Longtime abandoned gas station in Kent ‘finally coming down’

A gas station, at the northwest corner of Central Avenue and James Street in Kent that has been abandoned for about 16 years, is going away.

Kent Mayor Dana Ralph shared the news in her July 19 weekly email.

“Wanted to kick off this week’s newsletter with something to celebrate,” Ralph said. “The abandoned gas station at the corner of Central and James that has been an eyesore for many of us, is finally coming down.”

Ralph said city staff has been working with the property owner for many years to get him to address the conditions.

“Finally, after filing criminal charges against him, we are seeing progress,” Ralph said. “The gas station is nearly demolished.”

It remains to be determined what will happen next with the property at 711 Central Ave. N., which last operated as a Texaco station

“We will continue to work with him on the future of this site but for now – this is a big win for our city and worth celebrating,” Ralph said.

The gas station/store was built in 1970 on the 0.48-acres site, according to King County property records, which recently listed “tear down” as best use of the property. The city issued a demolition permit in 2022.

The building has been boarded up since 2010, according to property records. It last sold for $550,000 in 2007. The current owner, listed as BUN HWA Inc., received the property in 2012 for no cost as a “love and affection gift” from LDH Investments.

According to a June 2012 Kent Reporter article, city staff considered looking at the property as a possible contaminated site, if it had petroleum leaks from the gas station, in a potential effort to get a federal grant to redevelop it, but that’s as far as things went. The site of the former Texaco station had been vacant for about four years at that time, according to the story.