History

City Hall

In 1961, citizens overwhelming approved a bond issue to build the city's first City Hall with a full range of services to serve its growing population. Senator Henry (Scoop) Jackson attended the dedication of the new building in 1962, and former Mayor Frank Hammer noted, "It was a big event and a proud moment for the community."

Growth & Development

A bustling town center formed during the early decades that included a department store, pharmacy, grocery store, dry cleaners, beauty shop, and restaurants. 

New city facilities included the development of the Ballinger Park, Evergreen Playfield Complex, Recreation Pavilion and the Public Works building now known as the Operations Facility. The opening of Alderwood Mall in neighboring Lynnwood as well as a series of arsons in the Mountlake Terrace town center resulted in a downturn for local businesses.

A Civic Campus developed with the addition of a new public library in 1988, Police Station in 1989, and Fire Station #19 in 2006. These services were previously located in the first City Hall building when it opened in 1962.

Revitalization

A spurt of new construction began along the main street of 56th Avenue in 2005 anticipating opportunities to come. The businesses that survived the economic downturn of the 1980s and 1990s continue to thrive and serve as landmarks to local residents and attract loyal customers from all over the Puget Sound region.

In 2006, the City Council focused on generating economic development through the creation of a Town Center Plan. The City Council worked in tandem with the community to adopt the Town Center Plan in early 2007 with the hope of revitalizing its downtown to create an economically viable city and retain quality of life for its residents. Downtown properties were hot during the real estate boom of 2006-2008 in anticipation of the new Town Center Plan. A recession hit in late 2008 that put many projects on hold. The first major mixed-use project, Arbor Village, finally secured funding and broke ground in January 2012. Arbor Village opened in August 2013 and was followed by a number of large mixed-use projects including Vineyard Park (2015) and Mountlake Senior Living (2016).

Since the Town Center Plan was adopted in 2007, new Transit Facilities have followed including Community Transit's Mountlake Terrace Transit Center (2009) and Sound Transit's Freeway Station (2011). Sound Transit's Lynnwood Link Light Rail Extension is under construction and has changed the landscape along I-5. This project will bring light rail service from Seattle to Lynnwood with a station in Mountlake Terrace in 2024.

With the promise of light rail and convenient transportation options, new projects continue to be built downtown and near the transit facilities. Atlas 236 (2021) is across the street from Arbor Village at the corner of 236th Street and 56th Avenue with over 10,000 SF of commercial space and 151 residential units. Terrace Station is a large, three-building mixed-use development with 80,000 square feet of commercial space and 600 living units adjacent to the future light rail line and close to the station. Construction was ongoing in late 2022.

The city's Main Street Project (Phase I), 236th Street from I-5 to 56th Avenue, was completed in 2020 and serves as a boulevard entrance into our Town Center. This project included reconstructed key roadway segments, widened sidewalks, energy efficient pedestrian and street lighting, undergrounded overhead utilities, improved water, storm, and sewer systems, bicycle lanes, improved ADA access, new traffic signals, new trees and tree grates, and other improvements. Phase II, 56th Avenue from 230th to 236th, will follow. 

Van Ry Boulevard (previously known as Gateway Blvd.) is a new roadway that opened in 2021, connecting 244th Street SW with 236th Street at the Transit Center through the Gateway Place Shopping Complex.