Federal Way, Washington

How Federal Way is governed

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0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

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  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

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    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

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      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

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      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

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      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

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      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

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  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

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    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

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    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

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    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

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  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

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    Presides over the municipal court.

Website

federalwaywa.gov

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Population over time

From 89,306 in 2010 to 101,030 in 2020 (+13.1%).

History

Originally a logging settlement, the area was first called "Federal Way" when a consolidated school district was established in 1929. The name derived from U.S. Route 99 (now State Route 99 or Pacific Highway South), a federally-designated highway which ran through the state and connected Seattle to Tacoma. It followed an earlier road between Fort Steilacoom and Fort Bellingham that was completed in the 1850s and later became known as Military Road. The first homestead in the area was established in 1871 by Sam Stone near modern-day Redondo and was followed by other settlers. Five existing school districts consolidated operations into School District No. 210 in 1929 and planned construction of Federal Way High School, which opened in 1930 and gave its name to the school district. The local chamber of commerce adopted the name in the early 1950s.

New businesses, including motels and restaurants, moved to the Federal Way area in the 1940s and 1950s to serve the growing numbers of automobile travelers on the Pacific Highway. The first shopping mall in the future city, named Federal Shopping Way, opened in 1955 and included a small amusement park named Santafair and "Old World Square", which reproduced historic European buildings. The complex later grew to include historic Pacific Northwest buildings, including the log cabin of Seattle pioneer David Denny and a Catholic church from the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation, which were moved to the site in the 1960s. Federal Shopping Way was primarily home to small businesses and specialty retailers, but its amusement park and recreational areas were gradually closed by the 1980s. An effort to demolish Old World Square was resisted by the mall's businesses, who filed a lawsuit, but began in 1980 under the landlord's direction. The mall was demolished in 1995 and replaced by the Pavilions Centre, a conventional strip mall. The historic cabins were moved to a site near West Hylebos State Park and later restored by the local historical society.

A section of Interstate 5 through Federal Way opened to traffic in October 1962 and replaced U.S. Route 99 as the main north–south highway in the region. The highway brought residential growth to the area, which became a bedroom community for Seattle workers. Weyerhaeuser opened its headquarters complex on the east side of Interstate 5 in 1971 that was later expanded with a Bonsai museum and the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden. The company remained in Federal Way until moving to Seattle in 2016. An enclosed shopping center, named the SeaTac Mall, opened in 1975 with 43 stores and large big-box retailers to serve a regional clientele.

Attempts to incorporate Federal Way as a city were voted down in 1971, 1981 and 1985. The voters eventually approved incorporation as a city on February 28, 1990; the official act of incorporation was held at the Sportsworld Lanes bowling complex.

Growth since incorporation

As part of the Washington State Growth Management Act of 1990 (GMA), Federal Way has identified areas of unincorporated King County as Potential Annexation Areas (PAAs) to be annexed to the city. Federal Way's current PAAs include the Star Lake and Camelot neighborhoods in Lakeland North and the neighborhoods of Parkland, Lakeland, and Jovita in Lakeland South. All of these neighborhoods are located east of the city proper. In 2004, the city annexed the Northlake, East Redondo, and Parkway neighborhoods, adding over 2,700 people and nearly 1 square mile (2.6 km2) of area. While Federal Way had previously considered Auburn's West Hill, Auburn annexed that along with Lea Hill in 2007.

In February 2007, the city announced formal plans to annex the majority of unincorporated land on its east border as one PAA named East Federal Way, comprising the Star Lake, Camelot, Lakeland, and Jovita neighborhoods, and a strip of Peasley Canyon Road connecting the two areas. Annexation of the area would add 20,000 people and nearly 7 square miles (18.1 km2) to the city, creating the sixth largest city in Washington by population, at over 106,000 residents and nearly 29 square miles (75 km2).

On August 21, 2007, residents of the proposed East Federal Way annexation area rejected annexation to Federal Way by a 66% to 34% margin. Opponents of the plan, favoring remaining under direct King County government, asserted fears that increased density and higher taxes would result from annexation despite proponents showing studies that taxes and fees would be, in the immediate, unchanged.

In 2011, opponents of annexation petitioned King County to designate this same area as a township, an undefined municipal structure that does not currently exist anywhere else in the state but which the state constitution provides for. Under the plan, township status would prevent the annexation of the area, which would be named Peasley Canyon Township. The King County Council declined to act on the proposal, and the county elections board denied the group a ballot item.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Other cities in Washington

• Seattle 737,015
• Spokane 228,989
• Tacoma 219,346
• Vancouver 190,915
• Bellevue 151,854
• Kent 136,588
• Everett 110,629
• Renton 106,785

All Washington cities →