As the City of Bellevue website reads, housing is a key issue facing the city and the issue raised most often by community members. Over half of all respondents to the Bellevue 2044 Questionnaire rated the city’s progress towards providing a range of housing options that are affordable for people to rent or own as “below average” or “very poor”.
The key focus os the Periodic Update to the Comprehensive Plan is to implement a range of housing types at different affordability levels. As a city, everyone needs to consider what type of housing is needed, where to put more housing, and how much housing is needed to plan for to meet these goals.
Some of the goals are as follows;
- Planning for a range of housing types and densities that allow us to maximize recent investments in transit
- Prioritizing affordable housing for very low income families
- Addressing past inequities that have shaped the city
- Planning for residential neighborhoods that protect and promote the health and well-being of residents by supporting equitable access to parks, a clean environment, educational and economic opportunity, and transportation options.
- Bellevue is considering several approaches to housing in order to reach their target of 35,000 new housing units by 2044. These approaches include creating more housing options such as duplexes, townhomes, and other modest scale housing, creating options that are affordable at all income levels, especially for households that have low incomes, to ensure housing has access to jobs and transit, addressing impacts from historic discrimination in land use and housing.
Visit the City of Bellevue’s project page to learn more about key housing data, share your housing story, and provide input that will help shape the future of housing in Bellevue.
