Council to review MICA lease after SEPA review

At its Feb. 22 meeting, the Mercer Island City Council discussed how to move forward with the Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA).

By Reporter Staff • February 22, 2016 7:32 pm
Organizers of the proposed Mercer Island Center for the Arts hope to build the facility at this Mercerdale Park site.
Organizers of the proposed Mercer Island Center for the Arts hope to build the facility at this Mercerdale Park site.

Update: The City Council voted 6-1 to authorize the execution of an MOU with MICA, with Councilmember Wendy Weiker voting ‘no.’

At its Feb. 22 meeting, the Mercer Island City Council will discuss a plan of action for the Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA).

The council reviewed a proposed ground lease that would enable the facility to be built at the corner of Mercerdale Park at its Nov. 16, 2015 and Jan. 19 meetings.

In January, city staff met with MICA representatives to discuss compliance with the environmental review requirements of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), according to the Feb. 22 agenda. SEPA requires that environmental review be conducted prior to a governmental decision regarding a lease of public land.

The council discussed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that memorialize the city’s and MICA’s desire to enter into the proposed lease and would ensure that the environmental review and decision processes required by SEPA will be followed.

Then, the proposed lease would be brought back to the council for final action.

The city’s Development Services Group staff will conduct the environmental review. The full review includes a traffic impact analysis, identification of adequate parking to meet the city code, wetland mitigation and more.

MICA will be solely responsible for funding any required mitigation and will reimburse the city for all costs incurred as part of the SEPA review, including peer reviews.