Mill Creek Town Center is not just a concept, it now has a list of possible retailers and restaurants that the city will try and lure into the development.
Among those retailers and restaurants are such heavyweights as Best Buy, Borders Books and Music, Pottery Barn, California Pizza Kitchen and Claim Jumper.
At a study session of the Mill Creek City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 9, Paul Schlesinger of Fort Worth, Texas-based Buxton Company presented the city with detailed reports as to not only the city’s demographics, but those of a “trade area,” around the city, which he defined as those living within a five-minute drive to Town Center.
“Your citizens are spending the money on these kinds of goods and services,” Schlesinger said, “they’re just doing it elsewhere.”
The trade area, as shown on a map in the council chambers, not only included the city of Mill Creek, but south toward Interstate 405 in Bothell, north to the Silver Lake area, areas east of Mill Creek, the Martha Lake area and a few areas west of Interstate 5.
According to the report, the trade area consists of 100,000 households. Many of those households have demographics that national retailers like, such as higher than average household incomes and education levels.
“When you tell a prospective retailer that you have 100,000 potential customers in a retail trade area, you have a whole different animal,” Schlesinger said. “We feel the setting and the site add to the attraction for retailers.
“Projects like Mill Creek Town Center are hot right now. This is absolutely what retailers are looking for,” Schlesinger said.
City Council member John “Jack” Start questioned whether the companies on a list provided to the city were looking to expand and whether they have the financial means to do so, and Schlesinger said that all the companies his firm listed are financially solvent and are either looking to expand their presence in the northwest.
While a few larger retailers like Borders and Best Buy are on the list, city manager Bob Stowe said that there is perhaps one lot in Town Center that would be large enough to handle such a business.
Council member Dale Hensley wonder why all the restaurants on the list were more family-oriented chains and not necessarily a high-end steak house. Schlesinger, however, said higher end restaurants didn’t match with Mill Creek’s demographic makeup.
Next week, city officials and some council members will meet to discuss more about the project and how to use the Buxton report to lure retailers to the development. At that meeting, a person may be appointed to make the calls to companies to gauge potential interest.
The Council approved the contract with Buxton in July at a cost of $48,500.
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