City leaders took an opportunity to ask for support from the federal government when U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Edmonds, visited Mill Creek to discuss issues affecting suburban communities, and hear about the city’s Town Center.
Cantwell’s visit to Mill Creek City Hall followed a stop at UW Bothell to meet up with Sen. Patty Murray, D-Shoreline, intended to advance the Democratic message of increasing investments in higher education to help revive the economy.
Mill Creek’s community development director, Bill Trimm, presented plans for the Town Center to Cantwell.
The center concept was formed about eight years ago to create a pedestrian-oriented downtown. The city took input from downtown merchants and property owners, then “marketed that vision to the community,” Trimm said.
The 233,000 square feet of office and retail will provide services in close proximity to the 11,500 Mill Creek residents as well as citizens in nearby communities of Bothell and south Everett. The center will save trips, cutting down on traffic in the already congested south Snohomish County area, by giving residents an option to shop, and visit the doctor or dentist without leaving town.
The center will also serve to “keep those dollars here,” Trimm said.
The Town Center will be connected to the rest of the city by trails and will include apartment complexes where new residents will live, nearby to new services. City and business leaders hope to see anchor tenants move into the Town Center as a draw for other businesses.
“It has been kind of hard to get the private sector to invest in a new concept,” Trimm said.
Cantwell listened intently to Trimm’s presentation, asking questions to clarify where the center would be located and what the city’s vision was when building it.
“Who has what you want to capture?” Cantwell asked, giving Renton and other areas as examples of what the city might want to mimic.
Charlie Gibbons, Mill Creek business owner and one of the founders of the Mill Creek Business Association (MCBA) fielded that question. He said the MCBA has been working on that concept for some time.
“Do we want to look like Leavenworth? Do we want to look like Gilman Village. We’re trying to find our own identity,” Gibbons said.
City Manager Bob Stowe told Cantwell “I think funding for a community center is going to be important to us … to create that draw, to create that public attraction.”
The 35,000 square foot building, if approved by the council and then the voters, would provide a place for community meetings, Stowe told Cantwell. “It would have a youth component, arts and a cultural” component, Stowe said.
Council member Donna Michelson told Cantwell that the state has already given the city $1 million, but that money was earmarked to construct a park. The city has plans to use that money in development of Trillium Park, which is planned for a site off Bothell-Everett Highway across from Trillium Blvd. She said it would be wonderful if the federal government could provide some funding for an economic boost in Mill Creek.
Stan McKenzie, marketing and communication director at Merrill Gardens and president of the MCBA, said access for seniors will be an issue, hinting at funding for pedestrian amenities related to the Town Center. He described the problems endured by people driving in and out of Merrill Gardens senior community as an example of what needs to be fixed.
“You sit and wait for five to ten minutes and then you floor it,” McKenzie said, adding that many of the residents in Mill Creek are not comfortable driving that way. “We have some real concerns along those lines. (We) would love to see an on-demand stop light.”
Michelson mentioned a crosswalk, but one that had better lighting than average crosswalks.
McKenzie said of Merrill Gardens residents “they do like to walk. They’re really looking forward to this community center … what they’re really interested in is are they going to be able to get over to it.”
Stowe said the city looked into the cost of building and overpass and found out it would be $500,000 to $2 million for that project. In a separate interview, Trimm said studies show that overpasses do not get used, but crosswalks do.
Cantwell said, “It seems to me a part of the community center plan would be … access” for residents. “Maybe they could walk over the gridlock,” she joked.
The city plans to light intersections at Trillium Blvd., 153rd St. and will enhance existing lighting at Mill Creek Blvd., Trimm said, timing the lights so that when a pedestrian pushes the button to cross, they will be given enough time to walk across before the light turns again. Lights that are not planned that way give pedestrians enough time to walk halfway across the crosswalk before the light changes, and traffic begins to move again.
“Lighting key intersections … is going to serve as the facility for people to get across,” Trimm said to Cantwell.
In addition to those options, Merrill Gardens representatives have talked of a shuttle bus to safely transport Merrill Gardens residents to the center. A narrower than normal Main Street within Town Center will slow traffic, sidewalks are planned along Main Street and Hwy 527, and construction of the North Creek Trail will give city residents a way to get to the Town Center on foot or bicycle.
“People will walk a quarter to a half mile to a destination place,” Trimm said.
Perhaps as a celebration of pedestrian friendliness, city leaders planned a walk with Cantwell to visit local businesses following the Town Center presentation at City Hall.
Cantwell told city leaders she thought the Town Center was a great concept, and added that the federal government should “look at ways we can partner with you in whatever way we can (and) help you realize this.”
She also commended the city on its overall planning to date.
“You’ve become an oasis of services without having to go to Seattle, or even to Lynnwood,” Cantwell said.
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