Plants aren’t the only things growing at the Bellevue Botanical Garden this spring. Ground will be broken Tuesday, April 23 for a new visitor center and expansion of the parking lot.

The ceremony will be from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the Botanical Garden Shorts Visitor Center, 12001 Main St. The event will feature a preview of the design drawings, music and refreshments.

Mayor Conrad Lee and several councilmembers are confirmed to attend, along with many members of the Bellevue Botanical Garden Society.

The planned improvements are designed to enhance existing educational programs and provide facilities for more visitors. Designed by Olson Kundig Architects, the project features the following elements:

• A New Visitor Center: The centerpiece of the improvements, the 8,500 square-foot visitor center will include an outdoor covered orientation space, gift shop, meeting space, offices and restrooms. Multi-purpose classrooms and meeting spaces are designed to meet the rising interest in education at the BBG and accommodate a wide range of programming.
• Site Work: The new parking lot will more than double the BBG’s current parking capacity and will provide safer access to the visitor center. Additionally, the BBG will undergo extensive landscape work and the development of outdoor circulation space. Existing gardens will be enhanced, and new gardens will be developed, including the Fernery, Spring Court and the Iris Rain Garden.

The Garden opened in 1992. With over 300,000 visitors a year, the Bellevue Botanical Garden is one of the city’s most popular destinations.

The BBG project was approved by voters in the 2008 Parks & Natural Areas Levy. The project is expected to cost about $10 million and the Bellevue Botanical Garden Society has committed $5 million towards the project through its Growing a Living Legacy private fundraising campaign.