Prompted by State Order, Mercer Island Inches Toward Housing Changes

Mercer Island’s city council unanimously voted to advance zoning changes to comply with state housing requirements, following a state board ruling last August that found the city’s growth plan noncompliant. The plan proposes upzoning the Town Center to eight stories and reducing affordable housing mandates from 15% to 10% of units, with a July 31 deadline for compliance. This regional story illustrates state pressure on affluent communities to accommodate more housing, but Mercer Island is not in South King County and does not directly affect Burien.