Design Commission approves exterior renovations to Mercer Park Building

Ryan Companies plans to begin construction in the spring.

By Andy Nystrom • January 1, 2021 8:30 am

With a unanimous 5-0 vote at its early December meeting, the Mercer Island Design Commission approved a host of exterior renovations to the former Farmers Insurance building at 3003 77th Ave. SE.

Now known as the Mercer Park Building, owner Ryan Companies plans to begin construction this spring. The real estate development firm — which is based in Minneapolis and has a Bellevue office — has submitted a building permit application to be reviewed by the city for the proposed changes to the exterior and interior of the site.

The approved changes at the Dec. 9 meeting include: Repainting the existing building and screen wall; removing the berm and adding landscaping and seating areas along the 77th Avenue Southeast facade; adding a glass atrium to the front entry; and adding a roof deck and access to the roof.

“I applaud the project applicant for a well-presented proposal that obtained the Design Commission’s approval and for developing a design that responded suitably both to community input and the city’s code requirements,” said Robin Proebsting, the city’s senior planner and project manager.

In 2020, Ryan Companies purchased the 6-acre site — which was built in 1982 and sits near Mercerdale Park — for more than $46 million.

At the December meeting, Marc Gearhart, vice president of development at Ryan Companies, noted that their project vision is to draw a technology, research and development-type company with creative-class jobs to the site.

“In order to attract that kind of talent, we need to make some changes to the building in order to make it compelling for that kind of company,” he added.

In May, Ryan Companies issued a press release to share its plans for the site, noting that the 77th Avenue Southeast frontage will include landscaping and hardscaped areas that can be used by farmers market vendors, as well as seating for office workers and neighbors during the week.

Gearhart noted in the release that Ryan Companies is excited to engage with the Mercer Island community to understand what they should consider when planning the next life for the property.

Through extensive community outreach — which included direct mailing and virtual open-house meetings — Gearhart feels they’ve received an outpouring of vital feedback in moving forward with the project. Those providing feedback were residents and members of the farmers market, chamber of commerce, city staff, city council and the Design Commission.

“We really have touched the community and feel like we’ve got a really strong proposal based on input that we’ve received over the last year or so,” he said at the meeting.

Gearhart added: “We want to thank the community stakeholders for taking the time to share their ideas and concerns. On January 1st we are starting the building renovation and are confident our investment will attract a great company to the community.”

Visit www.mercer-park.com to see the renovated building images and video.