FWCP Chap 01 Introduction_201302271049329043CHAPTER ONE - INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Federal Way Comprehensive Plan (FWCP) lays out a vision for the future of Federal
Way during a 20-year period and responds to the requirements of the Growth
Management Act (GMA) of 1990 and subsequent amendments. The FWCP also carries
out Vision 2020, the Puget Sound region's multiple urban growth centers concept, and
King County's Countywide Planning Policies (CWPPs), which call for multiple urban
centers and a strong urban growth boundary.
This chapter gives an overview of the comprehensive planning effort, profiles Federal
Way's past and present, and concludes with a discussion of Federal Way's vision for its
future. This plan contains a glossary of terms at the end of the document to help the
reader with terms that may not be clear or understandable.
1.1 THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING EFFORT
Why Plan?
Federal Way plans for people. People need a safe and secure place to live, an economy
that provides jobs, a transportation system that allows them to get around, and schools,
colleges, and recreational opportunities. It is the city government's responsibility to
provide public services and facilities, develop policies, and adopt regulations to guide the
growth of a city that meets the needs of its people. From incorporation to the present, the
guide for Federal Way's growth and development has been the Comprehensive Plan.
What Is a Comprehensive Plan?
The role of the FWCP is to state clearly our community's vision for its future, and to
articulate a plan for accomplishing this vision over a 20-year period. The FWCP seeks to
answer a number of questions:
• What areas are most suitable for development or redevelopment?
• What areas should be preserved in their natural state?
• Where should growth occur?
• How can we manage that growth to realize our vision for the community?
• How should we address traffic congestion?
• How many parks do we need, of what size, kind, and where?
• What steps should we take to encourage economic development?
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
• How can we encourage preservation of our historic resources?
• How can we ensure an adequate supply of affordable housing for all income levels?
• What utilities and public services will we need?
• How will the community pay for all of these things?
Each of the FWCP's chapters addresses these questions, and more, in the areas of
transportation, land use, economic development, capital facilities, utilities, and housing.
The answers form the policies, which guide implementation of our community vision.
The policy statements within each chapter are used to guide new or revised zoning and
other regulations. The FWCP also sets a clear frame -work for where the community will
need to spend money on capital facilities, how much, and identifies available funding
sources. As a whole, the FWCP offers a flexible framework for Federal Way's future,
allowing for adaptation to real conditions over time.
Why Revise Our Plan?
Between 1990, when the interim comprehensive plan was first adopted by the City of
Federal Way, and 2006, the City has grown from 19.9 square miles and 67,554 people, to
22.49 square miles and 86,530 people. This rapid growth and change in the character of
the City has naturally provided impetus to revise and update the comprehensive plan. The
FWCP, and the code amendments which follow it, reflect the unique characteristics of
our community and public input on Federal Way's vision for its future.
Requirements of the Growth Management Act
The GMA (RCW 36.70A. 140) was passed by the Washington State Legislature in 1990,
with amendments added in 1991 and subsequent years. The legislature passed the GMA
in recognition of the rate of growth that was occurring throughout the state, particularly
on the west side of the Cascades. The legislature was responding not only to the rate of
growth, but also to the type and location of growth. Two-thirds of the state's population
and household growth in the 1980s took place in unincorporated areas, and produced
sprawling subdivisions, commercial strips, and urbanization of land, which only ten years
before, was rural. This rapid growth pattern resulted in increased traffic congestion and
inadequate public services, and has threatened forestland, agricultural land, and
environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands. These impacts have been felt in Federal
Way, just as they have been felt in other parts of the state.
The GMA requires that each jurisdiction produce a comprehensive plan that contains, at a
minimum, elements pertaining to land use, transportation, capital facilities, housing,
private utilities, economic development, and parks and recreation. These elements must
be consistent with one another. Jurisdictions also are required to adopt policies and
regulations protecting resource lands and critical areas, such as agricultural land,
wetlands, and hillsides. Each jurisdiction must coordinate its plan with the plans of
surrounding jurisdictions.
