Dec. 7 Comprehensive Plan update: Housing needs to keep pace with population, income predictions 

Mountlake Terrace City Councilmembers Dec. 7 were updated on progress regarding the city’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan update.

Presenters were Sierra Caron of Otak, David Fiske, an associate at Leland Consulting Group, and city Senior Planner Jonathan Morales.

Carson started the presentation with an update to the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) scoping — the process used to identify and analyze the environmental impacts of government decisions. This applies to project actions, such as new development, and non-project actions, such as the Comprehensive Plan or other extensive planning processes.

She explained that an environmental impact statement (EIS) would be required for any proposal likely to have a significant environmental impact. Otak uses a process called scoping to identify and mitigate probable impacts and ensure they are evaluated in the EIS, she explained. 

“We can use this process to narrow down the issues to those that we know are significant,” Carson said. “It’s also an opportunity to have public comment.”

The determination of significance and request for comments was issued on Nov. 13 to organizations and businesses in the area, with a response deadline of Dec. 13.

Carson also shared input from residents that the city gathered at the recent Vision 2044 Open House. Concerns noted by citizens were affordable and attainable housing and resources for the unhoused.

Attendees also expressed a desire for more diverse housing, including smaller homes and housing near transit. There was much support for more walkable streets and improvements for bicycle-pedestrian safety, she said.

In addition, participants said that they would like to see more small businesses in the community, including a grocery store at the Town Center, cafes, day cares and pop-ups.

Fiske presented the update to the city’s Comprehensive Plan housing element. Findings from the open house held in November showed that people are already experiencing a housing shortage and issues around affordability. 

He explained that Mountlake Terrace is a moderate-income community with an income slightly lower than Snohomish County’s average. Further, the housing crunch will worsen since more residents are expected to move into the city.

The predictions show Mountlake Terrace remaining a moderate-income community, and by 2044, the population will be four times what it has been in the last 15 years. 

Fiske said that housing costs could be expected to rise in communities such as Mountlake Terrace, which do not have a higher high-income population.

“Of course, there will be further pressure and issues around affordability,” Fiske said. “Making it more important to seek solutions for achieving housing diversity and other options across different affordability brackets.”

He explained that in 2023, the median Mountlake Terrace household was $91,000, and that household could afford a home of just under $350,000. 

“I think we can all agree here that there is no home on the market, or they’re not going to find a home in Mountlake Terrace, at that price today,” Fiske said.

The current median home price in Mountlake Terrace is just under $600,596, and households will need to make roughly $155,000 to afford that home today.

“That’s less than 20% of the current households in the city,” Fiske said. “So, again, that’s just showing that this is already a challenge and potentially a challenge that will increase as the years go by if measures are not taken.”

He pointed out that condominiums and townhomes are the most affordable at that income level, making different attainable housing types important in the coming years. 

Fiske said that “the crux of the problem” is that Mountlake Terrace is not the only city experiencing rent increases over the last 10 years; it is an issue in many cities nationwide. Rents and home values have increased more rapidly than household incomes since 2015.

Fiske described the city’s housing stock as “a rather large number of housing units that fall within that middle housing.” Mountlake Terrace’s existing housing stock is diverse compared to other cities in the region, with 57% being single-family housing.

However, many of those houses are older, especially compared to the rest of Snohomish County. Fiske said that some Mountlake Terrace homes are more affordable because most houses are over 30 years old and need repairs.

Also, he noted there is a surplus capacity for low-income housing due to the high-density zoning in the Town Center. However, a deficit of moderate- to high-income households begs the question of what type of multifamily buildings will work best within single-family neighborhoods.

“The legislative requirements require Mountlake Terrace to allow two dwelling units of a duplex on every residential lot,” Fiske explained.  “But frankly, that wouldn’t be enough” to meet the state target, he added. 

Fiske said the staff and consultants had  much discussion with the Mountlake Terrace Comprehensive Plan Advisory Group (CPAG) about regional goals, policies and city planning that locate housing closer to the light rail and radiate out from the Town Center. This plan has the potential to allow for expanding the city’s single-household residential-transitional (RS-T) transitional zone, which is predominantly zoned for townhomes.

There is also the possibility of allowing up to four units on a residential lot in some parts of the city, especially on sites closer to the light rail and transit hubs.

The Comprehensive Plan is a document that guides the city’s decisions over a 20-year 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 allows the city to review and revise the plan and development regulations to ensure they comply with GMA requirements.

In other business, Deputy City Manager and DEIC staff liaison Carolyn Hope presented proposed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Commission roles for council proclamations and proposed DEI-related proclamations for 2024.

The staff and the DEI Commission made recommendations to the city council that the commission review DEI-related proclamations annually and recommend a list and potential recipients to the city council in December of each year.

Further, the commission recommended that it review draft language for DEI-related proclamations before staff submit those to the council and work with staff on meaningful ways to celebrate or commemorate the purpose of the proclamation.

The DEI proposes adding four new commemorations for the city council to consider. 

— February Black History Month 

— Feb. 10-24 Lunar New Year.

— April Children’s Day

— September 13 to 22 Welcoming Week

— November Native American Heritage Month

Councilmembers Steve Woodard, Erin Murray and Laura Sonmore offered suggestions for additional observations they would like to see and also expressed concerns about leaving communities out.

Hope explained that if the city can’t afford to hold an event to celebrate a proclamation, Mountlake Terrace can partner to promote a neighboring city’s event, such as Edmonds or Lynnwood.

Further discussion will be set for a future date.

Among other items, the city council approved Amendment 2 to the Snohomish County 911 interlocal agreement (ILA).

The ILA between the Mountlake Terrace and Snohomish 911 (SNO911) expired on June 22, 2023. A six-month extension to Dec. 22, 2023, to the existing agreement was approved on June 21, 2023. Amendment 2 will extend an additional three months until March 22, 2024, to finalize the terms of the ILA.

In 2000, the City of Mountlake Terrace and the City of Lynnwood entered an interlocal agreement with SNOCOM to provide space for emergency communications services at the Operations Facility. In 2010, Mountlake Terrace purchased the Operations Facility from Lynnwood outright. 

In 2018, SNOCOM merged with SNOPAC to provide 911 services to Snohomish County. SNO911 has since built a new facility in Everett and has used the older Mountlake Terrace facility as a backup and for training.

The city council also passed the ordinances for the Astound Broadband and Comcast Cable Communications (Comcast) franchises to receive their second public reading at the Dec.21 city council meeting. These agreements, which expire in 2023, allow the communication companies to operate within the city’s right of way for 10 years.

Comcast will also pay the city a franchise fee of 5% of gross revenues quarterly.

City Manager Jeff Niten explained that Comcast pays a revenue fee because of the cable television element of their service, whereas Astound only provides broadband internet.

The council’s next meeting is Thursday, Dec. 14. It will begin at 7 p.m. in 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 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.

You can see the complete agenda here.

— By Rick Sinnett