Bellevue is known for its diverse, vibrant and welcoming neighborhoods. The high quality of life that community members enjoy is no accident - it's the result of thoughtful and collaborative planning with the people who live, work and play here.
The Great Neighborhoods program is the process for developing neighborhood area plans that reflect the community's values and vision for the future. Neighborhood area plans inform future growth and change by providing guidance to city staff and developers about the kinds of improvements people want to see.
Neighborhood area plans are part of the city's overall Comprehensive Plan, which outlines citywide policies on issues like housing, transportation, parks and environmental sustainability. Neighborhood area plans are important tools for addressing the changing needs and conditions at the local level. These plans, for each of the city's 16 neighborhood areas, serve as road maps to the future.
If you're not sure which neighborhood area you live in, our interactive neighborhood area map will tell you. You can enter your address in this Neighborhood Lookup Tool to find out exactly which neighborhood area you live in.
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 through the Great Neighborhoods program, initiating Comprehensive Plan amendments in 2018 for preparation of the Northwest Bellevue and Northeast Bellevue plans, which were adopted in 2021.
After pausing to focus on the citywide Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update, Bellevue is now resuming its neighborhood area planning efforts. The council on Sept. 17 initiated Comprehensive Plan amendments for preparation of the Crossroads and Newport neighborhood area plans. The Sept. 17 agenda materials have details.
Ideas Fair Events (in-person)
Community members had the opportunity to share their ideas for the future of Crossroads and Newport at our past in-person Ideas Fair events. Materials shared at these events are available under the Meetings and Events tab below.
The Crossroads event took place on Thursday, November 14, and the Newport event took place on Wednesday, December 4. The Newport event was rescheduled due to the Tuesday, November 19th storm event and resulting power outages. The event was originally scheduled for Wednesday, November 20.
Opportunities to Engage
We now have an online engagement hub where we post resources and information and provide opportunities for people to share feedback and ask questions.
We are especially interested in collecting neighborhood stories and photos. You can help kick things off by sharing a story and photo or video about a special place or memory that you have in Crossroads or Newport.
Visit our project pages to check things out:
- Crossroads project page on Engaging Bellevue
- Newport project page on Engaging Bellevue
To receive updates on our neighborhood area planning work in Crossroads and Newport, please sign up for our email list here.
For general questions and comments, please email GreatNeighborhoods@bellevuewa.gov.
More information on relevant current City initiatives is available at the bottom of this page.
Meetings and Events
| Date | Event | Links |
| December 4, 2024 (5:30 - 8:00 pm) | Newport Ideas Fair (in-person) The planning team hosted an Ideas Fair at the Newport Hills Swim and Tennis Club for community members to share their ideas for the future of Newport. Participants had the opportunity to explore neighborhood data, speak with the planning team, and engage in a variety of interactive activities. The Newport event was rescheduled from Wednesday, November 20th due to the storm event and resulting power outages. | Materials |
| November 14, 2024 (5:30 - 8:00 pm) | Crossroads Ideas Fair (in-person) The planning team hosted an Ideas Fair at the Crossroads Community Center for community members to share their ideas for the future of Crossroads. Participants had the opportunity to explore neighborhood data, speak with the planning team, and engage in a variety of interactive activities. | Materials |
| October 10, 2024 (6:30 - 8:00 p.m.) | Virtual Kickoff Meeting The planning team hosted a virtual kickoff meeting for both neighborhood areas. During the meeting, planners provided reviewed the goals and timeline and and answered questions. Separate neighborhood breakouts were used to start talking about the future of Crossroads and Newport. | Materials |
| October 9, 2024 | Planning Commission Initial briefing and overview of the neighborhood area planning process for Crossroads and Newport as initiated by Council. | Meeting Materials |
| September 17, 2024 | City Council Council initiated Comprehensive Plan Amendments to update the Crossroads and Newport neighborhood area plans. | Meeting Materials |
Relevant Current Initiatives
Middle Housing Code Amendments
The City of Bellevue is working to update its land use and city codes to comply with House Bills (HB) 1110 and 1337, aimed at expanding the number and types of housing units allowed in residential areas. More information on the proposed amendments can be found on the Middle Housing Code Amendments page, including any upcoming engagement opportunities.
Housing Opportunities in Mixed-Use Areas Land Use Code Amendment
The Housing Opportunities in Mixed-Use Areas (HOMA) land use code amendment is designed to encourage housing development. It proposes higher density, taller buildings and removing obstacles to building more homes. The proposal will create an affordable housing program—either mandatory or voluntary—in various mixed-use areas of the city. The proposal also updates land use districts and the city’s land use map. More information on the code amendment, including upcoming engagement opportunities, can be found on the HOMA webpage.