Support is growing for the vision of a year-round, permanent public market in Federal Way.
Funds were approved to go toward a business plan and marketing outreach for the potential public market at the Aug. 12 Federal Way City Council meeting, as well as an application through the Port of Seattle that would also include funds for the project.
A feasibility study was recently completed on the project and found that it would be an enhancement to the city’s economic, cultural and community development.
The Federal Way Public Market (FWPM) would be a permanent structure with indoor and outdoor spaces for rotating vendors, and is currently still a dream in the development phase.
The city does already have a seasonal farmers market that is hosted in the parking lot of The Commons mall every Saturday from the late spring into early fall — but this is a separate entity.
The FWPM so far a grassroots nonprofit “working to create a vibrant, multicultural hub that reflects the diversity of the community.”
City documents describe the vision as “more than a marketplace” that “aims to be a space where people gather, celebrate and connect, with a projected reach of over two million potential weekend visitors.”
The group has their eye on one of Sound Transit’s land parcels directly adjacent to the light rail station as their ideal site, but have explored other options as well. The light rail is set to open on Dec. 6, 2025.
Funding from Aug. 12 council meeting
City grant funds were originally proposed to come from the Tourism Enhancement Grant through the Lodging and Tax Advisory Committee. Instead, the council chose to allocate the money from the general fund account designated for economic development.
Total funds included $16,500 for 2025, and $9,500 for 2026, all to go toward a business plan and marketing outreach for the facility.
At the same council meeting, the council authorized staff to apply for the 2025-2026 Port of Seattle Economic Development Partnership Program grant.
This grant availability is calculated based on a per-capita equation for each city. Federal Way is eligible for up to $60,000 per year in 2025 and the same in 2026. The grand program requires that the city contribute a 50 percent match of dollars and in-kind resources.
Not all of this $120,000 total over the next two years would be used for the public market. It will also be used to fund FIFA World Cup event costs and marketing, including a three-day event featuring free watch parties and multicultural entertainment at the Performing Arts and Event Center. The funds allocated for the public market in this grant will go toward drafting a business plan and studying the completed feasibility report.
The FWPM has received funds from other entities including the state before, but has been waiting for the city to support the project financially.
When exploring grant possibilities before now, they’ve been asked whether the city had taken any action to support the project and they had to say no, FWPM board member David Harrelson told the Mirror. With this clear support by the city for the public market’s home, they are already in a stronger position to explore other funding sources, Harrelson said.
Feasibility report
To explore the possibility of the public market project, FWPM contracted with consultant Aaron Zaretski along with architect Mark Ernst to evaluate the idea. While some of their research was previewed at community meetings, the full report was released in August.
Zaretski has been involved in the development or management of over 60 public markets around the world, including the redevelopment of Pike Place Market in Seattle that led to its current status as an iconic tourist destination.
Despite this, Zaretski shared in the feasibility study that he has produced more than 35 feasibility studies for public markets and found that roughly one-third of those locations were not a good fit.
At first, Zaretski shared that his “gut sense was that the conclusion would be to urge the community not to build a public market.”
After getting to know Federal Way, this initial impression was completely reversed.
“It became clear that a properly designed and tenanted public market is not only feasible, but is both desperately needed and could become an incredibly valuable asset to Federal Way and the South King County,” Zaretski said in the report.
Secretary of the FWPM David Harrelson told the Mirror that “the most amazing finding is that not only will a public market be feasible here, but that it will transform the city and serve as a catalyst for the development of our downtown. In the report we were reminded that public markets are not primarily retail spaces. They are social spaces that attract new visitors and increase the business and tax revenue needed to build a safe and vibrant community.”
The full report is over 100 pages and explored topics including community feedback, existing conditions, complementary and competitive factors, customer bases, demand analysis for food and beverages, customer demographics and recommendations for management and for next steps.
Overall, the report found that the city of Federal Way is hungry for community gathering spaces, cultural connection and celebration, and nourishment of entrepreneurship and business development.
The report also noted the same stream of lost tax revenue and workforce earnings that the Greater Federal Way Chamber of Commerce noted in their recent presentation on Aug. 6.
The Public Market, the report found, could be an incubating and attracting force, bringing that lost economic power back into the city and providing a platform for celebrating the city’s unique community.
