Kent-based rocket maker Blue Origin plans to turn a 50,000-square-foot warehouse in Renton into a research and development facility.
The site is at 1415 Maple Ave. SW, according to the Renton Economic Development Department. Its website says the improvements would include laboratory rooms, a mezzanine and a Conex (cargo container) laboratory in the parking lot.
The facility is expected to open in late 2022 or early 2023, said Jessie Kotarski, economic development manager for Renton.
Public records show the warehouse is owned by Denver-based EverWest Real Estate Investors. EverWest purchased the nearly 2-acre property from Sprint Communications Co. for $4.6 million in 2019.
Since December 2021, permits have been sought to install data cables, electrical equipment and lines to support industrial labs, records show.
Kotarski said Blue Origin’s plans are still in the review process and project permits have not been issued.
Blue Origin did not respond to a request for comment. The company, which is owned by Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos, rarely comments on its developments.
Blue Origin is also thought to be leasing 210,000 square feet of warehouse space in the six-building Pacific Gateway development on West Valley Highway between 59th Place South and South 208th Street in Kent. Building permits are being sought to install rack systems for aerospace manufacturing storage.
Media accounts and commercial real estate industry sources estimate Blue Origin occupies at least 530,000 square feet of office space in South King County. As of Wednesday the company had more than 1,000 Seattle-area job openings, according to its website, many of which have been posted in the last week.
Blue Origin has approximately 2,640 employees in Washington state, Business Journal research shows, making it the state’s second-largest aerospace employer.
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