Page 2 | Wednesday, March 19, 2014
MERCER ISLAND REPORTER | www.mi-reporter.com
Five new town homes on S.E. 27th Street
A five-unit hillside townhome project goes before design commission By Celina Kareiva
ckareiva@mi-reporter.com
Nash and Associates Architects
This rendering shows five new townhomes on the slope behind the old Islander Restaurant location on S.E. 27th Street.
REPORTER
Mercer Island
Volume 57, No. 12
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Preliminary plans for multi-family townhomes went before the planning commission Wednesday, March 13. The long plat, which is located just behind the old site of the Islander Restaurant and what will be the future Legacy Project at 7420 S.E. 27th Street, feature five town homes,
Citizen advisory group meets with library planners By Celina Kareiva
ckareiva@mi-reporter.com
KCLS staff and a ten-person citizen advisory committee met on March 10 to advance remodel plans for the Mercer Island library. The meeting was an effort to ensure the design of the new space matched the needs and interests of its users, but members aren’t sure their message is reaching KCLS staff. “They spent a lot of time on the color scheme and the ambiance, which we all
agree should be kept soft and friendly and inviting,” said Lori Robinson, a member of the citizen advisory group and Friends of the Library. “But [KCLS] didn’t really deal with the other issues.” When KCLS presented updated plans in January, many neighbors complained that it was just change for the sake of it. They requested with the backing of city council, that KCLS allow up to a three month delay for more feedback. As of last
retaining walls along the rear of the property and a perimeter of trees. Renderings also show porches and garage space under the units. There are bay windows, balconies and columns on the west façade, and bay windows in the east. The proposed project lies in radius of several single-family homes and staff findings note for instance, that there is no setback on the upper story. But feedback is scarce at this stage. Plans were submitted to the city in late January and Nash and Associates Architects is listed as the
firm behind the future project. Because of its “multifamily” status, if the project proceeded it would need to host a formal public hearing before the design commission and then advance to the planning commission. When asked if recent buzz around the Coval property, an iconic Island home whose preliminary plans featured a 18-house development, would influence feedback and decisions about this project, Travis Saunders of the city’s development services department said each proposal stands on its own.
Monday, KCLS had only agreed to one meeting and a follow-up. But Robinson said staff and interim director Julie Brand seemed receptive and eager to work with the Island community. “The citizens group is concerned that they have presented to KCLS four times [their] priorities and they don’t seem to have been met,” said Robinson. “We’re giving them the benefit of the doubt that they will come back with the appropriate designs. I’m optimistic.” The committee presented three main priorities at last Monday’s meeting: a better interim space, a vestibule
that maintains its current size and usability and the location of the children’s area and meeting room. A petition requesting an alternative to the interim space at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church has also been posted to the group’s website, libraryremodel.org. It notes that when the space was remodeled in 1990, adequate space was provided to continue use of the library without interruption. By some estimates the library could be out of commission for up to a year. For more information and meeting minutes, visit libraryremodel.org.
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