Great Neighborhoods

Creating neighborhoods where people feel at home, feel connected and where they can thrive in the midst of change doesn’t just happen. It takes a plan.

Neighborhood Area Plans are one way the city supports strong neighborhoods. These neighborhood plans serve as road maps to the future. They provide residents, businesses, city staff and other stakeholders with guidance as each neighborhood grows and changes over time.

Each Neighborhood Area Plan is based on a template that includes:

• A vision statement that reflects the community's core values
• A community profile that examines current conditions and trends
• An investigation of community context and key opportunities and challenges
• Goals and policies to guide future development

How do we plan for Great Neighborhoods?

Strong community connections strengthen neighborhoods and directly raise the quality of life. Bellevue's City Council affirms this with the city's Great Neighborhoods program, initiating Comprehensive Plan amendments in August 2018 for preparation of the Northwest Bellevue and Northeast Bellevue plans. Following a pause due to staffing shortages, the program re-engaged these communities in 2020-2021.

The city collaborates with neighborhoods using the interactive EngagingBellevue website. With online and in-person tools, events, activities and more, we are working with residents and stakeholders to develop plans that secure our neighborhoods’ future as livable, inspiring, vibrant and equitable communities. Neighborhood Areas are tackled individually, with up to two plans in the works at any one time. The Northeast Bellevue and Northwest Bellevue plans are part of the 2021 Comprehensive Plan amendment cycle. Following a year-long engagement process, Planning Commission recommended adoption of the proposed plans on July 14, 2021. The City Council will take the proposals up in the fall.

Great Neighborhoods – Many Voices. One Vision. Our Future