The Bellevue City Council has given the go-ahead to a plan to transform the Bel-Red corridor.
“This is about growing smartly,” councilman John Chelminiak said. “This is about the economy and the environment winning. This is a sustainable plan.”
The plan for the 900-acre area northeast of downtown has been three years in the making and involved a citizen steering committee, the Planning Commission and other city commissions, citizens who participated in numerous public meetings and other outreach efforts, staff and council.
“This is the culmination of a tremendous amount of effort,” said councilwoman Claudia Balducci.
The plan is unusual, but not unique in the Puget Sound area. Another planning effort comparable in size aims to transform a large urban area is the South Lake Union project now underway in Seattle.
Over the years, the Bel-Red area has experienced a gradual decline. Initially set aside in the 1960s for light industry, the number of people employed in the area has gradually decreased. The biggest drop came when Safeway moved a large portion of its food distribution warehouse to Auburn.
The plan adopted Tuesday calls for the corridor to undergo a transition from light industrial to a mixture of retail, office and residential uses. The highest density development would be clustered around two light rail stations planned for the area as part of Sound Transit’s East Link line. The line, now in the planning stages, will connect the employment centers of downtown Bellevue, Seattle and Overlake.
Specifically, the plan adopted Tuesday calls for:
New parks, trails and bike paths to enhance neighborhoods and better connect them to other parts of the city;
The day lighting of six streams to benefit salmon and other aquatic life;
Increased open space;
More affordable housing, with specific targets to serve low- and moderate-income households;
New office and commercial space blended with residential development, including up to 10,000 new jobs and 5,000 new housing units organized around high-capacity transit stations by 2030.
City officials say a benefit of the plan is reduced greenhouse gas emissions because local transit, housing and jobs will be in closer proximity, reducing car trips.
Unlike downtown, where the city has concentrated high-density development by allowing buildings of over 40 stories, the tallest buildings in the transformed Bel-Red area will be limited to about 13 stories and located only near transit centers. The plan calls for other parts of Bel-Red to have three- to six-story buildings.
The higher densities will help Bellevue meet growth management targets, which require cities and towns to accept larger populations in order to avoid suburban sprawl.
Council members are now considering a range of ways to pay for the proposed Bel-Red improvements. Besides general tax revenues, options include higher impact fees and creation of local improvement districts.
More information is available at http://www.bellevuewa.gov/bed-red_intro.htm.
