Great Neighborhoods

Creating "great neighborhoods," where people feel at home and 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 plans, for each of the city's 16 neighborhood areas, serve as road maps to the future. There are multiple neighborhoods in each neighborhood area. The plans guide residents, businesses, city staff and other stakeholders 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 and adopted amendments in 2021 for each neighborhood area.

The city is currently engaging the community on a large-scale Comprehensive Plan update, pausing further Great Neighborhoods efforts.