Increased housing affordability, availability and options are city priorities. To make our efforts more efficient, we combined staff in Community Development developing affordable housing with staff in the City Manager's Office providing homelessness outreach into a centralized Office of Housing.
The mission of the Office of Housing, established in February 2025, is to partner in delivering policy, projects and resources that accelerate production and preservation of housing in Bellevue. The Office also addresses homelessness, building a welcoming community. The office aims to strengthen partnerships, leverage city resources and align teams to expand housing in Bellevue so people of all incomes can afford to reside in the city.
The City Council approved the creation of the Office of Housing during the 2025-2026 budget process. Near-term areas of focus include
- accelerating affordable housing opportunities on city-owned properties
- streamlining processes citywide to support the creation and preservation of affordable housing
- leveraging resources to invest in developing additional affordable housing units.
The city is also updating its 2017 Affordable Housing Strategy in 2025, a process that will include a range of community engagement opportunities.