Mercer Island presents three concepts to restore Clark Beach shoreline, improve access; public survey open through Nov. 3

City of Mercer Island staff and their design consultant presented three conceptual plans for Clark Beach Park on Oct. 9 during a virtual open house for the Clark and Groveland Joint Infrastructure Plan, proposing removal of aging concrete bulkheads to restore shoreline habitat and offering three differing combinations of beach character, pier repairs or replacement, and accessible paths.

The designs matter because Clark Beach’s shoreline is part of the Cedar River watershed and includes near‑shore zones used by chinook, coho and sockeye salmon; consultants said existing hard shoreline structures cut off fish movement and do not meet current environmental standards. “One of our project goals is to remove the extended bulkhead to restore ecological functions along the beach,” said Jordan Zlotoff, landscape architect with Berger Partnership, the city’s design consultant.

All three concepts presented remove the existing concrete bulkheads and the sheet‑pile swimming enclosure…