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Mill Creek unveils South Town Center Subarea plan with walkable core, central park and 'sponge park' stormwater facility
Summary
The council reviewed a final draft of the South Town Center Subarea plan proposing smaller blocks, new parks, required ground‑floor commercial on key corridors, reduced minimum parking and development incentives to encourage mixed use and retail activity; planning staff expect formal adoption in September.
Senior Planner Justin Horn presented the final South Town Center Subarea plan and related zoning amendments, describing a vision for a walkable, mixed‑use extension of the Mill Creek Towne Center with a central park, a sponge park stormwater facility, smaller blocks for improved walkability, required commercial frontages on primary corridors and design standards to preserve a human scale.
Horn said the plan replaces large superblocks with 300–350 foot blocks, requires active ground‑floor commercial on core corridors (Mill Creek Boulevard and Main Street), and proposes reduced minimum parking to make development more affordable. He described a development incentive that grants a 25‑foot height bonus if a project meets frontage and housing‑type thresholds. Council members raised concerns about the scale of housing (one councilor referenced an earlier estimate of ~5,500 units) and whether reduced parking minimums would hinder retail; staff said developers could still build more parking if market needs required it and noted shared‑parking provisions and developer mitigation tools.
Planning staff recommended formally adopting the overlay and design standards in September; the planning commission recommended the draft the night before. Justin Horn said implementation will include design review board review of projects, a public improvement and funding strategy, and targeted outreach to property owners and developers.
