Published July 22 2020
Plus, ADA Week proclamation
On Monday, the City Council initiated work on a Housing Strategy action to increase affordable housing through targeted incentives.
With its adoption in 2017, Bellevue’s Affordable Housing Strategy established 21 affordable housing actions. Action C-1 proposed to increase affordable housing development potential on land owned by public, non-profit housing, and faith-based entities. Current projections place potential for new affordable homes from 200 to 1,000 units over 10 years by implementing the action, with a specific focus on households earning less than 50 percent of the area’s median income.
A key objective of Action C-1 is to make the overall development process more efficient and predictable for the non-profits when seeking additional density to develop affordable housing. Several eligible developers have expressed interest for building affordable housing on their surplus or underutilized properties.
The recommended approach for Action C-1 is a one-time Comprehensive Plan Amendment and Land Use Code Amendment to establish a new code incentive and supporting policy. The process will include public outreach, Planning Commission meetings and public hearings. The code amendments could ready for final council adoption as early as 2021.
Councilmembers unanimously approved a motion to proceed with the incentive-based approach for Action C-1 of the Affordable Housing Strategy. More details on the plan are available in the agenda item.
ADA Week proclamation
The council also proclaimed the week of July 26 through Aug. 1 as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Week in Bellevue, urging residents to support equity for people with disabilities. The proclamation celebrates the 30th anniversary of the ADA on July 26, 2020, and aligns with Bellevue’s mission and commitment to diversity, access, equity, and inclusion.
About 17% of Bellevue School District students are identified as having a disability and almost one third of older adults living in Bellevue have one or more disabilities. The proclamation notes that the City of Bellevue embraces the diversity, culture, and contributions of residents with disabilities in our schools, government, workforce and community.
As part of the commitment to making programs, services and facilities accessible to all people, the city launched a web page highlighting accessibility achievements within each city department and offering residents a way to submit feedback and engage on accessibility topics.