Clarke and Groveland Beach Parks Joint Park Improvements Plan

View of a waterfront park on Lake Washington

Tucked into two Mercer Island neighborhoods, Clarke and Groveland Beaches are much-loved public waterfront parks. Both sites were developed in the 1960s and 1970s, and their waterfront infrastructure and other park facilities are aging. To plan for the future of these parks, the City engaged The Berger Partnership, a leading landscape architecture and urban design firm that has partnered on many Mercer Island projects.

Berger has completed technical analysis of the parks, including assessing in-water structures, conducting environmental surveys, and evaluating accessibility barriers. This fall, City staff and the Berger team will engage the Mercer Island community to learn more about how residents use Clarke and Groveland currently and their future waterfront needs at these parks.

The technical analysis and community input will be presented to the Parks & Recreation Commission and the City Council to develop the scope and planning process for a joint park improvements plan. Once a plan is adopted, it will guide capital priorities and investment at the parks over the next decade.

Follow along here on Let’s Talk to learn about activities happening in 2024 and to get involved with the full planning process scheduled to begin in 2025.

Updates for November 2024

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The City received more than 220 responses to the background survey on current uses at Clarke and Groveland Beach Parks. Thank you to all the community members who shared input! Now the Berger team is analyzing the results, which will be combined with other background assessments to develop an existing conditions report for the parks.
In February 2025, staff plan to hold a special meeting with the Parks & Recreation Commission (PRC) to review the existing conditions summary and collect PRC input on the draft public engagement plan for the joint planning process that will be conducted next year. After the PRC provides feedback, staff will present the recommended planning process and public engagement plan to the City Council for approval.
Details about these public meetings will be shared here on Let's Talk when available. Thank you for following along on this project!
Share how you use Clarke and Groveland in our background survey!

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A new survey to learn more about how community members currently use Clarke and Groveland Beaches is now open! The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete and includes general questions as well as space for park-specific comments.

Take the survey here through October 31!

Community input will be combined with other background data, including site surveys, in-water structure assessments, accessibility audits, and other technical analysis conducted by the Berger Partnership over the last year, to inform the scope of the Clarke and Groveland joint park improvements plan.

Stay tuned to Let's Talk to learn more about survey results and next steps for this park planning process.
About Clarke and Groveland Beach Parks

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Tucked into two Mercer Island neighborhoods, Clarke and Groveland Beach Parks are much-loved public waterfronts. This post provides an overview of each park.

Clarke Beach Park
Once home to the Girl Scouts' Camp Tarywood, Clarke Beach is a 9-acre park located at East Mercer Way and SE 77^th Place. The park was acquired by the City in 1969-1970 using Washington State marine recreation funds and was developed in 1971. Clarke Beach features fishing and swimming piers, an enclosed swimming area, restrooms (open in summer), picnic tables, paved walkways, open space/natural areas, and wildlife habitat. Park-goers use the parking lot off East Mercer Way and descend a steep, paved trail to access the beach.
Despite boasting the most shoreline of Mercer Island’s public beaches, Clarke Beach is the Island’s quietest waterfront. The beach loses sun earlier than the Island’s west-side parks, and visitors are more likely to see dog walkers than sunbathers and swimmers.
In recent years, volunteer forest stewards have hosted regular events to restore natural areas at Clarke. Work includes removing ivy and blackberry and replacing it with native trees and shrubs.

Groveland Beach Park
Groveland Beach is a 3-acre park located at SE 58^th Street and 80^th Avenue SE. The City acquired the property, which was originally a summer camp for religious groups, in 1965 and developed the beach park in 1967. It features a concrete bulkhead, swimming beach, pier, and sand volleyball court as well as restrooms (open in summer), picnic tables, and a playground. Like at Clarke Beach, the paved path from the parking lot to the beach is very steep.
As Mercer Island’s only west-side beach, Groveland sees high visitation in the summer months, including during the annual Seafair summer festival.