City rolls out another part of GMA compliance strategy

Published 10:30 am Friday, June 19, 2026

As the July 31 deadline nears, Mercer Island staff presented planning commission recommendations aimed at Growth Management Act (GMA) compliance at city council’s June 16 regular meeting.

After the city was notified of an appeal to its 2024 comprehensive plan, the state Growth Management Hearings Board (GMHB) later informed the city in August of 2025 that it was required to revise its plan by the close of next month, according to a previous Reporter story.

The board — after finding noncompliance in the Mercer Island housing element with some of the GMA’s provisions — ordered the city to amend its land capacity analysis, adequate provisions, Sound Transit light rail station area subarea plan and anti-displacement measures sections.

While working toward compliance over the last few months, the city held an informative community webinar regarding the situation, city council reviewed a draft station area subarea boundary plan and engaged in compliance plan discussions, and the planning commission held six meetings along with a two-part public hearing on June 3 and 10.

According to city principal planner Adam Zack at the June 16 meeting, the planning commission’s comprehensive plan recommendations include an updated residential land capacity analysis to reflect the proposed upzones in Town Center and adjacent multi-family housing zones, an updated land use map to reflect changes in Town Center and adjacent multi-family housing zones and more.

“Key here is that the land capacity analysis disaggregates the land capacity by affordability levels, so it illustrates what levels of affordability can be expected in that new capacity from the changes in the zoning,” Zack said.

Within the inclusionary zoning realm, 10% of the housing units must be affordable at 50% area median income in some Town Center subareas, according to city documents.

Instead of constructing the required affordable housing, documents note that there’s an option to pay a fee in lieu to the city with the fund being used “to finance projects with very low-income dwelling units and permanent supportive housing, which is typically not created through regular market development.”

At the June 3 public hearing, seven Islanders voiced their concerns regarding the option of permanent supportive housing and noted that “they and their families’ safety would be compromised due to drug and alcohol use and mental health-related issues,” according to city documents.

Zack also addressed the two-phased station subarea plan, which focuses on the area within walking distance from the light rail station. Phase one will feature the aforementioned Town Center zoning changes and affordable housing requirements by July 2026, and phase two additional zoning and more is part of the city’s future planning efforts.

Planning commission chair Dan Thompson noted in a community planning and development document dated June 10 and signed the following day that one of the commission’s recommendations focuses on amending “the average daylight plane standards in the development code to better align with the new six- and eight-story maximum building height in the Town Center and adjacent multi-family zones.”

“The recommended draft comprehensive plan update reflects the planning commission’s hard work over the course of the last three months, which included careful consideration of city council direction and staff recommendations, reviewing materials during six meetings in seven weeks and holding a public hearing,” Thompson said.

Zack added that the planning commission completed its recommendation on time, thus keeping the project on track for meeting the July 31 deadline.

Next up on the city council’s docket are first and second readings of ordinances to adopt the planning commission’s recommendations at July 7 and 21 meetings, respectively.