Revised 2013 1-2
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
The GMA also requires that each city designate an urban growth boundary (UGA) or
potential annexation area (PAA) as they are called in King County. The PAA defines the
area within which the city anticipates it could provide the full range of urban services at
some time in the future. It also represents the area within which the city will consider
annexations and the boundary beyond which it will not annex.
Perhaps what most distinguishes the GMA from previous planning statutes is the
requirement that public services be available or funded at some designated level of
service before development may occur. If a jurisdiction cannot provide services to an
area, then it may not permit development in that area.
The 1991 amendments to the GMA require all counties planning under the act to adopt
Countywide Planning Policies (CWPPs). The jurisdictions in King County formed a group
called the Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC) composed of elected officials
from the King County Council, City of Seattle, and suburban cities. The mission of the
GMPC was to draft the CWPPs for King County. These policies were adopted in 1992 and
are binding on the jurisdictions in the County. In 1994, major amendments to the CWPPs
were proposed by the GMPC. These amendments were subsequently adopted by King
County and are binding on all jurisdictions in the County, although it should be noted that
Federal Way voted not to ratify. Since 1994, the CWPPs have been updated as needed.
After approval and ratification by the King County Council, amendments are forwarded to
the cities for ratification. Amendments to the CWPPs only become effective when ratified
by at least 30 percent of the city and county governments, representing 70 percent of the
population of King County.
The FWCP has been prepared according to the provisions of the GMA and the CWPPs.
However, Federal Way's plan also contains many components that are not referenced in
the GMA; these additional components are included in the plan due to their importance to
the Federal Way community. Although Federal Way's goals and policies for growth and
the provision of services are guided by GMA requirements, and are based in part upon
state and regional goals, they primarily reflect the vision and goals of our own citizens.
How Was the Plan Developed?
The ideas in the FWCP were developed through discussion, debate, and the creative
thinking of thousands of Federal Way citizens, working with City staff and elected
officials. Consistent with the GMA, the City of Federal Way provided early and
continuous opportunities for citizens to participate in CityShape. CityShape was the name
given to the City's comprehensive planning project. CityShape was the process used to
develop the FWCP.
CityShape, the process, started in the Fall of 1992 with a series of open houses and field
trips. The first open house was held on September 16t'', and featured displays from all City
departments and the various special service districts. The event had two objectives. The
first was to explain to citizens how urban services are delivered, how much those services
cost, and how citizens could be involved in the development of the City's new
comprehensive plan. The second objective was to have people describe their likes and
Revised 2013 1-3
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
dislikes about the City as it existed in 1992 and share their thoughts about what the City
ought to look like in 20 years.
The second major CityShape event occurred on October 26, 1992. The event was a field
trip to Burnaby and Vancouver, British Columbia, to look at one possible future for
Federal Way. The Vancouver area has a light rail system called Sky Train and Burnaby
has a high density suburban shopping mall 20 miles southeast of downtown Vancouver.
The City took 70 members of its various Boards and Commissions to look at how light
rail works; how land use is influenced by rail and vice versa; what a redeveloped, mixed
use, high intensity shopping mall looks like; and how attractive higher density residential
neighborhoods can look, given specific development guidelines.
On November 19, 1992, the City conducted a second open house. This time the objective
was to review and evaluate three land use plan alternatives. The first alternative was a
slow growth concept with a land use pattern that was fairly similar to what currently
exists in the City. The second was a moderate growth concept that focused the majority
of new growth in a redeveloped, higher density, mixed use downtown. The third
alternative was a higher growth scenario that included the downtown concept of
alternative two, but also envisioned an expanded office park/business park concept in the
vicinity of West Campus and the 348`t' Street corridor. Those present seemed to favor a
hybrid with characteristics of alternatives two and three.
Economic development and growth was the topic of the third open house held January 21,
1993. The CityShape staff team presented three economic development alternatives with
low, medium, and higher growth concepts. Participants expressed support for a medium to
high growth scenario that diversified the economic base in Federal Way and gave the
community about as many jobs as there are projected households in the year 2012.
