Published November 27 2024
Plus, ARCH 2025-2026 budget and workplan advance and RapidRide K Line update
On Tuesday, the City Council held a public hearing on proposed land use code amendments that align city regulations with the requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 5290, which was signed into law in 2023. The code amendments incorporate changes to codify permit timelines, clarify application requirements, and streamline processes to improve efficiency for development permits. Specific updates include simplifying requirements for certain types of projects and enhancing rules for determining application completeness.
A significant aspect of the code amendments addresses updates to the director’s rulemaking procedures. The changes are intended to support more detailed public feedback while encouraging transparency in the development and application of rules. Additionally, the changes introduce a formal appeals process for director’s rules. SB 5290 was designed to streamline project reviews, particularly for housing development, by reducing approval times. Council previously directed staff to prepare the code amendments following a study session on Oct. 14.
Following the hearing, the council voted unanimously to adopt the amendments to the land use code. Details are available in the meeting materials and the full presentation and discussion can be found on Bellevue Television’s replay [insert link] of the meeting.
ARCH 2025-2026 Administrative Budget and Work Program
Following a presentation from A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) on their 2025-2026 administrative budget, councilmembers voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare legislation approving the proposed ARCH budget and work program, to be adopted at a future meeting.
ARCH is a partnership between King County and 15 Eastside communities that works to preserve and increase housing for low- and moderate-income households throughout the region. Bellevue is a founding member and serves as the coalition’s administering entity.
The proposed work program includes administration of capital investments in affordable housing, support for housing policy and planning, implementation of local inclusionary and incentive programs, stewardship of affordable housing created through local policies and investment, and outreach and education activities.
The ARCH Executive Board approved the 2025-2026 Administrative Budget and Work Program in June, which will implement ARCH’s recently adopted Strategic Plan that aims to build more affordable housing at a faster pace. To date, ARCH has helped create or preserve nearly 10,000 units of affordable housing in the region.
Details are available in the meeting materials.
Update on King County Metro's RapidRide K Line
King County Metro (Metro) staff presented an update on planning efforts for the RapidRide K Line (K Line), which will provide bus rapid transit service between the regional centers of Kirkland and Bellevue.
Metro shared key takeaways from their second phase of community engagement conducted this summer. Feedback from community members indicated that projects to improve both the speed and the reliability of the K Line would encourage more frequent transit use. The feedback also highlighted close connections to Sound Transit’s light rail 2 Line as a high priority. Metro’s full engagement summary can be found on the K Line project website.
Council also received Metro’s recommendation for the K Line route through downtown Bellevue, which was proposed as the 110th Avenue NE corridor from Main Street heading north to NE 10th Street. The 110th Avenue NE route was the preferred route by respondents to the community engagement survey and the route most closely aligned with Bellevue’s project principles approved by the council back in June.
With a route recommendation in place, Metro worked with the City of Bellevue to propose capital improvements that will make K Line service fast and reliable as well as safer and more convenient to board. Examples of these projects include creating “business access and transit” or BAT lanes for buses to bypass congestion, adding traffic signals that prioritize bus traffic or adding crosswalks near bus stops. In response to the BAT lane proposals, Council emphasized the importance of employer shuttles also having access to the bus-priority lanes.
In January, Metro will begin Phase 3 of community engagement, returning to the Bellevue City Council in February and March to present findings and seek written endorsement of the K Line’s route and potential project list.
Further details about the RapidRide K line are available in the agenda materials.
Proclamation for Small Business Saturday
The council issued a proclamation for Small Business Saturday, which celebrates local small businesses and the contributions they make to our economy and community.