I first met Sheila Shirley when we moved to Washington state 20 years ago
The city’s Public Works department is inviting public input on a new site plan
Jury service is the most likely role residents will have in our justice system
Monday (May 5) for more than 3,200 seats on city councils
The land use advocacy nonprofit Futurewise is taking the City of Mercer Island to a state appeals board over serious concerns that the city’s Comprehensive Plan doesn’t go far enough to promote housing affordability in compliance with state law
filed last week at Washington’s Growth Management Hearings Board
alleges that Mercer Island’s 20-year growth plan doesn’t allow enough types of housing
including emergency shelter and affordable housing
nor does it plan for enough housing in the area around its forthcoming Sound Transit light rail station in alignment with the region’s transit-focused growth strategy
The appeal alleges a “failure to identify sufficient land for STEP housing
the failure to document programs and actions needed to achieve housing availability including funding gaps
the failure to adopt a subarea plan for the light rail station area
and the failure to comply with housing related countywide planning policies.”
and Permanent-supportive or “STEP” housing is an umbrella term encompassing an array of housing options for people exiting homelessness
ranging from emergency shelters to permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services
“The Eastside has seen huge growth in housing demand in the last 20 years
causing prices to soar,” said Kian Bradley
one of two Mercer Island residents joining Futurewise on the appeal
“Mercer Island is incredibly well positioned to handle this demand
It’s disappointing that the city continues to drag its feet and fail to meet the minimum requirements of the Growth Management Act.”
the impact of any ruling in this case could be felt far from Mercer Island’s borders
and crystallize for many cities in Washington what the new requirements actually mean
The Urbanist has been following Mercer Island’s attempts to comply with HB 1220’s frameworks
which — among other things — require cities to target their growth targets to the actual expected income levels of future residents
Zoning that allows single-family homes doesn’t cut it when a city is expected to accommodate lower-income residents who can’t afford those types of homes
Mercer Island’s big move? Adding a few extra stories of housing capacity to a few blocks of its denser Town Center area
with the tallest height limits allowed closest to the freeway trench
The City also added some of the strictest affordability requirements in the region
making it unlikely that any substantial development will materialize any time soon
Outside the Town Center area, virtually nowhere else on Mercer Island allows multifamily housing, with minimum lot sizes in most residential zones varying from 8,400 to 15,000 square feet. That includes areas within a few minute’s walk of the new light rail station, set to open by the end of 2025 or in early 2026
Futurewise’s Executive Director Alex Brennan told The Urbanist that Mercer Island’s efforts to comply with policies like HB 1220 have fallen far short of what’s laid out in state laws and the countywide planning policies based on those laws
“They don’t have capacity for emergency housing
to meet the emergency housing allocations they’ve been given,” Brennan said
“An important part of HB 1220 is that every city is required to remove a lot of the barriers to providing both that temporary shelter as well as permanent supportive housing for people that need that
and so Mercer Island is not meeting those requirements.”
Brennan noted that without receiving any county guidance
Mercer Island ended up incredibly out-of-alignment with county policies that require cities to prevent zoning intended for affordable housing to be concentrated in a small number of areas
“They’re thinking that if they upzone in this one particular area
and have enough overall capacity that that’s enough
but it’s really not because they need to be looking at the station-area walkshed,” Brennan said
“It doesn’t have to be on every parcel throughout the city
that in different neighborhoods or different parts of Mercer Island
you can have multifamily housing that could conceivably be made affordable through the existing affordability programs we have
and they really they can’t just put all of that in the Town Center.”
Nice has also pushed back on the Housing Accountability Act
which would more directly empower the state’s Commerce Department to find cities like Mercer Island out of compliance with state housing laws
the Housing Accountability Act just cleared its first hurdle of 2025
passing the Senate housing committee last week
the only mechanism for ensuring that cities are complying is making a case to the Growth Management Hearings Board
In arguing against passing the Housing Accountability Act
Nice framed the issue as local decision-making versus top-down mandates
but a law passed by the state legislature without a clear enforcement mechanism is one that will clearly remain toothless
“The [Growth Management Act] empowers local governments to tailor planning to their unique needs
ensuring community voices are part of the process,” Nice said at a January 24 hearing on the Housing Accountability Act
“Centralized housing compliance under the Department of Commerce strips away this local authority
replacing it with one-size-fits-all approach that ignores the distinct character of individual communities.”