The next open house was held on March 10, 1993, and focused on the vision for a City
Center. Attendees completed two exercises. The first was to evaluate three alternative
orientations for a downtown: east/west along 3201h Street, north/south in the vicinity of
20' Avenue, and along a diagonal from Steel Lake Park to 320'h and Highway 99. The
second exercise was to use building blocks to accommodate projected growth in the
downtown. The higher the density, the smaller the area for downtown. The lower the
density, the more spread out the downtown. Participants concluded that a higher density,
pedestrian -friendly downtown oriented north/south from the center of SeaTac Mall made
good sense and accommodated a high capacity transit system.
On June 2, 1993, the City staff provided interested citizens with a short course in
transportation planning. The presentation identified the congested street corridors as they
were in 1992 and projected how and where congestion would increase by 2012, given the
impacts of growth. Staff also presented five different arterial improvement alternatives
which would either maintain or reduce congestion by 2012, together with some estimate
of the effectiveness of particular arterial improvements for resolving transportation
problems in the community. The participants concluded that the maximum construction
option called "super widening" was not appropriate or even feasible. They did, however,
favor a more modest list of arterial improvements, including a "diagonal parkway" along
the BPA power line, which generally maintained the 1992 level of service.
Revised 2013 14
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
The last two public forums dealt with capital facilities planning. The first of these was
held June 22, 1993. At this session, staff gave participants level of service options for
streets and parks, provided cost estimates associated with each level of service, and asked
participants working in groups to agree on the level of service they wanted for streets and
parks based on their willingness to pay for service. With a high level of consensus,
participants were willing to pay for a parks level of service of 10.5 acres per thousand
population. Given the cost for streets, the desired level of service was to lower the
standard about 60 percent from the 1993 level.
The second capital facilities public forum was held December 9, 1993, and focused on
how to pay for services. At this forum, each work group was given a work sheet that
described total capital costs for parks and streets, and data describing the revenue sources
available to cities and how much revenue each source could potentially generate. The
objective was to develop a financing package, including recommended taxing levels,
which would pay for the desired street and park system. There was a lot of disagreement,
but voter -approved bond issues, impact fees, and to a lesser extent, utility taxes received
some support as the preferred revenue sources. On the other hand, there was near total
agreement that there should be no business and occupation tax in Federal Way.
In November 1993, the City published a draft environmental impact statement that
evaluated the various growth, land use, City Center, transportation, and capital facilities
options. In addition, the staff -consulting team began writing the various chapters of the
FWCP, consistent with the direction that emerged from the field trips, open houses, and
public meetings. Early in 1994, the City's Planning Commission began holding work
sessions, to which the public was invited, to review each of the chapters as they were
written and provide comments and feedback as appropriate. The Commission started with
the Private Utilities chapter on March 2, followed by Housing (3-9-94), Potential
Annexation (3-16-94), Natural Environment (4-13-94), Economic Development (4-27-
94), Land Use and City Center (6-1-94), Capital Facilities (8-3-94), and ended with the
Transportation Chapter on September 7, 1994.
In the Fall of 1994, staff was ready to begin assimilating the individual chapters to create
an integrated comprehensive plan. As part of that process, staff concluded it was again
time to touch base with the City Council to ensure the FWCP was on target with their
expectations. To facilitate the discussion, staff prepared a two -page vision statement that
summarized the FWCP.
The City Council reviewed the vision statement at a retreat on February 24, and 25, 1995,
and indicated it was on target. The vision statement was subsequently expanded to a 20
page executive summary of the FWCP, including general policy direction. On April 18,
1995, the City Council conducted a public hearing on the expanded vision statement and,
based in part on the testimony, proposed some amendments to it. On May 2, 1995, the
City Council formally reviewed the expanded vision statement and directed staff to
complete the FWCP as soon as possible.
To this point, the narrative has focused on the formal public participation process.
Revised 2013 1-5
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
Concurrently, there were a series of meetings to which staff was invited to talk about the
future of Federal Way, vision, land use planning in general, and the comprehensive plan
more specifically. There were hundreds of these meetings over the course of two years.
