Mill Creek affordable housing complex gets another approval

MILL CREEK — Earthwork for a large apartment complex in the northeast part of the city could start later this month, after the project cleared another land-use hurdle.

A hearing examiner last week approved a site plan for The Farm at Mill Creek. The proposal with 354 apartments is aimed at lower- to middle-income families, which created some pushback from people in town who had hoped for a luxury development instead. A few people also had raised questions about traffic.

The examiner issued a decision Monday. The ruling allows the project to move forward to the city’s design review board.

“The developer also has submitted clearing and grading plans to the city, and the city is in the process of reviewing them,” senior planner Christi Schmidt said in a press release.

The plans include stormwater vaults, roads and utilities, Schmidt noted. If those permits are approved, developer Vintage Housing hopes to start clearing and grading the site in late June. The Mill Creek City Council in March approved a development agreement for The Farm on a 4-2 vote, with one abstention. The examiner heard the case May 23.

The project would go up at 4008 132nd St. SE, between Seattle Hill Road and 35th Avenue SE. It would build out 14 buildings on 17 acres, plus 100,000 square feet of commercial space. The design incorporates public plazas, open space and walking paths that would connect to existing trails nearby.

As part of the development, another 58 acres of wetlands would be restored, according to the city. The developer bought that land from Pacific Topsoils. An elevated footbridge will connect the development to the wetlands, where plans call for trails, a learning center and parking.

Based in Newport Beach, California, Vintage Housing specializes in what the building industry considers “workforce housing.”

All of the apartment units would be targeted toward people earning about 60 percent of Snohomish County’s average median income: up to $44,940 for an individual, $51,360 for a family of two, or $57,780 for a family of three, according to state figures. Go to cityofmillcreek.com/thefarm for more information.