The Commons at Federal Way

The Commons at Federal Way
Front entrance
Map
LocationFederal Way, Washington, US
Coordinates47°18′48″N 122°18′31″W / 47.31333°N 122.30861°W / 47.31333; -122.30861
Address1928 S Commons
Federal Way, Washington
Opening dateAugust 14, 1975
ManagementCharles Sullivan
OwnerMerlone Geier Partners
No. of stores and services62
No. of anchor tenants4
Total retail floor area781,791 sq ft (72,630.8 m2)
No. of floors1
Parking3,664
Websitewww.shopthecommonsmall.com

The Commons at Federal Way (formerly SeaTac Mall) is a regional[1] shopping mall located in Federal Way, Washington, and is the only indoor shopping center in the city.[2] Steadfast Commercial Properties changed the mall's name to The Commons at Federal Way in November 2003 as part of a redevelopment program.[3][4] The previous name had been confusing due to the later incorporation of SeaTac as a separate city.[5]

Improvements to the shopping center in 2008 were expected to improve sales upon an expected $25 to $30 per square foot ($250–300/m2) by year's end.[6] Steadfast Companies later sold the mall to San Francisco-based Merlone Geier Partners for $46.5 million in March 2017.[7] Several stores and restaurants vacated the mall during the Great Recession and replaced with new tenants by 2010.[8] The mall has over 90 stores; its anchor stores include Dick's Sporting Goods, Century Theatres, Kohl's, and Target.

The original developers were the California-based Newman Properties and Ernest Hahn; the mall's design incorporated elements of Pacific Northwest architecture, including wood finishes and Native American artwork. SeaTac Mall opened on August 14, 1975, with two of four planned anchor stores: Peoples and Elvins. A Lamont's and Sears were planned to open within the following year.[9] The mall's site was originally a forested, swampy pasture that was the homestead of Mabel Webb Alexander, who arrived in Washington in 1879 and died at age 96. For many years the original SeaTac Mall used a thunderbird in the logo and had a mascot, Thudius T. Thunderbird.

The first Cinnabon opened at SeaTac Mall in December 1985.[10][11] However, Cinnabon does not currently operate a location in the mall.

On January 4, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 103 stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2018.[12] The store was renovated and replaced with an Amazon Fresh grocery store that opened in 2022.[13]

On January 6, 2021, it was announced that Macy's would be closing in April 2021 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide.[14]

Dick's Drive-In opened a fast food restaurant in the mall's west parking lot in July 2023.[15][16][17]

  1. ^ "2006 Area Report Summaries: Commercial Reports: Major Retail Properties (Specialty Area 250)" (PDF). King County Department of Assessments. 2006. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 9, 2006.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "SeaTac Mall will get a new name". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. November 21, 2003. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Tice, Carol (February 15, 2004). "Anchors away: Department stores lose role at malls". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  5. ^ Tice, Carol (October 26, 2003). "SeaTac Mall prepares to announce its new name". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Shearin, Randall (September 2007). "Timing Is Everything". Shopping Center Business. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  7. ^ "Merlone Geier Buys The Commons at Federal Way Mall for $46.5MM". The Registry. March 22, 2017.
  8. ^ Howard, Jacinda (July 1, 2010). "New tenants fill empty spaces at Federal Way's Commons mall". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "Sea-Tac Mall opens Thursday". The News Tribune. August 13, 1975. p. A13. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Cinnabon History". Cinnabon.
  11. ^ "Cinnabon closes store at Westfield Vancouver mall". The Columbian. January 16, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  12. ^ "Sears' latest round of closures is bad news for Federal Way store, other sites in state". The News Tribune. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  13. ^ Rosenblatt, Lauren (January 14, 2022). "Amazon Fresh grocery store opening in a former Sears in Federal Way". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "Macy's is closing dozens of stores this year. Here's the full list". CNBC. January 6, 2021.
  15. ^ Clement, Bethany Jean (April 28, 2022). "Dick's Drive-in expands again — here's where the 9th location will be". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  16. ^ Sullivan, Olivia (June 22, 2023). "Dick's Drive-in to open Federal Way location July 27". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  17. ^ Bruel, Alex (July 31, 2023). "Order up: Dick's Drive-In now open in Federal Way". Federal Way Mirror. Retrieved August 17, 2024.