Commuter Parking and Mixed-Use Development Project

As many Islanders know, the main Park & Ride on North Mercer Way typically fills with vehicles by 7:00am on weekdays, making it difficult for some commuters to use regional bus transit to Seattle or Bellevue. Sound Transit, which operates the Park & Ride, is not allowed to reserve a portion of the facility solely for Island residents.

In recent years, the City has heard consistent requests for better access to transit and for more commuter parking dedicated for residents. This project proposes to address the problem by constructing a City-owned commuter parking facility with at least 100 stalls adjacent to the future Sound Transit Light Rail Station, prior to its opening in 2023.

In partnership with a private developer, the new facility located at the site of the old Tully‘s Coffeeshop, would also include a mixed-use residential/commercial structure based on the City’s Town Center vision and code, and potentially house performance space for MICA, the proposed Mercer Island Center for the Arts.

As many Islanders know, the main Park & Ride on North Mercer Way typically fills with vehicles by 7:00am on weekdays, making it difficult for some commuters to use regional bus transit to Seattle or Bellevue. Sound Transit, which operates the Park & Ride, is not allowed to reserve a portion of the facility solely for Island residents.

In recent years, the City has heard consistent requests for better access to transit and for more commuter parking dedicated for residents. This project proposes to address the problem by constructing a City-owned commuter parking facility with at least 100 stalls adjacent to the future Sound Transit Light Rail Station, prior to its opening in 2023.

In partnership with a private developer, the new facility located at the site of the old Tully‘s Coffeeshop, would also include a mixed-use residential/commercial structure based on the City’s Town Center vision and code, and potentially house performance space for MICA, the proposed Mercer Island Center for the Arts.

Do you have a question on the commuter parking and mixed-use development project? Please submit your question here - staff are monitoring this page and will respond when we are able.


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  • Is there an expectation for bicycle parking/storage, with preference for Mercer Island residents, at the proposed Tully's mixed use development?

    curious asked 2 months ago

    While the commuter parking design process is not yet underway, we appreciate hearing from the community about priorities for this space.  The design process is expected to begin in 2020, and MainStreet, the City’s private development partner, is planning two public meetings to gather community input on the project at that time. 

    Many Island bicycle commuters have indicated that additional safe bike storage is needed.  The new light rail station will add bike storage, and the Park & Ride bike storage has been identified for improvement. However, that may not meet the needs of Island bicycle commuters.  Please stay engaged and continue to provide input as the commuter parking project design is developed next year.

  • When will decisions be made about the structure itself? Is there a possibility that it could be a show case green facility with solar on the roof and lots of EV charging stations??

    Kim Rice asked 3 months ago

    This project will be designed by MainStreet, the City’s private development partner, and we will share your question with them.  While it’s a little early to determine design details, the project is slated to meet LEED Gold standards, as required by City development regulations. The design process is expected to begin in 2020, and MainStreet is planning two public meetings to gather community input on the project at that time.  This page will be updated with more details as they become available.

  • What is the basis for the statement,"Housing Diversity – The community has a strong interest in adding workforce housing as well as additional condos to the Town Center Area"? What metric was used to measure the "strong interest"?

    Matt Goldbach asked 12 months ago

    The housing diversity statement is based on the Housing Element of the City's Comprehensive Plan which can be found at https://letstalk.mercergov.org/CompPlan.  The "Comp Plan" was most recently updated and adopted through an extensive community process in 2015 and guides policy for the City.  You will find many statements within the Housing Element that discuss the importance of adding workforce and condo type housing on Mercer Island, including language specific to Town Center.  For example, policy 2.3 of the Housing Element reads: “Emphasize housing opportunities, including mixed-use development, affordable housing, and special needs housing, in the Town Center.”


  • Is the parking proposed in this plan reserved for Mercer Island residents? As someone who uses public transit, but can't find parking in the Park & Ride due to off-island commuters, I certainly hope this is part of the plan considering the City owns the property. Also, is there somewhere where citizens can post general comments about the project (not specific to a finalist's proposal)? I was at the presentation at MICC this evening, and I reviewed (okay, I skimmed) the proposals posted, and I'm encouraged by what I've seen so far so I'd like to commend the City, MICA and others who've gotten us this far. Thank you!

    BillHankes asked 12 months ago

    Yes, the proposed commuter parking will have a Mercer Island resident preference.  You can post general comments by going to the Comments tab and scrolling to the bottom to find a general comments section.