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Committee advances paired code "snowball" ordinances (Titles 18 and 19) to first reading after staff briefings
Summary
City planning staff briefed the committee on paired code-cleanup ordinances amending Federal Way Revised Code Titles 18 and 19 and the committee forwarded both for first reading on March 18, 2025.
City planning staff presented two companion ordinances to clarify and correct development-code language in Federal Way Revised Code Titles 18 and 19. Staff said the amendments are intended to fix wording errors, align local code with state law, remove ambiguities that cause inconsistent interpretations, and consolidate related criteria into their appropriate code titles.
On Title 18, staff highlighted four initial amendments including clearer criteria for boundary line adjustments to avoid circumvention of subdivision-related requirements, changes to plat-alteration decision-making so the Community Development Director is the default decision maker (unless a public hearing is requested), updating the method for transmitting technical review letters from "by mail" to "in writing" to reflect common email practice, and moving cluster-subdivision criteria from Title 19 into Title 18 and deleting a garage-related requirement inconsistent with recent state law.
On Title 19, staff noted verbatim insertion of specific state-required language about property valuation and affordable-unit comparability tied to the Growth Management Act, clarifications to temporary uses for severe weather/disaster shelters, clarifying that building "facades" refers to building faces (not only front facades), resolving corner-lot front property-line designation for lots adjacent to collectors or arterials, clarifying review processes for improvements to developed sites, establishing when landscaping must be in a tract for multifamily subdivisions, and resolving fence/retaining-wall height interpretations by specifying when heights are combined (within 5 feet) for setback calculations.
Staff said the Planning Commission recommended approval, the Department of Commerce provided a comment letter (focused on the garage requirement change), and the mayor recommended approval. Committee members asked technical questions; staff confirmed that the Title 18 ordinance would return for a first reading on March 18, 2025 and that Title 19 would also move forward for first reading. Council moved both ordinances forward by voice votes.
Ending: Both related code-cleanup ordinances were forwarded to the March 18 first-reading calendar; staff will bring final ordinance text and supporting documentation as part of the first-read process.
