It began with a clear vision

By DEBERA CARLTON HARRELL
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Unlike older cities, Mill Creek has a legacy of refined community planning to help guide future decisions. No helter-skelter development here. Mill Creek may lack the deep roots, cultural heritage and museums of other communities, but many residents and city officials consider it a model for planning.

Founded 24 years ago by farsighted Japanese developers, Mill Creek was envisioned as an 1,100-acre hilltop web of 3,300 attractive housing units surrounding a private championship golf course. Pedestrian walkways, a 24-hour security patrol and insistence on leaving as many cedar and fir trees as possible were all part of a plan to provide a "quality way of life."

While the city has expanded thanks to annexations, those 1,100 acres remain the heart of Mill Creek. Those who live in the plat are required to join the Mill Creek Community Association.

Enhancing the good life for those who can afford it are a private tennis and swim club and a recently expanded country club that boasts computer-compatible conference rooms and an elegant dining room overlooking a fairway fountain. (A Mill Creek Golf Club membership, which cannot be sold or transferred, costs $10,000 plus monthly dues.)

"Mill Creek was put together with a family environment in mind, planned around the country-club lifestyle, even though you didn't have to belong to the clubs," said Rolf Falk, chairman of United Development Corp.

Mill Creek never was planned as a city.

"The growth just happened," Falk said. "Some feel growth is a problem because they don't want it to grow; others want to annex everything. But I think the city is growing in a very orderly manner. The city has followed the concept we established of controlled growth and planning."

Evidence of this legacy -- and responsiveness to community needs -- can be seen in city plans for a new town center north of the current City Hall. Retail shops and businesses in the center will expand the tax base while creating a community focal point and gathering place. Included in the plans are a community recreation facility and cinema complex.

Continued:

• Clean, tidy community a 'suburban nirvana'
• 'Pride in home ownership' is city's motto
• Even paradise has growing pains
• A 'master plan' guides the city
• Safety and schools top list of concerns