Final_Chapter_7CHAPTER SEVEN
CITY CENTER
7.0 INTRODUCTION _____________________________________________ 1
Purposes _________________________________________________________ 1
7.1 POLICY BACKGROUND ______________________________________ 2
Growth Management Act __________________________________________ 2
VISION 2040 _____________________________________________________ 2
Countywide Planning Policies _____________________________________ 3
7.2 THE ROLE OF THE CITY CENTER IN FEDERAL WAY’S FUTURE __ 4
7.3 EXISTING CONDITIONS ______________________________________ 5
City Center Planning Area _________________________________________ 5
General Image ___________________________________________________ 5
Land Use ________________________________________________________ 6
Parks and Open Space ____________________________________________ 8
Civic Buildings and Municipal Facilities ____________________________ 8
Circulation _______________________________________________________ 8
Residential ______________________________________________________ 9
Infrastructure ___________________________________________________ 10
7.4 THE LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION CONCEPT FOR THE
CITY CENTER _______________________________________________ 10
The Concept Plan ________________________________________________ 10
Land Use Designations ___________________________________________ 11
City Center Core Area ____________________________________________ 12
City Center Frame Area __________________________________________ 13
Circulation ______________________________________________________ 13
Automobile Circulation __________________________________________ 14
Pedestrian/Bicycle Connections ___________________________________ 14
Transit _________________________________________________________ 15
High Capacity Transit ____________________________________________ 16
Civic Buildings and Open Spaces _________________________________ 17
Parking _________________________________________________________ 17
Streetscape ______________________________________________________ 18
7.5 THE URBAN CENTER ________________________________________ 19
7.6 VISION STATEMENT ________________________________________ 22
7.7 GOALS AND POLICIES ______________________________________ 23
7.8 IMPLEMENTATION _________________________________________ 28
Implementation Strategies ________________________________________ 29
Phasing _________________________________________________________ 30
2015– 2035 Actions _______________________________________________ 30
Activity Since 1995 Comprehensive Plan Adoption __________________ 31
Maps
Map VII-1, City Center Vicinity Map
Map VII-2, City Center Boundary Map
Map VII-3, City Center Land Use Designations
Map VII-4, Current Land Use Map
Map VII-5, Town Center Development Site
Map VII-6, Boundaries of Planned Action SEPA
Map VII-7, The Concept Plan
Map VII-8, Proposed Street Network
Map VII-9, Potential Location of Public Spaces and Pedestrian and
Bicycle Connections
Map VII-10, Potential Transit Alignment and Stops
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7.0 INTRODUCTION
During a series of community workshops held in 1992 and 1993, Federal Way citizens
helped to develop a “vision” for Federal Way’s future. This vision included the creation
of a City Center (Maps VII-1 and VII-2). The City Center is comprised of both the City
Center Core (CC-C) and the City Center Frame (CC-F). With the support of the
residential and business community, Federal Way nominated itself to contain an urban
center/regional growth center. Nominations were reviewed by the Growth Management
Planning Council (GMPC), which confirmed the Federal Way CC-C area as an urban
center/regional growth center in 1994. This designation should help Federal Way
continue to gain access to County funds needed to provide infrastructure as the City
Center grows.
The term urban enter is used in the Countywide Planning Policies (CWPPs) and the term
regional growth center is used in VISION 2040. The term urban center will be used in
this chapter to refer to the urban center/regional growth center. Urban centers are not
specifically addressed by the Growth Management Act (GMA).
Federal Way’s City Center chapter presents concepts and strategies for creating a
definable and vibrant City Center for Federal Way and an urban center for Southwest
King County. The chapter integrates the community’s vision for a City Center with the
Puget Sound Regional Council’s (PSRC) regional growth strategy, and King County’s
countywide strategy for developing a network of urban centers.
Purposes
The principal purposes of the Federal Way City Center chapter are to:
Create an identifiable downtown that is the social and economic focus of the City;
Strengthen the City as a whole by providing for long-term growth in employment
and housing;
Promote housing opportunities close to employment, shopping, and transit;
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Support development of an extensive regional/high-capacity transit system;
Reduce dependency on automobiles;
Consume less land with urban development;
Maximize the benefit of public investment in infrastructure and services;
Reduce costs of and time required for permitting;
Provide a central gathering place for the community; and
Improve the quality of urban design for all developments.
7.1 POLICY BACKGROUND
The City’s comprehensive plan is required to be consistent with the GMA, Puget Sound
Regional Council goals and policies of Vision 2040, and the CWPPs. The sections below
briefly identify the relevant goals and policies related to city centers and urban centers
contained within these documents. The City’s specific goals and policies are consistent
with these regional goals and policies and are contained within Section 7.7 of this chapter.
Growth Management Act
Per RCW36.70A.080, “Comprehensive Plans, Optional Elements,” comprehensive plans
may include sub-area plans, which are required to be consistent with the overall
comprehensive plan. Accordingly, there are no GMA goals that are specific to city
centers or urban centers. However, the following goals pertain to compact growth such as
envisioned for a city center and an urban center:
Urban Growth – Encourage development in urban areas where adequate public
facilities and services exist or can be provided in an efficient manner.
Reduce Sprawl – Reduce the inappropriate conversion of undeveloped land into
sprawling, low-density development.
VISION 2040
VISION 2040 directs cities with urban centers to develop a subarea plan. Centers are
intended to be central places with more compact, pedestrian-oriented development with a
mix of residences, jobs, retail, and entertainment. Centers also provide community and
economic benefits as gathering places and locations of commerce and business. VISION
2040’s multicounty planning policies call for the region to focus significant residential
and employment growth within centers. Therefore, cities with regional growth centers
must adopt housing and employment targets for their center.
VISION 2040 also directs cities with designated centers to establish transportation mode-
split goals for each center, in order to increase walking, biking and transit use. The build
out of centers with a mix of uses and pedestrian-friendly design is expected to result in
less driving and reduced pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Centers are also
prioritized for regional infrastructure and economic development funding.
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VISION 2040 has a number of goals and policies related to centers. The following is the
VISION 2040 goal and selected policies that are most relevant to Federal Way:
Goal: The region will direct growth and development to a limited number of
designated regional growth centers.
MPP-DP-5: Focus a significant share of population and employment growth in
designated regional growth centers.
MPP-DP-7: Give funding priority—both for transportation infrastructure and for
economic development—to support designated regional growth centers
consistent with the regional vision. Regional funds are prioritized to regional
growth centers. County-level and local funding are also appropriate to prioritize
to regional growth centers.
Countywide Planning Policies
The Countywide Planning Policies (CWPPs) must be consistent with both the GMA and
VISION 2040. Like VISION 2040, the CWPPs address only the urban center. A centers
strategy is the key for King County to achieve VISION 2040’s regional growth strategy
as well as providing a land use framework for an efficient and effective regional transit
system.
The CWPPs have a number of goals and policies related to urban centers. The following
selected policies are most relevant to Federal Way:
DP‐29: Concentrate housing and employment growth within designated urban
centers.
DP‐32: Adopt a map and housing and employment growth targets in city
comprehensive plans for each urban center, and adopt policies to promote and
maintain quality of life in the center through:
• A broad mix of land uses that foster both daytime and nighttime activities
and opportunities for social interaction.
• A range of affordable and healthy housing choices.
• Historic preservation and adaptive reuse of historic places.
• Parks and public open spaces that are accessible and beneficial to all
residents in the urban center.
• Strategies to increase tree canopy within the urban center and incorporate
low impact development measures to minimize stormwater runoff.
• Facilities to meet human service needs.
• Superior urban design which reflects the local community vision for compact
urban development.
• Pedestrian and bicycle mobility, transit use, and linkages between these modes.
• Planning for complete streets to provide safe and inviting access to multiple
travel modes, especially bicycle and pedestrian travel.
• Parking management and other strategies that minimize trips made by single
occupant vehicle, especially during peak commute periods.
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7.2 THE ROLE OF THE CITY CENTER IN FEDERAL WAY’S
FUTURE
There are several reasons why a definable, vital City Center is an important part of
Federal Way’s future. These include:
Community Support – The Federal Way community has made the City Center a significant
part of its vision. Participants in community workshops helped to develop a vision for
Federal Way’s future. A keystone of that vision is an attractive, multi-faceted City Center
providing the setting for commercial, residential, entertainment, recreational, and civic
activities.
