These amendments will update Bellevue’s land use code and city code to address code clean-up items, recently passed, minor state legislation and small code changes to better align with established policy direction.
Background
The city regularly conducts code clean-up amendments to make minor corrections to the land use code, most recently in 2022. The 2026 Omnibus Land Use Code Amendment (LUCA) and Bellevue City Code Amendment (BCCA) builds on previous code clean-up efforts and will include updates required by recently adopted state laws, along with minor changes to align with established policy direction. These items are either too small for a standalone amendment or don’t fit into current work plans.
Proposed approach and scope of the 2026 Omnibus Code Amendments
The scope for this project includes three major categories of topic areas: clean-up, state law compliance and small policy-based amendments. Those categories are detailed further below.
Clean-up and process improvement examples
- Correcting references
- Adding or amending definitions
- Consolidating duplicate process code into a single location
- Formatting consistency
- Adjustments to recently implemented code to confirm intent of outcomes, such as Wilburton and Middle Housing
- Changes that do not require policy direction
State law review for compliance with deadlines
- SB 5611 – Streamlining/clarifying land use permitting, due July 27, 2025
- SB 5571 – Building cladding, due July 27, 2025
- HB 1757 – Residential redevelopment, due June 30, 2026
- HB 1576 – Historic preservation reform, due July 26, 2026
- SB 5509 – Childcare reform, due July 27, 2027
- SB 5559 – Unit lot subdivision, due July 27, 2027
- HB 1096 – Lot splitting, due July 27, 2027
- HB 1183 – Building code and development regulation reform, due June 30, 2029
Small scope policy changes
- Revisions to help ensure new development projects are near or meeting zoned capacity for unit yield
- Removing single-family as a permitted use in higher density land use districts that permit multifamily development
- Consider minimum floor area ratio (FAR) for higher density land use districts that permit multifamily development.
- Electric vehicle parking facilities and conditional use permits
- Codification of code compliance requirements for Critical Areas to help code enforcement and the utilities staff to remedy violations
- Review policy on property line trees, consider granting a one-half credit rather than no credit for trees retained on property lines
- Update the minimum tree credits in the SR-1 district to 2 per 1,000
- Consider removing “consistent with Comprehensive Plan” from decision criteria except where legally required by law to help provide more objective decision criteria and streamline permit processing.
- Revise outdated references to “Bellevue citizens”
- Revise water utility extension agreement to provide more flexibility for middle housing
Project timeline and schedule
2/3/2026 City council study session
To be scheduled Planning Commission study session