The result of this new appeal will ultimately be a full illustration of whether or not Mercer Island has been using that local authority to shirk state law
in order to maintain its perch as one of the region’s most exclusive enclaves
Ryan Packer has been writing for The Urbanist since 2015
and currently reports full-time as Contributing Editor
Packer has also reported for other regional outlets including Capitol Hill Seattle
They live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle
The Urbanist hosts social hour meetups every month. In April, we’re hosting four social events and kicking off our urbanism-themed walking tours starting in Kirkland on April 26
we’ll be hosting a booth at the opening celebration at Downtown Redmond Station
Check our urbanist events calendar to see everything happening this month, including events hosted by partner organizations. You can submit your event for inclusion
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The bond is coming up for a vote in the April 22 special election
and readers share their opinions on the matter in this week’s batch of letters to the editor
The Mercer Island City Council unanimously approved a motion this week to modestly expand housing capacity in its Town Center neighborhood south of I-90, close to Sound Transit’s 2 Line light rail station, set to open in late 2025 or early 2026
properties on the north end of the neighborhood
would be able to rise to seven stories compared to the five-floor height limit today
and properties further south would be able to rise to five stories
the Council also approved a directive to increase restrictions on developers that could result in even less housing built in Town Center in the coming years
A high housing affordability requirement on new housing may sound helpful in theory
but if it deems construction financially infeasible
That would be par for the course since Town Center hasn’t seen a new building permitted since 2014
The impetus for Mercer Island’s proposal isn’t necessarily a desire to create more housing opportunities close to regional transit investments, but rather to comply with state law, namely the housing requirements in House Bill 1220
HB 1220 is a 2021 law that updated the state’s Growth Management Act to require cities to align anticipated future housing needs with the expected income levels of future residents
With lower-income residents priced out of detached single-family or even missing middle housing types, such as backyard cottages or duplexes, only the option to construct multifamily housing aligns with those expected residents. The average Mercer Island single family home is valued at $2.3 million, according to Zillow estimates
cities large and small are grappling with how to implement HB 1220
as it represents a brand new way to look at local housing growth targets
It doesn’t allow municipalities to plan for growth using capacity that exists on paper but remains highly unlikely to result in housing that’s affordable to most Puget Sound residents
the law has resulted in significant frustration given an across-the-board reluctance to look at rezoning lower density residential areas
including those just as close to light rail as some areas of Town Center
The 20-year housing target that Mercer Island has to incorporate into the update of its Comprehensive Plan
While the city as a whole has capacity to add over 1,400 homes without any zoning changes
much of that capacity exists in its single-family zones
which make up 83.4% of Mercer Island’s residential land
And of those 1,239 homes that the city needs to plan for
nearly 60% are expected to house people making 50% of King County’s area median income or below — around $74,000 per year
Guidance from the state’s Department of Commerce has been to correlate affordability levels with density
with the bottom line being that the city needs to create more multifamily capacity — at least 143 units in Mercer Island’s case
the city briefly explored the idea of creating new multifamily housing capacity in south Mercer Island
near a commercial hub that includes a QFC grocery store
that proposal was met with vociferous opposition from Mercer Island residents
who inundated the city council with emails pushing back on the idea
Council also explored whether to convert a commercial-only zone along I-90 but shied away from that as well
they considered whether to upzone the entire Town Center area by one story — labelled option A — but ultimately picked option B that concentrates the new capacity near I-90
raising the upper height limit on several blocks to seven stories
Mercer Island hasn’t exactly been in a rush to see its Town Center develop. In 2020, city council imposed a development moratorium on the southeast quadrant of the neighborhood, citing concerns around loss of retail space, and did not lift that moratorium until late into 2022
those 159 new apartments mark one of only a handful of new apartment buildings in a mostly lost decade for Town Center
The extra capacity Mercer Island is contemplating now could potentially add a few extra hundred homes near some of the fastest planned transit connections to both Seattle and the Eastside
Council also approved a motion that will lead to an increase in the mandated number of affordable units in new buildings
