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Mountlake Terrace staff propose higher transportation impact fee; public hearing scheduled next week
Summary
City engineers presented a revamped transportation impact fee program that would raise the per‑trip basis and produce a maximum per‑person trip rate of about $6,051 (roughly an $8,000 single-family equivalent in the study). Staff will return with a public hearing and formal action next week.
Mountlake Terrace city engineers and consultants presented a revised traffic impact fee (TIF) program Wednesday, recommending a higher maximum fee to fund multimodal transportation projects identified in the city—s capital plan.
The presentation by City Engineer Rich Meredith and traffic engineer John Merrick set out the state-law methodology and a project list focused on multimodal improvements: buffered bike lanes, expanded sidewalks, roundabouts or traffic-calming measures and corridor upgrades. Consultants said eligible portions of those projects that add capacity for growth were calculated and divided by forecasted person trips to yield a per-trip cost.
Key numbers and staff recommendation: Staff presented the technical results of the study and said the analysis supports a maximum per‑person‑trip rate that works out to about $6,051 in their model; on land-use examples that translates to per-single-family costs in the approximate range used in the presentation (the slide showed a single‑family example near $8,000 under the maximum). Staff recommended adopting the maximum rate and scheduled a public hearing for the next council meeting.
Why it matters: Transportation impact fees pay for growth-related capacity projects and, under Washington law, may not be used to correct existing deficiencies. The city—s proposed program emphasizes multimodal capacity (bike/pedestrian and intersection improvements) rather than only vehicle lane expansions.
Council questions and next steps: Council members asked about program geography and whether multiple rates across the city would be appropriate; staff said Mountlake Terrace is compact and a single rate is appropriate now. Staff will present formal hearing materials next week and seek council action after the public hearing.
Provenance: Presentation and discussion led by Rich Meredith and John Merrick with consultants Ariel Davis and Kendra Brayland; technical material and the proposed rate shown in staff slides and discussed by staff.
