City receives land-use application for 301-unit apartment on former Roger’s property

Rendering of Mountlake Village. (Courtesy City of Mountlake Terrace)

The City of Mountlake Terrace has received a land use application from Gracorp Properties, LP to build a seven-story, 301-unit apartment building on the former Roger’s Market Place property at 23120 56th Ave. W. in the city’s Town Center neighborhood.

Roger’s, an independent grocery store that had served Mountlake Terrace for decades, was demolished in March 2019. Sound Transit has been using the site as interim commuter parking during construction of the Lynnwood Light Rail Link extension.

The city-posted sign on the former Roger’s Market Place property announcing the land use application.

The applicant is proposing to to develop 301 apartment units with 426,881 square feet of gross floor area, including 5,260 square feet of retail.

Gracorp Properties, which is based in Vancouver, B.C. but has offices in Calgary and Seattle, has a portfolio that includes commercial and residential properties in both Canada and the Seattle area.

 

  1. Looking so forward to an architectural design that takes care so this building fits into the neighborhood rather than some generic box pulled out of a Gentrification 101 manual. Excited to see how many hair salons can fit into the ground floor of this monstrosity.

    1. Right?! Don’t forget a nail salon and another teriyaki joint. Can’t have enough of those!

    1. This will be great for the local community, bringing foot traffic to the small locally owned businesses in the neighborhood. Was sad to see Roger’s Market gone after all the decades there.

    2. I don’t think appropriate, fullsize and usable off-street parking is being considered by MLT anymore. They expect everyone to walk or ride public transportation which doesn’t go anywhere near where most people go.

    3. Parking? What’s that?! There’s LOTS of street parking available!! (Said with a HUGE dose of sarcasm.)

      What about the grocery store that at one time was promised to be a part of some future complex at this location?

      I’m afraid all the city council can see is the tax dollars coming in from the construction and rental/sales of these monstrosities. I understand something similar is planned for the former US Bank building site, also. Sad sad sad…..

      Time to vote out the current city council members and vote some in who remember our town the way it was for so many lovely years.

  2. OMG. WHEN WILL IT END. There are so many of these monstrosities going up. Taking away businesses and restaurants we enjoyed for decades. Show some real vision and put in a bowling alley instead!

    1. Agreed!
      Most grocery stores will want a larger footprint than that, as well as a designated parking lot. However, there are examples of functional small markets that would fit the bill. I’m thinking of Ken’s and multiple Red Apples (of which Roger’s was one).
      To effect that, the community must make a lot of unified noise during the public comment period. Let’s all look for those dates to be posted and speak up!
      Or not, and acknowledge the consequences of inaction.

      1. The retail space seems really small. I thought the city was looking to have a grocery store as part of whatever was built there. In west MLT we do not have a grocery store in walking distance. It would be very helpful to have a good grocery store there.

        Also, 7 stories is too big considering it would probably destroy the views for the Vineyard Park residents, and be disproportionate to the rest of the city.

        1. Our feelings exactly! The original plan (what I heard, anyway) was a grocery store with a few apartments above it. And now this…this….UGLY….thing!! I refer to these buildings as MUMs–Mixed Use Monstrosities. Parking? Good luck on that. City Council should REQUIRE a minimum of one parking spot per adult occupant in those apartments! Plus adequate visitor parking for any businesses (and visitors to said apartments). But, I’m afraid they’re only looking at all those juicy tax dollars that will be flowing into (and out of) the city coffers.

          Now our US Bank is closing (another apartment building is to go there, I understand)–just when the city is putting in LOTS of new apartments! And the Post Office is going to have to move in less than two years–they lost their lease!

          The ones I feel for are the residents in the senior apartments nearby–first they lost their grocery store (Roger’s), now they’re losing their bank, and soon will lose their post office–all of which were in easy walking distance (2 blocks or so) from those places.

