Published May 6 2021
Plus, neighborhood park naming discussion and new community development non-profit introduction
On Monday, the City Council directed staff to begin a request for proposal process to identify agencies with whom the city could contract to provide behavioral health and housing-related services through House Bill 1590 tax revenues. HB1590 was passed in the state Legislature in 2020 and allowed Bellevue to utilize a tenth of a percent sales tax for affordable housing and related services in the community. The tax went into effect Jan.1, and is expected to generate approximately $8.5 million in 2021.
Once the agency proposal review process is completed, the city expects to quickly allocate up to 20% of the HB1590 2021 funds, or approximately $1.8 million, to agencies addressing immediate service needs in the community this year. Behavioral health services, supportive services, and rental assistance were identified as the priority areas for funding.
Councilmembers were also briefed on initial outreach efforts with stakeholders including non-profit service providers, affordable housing providers, and developers. Major themes from the outreach included a need for culturally specific and responsive services, enhanced behavioral health support, employment services, and affordable housing for very-low income households.
The RFP will be issued later this month through all city communication channels. Submitted proposals will then be reviewed by the Human Services Commission, with recommendations provided to the council in July. The council will get an update on the continuation of the HB1590 work plan in four to six weeks. More information is in the meeting agenda item.
Neighborhood park naming discussion
Later, councilmembers reviewed a recommendation from the Parks & Community Services Board for the name of a new neighborhood park in the Newport Hills area of Bellevue.
Construction of the 13.7 acre park in southwest Bellevue was approved in December 2019. The Parks Board used public input in the name selection process, collecting names through community outreach, including local historical groups, and sending a survey with 22 resulting name options to more than 1,200 community members. More than 200 people responded to the survey, which was not designed to select the name but rather to better understand community preferences.
The top choice in the survey contained Newport Hills in the park name, raising concerns of potential confusion because other parks in the area have similar names. Additional name options included references to historical figures, historical places or industries in the area, and various cultural references. The Parks Board recommended the second ranked choice in the survey, which named the park after a significant local figure.
Councilmembers noted a preference to avoid naming the park after a specific person and a desire to retain the neighborhood area name but without duplicating other area park names. They asked the Parks Board to further assess the name options and return with a new recommendation at a later meeting. The full discussion is available on video replay through Bellevue Television.
New community development nonprofit
In other business, representatives from EastHUB, a new local nonprofit formed in 2020, shared their vision for fostering Bellevue and the broader Eastside as a world-class cultural destination by leveraging current development and partnerships across the city. They noted that arts and culture gives a substantial return on investment, returning $9 for every $1 spent.
With a motto of “culture creates community” and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, EastHUB said they want to capitalize on ongoing infrastructure and capital development by building arts facilities into new development at the project planning stage rather than later. Their mission aligns with Bellevue’s vision to activate arts and culture spaces and create more community partnerships.
More information about the presentation is in the meeting materials.