23-105386-SU-PreApp Conference Waiver-12-05-23Doc. I.D. 83511
Department of Community Development
33325 8th Avenue South
Federal Way, WA 98003-6325
253-835-2607
www.cityoffederalway.com
Jim Ferrell, Mayor
November 21, 2023
Applicant Owner
Ivana Halvorsen
Barghausen Consulting Engineers
18215 72nd Ave S
Kent, WA 98032
425-251-6222
ihalvorsen@barghausen.com
Barry Margolese
Amalani LLC
415 1st Ave N, Unit 9998
Seattle, WA 98109
206-910-2728
barry@amalani.com
Re: File #23-105451-AD; PREAPPLICATION CONFERENCE WAIVER
Creekwood Preliminary Plat, Unaddressed Parcel #122103-9037
Dear Ivana and Barry:
The Federal Way Community Development Department is in receipt of your November 16, 2023 request for a
waiver of the preapplication conference for a preliminary plat application located at the above-referenced
property. Unless granted a waiver, a preapplication conference is required for the proposal as it is not among
permits listed in FWRC 19.15.010(3)(b) (as referenced in exceptions listed in FWRC 19.40.030(1)). Waiving the
pre-application conference requires meeting one or more of the following criteria from FWRC 19.40.030(2)(a):
(i) The simple nature of the proposal;
(ii) The project would be severely impacted by the preapplication process due to time or financial constraints outside the control of
the applicant;
(iii) The site has previously undergone preapplication, site plan or other land use review for the same or similar development
proposal and it is unlikely further preapplication review will provide any benefit to the city or applicant;
(iv) The director determines preapplication review is not in the best interest of the city or applicant.
In considering the waiver request materials, it’s found that criteria ‘iii’ alone is met. There have been three pre-
application meetings in the past 10 years for similarly sized preliminary plat proposals on this property, the most
recent being in 2022, and the applicant team is submitting the fifth preliminary plat application on this property in
the past 10 years with a City comment letter on a similarly sized preliminary plat issued in May of this year. While
there is typically a benefit to the City or applicant from pre-application meetings to review applicable codes in
relation to project proposals, the volume and recency of past preliminary plat pre-applications and applications on
this property makes such benefit less likely in this case and further code clarity can be achieved through future
comment and correction letters during preliminary plat application review.
One of the criteria above are met, and therefore the requested preapplication conference waiver is hereby
approved in accordance with FWRC 19.40.030(2)(a). Be advised that, per FWRC 19.40.030(2)(b), waiver of
preapplication review increases the risk of the application being incomplete or that the processing time will be
increased. This waiver also has no effect on the city’s review of the upcoming preliminary plat application on this
property, does not suggest that issues raised in the most recent preliminary plat comment letter have been
sufficiently addressed, and does not suggest that the applicant’s new preliminary plat application is consistent with
City code; those determinations will be made based on your preliminary plat application once it’s reviewed.
Sincerely,
Evan Lewis, AICP
Senior Planner
Cc: Jonathan Thole, Planning Manager