I like how Surly does it with the Long Haul Trucker. 26" wheels on the smaller frame sizes and 700c wheels on the larger frame sizes. Makes sense to me.

Some of the boutique brands have 650B wheeled commuter style bikes. Those wheels are similar to 26 inch MTB wheels (with street tires). I'm not a 650B fan, but they do address the OP's issue.

Edit: 1980's steel rigid fork mountain bikes make good commuters. Find a nice used Specialized Hardrock or Rockhopper.