Published January 27 2021
Plus, Crossroads development agreement and transparent use of force investigations
On Monday, the City Council was presented with a report on the recent, rapid ramp-up by Bellevue Fire Department to administer COVID vaccinations to residents and workers in adult family homes. The pilot program will help to efficiently reach limited-mobility populations who can’t travel to vaccination sites and allow in-person visitation in these facilities to resume sooner.
Public Health – Seattle & King County offered Bellevue Fire the opportunity to be one of the pilot teams for the program. Bellevue firefighters and medics rode along with a local jurisdiction who had already started the program to understand the strategies and methods used. Within a week, the Bellevue team completed the training, officially launched the program and began vaccinating at facilities throughout the community. They’ve also helped other agencies learn the ropes.
The goal is to reach 93 adult family homes in the first month, then spend the next month administering the second dose to the same population. More than 100 people had been given their first vaccine dose in just the first few days. The teams consist of paramedics and EMTs, able to both administer vaccines and treat any potential adverse reactions or other medical emergencies on site.
The full discussion is available in a video replay of the meeting through Bellevue Television.
Crossroads draft development agreement
In other business, councilmembers discussed a draft development agreement for a proposed mixed-use multifamily development in the Crossroads area. The Land Use Code prohibits multifamily development at this location unless the council approves a development agreement providing sufficient public benefit, including pedestrian improvements, park connections, and public open space. Additionally, the development must be complementary to nearby residential and commercial uses.
The property is currently a surface parking lot near the Crossroads Mall. The proposal is to build a six-story, mixed-use development with 224 residential units, ground-floor retail, and a parking garage with 253 spaces.
During the discussion, councilmembers asked questions related to affordable housing, traffic impacts, parking demands, and business access during construction. They expressed general support for the project as a transit-oriented development with significant public benefits, but noted a desire to include affordable housing in the project. The council requested more information before moving forward.
Additional details on the project and the code requirements for a development agreement are in the meeting agenda item.
Transparent use of force investigations
Councilmembers later received a report on a proposed Inter Local Agreement (ILA) among North King County law enforcement agencies that would create an independent body to investigate uses of deadly or injurious force.
The team will be called the “Independent Force Investigation Team for King County.” It includes non-law enforcement community representatives, ideally representing the community directly impacted by the incident being investigated. These community representatives would assist in selecting the detectives conducting the investigation.
State law requires that all uses of force resulting in death or great bodily harm be independently investigated. Currently, jurisdictions such as Bellevue can request another available regional agency to conduct use of force investigations in the city.
In their feedback, councilmembers expressed a desire to include a post-investigation evaluation component as part of the duties of the community representatives in order to promote continuous improvement of the program. The council will receive further information related to the request prior to giving further direction on the program.
The presentation and full council discussion are available on video replay through Bellevue Television and the full ILA is available in the meeting materials.