Economic Development – Federal Way’s economic development strategy relies on a strong
urban center. As discussed in the Chapter 4, “Economic Development,” Federal Way has
the opportunity to transform itself from an essentially residential and retail based
economy to an emerging, sub-regional economic center with an expanded, more
diversified employment base. An important step in achieving this goal is a sufficient
critical mass in the City Center to produce lively street activity; support specialty
business and cultural/entertainment facilities; justify the investment for public parks,
amenities, and improved transportation systems; and create the interactive “synergy” of a
true urban center. Federal Way’s economic development strategy with the development
of Town Center I, II, III, and IV as described below, and shown in Figure VII-1 will
greatly contribute to such a critical mass.
The City has acquired 17 acres in the downtown and will be embarking on developing a
Town Center, which includes four components:
Four acres for a Performing Arts and Events Center (PAEC) (Town Center I).
Four acres for a park (Town Center II).
Eight acres for a hotel and potential development opportunities for office, medical
office, higher educational facilities, retail and restaurants, along with arts and
entertainment venues. In addition, there is a smaller component for office or
institutional space (Town Center III).
One acre for transit-oriented development (TOD) located west of the transit center
and multi-story parking garage owned and operated by Sound Transit (Town
Center IV).
Natural Evolution – The development of a more intensive, multi-use urban center is a
natural step in Federal Way’s evolution. Most new centers start out as bedroom
communities.
Growth Management – Developing a City Center is part of a regional strategy to address
Western Washington’s growth management. Public policy makers have focused
increased attention on issues affecting our quality of life, including urban sprawl and the
accompanying reduction of open space, declining housing affordability, and increasing
traffic congestion. Concentrating future growth within the four county region into a
number of centers (rather than a continued pattern of dispersion), linked by an efficient
high capacity transit system, is one of the principal goals to manage this growth.
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Figure VII-1
7.3 EXISTING CONDITIONS
City Center Planning Area
The City Center planning area, consisting of the CC-C and CC-F zones, is approximately
414 acres in size and is bounded by South 312th Street, South 324th Street, Interstate 5,
11th Place South, and 13th Avenue South (Map VII-3 ). The CC-C and CC-F areas are 209
and 205 acres, respectively.
General Image
The City Center does not currently present an identifiable sense of a downtown or urban
center. The existing commercial development within the study area is typical of suburban
strip retail and mall development. The dominance of mass retailing has largely shaped the
commercial core. The Commons and spin-off retail centers are a local and regional
destination and generate great amounts of physical and economic activity. However, as is
the case with older suburban mall areas, there is little, if anything, distinctive or unique
about the existing City Center. Essentially, it could be anyplace. It is similar to hundreds of
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other commercial centers across the country. Buildings are dispersed throughout the area
and lack pedestrian connections to each other, public rights-of-way, public and private
spaces, residential neighborhoods, or civic uses, except by automobile. Development
essentially reflects one pattern: a single story of “light” construction, surrounded by an
apron of asphalt. Buildings feature concrete or concrete block walls, creating austere and
“generic” images.
Another prevalent image of the area is the vast amount of surface parking. The
availability of parking is essential to the current type of retail found in Federal Way. City
Center businesses serve regional as well as local markets, and are heavily oriented to
access by automobile. Actual building footprints relative to total parcel areas are quite
small; the majority of most parcels are used to provide surface parking. This parking is
often underutilized, except during the peak holiday season.
The current network of collectors and arterials, and the disjointed over-sized block grids
within the existing commercial area, contribute to significant traffic congestion. The
character of the street environment is also unfriendly to pedestrians in many locations,
with few amenities such as benches, plazas, etc. In addition, in many locations the
pedestrian experience is made even less attractive as little more than parking lots or blank
walls line the sidewalks. Improvements throughout the City Center, most notably along
South 320th Street, Pacific Highway South/SR-99, 23rd Avenue South, and South 312th
Street have improved the character of some streetscapes with handsome streetlights,
street trees, and median plantings Continuation of these improvements elsewhere
throughout the City Center will do much to improve the overall character of the City
Center streetscapes. Similarly, the extensive abatement of unattractive, out-of-scale
signage has also led to a more attractive, human-scale streetscape.
The City Center does not contain a significant residential population. Pockets of residential
housing exist between South 312th and 316th Streets, and between SR-99 and I-5.
Figure VII-2 depicts an aerial view of the City Center area from the south looking north.
Land Use
Most of the study area is currently developed and consequently, most new development
in this area will displace existing low intensity uses (Maps VII-4 and VII-5). The primary
use in the City Center area is commercial (retail/service), followed by institutional uses,
residential, office, and lodging. The Commons is the “signature” development in the area.
Table VII-1 lists the amount of land use development by gross floor area within the City
Center planning area as of April 2015. Institutional uses in the City Center are listed below.
320th Street Park and Ride
The Transit Center
Town Center I (future Performing Arts and Event Center)
Truman High School
King County Library
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Figure VII - 2
Aerial View of City Center
Table VII-1
Gross Floor Area of Land Uses – City Center, April 2015
Use Total Square Footage # Residential Units #Hotels #Hotel Rooms
Commercial (Retail/Service) 10,568,496
Institutional Uses 1,664,016
Vacant Land 616,189
Office 546,147
Hotel 466,380 5 657
Religious Services 193,070
Parks 174,825
Industrial 159,668
Utilities 37,886
Single Family 1
Multi-family 502
Senior Housing 447
Open Space
Recreation
Total 14,426,677 950 5 657
Source: City of Federal Way GIS
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Parks and Open Space
There is one city-owned public park, Town Square Park (Maps VII-2 and VII-3), located
within the City Center. Private green spaces, plazas and public meeting spaces are few.
Steel Lake Park to the northeast and Celebration Park to the southwest are on the perimeter
of the City Center. These parks are within walking distance of the City Center, and they
also serve as regional facilities in addition to serving local needs.
Civic Buildings and Municipal Facilities
Similarly, the City Center lacks significant civic or municipal facilities, with only the
Public Library near the periphery of the City Center. The next closest facility is the City
of Federal Way Parks Department’s Steel Lake Annex and Maintenance Facility near
South 312th Street and 28th Avenue South. The Federal Way Community Center and City
Hall are located a few miles southwest of the City Center at 876 South 333rd Street and
33325 8th Avenue South, respectively.
Circulation
Roadways – A key element defining mobility within the City Center planning area is the
enormous size of its blocks. Most U.S. downtowns have blocks ranging from 250 to 500
feet on a side; block lengths in Federal Way are several times that. Because of the
“superblock” configuration, motorists drive between and within parking areas serving
City Center developments to avoid congestion along City streets and pedestrian
circulation is discouraged.
Access to the area is provided by two principal arterial routes: South 320th Street (which
runs east/west and connects to I-5), and SR-99 (which runs north/south). An insufficient
hierarchy of streets feed these arterial roadways. The area lacks a system of minor arterial
and smaller collector streets that could diffuse traffic efficiently away from these two
principal arterials. The poor spacing of traffic signals also adds to congestion. As such,
the accessibility provided by the juncture of these routes, initially attractive to area
residents, has been lost due to growth in traffic.
Transit Service –A regional park and ride lot, located southwest of I-5 and south of South
320th Street and the Federal Way Transit Center, which opened in early 2006 on a seven-
acre site located at the southwest corner of South 316th Street and 23rd Avenue South at
the northeast edge of Federal Way’s City Center, generate most of the area’s transit
ridership during peak periods of the day. King County/METRO, Sound Transit, and
Pierce Transit serve both of these sites.
The 317th direct access ramp for Sound Transit’s Federal Way Transit Center and the
Sound Transit Federal Way Transit Center opened in early 2006 and has improved
regional transit speed and reliability because transit is able to access the city center
without having to use the congested I-5/320th interchange. The 317th direct access ramp
also benefits carpools and vanpools.
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Pedestrian Environment and Bicycle Facilities – A 1992 inventory of existing sidewalks
within the City (see page V-22 of the Community Profile, Feb. 1993) revealed a
deficiency of pedestrian facilities citywide. The central core was highlighted as one of the
areas that lacked an adequate pedestrian network. For example, most of SR-99 and
portions of 324th Street and 23rd Avenue South lacked sidewalks, although a series of
street improvements has corrected this. The majority of walking that takes place in the
city center occurs within malls and along storefronts of shopping center strips. Sidewalks
connecting storefronts to public walkways are lacking. Crossing wide, busy streets such
as South 320th Street and SR-99 can also be intimidating.
