Spatial differences between HB 1110 and Bellevue’s proposal

The current areas in which bonus density is being proposed for Bellevue are:

• Within 1/4 mile of Neighborhood Centers and Regional Growth Centers
• Within 1/4 mile radius of frequent bus service stops
• Within 1/2 mile radius of “Major Transit” like RapidRide and East Link

Based on the state law, the only place with bonus density would be:

• Within 1/4 mile walking distance of Major Transit

These are moving targets, because there will be new “Frequent” bus lines as part of the East Link Connections project. Based on the Bellevue Middle Housing LUCA draft definition of frequent bus service (“A stop that receives transit service at least four times per hour for twelve or more hours per day.”), there will be frequent service on the 220, 240, 245, 250, 270  plus Sound Transit Express 550, starting sometime this year. The maps shown by the city in the public meetings about middle housing show only the bus lines that are providing frequent service now.

They also don’t show the RapidRide K line, which is expected to start in 2030. Starting in about 2028, the radius for 9 units of middle housing + 2 ADUs per lot would expand from the 1/4 mile distance around the 220 bus stops to a 1/2 mile radius because RapidRide is considered Major transit.

For all parcels outside these bonus zones, perhaps very far away from transit, there’s still an increase of 2 units because the city is not proposing to count the ADUs toward the middle housing unit count, and the proposed definition of an ADU is larger than the state requires and could still increase.

Note: These definitions are not consistently used in the various city and state documents. For instance, HB 1998 has a parking exemption that defines Major Transit as including the Frequent bus service stops, and its threshold for being “frequent” is only 5 hours a day, which will be met by the 111 bus. This is currently irrelevant because the 111 bus is not defined as either Major or Frequent transit by the Bellevue proposals, and therefore the co-housing of HB 1998 will not be allowed along that route.