The announcement was made by Reagan Dunn at the Fairwood Anniversary Celebration on Saturday.
King County has purchased the former proposed asphalt plant site along the Cedar River and will preserve it for public use.
At the Fairwood 60th Anniversary Celebration on Aug. 29 at Petrovitsky Park, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn announced the county’s official purchase of the land previously slated to be an asphalt plant at 18825 Renton-Maple Valley Road and the county’s intention to preserve the land. The property’s former owner, Lakeside Industries, had proposed building an asphalt plant along SR-169 in 2017, despite opposition from Dunn and community groups like Save the Cedar River.
“This is a fight we as a community have been waging for nearly a decade to protect our river, our natural habitats, and our community,” Dunn said. “Today, that fight has finally come to an end, and we can shift our focus from stopping what shouldn’t be to building what should — parks, open spaces, and a place the public can enjoy for generations.”
Lakeside Industries was issued a permit for the asphalt plant in April 2022. Dunn previously sponsored an emergency moratorium that temporarily halted the project and sought additional time for the public to comment on the proposal. Dunn said it was a “real uphill battle” because public policy supports using the land for an existing zoning designation. He said the zoning allowing the plant was designated in 2008 for a landscaping company. Save the Cedar River sued in Superior Court in May 2024, but had lost that battle.
In 2021, Dunn sponsored legislation to prioritize the purchase of six parcels along SR-169 to help preserve land in King County as open space. In 2025, Lakeside Industries agreed to build a warehouse, and later to sell the property and abandon its plan to construct the plant. The county and the Flood Control District then pursued full public acquisition to ensure the property is permanently preserved for public use, without imposing additional taxes on King County residents.
At the announcement, the community began discussing ideas for the future of the property, including restoring and improving fish and wildlife habitat, expanding recreational opportunities and connecting the property with existing and future trail networks and nearby protected open space. The property could be connected to nearby McGarvey Park, a 400-acre working forest with 11 miles of multi-use trails.
“Lakeside Industries deserves enormous credit for coming to the table and negotiating in good faith,” Dunn said. “Now, the future of this property belongs to the community, and I look forward to seeing what residents design for this public space.”
Dunn previously said Lakeside Industries wanting his support and an agreement from Save the Cedar River not to sue brought the company to negotiate. Dunn said he thinks with the costs for the company rising, the company had to decide if the benefit of an asphalt plan was worth the challenges.
“We see this as a win-win for the community and Lakeside,” CEO of Lakeside Industries Mike Lee said. “Lakeside is a third-generation, family-owned, local company. We want to be good neighbors in the communities in which we operate, and finding a creative solution balancing Lakeside’s needs, our obligations to our employees, and the concerns of the community, is a success that took all parties working together.”
