MI Weekly

    A weekly update from the City of Mercer Island


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(For event details, visit the City's online calendar or click on a specific event)

Feb 5

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Feb 12


Feb 15

Feb 17

Feb 18

MAYOR

DEPUTY MAYOR
COUNCILMEMBERS 




Volunteer Opportunities 

City Hall Address
9611 SE 36th Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040

Phone
(206) 275-7600


Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30am to 5:00pm



Donations Requested 

The Mercer Island Food Pantry relies on your non-perishable food donations to keep the shelves stocked year-round.
Click for more info.
Feb 5, 2020 | Vol. 15 | No. 6
Town_CenterTown Center Mixed-Use Project Enters Design Review
Design sketch of proposal (Johnston Architects); click for more information
The City's Community Planning and Development Department is reviewing an application for a new mixed-use building located at 2750 77th Avenue SE and 2885 78th Avenue SE in Town Center.

The proposed building would be four stories above grade with 164 apartments units and 10,742 of ground-level retail space, and two levels of underground residential and retail parking.  Most of the retail would be located along 78th Avenue, facing the QFC supermarket; the project does not include the property currently used by the First Church of Christ, Scientist. 

To enhance street vibrancy and interaction, the proposal includes four landscaped public plazas, and a 20-foot wide public through-block connection along the northern property line; a private courtyard is also proposed for tenants. A proposed loading dock and service area for tenants, to facilitate move-in, food delivery, refuse and recycling collection, etc., would be accessed via a driveway on 77th Avenue SE.

The available project documents (including the proposed building plans) submitted by the applicant can be viewed in the detailed online project folder. As the project review evolves and additional documents are submitted by the applicant, they will be added to the project folder. For an overview of the project, with an accompanying image gallery of design sketches, or to ask questions, please visit the City's public engagement website.

The initial public comment period extends until February 26, 2020, and the project will be subject to a public hearing at the Design Commission at a future date; public notices will be distributed at least 30 days prior to the hearing. While the initial public comment period expires on February 26, 2020, public comments are welcomed until the close of the public hearing.

Written public comments may be submitted by email, postal mail, or in person at the Community Planning and Development front counter at City Hall. Verbal comments may be provided to the Design Commission during the comment period at the public hearing. To become a party of record and receive future project notices, please submit a public comment or send a message to the project contact Nicole Gaudette, Senior Planner, [email protected].
CoronavirusCoronavirus Information
Click for more information from Public 
Health - Seattle & King County
On January 21, 2020, the Washington State Department of Health announced the first case in the United States of 2019-nCoV ( novel coronavirus) in a resident of Snohomish County who had traveled to Wuhan, China recently; the patient has since been released to his home.

At this time, the risk to the general public is considered to be low in the United States, however everyone can still take the same basic precautions used to prevent contracting or spreading any virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following...
  • For everyone: It's currently flu season and flu vaccines are recommended.
  • For healthcare professionals: Be on the look-out for people with travel history to China and fever and/or respiratory symptoms. If you are caring for a 2109-nCoV patient, follow recommended infection control procedures.
  • For people who may have 2019-nCoV infection: Follow CDC guidance on how to reduce the risk of spreading your illness to others.
  • For travelers: Stay up to date with CDC's travel health notices related to this outbreak; flights from China will be limited to eleven airports in the U.S., which include Sea-Tac. Incoming travelers from the affected region of China will be subject to health screening and up to 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
As with any newly emerging infectious disease, knowledge evolves with time. Early on, it is difficult to know the source of the disease, the ways in which it spreads, how effectively it spreads from person to person, and how severe the infection is.

Public Health-Seattle & King County has a good local website with up-to-date information about the novel coronavirus, including resources for the general public and heath care professionals. This is available at  www.kingcounty.gov/ncov. Because the situation is changing, people should check back frequently for the latest information.
Mercer Island Goes Green
Parks_VisionInput Requested to Update the Vision for Parks
Click to learn more about the PROS plan
The City's Parks and Recreation Department has begun a community-driven process to update its citywide Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan (PROS Plan) and seeks input to determine how to prioritize projects and where to focus to keep parks and programs thriving. The process includes extensive public engagement, and final review of the Plan is tentatively targeted for the end of 2020.
 
Stay informed about the PROS Plan process via an updated Let's Talk page, where you can subscribe to project updates, ask questions, engage with other community members, and find the schedule for community events happening throughout the year.
 
The first step in the planning process is a survey to assess the community's recreation and facilitation needs. In order to be both statistically valid and inclusive, it will be conducted by mail and also online. Later this week, 2,500 randomly mailed surveys will hit mailboxes; if you receive a paper survey, please complete it! The identical community-wide survey will be available to all residents online at Let's Talk on Wednesday, February 12; the survey closes at 11:59 pm on March 9. The City looks forward to connecting with the community throughout this process and values all input!  
I-90_TrailThree-Day I-90 Trail Closure
Click for more information
The I-90 (aka Mountains-to-Sound) Trail is scheduled to be closed near North Mercer Way and Shorewood Drive this Thursday, February 6 through Saturday (Feb 8) from 7am to 5pm daily.

Sound Transit contractors will be landscaping along the trail. Due to the weather-sensitive nature of this work, dates and times are subject to change; a signed detour along the roadside shoulder will be provided. Learn more here.  
Council_MeetingsCouncil Meetings to Begin Earlier
Click to learn more about your City Council
Last night, the City Council voted to move up the start time of its Regular Meetings by 30 minutes in an effort to accommodate public appearances earlier in the evening and endeavor to adjourn meetings sooner each night. City Council meetings are usually held the first and third Tuesday of every month.

Regular Meetings will now begin at 6:30pm. Following standing agenda items, the public comment portion of the agenda (known as "Appearances") will typically begin at or about 7:00pm. The change takes effect later this month with the scheduled Tuesday, February 18 Regular Meeting.

Special Meetings, such as Study Sessions and Executive Sessions, will typically begin at 5:30pm.

Learn more about your seven-member City Council and its 2020 meeting schedule.

 

  
For questions and comments on the MI Weekly, contact
Sustainability & Communications Manager Ross Freeman at

[email protected]