Published February 27 2025
Partnerships and Amazon’s housing fund boost future affordable housing production potential in the city
At a groundbreaking event Thursday for the latest affordable housing development in Bellevue, the city joined housing partners as Amazon announced it will dedicate $100 million from its Housing Equity Fund to support and produce even more affordable housing in Bellevue.
City leaders were on hand with development partner BRIDGE Housing to break ground on an affordable housing community located in the Spring District that will add 234 affordable housing units to the city’s housing stock. The development was made possible by several funders, including Amazon and the City of Bellevue, and an agreement between the city and Sound Transit several years ago to offer land near the light rail station for affordable housing.
During the groundbreaking, Amazon representatives announced they would also be dedicating an additional $100 million to support future affordable housing production in Bellevue.
“Addressing housing affordability requires a coalition of leaders, visionaries and dedicated partners who are willing to invest not just in buildings, but in people and the future of our community,” said Mayor Lynne Robinson. “We are so grateful to have strong partners like Amazon, BRIDGE Housing and many others by our side to pursue the vision of ensuring all the people who make Bellevue extraordinary can continue to be a part of its story.”
“We believe all people should have access to housing and know that private-public partnerships are critical to address that challenge,” said David Zapolsky, Chief Global Affairs and Legal Officer for Amazon. “It’s very important to us—and to me personally—that we give back to the communities where we live and work. We’ll continue to support transit-oriented development, as well as the preservation of affordable housing, in the communities Amazon calls home.”
These efforts and partnerships bolster the city’s commitment to transit-oriented development, planning for growth and making more affordable housing available to community members at a time when housing prices continue to rise. As part of its Affordable Housing Strategy, the city aims to add or preserve 5,700 units of affordable housing in Bellevue over the next 10 years.
Included in the 234 units of housing within the BRIDGE Housing project that will be affordable to community members earning 60% or less of the area median income are 40 units specifically dedicated to serving people with developmental disabilities.
Several regional partners were involved in the Spring District project including the state Department of Commerce, King County and A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH).
More information about the city’s work to increase access to housing in Bellevue is available at Housing Affordability. A recording of the groundbreaking event will be available on the Bellevue Television YouTube channel.