Property owned and used in Mountlake Terrace by The City Church for more than six-and-a-half years will have new owners soon as the Kirkland-based church has accepted an offer to sell the property to undisclosed buyers.
The 4.48-acre parcel at 21705-58th Avenue West includes a large two-story building that had been used for church services, classes and meetings, a large paved parking lot, and a large athletic field used primarily by the Terrace Brier Soccer Club.
An offer has been accepted and the deal will close in approximately six weeks, said Ken Hutchins, owner of Kim Hutchins Real Estate. Details about the sale amount and the buyer were not disclosed.
City Church had recently moved its South Snohomish County Sunday morning services out of the Mountlake Terrace facility and now holds them at the Lynnwood Convention Center. “There are no current plans to return,” said a church spokesperson.
The church also conducts Sunday services in downtown Seattle, in the University District and at its main campus in Kirkland.
City Church had purchased the property in January, 2008 for $522,861; Snohomish County currently has the property’s assessed value listed at $1,222,800.
— Story and photo by Doug Petrowski
It will be interesting to see what happens there, whether it is going to be developed into single family or remain as is. Looks like it is zoned for single, RS 8400.
RS8400 means nothing to the city. They’re building 31 houses on 4.5 acres, right next to the New Brighton School. The lots are just short of 4,000 sq ft. You can throw all the zoning laws out the window if you have the money.
The Planned Unit Development is well within the zoning laws. Here’s some general info on PUDs https://www.psrc.org/growth/housing/hip/alltools/pud. MLT’s applicable PUD code is in section 19.115 https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/MountlakeTerrace/html/MountlakeTerrace19/MountlakeTerrace19115.html. I would probably never choose to live in a PUD but its a tool that’s allowed by zoning code.
Dustin, thanks for the reminder that PUDs are tools sometimes. Sometimes they are necessary. Like you, I certainly wouldn’t choose to live in a PUD, but that didn’t stop one from being built in my backyard. I really do, however, appreciate the property tax increase of over $500 over the past year. Now I’m just looking forward to the “progress” that we’re probably about to benefit from. Seems to me reminiscent of the “progress” that Seattle has experienced over the past 20-25 years. Now, it’s creeping up on us here in Terrace. If only we could have a mayor like they do in Seattle…..just wait, it’s coming.
My property taxes have increased $600 in the last year. It seams to me that with the city collecting additional $160,000 in property taxes from the 31 new homes. We should see a decrease in ours. But, what was I thinking, I’m just a tax payer.
Right on, Mr. Wood and Mr. Shepherd! I thought I was the only remaining tax-aware troglodyte here in MLT. When the city council considers an expensive and unprecedented levy lid lift as a solution to a budget crisis which their poor decisions created, I wonder if they know we exist – and that we vote.
Property taxes in MLT increased, on average, 7.1% between 2015 and 2016. Meanwhile, property values increased 14.1%. In other words, increases in taxes haven’t kept up with increases in valuations.
https://snohomishcountywa.gov/documentcenter/view/31997
In 2011 property taxes on the average SFR in MLT were $2,335.
https://www.cityofmlt.com/234/Taxes-in-Mountlake-Terrace
Five years later, property taxes have increased to $2,635. That’s an increase of 12.8%, or little more than 2.5% per year.
Gentlemen, your whining about taxation is unserious when viewed against the numeric facts. Your tax rates are some of the lowest in the county and the services available to you are some of the highest.
Want low taxes? Try Goldbar, where the average property tax bill this year is only $1,725. But watch out – taxes went up 11.5% there in the last year.
You’ve got it pretty good, Mr. French. I’ll compare the percent increase in my commercial property taxes and City fees against the percent increase in your residential property taxes and City fees any time you please. The City isn’t hitting residents for new revenue sources. It’s hitting businesses.
Residential property tax increases averaging 2.5% over the past half-decade? Cry me a river.
You call me whining. But, when you’re wife is on Disability and I had to retire very early to take care of her.. Which in turn only getting half of my retirement. Every penny counts. So, whining is all I can do.
What I meant to say is “Whining is all I can Afford”
I think saying someone is “whining” is rude and disrespectful. As for your wife being on Disability and you are retired are there not some reductions of taxes on persons with limited income? Seems there should be…
I drove all the way through Mountlake Terrace the other day ( the main drag) and I didn’t see ANY businesses… nothing open anyway- well I guess it was Sunday and the weather was nice… ?
What gives?