Federal Way Downtown Station TOD

Project facts

• Location: Federal Way, WA
• Site area: ±6 acres across 4 blocks
• Current use: Transit construction
• Status: Defining site goals and development strategy
• Development partner(s): None selected

Sound Transit is partnering with the City of Federal Way to produce transit-oriented development on approximately six acres of land next to the future Federal Way Downtown Link light rail station. The under-construction station is one of three new stations for the Federal Way Link Extension. The area around the Federal Way Downtown Station is part of the City of Federal Way’s plans for their City Center. Together, Sound Transit and the City of Federal Way look forward to fulfilling the City’s vision for a compact, mixed use, mixed income, and walkable urban center.

Development updates

Sound Transit is preparing to release a request for proposals (RFP) on sites 1 and 2 (see aerial below) for affordable housing development. The RFP is expected to be released as soon as June 2025. Please visit Sound Transit’s online vendor portal to learn more and sign up for notifications when the RFP is released. 

Sound Transit held an in-person informational meeting with interested developers and partners on January 29, 2025, to introduce the development opportunity, describe the project goals and proposal process, and provide time for questions and discussion. The recorded presentation is available here, and the meeting summary is linked here.

Planning and analysis for sites 3 and 4 is ongoing and will determine the future development and offering strategy.

About this project

The approximately six acres of land near the Federal Way Downtown Station site is currently being used for equipment storage and staging during construction of the Federal Way Downtown Station. TOD on these sites will help foster a vibrant neighborhood with direct access to regional transit.

Sound Transit involves communities to envision development near the stations that foster vibrant neighborhoods with seamless connections to regional transit. We engaged the Federal Way community earlier this year to guide the vision for bringing a keystone transit-oriented development project that will be part of Federal Way’s City Center neighborhood.

Key themes from the input shared in the survey and other engagement efforts are highlighted in the Community Engagement Summary. This feedback informed our preliminary development strategy and conversations with potential partners.

We will continue to share updates and engage the community and stakeholders throughout this process. Sign up for Sound Transit’s transit-oriented development email updates to stay informed on next steps and opportunities to stay involved.

Sign up for Sound Transit’s transit-oriented development email updates to stay informed on next steps and opportunities to stay involved.