Federal Way's future sky-high?

First came the families, pushed out by Seattle's high housing prices. Then came the subdivisions, spreading out where fields used to be. Now the ultimate symbol of growth is coming to South King County: skyscrapers.

Federal Way is planning to create a 4-acre urban village downtown, with residential towers up to 24 stories tall. The city is negotiating with United Properties, of Vancouver, B.C., which has proposed the $300 million project, a 1-acre park surrounded by a mix of residential, retail and office space.

The towers would be a stark departure from what other cities in South King County have done to draw more people downtown. The tallest buildings at Kent Station, a mix of retail and, eventually, residential, will be four stories, though the city hasn't imposed a height limit downtown. Burien's Town Square will limit its residential buildings to seven stories.

United Properties President Victor Setton said going vertical allows more space for a park — the first of any size in downtown Federal Way. And then, of course, height adds the value of views. The towers are expected to rise between 16 and 24 stories high, dominating the city's skyline.

The tallest building in Federal Way now is nine stories.

"Anything you build that's over four floors in Federal Way is not in character with the area," Setton said. "But I think you have to look to the future, and I think vertical is the way to go."

City officials say there is good reason for going higher: Its residential neighborhoods are built out. The only way to accommodate more growth, city officials say, is to build upward. The idea of being the first to do so also has some appeal. The city of 86,500 has been searching for its signature style ever since it incorporated in 1990.

"We've been in that awkward adolescent phase," said City Manager Neal Beets. "But I think this demonstrates that we're blossoming into our 20s quite nicely."

Outsiders may know Federal Way for its office parks and shopping complexes, but a residential community has thrived for several decades, drawing families to waterfront properties and dozens of parks. Since incorporation, some residents have gotten even more vocal, pushing for change they say will improve the city's quality of life.

Hence, the 72,000-square-foot community center that opened this spring. A grass-roots effort for a performing-arts center also seems to be gaining ground. And now, after years of discussion, the city is moving to revitalize its downtown core.

"I think that's been the missing piece," said Patrick Doherty, the city's economic-development director.

The goal is to create a more dense, pedestrian-friendly downtown. The city has worked on that for years, doing an environmental study of the area to reduce costs for developers and advising area owners how best to redevelop their properties.

But it had not bought property until an owner offered last autumn to sell land west of the transit center, where a former movie theater stood. The city purchased the land in January for $4.1 million, then set it aside for development.

This winter it took the critical step of raising the height limit in a specific zone downtown from 85 feet to 200 feet, with some flexibility to go higher.

Des Moines recently raised height limits in its Pacific Ridge neighborhood, a struggling area that borders Highway 99. The move came at the suggestion of developers, who said they were more likely to build if they could offer views.

In Federal Way, there has been little public resistance to skyscrapers. But the council voted 4-3 on this project, which the developer says would include about 900 condominiums, of varying prices; up to 85,000 square feet of retail area; and space for the local campus of Highline Community College.

United Properties has offered the city $6.1 million for the land; the city would have no other financial investment in the project.

Critics are concerned about increased traffic and the number of residential units proposed. Deputy Mayor Jim Ferrell said he would support the project but preferred another proposal that provided three times the retail space.

"I was much more interested in creating more economic-development dollars, rather than trying to bring in more people," Ferrell said.

Barbara Barney, a resident of more than 20 years, said the project doesn't sound like Federal Way, a mix of working-class and wealthy, with increasing ethnic diversity.

"I feel like what the City Council is trying to do is create another Bellevue," Barney said. "I don't think that's us."

But Mayor Michael Park said he was gratified to see the city's vision for downtown take a major step forward. He sees the project as a catalyst for other development downtown.

Pending negotiations, the first tower could open in 2009.

Cara Solomon: 206-464-2024 or csolomon@seattletimes.com