon Village Bakery, Nevzat's Espresso, Skyway Strength, and Winnie's Ethiopian Cafe.

Learn more about and support our Skyway Business Innovators.

Empowering Black, Brown, and Women Contractors

Skyway Coalition pioneered a capacity-building program to enable women, Black, and brown building trades contractors to increase their knowledge and experience competing for affordable housing and other construction projects in Skyway and similar communities.

Our team designed and led eight workshops with a total of 112 attendees. Once construction begins for the Skyway Homeownership and Greenspace Project, we anticipate engaging with many of the contractors who participated in the training program to seek bids from them and hopefully bring them onto the project!

Sponsored the Skyway Juneteenth Celebration & Festival

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery and proudly celebrates our Black history, culture, and progress in the United States. We are happy to sponsor this free, fun-filled event with activities and resources for children, youth, and adults. Hosted mainly by Renton School District, this event has become a Skyway staple, with inflatable toys, prizes, and real food free to the community.