There are few places to sit and enjoy pleasant weather, meet friends, or have lunch
outside. The current pedestrian environment is unfriendly and unappealing. The division
that exists between pedestrians and auto areas is not conducive to establishing the active
street life desired in a City Center.
Bicyclists have even fewer facilities to choose from. City streets lack striping or signage for
bike riders who must share the road with heavy volumes of traffic. Once bicyclists reach the
area, they become frustrated by the lack of safe storage facilities for their vehicles. Covered
bike parking is now provided at Sound Transit’s Federal Way Transit Center.
Residential
The CC-F contains approximately 502 multi-family units of housing (listed in Table VII-1),
located primarily in the area east of SR-99, south of South 312th Street, north of South 316th
Street, and west of 28th Avenue South. Other residential neighborhoods surround the City
Center area, such as the pockets of multi-family housing west of 11th Place South and south
of South 320th Street. There are also single-family neighborhoods west of Highway 99 and
north of the South 312th Street corridor. While these neighborhoods are not located
immediately within the City Center, they are located conveniently within walking,
bicycling, or vehicular distance. They differ greatly in character and type.
Approximately 47
percent of all residential
units in the City Center
are senior housing. In
1997, two senior
housing projects were
constructed in the CC-
F. These projects are
located south of South
312th Street and east of
23rd Avenue South,
adjacent to the southern
portion of Steel Lake Park. The two projects, Meridian/Willamette Court and Woodmark
at Steel Lake, consist of 300 and 85 living units respectively. In 2010, a 62-unit senior
housing project adjoining the Transit Center was constructed in the CC-C. The residents
of these developments have easy access to several shopping opportunities and services in
the City Center area.
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In an effort to stimulate additional multi-family development in the City Center, the City
adopted a multi-family tax exemption in February 2003. In addition, the City adopted a
Planned Action SEPA in September 2006 for a sub-area of the City Center, 200 acres in
size, more specifically described as an area bounded on the north by South 312th Street, on
the south by South 324th Street, on the west by Pacific Highway South, and on the east by
23rd Avenue South. In April 2010, the City Center Planned Action Area was expanded to
add approximately ten acres and five parcels. Its boundaries are South 317th Street to the
north, South 320th Street to the south, 23rd Avenue South to the west, and the eastern
boundary is roughly in alignment with 25th Avenue South (Map VII-6). The planned action
designation applies to proposed residential, retail, office, hotel, civic, and structured parking
development falling within the development envelope analyzed in the Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the planned action. The Planned Action SEPA and increased heights for
mixed-use buildings containing multi-unit housing in the CC-C and CC-F are intended to
encourage construction of multi-unit housing in the City Center area.
Infrastructure
Most of the existing facilities and infrastructure were inherited from King County. In
1998, the City adopted new streetscape guidelines related to roadway profiles,
streetlights, sidewalk widths, and street trees. A list of infrastructure improvements made
since incorporation can be found in Section 7.8 of this chapter.
7.4 THE LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION CONCEPT
FOR THE CITY CENTER
The Concept Plan
The concept is to redevelop the City Center and create a compact urban community and
vibrant center of activity. The crux of the strategy is to promote a compact urban center
with connections between where we live, work, and recreate, and to create an urban
environment that is amenable to walking, bicycling, and transit. The concept, a result of
the citizen participation process called CityShape (held in 1992-93), implements the
community’s goals outlined in Section 7.7. In summary, the concept is to:
Establish an environment that supports high capacity transit (HCT) by locating
residents and workers within convenient walking distance of HCT.
Make efficient use of existing capital improvements by concentrating higher
intensity land uses in the City Center.
Encourage a mix of compatible uses where housing coexists, above commercial
developments.
Create a dense residential community within walking and bicycling distance of
the City Center.
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Improve auto circulation in the City Center by completing the proposed street
grid, creating smaller blocks, and providing opportunities for through traffic to
travel around rather than through the core, thus minimizing the impact of future
growth on Citywide traffic patterns and congestion.
Reduce impact of parking by encouraging structured parking; allowing reduced
parking ratios, shared parking, and other innovative and creative parking
solutions, as well as implementing guidelines that enhance appearance.
Create pedestrian and bicycle connections throughout the City Center and to
surrounding neighborhoods. Provide a safe and inviting environment for
pedestrians and bicyclists with direct connections between activities and transit
facilities. Continue to develop and/or reconstruct streets to include sidewalks,
street trees, benches, garbage receptacles, screening of parking areas, etc.
Create high amenity pedestrian-friendly corridors through the City Center, linked
to a transit center and providing an attractive civic focus to the Commons.
Provide a civic focus to create a sense of identity for all residents. Develop
municipal and cultural facilities within the City Center area.
Develop public spaces in the City Center, particularly the core area. Enhance the
City Center with a network of public spaces and parks connected to the Citywide
and regional system of open spaces, parks, and trails. Encourage gathering spaces
in private development.
Adopt strategies to protect views such as Mount Rainier, especially for civic uses
and public parks.
Map VII- 7 applies the principles described above. The CC-C area is located between SR-
99 and I-5 and between South 316th/317th and South 324th Streets. The City Center core
area contains a concentration of higher-density, commercial, residential, and mixed-use
development, as well as civic, social and cultural uses. The CC-F area surrounds the core
along the west and north edges and provides a full complement of similar uses to those in
the core at somewhat lower densities. It also provides a transition to surrounding single-
family neighborhoods.
High capacity transit serves the City Center, and pedestrian pathways connect the HCT
station with residential areas, existing and future civic spaces, and the Commons.
Land Use Designations
This section expands on the land use concepts described previously. The City Center
chapter contains two different land use designations, each with its own distinctive
characteristics, intended to guide the evolution of the City Center (Map VII-3). The CC-C
and CC-F designations give form to the concepts summarized in section 7.5. These land
use designations direct the location and extent of growth, and will reshape the nature of
development, transforming the area into a compact, vibrant City Center.
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City Center Core Area
The CityShape vision called for concentrating growth in an area where sufficient
infrastructure capacity exists, or where such capacity can be provided efficiently. The
infrastructure within the City Center, specifically the core area, is designed to handle the
highest levels of demand within Federal Way. By orienting new growth around this
investment, the existing capacity can be utilized to its fullest extent. The core area
designation also encourages the concentration of new development to help reduce
development pressure in other areas of Federal Way.
Residents choose to live in higher-density housing for a variety of reasons. First, higher-
density is frequently less expensive than single-family housing. Second, the convenience
and proximity to work, needed services, and cultural activities is very desirable for many
people. Finally, many people find that they do not need a large, single-family detached
house. Given their lifestyle, they appreciate the low maintenance and security of higher-
density living. There is a mutually supportive relationship between higher-density
residential uses and commercial activities. The presence of housing also activates City
Center streets, day and night.
The City Center core area will also be the central gathering place for the community—a
place where the whole community can congregate and celebrate. Accordingly, the core
will include Town Square Park, with public amenities such as water features, covered
shelters, and unique landscaping.
The Performing Arts and Events Center (PAEC) (Town Center 1) will be constructed to
the north of Town Square Park (Town Center 2) (Figure VII-1 and Map VII-5).
Figure VII-2
Potential Core Area Development
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City Center Frame Area
Establishing a City Center frame area provides a zone for dense mixed-use development
that surrounds and supports the core. It also provides a transition between high-activity
areas in the core area and less dense neighborhoods outside of the frame.
The frame area allows uses that are similar to those in the core area, but are of lower-density
and intensity. Together, the core and frame areas are complementary. Encouraging multi-
unit housing mixed with business and commercial use will help Federal Way meet regional
land use goals and its housing and employment targets. This is accomplished by
encouraging the development of housing close to employment and transportation centers.
To help transform the character of this land use designation, regulatory and/or financial
incentives should be explored in exchange for amenities that contribute to a more pedestrian
oriented environment (Figure VII-3).
Figure VII-3
Potential Frame Area Development
Circulation
The City Center chapter aligns with VISION 2040 and the CWPPs related to circulation.
Regional travel trends continue to show more cars on the road because the population and,
therefore, number of drivers continue to increase. However, as fewer millennials drive,
and the population ages, there will be less trips per person, and a decrease in the number of
people driving alone. The emphasis of the FWCP is to promote a variety of travel options
such as van and car pools, transit, walking, and bicycling. The City will focus both on
transportation improvements as well as influencing individual travel choices by increasing
the attractiveness of alternatives to the automobile. These improvements should include: a
smaller street grid, bicycle routes, public sidewalks and pedestrian pathways, clear and
identifiable transit routes, and eventually light rail facilities.