Those 15% of units would have to be affordable to residents making 50% of the county’s area median income (AMI) or below — a requirement that would mean Mercer Island has one of the most stringent affordable housing mandates in the region
While buildings two stories or less would remain exempt from that requirement
it would cover the entire Town Center area
even where height limits aren’t being increased
through so-called “inclusionary zoning” programs
are becoming more popular around the country as a way to create subsidized affordable units without raising taxes more broadly
Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) requires a range of anywhere from 5% to 10.6%
with cities like Shoreline and Redmond having 10% baseline requirements
While some cities do have percentage requirements at 15% or above
those requirements are almost all paired with a higher income cap than the 50% of area median income that Mercer Island is proposing
the affordability requirements were tied to greater zoning capacity
Mercer Island would require 15% of units be available to people making 80% of the area median income — or around $118,000 per year and below
In Tuesday’s meeting, Mercer Island city staff were asked about the process to develop the 15% number. Jeff Thomas, Mercer Island’s Community Planning & Development Director, said that they had been in conversations with A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH)
an organization that works to create affordable housing on the Eastside in partnership with a broad coalition of Eastside cities that contribute annual funding
“What we found in having ARCH’s consultant work with Mercer Island here recently
is that […] even with interest rates where they’re at currently
15% does come pretty close to a standalone feasibility on a seven-story project on Mercer Island
in terms of feasibility at the 15% level.”
Thomas added that additional strategies outlined in Mercer Island’s draft Comp Plan
or waived permit fees for affordable units
could go even further toward making projects pencil
but it’s not clear when exactly the city would get around to advancing those ideas
Mercer Island Mayor Salim Nice touted the potential for outside funding sources to fill the gap when it comes to feasibility
“I have heard and had discussions with other mayors in the region that with subsidies and and funding through Microsoft and through Amazon’s housing funds
that there is development contemplated at 100%
And so there are going to be some things in the marketplace that are not free market principles
but do have other forces behind them that can help us get to the 80% AMI units.”
Not mentioned was city-provided funding: Mercer Island’s contributions to the ARCH housing trust fund in 2024 totaled just $76,611
or 0.2% of the City’s general fund budget
all of it outside the existing Town Center area where zoning already exceeds the baseline requirements of the bill
city leaders have hosted little discussion of building more housing to alleviate the region’s housing shortage and improve outcomes for working class residents
With Mercer Island’s primary consideration apparently a desire to appear compliant with state law
when King County cities are evaluated on their HB 1220 performance
being able to go in there with this kind of capacity and with these types of targets into our bonus incentives
I think it gives us good ground to say that we did try,” Nice said
“We’re not going to want to argue that we didn’t achieve our goals because there were points in time in the five-year period that we didn’t have the capacity that was required.”
With one of the largest groups to assemble yet in the KNKX Seattle studios, the all-star ensemble from the Mercer Island High School jazz band were ably assisted by big band veterans
The band’s longtime director is David Bentley, a trombonist with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. Their mentor, one of the SRJO’s founding members, Jay Thomas brought his tenor sax and flugelhorn for this exciting performance
Drummer Alanna Larson
proved her skills as the band’s rock-solid rhythm section leader
talented freshman Dino Hadjarpasic earned enthusiastic praise his mentor
“Just starting and he plays fantastic,” Thomas said with a smile
The young musicians confessed to being more nervous about the session interview than their actual performance
they were each confident and articulate answering questions
touted the band’s ability to draw in fellow MIHS students
sometimes the jazz ensemble will be running a tune
and we leave the door open and see people walking by
pianist Jascha Silberstein is just one of the band’s many multi-instrumentalists
which Silberstein said influences the way he thinks about jazz
The strong ensemble also included alto saxophonist Tristan Chan
Trumpeters Elliott Yaroslavski and Max Janes blended beautifully with trombonist Oliver Lee on smart arrangements of four jazz favorites
a Lee Morgan classic and a tricky standard put this talented young band to the test
Band director Bentley said he’s seen "tons of growth" in this year’s students
“They’re very dedicated to each other and to the music
enjoy a swinging set from this impressive ten-piece jazz band in the KNKX studios
February was the month Mercer Island High School runner Owen Powell had been waiting for his entire life.
