A Sound Transit proposal to build a parking structure in the hilltop area north of the Mercer Island Community and Event Center (MICEC) has been met with significant public opposition by several different groups on the Island, including Friends of Luther Burbank, North-end neighbors and other citizens.
Mayor Bruce Bassett said that the Council subcommittee on this topic is regrouping, and will produce a list of other sites that have been studied for parking and the pros and cons.
“Clearly there’s been a lot of pushback,” he said. “We’re going to reopen the question of, ‘where is parking possible?’”
The city is working with Sound Transit on its bus intercept and East Link Light Rail projects because with the coming of Light Rail, Islanders will lose access to the center lanes on I-90. City officials asked for mitigation in the form of a parking project, which would be funded by Sound Transit if the lot serves as relief parking during the construction of the South Bellevue Park and Ride.
“We’re not dealing with a new issue, or a new need,” Bassett said about parking on the North-end.
Mercer Island would provide the land for the lot. The MICEC is only city-owned land within walking distance of the bus stops, which is how the idea to build on the hill emerged.
However, some Islanders contend that the proposed site, sometimes called “Kite Hill,” is part of the Luther Burbank Master Plan.
More than 600 people have signed a petition to protect the area, which they say is a valuable open space that provides a view of the lake and mountains. They said it’s “not a NIMBY issue,” though many are worried that the lot would bring more off-Island traffic to the area and increase crime, noise and light pollution.
The lot would provide about 200 extra spaces for commuters who use the Island’s existing Park and Ride, and be turned over for Island-only use in 2021.
More than 100 people attended Dec. 1’s study session on the proposal.
Parking near downtown is a large concern for many, but protecting parks is proving to be an even bigger one.
“There’s public concern on both sides. There’s people who have pushed us for years now to get dedicated parking and are still pushing us, and people particularly in North Mercer who are very concerned about Luther Burbank Park,” said Deputy Mayor Dan Grausz.
A few of the 19 speakers at the Dec. 1 Council meeting said that the bigger issue is development, and lack of resistance to it.
Islanders don’t want the Council to be “steamrolled” by Sound Transit or other regional-centric agencies. Another issue is the proposed bus turnaround on the Island, which many say has “no upside for Mercer Island.”
“We will always feel significant pressure to grow … but that doesn’t mean it’s a foregone conclusion,” said Island resident Curtis Brown, who said he lives at the South-end but sees this as an all-Island issue.
“Kite Hill,” or “West Hill,” was created in 2004 from the fill excavated during the construction of the MICEC, which was placed on the property to save the cost of trucking it off site. It is part of the property that was purchased from the school district for the community center — not the part that was obtained by the city from King County for the park. It is not designated “open space.” But it is technically included in the Luther Burbank Master Plan, Bassett said.
Grausz said that the hill was not selected because it was the first place that was looked at, but agreed that other sites could be studied. Bassett assured citizens that the Council would not rush into a decision or “sneak it through” without public scrutiny, though Sound Transit’s timeline puts design and permitting of the project in mid-2015 and construction in 2016.
City councilmembers and Islanders proposed other potential parking sites, including a lot on 81st Avenue S.E. and S.E. 24th Street, across the street from Tully’s, on the McDonald’s property, over the freeway and underground at the sculpture park. Some suggested doing nothing for now and increasing bus shuttle services. Councilmember Mike Cero suggested using the south Luther Burbank Lot for Mercer Island residents only.
Cero also proposed building on to the current Park and Ride, though Sound Transit officials said that the structure was built to “preclude expansion.” Councilmember Jane Meyer Brahm asked if it would be possible to build a garage underneath Kite Hill.
“I’m reminded of (the song) ‘pave paradise and put in a parking lot,’” she said. “We have a conflict. We love our parks, but we need parking.”
Islanders want parking in the Town Center to stimulate local businesses and the coming Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA), which will not have a parking lot. They say that if people park at the MICEC, they won’t go into downtown.
Bassett said that with this proposal, construction of a parking lot would be “on Sound Transit’s tab,” while other options might require asking Island residents to pay. Bassett said that the Council wouldn’t take action on this issue until its next meeting, and perhaps not even then. The Dec. 15 meeting was canceled, so the Council will meet next on Jan. 5.
Eastside Park and Ride lot use – Fall 2013
Name # Spaces Utilization
Mercer Island 477 100
South Bellevue 519 107
Issaquah Hghlds 1,010 98
Issaquah Trst Cnt 819 99
So. Kirkland 783 75
Kingsgate 502 106
Eastgate P&R 1,614 99
Overlake 222 104
Tibbets Lot 594 32