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Encouraging growth in a compact, well defined City Center will help promote bicycling,
walking, and transit use, as well as encouraging shorter automobile trips. The City Center
will be connected to other regional urban centers and areas of the City by a multimodal
transportation system, including a fast and convenient regional transit system.
Automobile Circulation
The current network of collector roads and arterials, the disjointed grid, and large block
sizes contribute to significant traffic congestion within the City Center. The solution is
not necessarily to construct wider roads. Streets become less efficient as the numbers of
lanes increases. Building new streets versus widening existing streets is more cost
effective, yields greater capacity, and will have less impact on the City Center.
Automobiles are likely to continue as a dominant mode of transportation. A
comprehensive network of collector arterials and other streets must be developed to
distribute this traffic and create more driving choices. To the extent possible, the City
should connect streets to form a tighter grid within the City Center, especially in the core,
by negotiating new public rights-of-way and building new streets. This “interconnectivity”
serves to shorten and disperse trips, and consequently reduce travel on existing congested
arterials. Map VII-8 indicates the proposed street network changes.
Pedestrian/Bicycle Connections
Pedestrian and bicycle mobility is a vital part of the future City Center circulation system.
Improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists should support increases in transit services
and promote the development of the City Center.
This chapter addresses the lack of pedestrian
amenities and pathways by recommending
changes to the development patterns and
transforming the character of the streetscape. As
the street system is redeveloped to better
accommodate the needs of pedestrians and
bicyclists, a network of facilities for people on
foot and bikes will be established such as
already exists for people in cars.
Reducing the size of the street grid as proposed, and creating pedestrian paths through
larger parcels is critical to establishing walking patterns that reduce dependency on the
automobile. As individual sites are designed and developed to be more pedestrian
friendly, and as the City provides improved pedestrian linkages, the pedestrian system
will handle an increasing share of trips. As such, the City adopted special street design
standards for the City Center in 1998. These include 12-foot sidewalks with street trees
and pedestrian-scale street lighting. As streets are constructed, additional amenities such
as benches, trash receptacles, and landscaped corner treatments may be added. Bike lanes
will also be provided in a grid tighter than the rest of the City on through streets that
avoid multiple turn-lane conflicts.
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In addition to adding public sidewalks and creating mid-block pathways, Map VII-9
depicts six principal pedestrian connections to improve pedestrian circulation.
The first goal associated with improved pedestrian/bicycle connections is developing
connections between the HCT station, adjoining bus transfer facilities, and other uses.
The pedestrian and bicycle system is essential to other travel modes, particularly transit.
Many transit trips begin and end as pedestrian trips on public rights-of-way. Therefore,
all buildings within proximity to where trips begin and end should be required to
facilitate pedestrian and bicycle movement.
The second goal is to establish pedestrian and bicycle connections to the Commons, the
City’s largest generator of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Linkages between the transit
station and the Commons are important. Unfortunately, South 320th Street is wide,
congested, and presents a significant barrier to this connection. Providing an at-grade
pedestrian and bicycle crossing could increase congestion and vehicular and pedestrian/
bicycle conflicts. To facilitate this connection, and encourage redevelopment of existing
parking areas, this chapter proposes the continued consideration of a pedestrian bridge
spanning South 320th Street. The pedestrian over-pass would create a major connection
between two areas in the City Center that have a high potential for new development and
redevelopment.
The third goal is to connect the City Center to nearby neighborhoods and parks.
Residential neighborhoods of varying densities surround the City Center. Steel Lake and
Celebration Parks are located to the northeast and southwest of the City Center,
respectively. Both pedestrian and bicycle trails should extend to these residential
neighborhoods and parks. Roads extending to these areas should emphasize the
pedestrian connection by including additional pedestrian amenities.
In order to provide good pedestrian connectivity across multi-lane arterials such as South
320th Street and Pacific Highway South, crossings should be provided more closely than
the existing ¼-mile spacing of traffic signals. Unsignalized pedestrian crossings would
not be very safe, yet closer spacing of traffic signals make two-way signal coordination
impossible to achieve, creating much more congestion and worsening safety and air
quality. These conflicting needs must be resolved through the design process as these
streets are reconstructed. One solution, although it would an expensive one, would be to
construct a pedestrian overpass across 320th Street.
Transit
Efficient, convenient, and reliable transit is an important component of the City’s vision of
reducing auto dependency through the creation of viable travel options. Transit will play an
important role in the development of the City Center and the region as a whole. A multi-
modal system that includes transit will bring commuters and shoppers to and from other
areas of Federal Way and adjacent communities. A high capacity transit system with a
principal stop in the core area will distribute people regionally and connect to other bus
based transit systems. Transit stops throughout the center will help shoppers, employees,
and residents to circulate around the City Center without the need to get into their cars.
Encouraging a mix of land uses and densities at major transit access points will help meet
passenger needs and reduce vehicle trips.
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High Capacity Transit
The Federal Way Transit Center opened in early 2006, on a seven-acre site located at the
southwest corner of South 316th Street and 23rd Avenue South, at the northeast edge of
Federal Way’s City Center. The transit center is a regional bus transit facility supporting
Sound Transit, King County METRO, and Pierce Transit. It includes a five-level
structured parking garage with 1,200 parking spaces, a pedestrian bridge between the
transit decks and parking garage, bicycle storage, and shelters for waiting passengers.
The Transit Center is considered by the City as a major anchor to the urban center
designation in the Vision 2040 plan adopted by PSRC. The project also includes a high
occupancy vehicle (HOV) direct-access ramp connecting the transit center to Interstate-5
via South 317th Street. In addition, approximately one acre of the transit center site has
been set aside for future transit-oriented development (TOD), and is now designated
Town Center IV (Figure VII-I and Map VII-5), consistent with the comprehensive plan
vision for the City Center. In 2010, Senior City, a TOD development of 62 units of senior
housing, was constructed adjoining and east of the station.
Sound Transit is working with Puget Sound citizens and City representatives to develop a
HCT network linking Everett, Tacoma, Seattle, Bellevue, and communities between them.
Three light rail stations are proposed in Federal Way, including one in the City Center.
In April 2015, Sound Transit released an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) regarding
alignment and station location alternatives in the City Center. The EIS identifies two
primary alignment alternatives: I-5 or Pacific Highway South. The EIS also identifies five
potential station locations in the City Center. Two of the potential stations would facilitate a
Pacific Highway alignment, and three would facilitate an I-5 alignment. Map VII-10 shows
four stations, although the station just south of the existing Transit Station would facilitate
both alignments. The Sound Transit Board will select a preferred alignment in 2015.
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Civic Buildings and Open Spaces
Public buildings including community centers, libraries, city hall, performing arts and
event centers, and schools provide places for the community to meet, exchange ideas, and
socialize. The City should take advantage of every opportunity to locate a variety of civic
buildings in and around the City Center. This will occur over time, but it is necessary to
establish a clear direction through public policy.
A network of outdoor spaces for recreation, strolling, gathering, and dining will make the
City Center a lively and attractive place to live, shop, and conduct business. Each type of
space should serve a range of users and activities. Outdoor spaces should range from a
major urban park, like Town Square Park, that is the focal point for downtown, to pocket
urban plazas for lunch time gathering by residents, visitors, and workers. Some spaces will
be publicly built and maintained, others will be constructed along with private
development. Privately developed gathering space is a major component of all City
Centers: small parks and plazas are opportunities to enhance the urbanscape and image of
the City Center. Courtyards and forecourts are ways to integrate open space to enhance a
project. Visitors, shoppers, and employees often perceive these private spaces as public.
The City should commit to assist in or provide incentives for, the development of plazas
and parks that are open to the public
Presently, Town Square Park (Town Center II) acts as a central outdoor gathering place
within the core area, and it will become the focus of community activities in the core. The
City is also in the planning process for Town Square 1, a Performing Arts and Events
Center; Town Center III, an eight acre site now under the City’s control, which will be
redeveloped with a mix of commercial, residential, and educational uses; and Town
Center IV, a one-acre transit-oriented development opportunity directly adjacent to the
Transit Center (Figure VII-1).
