City moves toward compliance of GMHB order
Published 8:30 am Monday, February 23, 2026
As the city of Mercer Island moves toward compliance of a Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB) order, it invites the public to attend an information session webinar about the order, the appeal of the city’s comprehensive plan and the city’s plan to comply.
The webinar will occur from 6-7 p.m. on March 10. To register for the webinar, visit: https://tinyurl.com/2ayxddca.
In August 2025, the board issued a final decision and order that required the city to revise its 2024 comprehensive plan by July 31, 2026, according to city documents.
A previous Reporter story noted that after the plan’s periodic update was appealed to the board earlier in 2025, it found noncompliance in the housing element with some of the Growth Management Act’s provisions and ordered the city to amend the following sections: land capacity analysis, adequate provisions, Sound Transit light rail station area subarea plan and anti-displacement measures.
At city council’s Feb. 17 regular meeting, city staff and consultants gave a detailed presentation on the compliance plan and council continued its discussions about the plan. Council also reviewed a draft station area boundary, “which includes the area within a half mile walk from the light rail station entrances,” according to the city.
Council is seeking public feedback on the proposed station area boundary through March 13 on the city’s Let’s Talk page at: https://tinyurl.com/4dwu5b3z.
