The Urban Boulevards program was established in 2010 with a mission to enhance Bellevue's major streets and neighborhood gateways through the use of additional greenery, tree canopy, pedestrian improvements and other small neighborhood enhancement measures. Urban Boulevards projects serve to reinforce Bellevue's image as a "city in a park."
As a capital improvement program in the Community Development Department, Urban Boulevards advances multiple city and departmental goals around making neighborhoods more livable, greener, and easier to walk, bike and roll in.
Urban Boulevards projects provide for a wide range of streetscape enhancement elements to key entryways and routes into the city, including:
- street trees
- landscaping
- street lights
- trails
- pedestrian safety improvements, including crosswalks and improved sidewalks
- public seating
- sustainability, including stormwater quality infrastructure
- wayfinding
- public art
- design guidelines and standards for larger projects such as major trails
Urban Boulevards projects vary in scale, but are typically among the smaller capital improvement projects implemented by the city in cost, scope and time, with construction often lasting between a few weeks and several months.
Funding and Partnerships
Urban Boulevards receives a modest capital allocation every year for selected projects. Smaller projects are often funded and built entirely by the Urban Boulevards program. Most projects are supplemented with funding and support from other Community Development programs, such as Neighborhood Enhancement and Arts, and other departments (such as Transportation or Parks & Community Services).
Guiding Principles and Project Selection
The selection of Urban Boulevards projects is guided by principles related to social, health and wellness, economic growth, environmental performance, cultural vitality and innovation. These guiding principles are informed by a number of city plans and reports including the Parks and Open Space Plan, the Cultural Compass and the Comprehensive Plan (Urban Design and Transportation elements) and are used as the primary criteria for project selection.
Current Projects
- Northeast Eighth Street Tree Replacement: replacement of diseased and dying pear trees with a new, biologically-diverse assortment of local tree species - Summer 2024 Phase I Completion
- Bellevue Way Northeast: median and planting strip improvements – Fall 2024 Completion
- I-405 and NE Eighth Street Overcrossing Pedestrian Improvements: on/off-ramp pedestrian crossing safety improvements with landscaping enhancement as the city’s key gateway point - 2024 Completion
Recently Completed Projects
- 164th Avenue Low Impact Development: landscape, drainage, pedestrian safety and sustainability improvements along the east side of 164th Avenue Northeast (between Northeast Eighth Street and Northup Way) in Crossroads
- Lake to Lake Trail Phase III (118th/Main): missing link in Lake-to-Lake trail by Bellevue Botanical Garden
- West Lake Sammamish Parkway Landscaping - enhanced landscaping as part of transportation improvements and utility project near Northup Way
