At its Tuesday, June 2 meeting, the Mercer Island City Council adopted unanimously a six-month moratorium on the acceptance of permit applications for “major new construction” in the portion of Mercer Island’s Town Center Zone south of Southeast 29th Street.

The temporary moratorium, which does not include single-family development, takes effect immediately. A public hearing will be held by the city council no later than Aug. 1.

City Manager Jessi Bon indicated that the city will likely need to retain an outside consultant to support the Town Center code work. Bon said that she will plan for a future discussion with the city council regarding the selection process and the proposed scope of work.

In adopting the moratorium, the council indicated, as one of their concerns, that new developments in the area south of Southeast 29th Street may not provide adequate retail space, and they would like to review this component of the current code.

The temporary moratorium does not apply to any development applications that have already been deemed complete, as they are vested under existing regulations.

For more information on the Town Center Zone, go to https://bit.ly/372OU5G.