Federal Way is undergoing major construction, which means there will be many additions to the downtown of this city, one of which is the renovation of Town Square Center. 

On South 316th Street, right next to the Federal Way Performing Arts and Events Center there is an empty, unoccupied lot known as Town Center 3 or TC-3. But it won’t be deserted for much longer because the city of Federal Way has some plans in mind for TC-3. 

A project is currently in the works, the TC-3 Masterplan, which Community Development Director Keith Niven describes as the construction of “300 apartments, some ground floor retail space, and a new civic plaza” will be built by the city as the new Town Square Center. 

However, the speed in which this project progresses also depends on how quickly the apartments lease out, which will help the revenue to continue further phases of development. The project is predicted to finish sometime in the mid 2030s. 

Niven also mentions that “[t]he City is currently negotiating with the potential developer (Trent Development). We are hoping to have a development agreement (contract for development) to the City Council either in December or January.” Once the agreement is finalized, the construction for the first phase is planned to begin in 2025. 

There is also potential for “a new City Hall & Community Space included in the project,” Niven explains. “Although there is general consensus in the community that City Hall needs to be in Federal Way’s downtown, how to pay for this new building is a big hurdle to get over.” 

Although it hasn’t been decided yet, the city values the public’s input and opinions and actively takes them into consideration as well as answers any questions regarding this project.

This is some exciting news to be looking forward to in the future! This year, we’ve already have had stores move in such as: Pet Supplies Plus in the Commons, Burlington Coat Factory, Sleep Number, Taco Madre, Global Federal Credit Union, Dick’s Drive In, and more as well as a community favorite Japanese retail store, Daiso – which is moving across the street right next to Home Goods. 

But with this new development, not only will Town Square Center bring plenty more stores, it will provide housing and will also create a new hangout-hotspot for the people of Federal Way or for people visiting.

To see more of the Master Plan and renditions of what the final space may look like visit the city of Federal Way’s downtown planning website at: https://engagefw.com/downtown