Parking
The continued use of expansive surface parking acts as an obstacle to redeveloping the
City Center as a higher-density, mixed-use area that is pedestrian-friendly and supports
the use of public transportation. It is, therefore, necessary to make more efficient use of
parking and encourage the provision of structured parking within these areas.
Moreover, parking lots have high redevelopment potential. There are numerous examples
of communities similar to Federal Way where former parking lots now contain multi-story
developments. Large amounts of parking will be needed for many years to come, however,
as development pressures and land values increase, property owners may be able to afford
the conversion from surface parking to structured parking. In the interim, the City should
encourage site layouts that facilitate future redevelopment of parking areas.
The City should examine the feasibility of partnering with the private sector to construct
a parking structure in the downtown commercial core area. Figure VII-4 is a conceptual
illustration of the redevelopment of surface parking around a mall. Additionally, the City
may designate certain streets for on-street parking.
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Figure VII-4
Potential Redevelopment of Surface Parking Areas
Streetscape
To improve livability within the City Center area, the City must complete the street
network and continue to develop streets in accordance with its new street standards. The
street grid must be well interconnected to make travel from one place to another as
efficient as possible. The key to achieving this is to consider streets as a network that will
serve pedestrians, bicycles, and transit, in addition to automobiles. In areas where
increased density is proposed, existing streets must continue to be retrofitted with
sidewalks, street trees, street furniture, and other amenities. Allowing on-street parking
also creates a buffer between pedestrians and vehicles. It also allows shoppers and
visitors to park easily for short amounts of time. On-street parking should be permitted on
City Center streets, where feasible.
The Transportation chapter illustrates several street standards developed specifically for
the City Center area. These streets will connect to other proposed and existing streets to
complete a street grid. These standards also incorporate the City Center Street Design
Guidelines adopted by the City Council in May 1998.
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7.5 THE URBAN CENTER
Federal Way’s CC-C area has been designated as an urban center. VISION 2040 has
specific requirements about what must be included in urban center plans. These include
land use; housing and employment targets; mode-split goals, key job sectors and industry
clusters; and policies and programs for innovative stormwater management.
Land Use
The urban center is presently characterized by mostly retail and service, with only 62
units of senior housing constructed in 2010 (Table VII-II, Maps VII-4 and VII-5). A key
element of VISION 2040 and the CWPPs is to focus growth into dense walkable mixed
use urban centers.
Housing Targets
Demographic shifts in the housing market will contribute to the development of the urban
center. These include a shrinking proportion of households with children and an
increasing proportion of racially and ethnically diverse households and households with
singles, families without children, and seniors. These growing demographic groups have
historically shown a preference for higher-density housing near transit. To address, this
demographic shift, the housing target for the urban center has been set at 2,521 units.
This means that there is an additional target of 2,459 residential units, which is 30 percent
of the overall city target of 8,100 residential units.
Employment
Major Employment Sectors
As discussed in Chapter 4, “Economic Development,” and shown in Table VII-III, almost
23 percent of jobs in the City are in services, followed by health care, retail, and tourism.
Based on data provided by PSRC, almost 59 percent of total jobs in the urban center are
in the services sector (this excludes jobs in health care and tourism), with almost 32
percent in retail. PSRC suppresses employment information for a particular sector if there
are very few employers in that sector in order to protect the identity of the employer.
Therefore, even though the total number of jobs in the urban center in 2013 added up to
3,389, due to suppression of jobs neither the jobs nor percentages in the identified sectors
will add up to 100 percent.
Table VII-II
Land Use in the Urban Center, April 2015
Use Total Square
Footage
# Residential
Units #Hotels #Hotel Rooms
Commercial (Retail
& Service) 5,720,595
Institutional Uses 728,251
Hotel 385,781 4 556
Vacant Land 366,757
Religious Services 193,070
Parks 174,825
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Use Total Square
Footage
# Residential
Units #Hotels #Hotel Rooms
Office 123,069
Utilities 37,886
Senior Housing 30,834 62
Total 7761068 62 4 556
Table VII-III
2013 Employment in the Urban Center
Employment
Category
City-Wide Urban Center
Employees Percentage of
Total Employees Employees Percentage of Total
Employees
Services (Excluding
Health Care &
Tourism)
6,765 22.95% 1,986 58.60%
Healthcare 5,713 19.38%
Retail 4,585 15.55% 1,073 31.66%
Tourism 3,654 12.40%
Education 2,087 7.08%
Finance, Insurance
and Real Estate
1,964 6.66% 219 6.46%
Government: Public
sector employment
excluding education
1,696 5.75% _ _
Wholesale Trade,
Transportation and
Utilities
1,644 5.58% _ _
Construction and
Resources
853 2.89% _ _
Manufacturing 516 1.75%
Total 29,477 100% 3,389 96.72%
Source: PSRC 2013 Covered Employment Database
Industry Clusters
Industry clusters are geographically concentrated cooperative networks of interdependent
firms and related institutions, where the close contacts of the members and the continuous,
fast knowledge exchange between them contribute to the competitive increase of both the
members and the whole region. An active local cluster includes firms and support
organizations working together to achieve results that would not be possible individually.
Cluster data for the Urban Center generated by PSRC can be found in Table VII-IV.
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Table VII-IV
Industry Clusters in the Urban Center
Cluster 2010 2013
Business Services 218 248
Tourism 964 879
1,212 1,161
Employment Targets
VISION 2040 and the CWPPs envision urban centers to contain current or planned
concentrations of the region’s most significant business, governmental, and cultural
activities with large regional markets. Accordingly, the total number of jobs for the year
2035 for the urban center has been set at 6,823. This means that there is an additional
target of 3,434 jobs, which is 28 percent of the overall city target of 12,300 jobs.
Transportation
Concentrating growth in a specific area also supports investment in transit, including a
regional HCT system. Existing low-density development does not generate sufficient
levels of demand to optimize the return on investment in transit. Promoting higher-
density uses within walking distance of transit facilities will improve the viability of this
significant infrastructure investment.
Additionally, concentrating the highest density of development in the urban center, where
a significant number of jobs and residences will be within walking distance of a transit
station, helps reduce dependency on the automobile and improve pedestrian mobility.
The urban center emphasizes pedestrian, bicycle, and transit mobility.
As shown in Table VII-V, based on PSRC’s 2010 Summary Statistics in the Federal Way
Profile on Urban Centers, mode split in 2010 was 79 percent single occupancy vehicle
(SOV). The City’s 2040 goal for the urban center is a 70 percent SOV rate.
Table VII-V
Mode-Split Goals
2010 2040
Single Occupancy Vehicle 79% 70%
High Occupancy Vehicle 9% 13%
Walk and Bike 3% 4%
Transit 9% 13%
Source: PSRC’s Federal Way Profile on Urban Centers and City of Federal Way Traffic Division
Environment
Critical Areas
There are no wetlands, streams, or geologically hazardous areas within the urban center.
However, there are three aquifers that underlie the City. Federal Way is partially
dependent on groundwater as a source of drinking water. Groundwater pumped from
Lakehaven Utility District wells originates from these three aquifers. The Lakehaven
wells are protected by regulations that designate wellhead protection zones. The western
portion of the urban center is located within a 10-year wellhead protection zone.
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Stormwater Management
Conventional tools to manage stormwater runoff focus on mitigation and flood control by
collecting runoff via conveyance systems and detaining the excess volume in ponds or
vaults. However, the conventional tools typically do not provide local groundwater
recharge, as they require large volumes of surface or subsurface storage, and provide
limited water quality treatment.
Consistent with Department of Ecology permit requirements, the City is moving toward
making a low impact development (LID) approach as the preferred method, where
feasible, to supplement or replace the conventional tools for stormwater management.
LID shifts the stormwater focus from a structural measure to a source reduction approach.
7.6 VISION STATEMENT
By the end of the comprehensive planning horizon in 2035, the Federal Way City Center
has evolved into the cultural, social, and economic center of the City and fulfilled its role
as one of Puget Sound’s regional network of urban centers. This role is reinforced by
pedestrian-oriented streetscapes; an efficient multi-modal transportation system; livable
and affordable housing; increased retail, service, civic, and office development in a
compact area; a network of public spaces and parks; superior urban design; and a safe
and vibrant street life.
The City Center is responsive to the needs of the City’s residents. In addition to general
services that draw people from outside the region, such as retail, office, cultural,
entertainment, and hotel uses, the City Center is the primary commercial area providing
local goods and services to the surrounding neighborhoods, and to residents and
employees within the center area.
