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SJCC leaders say aging, non-ADA building and code limits drove request to redesignate
Summary
Applicant representatives told the commission the SJCC campus is aging, not ADA compliant and constrained by Mercer Island code (they said a 2017 ordinance created a 5,000-sq-ft limit in the residential zone), making interior-only repairs infeasible and prompting a comprehensive plan amendment request.
Jessica Klassen and Amy Ladd, representing the Strong Jewish Community Center, told the commission that the campus (constructed in 1969) cannot be adequately upgraded while remaining within the residential numeric standards. Klassen said the 2017 ordinance that limited residential gross floor area to 5,000 square feet effectively prevents the center from performing exterior renovations or building an elevator, and the city's nonconforming rules cap exterior alterations to 50% of assessed value over three years.
Amy Ladd described repeated operational failures — including a windstorm that knocked out power and HVAC failures that disrupted early childhood programs — and argued the nonprofit cannot afford the type of interior-only work that would comply with the code while meeting modern ADA, structural and energy standards. "In 2025, that's unacceptable," she said, noting recent repair bills approaching six figures. Klassen and Ladd emphasized the amendment is a non-project request so long-range map conformity can be corrected before any design-stage review.
The applicant stressed that any future project would be subject to SEPA, design review and the city’s development standards, and that the CO designation includes protections (setbacks, buffering, heightened landscaping requirements) the applicant says will be more protective of adjacent uses than the current residential numeric limits.
