20-102775-Fee-in-Lieu Open Space Request-07-15-2020-V1
July 15, 2020 1879-001-015
Mr. John Hutton, Parks Director
City of Federal Way
Dept. of Parks and Recreation Division
33325 8th Avenue S
Federal Way, WA 98003
RE: Fee-in-Lieu Open Space Request
Wall Short Plat; 30201 18th Avenue SW, Federal Way
Dear Mr. Hutton:
On behalf of Jeff and Karen Wall, ESM Consulting Engineers is submitting this letter as a
request to pay a fee-in-lieu of providing usable open space for the Wall Short plat. The
applicant would like to make a request solely for the 10% usable open space requirement.
The subject property is King County tax parcel 012103-9146 and is approximately 6.24
acres. The site is located in the northern portion of Federal Way in the Adelaide
neighborhood, adjacent to 20th Place SW and near SW 304th Street. The proposed short
plat includes 6 single-family residences and associated infrastructure.
FWRC 18.55.060(2) requires 15% of the gross land area of the subdivision site (40,772
SF) to be dedicated to open space. A minimum of 10% or approximately 27,181 SF of
usable space is required therein, with the option of the remaining 5% be provided as
conservation, constrained, or buffer space.
A stream runs through the northwestern portion of the project parcel and is contained in a
critical area tract (Tract A) that includes the required 100’ buffer. The total area within this
tract is approximately 40,062 SF, or 14.8% of the gross site area. The 14.8% will be
dedicated as conservation open space and substantially exceeds the remaining 5% of
open space required. Refer to the Preliminary Short Plat Plan Set for a depiction of this
area. No additional open space is proposed.
The applicant would like to request to pay a fee-in-lieu of the 10% usable open space
required, or 27,181 SF. Per FWRC 18.55.060(2) the fee in lieu of open space is calculated
based on the most recent assessed value of the property. In this case, King County’s most
recent assessment places a value of $373,000 for the Wall property. This will result in a
fee-in-lieu dedicated to the City of Federal Way Parks Department that equates to $37,300.
Mr. John Hutton
July 15, 2020
Page 2
Thank you for your consideration on this matter. If you have any questions, feel free to
contact me at (253) 838-6113.
Sincerely,
ESM CONSULTING ENGINEERS, LLC
NOHELY MORENO, MS
Planner
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