U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene has secured $850,000 in federal funding for the City of Mountlake Terrace that will go toward Phase II of the city’s Main Street project.

The Main Street project was among 15 community projects in DelBene’s 1st Congressional District receiving federal support for infrastructure upgrades. They range from road and trail improvements to environmental sustainability projects to support farmers’ markets and community center services.

The project will rebuild 56th Avenue West between 236th and 230th Streets Southwest, improving pedestrian and bicycle safety. Main Street Phase I — the reconstruction of 236th between 56th Avenue West and I-5 — was completed in 2020 and cost $16.56 million. There is also a planned Phase III that includes 60% design work for a new 57th Avenue West, which will be a four-block-long, pedestrian-oriented street with first-floor retail.

Mountlake Terrace City Manager Jeff Niten said development of the Main Street project in the heart of the city’s Town Center “is going to be transformative. The help we got from Congresswoman DelBene is very important and we are thankful for it.” More money needs to be acquired, and the city has applied for a $24.195 million federal RAISE grant. City officials expect to hear by the end of June if that application is successful.

“It would really accelerate the economic development of the city,” Niten said.

Mountlake Terrace has $75 million in investments either planned or completed for Town Center. In addition to Main Street Phases I-III, they include the $12.5 million Civic Campus and the $5.6 million Transit Connection Corridor Project. Aimed at providing connections from Town Center to the new Mountlake Terrace light rail station, the transit connection project will include lighted and accessible pathways through Veterans Memorial Park and a pedestrian plaza at the corner of 236th Street Southwest and Van Ry Boulevard.

“We sincerely thank Congresswoman Suzan DelBene for her support of our downtown revitalization project,” said Mountlake Terrace Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright. “This is how we work together to expand housing opportunities in Mountlake Terrace Town Center. The congresswoman sees how Town Center is taking shape, and the community is ready for what comes next. We need more housing, with better roads and sidewalks, all connected regionally through light rail. Together we are making it happen.”