Published April 28 2015
Also, shoreline plan update, addressing homelessness
The former TOP Food & Drug store next door to Crossroads Bellevue mall has been vacant since the grocery closed in 2013. On Monday, the City Council indicated its support for a private developer's proposal to replace the empty building and parking lot with a mostly residential project called Crossroads Village.
Intracorp LLC proposes building a mixed-use development in phases over two to three years that includes up to 233 townhouses, along with a small amount of commercial space. The proposal follows through on a 2007 community planning process that eliminated a prohibition on new multifamily units in Crossroads when it is part of a high-quality, mixed-use development.
The 7.75-acre site is significant because it borders Crossroads Bellevue mall to the south and Crossroads Park to the east. Other borders are 156th Avenue Northeast on the west and Northeast 15th Street on the north. A separate, affordable senior housing project is planned by SHAG (Senior Housing Assistance Group) at the southeast corner of the Intracorp site.
To make the project happen, the City Council would need to approve a land use code amendment and a development agreement with Intracorp. The development agreement aims to ensure the development is consistent with Crossroads Subarea policies calling for pedestrian connectivity and an appropriate interface between development and the park.
Public benefits would include: an "urban trail" of small, ground-floor shops with a "Main Street" character through part of the site; creation of a long-anticipated paved and landscaped pedestrian connection to Crossroads Park that would be open during park hours; an accessible pathway for people with mobility impairments and improved sidewalks and landscaping on Northeast 15th Street.
A public hearing on the proposed land use code amendment and development agreement is scheduled for May 18. Council action on the two related items tentatively is scheduled for June 1.
More information about the proposal, including the draft development agreement, is available with the council agenda material.
Final shoreline regulations vote scheduled
The council moved closer to final action on updating the city's Shoreline Master Program (SMP). On Monday, the council mostly focused on three options related to the issues of how much vegetation near shorelines can be changed, and what type of mitigation would be required when it is changed.
The council, Planning Commission, property owners and city staff all have been grappling with the complex, state-required update for several years. Once adopted, the SMP will regulate the development and use of the city's shorelines.
The council is expected to take final action on the proposed SMP on May 18. More information is available with the council agenda report.
Strategic plan to address homelessness
The director for the Committee to End Homelessness in King County provided councilmembers with an overview of the organization's 2015-2019 strategic plan.
Mark Putnam said that although significant progress has been made since the original 10-year-plan was implemented in 2005 -- some 36,000 people exited homelessness during that time -- this year there were 3,772 people found living unsheltered during the One Night Count conducted in January, including 134 counted on the Eastside.
In 2015 Bellevue has budgeted more than $2.1 million in capital funding and operating support for programs that address homelessness and affordable housing.
The goals of the strategic plan are to make homelessness rare by addressing the causes, make it brief and one-time by improving and expanding existing programs and to engage the entire community.
At a future meeting, the council will consider a resolution in support of the 2015-2019 strategic plan, and a draft interest statement on the issue. More information is available online.