Housing Action Plan progresses during Aug. 14 council meeting

Key takeaways:

• The Council received an update on the City’s Housing Action Plan.
• The plan is designed to meet housing needs identified in the City’s Vision 2024 Comprehensive Plan.
• Residents’ ideas during Vision 2024 open houses helped shape the plan.

The Mountlake Terrace City Council reviewed and discussed a draft of the Housing Action Plan during its Aug. 14 meeting.

Community and Economic Director Christy Osborn and ECOnorthwest Project Manager Mackenzie Visser presented the information, with ECOnorthwest Project Director Becky Hewitt joining remotely.

The Housing Action Plan (HAP) builds on zoning updates and ongoing projects, and is designed to meet housing needs stated in the Mountlake Terrace Vision 2044 Comprehensive Plan. Also, it helps identify programs, partnerships and strategies to use as tools for furthering the plan’s goals.

Visser said that policies and actions were categorized into frameworks to better organize and analyze aspects of the plan. The highest priorities are code changes, community priorities and partnerships. She said those categories have “the most leverage for action right now,” capitalizing on the momentum created by recent code changes.

Visser shared the ideas received from residents who attended the Vision 2044 open houses. These helped inform the city of the residents’ wants and needs, influencing the Comprehensive Plan.

Building Code Feedback:

•     Many participants showed support for middle housing but said that cost and financing, especially for small or first-time developers, remain key barriers.
•     There was some concern about the complexity and cost of permitting, especially when designs must be repeatedly revised to meet unclear requirements.
•     Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) were also widely supported among open house participants. However, many said they were discouraged from building one, stating that the development process and permitting requirements can be confusing and costly.
•     Residents suggested incentives or fee reductions to make it easier for homeowners and small developers to build middle housing.

Regulated Affordable Housing Feedback: 

•     Participants said they were concerned that rising housing costs in the city are outpacing incomes and emphasized the need for more regulated affordable housing options, housing diversity and more production.
•     Some questioned whether the current affordability target of households with an 80% average median income is low enough to support those with lower incomes.
•     Several stakeholders said certain housing types or income-restricted units won’t be possible without additional incentives.
•     Residents and stakeholders recognized that ensuring long-term compliance for affordable units would require dedicated capacity for both staff and property managers.

Anti Displacement Feedback:

•     Many participants expressed concern about being priced out or losing neighborhood stability as development increases.
•     Residents asked what other cities are doing to prevent displacement and felt Mountlake Terrace should take proactive steps to protect lower-income residents.
•     There was interest in exploring tools such as community land trusts, cooperative ownership and tenant protections.
•     Some residents wanted limits to investor-owned housing to preserve opportunities for local, long-term residents.
•     Based on other communities in Snohomish County, there is concern that manufactured home residents will be priced out of the city.

Osborn said that there are many actionable things the city can do now to address concerns, and they require minimal resources. One example is the zoning for mobile homes, which she said could be addressed in-house.

“Instead of talking about it, what are some of the things we can do that could help make a difference?” Osborn said.

The next steps for the Housing Action Plan will be two reviews by the planning commission on Sept. 22 and Oct. 27, with a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 10.

The resulting draft will return to the city council for further review during the Nov. 13 meeting, with a public hearing scheduled for Dec. 4.

The presentation material can be seen here.

In other business, the council also received refresher training on the Open Public Meetings Act and the Public Records Act from City Attorney Hillary Evans.

The council’s next meeting will be a business session starting at 7 p.m., Aug. 21, 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.