The Bellevue City Council Monday night made its final offer to acquire property at NE 4th St. This acquisition would allow NE 4th St to connect from 116th St to 120th Ave NE, where destinations such as Home Depot and Best Buy are currently located.
The Council offered $6.2M to the property owners at 116th, as well as $12.82M to Best Buy for some of the land that they currently occupy. The plan is for NE 4th St to cut through the south end of the Best Buy store plus parking lot and become a 5 lane road. This portion of the roadway extension would be a part of phase 2 that is planned to be open by fall 2016.
Tags: Best Buy City of Bellevue
What will happen to Best Buy?
The plan is that they would literally HACK off part of the Best Buy on the south end of the store. BB would also “extend” the store to the north of the store. What perplexes me is that they’ve started this project without even finalizing the sale of the land necessary for this street to be constructed? How is that even possible?
Eminent domain. This is there final offer because the city will be taking the property for public use regardless of the current owners acceptance.
This new road doesn’t seem to provide anywhere near $19M in benefit to the city. Why not spend that money on something useful?
Isn’t Best Buy going out of business anyway?
Great Additions!
City of Bellevue stealing from private land owners yet again.
Paying is not stealing.
At such outrageous prices though, it seems as though the property owners are attempting to gouge the city.
This through street is one of the very early plans that align with the major street restructuring and planned growth in this area which will lead into the new up and coming Bel-Red / Overlake corridor. Read more here: http://www.ci.bellevue.wa.us/ne-fourth-street-extension.htm
This will be a great addition to the city. It will put the shopping area west of I405 (Uwajjimaya, liquor store, Moghul Palace,…) within walking distance for most downtown residents.
Personally I am looking forward to walking to Uwajimaya without having to deal with the horrible I405-NE8th intersection.