
The Mountlake Terrace City Council June 5 approved a $2.6 million bid from Sunset Grill Construction for work on the Lake Ballinger viewing platform and trails – a million dollars more than the original 2015 budget.
First reviewed during the council’s May 22 meeting, the proposal amends the budget to add $1,035,593.02, bringing the total to $2,583,405.24. Of the three bids received, Sunset Grill Construction submitted the lowest, but it was still notably higher than the original budget of $1,547,812.22
Parks Project Manager Donnelle Dayao said the work will expand on the Hall Creek project by constructing new trails and pathways on the park’s west side. It will provide connecting pathways around the ponds and vegetation from the Interurban Trail to the new boardwalk and vehicle bridge.
The presentation material can be seen here.
More information about the viewing platform and trails can be found on the city’s website.

In other business, Community and Economic Development Director Christy Osborn presented nine draft ordinances for middle housing to the council. She was accompanied by two consultants – ECOnorthwest Project Manager Mackenzie Visser and Mithun partner Heidi Oien.
These ordinances are designed to align the city with Washington State Growth Management Act requirements and recently passed state legislation.
Osborn said the ordinances are interwoven into the city’s code concerning the provision of middle housing. She said the changes focus on the city’s residential zones, as outlined in the city’s Vision 2024 Comprehensive Plan.
“We’ve kind of done a whole wholesale modification of most of our zones in the city,” Osborn said. “We changed those zones to an R1, [R]2, [R]3, and [R]4 zone.”
The June 5 presentation explained the middle housing amendments and how they relate to parking standards, residential affordability, residential design standards and residential districts.
Drafts of the ordinances are available below:
The next council work session for the middle housing ordinances is scheduled for June 12, with a public hearing on June 26.
The presentation materials are available here.

Also on June 5, Traffic Engineer John Marek reviewed the city’s six-year Transportation Improvement Plan, which identifies future capital improvement projects, incoming revenue sources and projected expenditures.
To see the list of revenues, expenditures and unfunded projects, click here.
As reported in our earlier article, the council also approved the Flock Safety license plate recognition system by a 5-2 vote.
Finally, the city council recognized Juneteenth and Pride Month with two separate proclamations.
The June 19 council meeting has been canceled in observance of Juneteenth.
The council’s next meeting is a work/study session starting at 7 p.m., June 12, at Mountlake Terrace City Hall, 23204 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace. To attend the meeting online, visit zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID 810 1113 9518; no passcode is needed.
To make a public comment remotely, complete the registration form within 24 hours of the meeting’s start.
To listen via telephone, call 1-253-215-8782 and enter the same meeting ID.
You can also view livestreamed meetings and past video recordings at www.youtube.com/cityofmlt.
The agenda can be viewed here.
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