The City of Bellevue is inviting Downtown residents to help decide how $975,000 will be spent in their neighborhood through the Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP).
The funding is part of the city’s seven-year capital improvements cycle and is designated specifically for the Downtown neighborhood area in 2026.
What Is the Neighborhood Enhancement Program?
Founded in 1988, the Neighborhood Enhancement Program allows Bellevue residents to propose and select small-scale capital improvement projects designed to improve quality of life and enhance neighborhood character.
In December 2022, the City Council dedicated $7 million to fund NEP projects from 2023 through 2029. The funding is distributed among 14 neighborhood areas citywide, based on the number of households in each area.
Downtown Bellevue, which has 10,838 households — the largest of any neighborhood area — receives 16% of the total allocation, or $975,000. Allocation amounts include administrative costs such as printing and postage.
What Types of Projects Qualify?
NEP funds small-scale, publicly accessible projects located on public property. Past projects across Bellevue have included:
- Art installations
- Crosswalk improvements
- Trail connections
- Street lighting
- Picnic shelters
- Play structures
- Streetscape upgrades
Projects must meet specific criteria. To qualify, proposals must:
- Benefit the general public
- Be physically feasible and located on public property
- Stay within the neighborhood’s allocated budget
- Align with city plans and departmental policies
- Be designed and constructed within three to five years
- Be maintainable by the city
Ideas that do not meet NEP criteria may be forwarded to the appropriate city department for further consideration.
How the Selection Process Works
The NEP process unfolds in five phases:
Phase 1: Residents submit project ideas using Project Idea Cards.
Phase 2: The city reviews submissions using NEP screening criteria. Eligible projects receive cost estimates to determine whether they can be completed within the neighborhood’s budget.
Phase 3: The city hosts a public open house where residents can review qualifying, cost-feasible proposals.
Phase 4: Ballots are mailed to neighborhood households. Residents rank their top three project choices and return the ballot to the city. Weighted results determine the highest-scoring projects.
Phase 5: The selected projects move into design and construction.
Downtown Bellevue: $975,000 Available in 2026
Downtown Bellevue is part of the 2026 NEP rotation schedule. The program rotates through two neighborhood areas each year over a seven-year cycle.
With nearly $1 million available for Downtown projects, the city has already received several proposals and resident feedback outlining priorities for the neighborhood.
How to Submit a Project Idea
Downtown residential households received a postage-paid NEP Project Idea Request Form in the mail in January. Residents may submit ideas by:
- Returning the mailed form
- Completing the online submission form available on the city’s website at bellevuewa.gov/nep
There is no limit to the number of project ideas a resident may submit. All submissions must be received online or at City Hall by Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
The Neighborhood Enhancement Program gives residents a direct role in shaping improvements within their community. For Downtown Bellevue, the 2026 cycle represents an opportunity to determine how $975,000 in public funding will be invested locally over the coming years.
