Published March 24 2021
Plus, Environmental Stewardship and Neighborhood Area Planning updates
On Monday, the City Council unanimously approved funding recommendations from the Human Services Commission to allocate $897,287 through the 2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The funds are part of federal CARES Act funding that is designed to be used in the prevention, preparation for and response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the third round of Cares Act funding through CDBG, and this round of funding will be focused on rental assistance, food insecurity and behavioral health including mental health and substance abuse treatment. Priority needs in the community were determined through stakeholder outreach. A public hearing was also held after the Human Services Commission had formed their initial funding recommendations.
The commission received 15 applications, requesting more than twice the available funds. Their final recommendation included the following agencies and amounts:
| Rental Assistance | |
| Centro Cultural Mexicano | $150,000 |
| Hopelink | $100,000 |
| India Association of Western WA | $150,000 |
| YMCA of Greater Seattle | $200,287 |
| Food Assistance | |
| Congregations for the Homeless | $ 75,000 |
| YMCA of Greater Seattle | $100,000 |
| Behavioral Health | |
| Congregations for the Homeless | $ 72,000 |
| India Association of Western WA | $ 50,000 |
The council will take final action in April to approve legislation that formally allocates the funds. This week’s council discussion can be viewed through replay on Bellevue Television and more details on the commission recommendation is in the meeting materials.
Environmental Stewardship update
Later, councilmembers were briefed on the 2021 workplan, budget funding and early wins for the city’s Environmental Stewardship Plan. This was the first quarterly update since the plan was adopted by council in December 2020.
Additional funding was earmarked in the 2021-2022 budget for early wins and enhanced engagement strategies for the plan. Early work done to support these efforts includes a concerted effort to continue collaborating with stakeholders and partners involved in plan development and leveraging their subject matter expertise in implementation aspects of the plan. The team also plans to launch soon a Sustainable Bellevue Partnership that enhances resident engagement in addition to existing business and non-profit stakeholders.
Activities planned in 2021 to further the plan include conducting a climate vulnerability assessment, offering assistance for Bellevue businesses to secure early adopter incentives through the Wash. State Clean Buildings Act, creating a new Home Energy Retrofit Program for residents, securing a grant for energy efficiency strategies at city facilities, developing a green fleet strategy, incorporating sustainability in large land use projects, and creating a city-sponsored tree giveaway program.
Neighborhood Area Planning update
In other business, councilmembers received a status update on the Neighborhood Area Planning (NAP) process for Northeast Bellevue and Northwest Bellevue. The work is part of a larger goal to update all Neighborhood Area Plans over the coming years, focusing on two at a time in order to provide focused outreach and community engagement opportunities.
The ongoing NAP work includes engagement with the community through a variety of methods and events designed to involve residents in the decisions and solutions developed for their neighborhood and to ensure the process reaches diverse community members reflecting the makeup of Bellevue’s unique neighborhoods.
In Northeast and Northwest Bellevue, common themes for priority areas included housing affordability, mobility and access, trees, open space and sustainability, and community connections.
NAP work is part of the annual comprehensive plan amendment process in the city, with recommendations for Northeast and Northwest Bellevue coming to the council in the fall. More information on the NAP process and this week’s update presentation is in the council meeting materials.
NOTE: Because March 29 is the fifth Monday of the month, the next Bellevue City Council meeting will be held on Monday, April 5, 2021, at 6 p.m.