Private development and City-initiated actions have resulted in a balanced transportation
network that accommodates automobiles, public transportation, high occupancy vehicles,
pedestrians, bicyclists, and integrated parking. Pedestrian, bicycle, and transit circulation
is emphasized along with other travel modes. The downtown urban fabric includes smaller
blocks, lending itself to efficient and pleasant travel. Concentrated development allows a
significant number of jobs and residences to be located within close proximity to transit,
including a High Capacity Transit Station (HCT), thus, reducing dependency on the
automobile and improving pedestrian mobility. The regional HCT system with regional
express bus service has evolved to include fixed guide-way systems, such as light rail.
Direct access to a regional transit system links the City Center to Seattle, Everett, Tacoma,
Bellevue, SeaTac International Airport, and other regional and local destinations.
The diversity of housing opportunities now include high-rise and/or mid-rise mixed-use,
which helps to meet a significant portion of the community’s housing needs. City Center
residents walk or take transit to shop, work, and recreate. Community facilities and
services, public spaces, parks, and trails complement the variety of housing and provide
places for residents to come together as a community.
A central gathering place for the community, the City Center, is where the whole
community can congregate and celebrate. Civic and cultural facilities including a
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Performing Arts and Events Center, park and open-space system, meet the needs of
residents, employees, and visitors. These amenities connect to the Citywide and regional
system of open spaces, parks, and trails. Public and private projects contain such design
elements as fountains, sculptures, and unique landscaping.
The quality of urban design for all developments, including streets, buildings, and
landscaping, is high and contributes to an improved quality of life. Public buildings and
spaces also set a high standard for design and compatibility with adjoining uses.
7.7 GOALS AND POLICIES
The following goals provide overall direction to policy makers and community members
when making choices about growth and development within Federal Way’s City Center.
General Goals
CCG1 Create an identifiable City Center that serves as the social, cultural, and
economic focus of the City. Define a City Center with distinct boundaries,
unique building types, and special features.
CCG2 Attract a regional market for high quality office and retail uses which increases
employment opportunities, adds to the City’s tax base, and establishes Federal
Way’s City Center as an economic leader in the South King County region.
CCG3 Foster distinct districts within the City Center, defining the roles and
characteristics of each such district.
CCG4 Encourage a mix of compatible uses to maintain a lively, attractive, and safe
place to live, work, and visit.
CCG5 Focus on improving the existing character and image of the City Center.
CCG6 Encourage housing opportunities in commercial/residential mixed-use settings.
Promote housing opportunities close to employment.
CCG7 Encourage the availability of affordable housing to all economic segments of the
population of this state, promote a variety of residential densities and housing
types, and encourage preservation of existing housing stock.
CCG8 Develop land use patterns that will encourage less dependency on the single
occupant automobile.
CCG9 Provide a balanced transportation network that accommodates public
transportation, high occupancy vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, automobiles,
and integrated parking.
CCG10 Create an environment that attracts high quality housing, commercial, and office
uses. Continue to enforce requirements for quality design in buildings,
streetscape, and site planning.
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CCG11 Create policies and regulations to encourage more efficient use of parking
facilities and to foster new, innovative, and creative parking solutions.
Goal
CCG12 Focus new growth in the City Center and allow for higher intensity uses and
densities.
Policies
CCP1 Support a concentration of uses within the City Center to create a financial,
retail, business, civic, and cultural hub of Federal Way.
CCP2 Develop an attractive City Center that will attract quality development.
CCP3 Continue to support land use regulations that allow the higher intensity
development expected over the next 15 to 30 years.
CCP4 Continue to develop a City Center that is the primary commercial area providing
local goods and services to the surrounding neighborhoods and region, and to
residents and employees within the center.
CCP5 Utilize the SEPA Planned Action to provide streamlined permit review in the
City Center in order to accelerate progress towards meeting the vision.
CCP6 Work with urban service providers to ensure sufficient capacity is available for
development.
CCP7 Allow for a variety of uses and mixed-use development within buildings, or
complexes. Ensure that mixed-use development complements and enhances the
character of the surrounding residential and commercial areas.
CCP8 Provide incentives to encourage residential development in City Center.
CCP9 Promote the siting of cultural and civic uses within the City Center. The City
should always consider City Center sites in siting analyses and decisions
regarding potential civic and cultural uses that it develops. In addition,
incentives should be explored that could attract cultural and civic uses over
which the City does not have direct control.
CCP10 Continue to develop land use regulations that encourage the City Center to
accommodate higher-density residential uses accompanied by residentially
oriented retail and service uses.
CCP11 Continue to provide amenities such as community services, parks, and public
spaces to meet residential needs.
CCP12 Continue to ensure effective transitions between frame area development and
nearby lower-intensity development.
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Goal
CCG13 Improve the flow of vehicular traffic through the City Center and minimize
increases in congestion.
Policies
CCP13 Improve traffic flow around and through the City Center by extending the street
network, creating smaller blocks, and completing the ring road along the west
edge of the City Center.
CCP14 Reduce congestion by supporting the Commute Trip Reduction Act. Develop
commuting alternatives to single occupancy vehicles, including transit, walking,
and bicycling.
Goal
CCG14 Promote and facilitate the effective use of non-motorized transportation. Create
a safe, efficient, and enjoyable pedestrian and bicycle system.
Policies
CCP15 Emphasize pedestrian and bicycle circulation, as well as other travel modes in
all aspects of developing the City Center transportation system. Include public
sidewalks, street trees, and other pedestrian amenities for streets.
CCP16 Continue to enforce and refine zoning codes, site planning requirements, and
street design standards, as necessary, to establish a more pedestrian and bicycle
friendly environment.
CCP17 Encourage new development to include active ground floor uses such as shops,
community services, office, and restaurants.
CCP18 Provide pedestrian connections between adjacent buildings where possible to
provide for streetscape continuity and develop clear and safe pedestrian paths
through large parcels to enhance the pedestrian network.
CCP19 Continue to site and screen parking lots to minimize impact on the pedestrian
environment.
CCP20 Connect the main entry of buildings to public sidewalks by a clear, identifiable
walkway.
CCP21 Encourage transit use by improving pedestrian and bicycle linkages to the
existing and future transit system, and by improving the security and utility of
park-and-ride lots and bus stops.
CCP22 Establish clear and well-marked pedestrian crossings to reach transit facilities
and other uses at a maximum spacing of 660 feet.
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CCP23 Connect Celebration Park and Steel Lake Park via a pedestrian/bicycle pathway
bisecting the City Center. Orient buildings, urban open spaces, plazas, etc., to
pathways where feasible.
CCP24 Continue to improve the pedestrian/bicycle circulation along South 320th Street
and Pacific Highway South.
Goal
CCG15 Work with transit providers to develop a detailed HCT plan for the City Center.
Identify facilities, services, and implementation measures needed to make transit
a viable and attractive travel mode. Tailor the plan to meet local needs through
rapid transit, express buses, and/or demand-responsive service.
Policies
CCP25 Continue to focus transportation investments to support transit and pedestrian/
bicycle-oriented land use patterns.
CCP26 Participate actively in regional efforts to develop an HCT system to serve the
City Center.
CCP27 Establish the most intensive levels of transit service to the City Center area.
CCP28 Integrate any transit system with existing or new road rights-of-way.
CCP29 Integrate the high capacity transit system with other transportation modes
serving Federal Way and the region.
CCP30 Integrate bicycle and pedestrian facilities with, and connect to, high capacity
transit facilities during right-of-way acquisition and facility design.
Goal
CCG16 Develop civic and cultural facilities in addition to a public space and park
system within the City Center to meet the needs of residents, employees, and
visitors. These facilities and spaces should connect to the Citywide and regional
system of public spaces, parks, and trails.
Policies
CCP31 Promote a diversity of public and privately funded recreational and cultural
facilities throughout the City Center. Promote partnerships between the City and
other agencies, private organizations, and individuals to develop and meet the
needs of the community for these types of facilities.
CCP32 Acquire land necessary to provide a broad range of development opportunities
throughout the City Center.
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Goal
CCG17 Encourage the development of a higher-density, mixed-use City Center that in
turn will reduce parking demand per square foot or per unit.
Policies
CCP33 Encourage public and private parking structures (below or above ground) in lieu
of surface parking. As redevelopment occurs and surface parking becomes
increasingly constrained, consider a public/private partnership to develop
structured parking in the downtown commercial area.
