Public comments now open for proposed project on old Handy Mart site

The old Handy Mart property.

The City of Mountlake Terrace is now accepting public comment on plans to build a two-story commercial building on the site of a former convenience store at 228th Street Southwest and 44th Avenue West.

Arca Architecture recently submitted their application for the 21,530-foot building and accompanying parking, pedestrian and utility plans. The city announced the Notice of Application on Monday. The proposal was long expected after the property was purchased last year by Mountlake Village LLC and its principal administrator Alan Clark.

The city’s Notice of Application about the property, located on the southwest corner of 228th Street Southwest and 44th Avenue West, notes that plans are for one building with surface level parking and one level of underground parking. The plans include a “pedestrian activity area” consistent with city design standards. Vehicular access to the development would be off of 228th Street Southwest.

The notice also states that a complete application packet for public viewing is available at Mountlake Terrace City Hall, 6100 219th St. S.W., Ste. 200, during regular business hours.

Comments on the proposal must be submitted in writing by Feb. 21 as no public hearing before the Mountlake Terrace City Council is planned.

The current building on the half-acre site was originally constructed in 1964 and most recently housed a Handy Mart convenience store that closed for business in 2015.

–By Doug Petrowski

  1. I’m in full support of new business office space in MLT. I don’t know if the current vacancy rate supports it. If done well, I think it can be a good fit for the residential area surrounding it.

    1. It’s basically a glorified sidewalk. In front of my building in MLT I had to add some items that might increase use of that part of the land – a bike rack and a bench, in my case. Across the street is another commercial building with a waste can. I also have tree grates, which permit more use of the space by pedestrians. The sidewalk is either 10 feet wide or 12 feet wide, I don’t recall the exact width. I had to bear the installation costs but I think the concept is a good one.

  2. Please address the rat population before you demolish the Handy Mart. We don’t want those rats migrating to our yards. I’ve been fighting them for a couple of years and finally getting on top of it. I don’t need a new invasion

    Thanks in advance
    Pam Singh

    1. I heard from the developer and they said that in response to these comments they have scheduled a pest control company to come out to take care of and monitor the interior of the building as well as the area outside the building.

  3. I would oppose any high-traffic business, such as a McDonalds suggested above. The strip mall across the street (QFC, Bartell, hardware, etc.) creates a great deal of in-out traffic. Coupled with the rush-hour traffic along Cedar Way, it is already difficult to get out of the nearby residential area. We certainly don’t need to draw MORE traffic to the area. The northeast corner of that intersection has a two-story building with business offices which don’t seem to add high volume traffic as a fast-food place would.

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