Mill Creek releases draft EIS for South Town Center; council hears high-level design and stormwater plan
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Summary
City staff published the draft Environmental Impact Statement for South Town Center and presented a preferred framework with a central park, a 'sponge park' stormwater approach and zoning alternatives from 60 to 85 feet; public hearings and a 45-day comment period were announced.
Mill Creek — City planning staff on Jan. 27 unveiled a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the South Town Center subarea and described a design framework intended to increase walkability, add park space and consolidate stormwater infrastructure.
Justin Horne, the planner leading the project, said the draft EIS and preliminary framework were published that day and launched a 45-day comment period that closes March 13; a public EIS review session is scheduled for March 3. He said staff will present a final draft and seek adoption in summer 2026.
The planning team described three alternatives: a baseline option keeping existing zoning with a 60-foot height limit; a higher-density alternative that would raise the limit to 85 feet; and a middle alternative with mixed height limits from 60 to 85 feet depending on location. Horne said the higher-intensity alternatives include stronger ground-floor commercial requirements in key corridors to promote a main-street retail character.
Design concepts shown to council include:
- A Central Park and a neighboring “sponge park” designed to serve as a stormwater detention area that fills only during significant storms, enabling the city to place large underground vaults beneath park areas and use the surface for recreation most of the year. - A network reconfiguring large superblocks into smaller blocks, tripling safe crossings for pedestrians and reducing maximum pedestrian crossing distances from roughly 900 feet to 350 feet in the proposed framework. - Prioritized commercial frontages on Main Street and park edges with upper-level setbacks and floor-plate limits to avoid monolithic building massing.
Staff said a regionalized stormwater approach — consolidating treatment into district facilities under parks — would reduce environmental impacts and simplify long-term maintenance.
Several councilmembers praised the pedestrian and retail-focused approach while asking for more detail on parking, the proposed cycle facilities versus using North Creek Trail, and how proposed changes would mesh with state bills under consideration. Staff committed to a public outreach schedule including volunteer board workshops and the March 3 EIS review.
Next steps: staff will accept public comments through March 13, hold the March 3 public review, and return with a final draft EIS in spring and proposed adoption in summer 2026.
