City Council Agenda 2026-03-17
CITY GOVERNMENTFEATURED
The Mercer Island City Council will meet on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center for a meeting that includes a variety of important topics related to compliance with last year's Growth Management Hearings Board ruling.
This post highlights what residents can expect to be discussed. 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 agenda can be found here. My summary follows.
AB 6887: Arts Council, Open Space Conservancy Trust, and Utility Board Vacancy Appointments
AB 6888: Final Approval of the Modified Station Subarea Boundary
AB 6894: Update on the Growth Management Hearings Board Order – GMA Compliance Work Plan
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Notable Consent Agenda Items
We are scheduled to declare March 29 as Vietnam Veteran’s Day.
We are scheduled to declare April 25 as MIPA Circus Day.
We will award a contract for selected ADA improvements in town center.
We are scheduled to adopt Interim Regulations Related to Emergency Shelters and Housing, Transitional Housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing.
AB 6887: Arts Council, Open Space Conservancy Trust, and Utility Board Vacancy Appointments
A total of nine people submitted 14 applications to fill one position each on the Utility Board, the Arts Council, and the Open Space Conservancy Trust. We will vote to fill these seats. Boards like these are where much of the important work is done that guides city policy. Thank you to all who volunteered their valuable time.
AB 6888: Final Approval of the Modified Station Subarea Boundary
We are scheduled to approve the boundary for the station subarea plan. This is a critical boundary to define, as, when the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) bill takes effect in 2029, the area within this subarea will have significantly different land use rules, including greater height limits, reduced parking requirements, and more. Surprisingly, despite these important changes, we received only a handful of public comments, and fewer still related to the boundary. Staff are recommending no changes to the previously exposed boundaries, shown below.
AB 6894: Update on the Growth Management Hearings Board Order – GMA Compliance Work Plan
The city staff, planning commission, and council have a great deal of work to do to comply with the Growth Management Hearings Board ruling by July 31. Staff have prepared a work plan, recapped below, for council approval. We will discuss this work plan, possibly discuss amendments, and then vote on whether to accept the plan.