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. These area plans inform future growth and change by guiding city staff and developers on the types of improvements that people desire.
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. These localized plans serve as an important tool for addressing the community's changing needs and conditions for each of the city's 16 neighborhood areas.
If you're not sure which neighborhood area you live in, our interactive neighborhood area map will tell you. Simply enter your address in the Neighborhood Lookup Tool to learn exactly which neighborhood area is yours.
How do we plan for Great Neighborhoods?
Strong community connections improve neighborhoods and directly raise the quality of life. The 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 that were adopted in 2021.
After pausing to focus on the citywide 2024-2044 Comprehensive Plan Update, Bellevue is now resuming its neighborhood area planning efforts. The council initiated Comprehensive Plan amendments in preparation of the Crossroads and Newport neighborhood area plans at their meeting on Sept. 17, 2024. The Sept. 17 agenda materials have more details.
More information on the next set of neighborhood area plans updates in 2025-2026 will be announced over the summer.
Public Hearings at Planning Commission Scheduled for July
The Planning Commission began their review of the draft neighborhood area plans for Crossroads and Newport with a study session on Wednesday, June 11. At the June 11 meeting, the Planning Commission scheduled the public hearings for the Crossroads and Newport neighborhood area plans.
The public hearing for the Crossroads neighborhood area plan is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9. The meeting materials for the July 9 public hearing are available online as well as under Meetings and Events at the bottom of this page.
The public hearing for the Newport neighborhood area plan is scheduled for Wednesday, July 23.. The public notice of recommendation and public hearing is available online, published together with other materials including the draft plan that was revised in response to feedback provided by the community and Planning Commission at the June 11 study session.
Community members can provide input at the public hearings, either in-person or virtually. Feedback can also be provided in writing ahead of the meeting. For more information on how sign up to give testimony, please visit the Planning Commission webpage.
The meeting materials will be made available ahead of the public hearings under Meetings and Events at the bottom of this page.
Background Documents and Engagement Reports Available Online
An engagement report providing a full summary of community inputs gathering since the start of 2025, informing the full draft plans, is included in the above linked meeting packet as well. The report is combined for both neighborhood areas and provides a detailed overview of past community engagement activities, who the City engaged with during each phase, and the City’s efforts to equitably engage the community.
Serving as technical background documents, two reports are available for both Crossroads and Newport: A report document existing conditions and an urban design framework that documents strategies responding to the community's priorities for accessing and improving public spaces.
- Crossroads Existing Conditions Report
- Newport Existing Conditions Report
- Crossroads Urban Design Framework
- Newport Urban Design Framework
Opportunities to Engage Online
We 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 share 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.
Administrative Materials
The city applied for a permit to update each Neighborhood Area Plan. Copies of the permit application and the notices can be found at the links below.
- Newport permit (24-123870 AC)
- Crossroads permit (24-123941 AC)
Comments received outside of engagement events are compiled periodically and posted below.
- Newport Comments
- Crossroads Comments
Meetings and Events
| Date | Event | Links |
| July 23, 2025 | Planning Commission Great Neighborhoods: Final Review Public Hearing on the Neighborhood Area Plan for Newport. | Public Notice (including Draft Plan) Meeting Materials (forthcoming) |
| July 9, 2025 | Planning Commission Great Neighborhoods: Final Review Public Hearing on the Neighborhood Area Plan for Crossroads. | Meeting Materials |
| June 11, 2025 | Planning Commission Great Neighborhoods: Review of the full draft neighborhood area plans for Crossroads and Newport. | Meeting Materials |
| June 5, 2025 | Draft Plan Release Info Session (hybrid) The planning team hosted a hybrid info session or both neighborhood areas, providing an overview of the draft plans for Crossroads, highlighting how community feedback inform the plans and providing an overview of the upcoming legislative process. | Materials |
| June 4, 2025 | Arts Commission Update on the neighborhood area planning process for Crossroads and Newport. | Meeting Materials |
| May 21, 2025 | Parks & Community Services Board Great Neighborhoods: Crossroads and Newport Neighborhood Area Plan Updates. | Meeting Materials |
| May 12, 2025 | Great Neighborhoods "Office Hours" - Hybrid (City Hall and Zoom) The planning team wants to hear from community members about the draft policies and know what you think. Will these policies result in positive changes for the neighborhood? Is there something we missed? Community members are invited to meet with the planners in a series of “office hours” where people can ask questions and provide feedback in an informal setting. | Event Info |
| May 7, 2025 | Great Neighborhoods "Office Hours" - Crossroads (Mini City Hall, Crossroads Mall) | Event Info |
| May 7, 2025 | Great Neighborhoods "Office Hours" - Newport (Newport Heights Elementary School) | Event Info |
| April 22, 2025 | City Council Update on the neighborhood area planning process for Crossroads and Newport. | Meeting Materials |
| April 9, 2025 | Planning Commission Update on the neighborhood area planning process for Crossroads and Newport. | Meeting Materials |
| March 27, 2025 | Public Space Series - Neighborhood Pop-up Event (Crossroads) | Event Info |
| March 27, 2025 | Public Space Series - Neighborhood Pop-up Event (Newport) | Event Info |
| March 22, 2025 | Public Space Series - Public Space Workshop (Newport) Drop-in event where participants engaged in hands-on and location-based activities to observe and evaluate streets, trails, and other public places to better understand how we can make them more safe, walkable, fun, and enjoyable. | Event Info |
| March 15, 2025 | Public Space Series - Public Space Workshop (Crossroads) Drop-in event where participants engaged in hands-on and location-based activities to observe and evaluate streets, trails, and other public places to better understand how we can make them more safe, walkable, fun, and enjoyable. | Event Info |
| March 8, 2025 | Public Space Series - Neighborhood Pop-up Event (Crossroads) | Event Info |
| March 8, 2025 | Public Space Series - Neighborhood Pop-up Event (Newport) | Event Info |
| February 27, 2025 | Great Neighborhoods Project Update - Newport (Virtual Event) The planning team hosted a project update for community members to hear about what we learned during the Discover phase, get a preview of the Vision Statement and policy ideas, and learn about what's next. | Materials |
| February 13, 2025 | Great Neighborhoods Project Update - Crossroads (Virtual Event) The planning team hosted a project update for community members to hear about what we learned during the Discover phase, get a preview of the Vision Statement and policy ideas, and learn about what's next. | Materials |
| December 15, 2024 | Deadline for Site-Specific Future Land Use Map Amendments Site-specific plan map amendments are not City-led but can be initiated by property owners. See the linked materials here for additional detail on the process and criteria for map amendments. The deadline for interested property owners to submit an application was December 15, 2024 and has passed. No applications were submitted. | Process Outline and Criteria |
| December 4, 2024 | 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. | Materials |
| November 14, 2024 | 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 | 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.