They included slide shows, small discussion groups, meetings with neighborhood
associations, the Chamber of Commerce's monthly luncheon and its subcommittees, real
estate brokers, property owners, elementary and high school classrooms, displays at the
mall, civic organizations, and many others. The result was broad based interest and
participation in the development of the City's new comprehensive plan. At the time the
FWCP was released, the mailing list contained over 700 names, all of which were notified
that the Hearing Draft Comprehensive Plan was available for public review and comment.
The Hearing Draft of the FWCP was completed and released for public review on July 5,
1995. Subsequently, the FWCP was adopted on November 21, 1995, by the City Council
per Ordinance 95-248. Thereafter, amendments to the FWCP were adopted per
Ordinances 98-330 on December 15, 1998, 00-372 on September 14, 2000, 01-405 on
November 15, 2001, 03-442 on March 27, 2003, 04-460 on July 20, 2004, and 05-490,
05-491, and 05-492 on June 16, 2005.
Organization of The Plan
While we cannot predict the future, we can attempt to shape the type of community in
which we live, work, and play. The FWCP functions as the City's statement of how it
will meet the challenges posed by growth in the 21 st century.
The heart of the FWCP is the nine individual elements that outline goals and policies.
These elements constitute the chapters of the plan. The FWCP includes seven chapters
that are mandated by the GMA: land use, transportation, capital facilities, housing,
private utilities, economic development, and parks and recreation. The Parks and
Recreation Plan is a stand-alone plan, rather than a separate chapter within the FWCP,
however, it is incorporated by reference in the Capital Facilities Chapter. The FWCP also
includes three chapters which the GMA does not mandate, but that are very appropriate.
The first is an annexation chapter as discussed earlier in this chapter. The second is a
chapter that describes the City's commitment to the preservation of the natural
environment and the policy direction to make it happen. Finally, the FWCP includes a
subarea plan for the City Center that reflects the City's vision for the future and helps to
implement the regional vision for a hierarchy of urban centers in the Puget Sound.
Each of these chapters has been coordinated with the others, resulting in a plan that is
internally consistent. Each of the goals in the FWCP, while expressing a specific policy
direction, also functions as part of a coordinated expression of the City's vision for the
fixture. Plan implementation is the next step and is discussed in the final section of this
chapter.
1.2 FEDERAL WAY'S COMMUNITY PROFILE:
PAST AND PRESENT
Revised 2013 1-6
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
Planning for the future requires a good understanding of how our community has grown
and changed in the past. The following discussion provides that backdrop as a context for
subsequent chapters.
The earliest recorded accounts of the Federal Way area tell of Native American families
who resided in the area of the Muckleshoot Reservation on the east side of the Green
River Valley and traveled west to the shores of Puget Sound for the plentiful fisheries
resources. Generations of Muckleshoot Indians wore a westward trail across the heavily
forested plateau to the area which is now Saltwater State Park. The arrival of the white
man in the nineteenth century resulted in a steady decline in the Indian population and by
1890, nearly the entire population had disappeared from the area.
Isolated on a triangular shaped plateau rising steeply from Puget Sound, the Federal Way
area had little waterfront access or roadways and accordingly, was sparingly developed
compared to Tacoma and Seattle. As late as the turn of the century, the original settlers at
Dash Point and Dumas Bay had to row to Tacoma for supplies and mail. Old Military
Road, constructed around 1856 and extending north from Fort Steilacoom, past Star Lake
to Seattle and Fort Lawton, was the first road through the area.
Over time, narrow dirt roads were added to provide east/west access and by 1900, a road
was constructed between Star Lake and Redondo. The second crossroad, the "Seattle
Road," connected old Military Road and Kent. The Seattle -Tacoma Interurban Line,
completed in 1901, provided a fast and easy way to reach these urban cities. Improved
access brought many visitors to the area and Star Lake became a popular summer
recreation site.
By the 1920s, Federal Highway 99, the interstate that linked the western states from north
to south, was complete. At this time, Federal Way was still primarily forest and farmland.
Fred Hoyt had a cabin on Dumas Bay and started a road to Tacoma (still called Hoyt
Road). The timber companies, which had a major logging operation going, built an early
railroad line and were instrumental in getting Marine View Highway (now Dash Point
Road) built in the early 1920s. This roadway spurred development along the coastline.
