Council advances code changes to classify OMF and light-rail infrastructure; Sound Transit operations framed as industrial use
October 22, 2025 | Federal Way, King County, Washington
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Community Development staff said edits to the Commercial Enterprise (CE) zone will reclassify “public transportation facilities” so that an operations‑and‑maintenance facility (OMF) — the parcel identified at the Christian Faith Center site — is treated more like an industrial use, with clarified notes addressing potential noise, vibration and other impacts. Separately, staff proposed a new definition and zoning provisions for long stretches of light‑rail infrastructure that will cross zoned private property as the system extends south through the city.
Community Development Director Keith Dibben described the planned OMF site as a rail yard with parallel tracks for washing, maintenance and overnight storage. He said the city worked with Sound Transit to craft notes and conditions that the agency found reasonable, and that the edits aim to fit the OMF into the city’s industrial use framework so that applicable standards (setbacks, landscaping notes and impact mitigation) are clear.
Why it matters: the laws will govern where and how Sound Transit locates rail infrastructure and OMF operations, and will set expectations for mitigation (sound, vibration, truck movement, site landscaping and other development notes) on properties rezoned or used for rail infrastructure.
Council action: the council unanimously forwarded both the CE zone amendments (public transportation facilities) and the separate light‑rail infrastructure zoning language to Nov. 5 for second reading and enactment.
Implementation: staff said the changes will be incorporated into contract development and site‑plan review that Sound Transit must complete; staff will continue to coordinate with Sound Transit on final site design, mitigation measures, and project permits.
Ending: Council’s action clarifies how the city will treat OMF and linear rail infrastructure in its zoning code while staff continue interagency coordination on design and mitigation.
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