A new mixed-use development and renovation of a long-standing vacant building are on tap for a section of 56th Avenue West just south of 236th Street Southwest in Mountlake Terrace.
According to City of Mountlake Terrace officials, the city has granted approval for a 48-unit, three-story residential building with 4,424 square feet of ground floor commercial space at 23713-56th Ave. W. The development will take the place of a single-family residence that currently occupies the .83-acre lot just south of the Arbor Village Apartments at 236th Street SW and 56th Avenue West.
City officials are expecting building permits for the project, tentatively called Promenade Living at Town Center, to be applied for soon.
Just a couple blocks away, applications have been submitted to the city to approve a planned renovation of the Mallory Building at 24113-56th Ave. W. Landsverk Quality Homes, currently in Lynnwood, has purchased the site and wants to renovate the 6,677- square-foot warehouse into office space, city officials said.
The Mallory Building was formally home to Professional Service Industries, an engineering consultant firm, but would need to be brought up to current city codes to be occupied again.
— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski
Hopefully there will be enough parking for the 48 unit building. Unlike Arbor Village. Parking for the shops also unlike Arbor Village.
Have you entered the Arbor Village parking garage?
Besides the number of parking spaces provided, would MLTNEWS please ask the city to also provide information on whether the commercial space in this senior living project be both along 56th Avenue and have tenant spaces available for lease to third parties? The Vineyards project at 230th and 56th, while a beautiful new building, has no for-lease space in the ground floor commercial component. New multi-story housing projects along that arterial can not fulfill the original promises for new street level shops and businesses if they are not required to have them.
Common sense says the prospects for successful commercial tenancies in the Promenade project are likely to be just as handicapped by parking issues as in the Arbor Village property. The only parking provided will be under the building and accessed by a narrow easement along the eastern property edge from 238th Street S.W.
How city planners expect any frontages along this commercially-zoned arterial to be successful without more forethought on the parking issue remains a mystery. Its not even clear that the success of commercial spaces matter that much as long as they get the desired density. I’ve said it before, but I will say it again; that’s not what was promised.
We share your thoughts Ien. Thank you!