City Issues Xing Hua Project Design Review Approval
On November 1, 2021, the City of Mercer Island issued the Design Commission's decision for the Xing Hua project, granting design review approval for the proposed development located at 2570 77th Avenue SE and 2885 78th Avenue SE in Town Center. The issuance of the decision had been delayed to address the potential presence of contaminated soil and groundwater associated with previous dry cleaner operations at the subject site, for which a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) addendum was completed.
The development is proposed to have a building height of 54 feet and will have a total above ground gross floor area of 162,990 square feet with parking spaces for 203 vehicles located below grade accessed from SE 29th Street. A service/loading area will be provided and will be accessed from 77th Avenue SE. The proposed scope of work includes demolition of an existing commercial building.
Initially submitted in early 2020, the processing of the design review approval request was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in late 2020. Key dates in the design review approval of the proposal include:
- January 25, 2021: Environmental review under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) was completed, resulting in the issuance of a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance.
- February 24, 2021: The Design Commission held a public hearing and voted to approve, with conditions, the project as proposed.
- April 28, 2021: The Design Commission reconvened to review minor clarifications and added a condition to their February decision.
- October 29, 2021: A SEPA Addendum was completed in response to supplemental information prepared to describe the monitoring to be used during construction and remedial excavation activities to address contaminated soil and groundwater associated with historical activities at the subject site.
For additional information, please read the project description or reference previous updates.
