Mountlake Terrace Town Center 

Town Center Planning Gets Citizen Involvement Award
Mountlake Terrace is the winner of a Citizen Involvement Award from the Washington State Chapter of the American Planning Association to recognize the City’s Town Center planning process. ... read more >>

 

City Council Moves Ahead To Revitalize Town Center

New downtown zoning regulations, imposition of the City’s first-ever impact fees on development, and amendments to six-year funding plans for transportation improvements and capital improvements were adopted by the Mountlake Terrace City Council September 4 in a series of six ordinances to carry out the Town Center Plan.

The Town Center Plan was adopted last February as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. It calls for revitalizing the downtown area by encouraging development of new stores, restaurants, offices, and housing in the existing 57-acre downtown zone. Wider sidewalks, street trees, and a public plaza for community use are also expected.

The new regulations allow owners in the central core of the Town Center—the area called the Town Square or superblock—to build up to seven stories with a step-back requirement for the upper stories. At the intersection of 56th and 236th, new development can be built up to five stories, also with a step-back requirement for the upper stories. In the rest of the downtown, development is limited to three or four stories, depending on the district. Special design standards apply to all new development.

To help pay for street improvements, each new development citywide must pay transportation impact fees at a rate of $1,070 per vehicle trip, based on national transportation engineering standards. Town Center development must pay an additional fee amount for a total of $1,280 per vehicle trip. To help pay for a public plaza, park impact fees will be charged at a rate of $2,026 for each new residential unit citywide and between $603 and $773 for each 1,000 square feet of downtown commercial development. Developers will also pay for street frontage improvements and utilities serving their projects.

 

To view the proposed schedule for the Town Center EIS and the Citywide Transportation Master Plan, click on the links below:

To view related ordinances, click here.

To view information on Transportation Impact Fees, click here.

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The City of Mountlake Terrace has completed the Town Center Planned Action Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Proposal would implement the Town Center Plan by providing new zoning, parking, and design standards promoting mixed retail, office and residential uses, along with wider sidewalks, street trees, and a public plaza with an interactive water fountain. With the No Action Alternative, future development would not be facilitated with a Planned Action ordinance. Current zoning regulations and interim design standards would remain, as would current parking standards.

The Final EIS provides some additional clarifications about the Proposal and responds to comments on the Draft EIS. Comments received did not result in modification of the Proposal or No Action alternative. However the Final EIS does include clarifications, makes factual corrections, supplements information and adds to the mitigation measures. The Proposal action area is located in the Town Center subarea of the City of Mountlake Terrace, corresponding to the existing Downtown Community Business District zone. This area is roughly bounded by 228th Street SW on the north, 55th Avenue W to the east, 244th Street SW, and 58th Avenue W to the west.

Copies of the Final EIS can be obtained from the City of Mountlake Terrace, 23204 58th Avenue West at a cost of $30.00 plus tax. The document will also be available at the City Hall front counter as well as the City library.

The City Council will consider adoption of the Planned Action Ordinance, Impact Fees and Zoning Amendments on August 20, 2007 after a public hearing.

Introduction and Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Environmental Summary
Chapter 2 - Description of the Alternatives
Chapter 3a - Errata
Chapter 3b - Affected Environment, Significant Impacts, and Mitigation Measures
Chapter 4 - Comments and Responses
Chapter 5 - References
Chapter 6 - Distribution List
Compiled FEIS
Figures
 
Figure 3.1-1 - Existing Land Use
Figure 3.1-2 - Future Land Use Map
Figure 3.1-3 - Zoning Map
Figure 3.2-1 - Typical Character of Development in Analysis area (sheet 1 of 2)
Figure 3.2-2 - Typical Character of Development in Analysis area (sheet 2 of 2)
Figure 3.2-3 - No Action Alternative: Shadow Analysis
Figure 3.2-4 - Proposal: Shadow Analysis
Figure 3.3-1 - Roadway Classifications
Figure 3.3-2 - Existing Intersection Level of Service
Figure 3.3-3 - Mountlake Terrace Transit Service
Figure 3.3-4 - 2025 Proposal Intersection Level of Service
Figure 3.3-5 - 2025 No Action Intersection Level of Service
Figure 3.3-6 - 2025 Proposal with Improvements Intersection Level of Service
Figure 3.3-7 - 2025 No Action Alternative with Improvements Level of Service
Figure 3.5-1 - Pedestrian Connector through Veterans Memorial Park
Figure 3.5-2 - Typical Pedestrian Improvement
Figure 3.6-1 - Existing Water Distribution System
Figure 3.6-2 - 2001 Comprehensive Water System Plan Proposed CIP
Figure 3.6-3 - Proposed Town Center Water System Improvements
Figure 3.6-4 - Sewer Collection System
Figure 3.6-5 - Stormwater Drainage System
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To view the Town Center Plan (in individual chapters) adopted by the City Council, click on the links below:

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To view the Town Center Building Districts Map, as of February 5, 2007, click here. The map is the same as previously posted, but the colors have been revised for easier reading. 

"Town Center: Plan for Success"