          We are gradually losing the town we have enjoyed living in all these years (almost 49 here, and 55 for my husband), to be replaced by a mini-Bellevue (but without the advanced planning for wide-enough streets, etc.)!

          1. Couldn’t have stated it better. These days the only reason to go to “downtown” MLT if you don’t drink is the the bank and Post Office. And soon they will be gone. The pizza joint I followed all over town at different locations is long gone, too. I also feel for the apartment dwellers. There’s limited undersized parking spots for one vehicle (maybe) and difficulty in getting to children and adult activities that our family thrived on. Downtown is not being designed for families and activities outside the apartment. Only for going to work by train.

    2. Mark – this has been a parking lot for four years after Roger’s closed. How is this “taking away a business?”

  3. None of this will be low income. Not one person on disability, social security or single parent earning just above minimum wage will be able to afford it. Laughable as neither will parents on government assistance trying to get ahead.
    The rents will be way over 1500. 1 bedroom. Most likely cement floor.
    In lynnwood, new apartments near the up and coming rail system are 2700 for a 2 bedroom. This will be the same. And you’ll have to show you make 3 times rent a month. Above 600 credit score. Pet deposit and “pet rent”.
    It’s sad as MLT was a town you could actually have a life when you didn’t make alot of money. Now it’s a town you’ll be spit on for not having a college degree.

  4. The whole bottom retail space better be another grocery store. That’s what the city promised us. No more salons and useless businesses that bring nothing to the neighborhood!

  5. Holy monolith, Batman! I’m all for development (sadly, inevitable), but what looks like a high-rise penal institution is really not a good look for our fair city. How about the developers at least lighten up the exterior, as others have done?

    Also, can you fit a grocery store into approximately 5,000 sq feet — at least a Trader Joe’s? In early planning and several public input forums for the development of MLT, wasn’t the subject of walk-ability part of the deal? With a gazillion new condos/apartments going up (again, sadly inevitable), we absolutely need a centrally located grocery store.

  6. It is important to consider the potential impacts of a new apartment building on the former Roger’s Market Place property. Adding 301 new units to the Town Center neighborhood could increase the population density, which may have both positive and negative effects on the community.

    On one hand, a new apartment building could provide much-needed housing options for people looking to live in the area. This could be particularly beneficial for people who work in the nearby businesses or want to take advantage of the amenities in the Town Center.

    On the other hand, adding this many new tenants without a replacement for the market space could potentially have negative impacts on the community. It is possible that the existing businesses, such as DD meats, may not be able to accommodate the increased demand, leading to overcrowding or longer wait times. Additionally, some community members may be concerned about the loss of a local market and the impact it could have on the availability of fresh food and other essential goods.

    Ultimately, it will be up to the City of Mountlake Terrace to consider the land use application from Gracorp Properties, LP and determine whether the proposed development aligns with the community’s goals and needs. The city may also consider the potential impacts on the existing businesses and residents in the area and work to mitigate any negative effects.

  7. Glad to see others already making the “no more hair and nail salon” jokes so I don’t have to. As a relatively new resident (moved to MLT in 2019) I am sympathetic to those who feel their neighborhood may be changing, but I’ve been very much looking forward to the post-pandemic rebound and more retail moving in. Still many vacant retail spaces at Atlas 236, Arbor Village, Terrace Station and also across the street from this project around Diamond Knot and DD. A grocery store in this development would be great. MLT has a couple of local gems but we need more to do around here besides go to church and get our nails done (joking, kind of). Hope this doesn’t take 5 years to finish.

  8. I am pretty sure this will just be another tall, expensive building with a few expensive shops in the bottom. The City of Mountlake Terrace, like most of the towns around us, have gotten where all they care about is making places for the upper middle class and above to live. There needs to be a decent grocery store (maybe Sprouts) and every new building needs to have a good share of their units be affordable for the people who are required to work in these businesses.