he was already known as a standout high school runner
with his name all over the career cross country and track leaderboards inside the Mercer Island gymnasium.
Powell has a claim as one of the fastest high school runners of all time.
Powell made history during the University of Washington’s Husky Classic at Dempsey Indoor Center with an indoor mile time of 3:57.74
making him the first Washington high schooler to ever break the four-minute mark
and shattering former WSU star and 1964 Olympian Gerry Lindgren’s 61-year old state high school mile record of 4:01.5.
Andy and Maurica Powell are track head coaches
originally broke Lindgren’s record on February 2 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix with a time of 4:01.14
before his new time put it even further in the rearview
Powell’s performance was also just .08 seconds off 2024 Olympian Hobbs Kessler’s national indoor high school one-mile record of 3:57.66
Powell broke that record too when he clocked in at 3:56.66 at the Boston U Terrier DMR Challenge.
After his big performance at the Husky Classic in Seattle
Powell went to Boston knowing he could make history.
“Just give it one more shot,” Powell said
I’m going to just do the same thing I did before
Powell finished with the fourth fastest mile time by a high schooler ever
He wasn’t the only runner in Boston to break Kessler’s record
Tostenson’s Crater High School teammate Tayvon Kitchen ran 3:59.61
making it three prep runners to go sub-four on the day.
Just three days after making history in Boston
Powell was back at school on Mercer Island
preparing for an outdoor track season that began Monday
With so much historic success happening in the span of just one week
Powell is taking a bit of time to soak it all in.
“I feel like it hasn’t fully set in yet,” Powell said
“But I think every day I’m kind of just
I feel like I’m still riding that high … It’s been a big goal of mine for a long time
So finally being able to accomplish that is
Mercer Island track coach Susan Empey cheered Powell on when he first broke the four-minute mark on Feb
Empey knew Powell was going to break the four-minute mark eventually
and was thrilled she got to be there for the big moment
given what I’d seen him do in practices
that it wasn’t a matter of if he was going to break 4:00
It was a matter of how far under 4:00 he was going to go,” Empey said
because that’s just not sliding under by a 1/10 or 2/10, that’s sliding under by three seconds.”
While he is the son of UW’s head coaching duo
Powell’s parents never pushed him to be a runner
He spent the early part of his life in Eugene
during their stint coaching the Ducks’ cross country and track teams
but said that he had no interest in the sport at first.
recalling an occasion when he swam a mile in choppy Fourth of July lake water in fewer than 20 minutes after a friend dared him to try
It wasn’t until around the start of his sophomore year that Powell finally decided to go all in on running
he’s one of the best runners in the country
and a beloved leader on the Islanders squad.
just because it’s a thrill to be able to watch somebody succeed at that level,” Empey said
“But part of what makes Owen special is he’s just a cool kid
While she doesn’t want to put more pressure on Powell’s shoulders in the wake of last month’s breakout performances
When the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles or the 2032 Brisbane Games arrive
the Mercer Island product might be right there in the conversation to run for Team USA.
but he should be a part of that conversation in both of those cycles,” Empey said
You look at who’s running the mile these days
on both the men’s and the women’s side
Division I track and Olympic dreams will have to wait a little while longer.
he’s still just a high school kid with one last Mercer Island track season in front of him
It’s hard to top setting a national record
but Powell plans to keep his momentum rolling.
