With the U.S. Olympic Diving Trials coming in June, the Federal Way City Council fast-tracked a set of amendments to the city’s code, allowing for city-sponsored civic and community events to be advertised using large banners across the right of ways.

Along with this, the code amendments will allow for pole banners to be placed throughout the city to advertise local events.

Margaret Clark, senior planner for the city, explained the reasoning behind the amendments.

“Throughout the year, we have very important civic and community events that occur in Federal Way,” Clark said. “Some examples of events that the city has sponsored in the past are the farmers market, Buds and Bloom festival, Slavic Community Festival, Han Woo-Ri Korean Festival, the sand sculpting competition, and then we have the Olympic Dive Trials coming up in June.”

Clark said previously, such events have been publicized through the newspaper and on the city’s website. The hope with the new code amendments is to create more exposure for Federal Way’s annual and semi-annual celebrations.

“Having banners in the right of way should result in additional exposure and result in more people attending these events and bringing more money into the city of Federal Way,” Clark said.

There are 160 street poles combined between 320th Street and Pacific Highway South. Currently, 80 of those poles have “Federal Way” signs on them. With this amendment, the remaining 80 poles would be open to have signs promoting local events, Clark said. For the large banners that would go over the main thoroughfares in Federal Way, Clark said the city would construct the poles needed to support them.

“The Public Works Department would prepare a specification sheet…this would include the size and dimension of banners, as well as acceptable materials,” she said. “A city permit would be required for each sign. Public Works would install and remove the banners, and when they are being installed or removed, there would be a traffic control plan in place for cars and pedestrians and bicyclists. The duration of each banner would be on a case by case basis.”

Councilwoman Susan Honda asked if the banners would be restricted to any particular streets or area in the city. Clark replied in the negative. The amendments only allow for the banners, but do not restrict where they can be placed, Clark said.

The council voted unanimously to approve the amendments to the code.