Soon thereafter, Peasley Canyon Road was built to connect Military Road with the Auburn
Valley. This road later became known as South 3201h Street. In these early days, roadways
set the stage for development in the area and they still play an important role in the City
today.
By the start of World War II, a number of small, thriving communities made up the area
that is now Federal Way. Some communities were clustered around lakes, such as Steel
Lake, Star Lake, and Lake Geneva. Others were sited to take advantage of the view of
Puget Sound, like Adelaide and Buenna. As each of these communities grew, residents
built small schoolhouses for their children. By the late 1940s, King County consolidated
the many individual red schoolhouses into the Federal Way School District, from which
the City gets its name.
During this same period, a library was built along the edge of Highway 99, and between
Revised 2013 1-7
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
308t' Street and 320t' Street, a small "downtown" developed with a general store, lumber
yard, realty office, beauty parlor, feed store, and gas station. By the end of the 1950s, the
ten blocks between 308t' and 320t' Streets became the first roadside commercial district.
One of the more unique developments was Santa Faire, a family oriented theme park.
New shopping areas were added around the park, helping to create a "community focus"
for the residents of the area.
As this commercial area developed, the rest of Federal Way was changing as well. The
Boeing Company expanded their operations in Renton and the Kent Valley and began
advertising nationally for engineers. Those engineers in turn began roaming the wooded
acreage in Federal Way in search of housing. One of the earliest residential developments
was Marine Hills, built in 1958 overlooking Puget Sound. Weyerhaeuser, one of the early
timber companies, had large land holdings in the area and began to develop their land into
high quality housing with amenities like golf courses.
Weyerhaeuser's development company also began developing commercial property,
creating the West Campus business park. The plan was to integrate offices and businesses
with lush landscaping. Though initially the corporate office market was not strong, West
Campus has grown almost to capacity, providing space for many civic buildings such as
City Hall, the police station, the area's major health care centers, and higher density
housing.
Another major landmark in the area is the Commons, built in the mid- 1970s on what was
farmland south of 320"' Street. The Commons is one of the largest malls in South King
County and is the anchor for retail development in the area. The mall was a result of
population growth in the region and its location was determined by the 320'hStreet
intersection with Interstate 5. The Interstate supplanted Highway 99 as the main artery for
commuter traffic in the County.
By the mid 1980s, South King County was growing quickly. Retail growth occurred along
Highway 99, especially at the 320' Street intersection. Roads and office space were
developed to accommodate the increased growth. Residential growth was also prominent,
following plans developed by King County, with a large number of apartment homes. The
changes to the community, with increased housing and traffic, created a movement for
greater self-determination. In 1989, the citizens of this area voted for incorporation and the
City of Federal Way was born, incorporating on February 28, 1990.
Federal Way's Future Vision
Federal Way's challenge for the future is to protect what the community believes is most
important, while meeting the state's growth management goals. The following paragraphs
describe what Federal Way will look like in the year 2022, and beyond, if it balances
these growth management mandates with the needs and desires of Federal Way citizens.
Federal Way is a great place to live, work, and play because of its:
Government For and By the People: All governmental entities reflect the can -do attitude of
Revised 2013 1-8
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
Federal Way citizens and partner with them to provide quality services, often through
volunteerism. Governmental entities reflect the community's values of diversity,
innovation, and participation. Together, the community and its neighborhoods have built
a sense of identity and ownership for Federal Way and its future. Fiscally conservative,
innovative financial and management (contracting model) strategies, along with
economic growth, have allowed the community to enjoy a moderate tax rate, with bond
issues approved to support major projects. The community vision has maintained a focus
and continuity for staff and fiscal resources on the defined vision.
Responsible Growth: The community realized that some level of growth in all segments of
the community (economic, population, housing, etc.) was inevitable, and chose to
channel that growth into very specific development goals. The overall character of the
community has remained much as it was 20 years ago. Infrastructure has been developed
concurrently with growth, preserving the community's quality of life.
