The Mountlake Terrace City Council during the Feb. 22 meeting received an update on its 2024 Comprehensive Plan update, which included options for multi-story buildings and mixed-use zoning codes.

Required by state law, the Comprehensive Plan update — also known as Vision 2024 — was presented by Senior Planner Jonathan Morales, Community and Economic Development Director Christy Osborne and Otak Senior Planner Sierra Carson.

Carson said there were two parts to their work: reaching out to the community to learn how the Vision 2024 Comprehensive Plan aligns with residents’ goals for the city, and developing the framework for growth alternatives.

“The county has assigned or allocated a certain amount of housing units and jobs that they expect the city to plan to accommodate over the 20-year period,” Carson said. “One of the findings in the land capacity analysis is that there is a deficit within the city.”

She explained that Otak has identified the specific land-use changes that can be studied to accommodate the housing required by state’s Growth Management Act. Further, the council-appointed Mountlake Terrace Comprehensive Plan Advisory Group (CPAG) received community feedback that housing affordability continues to be a major concern. 

Carson said that the strategy is to study a wide range of impacts the city may face, including the need for transportation, utility and public service improvements.

The first option presented was the status quo alternative. This would happen if Mountlake Terrace did not significantly change zoning while adhering to state middle housing and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) legislative requirements. Carson said this is used as a baseline reading.

Osborne said that the status quo option would disqualify the city from several state and federal housing grants. 

The second alternative is meeting growth targets by rezoning key areas. According to Carson, this would allow Mountlake Terrace to provide housing capacity to meet its allocated 20-year growth target of 7,683 housing units and 2,717 jobs. Further, it adheres to the ADU legislative requirements.

With the influx of housing and families comes an increase in school-related traffic. Carson said that Otak will be looking into the impacts of increased traffic. Osborne added that the three- to four-story buildings proposed as part of this alternative are located along multi-modal transportation lines.

The third alternative is a longer-range growth alternative. It would expand housing options citywide to provide housing capacity that exceeds the 2044 target.

This alternative expands land use to six- to eight-story transit-oriented developments near the Link Light Rail, four- to six-story mixed-use zones, and four- to five-story multi-family housing near transit routes.

The third growth alternative also allows for more bikeable and walkable spaces with businesses at key intersections. It also features neighborhood-scale four-plex buildings in the areas close to the Town Center.

Councilmember Laura Sonmore asked about further state and federal funding and support for the city’s planning effort “because now the state is stepping in and looking at rezoning some of our stuff.” 

Sonmore said, “I know you’ve got the house bills here, but it seems if the state can step in and tell us how to build in our own city, they need to step in and put money behind what they’re talking about.”

City Manager Jeff Niten explained that many of the grants the city is applying for are directly related to housing and making sure that any new developments can be supported with water, sewer and stormwater services, as well as roads.

The Comprehensive Plan is a document that guides the city’s decisions over a 20-year time period, serving as a blueprint for development. It is also meant to reflect the vision and priorities of the city and its residents while meeting the requirements of state and federal law.

Washington State’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requires that cities and counties update their Comprehensive Plans on a periodic schedule. The purpose of the 2024 update is to ensure the city is planning for the next 20 years of population and employment growth. It gives the city an opportunity to review and revise the plan and development regulations to ensure they comply with GMA requirements.

Another update is scheduled for April 25, 2024.

In other business, the city council passed the amendment to the salary ordinance to create two  separate parks and facilities supervisor positions  to replace  the job of retiring Park and Facilities Superintendent Ken Courtmanch.

The two new positions are a parks supervisor and a facilities supervisor. These positions were merged in 2008 due to budget cuts. Read more here about the council’s discussion of this issue.

Also included in the amendment is a limited-duration construction inspector to support the city’s existing construction inspector in closing out the Sound Transit Link Light Rail project and to keep up with existing and upcoming public and private developments.

The contract will be for one year and cost $115,740, with prorated expenses for 2024 estimated at $87,000.    

“We have literally over 100 permits to close out in construction already, and there are several development projects that are starting too and may have construction happening here in the next few months,” Deputy City Manager Carolyn Hope said.

It is anticipated that this position would have at least 90% cost recovery and, if used on city projects, would cost at least 50% less than the comparable consulting rates.

The next city council meeting will start at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 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 at cityofmlt.com/FormCenter/City-Council-17/Remote-Public-Comment-Request-Form-12. 

To listen via telephone, call 1-253-215-8782 and enter the same meeting ID.

You also can view livestreamed meetings and past video recordings at www.youtube.com/cityofmlt. 

The agenda can be viewed here.

— By Rick Sinnett