Clarifications to Xing Hua Design to be Presented to Design Commission

On February 24, 2021, the City of Mercer Island Design Commission held a public hearing and voted to approve, with conditions, the proposed Xing Hua project, a new four-story mixed-use development located at 2570 77th Avenue SE and 2885 78th Avenue SE in the Town Center. A written decision of the Design Commission’s approval has not yet been issued.

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. As a result, some inconsistencies were created between the original document package submitted and select documents received later in the process. The packet of materials presented to the Design Commission in February 2021 contained a blend of older and newer documents presented as exhibits to the staff report.

The inconsistencies in the exhibits presented to the Design Commission led Jeff Thomas, the Interim Community Planning and Development Director, to seek clarification from the project applicant and to reconvene the Design Commission on April 22, 2021 to present a consistent packet of materials before a written decision is issued. Thomas noted, “It’s very important the Design Commission, as well as the public, understand exactly what is being presented for design review approval and what is going to be constructed in the Town Center.”