The public record
What’s happening
Two separate decisions by two separate parties: the operator is closing the park, and a developer has applied to replace it. Every figure on this page is sourced below.
The closure
On 10 December 2025, Premier Parks LLC — the Oklahoma company that operates the park — announced that the 2026 season would be its last. President and owner Kieran Burke attributed the decision to operating losses accumulated since the park reopened after the COVID-19 shutdown.
The park closes to the public on 1 November 2026. Premier Parks operates the park; it does not own the land, which belongs to EPI Realty Holdings Inc.
The proposal
Panattoni Development Co., a California developer, has applied to the City of Federal Way to redevelop the site as “Podium I-5”. The application was prepared by Haas Architects.
| Site | 36201 Enchanted Parkway South, Federal Way |
| Area | Approximately 66.18 acres |
| Building | 1,034,818 sq ft, single storey, roughly 46 ft tall |
| Use | Industrial warehouse with associated office space |
| Tenants | Configured for up to four |
| Access | Three full-access driveways on Milton Road South |
| Truck volume | Plans estimate hundreds of truck stops daily |
| Applicant | Panattoni Development Co. |
| Jurisdiction | City of Federal Way |
What it means for the neighborhoods
The traffic is the substance of this. Three full-access driveways would open onto Milton Road South, and the plans anticipate hundreds of truck trips per day into a corridor that runs toward Milton, Edgewood, and Fife.
Those are residential communities in Pierce County. The permit is issued by Federal Way, in King County. The households most exposed to the daily consequence of this decision have no vote over the body making it — which is precisely why comment from those communities carries weight when it reaches the record.
Residents quoted in local coverage have raised traffic congestion and truck routing through neighborhood streets as their central concerns.
Where it stands
The City of Federal Way published the Notice of Application on 12 June 2026, opening public comment. That period closed in June 2026. As of September 2026 the city has published no SEPA determination and has not noticed a public hearing.
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10 Dec 2025
Premier Parks LLC announces the park will close after the 2026 season.
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May 2026
Panattoni Development Co. files application 26-101648.
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12 Jun 2026
Notice of Application published; comment period opens.CLOSED JUNE 2026
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7 Sep 2026
Water park closes permanently on Labor Day.
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1 Nov 2026
Wild Waves and Enchanted Village close to the public.
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TBD
SEPA threshold determination expected.NEXT
What happens next, and why it is urgent
The next milestone is the SEPA threshold determination — the city’s formal finding on whether the project has significant environmental impacts. Local reporting describes the environmental review as still upcoming.
This matters more than it sounds. A determination of non-significance opens a fresh comment period and an appeal window, both measured in days rather than months. Miss it and the most substantive opportunity to challenge the traffic and environmental analysis closes with it.
June’s comment period opened and closed while most of the community was unaware of it. The single most effective thing supporters can do now is make sure that does not happen twice.
Ask to be added as a party of record
Call the Federal Way Permit Center on 253-835-2607 and ask to be added as a party of record on application 26-101648. Parties of record are notified directly of every determination and hearing. It costs one phone call and it removes the possibility of missing the next window.
Read the file yourself
Nothing here should be taken on trust. The city’s own documents for this project are public:
- Project documents for Podium I-5 (City of Federal Way)
- Federal Way land use notices — where a SEPA determination or hearing notice will appear
- Washington SEPA register — search lead agency “Federal Way City of”