What strategies should the city adopt to facilitate construction of affordable housing for workers and others in Bel-Red as the area is transformed in coming years through zoning and other changes?

That was the issue discussed before City Council members Monday during a briefing presented by the city’s Planning and Community Development Department.

The briefing was held prior to a May 28 public hearing at City Hall during which the Planning Commission will take comment on draft, comprehensive plan and land use code amendments for Bel-Red.

The commission is expected to vote on its final recommendations this summer. The City Council will take final action on the recommendations later this year following public outreach.

In recent years, the lack of affordable housing has been cited in public opinion surveys conducted by the city’s Human Services Commission as one of Bellevue’s major challenges. The city, working primarily through the non-profit A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH), has worked with neighboring communities to provide affordable housing in Bellevue and other Eastside communities.

Last year, the city council endorsed an affordable housing work program focusing on evaluating tools that could be used in Bel-Red and elsewhere in the city to encourage housing affordability. The intention was to consider affordable housing strategies for workers and others up front as the initial Bel-Red plan and zoning changes was put into effect.

In its preferred alternative, the citizen’s panel advising the city on Bel-Red envisioned the creation of 5,000 additional housing units of all types in the area.