The Mountlake Terrace City Council seeks interested residents, property owners and business owners to serve on a Town Center Task Force to assist in the development of an updated Town Center Plan.

The City Council adopted a plan in 2007 to create a Town Center that reflects the community’s values and identity, as well as provides a path for growth and redevelopment. The plan came together following several months of community input through forums and open houses.  The plan, titled “A Vision for the Mountlake Terrace Town Center,” was amended in 2009 and can be found on the city’s website at www.cityofmlt.com/documentcenter/view/750.

The plan gathered the community’s thoughts on what the Town Center should look like in 20 years (2026), and put those thoughts into a vision that was subsequently adopted into the zoning code for the Town Center that states, “The purpose of this chapter is to provide for a vibrant downtown or “Town Center” area where businesses thrive and people of all ages enjoy gathering. A vibrant downtown is pedestrian-oriented, provides efficiently for multiple modes of transportation, and contains a mix of uses, including commercial and residential uses.”

The city has been investing in infrastructure to facilitate the plan. However, due to the slow pace of redevelopment caused by the Great Recession, and few large parcels available for sale, relatively little private development has taken place towards the vision.

To update the Town Center Plan in light of changes over the past 11 years, the city has contracted with SCJ Alliance to update the city’s economic profile, gather community input, and update zoning and/or design standards.

The City Council intends to select an 11-member Task Force, including five from a stakeholder group known as CLEAR (Civic Leadership Educating Achieving Revitalizing) and six other at-large members to represent a balance of backgrounds from Mountlake Terrace residents, property owners and business owners. The group intends to meet in the evening, about three times per month from mid-March through possibly December with some weekend meetings possible. The city will have extensive community outreach and neighborhood meetings to receive citywide input and answer questions about the Town Center Plan, similar to the City Hall Advisory Committee outreach process in 2017.

Applicants must be current residents of Mountlake Terrace or own a business or property in Mountlake Terrace, be at least 18 years old and able to attend evening and some weekend meetings in 2018. A well-rounded task force with diverse experience and backgrounds is desired. Ideal candidates will include those familiar with land use, design standards, small business operations and marketing. The City Council is expected to appoint the task force in March.

Individuals interested in serving on the Town Center Task Force should submit an application (available online at www.cityofmlt.com/1936 or at City Hall) by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28 to the City of Mountlake Terrace City Manager’s Office, 6100 219^th St. S.W., Ste. 200, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 or via email at cityhall@ci.mlt.wa.us. To have a form emailed to you or for any questions, contact the City Manager’s Office at cityhall@ci.mlt.wa.us or 425-744-6266.