Development goals have fostered the preservation of a primarily residential community
and open natural areas, with concentrated urban development in the City's Center. An
increase in the number of corporate headquarters, annexation of the Potential Annexation
Areas (PAA), and build out of available single-family sites, at competitive prices, has
accommodated Federal Way's population target. Some new multiple -family development
is concentrated in the City Center/99 corridor area, primarily through downtown
condominiums. This pedestrian friendly, multi -use City Center, with multi -story and
underground parking facilities works well for many. Federal Way citizens enjoy the
pedestrian plazas of the City Center.
Statewide planning goal #6 states, "Private property shall not be taken for public use
without just compensation having been made. The property rights of landowners shall be
protected from arbitrary and discriminatory actions." The City supports preservation of
private property rights; however, property rights must be balanced with the health, safety,
and general welfare of the community.
Economic Vitality: Strategically located in the Pacific Rim, between SeaTac Airport and the
Port of Tacoma, Federal Way provides jobs as an international and regional retail and
employment center. Federal Way is also home to several corporate headquarters located
in East and West Campus. Companies choose Federal Way for its sense of neighborhood
identity, mix of housing stock, proximity to natural resources (mountains, oceans, and
waterways), and safety. The growth in the corporate headquarters segment of the
economy has netted economic spinoffs for Federal Way's small business community, as
small business provides support services for the corporate park companies. Growth in the
small business economy has generated some redevelopment of previously large retail
warehouse facilities to accommodate office, retail, and light manufacturing. Quality jobs
have boosted disposable income, supporting expansion of Federal Way's retail and
commercial sectors. The resulting enhancements to the community's tax base have
helped to support a high quality of community life.
Efficient Traffic System: Federal Way's transportation system links neighborhoods with the
City Center, and Federal Way with other communities in the Puget Sound region.
Concentrated economic growth in East and West Campus and the City Center has allowed
Revised 2013 1-9
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
mass transit to connect Federal Way's economic core with the economic and leisure hubs
of Puget Sound communities. Concentrated growth has allowed the community to
maintain the infrastructure in outlying areas, focusing new infrastructure in the City's
Center. Youth have found the transportation system easy and safe to use in getting to
school.
Safety, Infrastructure, and Utilities: This issue has been addressed at the neighborhood level,
where community -based policing philosophies and citizen efforts to create a sense of
neighborhood with real and perceived safety are most effective. A professional and
compassionate law enforcement force communicates clearly with the community's
diverse populations and business community, providing a visible community presence, as
well as acceptable emergency call response times. Improvements in safety have been a
cornerstone for the community's economic and residential growth. The utility and fire
districts share this community vision and have targeted their efforts and resources to
continue to provide effective and efficient delivery of water, sewer, telephone, television,
power, and fire services. Increased coordination between these districts and the City, and
these districts and their regional counter -parts, has ensured adequate service expansion to
make the community's development vision a reality.
Caringfor Our Own: Governmental and social service agencies work in concert to provide a
caring and safe environment for all Federal Way citizens. Ever -improving educational
institutions, public and private, serve all interests and ages throughout the community.
Neighborhoods have joined with the schools in their area to improve student achievement,
school facilities, and resources. Strong educational institutions and the leadership of the
Federal Way School District, Highline Community College, and DeVry University have
contributed to the community's economic growth, providing a trained work force and
quality education for the families of employees who locate here. The City has been the
catalyst for creating a one -stop shopping center for human services, with programs at all
levels of government requiring greater participation from clients in improving their
individual situations.
Quality Culture, Environment, and Play: Parks, trails, sports, urban agriculture, and cultural
arts facilities cater to the active lifestyle of Federal Way citizens. By partnering with the
Federal Way School District and other agencies, the community has developed a long-
range plan for facilities, parks, and services, which is yielding more and better facilities,
and joint facility utilization than any one agency could provide alone. A performing and
cultural arts center has been built, although it will require operating subsidies for its first
eight years.
