City Council Agenda 2026-03-03
CITY GOVERNMENTFEATURED
The Mercer Island City Council will meet on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center for a meeting that includes an affordable housing-focused study session and several policy-focused discussion items. While no major votes are expected on any of these topics, the meeting will preview decisions that could shape housing, public facilities, sustainability efforts, and transportation planning in the months ahead.
This post highlights what residents can expect to be discussed — and why it matters.. As always, the public is welcome to attend. You can register to make comments, virtually or in person, by sending an email to cityclerk@mercerisland.gov.
The full 310 page agenda can be found here. My summary follows.
AB 6893: Study Session: Financing Affordable Housing
AB 6880: Public Hearing: Interim Housing Regulations
AB 6881: Review of City Facility Strategy Survey Results
AB 6872: Sustainability Work Program Annual Update
AB 6836: Electric Vehicle Charging Plan Update
AB 6893: Study Session: Financing Affordable Housing
Mercer Island’s 2024–2044 Comprehensive Plan sets the City’s long-range vision for land use, housing, transportation, and public services.
After adoption, the plan was appealed to the Washington State Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB). In August 2025, the Board ruled that the City’s Housing Element did not fully comply with the Growth Management Act, particularly with respect to affordable housing planning. The City must complete corrective work by July 31, 2026.
Click here to see the city overview of the GMHB decision and compliance process:
The Study Session will focus on how Mercer Island could finance affordable housing as part of complying with the GMHB Order. Councilmembers will hear:
An update on remaining compliance gaps after planned zoning changes
An explanation of why very low-income housing (below 30% of Area Median Income) is especially difficult to produce
A discussion of “leveraging” strategies, where modest local contributions help unlock much larger state, federal, and private funding sources
Tools expected to be discussed include:
Inclusionary zoning
Fee-in-lieu programs
Partnerships with ARCH and other housing organizations
Grants, tax credits, and low-interest loans
No final decisions will be made at this meeting, but the discussion will help shape what tools the City may consider as it works toward the July 2026 deadline.
Click here to see the agenda for the prior meeting which also addressed these topics.
AB 6880: Public Hearing: Interim Housing Regulations
The Council will hold a public hearing on interim development regulations addressing:
Emergency shelters
Transitional housing
Permanent supportive housing
These interim rules are intended to keep the City’s code aligned with state housing requirements while longer-term Comprehensive Plan and zoning updates are under development.
Public testimony will be accepted. (Typically, no one shows up to comment in public hearings.)
No final adoption is expected at this meeting. A second reading and possible adoption is scheduled for March. This is a formal opportunity to comment on how state housing laws are implemented locally, even though the regulations are temporary.
AB 6881: Review of City Facility Strategy Survey Results
The Council will receive results from a community survey related to long-term planning for City facilities. The survey helps inform future decisions about:
City Hall
Public Works facilities
Other City-owned buildings
This item is informational only, but it sets the stage for future discussions about renovation, replacement, or consolidation of City facilities.
My key takeaway from the survey: Nearly everyone sees the importance of a new facility, but a lot of people just do not want to pay for it.
Notable survey results:
Only 54% of Islanders have a positive opinion of the job Mercer Island city government is doing using tax dollars effectively”.
Around ¾ of us believe the city is doing a good job maintaining infrastructure and providing services.
31% of Islanders had not heard of the plans for a new building.
21% of us will vote against any tax increase no matter what the money is used for.
27% of Islanders were not aware that City Hall closed in 2023
AB 6872: Sustainability Work Program Annual Update
Council will receive the annual update on the City’s Sustainability Work Program including
Climate and environmental initiatives
Energy efficiency and emissions reduction efforts
Progress on sustainability goals adopted by the City
No new policies are proposed, but the update provides transparency on what the City is doing now and where future sustainability efforts may focus.
Notably, 76% of the action items in our Climate Action Plan are “in progress or underway".
AB 6836: Electric Vehicle Charging Plan Update
Council will hear a status update on development of the City’s Electric Vehicle Charging Plan. The plan was largely funded by an external grant.
As EV adoption grows, cities must plan for:
Public charging infrastructure
Coordination with utilities
Equity and access considerations
This update previews how Mercer Island may expand EV charging options over time, but no immediate action is scheduled.
Key takeaway: Electric vehicles have a lower total cost of ownership than internal combustion engine vehicles: Estimated capital expenses for full electrification will be ≈$5.93 million, an increase of ≈$2.78 million compared to comparable gas or diesel vehicle replacements, but the 12-year operational savings will be ≈$4 million. These savings are primarily realized through fuel cost reductions as well as lower maintenance and downtime expenses.
