Past:There was a Monday virtual presentation about Middle Housing.
On Tuesday, there was a City Council meeting – members of the public spoke about Middle Housing and also concerns related to microbility safety and helmet usage. Councilmember Reagan Dunn gave a nice presentation on the state of the county and the polling responses of the area he represents. Also on the agenda was an item to express our support for the Youth Eastside Services to be one of the operators of a Youth Crisis Care Center to be located somewhere in East King County, which will be funded by the 2023 levy.
The City Council discussed the LUCA for Objective Design, which featured a large variety of changes to land use codes covering the design of building facades, doors, overhangs, pedestrian lighting, vegetation, open space, signs, etc. It also changed the rules so that the Administrative Design Review permit vesting happens when the application is submitted.
Also on the agenda was a discussion of whether the Safe Parking program should be extended beyond the pilot period. It has capacity for 20 vehicles and has so far served 53 families. Budget is $450k/year.
City will start the process to choose a name for the park that was constructed by Sound Transit at Main and 112th.
The Arts Commission meeting today has been canceled.
Thursday:
There will be a movie night at City Hall from 5:30-8:30; the Better Cities Film Festival is showcasing a variety of their short films and tickets are still available. I think the focus area will be affordable housing.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bellevue-better-cities-film-festival-tickets-1225416978169
Environmental Services Committee meeting, 6pm
There will be a presentation on the Environmental Services Plan update, with goals such as improving stream health, reducing water use, maintaining tree canopy, recycling rate, waste tonnage, etc. There will also be a public hearing for the Draft Stormwater Management Program Plan. The draft is a 38 page document, and it covers items such as street sweeping, underground injection of stormwater, tree canopy mapping and other monitoring, source control and spill/illicit discharge detection, low impact development, impervious surface and runoff rules, stormwater treatment, and administrative requirements.
Upcoming:
3/26 Growth Management Planning Council meeting
3/26 Public meeting on Travara development
4/24 Eastrail Regional Advisory Council meeting
NW Bellevue neighborhood enhancement program coming in March ($380k)
Note: It is possible to propose more significant projects that don’t necessarily fit into this budget to get them onto the radar of the city, but smaller changes, such as a new set of stairs, might happen much more quickly. Think about areas that you feel unsafe as a pedestrian, cyclist, or driver. Are there locations where the curb is too low near fast moving traffic? Are there places we should plant trees? Are there spots that need better signage or street markings? Do we have spots with water flowing over the road or issues after heavy precipitation?
Comment opportunities:
Curb Pricing Survey will be available until 3/10
https://www.engagingbellevue.com/curb-pricing-study/surveys/curb-pricing-study-survey
What modes of transportation do you primarily use? How challenging is it to find parking now? How many minutes are you willing to walk to your destination? What would you change about parking/curb use in the study area? Is there anything else you would like us to know about parking or travel in the study area?
The Transportation Facility Plan survey is open until 3/17
There’s a survey and a fun interactive map that shows all the potential projects.
https://www.engagingbellevue.com/2026-2037-tfp
The Mobility Implementation Plan “Open House” online map is available until 3/17
This has a map of the local walking and biking network as it exists and is being imagined. You can see other people’s comments on the map. I am not sure whether the red lines are supposed to denote areas where there are major pedestrian gaps or good pedestrian facilities; I think it’s both, but could also be a reflection of the fact that it includes a lot of old data.