Federal Way mayor says city is 'on the rise,' highlights light rail, public safety and downtown redevelopment

Mayor Jim Ferrell delivered the State of the City address at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Events Center, telling residents that Federal Way is "on the rise" as the city prepares for light rail, the 2026 World Cup and continued downtown redevelopment.

Ferrell said the city is financially stable, the performing arts and events center is nearly paid off with about $4,900,000 remaining on its debt, and that a pair of major infrastructure and development projects — a $50 million joint-use public works facility and negotiations around redevelopment of the Commons Mall and the Town Center property — position Federal Way for growth.

The significance of the upcoming light rail line and the 2026 World Cup framed much of Ferrell's remarks. He said light rail, scheduled to arrive in early 2026, will "completely reshape the present and future of Federal Way" and that the World Cup summer matches will bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region. Ferrell tied planning for those events to economic-development work the city is pursuing now.

On public safety, Ferrell reported the city now has 54 authorized sworn police positions, an increase of four in the current biennial budget, and credited state changes to pursuit law for helping officers address vehicle theft. He said crime fell across several categories in 2024 compared with 2023: motor vehicle theft down 52 percent, robbery down 38 percent, residential burglary down 16 percent and homicide down 58 percent. Ferrell credited increased staffing, signing bonuses and the city's network of roughly 260 public-safety cameras as contributors to the trend.

Economic development and business attraction were other major topics. Ferrell said Federal Way issued 512 construction permits in the prior year with an estimated value above $76 million. He singled out a roughly $50 million, 75,000-square-foot Papa Kenworth showroom and repair facility and the relocation of Smith Brothers Farms and other businesses. The city reported about 4,000 licensed businesses; Ferrell said nearly 300 participated in city business-district meetings and that the city surveyed nearly 400 businesses to shape workforce and capital-access programs.

Ferrell highlighted smaller initiatives and funding wins: a $147,000 grant to work with the U.S. Department of Energy on a clean-technology training program, a relaunched shoplocalfederalway.com ecommerce platform and expanded Small Business Development Center consulting and Highline College workforce partnerships.

Neighborhood quality and code enforcement received attention. Ferrell described a shift from complaint-driven enforcement to a proactive code-compliance program, noting 284 code violations issued, five major property cleanups and more than 600 shopping carts recovered last year. He said the city reorganized enforcement work geographically and created a code-compliance supervisor position.

Parks and community facilities were included in the mayor's summary. Ferrell called out 34 parks, the Pacific Bonsai Museum and the Rhododendron Species Garden; he described plans to invest further in Dumas Bay as a regional destination. He also said the community center served more than 500,000 visits in 2024 and that planned locker-room renovations and new pool features are underway.

Public works and emergency preparedness were discussed. Ferrell described a $50 million joint-use operations facility due in 2026 to house equipment and support snow, storm and maintenance operations. He said the city's "Eyes on Federal Way" app generated more than 30,000 requests and that public works responded to about 2,400 requests last year. Emergency-management training and community emergency-response exercises also were cited.

Ferrell closed by reiterating an aspirational message of community pride and partnership, saying Federal Way is "centered on opportunity" and urging continued collaboration among the city, King County and developers as large projects come online.

"We heart Federal Way," Ferrell said at the end of his remarks.