East Seattle School Parcel Subdivision

I strongly oppose the demolition of the East Seattle School. Despite decades of willful neglect, it still stands as a symbol of the only unifying civic ideal the Mercer Island community has maintained in its history- the education of Island kids. As previously stated, buildings are more than architecture. They hold the stories of the people and hopes/ dreams that were incubated there, that transcend time. Mercer Island, with all the changes that've taken place and are still desperately needed, must acknowledge and respect the landmark this historic place represents. There are ways to save this building, to give it the new purpose it is dying for. But only if we have the Eleventh-hour will to do that which challenges us to be more creative, not simply expedient or short-sightedly sensible. Hold the demo, explore public/ private partnerships, create a sustainable mixed-use vision. A commercially viable adaptive re-use project may be possible. Worth a shot.

During the presentation June 20, the subdivision into 14 parcels at around 8,500 sq. ft. was justified by reference to the character of the neighborhood. The average lot size in the neighborhood, it was noted, is about 8,500 sq. ft., more or less. The reference to the character of the neighborhood is to be welcomed; however, the project stands in stark contrast to the neighborhood in almost every other way. The project will consist of 14 homes. They will feature a single architectural style and uniform construction techniques, with some minor variations. It will recall, on a much smaller scale, the ticky-tacky developments condemned in California during the 1960s, albeit with a large dose of contemporary grandiosity. The neighborhood consists of a wide variety of houses and parcels, different sizes, different styles, different periods, different construction techniques, and a mix of residents (despite the spate of permits for demolition over the last decade).

I am concerned about the majority of the driveways feeding in and out on 62nd ave se. It’s the smallest of all of the roads surrounding this property. This is a small back road that is tough to even have two cars pass each other going in opposite directions. (Any car and an SUV can’t drive on it at the same time). This will significantly impact the quality of life for everyone living along this stretch of 62nd. All of our houses face this road and are very close to the road. Please consider this as you design the driveway accesses.

With this large property and the proximity to Secret Park and the waterfront landings I hope that the design will take in the opportunity to tie the two together either with a nice sidewalk set back from W. Mercer Way or preferably a sidewalk through the site getting pedestrians away from W. Mercer. I strongly encourage design protection for pedestrians crossing from Secret Park to the NE corner of the property as drivers traveling south and turning off W. Mercer west to 28th cannot see the pedestrians in the street.

Please also encourage the developer to build smaller homes perhaps a few one story accessible homes to meet the demographic that needs this style of home. Please consider incentives in the future that will encourage developers to build smaller one story homes.