REPORTER
Mercer Island www.mi-reporter.com
MI | THIS WEEK
Serving the Mercer Island community since 1947
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2011 | 75¢
Huston Riley dies at 90
Stevenson Farm price tag is $6 million
Shabbat dinner A communitywide Shabbat and Sukkot dinner will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Oct. 14, at Stroum Jewish Community Center. To learn more, call (206) 388-0830 or email mattk@sjcc.org.
Special needs play at MICEC
Islander decorated WWII vet was subject of iconic Omaha Beach photo
The Mercer Island Community and Event Center is now offering time for ‘special needs open play,’ a new drop-in gym time for special needs children and teens, ages 5 to 15. Open play will occur every other Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the MICEC gym. Drop-in fees apply. Parent or caregiver supervision is required. Call (206) 275-7609 for additional information.
By Reporter Staff
Islander Huston Riley of Mercer Island died Oct. 2 at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. Mr. Riley, known as Hu, was 90. A lifelong Island resident, he lived with his wife, Charlotte, in the house that his father built in 1905 on the North end. Mr. Riley was a decorated World War II veteran and was the ‘soldier in the surf ’ depicted in Robert Capa’s immortal photo of the D-Day invasion. Riley
Electric cars at Luther Burbank Between noon and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16, the City of Mercer Island is co-hosting a National Plug-In Day event at Luther Burbank Park. The event, according to organizers, “is to show America that electric vehicles are here and viable — so buy one already.” Representatives from local electric utilities and makers of charging stations will be at the event. Several vehicles will be at the event, including 24 Nissan Leafs (some giving rides), 14 Tesla Roadsters (some giving rides), eight home conversion vehicles, four vehicles from the 90s California program, and three other factory vehicles like Chevy Volt, Wheego LiFe and Lectric Leopard.
Chad Coleman/Staff Photo
RILEY | PAGE 2
Lorna Isenberg and “Rocky,” a 22-year-old thoroughbred, at the Stevenson Farm on Mercer Island in March. 31. The acreage was recently listed for $6 million by Coldwell Banker Bain’s Bellevue office.
Few condos for sale now, Stevenson property listed Rare, flat five-acre site is zoned for nine residential lots By Linda Ball
lball@mi-reporter.com
There are a total of 135 residential and condominium listings on Mercer Island. That’s down by 36.32 percent from a year ago. Of those properties, 117 are single family residences and 18 are condominiums. It is interesting to note that the 33 new listings that
came on the market last month were all single family homes; not one new condo listing came on the market. August’s inventory stood at 147 homes and condos. With 27 total closings on the Island in September, and 33 new listings, it would appear that supply and demand on the Island is attempting to strike a balance. Pending sales, or sales that went under contract last month, number 30 compared to 31 last month and 26 in September 2010. “When you’re looking at single fam-
PENG & WEBER
ily at 117, that’s not very much,” said Windermere broker Diane Rae Jones. “Supply is short, but if that were four years ago, people would be snapping them up. But if the price is off, it’s going to sit.” Rae-Jones said buyers are tough and smart. With the recent stock market scare, she has had a few people drop out of the real estate market. Median price on all Island sales rose from $648,000 a year ago to $725,000 last month. Single family homes sold at a median price of $747,500, while condominiums dropped just over 30 percent, with a median sales price of $410,000, down from $587,500 last year. According to the Northwest Multiple
STATS | PAGE 2
E N D L E S S V I E W S . E N D U R I N G VA L U E .
U.S. Immigration Lawyers
3035 Island Crest Way, Suite 200 | Mercer Island | (206) 382-1962
www.GreencardLawyers.com
FIFTEENTWENTYONE.COM 206.443.1521
The Mercer Island High School cross country team won a home meet last week. See Sports on page 10 for details.