[box typ=”normal”]The story below is from the City’s of Mountlake Terrace’s newsletter called City Happenings. We will be highlighting some of the stories this week. To read the entire newsletter, view the PDF at CityofMLT.com.[/box]

Economic vitality helps our community move forward and provides the jobs, services, businesses, parks, schools, and other things people need. Fortunately, Mountlake Terrace is weathering the current national recession and poised to do even better.

Development, consistent with community standards, is being planned in the Town Center and other locations. A recent count showed 39 significant projects planned for Mountlake Terrace. These are mostly private projects on private property, where the owners recognize the great potential in this city.

Over 6,500 jobs are already located in Mountlake Terrace. These jobs provide incomes to families. They give us places to shop, eat, and take care of commercial needs near home. They also help make our community a better place because businesses and employment help pay for public services — including police, libraries, transit, recreation, and schools — and infrastructure — such as streets, sidewalks, parks, and the city water system. Without healthy businesses in our community, Mountlake Terrace residents would either have to pay higher taxes or lose some of their quality of life.

As the national and regional economy recovers, Mountlake Terrace is likely to see economic growth and change that will enhance our community. The City Council has taken a proactive approach by adopting plans and strategies to encourage economic vitality and quality of life. To view key plans, see the city’s website (www.cityofmlt.com) and click “City Services,” “Long-Range Planning,” and then “Plans and Publications.”

Key business sectors for our community are medical/healthcare, clean technology, and neighborhood retail/restaurants. An example of medical/healthcare opportunities is future growth associated with Swedish/Edmonds Hospital. While the hos- pital is just outside our city limits, other medical and healthcare facilities will need space nearby, especially in Mountlake Terrace.

In other ways, our location is a big advantage too. We are close to major employment centers, such as downtown Seattle, the University of Washington, and Boeing. We are served by major state highways, such as I-5, and are not far from an international airport (SeaTac). Transit service is improving here too — with express bus service now available from the Freeway Station on I-5, near 236th Street.

As the regional economy gains momentum over the next few years, Mountlake Terrace’s jobs and prosperity will increase too, helping to ensure good places and good services for all residents.