Sustainability

Sustainability describes taking care of the environment, economy and community livability all at the same time. It means being able to live comfortably without sacrificing the resources of future generations. Mountlake Terrace has taken a leadership role among medium-sized cities in Washington to promote sustainability. A Sustainability Strategy was developed to set priorities for how the City can expand this leadership - conserving energy, encourage green building - and track our progress. This project was funded in part with a grant from the State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.

The Sustainability Strategy, adopted by the City Council in 2008 identifies ways the City will be a good example and encourage others in taking care of the environment and economy while achieving community livability. Code amendments were also adopted to provide incentives for business development.

Landscape Development
The retention of significant trees and vegetation in the City is important and necessary to maintain and protect property values, to enhance the visual appearance of the City, to preserve the natural wooded character of the Pacific Northwest, to promote utilization of natural systems, to reduce the impacts of development on the storm drainage system, and to provide a better transition between the various land uses permitted in the City. (Landscape Development Code - 19.130.140 Retention of existing site vegetation.)