CCP34 Encourage the provision of structured parking.
CCP35 Buffer parking areas to increase compatibility between surrounding uses. For
larger lots, provide substantial landscaping, special lighting, and pedestrian
walkways.
CCP36 Site and orient buildings and parking to allow redevelopment of surface parking.
CCP37 Allow on-street parking to create a buffer between pedestrians and traffic,
depending on street characteristics and role within the City Center. On-street
parking should be viewed as a component of the parking supply for the area.
CCP38 Encourage shared parking between uses to maximize the use of available
parking within the City Center.
Goal
CCG18 Plan for land use patterns and transportation systems that minimize air pollution
and greenhouse gas emissions.
Policies
CCP39 Continue to build a multimodal transportation system, as described in Chapter 3,
“Transportation,” so that people who live and work in Federal Way have a
variety of convenient low-or no-emission transportation options.
CCP40 Continue to promote commute trip reduction strategies as a way to reduce air
pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Goal
CCG19 As part of new development or redevelopment, encourage the use of innovative
techniques such as Low Impact Development.
Policies
CCP41 Encourage the use of low impact development stormwater facilities, or use other
similar stormwater management techniques to promote aquifer recharge.
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CCP42 Establish land use and building controls to use stormwater infiltration, such as
low impact development and green stormwater infrastructure techniques
wherever feasible, and to minimize the amount of impervious surface created by
development.
Goal
CCG20 Consider protecting views from civic buildings and uses, such as the Performing
Arts and Events Center, for the enjoyment of citizens.
Policy
CCP43 Consider providing incentives, and/or adopt regulations, for view protection of
scenic vistas.
Goal
CCG21 Maintain street designations that reinforce the unique characteristics of the
City Center.
Policies
CCP44 Continue to acquire right-of-way, primarily through dedication from
development, to complete and enhance the street network.
CCP45 Continue to design streets as public spaces, with appropriate pedestrian
amenities, trees, sidewalks, bicycle paths, transit services, street furniture, and
trash receptacles.
CCP46 Continue to construct streetscape improvements as an integral component of any
roadway improvement.
CCP47 Encourage buildings to front or face public rights-of-way, providing clear paths
from the sidewalk to all entries.
CCP48 Do not widen any streets except for SR-99 and South 320th Street to more than
five lanes.
CPP49 Continue to look for opportunities such as the dedication of the flagpoles and
the renaming of the downtown stretch of South 320th Street as Memorial Way to
reflect local values and create a unique community character.
7.8 IMPLEMENTATION
Developing a City Center will require collaboration between government entities,
citizens, and developers. Phasing and development of certain elements, such as high
capacity transit, are outside the City’s control. Therefore, an implementation program
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must be flexible. It must also be tied to general goals, policies, and strategies rather than a
detailed, step-by-step list of actions. The implementation section consists of:
A set of strategies to guide implementing actions;
An illustration of how these strategies can be realized over time; and
An action plan.
Implementation Strategies
Specific strategies must be pursued in order to coordinate various elements and actions that
are dependent upon one another. For example, private development depends upon
adequate infrastructure and amenities. Effective transit service depends upon supporting
land use development to provide sufficient ridership. Residential communities require
adequate transportation and services, a pedestrian friendly environment, open spaces, and
jobs to foster a sense of community. However, regulatory and infrastructure actions must
be taken in the interim to prepare for these developments. The following strategies form
the basis to achieve desired City Center development.
Maintain regulations to shape and influence new development (1-20 years).
Discourage low intensity auto oriented development in the City Center.
Provide regulations and incentives to achieve a high intensity, mixed-
use, pedestrian friendly development.
Encourage high-density residential development in the City Center.
Continue to provide incentives to foster desired redevelopment in the City Center.
Maintain, and consider increasing the City Center redevelopment fund.
Consider appropriate public-private partnership opportunities as they
present themselves to leverage desired development.
Pursue appropriate redevelopment of City owned parcels.
Continue to respond to opportunities for City acquisition and
repositioning of key properties as they become available.
Develop specific plans to construct needed street and infrastructure improvements
(1-5 years).
Develop plans to define the location of street rights-of-way for
completing the street grid and constructing transit facilities to provide
predictability for developers.
Construct arterial improvements with associated landscaping and
pedestrian amenities (timing set by capital facilities program).
Per the adopted pedestrian and bicycle plan, construct sidewalks,
pedestrian paths, mid-block connectors, and bicycle connections to all
areas of the City Center and particularly to the transit center (ongoing
effort).
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Consider development of structured parking facilities as needed to support more
intensive development and gradually convert the City Center into a less auto
dependent area.
Improve both local and regional transit service.
Coordinate with Sound Transit to develop a regional HCT station in
the City Center (15-20 years).
Construct civic features, public spaces, parks, and other urban elements to create
a true urban center and promote civic identity (1-10 years).
Develop major civic facilities in the City Center such as, Municipal
Facilities, Performing Arts and Events Center, and parks, to generate
social and economic activity.
Include landscaping and pedestrian improvements in all street
construction (incremental program tied to actual improvements).
Phasing
Transforming the existing downtown commercial area into the proposed City Center is an
ambitious task. It requires a significant transformation from a low-density, automobile
oriented, largely retail area to a higher intensity, more pedestrian oriented mixed-use area.
This chapter acknowledges that the City Center will take some time to develop. The City
can facilitate these changes if a series of small steps are taken over time. This is especially
true if the steps are consistent with the emerging economic, social, and demographic
trends. As is the intent of this plan, the phasing scenario presented here accounts for the
timing of market projections and future actions.
As noted above, the implementation strategy is keyed to projected trends and regional
planning goals. Its form and character, as envisioned in the chapter, are dramatically
different from anything that now exists in the center. Recently, there has been a substantial
increase in interest in redevelopment opportunities within the City Center, both on the part
of existing property owners and prospective developers. This interest indicates that new
development is more likely in the near-term than at any time over the past several years. It
will be important for the City to maintain its proactive efforts to attract, engage, and even
at times provide incentives for new development The City should not encourage continued
low-scale investment in this area, since it will need to be amortized over a decade or two
and will delay accomplishment of preferred development.
2015– 2035 Actions
Utilize the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in programming capital projects,
reviewing development proposals, and encouraging other agencies to integrate
bicycle improvements and linkages into Federal Way projects. The plan should
emphasize linkages between transportation facilities, Celebration and Steel Lake
parks, The Commons, and surrounding communities.
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Revised 2015 VII-31
Continue to plan for and develop parks and public spaces within the City Center.
Continue to improve SR-99 and establish mid-block crossings.
Complete the BPA Bike Trail.
Continue to negotiate and acquire rights-of-way to augment the City Center street
grid. During permit review, ensure that new development is compatible with the
street grid. Construct street grid enhancements.
Focus transit activities in the City Center core.
Pursue public-private partnerships for desired redevelopment, with City investment
in public open space, public parking, and/or public infrastructure leveraging
substantial, catalyzing redevelopment projects.
Through City ownership and repositioning, continue to pursue substantial
redevelopment of Town Center in fulfillment of the City Center vision and to be a
catalyst for additional, nearby redevelopment. Additional opportunities to acquire and
reposition key City Center properties should be considered as the opportunities
present themselves.
If the City Council chooses the City Center as the appropriate location for Municipal
Facilities, begin negotiations and acquire property for Municipal Facilities. Construct
Municipal Facilities.
Enhance educational and recreational opportunities in the City Center.
Construct a City Center park with public amenities such as a water feature, covered
shelter, art, and unique landscaping, separate from Celebration Park.
Continue to pursue public-private partnerships for desired redevelopment, with city
investment in public open space, public parking, and/or public infrastructure
leveraging substantial, catalyzing redevelopment projects.
Potentially construct the pedestrian overpass across 320th Street, and build phase one
of the City Center pedestrian mall.
Work with transit agencies to improve community-wide transit service and implement
a “spokes-of-a-wheel” service delivery pattern with City Center as the hub.
Establish green parks and corridors throughout the City Center and/or along a City
Center pedestrian mall.
Activity Since 1995 Comprehensive Plan Adoption
The following have been accomplished to implement goals and policies of the City
Center chapter since the initial adoption of the FWCP:
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Revised 2015 VII-32
In 1996, the City adopted code amendments for the City Center Core and Frame to
allow for increased residential density and flexibility in siting residential uses. The
City also adopted Community Design Guidelines intended to improve the appearance
of non-residential buildings and to expand pedestrian circulation, public open space,
and pedestrian amenities.