The Federal Way area is blessed with a bounty of natural beauty and scenery. This
bounty includes dramatic vistas of Mt. Rainier; numerous lakes, streams, and wetlands;
the pastoral setting in the Spring Valley area; and views of Puget Sound and Vashon
Island from the saltwater ridge. The City is committed to preserving this vast natural
resource for the citizens and future citizens of Federal Way.
Regional Player: Finally, Federal Way institutions and citizens are regional partners and
participants in the economic, political, and cultural life of Puget Sound. This participation
Revised 2013 1-10
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
has yielded funding opportunities for community facilities, including housing and human
services. Other regional efforts have safeguarded the community against outside impacts
that detract from our community's quality of life. Regional participation has crossed the
seas with sister city relationships which are supported by Federal Way citizens. These
relationships have had significant cultural, educational, and economic benefits for the
community.
This vision will not be easily achieved. It will require difficult choices. In order to grow
gracefully, and remain a healthy and desirable community, tomorrow's higher density
growth areas must be accompanied by improved amenities for urban life. More resources
will be required to maintain the high quality of life we currently enjoy, thanks to our
parks, streets, and other public services. A combined effort of the public sector,
neighborhood groups, businesses, schools, and individual citizens will be required. The
early and continuing cooperation and collaboration of these groups in this process will
ensure this vision will be realized.
Getting to the Future from the Present
The FWCP is intended to manage growth and change in Federal Way over the next 20
years. The future described in the FWCP cannot be achieved all at once. Over the life of
the FWCP, growth will likely occur more slowly at times, more rapidly at others, and in
somewhat different patterns and sequences than is currently foreseen. The best a
comprehensive plan can be is a well-educated guess about how to accommodate people
and conditions that cannot be known in advance. An effective comprehensive plan must
be flexible enough to succeed within a range of likely conditions and must be adjusted as
those conditions are monitored and evaluated, while maintaining a steady aim at its
ultimate goals.
How Will The Plan Be Implemented?
Adopting a comprehensive plan is the first step toward realizing the City's vision. The
vision is achieved when the comprehensive plan is implemented. Federal Way's
implementation program is comprised of a combination of short-term and long-term
actions. Short-term actions include the approval of rezones that match the FWCP's land
use designations. Other actions include the annual update of the City's six year Capital
Improvement Program, which describes the street, park, and surface water utility projects
the City intends to build. There are also long-term actions including subarea planning,
monitoring, evaluating, and amending the FWCP as conditions change; and developing a
capital investment program that allocates resources to projects that will spur the City's
development in the direction envisioned in the FWCP.
Subarea Plans: Subarea plans will follow the adoption of the FWCP and will produce
amendments that tailor the FWCP's citywide perspective to individual areas, whether
they are neighborhood retail nodes or light manufacturing areas. The FWCP contains a
Revised 2013 1-11
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
subarea plan for the City Center. Subarea plans are expected to continue to aid in
adjusting and fine-tuning the FWCP over time.
Coordination with Other Jurisdictions: Federal Way representatives have participated with
King County, other cities, and the Puget Sound Regional Council in numerous
discussions. Some issues have been addressed and others have been identified for
additional discussion. Undoubtedly, continued regional planning forums will need to be
created to meet the GMA's challenge for regional action toward creating, implementing,
and funding a shared vision for the greater Puget Sound region.
Regulatory Provisions: Implementing the FWCP will include retaining, modifying, and/or
replacing existing regulations, and/or drafting new regulations consistent with the
policies and goals of the FWCP. For instance, in 2002 the City formed a stakeholders
group that reviewed the City's permitting process and made recommendations on how to
improve and/or modify the regulations and process. This group continues to meet once a
year to provide input to the City's development review process.
A Strategic Investment Strategy: This will describe a framework for making resource
allocation decisions in an environment where wants and needs always exceed the finite
resources available. Tradeoffs among many possible investment choices will be made to
achieve the FWCP's goals. The framework will add dimension to the FWCP's goals by
enabling them to be addressed over time.
