Bellevue is seeking comments from residents and developers about options for development of stormwater standards. The city’s Environmental Services Commission will host an open house and meeting on the topic on Thursday, April 2.

Comments received at the meeting and the open house will be relayed to the City Council before April 13, when it will decide whether to have one stormwater standard for construction disturbing less than acre and another for construction disturbing an acre or more.

The April 2 open house will be 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at City Hall, 450 110th Ave. NE, Room 1E-112. The Environmental Services Commission meeting will follow the open house, in the same room.

Bellevue, along with most other Western Washington municipalities, is required to adopt new development stormwater standards as part of a federal Clean Water Act permit to minimize stormwater pollution.

The permit requires Bellevue to adopt 2005 Ecology stormwater standards for new development and redevelopment, including single-family, for projects disturbing one or more acres. For projects disturbing less than one acre, the permit allows Bellevue the following regulatory options:

Option 1: Adopting the 2005 Department of Ecology Manual stormwater standards resulting in one citywide stormwater standard; or,

Option 2: Retaining existing stormwater standards from the 1992 Department of Ecology Manual, resulting in two stormwater standards.

Attendees at the open house will learn more about what these options mean to future development and redevelopment projects, and be able to provide comments on their preferred option at both the open house and the public meeting.

The state Department of Ecology has more information on municipal stormwater permits at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/stormwater/municipal/phaseIIww/wwphiipermit.html.