Bellevue presents refined designs for Maidenbauer Bay Park Phase 2; kite‑site parking and marina tradeoffs emerge

Bellevue Parks staff on Jan. 8 gave the Parks and Community Services Board an update on Maidenbauer Bay Park Phase 2 design and community outreach, describing a package of changes that preserve waterfront access while shifting many tradeoffs onto later phases because of funding limits.

Project managers Scott VanderHeiden and Pam Perrin reviewed a design that keeps the Whaling Building and public piers, rebuilds at least one public pier to modern accessibility standards, and reconfigures the marina area to create more public shoreline promenade and ecological edge. The team described a new accessible ‘‘bay connector’’ — a sloped walkway aligned to span existing site conifers and reduce dependence on elevators — that would deliver an accessible route from Main Street and the kite‑site area to the water.

Pam Perrin said the kite‑shaped parcel (the ‘‘kite site’’) at Main Street and 100th Avenue Southeast is proposed to take most of the park’s consolidated parking. The plan narrows 100th Avenue to slow traffic and create safer pedestrian crossings; it relocates the bulk of former marina parking into the kite site and other higher parcels so the shoreline and promenade can be more walkable and ecological.

The marina redesign reduces the amount of private monthly moorage on the bay while maintaining a minimum of transient visitor slips that the city must provide under grant obligations. Perrin and VanderHeiden said the design preserves at least 14 visitor slips (the minimum associated with the city’s RCO funding obligation), while the number of monthly private slips would be reduced given site grade and environmental constraints.

Staff reported extensive outreach: multiple public meetings, translated materials in the most‑used Bellevue languages, pop‑ups and online surveys. A recent survey showed the highest public priority was improved bike and pedestrian connections from Main Street and 100th Avenue; respondents ranked marina expansion and a new activity building lower on the priority list. Staff said responses showed broad support for shoreline access, habitat improvements and view corridors.

On funding, Perrin said current cost estimates and the city’s available budget mean the project cannot deliver both the kite‑site work and a full rebuilt shoreline promenade in the same construction phase. Staff said they will pursue a phased approach that secures a usable connection from the kite parcel to the shoreline in the near term and defer full marina/piers work to a later phase that will require additional funding.

Board members raised operational questions about parking wayfinding and usability; several commissioners and public speakers warned the proposed kite‑site consolidation could leave some users facing long, uphill walks or complex logistics to reach the water with kayaks and gear. Staff said they will plan drop‑off points, ADA parking and staged access to reduce carrying distances, and will continue to test circulation and wayfinding options.

VanderHeiden said the earliest construction could start under current planning and permitting assumptions is about 2028; permitting and technical work could take roughly three years before major construction begins. The team said another round of community review and final design is expected before contract procurement.

Ending: Staff will complete technical reports, refine the funding plan and return with updated schedule and design details for board and council review; the city intends to retain shoreline public access and reduce private moorage while balancing neighborhood concerns about traffic and views.