My dog Annie walked me around Mercerdale Park yesterday and I specifically looked for street parking and saw ZERO places to park (except the pullout on 32nd Street that MICA wants to take over for handicap parking); spaces for three to four cars that people use for short term park use.

No parking around the park on any of the surrounding streets so this would lead MICA users to park in business parking lots such as Rite Aid, Swedish Clinic, Farmers Business Complex, Thrift Store, etc. that are already used by patrons and are typically full and very busy. These businesses followed code for parking. They should not be penalized by a private entity who gets a waiver to not follow parking code.

MICA patrons and employees will not only use these nearby business parking spaces they will also clog neighborhood streets, parking in front of people’s homes and who knows where else. The bottom line is PARKING IS A HUGE ISSUE and should not be dismissed by the MICC and a waiver should definitely not be approved.

By the way, we had a fun walk but when Annie decided to “do her business” about 30 feet into the grassy area, walking into the swampy, muddy grass to clean it up was not fun. MICA concert attendees will need to wear boots for outdoor concerts and will affect the ecology of an already fragile area.

And I hope they are all dog lovers as Annie is very friendly and will love mingling with people during the performances.

Robin Russell

Mercer Island