Three things that work
Take action
In ascending order of effort and of impact. The first takes thirty seconds. The second takes one phone call and matters more than everything else on this page.
1 · Sign the petition
Thirty seconds. Builds the public number that press and elected officials cite.
Sign now2 · Become a party of record
One phone call. You are then notified directly of every determination and hearing.
253-835-26073 · Write to the decision-makers
Correspondence enters the record. One real letter outweighs a thousand signatures.
How to writeWhy the phone call comes first
The public comment period on this application opened on 12 June 2026 and closed later that month. Most supporters never knew it was happening.
The next opportunity — the SEPA threshold determination — will open a comment period and an appeal window measured in days. Being a party of record means the city tells you when that starts, instead of you finding out afterwards.
Call the Federal Way Permit Center on 253-835-2607, or email [email protected], and ask to be added as a party of record on application 26-101648. That is the whole request. It takes a minute.
Who to write to
Federal Way issues the permit, so the city is where correspondence matters most. County and state officials cannot overrule the city, but they set policy on freight routing, environmental review, and industrial siting — and they notice constituent volume.
| Who | Contact |
|---|---|
| City Council (all members) | [email protected] |
| Mayor Jim Ferrell | [email protected] |
| Permit Center | [email protected] · 253-835-2607 |
| City Clerk | [email protected] |
Councilmembers: Lydia Assefa-Dawson, Martin Moore, Susan Honda (Council President), Melissa Hamilton, Jack Walsh, Les Sessoms, Linda Kochmar. Writing to Council@ reaches all seven and creates a single entry in the record.
| Who | Contact |
|---|---|
| Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer (District 7) | [email protected] · 206-477-1007 |
| Executive Girmay Zahilay | [email protected] |
| Who | Contact |
|---|---|
| Councilmember Paul Herrera (District 2) | [email protected] · 253-798-2222 |
| Executive Ryan N. Mello | 253-798-7477 · contact form |
The proposed truck route runs toward these communities. If you live in one of them, say so in your first sentence — it is the fact that makes your letter impossible to file away.
| Who | Contact |
|---|---|
| Find your own legislators | app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder |
| Senator Claire Wilson (30th) | Via the district finder |
| Rep. Jamila Taylor (30th, Pos. 1) | Via the district finder |
| Rep. Kristine Reeves (30th, Pos. 2) | Via the district finder |
What to say
Do not copy this. Identical letters are counted once and discounted heavily. Officials and hearing examiners can tell instantly, and a form letter signals that a campaign has volume but no genuine constituency.
Use it as a shape. The parts that carry weight are the ones only you can write: where you live, how you use the roads in question, what you will personally experience.
Dear Councilmember —
I live in [your neighborhood], about [distance] from 36201 Enchanted Parkway South. I am writing about application 26-101648, the Podium I-5 warehouse proposed for the Wild Waves site.
[One specific, true paragraph about your own experience.] For example: the route you drive daily and what hundreds of additional truck trips would do to it; the school your children walk to near that corridor; what the park has meant to your family across the years.
My concerns are specific: the traffic analysis for three full-access driveways onto Milton Road South, the effect of daily heavy-truck volume on residential streets in Milton, Edgewood, and Fife, and the permanent loss of 66 acres of open land.
I ask that the city require a full environmental review, hold a public hearing with genuine opportunity for testimony, and give real weight to the communities carrying the traffic impacts — including those outside Federal Way’s boundaries.
Please add me as a party of record on application 26-101648.
Sincerely,
[your name, street, city]
Watch for the next window
Being a party of record is the reliable channel. These are the backstops:
- Federal Way land use notices — check weekly for a SEPA or hearing notice on Podium I-5
- Washington SEPA register — search lead agency “Federal Way City of”
- The campaign’s groups — organizers post notices as they appear
And the thirty-second version
If you do nothing else today, do this one.