In 1998, in conjunction with King County/METRO, the City improved local and
intercity transit which resulted in more people having access to shopping and other
opportunities in the City Center. Since that time, the City has worked with the transit
providers to develop a detailed transit plan for the City Center, including siting and
initial design work for the City Center Sound Transit station, as well as improvement
of a park-and-ride lot.
In 1998, the City adopted policies to provide streetscape enhancements and
development of standards for streetlights, street trees, and their placement and
location in the City Center. Since that time, substantial progress has been made, with
full improvement along this corridor from I-5 to 11th Avenue South.
The City has an adopted TIP and CIP plans which addresses major street
improvements in the City Center. Minor collector and local street improvements
would be provided by development as redevelopment occurs.
In 2001, the City created an Economic Development Division to encourage City
Center redevelopment, attract businesses and developments, and increase visitorship
to the City Center.
Phases I, II, and III of the BPA trail have been constructed.
In 2001, the City Council enacted building code provisions allowing five stories of
wood-frame construction over concrete.
In 2003, the City Council enacted a property tax exemption for multifamily/mixed-
use construction.
In 2005, the City Council appropriated an initial $5 million for a City Center
Redevelopment Fund, and has since used that money to purchase property in the City
Center. In addition, the City Council passed a resolution committing to pursue
public-private partnerships to leverage desired redevelopment.
In 2006, the City amended its regulations to increase height for mixed-use buildings
from 85 to 200 feet.
In September 2006, the EIS for the City Center SEPA Planned Action was
completed, with adoption of the Planned Action Ordinance, providing a streamlined
SEPA process in the planned action area, adopted in 2007.
In January 2007, the City Council acquired the former AMC theaters site, with the
intention of repositioning that site for redevelopment that will achieve the FWCP
vision and serve as a catalyst for other nearby properties.
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Revised 2015 VII-33
In 2008, the state awarded the City up to $1 million per year in matching funds for 25
years, pursuant to the Local Infrastructure Financing Tool (LIFT) program. The
Revenue Development Area (RDA) for application of the LIFT program comprises
the majority of the City Center.
In 2009, the City Center was designated a “regional center” for the EB-5 Foreign
Investor Visa Program. This program grants foreign investors and their immediate
families a special EB-5 residency visa for making investments that create at least 10
jobs, and have a minimum investment of $500,000. The Federal Way Regional
Center encompasses the majority of the City Center.
In April 2010, the City Center Planned Action Area was expanded to add five parcels
comprising ten acres.
In June 2010, the City adopted regulations intended to reduce block perimeters in
order to create a more pedestrian friendly environment.
In 2010, the City acquired the former Toys R Us site for the development of a
Performing Arts and Events Center.
In February 2012, the City adopted a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.
In February 2012, the City adopted a Complete Streets Ordinance.
In January 2014, the City adopted an ordinance reducing school impact fees by 50
percent within the City Center.
In August 2014, the City adopted a resolution creating an Economic Redevelopment
Zone, covering the CC-C and that portion of the CC-F east of Pacific Highway South
in order to stimulate redevelopment of this area by prioritizing investment of
redevelopment financing.
In December 2014, the Planned Action SEPA, which was set to expire in 2014, was
extended to September 2015. The City is in the process of preparing a new
transportation analysis and a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)
in order to extend the timeline for a longer term.
In 2014, the City constructed an interim Town Square Park at the former AMC
Theatre building site. This park is in the process of being redesigned to become a
permanent park.
In 2014, the City acquired the former Target site for development of a town center.
In January 2015, the City adopted an Economic Development Strategy for the entire
City with particular emphasis on the Town Center Concept development for Town
Centers I, II, III, and IV (described in Section 7.2 and illustrated in Figure VII-I).
FWCP – Chapter Seven, City Center
Revised 2015 VII-34
In 2015, the City issued land use approval for the Performing Arts and Events Center,
with plans to begin construction in late 2015.
Infrastructure Improvements:
1999 – South 312th Street between Pacific Highway South and 23rd Avenue
South—Roadway widened to four lanes; sidewalks constructed; street lighting
and street trees installed.
1999 – South 312th Street and 14th Avenue South—Pedestrian Crossing Signal
added.
2000 – South 320th Street corridor streetscape improvements completed.
2001 – Pacific Highway South/South 320th Street intersection—Roadway
widened and new turning lanes added at each leg of the intersection. Also street
lighting and street trees added; architectural and landscaping elements installed at
each corner of the intersection; and utilities undergrounded.
2001 – The Commons surface water conveyance system upgraded.
2001-02 – South 320th Street between 11th Avenue South and Interstate 5 —
Utilities undergrounded; sidewalks widened where necessary to add new
streetlights; street trees installed behind the sidewalks and medians installed,
where feasible. Dual left-turn lanes added at 23rd Avenue South.
2002 – 23rd Avenue South between South 324th Street and South 316th Street—
Roadway widened to five lanes and new sidewalks, street lighting, and street
trees added. New traffic signals installed at South 316th Street, South 317th Street,
and South 322nd Street.
2002 – Ring Road (14th Avenue) completed.
2002 – South 312th and 14th Avenue South—Pedestrian signal upgraded to full
traffic signal.
2002-2004 – Pacific Highway HOV Lanes, Phase I—Pacific Highway South
widened with an HOV lane in each direction from South 312th to South 324th.
Sidewalks, center medians, landscaping, and utility undergrounding added. This
project was the City’s first of five projects to improve the Pacific
Highway/International Boulevard corridor and was a continuation of the
revitalization of the City Center.
2002 –Turn lanes added on South 324th Street at SR-99.
2004 – South 314th Street and 23rd Avenue South—Traffic signal constructed.
2006 – Flyover ramps from I-5 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes
connecting to South 317th Street constructed.
2006 – Sound Transit’s Federal Way Transit Center at South 317th Street and 23rd
Avenue South constructed.
2007 – 21st Avenue South grid road between Sound Transit and South 320th
Street constructed.
2011 – I-5 south-bound off ramp to South 320th Street widened.
2011 – 20th Avenue South sidewalk improvements (South 316th Street to South
314th Street) – Sidewalk on east side of 20th Avenue South widened to 12 feet,
and street trees and decorative luminaires added.
2013-2014 – South 320th at 20th Avenue South intersection improvements – Dual
left turn lanes in each direction of South 320th Street, including new traffic signal,
added.
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2014 – South 320th at 20th Avenue South Water Quality Vault – Water quality
vault for South 320th at 20th Avenue South intersection Improvements project
installed.
2014 – South 320th Street Safety Improvement Project:
Retro-reflective backing and flashing yellow arrow conversion at intersection
of South 320th Street with 23rd Avenue South and 25th Avenue South added.
Overhead lane assignment signage for northbound and southbound 23rd
Avenue South approaching South 320th Street; and for eastbound South 320th
Street approaching I-5 added.
SR-99 Safety Improvement Project – Retro-reflective backing and flashing
yellow arrow conversion at intersection of SR-99 and South 324th Street and
overhead lane assignment signage for westbound South 324th Street approaching
SR-99 added.
Non-Exclusive List of Major New Private Development:
1997 – Trader Joe’s
1998 – Comfort Inn
1999 – Marie Callender’s Restaurant
1999 – Holiday Inn Hotel
1999 – Extended Stay Motel
1999 – Walmart
2000 – Courtyard Marriot Hotel
2001-02 – Pavilion Centers, Phases I and II
2004 – Celebration Center (Multi-tenant Complex)
2005 – Woodstone Credit Union
2006 – H Mart
2007 – Panera Bread
2007 – Century Federal Way Theatres
2007 – McGrath’s
2009 – Verizon
2009 – East India Grill
2010 – Hampton Inn & Suites
2012 – Buffalo Wild Wings
2012 – The Ram
2012 – Home Goods
2014 – Kohl’s
2014 – Dick’s Sporting Good
2014 – Total Wine
2015 – Ulta Cosmetics
Renovated or Remodeled Projects:
1998 – SeaTac Village
1998 – Sunset Square (Safeway and Longs Drugs)
1999 – Ross Plaza (Rite Aid and Party City)
1999 – Indochine and Genghis Khan Restaurants
2006 – Pal-Do World (Sea Tac Plaza)
2006 – H Mart Grocery Store (located in former QFC in Pavilion Center)