This Land Use Code Amendment (LUCA) will established criteria and procedures for certain properties owned by religious organizations and located in single family land use districts to be rezoned to permit permanently affordable multifamily housing. The project also included a city-sponsored rezone for the initial set of properties meeting the recommended criteria.
Project Background
In 2017, the Bellevue City Council adopted the Affordable Housing Strategy, which includes Action C-1 to "increase development potential on suitable land owned by public agencies, faith-based and non-profit housing entities for affordable housing." The City Council initiated work on Affordable Housing Strategy Action C-1 on July 20, 2020. On December 6, 2021, as a first step in implementing Action C-1, the council adopted a 50 percent density bonus for affordable housing developments meeting Action C-1 ownership criteria.
During the process, the council noted that some religious organizations' properties in single-family land use districts have location characteristics that could support higher densities and multifamily housing. They directed a second phase of work to further increase capacity for affordable housing on these properties through a Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA), LUCA and rezone.
On December 12, 2022, the council adopted the CPA, which adds a note to the city's Future Land Use Map and two new Housing Element policies. These policies provide guidance on which single-family properties will be eligible for a rezone.
What Happened?
On June 26, 2023, the council adopted Ordinance 6743 to amend Land Use Code (LUC) chapter 20.20.128 Affordable Housing to establish eligibility criteria, rezone procedures and criteria for determining the additional capacity available to eligible properties. Properties must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for a rezone:
- Owned or controlled by a religious organization;
- Located in a single-family land use district;
- Located within 500 feet of a land use district where multifamily housing or commercial uses are permitted; and
- Located on an arterial street or located with frequent transit service.
Eligible properties can be rezoned adding an Affordable Housing (AH) Suffix to their existing land use district. The AH suffix indicates the multifamily land use district available for permanent multifamily affordable housing development. Each property's suffix will be determined based on multifamily land use districts located near the property. Development proposals not fulfilling all affordable housing requirements will be limited to the underlying single family land use district. The proposed AH suffixes and their corresponding multifamily land use districts are as follows:
- AH-1: R-10
- AH-2: R-15
- AH-3: R-20
- AH-4: R-30
On June 26, the council also adopted Ordinance 6744 rezoning 36 eligible sites consistent with the criteria established with the LUCA. If additional properties become eligible in the future, their owners will need to apply for a rezone.
Project Timeline
| Date | Meeting or Action Taken | Links |
| 1/31/2023 | Public Information Session | Presentation Materials |
| 2/8/2023 | Planning Commission Study Session 1 | Planning Commission Meeting Agenda Materials |
| 3/8/2023 | Planning Commission Study Session 2 | Planning Commission Meeting Agenda Materials |
| 4/12/2023 | Planning Commission Public Hearing | Planning Commission Meeting Agenda Materials |
| 5/22/2023 | City Council Study Session | City Council Meeting Agenda Materials |
| 6/26/2023 | City Council Action | City Council Meeting Agenda Materials |
Project Documents
- Ordinance No. 6743
- Ordinance No. 6744
Related Projects
Increasing Affordable Housing Capacity on Faith-Owned Properties