The Federal Way City Council failed to pass a proposed six-month moratorium on development in Corporate park-1 and Office Park-1 zones at a special meeting tonight.

After an hour-and-a-half executive session discussing potential litigation, the council first voted to suspend the first and second reading to fast-track the ordinance to a vote.

The vote to pass the moratorium failed 4-2 with one abstention, however.

Deputy Mayor Jeanne Burbidge, Councilwoman Lydia Assefa-Dawson, Councilmen Mark Koppang and Martin Moore voted no, while Councilwomen Susan Honda and Dini Duclos voted yes. Councilwoman Kelly Maloney, who submitted her resignation effective Dec. 31, recused herself, citing a conflict of interest.

The former-Weyerhaeuser campus, now owned by Industrial Realty Group, is the only property in the city with Corporate Park-1 zoning.

Tonight’s vote came on the heels of Industrial Realty Group Vice President of Special Projects Tom Messmer’s Tuesday announcement that Industrial Realty Group and applicant Chill Build Seattle, LLC, terminated their contract for the sale of 19 acres. Chill Build Seattle had proposed to build a fish warehousing, distribution and processing center to be occupied by Preferred Freezer Services and Orca Bay Seafoods. Messmer said in Tuesday’s announcement, the “mutual decision” allows the applicant to “better meet its project timeline.”

“There are so many real issues toward which we need to apply resources,” Messmer said after tonight’s meeting. “We’re very happy that we don’t have to put any energy toward the ‘what ifs’ of this property.”

Members of the Save Weyerhaeuser Campus group said they were very disappointed by the vote and are determined to fight the heavy-handedness of California-based Industrial Realty Group’s unresponsiveness to the Federal Way community.