Mill Creek staff outlines South Town Center master plan, asks advisory boards for input

Jeff Ryan, the City of Mill Creek director of planning and community development, told the Design Review Board on June 5 that the city has begun a master‑planning process for the South Town Center, a roughly 40–50‑acre area extending from City Hall South down to the QFC.

The master plan will include new design guidelines, infrastructure and stormwater concepts, an environmental impact study (EIS) and a planned‑action ordinance, Ryan said. He asked advisory committees — including the Design Review Board, Parks and Recreation and Arts & Beautification — to participate in consolidated study sessions so staff and consultants can integrate their feedback early in the process.

The city adopted a 2024 comprehensive‑plan update that set housing goals and directed a reimagining of the town center as a mixed‑use place for housing, parks and public plazas, Ryan said. He told the board the city hopes to package the redevelopment so developers will consider investments in the area.

“We are now officially underway for the Southtown Center redevelopment,” Ryan said. “The Southtown Center is a super exciting opportunity for the city of Mill Creek.” He said the scope includes design standards, stormwater management and the environmental analyses needed to attract developers.

Why it matters: the subarea plan would reshape a substantial portion of Mill Creek’s commercial core and implement parts of the 2024 comprehensive‑plan update. The work will set design standards and procedural tools — such as a planned‑action ordinance — that could shape what types of housing and commercial development are buildable and how they look.

Key details from the meeting: - Consultant team: City staff selected GGLO as lead consultant; GGLO is bringing environmental and engineering partners including Facet and KPFF. Ryan named past GGLO projects such as Yesler Terrace and Northgate to illustrate experience. - Study scope: The project will produce a master plan, new design guidelines and an EIS. Staff also intends to draft a planned‑action ordinance to streamline environmental review for selected proposals. - Timeline and outreach: Ryan said the city tentatively plans combined advisory‑board meetings on Aug. 21 and Oct. 16 and is aiming for an adopted master plan by the following April, calling the schedule “pretty aggressive.” He said materials and outreach documents will be posted to the city website as the analysis proceeds. - Design and zoning questions: Ryan said South Town Center currently regulates development by height and setbacks rather than traditional floor‑area‑ratio caps. Current zoning allows buildings up to five stories; builders told staff that seven stories is often a practical limit before switching structural systems. Those choices will affect how much housing and commercial space can be built, Ryan said. - State policy context: Ryan noted that recent state actions have constrained local design‑review authority by shifting more project approvals to administrative processes. He said strong, clear design standards in the master plan would help preserve high‑quality outcomes even if local discretionary review is reduced in the future. - Role of advisory boards: Ryan asked boards to serve as an early sounding board, participate in consolidated meetings, and re‑engage later to review refined proposals; he also invited board members to testify during the adoption process if they support the final plan.

History and context: Board member Dave Ambleton said the South Town Center work traces to the pre‑COVID Mill Creek Boulevard extension project and was paused for several years before restarting. Council member Melissa Luque, the board’s council liaison, confirmed the project page is searchable on the city website and offered to serve as a liaison to relay board concerns to council.

What was not decided: The meeting did not include any formal votes or approvals related to the South Town Center plan. Ryan described timelines, consultants and outreach plans and requested advisory‑board involvement; no ordinance or design standard was adopted at the meeting.

Next steps: Staff will post project documents online, hold consolidated advisory‑board sessions (tentatively Aug. 21 and Oct. 16) and continue EIS scoping and master‑plan drafting toward the city’s target for plan adoption in April.