The Light Rail has a lot of goals to meet by the end of 2026 in hopes to benefit the community later on in the future. However, many obstacles stand in the way of meeting that deadline, including that they have to buy more land – often ousting local business that have been in the community for decades.

The Federal Way Light Rail will be making alternative routes to meet the Tacoma Light Rail. One of those routes will go behind local shops on Pacific Highway. Another route even goes through where local shops used to and currently reside. The Light Rail has made offers to buy part of this land from Federal Way Tire City.

Tire City is a business that has dedicated itself for the past 50 years to the improvement of vehicles in the community. They dedicate themselves to check your vehicles and to help customize your rims and tires. They have even won awards in the past for the work they have done.

Business owner Kenneth Garvin has been presented with an offer to sell off the land to allow the building of the Light Rail route, connecting both ends of Tacoma and Federal Way. 

Light Rail contractors have asked Garvin to find a new location three separate times in 2023, and he has turned them down every time. “Someone from the city contacted me several times in the year 2023 letting me know that I should start looking for new property to relocate. They did call me two to three times I believe,” said Garvin. 

“This is a family business. I have trained all my sons how to do this job, and to support [their] families in their future,” said Garvin. “In addition, I actively continuously hire from the Department of Corrections. By teaching others who struggle with supporting themselves in a challenging community with regards to active employment. Helping them grow as men and women, to better pursue a happier life and future for themselves, and the ones around them.”

Garvin stated that the contractors have yet to make any financial offers to buy off the property to build the bridge. But if he does move locations he risks losing a significant number of customers and will potentially struggle in the future, depending on the location he moves to. 

Garvin goes on to explain that since he is not in his youth anymore, this kind of change would mean starting from ground zero and set back every accomplishment he has achieved for the past 13 years in this location. 

“This location has always serviced the community of Federal Way and surrounding communities with some sort of automotive repair and service, and it has become a staple in this community for as long as I can remember one of the retail and service centers ever to exist in Federal Way,” said Garvin. 

The Light Rail will benefit the community in the future, but it will possibly leave a lot of shops and small businesses, like that of Kenneth Garvin, to lose all they have accomplished. 

This small business has helped out those in the community for years, and hearing that it could possibly go out of business, makes one wonder how much it will affect those that they have helped for years. 

While looking forward to continuing to do this kind of work in the future, Tire City’s owners and employees run the risk of possibly losing the legacy they built with the Light Rail still under construction.