He’s accomplished a lot in the past few weeks
and seems poised to do a whole lot more in the years to come
“(It) means putting my head down and keep putting the work in,” Powell said
But I think just what differentiates the good from the great is just the ability to keep working hard and not laying off the gas.”
Seattle Times sports reporter Andy Yamashita contributed to the story
The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times
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Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez made a surprise visit at the Mercer Island Little League 20th anniversary opening day…
Mercer Island High School senior is headed to MIT this fall
Mercer Island High School’s Victoria and Sophia Rodriquez (top left
left to right) competed in the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays on…
Your express stop for the latest Sound Transit news
Crews have been hard at work on the Link light rail extensions that will further connect the Eastside with the rest of the region via transit.
There was so much excitement when the 2 Line opened in April of this year
bringing neighborhoods in Bellevue and Redmond closer together with fast and reliable service.
And with train testing commencing on the rest of the East Link Extension and the Downtown Redmond Link Extension
Two stations will open in Redmond next year
and live wire testing started last month.
but this milestone means that we are in the final phases and getting close to opening.
And in other exciting news, public art has been installed at Marymoor Village Station
There's also a lot of progress being made on the East Link Extension
as testing began on the I-90 crossing between Bellevue and Mercer Island.
Crews are also hard at work on the I-90 floating bridge; check out this blog post for an update on the construction work happening there.
Here are some fresh pics of a test called a dead car pull:
Crews also started live wire testing on this segment in October.
If you enjoy these photos, follow us on Instagram and tune in on Fridays for our regular "Field Trip Friday" stories where we visit Sound Transit construction sites around the region
And of course, subscribe to The Platform to get the latest news and photos delivered to your inbox
Hopefully this isn't the first time you've run across our continuing coverage of the transit construction projects on the Eastside and around the Puget Sound region
Check out our past stories for more action shots and information:
A behind-the-scenes update on Link construction
New bike and pedestrian bridges connect Eastside neighborhoods to the 2 Line
Thousands celebrate the opening of the 2 Line
Back to The Platform
MERCER ISLAND, Wash. — Tens of thousands of people are without power
as many clean up debris from Tuesday evening's deadly bomb cyclone
Power crews have made incredible progress reconnecting the region
but there's still a lot of work to do
Some people are now leaning on the few businesses that are open for extra help or to take a break
Sparrow is one of the only businesses KOMO News crews found in one part of Kirkland that was open Thursday and powered by a generator
but they are welcoming anyone who needs a warm meal or a place to plug in their phone
Management said they are lucky their generator kicked in only a couple of hours after the power went out late Tuesday
Other businesses near Juanita Beach Park have their lights off
and "closed" signs cover their windows for a second straight day
with Wednesday sitting at about 200 people
and more customers trickled in Thursday afternoon
Customer Tony Frankfurth said a tree fell on his house in Issaquah
so he's been without power since Tuesday night
Sparrow was his option to eat and stay warm before going to work nearby
"We literally could not get out of our neighborhood for a couple of days," Frankfurth explained
We were kind of expecting it," Sparrow General Manager Michael Servin added
KOMO News saw Puget Sound Energy crews working to restore power across neighborhoods
and few businesses were open near 27th Street and 77th Avenue
ATI Physical Therapy is having to get creative with scheduling while their systems are down
but they are accepting clients during limited hours
so as long as patients are staying warm and you can see around us
so from 8-4," ATI Physical Therapy Clinic Director Elijah Lazo stated
looks more like a ghost town where there are few pedestrians
True Value opened Thursday to accept deliveries so neighbors could grab emergency supplies
anything you need to help with whatever situation you're dealing with: trees down," True Value Manager Mari Edelheit explained
KOMO News was there when the lights came back on in one area of Mercer Island around 12:15 p.m
A couple of traffic lights came back on while other intersections with outages are treated like four-way stops
Edelheit added they'll keep helping whoever's in need as they check which of their systems are back online