An amendment to the Comprehensive Plan Town Center Subarea Plan Building Prototypes Map is under consideration by the City Council and a public hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 6.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Interim City Hall, 6100 219^thStreet SW, Suite 220.

The proposed map amendment affects properties near the intersection of 236^th Street SW and 56^th Avenue W. This intersection is a key focal point to the Town Center.

The existing designation of the properties on the four corners of the intersection already allows mixed-use buildings up to five stories in height, similar to the recently completed building, Arbor Village, on the southeast corner of 56^th and 236^th. The proposal would change the current building designations for 17 properties from allowing three and four story mixed-use and/or two-three story live/work or townhome development to allow only mixed-use buildings between three and five stories in height. This represents a one or 2-story height increase for the affected properties.

The change would make each of the quadrants on the intersection similar in total land area as the Arbor Village project. A consistent designation would facilitate aggregation of multiple smaller parcels into a size feasible for redevelopment, encourage access to the properties from the secondary streets (verses from 56^th or 236^th) and help create continuous pedestrian space along 236^th and 56^th near the intersection. Some on-street parking could be gained under the new designations.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing and conducted several work sessions prior to reaching a decision. On Aug. 25, the Planning Commission forwarded a recommendation to the City Council to adopt the proposed map amendments.

Both map amendment public hearings have been advertised with a mailing and posting of the area, along with official postings at City Hall, the Mountlake Terrace Library, Post Office, and Recreation Pavilion.

The City Council will conduct a work session Oct. 1 prior to the public hearing on Oct. 6. At the hearing, City Council will take public testimony, consider the record and the merits of the proposal, and consider the Planning Commission’s recommendation, before making a decision whether to adopt the map amendment. If the Comprehensive Plan map amendment is adopted, the zoning map would need to be changed as well to be consistent with the land use map.

Additional information on this proposal is available on the city’s website www.cityofmlt.com or https://www.cityofmlt.com/cityServices/planning/compPlan/chapters2015.htm. Reports, maps and audio of meetings held by the Planning Commission and City Council can be found at https://www.cityofmlt.com/cityServices/cityCouncil/councilMeetings.htm (by date of meeting).

For more information, please call the Community and Economic Development Department at 425-744-6207.