Luther Burbank docks design charrette happening this week

The docks, as they currently stand, will only be useful for about five more years, and city officials want to repurpose them.

The city of Mercer Island is hosting a virtual design charrette regarding Luther Burbank Park waterfront renovations this week.

The event, announced mid-July, is currently set for Aug. 6 and will go from 5-9 p.m. Specifically up for discussion are the waterfront docks, which were built in 1974 and have about five more years of useful service remaining. The city is seeking to repurpose them.

Mercer Island boaters and other users of the waterfront are encouraged to attend the charrette to observe and participate.

Per a recent social media update from the Island’s Parks & Recreation Department, the fixed height piers on the docks as they currently stand aren’t useful for smaller boats and “don’t serve the needs of most current boaters or the city’s boating program.”

The city is looking at likely reconfiguring one or more of the piers to become floating docks while the remaining pier is repaired, according to a July release from the city.

Work will use the park’s master plan to guide the designing process, which, according to the Parks & Recreation post, “envisions a lively waterfront activity center centered around small boats including power, sail and paddlecraft, and [is] accessible to all.”

Thursday’s discussion will touch on areas like shoreline access, ADA, plaza elements and more.

If work occurs in the area, it will likely start in either 2023 or 2024.

For more information, go to the city of Mercer Island’s website.