Human Services, Public Safety, and Environmental Planning: These will continue to build
upon the foundation established by the FWCP. Much of the FWCP, as developed to
fulfill the GMA, addresses physical development and its related regulatory and fiscal
support. Federal Way works with other levels of government, non-profit providers, and
citizen groups to support an array of activities and services that contribute to the quality
of life of Federal Way's citizens. These include public safety; health, cultural,
educational, and environmental activities; and human services. To ensure that the
interrelationships of all aspects of urban life are addressed, planning will be undertaken
by the City in a way that is supportive of and coordinated with the FWCP.
Monitoring and Evaluation: This will be done periodically to assess progress toward
achieving FWCP goals, as well as to measure the conditions and changes occurring
within the City. Monitoring and evaluation will help ensure consistency within and
among the FWCP chapters, as well as with the GMA, the CWPPs, and county and
regional growth plans. Monitoring and evaluation will lead to both FWCP amendments
and improved ability to project future conditions.
Citizen participation in City processes will build upon the dialogue between government
and citizens that began with the development and adoption of the FWCP. The City will
strive to find improved means to communicate with, and involve citizens in planning and
decision -making. The City will strive to provide information that can be easily
understood and to provide access for public involvement. This will include processes for
making amendments to and implementing the FWCP.
Revised 2013 1-12
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
Application of the Plan
The principal purpose of the comprehensive plan is to provide policies that guide the
development of the City in the context of regional growth management. These policies can
be looked to by citizens and all levels of government in planning for the future of Federal
Way.
The FWCP format generally presents a discussion about an issue followed by a goal, and
some policies related to that goal. Goals describe what the City hopes to realize over time,
and are not mandates or guarantees. Policies describe actions that will need to be taken if
the City is to realize its goals. Policies should be read as if preceded by the words, "It is
the City's general policy to...." A policy helps guide the creation or change of specific
rules or strategies (such as development regulations, budgets, or program area plans). City
officials will generally make decisions on specific City actions by following ordinances,
resolutions, budgets, or program area plans that themselves reflect relevant FWCP
policies, rather than by referring directly to the FWCP. Implementation of most policies
involves a range of City actions over time, so one cannot simply ask whether a specific
action or project would fulfill a particular FWCP policy. For example, a policy that the
City will "give priority to" a particular need indicates that need will be treated as
important, not that it will take precedence in every City decision.
Some policies use the words "shall" or "should," "ensure" or "encourage," and so forth.
In general, such words describe the relative degree of emphasis that the policy imparts,
but not necessarily to establish specific legal duty to perform a particular act, to
undertake a program or project, or to achieve a specific result. Whether such a result is
intended must be determined by reading the policy as a whole, and by examining the
context of other related policies in the FWCP.
Some policies may appear to conflict, particularly in the context of a specific fact
situation or viewed from the different perspectives of persons whose interests may
conflict on a given issue. A classic example is the "conflict" between policies calling for
"preservation of the environment" and policies that "promote economic development."
Because FWCP policies do not exist in isolation and must be viewed in the context of all
potentially relevant policies, it is largely in the application of those policies that the
interests, which they embody, are reconciled and balanced by the legislative and
executive branches of City government.
Before the FWCP was adopted, the City of Federal Way had many policies in place that
were approved over the course of many years, and which affect the full range of programs
and services provided by the City. To the extent a conflict may arise between such a policy
and the FWCP, the FWCP will generally prevail, except that policies that are used in the
application of existing development regulations shall continue to be used until those
regulations are made consistent with the FWCP pursuant to RCW 36.70A.040.
Discussion is provided to explain the context in which decisions on goals and policies
have been made, the reasons for those decisions, and how the goals and policies are
related. The discussion portions of the FWCP do not establish or modify policies, but
Revised 2013 1-13
FWCP — Chapter One, Introduction
they may help to interpret policies.
Comprehensive Plan Amendment Process
The City will update the FWCP annually in order to keep this document current with the
community's vision and the City Council's policy direction. In addition to updating
chapters, such as Capital Facilities, the public will also be notified that a comprehensive
plan amendment will be taking place. Individual requests will be considered during the
annual update process.
Acknowledgments
The City Council and staff thank the hundreds of citizens who have made the CityShape
project a success. We look forward to working with you and others over the coming years
to make your vision Federal Way's future.
Revised 2013 1-14