To close out its last meeting of the summer, the Mercer Island City Council dug into the planning commission recommended draft of the 2024 Comprehensive Plan periodic update on July 16.

The draft document, which the commission has been diligently tackling for the last 26 months, features plan elements such as land use, transportation, capital facilities, utilities, economic development, parks and open space and housing.

Mercer Island Community Planning and Development Director Jeff Thomas described the plan as a 20-year horizon document that cities are currently required to update every decade. Periodic review for the 2024-2044 plan must be adopted before this coming Dec. 31.

The planning commission completed its draft plan work on June 12; city council will commence deliberations on proposed amendments at its Sept. 3 meeting; and, tentatively, first and second readings of an ordinance to adopt the plan are scheduled to occur at council’s Sept. 17 meeting and in October. Council will then begin considering development code amendments to implement the updated Comprehensive Plan elements, and must adopt those amendments before Dec. 31, according to city documents.

“The city council will determine which actions the city will take to implement the updated goals and policies after the Comprehensive Plan elements are adopted,” the documents adds.

Planning Commission Chair Angela Battazzo noted that the unit convened 30 times over those two-plus years to robustly review and discuss the plan’s elements. At a dozen of those occasions, public commentors joined the meetings to offer their insight into the plan. Residents also presented feedback on the city’s website and through emails to commissioners.

Battazzo said she believes the draft comprehensive plan has undergone a rigorous, transparent and accessible public process.

“As your newest planning commissioner and the newest of three commissioner chairs who have served during this process, I can say with confidence that the draft before you today has been prepared while undergoing near-constant opportunity for public involvement and regular debate and discussion by the planning commission in an open public forum that can be reviewed at every step by accessing notes and videos online,” she said.

City senior planner Adam Zack said that some state and regional agencies have submitted comments on the periodic update, and the city is awaiting feedback from the Washington State Department of Commerce and others that will be taken into consideration when council formulates the plan.

From now until Aug. 12, council can contribute proposed amendments regarding the aforementioned plan elements in addition to the Shoreline Master Program.

City Manager Jessi Bon noted that the plan is a recommendation for city goals and policies situated within the document.

“The future councils, current council then uses this document to set the work plan for each biennium and that is really where we lay out specific action steps and back it with resources to complete the work,” she said.

City council’s Aug. 6 and 20 meetings are canceled, and council will next gather at its 5 p.m. Sept. 3 meeting.

For more information, visit: https://letstalk.mercergov.org/comprehensive-plan-periodic-update