Starbucks is coming to SeaTac.

A drive-through Starbucks will be part of a mixed-use development across International Boulevard from the South 154th Street light rail station.

SeaTac City Council members approved on Feb. 26 approved an agreement the development that will include two towers with up to 860 housing units and retail stores.

It will be located on the northwest corner of International Boulevard and South 154th Street. The closed Funsters Casino currently occupies part of that space.

The agreement came after city planners and K&S Developers ironed out final differences over the plan.

Two weeks earlier, Gerry Kingen, a K&S principal, told lawmakers that "spousal abuse" might be too harsh a label to describe the way city planners had treated the project.

But, he said then, whatever concessions the developers made "it's never enough."

At the Feb. 26 meeting K&S attorney Mike Murphy said the "thorny issues" had been resolved.

Planning director Steve Butler termed the negotiations as "intensive and long" but said the city has retained standards for a high quality development in the light-rail station area.

Butler said the city made concessions on regulations of storefront window size and the depth of retail spaces.

The developers agreed to pay traffic mitigation fees with one-half due at the issuance of a building permit and the balance due when the development receives its certificate of occupancy.

At the previous council session, Murphy said the fee was the main issue for developers.

The attorney argued K&S should receive traffic mitigation credits in exchange for building a private landscaped roadway through the project.

City Manager Craig Ward noted SeaTac strives for equity between all developers when dealing with proposals.

"We expect full value plus for any concessions," Ward declared. "We take that responsibility very seriously."

Councilman Joe Brennan joked, "I'm delighted to see white smoke coming out of the chimney" signaling an agreement.

The council approved the development agreement on a 6-0 vote. Councilman Tony Anderson recused himself from the discussion and vote.

In other business, lawmakers put off until their second meeting in May a decision on replacing the South 200th Street fire station and authorizing an architect selection process.

Anderson noted that a consultant studying joint fire services with Tukwila will present his first report to the oversight committee in early May.

"More information is always better than less information," he concluded.

Deputy Mayor Gene Fisher noted costs for replacing the McMicken Heights headquarters station are over budget.

"We don't even know how many bays (the 200th Street station) should have," Fisher said. "We should look at this very carefully."

But Brennan replied, "I object to others telling us how to run our fire services."

The council voted 6-1 to postpone the decision with Brennan the lone vote in opposition.