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Planning commissioners favor Star Lake'style warmth, push for restrooms and active ground-floor uses at future Fife station
Summary
After a March tour of Sound Transit's Federal Way Link Extension stations, Fife staff and commissioners said features such as human-scale entrances, protected ticketing areas, tactile public art and active ground-floor retail should guide Fife's station-area regulations; staff identified restrooms, durable bus roads and structured parking with active ground floors as preliminary "must-haves."
Chair Waldner opened a Planning Commission discussion to debrief a March tour of three Federal Way Link Extension stations and consider how those examples should shape Fife's planned high-capacity transit station regulations.
Director Chris Larson, who led the presentation, said the March visit to the Federal Way downtown, Kent-Des Moines and Star Lake stations was intended to guide the city's regulatory framework for station-area design. Larson said Sound Transit's station-experience design guidelines will inform final designs, but the commission has an opportunity to set local minimum requirements.
Vice Chair Carolina Kohler, who was on the tour, praised tactile and backlit glass art at some stations and singled out a covered atrium with ticket machines at Star Lake as particularly user-friendly. "The covered, human-scale ticketing area made it a pleasant experience," Kohler said, urging Fife to avoid exposed, unwelcoming ticketing walls like those seen at Kent-Des Moines.
Commissioner Carlson also said Star Lake felt friendlier and recommended including tactile artwork for visually impaired riders; he noted the art made the stations feel warmer despite the predominantly gray materials.
Larson listed preliminary staff "must-haves" for the Fife station: durable concrete bus maneuvering roads to limit long-term city maintenance costs; restrooms at the station; and structured parking with an activated, pedestrian-scale ground floor. He said Sound Transit is pursuing broader design standards but that the city can press for these minimums in its code.
The commission discussed parking location and sequencing. Larson said both the station and a proposed parking structure are planned north of Pacific Highway; however, parking delivery is uncertain — Sound Transit is delaying parking by roughly three years and the final mix of surface versus structured stalls remains under board discussion.
Commissioners urged that station-area regulations support a city-center vision rather than letting the station alone dictate downtown development. Carlson said city leaders should decide in advance which types of businesses and activations they want downtown so the station complements that plan. Larson said city staff will continue coordinating with Sound Transit and bring refined station-area regulations back for public hearing and recommendation.
The commission also discussed tribal artwork and community input. Larson said the Puyallup Tribe and Sound Transit are working together on cultural elements; the city expects local committees to participate in selecting public art that reflects community interests.
The commission asked staff to prioritize pedestrian safety measures between the station and parking, consider crossings or grade-separated connections if feasible, and ensure station access integrates bus circulation and drop-off areas. Larson said staff will refine the regulatory framework and continue biweekly coordination with Sound Transit ahead of engagement in the spring.
The Planning Commission took no formal vote on regulations at the meeting; the conversation will inform staff drafts to be returned for a public hearing and recommendation to the City Council.
