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Council advances permanent rules for temporary uses and structures after removing substantive planning‑commission items

Mercer Island City Council · November 5, 2025
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Summary

The council advanced Ordinance 25C‑26 — permanent regulations for temporary uses and structures, including outdoor dining — to second reading after unanimously removing several substantive planning‑commission amendments; staff described a three‑tier permit structure and a temporary‑structure deviation for limited nonconforming uses.

Council members voted unanimously on Nov. 4 to remove a set of substantive planning‑commission recommendations from the proposed permanent regulations for temporary uses and structures (Ordinance 25C‑26) and to schedule the ordinance for second reading on Nov. 18.

Staff (CPD Director Jeff Thomas and planner Molly McGuire) reviewed the history: temporary outdoor‑dining allowances and other interim regulations were adopted during COVID‑era rule changes and renewed in 2024. The proposed permanent code would consolidate rules for commerce on public property (sidewalks and adjacent rights‑of‑way),…

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