  9. Fantastic that MLT is adding more housing options! Density is so important, single family homes are becoming relics of the past (out of necessity, so it goes). Also, please address parking for this building so that surrounding neighborhoods are not negatively affected—parking MUST be on site. Also, since the Town Center neighborhood lacks a grocery store, a REAL grocery store (taking up the entire retail space) would be ideal here (not a mini-mart type situation). Drop a line to Trader Joe’s, perhaps they’d be interested! One can hope. Glad to see more housing being added to the city, overall.

    1. Yes yes yes to your parking comment! As the city makes a “downtown” area by fancying up the streets, they are taking away street parking. People who live in the single-family houses should be able to have a guest park in front of their house without having to worry about all the apartment-dwellers who were told there was “plenty of on-street parking” if they have more than one vehicle. What a joke That has gotten to be!

  10. Please, not another gargantuan structure? And still no low-moderate affordable apts?
    We have yet to see the promised “walkability and charm of a lovely downtown area”! Something that feels welcoming. A place where folks greet one another, have a moment to relax.
    Big, unfriendly, impersonal gargantuan structures only add to the feelings of isolation around the city. I’m in agreement with our ever growing need for a grocery store as we long for the friendliness of one like Roger’s was. Consider a lower level 2 story walking area with a book store, pastry/coffee shop, art store, toy store, pet grooming, wine shop, hot yoga, etc.
    With all the new folks moving in to ride the LightRail, maybe they’d enjoy living in a ” friendly neighborhood” with interesting shops, winding sidewalks with benches to rest, with flowers and trees with strings of lights, adding intrigue and warmth. What happened to our imagination??

    1. Agree. At present there is no pastry/sandwich/coffee shop with USABLE off-street parking anywhere in MLT. Especially one that is quiet and doesn’t exclusively serve oversized sized sandwiches. People have to go outside of MLT. I’d like to regularly drive to and shop and eat in the core MLT but that isn’t a realistic option.

      1. That’s a remarkably specific request, Bob. Have you tried Snohomish Pie Company? They serve sandwiches and pastries (I don’t recall if they serve coffee.) Grand Pere basket serves coffee and pastries, but no sandwiches. Both have off street parking.

    2. Lee, you are asking for the moon when ask for “a lower level 2 story walking area with a book store, pastry/coffee shop, art store, toy store, pet grooming, wine shop, hot yoga, etc.”

      Yes, that would be nice. At the same time, you realize that those are seven completely different businesses you would need to convince to move/open all at once? Also, it’s a little hard to recreate the wheel when you are essentially describing the town center at LFP, which is the miles away.

  11. No grocery store SUCKS! More tall expensive apartments, SUCKS! I know…..let’s change the MLT name to Lil”Lynnwood!

  12. You say opulation density and I say it’s a GROCERY STORE we need in MLT with our many new mouths to feed:
    Consider the increase in population density thus far:
    1. 600 additional units in Terrace Stations West & East and the soon to be completed …maybe it will be called Terrace Station North!
    2. The 2 big Apts on 56th and 236th, Numbers of food shoppers ?
    3. SEVERAL “newish” and regularly going up all over the city, multi level town homes (?) Seems to be 6-10 or more going up on any property where a single home once existed. Numbers of food shoppers?
    Quality of life certainly is changing rapidly as residents are losing connections to a rapidly changing & growing city that is losing its heart.
    As a 40 year resident, I know change is good and inevitable but the overtaking by HUGE buildings leaves us wanting as we lose our neighborhood conveniences and necessities.

  13. It’s great to see MLT dragging itself into the 21st century, and recognising that population growth is both natural and necessary for a city (even one that’s barely more than a town really). The more we can exchange wasteful car parking for a modern urban centre of habitation and commerce, with accessible public transport links to and from neighbouring towns and cities, the more MLT can leave its cinder block past behind.

    Here’s hoping the future involves converting more of the land hoarded by tax-exempt religious institutions into useful housing and retail space. It would be amazing to see some action around affordable housing too but let’s be honest – consideration for those less fortunate is not the way it’s done here.

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