A 1 million-square-foot industrial warehouse is slated to replace the Wild Waves amusement park site in Federal Way. The proposal would fill the 66-acre property with industrial use instead of the longtime local aquatic treasure, and nearby residents are already warning about more semitrucks on neighborhood streets.
Ursula Reutin And Gee Scott
Ursula Reutin said the site should help meet a larger need instead. On The Gee and Ursula Show on KIRO Newsradio, she argued that every community in western Washington will have to do its part to provide more affordable housing, saying, “We have a housing crisis, more housing.” She added, “More housing with appropriate planning, streets, and services.”
Gee Scott agreed that more affordable housing is needed, but said a freeway-adjacent parcel is not the right place for it. He said, “It’s not really a great thing to have, but I do agree with you, though. More affordable housing is definitely important.”
Federal Way Truck Traffic
David Cook, a local neighbor, said the warehouse proposal changes daily life in a way housing would not. Speaking to KOMO News, he said, “There’s going to be so much more traffic, truck traffic, through the backstreets of Federal Way.” He added, “People are going to be leaving.”
That reaction lines up with the basic layout of the proposal: an industrial warehouse on a 66-acre site is built for freight movement, not neighborhood calm. Gee Scott said a trucking facility made sense because the property sits right off the freeway, and he said, “I just don’t want to see apartments next to a freeway, that’s the only thing.”
Wild Waves In 2025
The discussion comes after a proposal was submitted in 2025 for the 1 million-square-foot warehouse. KOMO News reported that the plan would replace Wild Waves, which has long been treated as a local aquatic landmark in Federal Way.
For Federal Way, the choice is already narrowing to scale and use: industrial jobs and truck access on one side, or housing with streets and services on the other. Reutin’s position is the more practical one for a region in need of housing, but the warehouse proposal shows the market is steering the property toward logistics instead of homes.
