Moving in, moving up

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — As the Melody Hill area grows in the next 20 years, it will have to balance the needs of a family neighborhood and the largest concentration of white and blue collar jobs in the city.

A neighborhood plan in the works would allow more intense business and residential growth, especially in the 220th business corridor and existing office/light industrial area.

Building heights could be raised from 35 feet to 60 feet along the 220th Street for mixed-use buildings if a draft neighborhood plan is approved.

To protect the single family neighborhood, the taller buildings will not be allowed adjacent to residential areas. The city must work with residents to make sure new construction blends in, according to the plan.

The city should also preserve the areas quality of life by enhance pedestrian paths, parks, streams, wetlands and open spaces.

To make it all work, the city will need effective traffic and parking strategies to keep the neighborhood moving. Linking mass transit, bicycle paths and sidewalks will be key.

“(The plan) is just that, it is the establishment of a vision,” said city manager John Caulfield. “(The plan) calls for revitalization of our commercial corridors and protecting our single family neighborhoods. You can find balance between both. It can be done. It can be done.”

City officials and residents can’t stop growth in the roughly 350-acre area, but they can influence how it happens.

The city’s planning commission is crafting the neighborhood plan to give residents and property owners an idea of how Melody Hill will change over the next 20 years. A public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at the Mountlake Terrace City Council Chambers.

The commission could finish the draft plan as early as next Monday and forward it to the City Council for final approval. In the spring, the council will schedule its own public hearing before making a final decision.

Alice Kier, the city’s planning commission chair, noted that the effort will define the limits of future development. The neighborhood plan, however, does not mean that development will happen next year, five years from now or ever, Kier said.

“There are benefits to planned, reasonable growth. It is not going to all come at once,” Kier said. “But my firm belief is if we can plan ahead, we can have a city that is vibrant and thriving and that people will still want to live here.”

Over the next few years, the planning commission will turn its attention to the city’s other five neighborhoods: Town Center, North Terrace, East Terrace, Lake Ballinger and Gateway. The city will eventually craft 20-year plans for all five neighborhoods.

According to the city’s forecasts, the city will gain about 2,000 residents and about 1,300 new jobs by 2025. Melody Hill, like all neighborhoods, will likely attract that growth.

According to Melody Hill’s draft plan, the light industrial/office businesses in the north end should be allowed to “intensify,” which producing more jobs per acre. This would be accomplished by allowed buildings to have a larger footprint on a lot.

The city should encourage “neighborhood friendly” businesses serving Terrace residents to open or expand, especially around the 220th Street and 66th Avenue intersection, according to the plan. Bookstores, coffee shops, family restaurants and small retail shops are some examples.

The 220th corridor would also be a good place for mixed-use buildings, which feature businesses on the ground floor and residences in upper floors. Building heights would be raised from 35 feet to 60 feet to allow mixed use development with structured parking.

The Edmonds School District has no immediate to sell or redevelop a former elementary school on Melody Hill, said district officials. The district is focused on other projects and building a new Lynnwood High School tops the list.

The draft plan recommends the zoning remain the same until the property owner, which is now the school district, indicates it wants to do something different. The current zoning allows single family houses and facilities commonly found in neighborhoods, including churches, fire stations, police stations, schools, private clubs and parks. About 100 neighbors signed a petition opposing commercial, retail or office development at the site.

Right now, a church and a handful of daycare centers and co-op preschools occupy the 38-year-old school.

The city hosted three workshops and several public hearings last year so residents and property owners could share their ideas and react to the plan as it was formed.

The planning commission hopes residents and property owners are involved, Kier said.

“It can be heated at times because people are passionate about protecting their neighborhood and around their homes. It is not our intention to disrespect their feelings or the investment in their proprieties,” Kier said. “We can not do our jobs if we do not know all of the sides of the issue.”