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 and replace the existing restroom with a smaller facility featuring two gender‑neutral stalls, the presentation said. The designs diverge on accessibility, beach extent and pier work: Concept 1 would add a new ADA‑grade route from the parking lot to the waterfront, expand sandy beach area and natural features, replace both piers with a larger central pier and an ADA‑accessible nonmotorized launch, and include an outdoor rinsing shower. Concept 2 would provide an ADA path only to a mid‑level picnic area (not down to the water), consolidate in‑water access to a single new expanded central pier and propose fewer beach expansions. Concept 3 would keep the existing pier locations (with structural repairs to decking and railings), propose terraced seating down to the beach, and would not add new ADA routes to the waterfront.

Jordan Zlotoff described the park as “a more passive nature‑oriented park,” and the presentation noted that formal swimming amenities are not included in Clark Beach concepts; by contrast, the team said Groveland Beach and Luther Burbank parks are being considered separately for improved swimming facilities. The consultant also emphasized the shoreline’s near‑shore zone — the area with water depths less than 15 feet — as especially important for salmon habitat and a focus for restoration work.

City staff and the consultant noted the park’s existing features are nearly 50 years old and showing signs of age, and that the project must bring facilities into compliance with current building codes, accessibility guidelines and environmental permitting requirements. The presentation repeatedly cautioned that funding is limited and that not every idea in the concepts will be included in the final joint infrastructure plan.

The city invited public feedback: Sarah Blubas, capital project manager for the City of Mercer Island, asked viewers to review concept graphics posted on the city’s Let’s Talk site and complete a survey; she said survey results will be used to develop a preferred concept for each park and that the preferred concept will be shared with the community in early 2026. The survey is open through Nov. 3 and can be found at www.mercerisland.gov/cgip.

The presentation included cross sections and photo examples showing options for shoreline transitions (softened edges with logs and boulders versus terraced seat walls), picnic and mid‑level circulation changes, and alternative restroom and rinsing‑shower arrangements. It also showed underwater and upland survey work, and noted that future phases will refine specific amenities and that environmental permitting will be needed before construction.

Next steps described in the presentation: the city will collect public input via the Let’s Talk survey through Nov. 3, use those responses to develop preferred concepts, then share the preferred concepts with the community in early 2026. No formal votes or approvals were taken during the virtual open house.